Cataclysm Class & Mastery Systems Update

[s0rk]

Awesome, many big changes in this xpack. Love it, will be like playing a whole new game. And thats great cuz I was just getting fed up with everything being the same. Thumbs up!

[elrenno]

I'm not sure I like this at all. When I see that I have to pick a specialization at level 10, and I'm stuck with it until 70, that just means I'm pigeon holed into a static spec.

What I would rather see is the ability to custom tailor a spec with abilities that I want. Sure, get rid of the useless abilities and junk no one uses. But let me be the type of warrior I want to be. Let me pick and choose abilities from different trees. Let me hybridize a cross between being a protection and a fury warrior (if I so choose).

I don't see this at all as allowing people to make talent choices "that feel more flavorful and fun, yet more meaningful at the same time." If each tree is just 31 points, that means you have to take everything in a tree. No picking and choosing. I really think that's what is needed. Like this, as a fury warrior, I'll be just like every other fury warrior.

[mooninja]

I think this makes Cata even more exciting. The old tree system was very dated, and I know as a Altoholic it will make rerolling a new class much more attractive, as well as aiding in teaching the new class players how to play their roles better with much more exposure to the core abilities of the builds.

[Crowe]

I was always sceptical of how Blizzard would remove all the "booring" talents in Catacylsm. A trimming of the trees is a logical consequence.

I'm not a fan of the restriction to spending talent-points in 1 tree and I'm not sure why it's needed.

[Kwickslash]

i havent even experienced cata beta or anything and i can already tell that im going to have liked wrath better (which is sad)
blizz needs to try and stop changing things that worked perfectly fine and work more on the things that are actually broken in this game

liked wrath better (which is sad)

worked perfectly fine

You typical WoW player logic.

Cry about the changes announced for the next expansion while blindly ignoring the problems with the current one.

[Fcdwn777]

This is really the only way they can give out spec-defining abilities from the start. Without this restriction, what's to keep someone from (for example) saying they are an enhancement shaman to get dual wield and then putting all their points into elemental or resto? This new system is kinda like a loan: "we'll give you top-tier abilities from the start, but only if you promise to actually spend enough points eventually to qualify for those abilities".

I agree that its too bad we don't have more freedom under the new system, but I think getting those key abilities from the start without having to worry about balance concerns where other specs could get stuff they shouldn't will out-weigh any negatives of these restrictions.

Overall, I think this should be a really cool change and can't wait to see the new trees! :-)

^This totally. I can't wait to level a new character in Cata with meaningful talents right away and a revamped Azeroth to level through!

[dotSeed]

It's hilarious that people think this will somehow stop cookie cutter specs. Some talents will always be better than others, there's no way around it.

The point is, with this new system you will be COMPETITIVE without having to give up fun talents. No-one is going to truly care if you sacrifice marginal max DPS in order to have fun talents.*

* - Except min/max progression guilds, but their fun is defeating content and not 'fun' rotations or abilities.

Edit: I find it very ironic people pine for the days of Vanilla before "casualization" and then an announcement of returning back to the same depth for trees won't be "enough choice".

[sentry0]

Does this mean that there will be no tanks or healers until level 70? Who is going to level a Warrior as Prot? I see big problems coming because of this change.

I healed my (arms warrior, 2 handed tanking) wife through RFC and Deadmines last night as a spriest.

Whilst I realize those are super easy instances to tank and heal through Blizz has stated that they wanted to allow a warrior to tank a non heroic instance simply by slapping on a sword and board and switching into defensive stance.

People who specialize in a tank or healing spec will simply be better at their chosen job. With the new additions of higher end/defining skills they will be even more effective.

[Arandmoor]

Holy shit! BOMBS AWAY!

And here I was thinking the raid changes were going to be the biggest changes this expansion... Wow...

It's a whole new ballgame now, and the QQ is going to be epic.

OTOH, ...I have no idea how this change is going to pan out. There's aren't many ways they could make a more drastic change.

[Dawn Falcon]

Who cares, more about Blizzard's failbomb over privacy plz

[Marcin]

Amazing change. I can't wait for Cata.

[Cyrane]

The only reaction I can come up with after reading this consists of the following two words: absolutely ridicilous.

[Tokru]

blizzard, don't try to distract us from the real-id disaster.

[Worgoblin]

Whoa! Did not see this coming. I like it though.

[Fcdwn777]

I was always sceptical of how Blizzard would remove all the "booring" talents in Catacylsm. A trimming of the trees is a logical consequence.

I'm not a fan of the restriction to spending talent-points in 1 tree and I'm not sure why it's needed.

As has been stated before, the reason you are locked into a talent tree is because they are offering you deep tier abilities at level 10 that usually take till level 40 or beyond. Since they are doing this, it only makes sense that you need to spend your talents in the same tree as the abilities you are given, because if not you can have a Ele shaman with deep tier enhance abilities if you are not restricted to a certain tree. I for one think this is a fine trade off to make leveling interesting again in the lower levels.

[Mathaios]

HATERS WILL HATE.

I love the idea <3

[elrenno]

I like this for the following reason:

In a given class' talent trees currently there are 3-5 talents that actually alter the way the class is played. I'm a Combat Rogue, so I'll use that as an example.

Adrenaline Rush, Blade Fury, Killing Spree, non-dagger, fast off-hand/slow main-hand. Those are what define combat rogue.

31 points means 7 tiers, if they keep with the 5-points-per-tier model.

With 5 talents that define the class, that leaves only 2 tiers with filler talents, making each step up the talent tree all the more thrilling.

Also, it opens up the realm for a lot wider talent trees for more 'filler', but lots of possibilities.


I can see there being three different groups of 'filler' talents that populate every tier: Damage Mitigation, Damage Evasion, Utility

Say I'm in a guild with 3 other combat rogues. At present, only one of us is bringing anything unique to the raid, the rest are just plain DPS. I perform average in dealing with boss encounter challenges, one other rogue dies constantly, and the other is flawless.

I would thusly spec myself for Damage Evasion, talents that make me move faster or let me escape one insta-death per boss fight, or talents of that nature for my occational slip-ups. The second rogue would spec in Damage Mitigation, talents that reduce AoE damage, lessen big damage hits so they aren't insta-death, and slow DoT effects, letting the healers keep them alive a lot more easily despite their poor performance. The last rogue would spec utility as, since they can be trusted to move to the right spot and do the right things, they can be the one that improves the raid with extra physical damage debuffs, extra threat redirection, extended smoke cloud duration, things of that nature.

Of course there will be min/maxing by selecting all the utility talents, but it opens up extra leway for less skillful players to survive better, as well as giving options for guilds struggling with boss fights to re-spec into survival-oriented talents across the board so that learning a difficult fight is less stressful.

Here's hoping it works that way.

I don't see it that way. What I read is that each tree will be 31 points. You will have to put a full 31 points into a tree (until level 70) before you can put points into another tree. What this tells me is that every combat rogue will be exactly the same. No customization. No variety. I don't see how this is an improvement at all. Makes it kinda boring if you ask me.

[Crash]

I, for one, am already liking this new system.
As an Arms warrior, I had to wait a long time to get Mortal Strike, and then wait some more to have it improved, and then wait some more to have it glyphed, and then wait some more to have the stuff that goes with it, and then...y'know what I mean.

This new system grants any warrior who choses to specialize in Arms, the possibility to actually USE this spec-defining ability quite early in their levelling. And this goes for all classes and specs.

Putting this out of the tree will give us some choices and uniqueness.
Of course there will still be some mandatory options, but with only 41 points to spend, shortened trees, no more "5 points to get the max awesomeness" abilities (I'm hoping 3 for MAX), and possibly new talents to choose from in each tree, I think we finally have what everyone has been claiming for for ages : trees will be our own choices !! Not a random copy-paste from a random website that claims itself for l33ts. Ours.

[elrenno]

So we're basically doing 31/21/0 ish specs? Or are they reducing the talent points we get per level?

From what I read, at level 85, you would have 41 talent points to spend. So it would be more like 31/10/0.

[Stormkiller]

realID: /cast FEIGN Death

New Talent System: /Target WoW Players /cast Misdirect

Blizz Employees: /cast stealth

But, to be honest, I would like to see what theyre gonna actually do with it all.
BUT the timing stinks as bad as a stinky bad timing thing at a stinky bad timing convention...