Blizzard is either oblivious or doesn't care (Affliction)

[Dwill]

I think it's a case of them not really knowing how to best fix single target without making the whole thing broken in multitarget.

There are quite a few solutions. Malefic Grasp or Shadow Embrace with Wrath's version of Haunt are two possible, easily introduced solutions that could fix our single target without affecting multi-dotting with the former also fixing to a degree the stupidly huge ramp-up time. Of course tuning would be needed from their previous iteration due to our Artifact but then it just become a number issue, not a mechanic one.

There is also a chance they are truly dead set on championing their whole anti homogenization fad where it's okay for a spec to be awesome at one thing and shit at other.

I put the blame on all the homogenization whine squad that was plaguing forums for years.

Agreed that this whole homogenization stuff went way overboard with the end result being what we've got now.

[Jessicka]

It's the latter. Expect a 'We don't want you playing Affliction' type response, and yet another major rework next expansion. Past Beta it was too late to expect any mechanical changes because they just don't do that mid-expansion.

Squaring the multi-dot Vs single target damage is a bullshit excuse, we've seen a plethora of ways they've worked it in the past; from Haunt, to Doom, to Malefic Grasp, Shadow Embrace... And that's just with our class. SPriests have had a bunch of their own mechanics too that squared it. It's not like they lack ideas. They just decide they're unpopular then try to come up with another, in the process breaking something else along the way.

The whole spec fantasy has gone down the can; if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about their ideas of what an Affliction Warlock is, then what does? Since when is affliction about getting empowered by killing? Someone there had a grim reaper hardon with the scythe and that's overtaken everything Affliction was and someone let them do it.

There's no direction. It's something the class suffered from before Xelnath was given it, and now he's gone, it's back to the same random dark edgy bullshit tied together with bandaids and no real coherence, just for the sake of giving a home to random dark edgy bullshit. No wonder we have people coming on here asking for the spec to be made into a Necromancer spec.

I mean, here's the definition of Affliction:

affliction
[uh-flik-shuh n]


noun
1.
a state of pain, distress, or grief; misery:
They sympathized with us in our affliction.
2.
a cause of mental or bodily pain, as sickness, loss, calamity, or persecution.

If someone wants to put that on a whiteboard in the class design department at Blizzard, please do. And every time someone comes up with some shit idea like Soul Flame or Wrath of Consumption, they can be pointed to it, and the directions toward the DK table. Those are not Afflictions.

[Count Zero]

After that tuning patch I'm really feeling like I made the "wrong" decision with my OS (Afflic). I set it that way mostly to aoe mythic+, but now that Destro doesn't have terrible baseline aoe (the removal of the cast time on RoF even without the damage buff was just such a huge quality of life improvement) and still wrecks on cleave, I wish I had a strong single-target spec. I feel like I just don't have anything to offer on Nythendra and Ursoc, and Ily's eye phases.

[evertonbelmontt]

After that tuning patch I'm really feeling like I made the "wrong" decision with my OS (Afflic). I set it that way mostly to aoe mythic+, but now that Destro doesn't have terrible baseline aoe (the removal of the cast time on RoF even without the damage buff was just such a huge quality of life improvement) and still wrecks on cleave, I wish I had a strong single-target spec. I feel like I just don't have anything to offer on Nythendra and Ursoc, and Ily's eye phases.

What's worse, if you're fucked up like me and can't get any haste, you're stucked with destro and what could be a sub optimal demonology.

I'm 862 and I only have 22% haste ...

[Fang7986]

Objectively, you're wrong. Raiding and PvP are the end-all-be-all of the game. They're the final, ultimate point in progression. They are what the game is balanced around.

balance should be based around what the the majority does which is not raiding or pvp and considering raiding balance according to players isn't based on "does the boss die" but "whose doing the most dps" it's really stupid to balance around that

[Belloc]

balance should be based around what the the majority does which is not raiding or pvp and considering raiding balance according to players isn't based on "does the boss die" but "whose doing the most dps" it's really stupid to balance around that

The majority of people playing this game don't need things to be balanced around them, because the parts of the game they play are not especially dependent on game balance. If they balanced the game around quests and pre-mythic 5-mans, then the game would be broken.

That's never going to happen, nor should it. Let Blizzard decide what makes for a good game, because that's very clearly not YOUR job, nor is it the majority's. You and I don't know shit about game balance, but Blizzard does.

[bonewax]

If the class you pick is doing poorly in pve and pvp then its time to find a new class. There are quite a few classes i refuse to play right now simply because i dont want the aggravation of being let down everytime i play it. Also the chances of blizzard buffing/nerfing whatever that makes you happy is pretty slim. Ive actually sat down and made a pros and cons list for each class i wanted to play because i just cant afford to waste my time on things that frustrate me. At the end of the day this "game" becomes "work" and when i feel that way i re-evaluate what im doing or i just find another game to play.

[nerf shaman]

As a healer I noticed an affliction warlock healing himself for 98k on a heroic trash pull. How he managed to take that much damage in a heroic dungeon I have no idea, but it definitely happened. I don't see warlocks very often, but since then I have noticed that they are ridiculously easy to heal. Affliction seems to have the best self healing out of any dps, and while that isn't exactly a desirable niche, it is certainly something. If their aoe dps is average/above average and their st is servicable, they can definitely be worth taking in mythic+ just because the healer doesn't even have to look at them

[Deleted]

balance should be based around what the the majority does which is not raiding or pvp and considering raiding balance according to players isn't based on "does the boss die" but "whose doing the most dps" it's really stupid to balance around that

Outsid eof PVp, raiding and high-level dungeons balance does not matter. You are not competing with anyone for a spot in world content and sub-Mythic+ dungeons and really damage does not matter much in sub-Mythic because they are so easy

Moreover, it is only in Mythic+ and raid environments that burst damage vs sustained damage effects get smoothed out. That's why Blizz waited until raids had been run before the balancing patch even though they outright admitted in the Q&A that five-man content was an issue for warlocks

Competetive damage matters because it can mean the difference between beating enrage timers, killing adds quickly enough, etc

That is why raid comps give preference to high dps and bench low ones

But basically it seems affliction is this expac's trash spec, they locked themselve sinto "damage must come from dots" and then can't figure out how to do that and not have affliction overpowered in multidot if it is competent at single target

All we got was the worst dot-multiplier yet seen in the cancer that is Soul Effigy

That plus a broken artifact and two wonky gold traits, affliction seems to be just "the trash aoe" spec and nothing else. It;s single target damage is dismal, and whilst it is excellent at M+ aoe, well, so are other classes...and they have good single damage on top.

I feel I wasted my time investing in affliction. Looks like destruction is the go-to spec again partly because they didn;t fuck around with it so it benefits from past mistake fixes, it is "mature"

I loathe destruction, if I wanted that playstyle I;d have rolled a mage

[Iknus]

Anyone remember Ghostcrawler and pure dmg classes should out perform hybrid class all things being the same ... lol

[Hhavok]

affliction was always my side chick. always loved the rotting concept, spreading pressure especially in pvp and pve always enjoyed sustain pressure Seeing numbers lit up on multiple targets. Hopefully they can fix it.

Same here. Affliction lock was my 2nd to my rogue in WoD, but it's MM hunter for Legion. I'm waiting patiently for a change so I can level up affliction from 100 for my third toon.

- - - Updated - - -

Anyone remember Ghostcrawler and pure dmg classes should out perform hybrid class all things being the same ... lol

lol, yep. I remember that.

[Iknus]

bump as never see a blue post on warlocks and less for affliction! its true we only get comments if we tweet!

[Fang7986]

The majority of people playing this game don't need things to be balanced around them, because the parts of the game they play are not especially dependent on game balance. If they balanced the game around quests and pre-mythic 5-mans, then the game would be broken.

That's never going to happen, nor should it. Let Blizzard decide what makes for a good game, because that's very clearly not YOUR job, nor is it the majority's. You and I don't know shit about game balance, but Blizzard does.

exactly Blizz does know about game balance which is why this entire thread asking for changes cause they think Afflic isn't balanced a joke

[Jessicka]

exactly Blizz does know about game balance which is why this entire thread asking for changes cause they think Afflic isn't balanced a joke

The major issues with the spec are mechanical; that makes it very difficult to balance. You can't buff it through the eyeballs while it's mechanically broken, because then people are 'forced to play a broken spec' - see Demo last time around. That's why we're going to get the whole 'we don't want you to play it' shit all over again.

[Jonny727272]

I'm going to be "that guy" and say I'm fine with aff performing poorly. Sure, I'd love to play it again and have fun, but we are a pure dps spec and I understand that not all of our specs can be great.

I know many of you say the sky is falling, but I'm killing it as destro in heroic EN with my guild. And before y'all start lifting your pitchforks, my guild is not crap. I'm on mobile and can't easily get logs, but I preform in the 60s percentile with an ilvl of 849 and never get below 200k dps(even ST).

We have 3 specs and we should all be willing to switch around if need be. I know the AP system isn't off spec friendly, but I was able to easily get the first 2 gold talents in demo in under a week and I've learned the rotation, just in case I ever need to play it.

[Belloc]

exactly Blizz does know about game balance which is why this entire thread asking for changes cause they think Afflic isn't balanced a joke

I really fucking hate it when I spend my time replying to someone, only to discover that they are so clearly clueless that they can't even understand the concepts they're trying to discuss. Thanks for wasting my time.

[Deleted]

I'm going to be "that guy" and say I'm fine with aff performing poorly. Sure, I'd love to play it again and have fun, but we are a pure dps spec and I understand that not all of our specs can be great.

I know many of you say the sky is falling, but I'm killing it as destro in heroic EN with my guild. And before y'all start lifting your pitchforks, my guild is not crap. I'm on mobile and can't easily get logs, but I preform in the 60s percentile with an ilvl of 849 and never get below 200k dps(even ST).

We have 3 specs and we should all be willing to switch around if need be. I know the AP system isn't off spec friendly, but I was able to easily get the first 2 gold talents in demo in under a week and I've learned the rotation, just in case I ever need to play it.

This would make sense if Aff had a niche... any niche. Maybe good in PVP? Good on multidotting? Whatever. But at this point it's shit at worst, mediocre at best in every situation.

[Ulthwithian]

Affliction does have a niche, if not a very desirable one.

As a spec that has the highest mobility and highest self-healing of the class, it is comparatively excellent at doing world activities. I leveled Affliction for most of the way between 100-110 after I tried Demonology and honestly couldn't attack something without a cast time.

Bonus objectives in particular were much much easier as Affliction than Demonology (and I would guess Destruction).

Now, with artifacts and such in the expansion, I don't think this is a good game state, but Affliction is likely a better leveling spec than the others.

[Iknus]

Affliction does have a niche, if not a very desirable one.

As a spec that has the highest mobility and highest self-healing of the class, it is comparatively excellent at doing world activities. I leveled Affliction for most of the way between 100-110 after I tried Demonology and honestly couldn't attack something without a cast time.

Bonus objectives in particular were much much easier as Affliction than Demonology (and I would guess Destruction).

Now, with artifacts and such in the expansion, I don't think this is a good game state, but Affliction is likely a better leveling spec than the others.

So as i said - we have 0 end game! no pvp or pve and not sure you know other classes have much better leveling specs ....

[Usernameforforums]

Calm down. Aff was on top for 2 expacks in a row. I played aff exclusively from 5.1 to 7.0. Then the new demonology came out and now im playing that.

Well destro in 5.4 was pretty broken too.

Look on the bright side! Aff is the only spec (for warlock)that can currently solo Dark Animus25H!!!