Affliction visual upgrade

[Deleted]

Foreword: This thread concerns aesthetics of the spec, not the mechanics or playstyle. Please, if this doesn't matter to you or if you don't care about it or think it is not important, don't sabotate the thread, because there might be others like me, who thinks the visual side of the game is a very important thing (not the only important thing, not the most important, but important nevertheless). Thank you.


Hello guys,

if you've read some of my few posts here, you probably know I main Destruction as a raiding spec.

However I like to switch my spec from time to time for a... change of scenery if you will.

I decided to pick up affliction as my off spec, because for me, the spec feels completely different from Destruction while Demo, on the other hand, shares some similiarities with Destro (pooling special resources, releasing it upon powerful procs, etc.).

I am however still quite torn between Affli and Demo, and unsure of my choice, which results in swapping my off specs between Affli and Demo back and forth.

Why?

Well simply because Demo looks so beautiful. It might be the best designed spec in terms of visuals in the whole game. The violet aura when you reach half of your Demonic fury bar, the horns, the whirling violet thing when your bar fills up and not to mention Metamorphosis.

Affliction on the other hand feels very hollow in that sense. Yes, you have Malefic Grasp which is a very cool spell, but it's not like Hand of Guldan is ugly. I suppose that what I'm missing the most from the spec is a bigger stress on the "soul theme" of the spec.

Read the tooltips of the spells used in affliction. You're sending a ghostly soul , you're Soulburning, you're Soul Swapping and Soul draining, yet when you see an affliction warlock (and I mean the character itself) standing somewhere or fighting, it doesn't exactly screams "Run away, because this guy is going to mess up your soul so bad"... it screams nothing.

Only "soul-like" animation we have is when we Soulburn and let me tell you, I'd trade that with DKs' Soul Reaper effect any time. I was suggesting to GC via twitter bringing the old eradiction animation back via a minor glyph (speaking of which, we could use some more minor glyphs as well). It would appear upon a Haunt cast and lasted for X seconds.

I'd like to hear your opinions about this matter, whether you agree or disagree, because I think there's a lot of room for creativity as the potential of the"soul theme" of the spec is largely unutilized.

[Elise the Seeker]

You're over thinking it imo.

[Hipsterlock]

Aside from maybe Soul Burn Soul Swap having the same graphic as a regular soulswap I don't really see your point of view at all.

[Rabidewok]

We get a hula hoop when we use soul burn.

[evertonbelmontt]

Having shards around me is a plus.
Malefic has a terrific effect and drain soul seems nice visually. What I think you want is some sort of aura. I don't know if I would like it... very used to how affliction looks like, but being something ghostly I am sure i'd like more.

[Zalkiden]

Where others don't understand, I completely get your point.
While MG is a awesome looking spell itself. Everything else about Affliction lacks in aesthetic glory, atleast when compared to Demo and Destro.
I feel the shards floating above our heads doesn't quite give the feel like Demo does when it has 50 - 100% demonic fury or being engulfed in flames like destro does.
I do feel that things like the old eradication animation should be reinstated in some way. Soul burn having a more prominent animation. Perhaps even have it be when we're in combat, the more shards we have the more souls that swirl around us.
Even haunt could have a different animation. A small white hollow orb doesn't exactly seem like a 'haunting' spirit. Nor does it seem worthy of shattering a soul shard and produce the spell.

[Deleted]

Where others don't understand, I completely get your point.

You're confusing "not understanding" with "not agreeing".

Personally, I don't have a problem with affliction - I think it's fine and, if anything, would trade MG for shadowbolts and call it a day.

Sometimes subtlety is better than the garish effects other specs / classes have, spell effects are already overblown half the time, a dot class doesn't need to be a personal disco.

[Gohzerlock]

Void ray could be larger, but I understand this is to cut down on graphic issues. Malefic grasp is sorta meh... meta toc spam looks odd. THE NEW TWEAK TO GATEwAY IS AWFUL. Not a fan of the new chaos wave either. These are just aesthetic opinions though

[forsworn]

I wouldnt mind seeing a soul rip out of the boss and fly into you when you get a nightfall proc. Also I would love if Greenfire effected affliction (not sure how it owuld tho :/)

[Zalkiden]

I guess maybe I'm the one that doesn't understand why many are reluctant to gain more aesthetics to a spec that nearly has none. I get that you want subtlety as a dot class. However, my beef with affliction is nothing about it FEELS powerful. Haunt feels weak in it's animation...especially for it being our main soul shard consumer. Sure, back when it did small amounts of damage and then came back for a heal. The small red orb and then green orb on the way back was nice. Soulburn itself has a very minor animation when it is a core spec mechanic. Eradication was a neat spell effect back when we had it as a proc. I just think that in terms of aesthetic power affliction lacks in showing any. Hell, even nightfall doesn't have it's old animation. Now it's just little black dots. When it used to look much more interesting.

[Elise the Seeker]

I wouldnt mind seeing a soul rip out of the boss and fly into you when you get a nightfall proc. Also I would love if Greenfire effected affliction (not sure how it owuld tho :/)

Turn our souls green?

[forsworn]

Turn our souls green?

YES.

I wish they would return haunt to the was it was in wrath. I prefered use on Cooldown. I also prefered when Sdwblt was filler. When I play my shadow pries... i mean warlock, it feels clunky to cast MG.