Nezralix

You'll probably have a good three months to figure that out after information is released.

 

Kumar

That was one of the reasons I switched to Ench/LW on my Rogue from Mining/BS even though when I switched to LW, none of the craftable items were an upgrade for me (well the ones available from LW Trainer anyway). One reason being is I want to craft the equivalent of Primalstrike set in WoLTK when I reach 80 and start raiding again.

 

Draele

I read a great post several months back essentially saying what you are in a much more eloquent and drawn out form. It comes down to the idea that hybrids are not actually hybrids, but rather "role changers". You'll rarely fulfill two roles in one fight, or even one night with the exception of tanking/DPS (which is such a large reason Feral Druids are nice to have, great interchangeability within the same spec, and to a lesser extent, gear) but you have the ability to change your mind and respec and play something totally different.

Really, you're playing a hybrid for two reasons: specific utility brought through talents and abilities, IE Improved Faerie Fire, Improved LoTP, Tree of Life Aura, etc. OR for the ability to drastically change your playstyle with a gear/talent overhaul.

It really is the shame that the of all the "hybrid" classes not one really, truly, is a hybrid. Though I blame that more on gear than spec...

Rantings of the Afflicted, a Warlock blog: http://draele.blogspot.com/

 

• Adoriele

I think that's a BC development, and I'm still on the fence as to whether I like it. I remember back when my old guild alliance was running ZG, and, without respeccing, I was Moonkin on one fight (Jek'lik), healer on a second (Mandokir), and MT on the third (Marli). I think I was a 35/11/5 spec at that time, and it afforded great opportunity to be anything without having to respec. Now, granted, I wasn't the absolute best main tank in the world, and it would have been a horrible idea to try it in, say, MC or BWL, not to mention Naxx, but for a group of guilds just starting out with no true feral, not to mention that full feral really wasn't a huge benefit at the time, it worked pretty darn well.

Now, however, I'd be incredibly stupid to try and MT even Attumen without speccing full feral (in bear form, well aware there've been moonkins tanking bosses, and I have only a bare interest in that).

 

Linnet

You get some hyrbridity in 10 mans with dps warriors off tanking et al. I think the core issue is that Blizzard tend to make content tougher by giving mobs more health (ie. need better dps to avoid enrage timers) and making them hit harder (need more specialised tanks). Large raids always needed a lot of specialisation, it's one of the reasons I'm looking forwards to seeing the 10 man track in WotJK, I've just enjoyed the smaller raid size instances more.

And re: old world instances, I remember times when we had a resto druid tanking bosses in MC or BWL and it was good enough to turn a potential wipe into a kill.

 

PSGarak

I started thinking about how if the paladin Holy Shield talent were 21 points instead of 31, you would likely see a lot of 40/21/0 paladins running around healing on bosses and tanking trash. The way in which it works reveals a subtlety that could allow a certain type of hybridization. Basically, in each of the major 'roles' (tank/heal/DPS), it's not strictly a matter of getting better, because there are at least two dimensions of better: tanks have agro, soak (stam), and mitigation/avoidance; healers have longevity and throughput, DPS also have crowd-control and group synergies. Granted DPS have the least meaningful other dimensions, but I guess they don't need one.

So what this allows for, is that most of one dimension comes early in the tree and the other dimensions come later in the tree, which makes a half-spec viable in certain scenarios. In the prot paladin case, paladins' main benefit compared to other classes is their threat. The threat comes early in the tree, while the soak and avoidance that lets them compete for MT viability comes much later in the tree, so 21 points would still give you a threat tank if not a general use main tank. I suppose for tanks the similar situation would be giving Bears their mitigation talents early and their stam/agro talents later on. Which is already true... I think that one got screwed because of healing mechanics and mana potions--unless/until mana potions are fixed there's realistically no situation where you would want high mitigation without caring so much about stamina.

So, in short, if 21 (or 25 or maybe even 30) points into a tree can give you something that is both a) not easily replicated by another class and b) not much further improved by going a full 41 (or 51) points into a tree, you can have effective hybrid specs. Moving holy shield to 21 would make half-prot pallies near-optimal in a common enough situation to consider; having Healing Touch be talented out by 20 points in resto, and a thinner feral tanking spec, would allow feral druids to heal effectively, albeit as a priest instead of as a resto druid. And so forth. The trick is to have a variety of choice in the shallow talents, so that the first few tiers aren't wasted in a standard deep spec (eg there are also non-HT shallow-resto talents available in the above example).

http://sig.gamerdna.com/quizzes/INFL...erks/Garak.png

 

Starfire

Because everyone needs to do damage to get ahead. Everyone. You cannot heal something to death.

And honestly the +heal -> +damage thing is to placate healers for the random grinds in the game. E.g. reputations and 70 -> 80. But don't think I can effectively deal damage. I have +1100-1150 or so +damage in full healing gear, but without the spec and without crit/hit its pretty useless. I can farm. I can kill level 70 mobs. But I cannot raid dps.

 

Fiola

And thus you have hybrid gear supporting a hybrid playstyle. No, the gear doesn't give you "Raid DPS slot" level DPS - but it's a significant improvement over "I wear the best gear in the game for my class/spec and my damage spells are the same as if I were naked".


I think it was a great change. I just wish the same principle was applied to my favorite class.

 

Kumar

How is it the same, getting gear that allows you to actually level and grind/kill normal mobs vs asking for gear/specs that allow you to switch between healing/DPS/Tank roles on the fly for a raid fight?

 

Soraxis

I dont see how it is appropriate asking that one class can fulfill two or three roles in a raid spot without changing spec, the hybrid classes at this point in time ARE capable of fulfilling one role at any given point in time if they are specced/geared right, other non hybridized classes like mages for example, no matter what wont ever be able to tank or heal beyond stuff like HKM. It's already a bit unbalanced having druids able to DPS on par with mages as boomkins and then also be able to go and spec into healing if they want to, making it so that they can do two or three of the following competitively at the same time just makes them way too overpowered.

"Time is like a monkey, you think its there and then its gone eating a banana."

 

◊ Kaubel

Oh come on. Don't let this turn into a giant whinefest about how Blizzard hates your class.

 

Fiola

Err, so how does "healing gear that can be used to grind/kill normal mobs" not allow you to "switch between healing/DPS on the fly"?

I'm not looking for gear that doubles as both best-in-slot damage AND healing gear (100% damage/100% healing). There should be tradeoffs. Maybe the gear is only 100/33, or 80/50 or some other combination thereof - but the important thing is to provide that option.


S-Priests aren't forced into +shadow gear, Shaman aren't forced into +Nature, ditto for druids - they all can use +dmg/healing gear that supplements the damage/healing hybrid playstyle that I'm looking for. Likewise for healing specs - there's no such thing as +healing gear anymore - it's all +healing/+dmg gear now.

 

Zaphid

Speaking of gear, I'm curious if we will see something similar to the Frozen Shadoweave and other tailored gear. It wasn't actually that bad on a paper, however with the screwed itemization pre 2.1, many casters were forced to take them and i don't really like gear that forces you to use one and only spec.If you think about them as a gear that you don't use for 6+months of raiding, it actually sounds pretty good. If melee dps also had something comparative to those sets, jumping into raiding in WotLK could be made even easier.

 

Mokkori

THIS IS FAKE, but I just wanted to share this little gem with you all.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9...jordsl9cl6.jpg

Created by Kanaru, on another forum which shall remain nameless.

Oh--on this note, I've something to share. If you haven't noticed, Sunwell+ graphics are going through a transformation. (The literal graphics, not the style.) Blizzard is experimenting with and preparing for their new Wrath of the Lich King graphics engine. I'm not going to name names, but some little birdies are telling me that there are two reasons for this new engine:

1) Slightly more advanced graphics with more options for developers to work with, on top of less hardware demand. (I stress that 'more advanced' does not mean the game will look like Aion or Final Fantasy XIII--we probably won't even notice the differences.)

2) The engine will more easily allow Northrend to adjust to the possibility of flying mounts. Should flying mounts be implemented, Blizzard will not have to worry about infinite stretches of untextured flats. There will be many ways around that.

 

Yenadar

Hybrid Classes:
Everything I am seeing points to Blizzard attempting to accomplish the following:
When a group is being formed to run an instance, 5, 10, or 25 man, they want all 3 tanking classes equally viable, all 4 healing classes equally viable, and all 8 DPS classes equally viable.

I.E., they don't want any given class 'left out in the cold'.

Now, obviously, you want certain classes for certain instances, because it makes them easier, but Blizzard is being very careful that there are no instances that REQUIRE that every player in a given role be 1 specific class inorder to succeed. They want there to be a viable mix of classes in every instance, and it doesn't matter which class you have tanking, which class you have healing, or which 3 classes you have DPSing. You will still have a reasonably fair chance of succeeding if you have the gear. In building the 25-mans, they want all classes of every role available, and that is certainly possible, and there is every reason to do so for most raids.

They don't want one class to be "the best", numerically, by such a large gap that it is the clear choice every single time. They want classes and specs chosen for what they bring to the raid beyond their ability to compete in their role. If they did the hybridization that is being referred to, then it would inherently either 1: nerf that hybrid class by reducing their ability to compete equally within each of their available roles, or 2: overpower that hybrid class by allowing them to equally compete in more than 1 role at the same time.

Both options unbalance the level competition field that currently exists between the classes. The only place where such unbalance is acceptable is in solo play. Otherwise, it is by far better to be a specialist in your role, whether pvp or pve, tanking, DPS, or healing.

 

Kumar

I am pretty sure they are implementing Flying Mounts in Northrend, you will just have to purchase something else when you hit 80 to fly them in Northrend. Main reason probably is that having Flying Mounts available from the start would make things a joke to explore.

 

• alcaras

Pretty. I'm curious how it was made so I too can make similar maps (I like WoW's map style).

 

flyingtoastr

One thing I'm curious about is whether they're going to update the sprites for characters. Sunwell has what the "new style" could be for humans in the form of Kalec.

Kalec (new)

versus

Bolvar Fordragon (old)

I wonder if this is a sign for the future or the art team simply wanting to show a major lore character in his original splendor.

Divine Favor still costs mana.

 

Treesurgeon

I guess a feral druid is as close as its going to get to a true hybrid. They can tank half an encounter, switch forms, and then put out decent DPS mid stream. As a tree, I guess I could drop a moonfire on something and I don't have any isses with my inner demon on Leo, for example, but if some said we have plenty of healing and need more DPS, Tree, toss in some DPS....not gonna happen.

And that's fine. I'm a specialist and I'm pretty good, in relative terms, at what I do. The spell damage buff to healing gear was a big boost to farming and grinding. The SSO daily quests are pretty easy and no issues. I can't nuke like a moonkin and I've tried doing it in cat w/ feral gear with little success but I can get by just zapping stuff while I run a HoT or 2 on myself.

I don't know how well that will serve me going 70-80, though. I'll probably be able to grind instances and find a buddy for most things but not much could really scare me aside from the time it would take to kill things and get through quests. In that regard, its nice to have a mix of things to do instead of an endless string of "kill 10 of X, kill 6 of Y" Those kinds of quests are generally much easier for DPS classes to tear through.

Then again, I might take switch to my prot warrior again and take him to 80 first. I don't know yet.

 

Alerian

You can get the PSD file for the map template at User:Kanaru - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft.

 

◊ Zerchi

Keep in mind that Kalecgos' humanoid form is actually that of a "half-elf" so I don't know if he's really much of a hint that humans are getting improvements. He's definitely a nice example of how their texture work has evolved. But here's hoping some of that does indeed pass over to our old models.

In regards to graphics improvements, if all they did was added enough "tech" that they finally felt comfortable giving players long coats (similar to what the sea captain NPCs already wear) as an alternative to man-dresses, I'd be pretty happy.

 

Starfire

I'd like the bottom part of tabbards to show on casters. It's already salt on an open wound that the new SSO tabbard actually has a graphic on the bottom piece. /sigh/ Why must casters suffer so much!

 

Alerian

Notes from WoW -> Insider -> Sunwell and Beyond

• Items will tend to be made out of more "natural" materials, to match the Nordic-inspired art themes of the structures

• There will be a turtle boat that connects Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra

• One new mob type, Northrend Giant, twice as tall as a Fel Reaver. Concept art:

 

flyingtoastr

I read that and all I can think to myself is:

"No more Crystalforge."

I then weep with joy.

Divine Favor still costs mana.

 

Nezralix

Paladins will invariably be happy about it.

However, we do already have quite a bit of nature-themed gear from Zul'Aman and badges, so it may be unpopular with folks who don't care for that!