Shapeshift counted as a buff?

[Deleted]

Is Shapeshift counted as a buff or not? IMO it's a buff it increases your characters stats and makes them better in a way.
Please tell me what you think is it a buff or not, please explain why you think that way.

[Deleted]

Please explain the reason for asking this.

[Deleted]

Me and my friend is arguing about it so i'd like to know what other ppl think about it

[Matchu]

Only if you count "armour" or "weapons" as a buff.

[Fiddlesnarf]

This is so confusing.

[Deleted]

aint a buff it is a stance

[Deleted]

Strange one its a buff that your considered a twat without using (bar tree's now /sadpanda)

Although using this resoning DK presences and Warrior Stances are also buffs.

Required buffs in my opinion

---------- Post added 2010-11-19 at 10:03 AM ----------

aint a buff it is a stance

Ignore my previous comment THIS makes way more sense

[Deleted]

thanks fir the aswers obviously i'm "wrong" just wanted to check what you ppl thought about it.

[Evolixe]

aint a buff it is a stance

this.

[Deleted]

One of the definitions of buff, given by Wiktionary (and the definition that is relevant for this discussion) is "an effect that makes a gaming character stronger." And shapeshifts do this. But talents also do this. Glyphs also do this. All these things are buffs to your character.

So I guess I should ask, in what sense of the word do you want to know if shapeshift is a buff? In the sense that it is an effect which can be dispelled; No. Shapeshift is not a buff. In the sense that you get a cute little buff-icon at the top of your screen; Yes. Shapeshift is a buff.

Think about your question, ask yourself what you really mean by this, and then ask.

[Matchu]

OP: Before posting, please at least attempt to process the thought; when you have a thought and you immediately broadcast it to the public, you do run the risk of making a bit of a tit out of yourself.

Let's consider what would happen if shapeshifting was dispellable.

Priest: Oh, it's a Feral Druid. *mashes dispel*
Feral Druid: Sigh, I can't do anything FFFUUUUUUUU
Priest: Why do people even roll Ferals? All you have to do to make them completely useless is mash dispel

Now, what if it wasn't?

Priest: Oh, that Feral Druid is damaging me, I'll just have to heal and make sure I don't get locked out
Feral Druid: The priest is healing, I'll try to use CDs at the right time and lock him out for a kill
Priest: Seems to be working as intended. It would be a little bit retarded if the ability that is required for a Feral Druid to do more damage than a moist quince thrown by an asthmatic 5 year old was easily dispellable or even dispellable in any way

More importantly, though, why was this not obvious to you? Do you actually know anything about this game, OP?

There are numerous things that are both buffs and undispellable. It's not such an unreasonable question as you make out.

[Deleted]

Shapeshift: change in appearance, temporary or permanent.
Buffs: effect which improves a character (or at least does not have an adverse effect) normally temporary, dispellable, right-click offable, generally do not proc other buffs or abilities.
Debuffs: opposite of Buffs and quite often undispellable (certainly more often than you'd like!). Can never be right clicked off.
Stance: permanent, undispellable, often enables new abilities and sometimes brings other buffs and allows others to proc.
Form: a *permanent* Shapeshift+Stance which always brings new abilities.

Even though some shapeshifts can be right-clicked off, the most notable ones are permanent, undispellable and bring at least other buffs.

Some examples:

Warror stances: Stance
DK presences: Stance
Priest Shadowform: Form (since some abilities only work in Shadowform)
Druid Bear, Cat, Travel, Flight: Form
Druid Moonkin: Shapeshift with Buffs (since it brings no new abilities by itself)
Druid Tree pre-patch 4.0: permanent Shapeshift with Buffs (provided no new abilities therefore not a Form)
Druid Tree post-patch 4.0: temporary Shapeshift with Buffs or simply an "active cooldown". The fact that it is temporary (regardless of whether or not it changes abilities or whatever means it would never be considered a Form).
Warlock Metamorphosis: temporary Shapeshift with Buffs or simply an "active cooldown".

[Canazza]

OP: Before posting, please at least attempt to process the thought; when you have a thought and you immediately broadcast it to the public, you do run the risk of making a bit of a tit out of yourself.

A bit like Twitter

In game mechanics, a Buff is something that increases your characters power and can be removed at will (IE, Right clicking on the icon). With that definition, Feral Forms, Warrior Stances and DK Presences are all buffs. Debuffs are negative effects that cannot be removed at will (without the proper cleanse/decurse spell)

I will admit that things like Aspect of the Pack, Paladin Auras, Totems etc are still buffs, but cannot be selectively switched off by the player, but if you ask the Hunter/Paladin/Shaman they'll atleast be able to switch it off.

So, rule of thumb. If it appears as an icon in the top of your buff-bar, then It's a buff, if it's on the bottom of your buff bar, it's a debuff.

[WillFeral]

It's a buff.

[Leftineus]

aint a buff it is a stance

That sums it up.

[kronpas]

The game manage player status mostly by buffs (auras), hence why the addon power aura works so perfectly.

http://www.wowhead.com/spell=5487

Look at the effect it applies: aura. In a sense, shapeshifting is an act of applying multiple auras on your character, which cant be removed by any mean but death and player action (cancel).

[Deleted]

Was really short on my first answer, but summed it up for my belief, the things about right-clickable or if you can dispel it shouldnt be considered in in talking about stances. Stances are simpel game mechanics that allow you to perform in your role.

Just try to expalin it for the most obviously form/stance. Druids-bearform:
as far as I read the tooltips correct of Thick Hide (mandatory passiv talent) you will get 45% more armour and 6% crit reduction in bearform (3pts) and for the bearform itself you get 65% more armour 10% more life and significantly increased threat production, that makes you uncritable and give you a hell lot of armour and more hp, as desired for tanking and you should also be able to outthreat the dds

First Option: You tank in your not transformed form, you cant perform in your role you will probably get one-hitted and your group will die. You are just a fail.
Second option: You tank in bearform +defense +health +armour +threat you can perform your role.

Sure it will buff your stats, but the intent for the bearform is to act as you should be able to act in your role.

[kronpas]

The game still considers you as in a "buffed" state, with stats modified and an added shape changing effect, plus it enables you some special abilites (similar to rogue's finishers lighten up with combo points). Technically speaking, its just a special buff. Every action that creates a buff icon next to the mini map is called "buffing". Negative buffs are called "debuffs". Then divide buffs to "dispellable" and "undispellable" types if you want.

I know it sounds weird to many people, but its how the games designed, and understanding it that way makes thing much simpler.

[Koen]

It ain't a buff. A buff doesn't give you complete new abilities and locks others out.

If anything you can compare it to a stance.. and even then. We are just another animal when shapeshifted.. Definitely not a buff anyway..

[TheShinyOne]

If it wasn't already obvious enough, forms are considered stances in macros.
/cast [nostance/stance:2/stance:4/stance:6]Healing Touch;[stance:1]Maul;[stance:3]Shred;[stance:5]Noobfire
I think [nostance/stance:2/4/6] also works, but I dont quite remember; it doesn't matter anyway, I've made my point.