6 years of vanilla talent system vs 8 years of current talent system

[Deleted]

I prefer the new talent system just because the talents do present new choices of gameplay. There was indeed a cookie cutter spec for each class in the classic talent system in every new patch. However, i do miss the capacity of doing right or wrong choices. Hell i even miss the leveling of weapon skills. However we all know that most of the people just trained them at mobs/players or target dummys. However the RPG feeling is almost gone nowadays.

[THEORACLE64]

The old talent system has more variety, yes, but did people actually chose a wider variety of talents? No. Mainly because there were optimal cookie cutter builds that, if you didn’t choose, you had a very small chance of actually being picked to raid. For most of the time it was pick this cookie cutter build or get out essentially.

[xcitng]

except there isn't
there was a never ending argument about which is better for holy priest during entire TBC, go advanced spirit in disc tree or get circle of heal in holy instead, one give u a new very strong group-heal spell (back then there was almost no raid healing spells) or having mana since mana was serious problem to everyone, and it boiled out to literally each guild raid group
that one example i can name out in TBC, and wrath really opened the flood to insane builds for pve and pvp, a mage and hunter can spec aoe farming solo pve or go normal questing talent pve (also hunter had more options than mage, he was still worse and weaker, mage was able to gather farms for aoe), and i LOVED trying that to lvl, it was one of reasons that i literally re-lvled a mage just to check it

You can argue that all you want and reply with "except there isn't" but there is talents for all of those, its just not spewed out in 45 different ways down a tree.

Example: I play a warrior currently,
15: I used War machine for leveling, all mythic+ and WQs, I swap to Skullsplitter for raiding
30: I use double time when I leveled, I use it in outdoor content & raid and if my group needs a ST stun in m+ I take Stormbolt.
45: I use Massacre when raiding & fervor in all other content
60: All 3 are great choices depending on what you are doing
75: Warbreaker is OP
90: Both In for the kill & Avatar have their place in all content
100: Anger management is OP

So there is choice, but one will be always be better for certain content than others, just like vanilla.
They need to add to the current streamlined talents, there should be 110 & 120 and it would have even more choice instead of putting it into gear (azerite)

Edit: even more of the talents could be viable in PvP but I don't do it.

Edit: I played a holy priest in vanilla from MC > AQ40, had a cookie cutter best spec and we had to down rank heal spam, much excite

[Sluvs]

The old system was not exactly good for endgame, maybe it was not even crafted for it, the current system is way better for max level, it provides more options, WAY more options. But one thing that the old system was good for was progression. Back then, leveling was a HUGE part of the game, I remember how it felt to get talent points, it was so cool. You felt like you were evolving, you character was learning and the RPG aspect was EXTREMELY strong. Sadly this got diluted with time, the old talent system don't work with the current game, but I also feel, one of the many reasons that leveling feel lackluster, is because we dont have that system in place.

I don't miss the old system, I miss the old leveling experience, but I do not think that can be recreated.

Currently, the new system is the best fit for the game. I just wish the RPG aspect could become stronger somehow.

[shaunika123]

yeah, over the entirety of vanilla.
but you could not run affliction, or fire at all at the start of the expansion, or frost at the end.

SM/ruin (IE affliction) was the best single target dps spec if you were alliance even in MC
horde didnt run it because they needed the threat reduce from the demonology tree

[rohoz]

but there really wasnt... that's the point.
the game wasnt as narrow as it is now.

the fact that hybrids are gone is a huge blow to diversity tbh

You mean holy paladins, resto shaman, and resto druid? They are still around.

[MatadorMedia]

I do miss the hybrid specs. Going half resto and half balance on my Druid was the best, especially in PVP. The only real problem with those talent trees is there were must-have talents (such as 5% crit, etc.) which created the cookie-cutter builds. So ultimately you only had a real "choice" with maybe 1/3 of your talent points if you were min-maxing which ultimately just became the current talent system.

I wish there was more flux and hybridity still though. Like why can't I have Rupture in Combat/Outlaw spec anymore?

[Noxina]

but the solution blizzard found is retarded they should have enlarged the talent tree, path of exile is a great example, isn't it full of 5% intellect/strength/dexterity? Yes it is but is fun to build up a character why same thing is not possible in wow?

Imho now that pvp has its own set of talent is possible to reimplement a pve tree like poe but the first requirement is that blizzard lose up a bit and stop being a control freak that always try to kill everything isn't aligned to "their way".

More choice guys more choices i don't even understand why this is not something peoples fight over with blizzard but even cheer when they remove them.

Balance issues. And in the end everyone would follow the same path as everyone else, because it is the strongest.

[The Stormbringer]

If the old talent system had more choices, but talents required fewer points, I think they could've made something much more interesting. I also like being able to go into multiple trees to get different things, in a time where you had all of the class spells available to you.

[Glarolas]

The old system did not provide more variety. Ppl just remember things inaccurately.

[Banard]

like hunter readiness reset

FYI - that alone illustrates issues @Blizzard

WOTLK BM/MM hyprid with readiness was very OP. It was one of the reason they stopped hybrids in wotlk.

Later, a few xpac later, can't remember which one, they gave readiness to BM hunters again.

and it now no longer in the game cause of how op it was.

It was meant for MM hunters....and they sure need it now.

[Crillam]

The OG talent system felt more rewarding. Each lvl gave you 1 point. 1 point to spend on wtf you wanted. The talents themself wasn't very fun. Like shaman in vanilla. The lvl 2 talent made so you could use 2h axe and maces, so fun!

The talents we have today is better. Sure some are still kinda boring like the passive stuff but they are still good.
Again not all new talents are top of the line. But they are not completely worthless like some were in vanilla. "Reduce threat generated by healing spells" sure I'll spend 5 points in that!

[Banard]

The old system did not provide more variety. Ppl just remember things inaccurately.

and the new system does? I went all legion changing 1 talent once and then back again the next teir.

Its been a month into BFA, i have yet to change or even look at my talents.

[lollerlaban]

Hells yeah man! I miss getting that 5% more damage on two handers or 30% of my spirit as mana regen during combat /s

The problem with the current talent system is that we need way more tiers, like atleast 4-5 rows more preferably items from Legion artifact system. They removed nearly EVERYTHING from legion and that means we're stuck with 40 levels where we get 2-3 abilities and it feels boring

[Maljinwo]

Can't wait to level up to get that sweet 1% parry chance just to get to the talent I actually want

[Kauko]

Current system, no doubt. The old one looked interesting, but there was always 1-2 trees that everyone used. And the main problem was, that any other selection was cr*p... Where is fun in that?

[FelPlague]

SM/ruin (IE affliction) was the best single target dps spec if you were alliance even in MC
horde didnt run it because they needed the threat reduce from the demonology tree

That was a hybrid, that die not run any dots, you are confusing the hybrid you just messaged with actual affliction.

[MrKnubbles]

Damn, has it been that long already? My favorite iteration for my class and spec (Prot Paladin) was the initial implementation, the Mists of Pandaria version.

[Aggrophobic]

The old system was crap compared to what we have now. Don't want it back.
Now, if we could only get the class design of MoP back then WoW might actually be fun to play again.

[Noxina]

and the new system does? I went all legion changing 1 talent once and then back again the next teir.

Its been a month into BFA, i have yet to change or even look at my talents.

Do you only do one type of content? I change talents daily, though I do BGs, Arenas, WQs, Duels, Dungeons and Raiding. And all of them kinda got their own setup.