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  1. #1
    The Unstoppable Force Jessicka's Avatar
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    Drain Life is a lost cause.

    I understand the spell is iconic, but it's clear that it just can't be balanced. Every expansion it's reworked, with talents and Glyphs to attempt to support it, and still sees very little if any use. It's simply caught in TWO Catch-22 positions:
    - If it can outheal or even significantly buffer incoming damage, it's too strong, if it can't, it's no use.
    - If it does enough damage to be worth casting, it screws up rotations, if it doesn't do enough damage, it's not worth casting.

    They are very clear irreconcilable issues. So why does it continue to be reworked, and reworked, with attempts to support it with Glyphs and Talents added which simply can't be allowed to go far enough to fix either of those issues lest the Talents and Glyphs themselves become regarded as "too mandatory".

    It really feels like a whole lot of wasted effort; it's had the same problems for over 9 years, they aren't going to go away now.

  2. #2
    I do wonder why they're so intent on keeping the spell, and spend so much time trying to fix it, when they decided to get rid of Drain Mana mid-season.

  3. #3
    I just want a minor glyph that change M.Grasp to Drain Soul spellname and Animation.

  4. #4
    I don't think it will ever see major use in pve outside of niche applications in a blue moon. In pvp it died with shadow bolt. Maybe I could see it making a comeback if battle fatigue goes away. Right now it just feels useless. Even then though you'd have to prop it up with talents and glyphs.
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  5. #5
    I used it a lot on cataclysm, especially for pvp. Used very little in pve, and for the direction they're going, it's gonna be useful again in pvp (less interrupts, no or almost none battle fatigue, our talent on the first row, improved glyph = 10% more heal overall).

    It went wrong in MoP because of so many fucking interrupts/cc's, and battle fatigue fucking us more than any other class.

  6. #6
    Pit Lord
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    Seems like they want us to actually have to choose to heal over doing damage BUT at least they are empowering drain life healing/adding ember generation so it might be actually be attractive to use.

    The caveat being that if our need to self heal hurts damage enough that we can't meet tight enrage timers in Mythic raiding.
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  7. #7
    Or it's what it was in Vanilla, a tool that has use in various settings.

    Not everything at our disposal has to be 'in rotation or out', '100% used in PvP or not'.

    The nerf is pretty stupid given now it needs a glyph to be function, making it even more situation than it was. But hopefully that idea will get reworked when they realize it has no merit whatsoever.

  8. #8
    Not every single spell is meant to be used in the raiding environment only. There are other parts of this game. Drain life is designed to be a self-heal while soloing or in a single group setting where the healer is already taxed. It is simply not a raid utility spell. Period. For what it is designed to do (solo, group) it already works quite well. Its when you want it to fit into a raid that it becomes problematic.
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  9. #9
    It would be interesting if Harvest life caused Drain Life to act as our main filler, the same effects of MG, SB/ToC, Inc, with increased damage and incoming healing, colouring it according to each spec (mauve/green, mauve i guess, red/green)

  10. #10
    Deleted
    Why cant just Malefic Grasp be removed, and Drain Life be the replacer? Would be a nice touch of nostalgia

  11. #11
    As long as Life Tap is still in the game Drain Life will still have a place.

  12. #12
    wotlk pvp were the days, drain mana, drain life, and drain soul as a strong execute. that's why we can't have nice things

  13. #13
    Dreadlord Paarthurnax's Avatar
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    I've used Soulshatter more then i have used drain life this expansion.

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  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Jessicka View Post
    - If it can outheal or even significantly buffer incoming damage, it's too strong, if it can't, it's no use.
    - If it does enough damage to be worth casting, it screws up rotations, if it doesn't do enough damage, it's not worth casting.
    It can exist in-between those extremes. False paradigms.
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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by JV Chequer View Post
    I just want a minor glyph that change M.Grasp to Drain Soul spellname and Animation.
    I would love that!

  16. #16
    The should just make it function like Drain Life as Destro. Heal but also generate secondary resource. Since Drain soul is gone, it can replace it as an emergency replenishment or generate DF for Demo. God knows we need it in PvP.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by sugarfree View Post
    The should just make it function like Drain Life as Destro. Heal but also generate secondary resource. Since Drain soul is gone, it can replace it as an emergency replenishment or generate DF for Demo. God knows we need it in PvP.
    Like, what, small chance to generate a Shard per tick ?
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  18. #18
    The Unstoppable Force Jessicka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Count Zero View Post
    It can exist in-between those extremes. False paradigms.
    In 9 years they never found that sweet spot. Why can't it just be in that place in its own right? Why does it need the talents and glyphs to prop it up, which only serve to hold it back further because all of those things just won't get picked?
    Last edited by Jessicka; 2014-04-05 at 08:52 AM.

  19. #19
    I heard some whispers that Drain Life in 570+ ilvl can replace one of the fillers under particular circumstances. I also believe another warlock is going to 'come out' with such findings soon enough.
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  20. #20
    The Unstoppable Force Jessicka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alarinth View Post
    I heard some whispers that Drain Life in 570+ ilvl can replace one of the fillers under particular circumstances. I also believe another warlock is going to 'come out' with such findings soon enough.
    Demo with ludicrous Haste perhaps? Only way I can imagine it. Please refer to the second of the problems with the spell.

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