Replenisher Role(?)

Ghostcrawler got his own words turned against him the other day, in an attempt to get replenishment nerfed and get mana regen in general un-nerfed. "As long as players are expecting raid slots because of their amazing utility then utility is probably too amazing" was what he had written previously, and this is what he replied to the nitpicking (part of the post):

Nerf healing, because healers get spots in raids because they can heal.

As you well know, assuming you read the thread, this was a case of a class or spec wanting a unique buff to guarantee them a raid spot. It wasn't enough to bring *a* buff. They wanted a unique buff such that their guild would say, for example, "We have to take a Retribution paladin or we'll be really behind."

I admit, I'm no fan of replenishment as the ability works right now. However I can see the potential that Blizzard do in all of this (I think). I don't get why GC compared replenishment to healing. One is a role while the other is a passive (more or less) ability. Apples and Oranges. Or do they really view replenishment as a role? I beg to differ. For it to qualify as a role it would have to take skill. Right now it's a watered down version of the dps skillset. You just dps, good or bad doesn't matter, and you get replenishment as a freebe. You can't really be a bad replenisher, only a bad dps'er while doing it. If it did take skill, and a different kind of skill, then replenisher could be considered a role.

It could turn out ok if they made a new role out of replenishment, a real role, and it could end up as a general support role (dps/support) eventually. Problem would be that it's a big change, and one that the affected specs never signed up for. On the other hand there are certainly people that would like this gaming style. Maximizing their (active) support while bringing as much dps as possible, a fine line.

There might be something to replenishment. I just think Blizzard are doing it all wrong. Either it's a unique buff (and susceptible to nerfs) or it's a role, not some form of bastard child between the two. Personally I'd treat it as a buff amogst others, and stop removing other aspects of mana regen to make it fit. Blizzard, you want groups to grow in power as the group grows right? You are moving away from that at the moment with the merger of BoW and MST. When I'm ready to implement a sweeping change as a support role, then I'd go for it. Not before that.

BoW & MST stack no more

In an attempt to reduce the amount of unique buffs brought by paladins and shamans, Mana Spring Totem and Blessing of Wisdom will no longer stack. It's as of now unknown how Blizzard will go about this change, so it's too early to call nerf. This is what I wrote in a comment to a blog post at World of Matticus, and I'll leave it at that for now.

This change could make sense depending on how they will go about this. If they buff BoW and Mana Spring Totem so that they have the power of both combined, then it might be a nice change for 10-man instances and below. A slight buff for 25-man instances as well as that you won’t have to stack shamans for maximum mana regen. Downside is less totem options for shamans in a raid setting. If they don’t buff these spells then replenish will be even more mandatory, which doesn’t make sense. It would be nice if the shaman totem was stronger than BoW after talents, but without removing BoW. Then shamans would have a reason to use their totem in raids, and BoW still makes a nice buffer.

Edit: Blizzard have now mentioned that this change is intended as a nerf as well as a homogenisation, although they will buff the spells if they see that mana regen is too low.

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Tier 8 versus the Runway!

The result from the grand Tier 8 Runway Show is in and you can read all about it in this post. Enjoy!

First up on the runway is...the Death Knight! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - ok set but the helmet kind of ruins it, whats up with the horns?

Ghost - First impression is: Retouched warrior tier 3. Not much originality but somehow Blizzard pulls it off. Warrior tier 3 is one of the all time best looking tier sets, and Blizzard improve on it to make it look even more sinister. Looks great on the Death Knight. Could use some work to distinguish it from the predecessor, but they are getting there.

NuclearAnt - 7/10, mostly because the face on the torso remind me of Krang in the Turtles, and he was cool. :p

Carys' points: 5
Ghost's points: 8
NuclearAnt's points: 7
Total score: 20


Next, let's hear it for the Druid! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - wtf no kilt? and the head and shoulders will just look riddiculous on taurens, thank god for forms!

Ghost - I couldn't help but to chuckle when I saw the Druid models. Helm plus shoulder armor together give the druids a cartoonish look that isn't quite expected, or wanted I'd say. Don't get me wrong, the idea of those armor pieces are good. But they need some work so that they don't come out as silly. The rest of the armor look great, a compromise between savage and stylish.

NuclearAnt - Sorry. Too much treelover.

Carys' points: 3
Ghost's points: 7
NuclearAnt's points: 4
Total score: 14


Hunter, enter the stage! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - man those horns! scary good looking set.

Ghost - Traditionally, at least in my opinion, hunters have drawn the short straw when it comes to tier armor design. Blizzard doesn't appear to have settled on a hunter look, and it's a shame. Tier 8, while I admit it looks pretty cool, doesn't look like an armor someone using a ranged weapon would use. Far too clumsy look.

NuclearAnt - Love the gasmask but it doesn't really feel like hunter to me.

Carys' points: 8
Ghost's points: 5
NuclearAnt's points: 8
Total score: 21


Mage! No blinking on the runway! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - whats up with all the eyes on their set? helmet looks like some kind of futurama tribute!

Ghost - I bow to the designers. Solid work on this garb. Some polish and this tier set will be perfect.

NuclearAnt - Gives me a cosy Final Fatasy feeling for some reason.

Carys' points: 5
Ghost's points: 9
NuclearAnt's points: 8
Total score: 22


Paladin...you're up! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - showing way to much skin and will look horrible on male chars, then again we all know what way belf boys swing. edit: nvm didnt realise male got a diffrent skin

Ghost - I'm...speechless. Most paladin tier sets, with a few exceptions, have been really ugly throughout the course of this game...but this... Scifi spacesuit meet some early civilization, I'm not sure what it is supposed to be but it isn't an armor fit for a paladin. Banana shoulders is better than this even.

NuclearAnt - The women look like some futuristic version of a SARS mask or something. The men on the other hand tell us they aren't healadins anymore. Tankadin!!

Carys' points: 2
Ghost's points: 3
NuclearAnt's points: 8
Total score: 13


Big round of applause for the Priest! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - winnar. i even like the tulip-looking shoulders, the helmet covering half your face is pretty neat too.

Ghost - Priests have had a pretty high standard when it comes to tier set looks, and tier 8 is no exception. Overall really classy, although I'm not sure about the helm. It's doesn't strike me as priest-like.

NuclearAnt - Like the hint of wings, but the glowing eyes give them a somewhat surprised expression.

Carys' points: 10
Ghost's points: 8
NuclearAnt's points: 7
Total score: 25


Rogue, you're up. Don't you dare sneak away! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - even the scary wodoo-helmet looks good and the shoulders are just lovely. Might even look good on male orc rogues!

Ghost - Rogue tier 8 does look pretty cool, but there are things I would like to change. First of all the hideous skull cap needs to go. And second, I'd like the set to have a more leathery look. The set show some potential though.

NuclearAnt - Rogue, love it. Can't really tell why, but I like it.

Carys' points: 9
Ghost's points: 6
NuclearAnt's points: 9
Total score: 24

Shaman! Ice Shock! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - wtf2 no kilt here either? other than that it kind of looks cool.

Ghost - The Shaman tier 8 look pretty awesome, but there was something wrong about it that I couldn't place. After I while I realized it. No kilt! Again! Add a kilt and this could be a 10-pointer.

NuclearAnt - Looks a little wierd on a human, but I like the cracked lava'ish texture on the shoulders.

Carys' points: 6
Ghost's points: 8
NuclearAnt's points: 7
Total score: 21


Next model on the runway is, the Warlock! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - again poor male orcs those shoulders will look like shit on them, other than that its a funky set, more druid than warlock i'd say though.

Ghost - Warlocks have had some of the coolest tier sets in this game, and tier 8 doesn't disappoint in that regard. I really, really like the general idea. However, it seem really unpolished and unfinished compared to many other tier 8 armor sets. Give the set more attention and it could turn into something great.

NuclearAnt - Definetly the coolest so far, but I settle for 9/10. Digged it when you saw a forsaken in that outfit during the cutscene in Dragonblight.

Carys' points: 4
Ghost's points: 7
NuclearAnt's points: 9
Total score: 20


...and the last model for the night, let's hear it for the Warrior! (Pic 1/Pic 2)
Carys - omg more horns! and the two middle colors makes it look like the ass is up front!

Ghost - The look of the set itself, it isn't that bad. But it doesn't really fit the warrior. As a matter of fact, this set would have looked better on a paladin. Warrior tier sets should look badass, not defensive as this one

NuclearAnt - Warriors. Took over Paladin tier 3/7. Tough luck.

Carys' points: 4
Ghost's points: 4
NuclearAnt's points: 4
Total score: 12

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Death Knight 20
Druid 14
Hunter 21
Mage 22
Paladin 13
Priest 25
Rogue 24
Shaman 21
Warlock 20
Warrior 12

1st place: Priest
2nd place: Rogue
3rd place: Mage
4th place: Hunter/Shaman
5th place: Death Knight/Warlock
6th place: Druid
7th place: Paladin
8th place: Warrior

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Big grats to the top 3 classes, your tier 8 sets get the Ghost of Warcraft Past seal of approvement and thus you can raid in style! Don't cash in yet though, I might revise the score if I can get hold on a fourth jury member!

Healing Fun (Revisited!)

As of lately there have been lots of threads about healing fun (or rather the lack of it). One might think that this is only a kneejerk reaction to the recent mana regeneration nerf announcement, but is that the whole truth? Could it be that healers in general like the idea of healing so much they can't see the shortcommings?

The healing role have always been very dear to me, and my characters tended to become healers if at all possible. I'll try to pinpoint what makes healing fun, and what makes healing not fun, and see if I can come to some sort of a conclusion.

When is healing fun?
Healing is challenging - I like it when healing is challenging. Mana shouldn't be a non-issue and I should have to use my spells to the fullest, unless I totally overgear the instance. Goes hand in hand with healing variation.
Use of non-healing spells - I like it when I can use spells that aren't immidiately associated with healing to help my group and help with my role. In fact it's one of the more gratifying feelings since it doesn't happen that often. At least not compared to using healing spells. Be it a timely spell interrupt, stun or crowd control.
Variation when healing - I like it when I'm encouraged to use my full set of healing and damage prevention spells when healing. I don't want to be able to spam one spell over and over again and get away with it.
Varying types of damage - In raids I like it when there's a mix of predictable and unpredictable damage, as well as targeted damage versus AoE damage. Unpredictable damage keep you on your toes and the predictable damage is a pleasant distraction.
When assignments matter - In raids I like it when you can assign healers to certain targets, and it makes the encounter easier. It shouldn't be rocket science, but assignments should matter.

When isn't healing fun?
Discrimination - It's not fun when a dungeon seem constructed as a counter to certain healing specs. What comes to mind is Magisters' Terrace for holy paladins, at least before WotLK. While it was doable, it was much easier for the remaining healing specs at the time.
Healer is to blame - It's not fun when everything that can go wrong in an encounter can be blamed on the healer. Since healers are responsible for keeping the group/raid alive, much of what can go wrong can be blamed on them. That comes with the job. But healers shouldn't be able to bail out damage dealers every single time they do something stupid, just because you can save them in theory if you react near instantly and/or waste loads of mana. Mostly a raid issue.
Spamming - It's not fun when one healing spell rule them all. This is even more important after the downranking nerf.
UI fall short - Healers spend most of their time watching health bars. Many of the UI shortcommings can be fixed by downloading 3:rd party addons. But the fact that the UI, after all these years, still is so primitive and poor for healers is incredible. In a bad way. Even with addons we can feel impaired in certain situation because of UI limitations.
When benched - It's not fun when a healer get benched only because the raid want to do a timed run or get some other achievement done. This is a fundamental flaw with healing in this game. You work yourself out of a raid spot.

So what can be done to make healing more fun?
Keep challenging healers - This is an obvious solution, and something that Blizzard always aim to do. Keep in mind that all specs need to be challenged but also encouraged to use all their spells to keep on top of healing.
Less healing fallback - Use more enrage timers, punish stupid damage dealers in ways other than by damage in some encounters.
Let healers increase dps - It kinda goes against all Laws of WoW, but it would be nice if healers can increase the potency of damage dealers dps by the means of active and passive buffs. The healers themselves shouldn't dps. It would be awesome if bringing the standard amount of healers would give a higher overall raid dps than bringing fewer, but decrease the overall dps if more are brought.
Revamp the UI - Sounds like a no-brainer, but it has hardly been touched from vanilla WoW so it can't be that obvious. Healers need to be able to have fun healing without addons. Some people say they do fine without them, but I can assure them that they'll never look back if they start using them. Healers need to be able to do this without addons: customize the look/size of the UI, filter options on buffs/debuffs shown and possibility to show both types at the same time, urgent debuffs that is always shown with a larger icon (encounter specific) and the possibility to make debuffs curable for the class shown as urgent or visualized in some other way, make the raid frame belonging to someone being targeted stand out from the crowd, easy way to go mouse-over healing (like Clique/Healbot), restored UI after disconnects, an actual threat meter... I could go on forever.
Thinking outside the box - I have no idea how fun it would be, but what about this: possibility to charge up a healing spell, possibility to start cast and hold healing spells, feint spellcasting, healing combos and so on.

There you go, some suggestions on how one can make healing more fun in WoW. This was mostly for PvE, as PvP is another matter completly. It has to do with survivability. What comes to mind in terms of PvP I'd say innate resilience, some base resilience that increase with level that keep burst damage down in PvP. Letting healers increase dps as suggested above might buy them some time as well.

Ulduar Preview and PTR Testing!

A preview of the next tier raid dungeon Ulduar is released! And judging from this preview, Ulduar will be an impressive creation. Great looking and innovative. A breeze of fresh air after Naxxramas, which was but a remake. Perhaps now raiding guilds will be able to keep themselves busy during the raid week. Can't wait to hear more about it.

Also the development of Ulduar is getting close to the point where public testing will be needed. Blizzard have decided to keep a leash on what is being tested and what is not. Both so that the most zealous raiding guilds won't have the dungeon on farm before the public testing is over, but also so that the developers can get better, more focused feedback on the encounters being tested. The first set of boss encounters to be tested is: Freya, Thorim, Hodir and The Iron Council.

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