BlizzCon 2009: Important Changes to Hunters and Warlocks
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iTZKooPA on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 19 Comments Tags: blizzcon, blizzcon 2009, empower, hunter changes, important changes, live blogging, no more mana, shard mechanics, tweeting, warlock changes
iTZKooPA on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 19 Comments Tags: blizzcon, blizzcon 2009, empower, hunter changes, important changes, live blogging, no more mana, shard mechanics, tweeting, warlock changes
Note: The below information was covered as part of our Live Blogging & Tweeting during the show. But the information is simply too important to be glossed over. Here are the major class changes in one convenient, to the point package.
Blizzard once again organized two class panels, and once again the later gathering repeated the earlier get together. Instead of covering a snippet of each class the three panelists decided to dive headlong into two classes, the Warlock and Hunter. These two DPSing classes were chosen because of the drastic modifications being made to them for Cataclysm's release. A quick summary, Blizzard wants DPS classes to struggle with resource management less.
Hunter:
Warlocks:
These are class changing rewrites in my opinion. Exciting ones at that. I did enjoy my previous huntard, but haven't played one since returning to WoW. I dabbled in a Warlock back in the day, but the shard fiasco really annoyed me. There's a good chance my Worgen will be a Warlock, instead of a my previously planned Druid.
Of course, my class decision is just a predication based on information for something that will see many iterations before the "2010" release. It's in quotes not only because Morhaime said it, but because I doubt it'll happen. One wrong move and I could just as easily swing back to a Worgen Druid.
What do you think of these major class changes? Warlocks have always complained about the shard stuff, a drastic change there isn't too surprising. But the Hunter stuff, that really took me by surprise.
The class changes were followed up by the overhaul of statistics and itemization during the panels.
Blizzard once again organized two class panels, and once again the later gathering repeated the earlier get together. Instead of covering a snippet of each class the three panelists decided to dive headlong into two classes, the Warlock and Hunter. These two DPSing classes were chosen because of the drastic modifications being made to them for Cataclysm's release. A quick summary, Blizzard wants DPS classes to struggle with resource management less.
Hunter:
- Resource change - This is by far the biggest change to Hunters, and possibly any class, since the game was released. The class' current resource, mana, will be thrown out the window and replaced with Focus, an all new resource. Focus is a lot like a rogue's Energy. Hunters will regen during battle, with a maximum default pool of 100. However the resource will regenerate slower than a rogue's energy on average. It'll regen at a faster rate when using Steady Shot.
- Cooldowns - As a direct result of the resource change, Hunters will now struggle with cooldowns less. Instead you will be fighting with gaining the appropriate amount of focus to launch an attack. Get ready for tons of "Not enough Focus" error messages.
- Aspect of the * - Aspect of the Viper, as it plays now, will be gone, obviously. It may come back in a different form, or Aspects may disappear all together.
- Ammo - They still promise to address this issue, but ammo will remain as an item, just a non consumable item.
Warlocks:
- Soul Shards - Here's the big change for the other WoW pet class, the shard mechanic. For starters, shards will no longer take up bag space! But that isn't as good as it sounds, because you'll be needing them less, and creating them easier. Locks will only use a shard during combat (likely 3 per fight), and summoning your demon buddies won't waste one. Shards will regenerate when out of combat.
- UI change - The shard mechanic is becoming such a focal point that Blizzard is changing the default Warlock frame to include a spot for (currently three) shards. If you don't like shards "you play a Mage."
- Soul Burn - This will be your new spell, and the basis of the new shard mechanics. Using the ability will burn a shard and empower your next spell. Once triggered, nearly all of the following spells will behave differently (Death Coil -> longer, more powerful Death Coil, Summon Demon -> Instant Summon Demon, Fear -> Instant Fear, etc). Soul Burn will have a 30 second, off GCD, cooldown.
These are class changing rewrites in my opinion. Exciting ones at that. I did enjoy my previous huntard, but haven't played one since returning to WoW. I dabbled in a Warlock back in the day, but the shard fiasco really annoyed me. There's a good chance my Worgen will be a Warlock, instead of a my previously planned Druid.
Of course, my class decision is just a predication based on information for something that will see many iterations before the "2010" release. It's in quotes not only because Morhaime said it, but because I doubt it'll happen. One wrong move and I could just as easily swing back to a Worgen Druid.
What do you think of these major class changes? Warlocks have always complained about the shard stuff, a drastic change there isn't too surprising. But the Hunter stuff, that really took me by surprise.
The class changes were followed up by the overhaul of statistics and itemization during the panels.
Reader Comments (19)
This may make me want to lvl my warlock now so I can have some fun with him as he gets to the higher lvls.
girst and cool chjnges
I really like the idea of ammo being an item. Kind of how death knights have runeforgings, hunters could have different ammo for different occasions :-D. (Not necessarily how blizz will do it, but I think that would be cool)
Yeah, as a hunter, I can see the benefits of not having to need int anymore for mana, but that brings up a whole new question: What will we hunters look for to replace int?
Are we going full bore on sta? What about agi? Dare I say it, str?
Questions, questions...
don't get rid off aspects :\
@Ombrenoire
We as Hunters will look to Agi which will give 2:1 AP:Agi.
My only concern with the change will be, the fact that all of or at least most of our shots use mana, and seeins how as it sits now they will be charging us 30-60 Focus per shot. That equals out to 2-3 shots and wait..... And at 6 Focus/sec, 12 with Steady Shot, that's :05 waiting/autoshot for enough Focus to regen for the next low cost shot.
@Tharon
I'm almost positive that by the time Cataclysm is released shots will be set to take an equal percentage of focus as they would mana. Doing anything else would just be ridiculous.
uhhhhhhhhh....... WTF?!?! a resourse over haul???????
i am so glad that they are getting rid of soul shards. i'm a lock so i have to use them all the time but since i have a habit of going off and doing things far away from northrend i always have a limited amount of shards on me. What always happens is that a friend says "do i want to go to VoA?" i say yeah but i need some shards first. i then have to charge about killing trash to get ready. So i get some but by the time you summon the demon, do a soul stone, do a firestone, do a soulwell. you're already down and you haven't even started.
It gets a lot worse when you start wiping because by that point you've used up some shards and the trash mobs you can get them off are now gone. Too many times if spent trying to find a green mob in dragonblight to top myself up on shards.
well according to other blogs, haste will be somewhat of importance to hunters. since haste will increase regeneration of energy, rage, etc and including focus. I THINK. im not too sure about it. feel free to correct me
Focus isn't entirely new, hunter pets have been using them since the beginning as their "resource" (If you hunters don't know that, i pity your raid group) I guess making Focus as our "resource" now makes us "closer" to our pet. well, No mana = no int = focus more on agi. Also No mana = no aspect of viper = more dps.
I've been playing my hunter (and raiding with her) since I started playing in BC. The whole focus thing will be very interesting and something that I'm sure will take a little getting used to. I've got a feeling that this will be a change for the better, though. I trust Blizzard, they seem to know what they're doing. =)
@Tharon
Even though focus regens only at that rate, haste is being modified to instead act as a way to regenerate pools (other than mana which is done by spirit) so hunters will be going for stamina, agility, and haste to improve there dps and survivability.
Whiel blizz is doing this to all those classes, they forgot about WARRIORS!!! Yes warriors. Blizzard has not made any attempt to even change warriors in the slightest way. We are still the worst dps class there is, and also the worst tanks that are around
i dont like the focus...seems like u will run out fast i like mana they should stick to it
Hey convikt, if warriors are such cruddy tanks, why're they still the number 1 most represented in any guild? Certainly if they were as bad as you and the majority of the loud-mouthed forum posters claim, then the top guilds would drop theirs in a heartbeat for paladin or DK, right? Stuff it. Warriors are fine tanks, ymmv.
@Kyndranigar
"then the top guilds would drop theirs in a heartbeat for paladin or DK, right?" What about druids ? :(
i kinda like the idea of focus because hunter have so many differant kinda of attacks they will probably not take a ton of focus to use maby 25 for an aim shot or explosive shot.
also removing the need for aspect of the vipor would be a nice change for PvP because focus will recharge faster so you can even continue regaining a good amount of it while stunned by repentance so all those humain hunters can save their ratial for the pally's hammer instead.
the only thing that i could see being a problem with such a switch is that your pets will run off of the same resource so for beast master you would have to orchestrate their pet's focus with their's so if you both go oof (out of focus) then your dps will have a major drop.
I really don't like how they are replacing Soul Shards that much, it could be nice i soppose, but i'm a bit frustrated that they would take away something unique to a warlock.