A restoration cat?

[CallMeKitty]

I was reading the official forums today, and came across a post and some screenshots from a druid named Camy that really intrigues me.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2057515824
(Posts #9 and #11)

As a cat myself, who is a little miffed at the shapeshifting change (the only change that bugs me: can live without berserk breaking fear, I know the bleed nerfs were needed), who loves to pvp and feel useful... I'm very, very intrigued.

And so, I've opened this thread for discussion. I'd like to see what everyone has to say about this.

[Bear]

I...want to try this.

[apepi]

Um sorry what?Someone please elaborate.

[CallMeKitty]

Um sorry what?Someone please elaborate.

Camy used a restoration spec, with all extra talents dumped into first and second tier cat talents, and actually did extremely well in a battleground, with one death and many killing blows and honorable kills. I assume they used full cat gear.
Restoration spec allows shapeshifting out of roots, some healing, at a loss of mangle, berserk, 25% AP, and bleed mastery.

Edit: If this is true, and not clever manipulation of screenshots after spec changing (I don't know Camy, I can't vouch for them or not), then it's very... pathetic. That feral has been so neutered they are almost better off going Resto while dps'ing as a cat in cat gear.

[Athael]

I'm always impressed at the clever ways players find to do well in this game. This kind of reminds me of when Prot was the best paladin healing spec back in WOTLK for a little while, because stamina double-dipped and gave you spellpower too, so you could stack all stam gems and enchants and have twice anyone else's HP with Flashes of Light that healed twice as much as a holy paladin's.

Unfortunately, I think if it does well, Blizzard is going to nerf it. Then again, I don't see how a resto-specced druid can really put out a ton of damage compared to a feral - yes, you're more mobile, but on the other hand, you're not really...specced into any kind of damage, bar 10 points.

[CallMeKitty]

I'm always impressed at the clever ways players find to do well in this game. This kind of reminds me of when Prot was the best paladin healing spec back in WOTLK for a little while, because stamina double-dipped and gave you spellpower too, so you could stack all stam gems and enchants and have twice anyone else's HP with Flashes of Light that healed twice as much as a holy paladin's.

Unfortunately, I think if it does well, Blizzard is going to nerf it. Then again, I don't see how a resto-specced druid can really put out a ton of damage compared to a feral - yes, you're more mobile, but on the other hand, you're not really...specced into any kind of damage, bar 10 points.

I thought about that too, but... look at the feral tree. you're not really losing any direct damage, just utilities feral charge, SI, bash, etc). The only buff to damage is rend and tear--beyond the actual cat spec bonuses that is.

---------- Post added 2011-02-12 at 12:40 AM ----------

Really, no other input on this? I found it really interesting, and thought others would've too. ):

[Athael]

I thought about that too, but... look at the feral tree. you're not really losing any direct damage, just utilities feral charge, SI, bash, etc). The only buff to damage is rend and tear--beyond the actual cat spec bonuses that is.

---------- Post added 2011-02-12 at 12:40 AM ----------

Really, no other input on this? I found it really interesting, and thought others would've too. ):

Aren't you losing some serious direct damage by losing out on Mangle? They gave it an enormous buff in 4.0.6 to compensate for the nerf to bleeds, didn't they?

[CallMeKitty]

Aren't you losing some serious direct damage by losing out on Mangle? They gave it an enormous buff in 4.0.6 to compensate for the nerf to bleeds, didn't they?

The spec and screenshots lifted above were all done after the patch, obviously. Which is why I'm looking into starting a discussion on this.
Yea, mangle's gone... but in a group setting, it might be easier to stay behind for shred.
/shrug

[Shornaal]

Yea, mangle's gone... but in a group setting, it might be easier to stay behind for shred.
/shrug

Shred and bleeds without mangle buffing them... good luck putting out decent pressure with that.
Healing spec with cat gear means no intellect and no nurturing instinct... good luck healing with that.

It seems to me a sort of middle way, you clearly don't do the same damage as a real cat, you don't heal as much as a real tree (not sure if higher than a real cat). It doesn't seem a good idea to me. I mean, all of this to shift out of the occasional root?

[Deleted]

I'm going to try this now as well, I just have to :P

[CallMeKitty]

Shred and bleeds without mangle buffing them... good luck putting out decent pressure with that.
Healing spec with cat gear means no intellect and no nurturing instinct... good luck healing with that.

It seems to me a sort of middle way, you clearly don't do the same damage as a real cat, you don't heal as much as a real tree (not sure if higher than a real cat). It doesn't seem a good idea to me. I mean, all of this to shift out of the occasional root?

Initially I thought it to be just a joke to, then I saw the screenshots I posted above.
That's kinda why I wanted to start this discussion.

[Deleted]

That can't possibly be good. Or can it? I have to admit I'm mildly intrigued too.

[kATTEKONGEN]

Shred and bleeds without mangle buffing them... good luck putting out decent pressure with that.
Healing spec with cat gear means no intellect and no nurturing instinct... good luck healing with that.

It seems to me a sort of middle way, you clearly don't do the same damage as a real cat, you don't heal as much as a real tree (not sure if higher than a real cat). It doesn't seem a good idea to me. I mean, all of this to shift out of the occasional root?

that's what people said about dreamstate when it was first debated on the forums.

[Shornaal]

that's what people said about dreamstate when it was first debated on the forums.

Dreamstate was trading wild growth to get more regen and pressure.

This one trades both healing and damage to get out of the occasional root, which is pointless since you're doing a lot less damage than a real cat would do. Sure, being able to shift out of roots and dispelling magic effects sound nice on paper, but i don't think it's worth losing all that damage and healing.

[Deleted]

Dreamstate was trading wild growth to get more regen and pressure.

Dreamstate was TBC, before WG was in the game....

Just looked at the screenshots. The only one showing her in cat form with the BG table up she is feral, has mangle and beserk on her toolbar anyway.

[Shornaal]

Dreamstate was TBC, before WG was in the game....

Whoops you're right (seriously, i should stop forgetting things ^^).

[Deleted]

Is it only me, or in the last picture Camy posted, he's got Berserk and Mangle? >.<

link for it: http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/901...0911194513.jpg

Maybe its because he switched spec and still have them out, I don't know. But also, he has tree of life down the shapeshifting bar...

wierd innit?

[Shampox]

Is it only me, or in the last picture Camy posted, he's got Berserk and Mangle? >.<

link for it: http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/901...0911194513.jpg

Maybe its because he switched spec and still have them out, I don't know. But also, he has tree of life down the shapeshifting bar...

wierd innit?

The talents don't come off your bar after you respec now, so he may just have left them up and not played with his bars at all.

[Purrs]

Those are just macros with tooltips representing mangle and berserk. She doesn't have the abilities though.

---------- Post added 2011-02-13 at 01:25 PM ----------

This is actually a really cool idea. You get to remove magic effects, curses and poisons now.

[fizikz]

this makes me want to cry that people are even reduced to trying this..... -.-' just depressing.

did anyone else notice the amount of healing they were doing on the scoreboard? i really question the possibility that they were really in cat gear with that much healing... and no NI