Diablo 3 - Diablo 3 Patch 14 Information

Mists of Pandaria Buff and Debuff Design
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
We recently released an update to the Mists of Pandaria talent tree. Since the expansion is still in development, these updates represent a snapshot of where we are at any given moment and not a final design where we step back and say “Ladies and gentlemen, we have achieved perfection. Let us not change a thing.” If you’ve been playing the game for a while, you’ve probably realized by now that we never think we’ll hit perfection, and we probably never will.

One design that we haven’t focused on much yet is the plan for various group buffs and debuffs. Some specs have their buffs in place and some do not. Rather than trying to describe each omission, we thought we’d just dump the whole design on you here. As with the rest of the expansion’s systems, we’re not even in beta yet, so there’s plenty of time for things to change.

First, some underlying design goals, so you might understand where we’re coming from. Our main goals for group buffs are:


  • Make you feel more powerful when grouped with other players.
  • Give you lots of freedom to invite whom you want. This gets to be a problem when there are too many mandatory buffs spread out among too many specs. . .
  • …But not offer too many incentives to class stack. If you can achieve every buff with, say, only three players, then there might be a tendency to fill all of the other slots with whoever is best for a particular situation. Some class stacking is inevitable at the cutting-edge level, but to some extent, the players on the cutting edge of raiding enjoy extreme min-maxing. For the rest of us, we try to make sure you can finish all of the encounters without feeling like you need a huge roster of folks waiting in the wings for their one fight.
  • We tend to be more generous to DPS specs, since groups -- especially raids -- already have ample reasons to bring tanks and healers.
  • We generally don’t want a DPS spec to have to switch to a different spec in the same role just to bring a different buff. An example would be a Combat rogue who has to go Assassination just for a buff. In our experience, players are less likely to switch from a ranged to a melee DPS spec just for a buff, so DPS shaman and DPS druids might bring different buffs.

And finally some notes on the categories below:


  • The list only includes what we consider “traditional” buffs, such as Prayer of Fortitude. It doesn’t include utility like being great at snaring, battle rez, knock backs, high DPS while moving, and other mechanics. Those ultimately all factor into a raid or Battleground comp as well.
  • The matrix is a little more complex than it appears. A paladin, for example, can only offer one Blessing at a time, while a warrior can only do one shout at a time. You can’t assume one character can cover every buff or debuff listed below at the same time.
  • Some of these are active (you must cast them, like Prayer of Fortitude) while others are passive. Note that totems no longer bring passive buffs as a rule.
  • You’ll see several categories consolidated or gone. Bleeds no longer made sense, since everyone who cared about bleeds already buffed themselves. Magical resistance we just removed from the game, though there are some abilities that provide magical damage reduction.
  • We are still likely to use the design that hunters, especially Beastmaster hunters, can fill in for missing buffs or debuffs by using certain pets.

As always, we’d love to get your feedback on this design.

Buffs

Stats
Effect: +5% Strength, Agility, and Intellect
Example: Blessing of Kings
Brought by: Any druid, any monk, any paladin

Stamina
Effect: +10% Stamina
Example: Power Word: Fortitude
Brought by: Any priest, any warlock, any warrior

Attack Power
Effect: +10% melee and ranged attack power (which will be the same value again)
Example: Battle Shout
Brought by: Any death knight, any hunter, any warrior

Spell Power
Effect: +10% spell power (there will no longer be a 6% version)
Example: Arcane Brilliance
Brought by: Any mage, any shaman, any warlock

Haste
Effect: +10% melee and ranged haste
Example: Improved Icy Talons
Brought by: Frost and Unholy death knights, any rogue, Enhancement shaman

Spell Haste
Effect: +5% spell haste
Example: Moonkin Aura
Brought by: Balance druids, Shadow priests, Elemental shaman

Critical Strike
Effect: +5% ranged, melee, and spell critical chance
Example: Leader of the Pack
Brought by: Guardian and Feral druids, any hunter, any mage

Mastery
Effect: +5 mastery
Example: This is a new category
Brought by: Windwalker monks, any paladin, any shaman

Debuffs

Weakened Armor
Effect: -12% armor
Example: Sunder Armor
Brought by: Any druid, any rogue, any warrior

Physical Vulnerability
Effect: +4% physical damage taken
Example: Brittle Bones
Brought by: Frost and Unholy death knights, Retribution paladins, Arms and Fury warriors

Magic Vulnerability
Effect: +8% spell damage taken
Example: Curse of the Elements
Brought by: Any rogue, any warlock

Weakened Blows
Effect: -10% physical damage done
Example: Previously Demoralizing Shout; now Thunder Clap
Brought by: Blood death knight, Feral and Guardian druid, Brewmaster monk, Protection or Retribution paladin, any warrior (any tank)

Slow Casting

Effect: -30% casting speed
Example: Mind-numbing Poison
Brought by: Any death knight, any rogue, any warlock

Mortal Wounds
Effect: -25% healing received
Example: Mortal Strike
Brought by: Arms or Fury warrior, any rogue, any hunter

Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street is the lead systems designer for World of Warcraft. He was unsuccessful in convincing the rest of the class team to change Arms warrior mastery to decreased falling damage taken.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Mists of Pandaria Buff and Debuff Design started by chaud View original post
Comments 230 Comments
  1. mmocfe89df7cbd's Avatar
    I was a little concerned about the last debuff. I hope that fury warriors dont get mortal strike*
  1. Eggers's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by chaud View Post
    Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

    Mastery
    Effect: +5 mastery


    That 5 mastery is gonna get those windwalker monks invited to EV-YRThAnG
  1. Bombkirby's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Methanar View Post
    Why not just totally removes buffs/debuffs at this point,
    Because buffs/debuffs give you a reason to group up. Grouping with other players literally makes you stronger than playing solo because you get stat boosts. Thats the only reason Buffs exist really.*
  1. Loopb's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bombkirby View Post
    Because buffs/debuffs give you a reason to group up. Grouping with other players literally makes you stronger than playing solo because you get stat boosts. Thats the only reason Buffs exist really.*
    Just don't agree with you, that was the point of playing 25man, to have all buffs and be stronger.
    I think their doing this to simple things up, and make classes even less unique, this way is easier to go for 10man focus, i'll not be surprised at all if 25man is removed from the game at this point, btw i'm a 10man player that raided about 2-3weeks in 25 and felt in love with it.
  1. Severino's Avatar
    Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street is the lead systems designer for World of Warcraft. He was unsuccessful in convincing the rest of the class team to change Arms warrior mastery to decreased falling damage taken
  1. evan_s's Avatar
    Spell haste was the one that jumped out at me too. 3 specs, all of which are the caster dps version of hybrids with a heal spec. Looking at a 10 man group you either have to have a pally as one of you healers or have two casters of the same armor type competing for spirit gear. I'd love to see this buff added to one of the other caster classes or someone else. Magic vulnerability isn't as problematic in my opinion but it would be nice to have that buff available from at least 1 other class.
  1. xrayEU's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Geturatout View Post
    I was a little concerned about the last debuff. I hope that fury warriors dont get mortal strike*
    They already have a healing reduction ability in fury (Furious Attacks) so i can't see why they would need mortal strike.
  1. kingj56's Avatar
    I hope they give us back out 40% healing debuff. Healing in pvp is just tooooo much now. Why did they take away anyway?
  1. Letharg's Avatar
    I dont like it. Some classes get too much and some of the most important buffs only have very few classes/specs that bring them. I hope there will be some changes that make this more reasonable.

    I dont want to say it is worse than it is right now (and I think its ok atm) but its not better either.
  1. moronkiller's Avatar
    Almost same things what we have now but removing something from the game is something "new" for blizzard also adding only minor changes . They can't do anything better, i'm hopeless about this, nothing really impressing me since lich king.
  1. Sazabius's Avatar
    Good to see they can screw enhancement even more...
  1. Kanariya's Avatar
    Just more homogenization and completely removing uniqueness to specs and classes. Nothing new. 10 man raiding should have never been made to compete with 25 man. They had it right in Wrath, now they've ruined it.
  1. mmoc7e01c1e669's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Chockolate View Post
    Please just get rid of Dark Intent. As a shadow priest it is a nightmare to reforge under haste cap with the hope that a lock will give me di.*
    /agree.

    It´s quite useless in this form (usable and useful only on 2 persons).
  1. mmoc443165a3eb's Avatar
    8% magic debuff only on warlocks and rogues? And still use CoE?After unholy DK's and Moonkins got that as a sideeffect of their normal rotation I had hoped Bliz would change it for warlocks as well. So I guess we still have to waste a global on CoE on every new target.
  1. mmoc420d930b3c's Avatar
    When I rolled rogue I wasn't aware I'm the "debuffer" class no1... necromancer-rogue? :x
  1. mmoc7e01c1e669's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kilmir View Post
    8% magic debuff only on warlocks and rogues? And still use CoE?After unholy DK's and Moonkins got that as a sideeffect of their normal rotation I had hoped Bliz would change it for warlocks as well. So I guess we still have to waste a global on CoE on every new target.
    I just have to agree on this one too. By the time you have dotted CoE on all the mobs in the pack... no wait, you don´t even get to dot all the mobs before they´re dead and rest of the group is wondering what the hell is this lock doing ´cause dmg output is soooooo low.

    These two things are just few of the reasons why I stopped playing warlock as my main raid/dungeon char after playing it from wow day one for five years. Now it´s just a tailor.
  1. mmoc51170d2a93's Avatar
    Why even bother with a buff system anymore...just remove it, if you will have all the buffs as soon as you group. I dont like this but its not a suprise.
  1. Runenwächter's Avatar
    warlock seems to have an aweful lot of caster specific buffs. very unwarlockish
  1. Namarus's Avatar
    A complete slap in the face to hunters, is there any reason to bring a hunter to a raid anymore?
  1. Nosferato's Avatar
    rogues still will only bring 1 buff.... wow blizz, every class still brings more or double ammount of buffs, the cast speed/wound debuff never had any use in raids and isnt done with a click of a button, expose armor comes at a dps loss compared to a tank, give rogues 5 mastery aswell, else they prob wont have any spot in any 10 mans any more.hopefully expose armor can be a debuff from poisons aswell as the 8% spell dmg debuff as rogues also loose 4% physical dmg.

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