Shadow Blades Gone in WoD

[SynergyDarkstar]

From the frontpage:

For example, are Combat Rogues going to See AR and Shadow Blades combined?
Killing Spree and Adrenaline Rush for Combat, Vendetta for Assassination, Shadow Dance for Subtlety. Plus talents. (Source)

Shadow blades gone? I'd love that.
Yes, Shadow Blades lost the roll of which Rogue cooldown to cut.

Thoughts? I'm a little disappointed that Shadow Blades is gone (something that actually had an effect on your rotation) and Vendetta (the most boring of all CDs) remains...

[Deleted]

I'm actually disappointed after all their talk about game chaniging CDs are good and desirable while flat % modifier CDs are bad, yet Vendetta stays and Shadow Blades has to go.

[celinamuna]

While i'd rather them remove Vendetta and keep shadowblades, it just doesn't feel like Assassination CD, if anything, more of a sub one.

[Raugnaut]

Shadow Blades is the newest CD for rogues, and thus one of the ones people are least likely to "miss". I forsee a large number of dps cooldowns going away next expansion, or being merged with others.

[Deleted]

That's a shame because I liked that cooldown for sub. It worked well with Hemo but not Mutilate so much unless you had Anticipation.

I am starting to worry that rogues will become a 2 button class in WOD now.

[OneSent]

I'm glad they removed it and was hoping they would. It simply felt far to underwhelming throughout the entire expansion and I don't think it added anything new or different to the class.

However, I would like to see them do something to make Vendetta more interesting. I've never liked the fact that once you use it, you are exclusively locked to that specific target for 20-30 secs in order to benefit from it. It's literally an ability that you use and then absolutely nothing changes gameplay-wise.

[intrinsc]

It was literally just another button to press which didn't add anything to the rotation or modified how you played your character at all.

[fierydemise]

Echoing what has already been said in this thread, SBlades didn't add a lot but vendetta is boring as sin. Make vendetta more interesting and I won't miss SBlades at all.

[Deleted]

It was literally just another button to press which didn't add anything to the rotation or modified how you played your character at all.

That's true, but it was another button nonetheless. How many buttons are we going to be left with?

[fierydemise]

That's true, but it was another button nonetheless. How many buttons are we going to be left with?

It wasn't even a button press for combat and sub (in PvE) just macro it in.

[OneSent]

Looks like the damage modifier of Tricks of the Trade is being removed as well (thank fuck I will never receive another whisper asking for Tricks). It will no longer have an energy cost as a result:

Q: Removing tricks damage modifier as well, yes please?
Yes, Tricks of the Trade no longer increases damage. Yay!

Q: Is it going to be free, then?
Oh, yes. Tricks is free.

- - - Updated - - -

They also had this to say about Preparation:

We're exploring an idea where Preparation becomes a passive. Details still being worked out.

[Damax]

I actually liked shadow blades but the sound and graphic effect was rather underwhelming. it was pretty good in pvp for that extra hmmff for a kill.

Vendetta though... lol get rid of that crap or rework it. both adrenaline rush and shadow dance are nice but not vendetta

[Viradiance]

WTB a glyph that gives you the Shadow Blades effect while Vendetta, Adren Rush or Shadow Dance are up. I just want the cosmetic shininess and the flavor of having shadow magic as a Rogue.

[Jacksteroo]

As a combat rogue (6+ years) I hated SB from the beginning. Yes, it was an extra damage button, but it just felt like...yay. It was nothing more than an extra button i macro'd into my AR CD and forgot about at the beginning of MOP, i sometimes forget I even have it.

[intrinsc]

I always thought that Vendetta should stay on target, but redirect should be made close to no CD, or a 5sec CD, and the buff be transferable via redirect or something. But, given how the level 100 talent that copies X amount of seconds and does it again on a target and is affected by buffs, in this case Vendetta, I could see it being better than it has been in the past. Still, there is nothing fun about it, like you say. It's just another damage buff you pop every few minutes and try to match it with procs.

[Vigilate]

The loss of Shadow Blades probably won't be too noticeable for either Combat or Sub, but it will make Assassination less fun. Vendetta is nothing but a flat + damage ability. Shadow Blades actually changes how you play while it's up.

[Cerilis]

Looks like the damage modifier of Tricks of the Trade is being removed as well (thank fuck I will never receive another whisper asking for Tricks). It will no longer have an energy cost as a result:

Of course you will, people don't read patch notes.

[intrinsc]

The loss of Shadow Blades probably won't be too noticeable for either Combat or Sub, but it will make Assassination less fun. Vendetta is nothing but a flat + damage ability. Shadow Blades actually changes how you play while it's up.

How does it change how one plays assassination while it's up? It's passive shadow damage and some CP. Unless that small haste increase that it had during ToT is still there. I haven't played Assassination since a couple of weeks into Siege.

[Lesane]

How does it change how one plays assassination while it's up? It's passive shadow damage and some CP. Unless that small haste increase that it had during ToT is still there. I haven't played Assassination since a couple of weeks into Siege.

The bonus CP does affect how much CP you'll pool before Envenoming.

[intrinsc]

The bonus CP does affect how much CP you'll pool before Envenoming.

My point is that with anticipation it doesn't matter as much as the spec is still played the same with it rolling or not. You don't do anything radically different during it than out of it, just faster, I guess. At least Killing Spree makes you think about what's coming up in the fight, where you are, where adds are, etc. And Adrenaline Rush has a nice synergy with Restless Blades. Vendetta doesn't have a synergy with anything else in Assassination and neither did Shadow Blades. If Celestalon leaves the spec mostly unchanged for WoD I fear Rogues will remain one of the lowest played classes in the game.