Topic
Some constructive criticism on Warlocks...
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First let me say that I am very pleased with the direction that classes and especially specs have gone with Cataclysm. I love how when I hit level 10 and chose a spec that I actually feel like I made an important decision. Great job there!
That being said, I have an issue with the Warlock class, as well as a couple of suggestions for how to fix it. I’ll be talking from a Destruction ‘locks point of view. The largest problem that I see with the Warlock class right now is the amount of skill the class requires relative to the other dps specs out there compared to the return you get for your efforts. I have played nearly every dps spec in the game, most at max level, and I feel that Warlocks not only take the most skill to play effectively but also that we aren’t adequately rewarded for that skill. Here is an example. I can hop into the raid finder with my Combat Rogue, and do tremendous dps. All I have to do as Combat is keep up Slice and Dice, use two different cooldowns, and do 5-point Eviscerates. I don’t even have to worry about keeping rupture up on the target anymore as it is a very small dps loss to just ignore it all together. This is a very easy rotation that yields very high dps. On the other hand, I get into Raid Finder with my Warlock. The first thing I have to worry about is keeping my Immolate, Bane, and Corruption up, as well as Curse of the Elements if it is needed. There are four spells to manage right there. On top of that, I have to also keep Improved Soul Fire up so my dps isn’t crippled by that damage loss. Then there is the issue of the actual dps “rotation” which I will admit is relatively simple, but not any simpler than everything my rogue has to do. There are also a few cooldowns that Warlocks have to manage as well, like Demon Soul and our Doomguard. Don’t forget to throw in the fact that not only do you have to manage dots but you also have to reapply them when your trinkets/enchants proc or you won’t be getting the most out of them, since a large portion of a Warlocks damage is from dots. Then, on top of all that is the pet. Granted, my Imp is pretty maintenance-free but there are still times when he dies and I have to summon him again, while in the meantime a few dots might fall off or I could waste valuable procs. See what I’m getting at? The skill required to maximize Warlock dps is so much higher than that of many other dps specs out there, and I have the feeling that it may be too high. I understand that your current view is that you have to tune damage to the top 1% of people out there, lest damage just goes out of control, but there has to be something that can be done to simplify Warlocks. I don’t mean simplified in a way that they become boring and too easy to play, but maybe some of their systems could be reworked to take the edge off playing a ‘lock. For example, retune Improved Soul Fire so that only your instant-proc’d Soul Fires would trigger the effect. That way, it wouldn’t be something that would devastate your dps, but rather a nice buff that would prioritize getting off those instant Soul Fires asap. Another thing that could possibly be done is to have all dots automatically update with your current spell power, without having to refresh them. I’m not sure if the tech is there to do that, but not having to refresh dots early because of a proc would certainly help. Another area that could use improvement is pet survivability. You already basically made them invulnerable to bosses AoE damage. Why not just make them invulnerable 100% unless you are in a battleground or arena? I can’t see any reason to allow them to die in PvE in the first place. Having to re-summon them is not something that takes skill, it is more of just an annoyance. I believe that getting these “upkeep” type of requirements out of the Warlock class could make room for some fun mechanics that could be introduced (much like where you are going with Embers). Upkeep isn’t that fun. Getting procs for big spells or different things that have you change up your rotation a bit (such as execute phases that require a small rotation change) are things that are fun. I don’t have an issue with this game being challenging, but hopefully the skill requirements can be balanced out for every spec even further. Let’s get rid of annoyances that aren’t fun and bring in more mechanics that are! |
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I personally like the fact that it takes more skill. Were pretty deadly in the right hands too. I'm speaking from a PVP perspective
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Heh yeah I forgot to switch over to my lock before I posted. I like that it requires more skill in some areas, but I really just don't like the maintenance-y feel of it. Maybe most people don't feel the same way I do, who knows? I would just like to see the class go in a different direction. One that still rewards skill, but maybe with less of what it requires now. |
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Haha. I see what your saying though. I read this the other day and I felt it was true. They said, "Back then you could see when a warlock was good because he was on top of the dps charts by several percent. Now you can tell if a warlock is good because hes in 4th-6th place." |
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I REALLY like that idea. That would be a nice little thing that would make the spec feel more "Ooo i get to blow up the charts for the next 20 seconds YAY ME!" rather than flying through a rotation with my eyes in 4 different places to keep track of a damn buff plus dots plus CDs plus fillers. |
