Azshara / Stonetalon Videos, Blue Posts, Comics

Originally Posted by Furbolg

Updated Player Models
We definitely want to do it. Our artists would love to - believe me. The worgen and goblin took an enormous amount of art and animation time for Cataclysm. It's definitely on the list though. We recognize the problem with old models in shiny new armor

So this means that finally female trolls won't have that HORRIBLE 2h swing animation in a near future?

Originally Posted by Boubouille

Guild Leveling - Guild Perks

Spell school immune mobs
I can't think of the last time we made a spell school immune mob. Do you run into them often? It's the kind of mechanic we realized was never going to work because we design classes and specializations around schools. (Source)

Ahune *Cough* FrostDK *Coughcough*

DLC was nice.

I lol'ed at Casey's rebuttal against those who caused a massive uproar against those who didn't like the RealID feature.[COLOR="red"]

Best DLC so far, my stomach hurts.

lmao loved what Casey had to say about Real ID

That DLC reads like one of Knaak's novels...

That DLC reads like a Knaak novel...

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Paladin Rotations in Cataclysm
We felt like we needed to add several new spells to the paladin rotation, including making Holy Wrath a real part of the rotation. With all of those changes, we thought it was hard to justify having a mechanic to choose your Judgement when you were already choosing your Seal and Aura. It's just a different model. If anything at the moment I'm worried that we made paladins too complex and might have to reign it back in a little. We'll see when players can try it out in beta.

It really sounds like it is to complex. To me the idea of holypower sounds like to much considering that the class is already mana based. And making one class extra complex while others have "I win" buttons does not sound great.

I have already pointed out how holy power + positioning on holy paladins will automaticly limit the class - considering that all the other healing classes have a smartheal button that only requires mana managment. To me it sounds like BLizzard is doing the same thing to the other pala specs. Just making things extra complex.

Mana managment + holy power managment + positioning limitations is not the way forward for Paladins. Sadly it sounds like BLizzard has already made up their minds and will push through no matter how horrible it might turn out to be.

Originally Posted by Duster505

It really sounds like it is to complex. To me the idea of holypower sounds like to much considering that the class is already mana based. And making one class extra complex while others have "I win" buttons does not sound great.

I have already pointed out how holy power + positioning on holy paladins will automaticly limit the class - considering that all the other healing classes have a smartheal button that only requires mana managment. To me it sounds like BLizzard is doing the same thing to the other pala specs. Just making things extra complex.

Mana managment + holy power managment + positioning limitations is not the way forward for Paladins. Sadly it sounds like BLizzard has already made up their minds and will push through no matter how horrible it might turn out to be.

Well think of the little kittens. Combo points + Energy + Position Requirement. I'll think you will manage just fine! If not, well it's a sad day then.

Originally Posted by vendelin

Well think of the little kittens. Combo points + Energy + Position Requirement. I'll think you will manage just fine! If not, well it's a sad day then.

In terms of holy palas - I doubt that we will be getting mana at diffrent rate than the other healing classes. Combo point system for a healing class sounds bad - specially if it involves Mana managment (not energy) and position Requirement (10 yards and cone ability).

My greatest fear is that they are doing a Warrior priest (Warhammer online) with holy palas. The main diffrence there is that WPs do NOT rely on Mana but ONLY on holy power pool. So if Blizzard is adopting WAR WPs into WOW + mana managment = it will fail simply because other healing classes do ONLY have to watch mana and nothing else. Nothing! Because all their group or raidwide abilites only require mana managment. For holy palas its a 10 yard healing distance + directional healing on top of mana managment and now holy power managment. Not to mention that they also might have to watch out for threats and controlling issues (mind control, fear, bounce) that limits the class even more.

Just sounds way to complex. Specially considering that those spells will probably be as mana intensive as a full smart groupheal for the other classes.

But we can only hope that Blizzard is not gonna experiment this much...

early cat form is going to be weird.. they should re-name the bits in the quest to make you get "cat mastery" or some stuff.

I never liked DLC, its just me. I never found it funny except this one..

I actually laughed at the first pic, Once on a time, the happy people were so happy, rofl Captain Obvious strikes again!

Originally Posted by B.A.N.

So this means that finally female trolls won't have that HORRIBLE 2h swing animation in a near future?

No, it means they won't have that horrible 2h swing animation in the far future. Don't expect the models to change any time in Cataclysm.

Originally Posted by EreWH

Ahune *Cough* FrostDK *Coughcough*

DLC was nice.

Nothing they designed after WotLK's release has immunities though. And yes, Ahune was originally implemented before the release. Wintergrasp's elemental mobs were also not patched in later but in there since the release.

Originally Posted by TobiasX

Holy Power sounds like variation on the Death Knight runic power to me and having played a death knight to 80 that seems okay. From what I gather each time you Holy Shock (from the Holy Paladin perspective) you gain power and can use it as a resource for various other spells. I doubt very much the cone heal will cost mana too.

Problem is that holy shock has 6 sec cd so building up something that you need at X point that is unknown yet sounds bad. Combo points build up until you deside to use them at the right time to do damage. Healing doesn't work like that - you dont control when others take dmg. Holy shock is part of that emergency mecanics that holy palas had to have as a "holy shit"(emergency) button. It sounds bad if BLizzard is forcing holy palas to use a emergency spell spell every 6 second cd to build up another spell...that isn't even a "holy shit" spell cause it requires certain positioning. Cause healing is not a dmg rotation. Its based on need. Watching who needs heals + mana control is enough for the other 3 healing specs (aparently).. thats all they have to think about. So - putting up a healing rotation that involves watching what healing is needed + area threat (like all classes)+ mana pool + healing power (to use some spells) + spend every holy shock CD (not based on need) + positinal requirements based on heading and very limited distance = really doesn't sound like viable healing mecanics.

Like BLizzard have already hinted... its overly complex - and what is even more important - its many times more complex than the other 3 healing classes in the game are built on.
And after all - this is all about balance. What healing class to take... the one that pushes one button to heal 5-25 ppl (including raidwide smartheals)... or the one that needs to stay 10 yards from those hes healing (not smartheals) - or is forced to be turned in one direction to actually heal those that desperatly need heals. Even when he needs to run the other way to prevent dying himself. And this class can only do it IF he has built up some extra power that spends mana and uses up emergency spell that has very long cd (same as smart groupheals for other healing classes).

What healing class whould you take with you ?

Originally Posted by vendelin

Well think of the little kittens. Combo points + Energy + Position Requirement. I'll think you will manage just fine! If not, well it's a sad day then.

Rogues/kittens only have to make sure they're behind the enemy. When he says positioning, he's talking about how now there are healing spells for holy paladins that go out in a cone (meaning if he wants to heal the melee dps, he has to move over to them and make sure they're infront of him at the right angle), and then there's the 10y aoe spell he has to make sure all of his intended targets are in range of him (and given most fights have required the raid be spread out...).

This sort of positioning isn't required for the other healing classes.

Then Holy Power - which is more like Runic Power than Energy by the way, I don't know why everyone has stuck with that comparison - has to be monitored on top of mana (which Blizzard is wanting healers to be able to run out of again), all-in-all giving holy paladins double the amount of things to monitor and strategize then the other healing classes.

More insightful information on Mages.

sighhh

Spell school immune mobs
I can't think of the last time we made a spell school immune mob. Do you run into them often? It's the kind of mechanic we realized was never going to work because we design classes and specializations around schools.


now THIS, is something that caught my eye, just leveled a shaman, as elemental, and from what i saw, all the elementals in nagrand (and there are alot of em) were immune to lightning, to get some of my quests needed some items from them, so i had to spend alot of time, kiting them with frost/flame shock and kill them with a searing totem

Originally Posted by Naaruminded

The video was great, but:

Has the mage trainer who provides the Pig polymorph spell been removed from the zone?
What about the furbolg / Timbermaw Hold?
What about the furbolg who handed out class specific quests for Sunken Temple?
What about the demon hunter out on the island with his pack of felhounds, part of the epic "You Are Rakh'likh, Demon" chain?
What about mobs necessary for the AQ scepter chain?

You know, at cata a major parts of this outdated thing just vanish, and that a good thing.

Originally Posted by Opossum

That DLC reads like a Knaak novel...

That's awfully mean. Why would you insult DLC like that?

Awww yes! Captain Placeholder! We missed you so much