Post by Onijitsu
Y'know...
everyone feels bad after they get nerfed. But Blizzard is probably trying to make
this chart look a little bit more like a vertical line than a diagonal one.
I'm not sure why there is quite so much competitive hate, specifically between Mages and Warlocks, and not so much with any other DPS class. I run with a fellow guildie who's a mage (I'm a Warlock), and we do very well together. She drops Focus Magic on me, and we wipe the baddies out as quickly as we can. She makes a better DPS-buddy for myself than almost any other class. We can even cooperatively spec for who is going to provide what buffs/debuffs.
To be fair? It's slightly irritating to me, occasionally, that she and other Arcane Mages can burn things down while I'm just getting started -- and I'm specced for Destruction -- but that's due to differences in how our respective classes work. I also cannot channel anything like Evocation... I have to Life Tap myself down (and put myself at greater risk) in order to quickly replenish my mana, with any comparable speed. For this, I am dependent on our Healer (who can be cranky about this, in a LFG-PUG), and/or my bandaging skills. These are differences in the classes. I took the bad with the good, when I chose which one to make my Main. (Though, I still have a 60 mage)
Post by Skyfire
Y'know...
everyone feels bad after they get nerfed. But Blizzard is probably trying to make
this chart look a little bit more like a vertical line than a diagonal one.
Off specs being higher than pure DPS piss me off. >:(
Post by Onijitsu
Your sig discredits you. Sorry.
Why is that? It's intended solely for humor.
I play
the least-played class in the game, and I enjoy it quite a bit. For the good parts of being a Warlock, that is... It is still a very challenging class to play. (There are times when I really enjoy firing up my DK-alt, when I get frustrated)
Part of the problem, especially those of us who are old school mages is we remember when warlocks were meant to be a debuff/dotter class. The problem is people whined over them not doing so much direct damage upfront(they were meant to do it over time) that they've turned into mages 2.0 with self-healing, and pets.
(Sorry, in advance, for the tl;dr response)
The self-healing aspect only exists in
one of three talent trees. This is basically analogous to someone complaining about Frost Mages' CC abilities. Or, complaining about Holy Paladins being able to kick out the mega-heals far beyond any other Healer.
Being Destro, I don't get that benefit. And since Demonology is quickly becoming a more popular spec out there, they also will not receive that benefit. It's a nice benefit, and I admit I'm thinking of converting my PvP off-spec to Affliction for Raiding -- specifically, because I sometimes get sick of being out of mana (and then, being out of health, after life tapping) but the above needs to be clarified. And I still don't have anything like Evocation.
Personally I don't care, people play mages or locks and swap back and forth like crazy, and some go as far as hitting the fotm mode for them too. But the differences between the two classes are getting smaller, and it may hit a point of caster redundancy.
"fotm mode"?
I agree that there has been some convergence, but I also believe this has been part of Blizzard's overall strategy for some time. Paladins became better tanks. (Some would argue, better than Warriors) DKs can both tank and DPS in any of their talent trees. Druids were buffed to the point that they can tank, rogue, cast or heal as good as pretty much any class out there. (Is that entirely fair?) It once was that Feral Druids were laughed out of raids.
Mages are the archetypical nuking-caster class from almost all RPGs. Warlocks are something a bit more off the beaten path, and naturally have had a much more erratic development (nerf-buff-nerf) history.
If a Mage were to say they mind that
someone else can cast spells and burn things down? Well, I don't think they're being reasonable. Especially, knowing how this game works, and has developed. (Maybe, they ought to be looking for another MMO. Or, playing Diablo 1)
Yes, I can toss DOTs. But that means I have to dance, to outlast my enemies. When, on my Mage-alt, I can burn most mobs down before they can touch me. (Or get many hits in) Mages also have superior CC abilities. Even in Destro, I kill things slower (and, less efficiently) than the bulk of your mages out there. And, when I'm in a party with an Arcane Mage, my spellcasting becomes FAR less efficient, because I don't get my mana's worth for what I'm tossing out, when these mobs get knocked down more quickly.
For that matter? Shadow-Priests also lag behind yourselves for nukes over time. I'm not fully knoweldgeable enough to say where Elemental Shamans and Lazer-Chickens (Boomkins) fit into the mix, but I believe they fit somewhere in between us. You guys are the rockets of caster DPS.
But ultimately? I still don't see many good reasons for there to be true enmity between Mages and Warlocks. I think the two ought to be comparable on some level, but they also need to be taken as different approaches to the same problem. And, like I said, I have a very good time with my mage friends.
I think in some ways, this convergence-attitude of Blizzard's has been particularly aimed at "redundancy", as you put it. They don't want anyone being discriminated against, because they chose this or that class to play in the game. And you KNOW that kind of stuff has been going on for a long time.
"
a shaman just joined. we're dropping you. lol sorz!"
And, I don't really disagree with making it so that you can bring in different DPS classes. I -do- think that it ought to be encouraged for raids to have a greater diversity in their makeup, so that everyone can bring something really useful to the table. (And the lack, thereof, can possibly be felt) And, like we talked about above, I think that the Pure DPS classes ought to be kicking it out harder, longer, and more efficiently than any of the Utility classes' DPS specs.
I'm hearing rumors that Blizzard is leaning towards a more BC-like attitude for the design of instances in Cataclysm. Where, individual abilities (like sheeping) will become much more desirable again, instead of being nearly useless. Where, few raids will be "tank 'n spanks". I think I would welcome that.