How opposed are you to this?

[HardlyWaken]

How opposed would the community the to changing how abilities are used to more of a GuildWars system or closer to Diablo type set up? This such that,
Players would basically have a limited amount of ability slots, and could only be changed when out of combat, say they had:

4 Damage slots (or possibly 3 damage, and 1 heal slot for hybrids, 2 damage and 2 heal slots if a healing spec, perhaps)
1-2 Offesnive slots
1-2 Defensive slots
1-2 Control slots,

Maybe totalling to 8-10 slots total, with some give and take here and there.

This would do several things:

1. Increase character customization/play style. (Not suggesting removing specs, this is in addition to.)
2. Reduces all the CC abilities in PVP, so PVP is more based on playing your character correctly rather than spamming several CDs or CCed 100-0%.
3. Allows blizzard to keep everyone's "favorite spells", which is why they failed at downsizing abilities the first time, and just make them optional choices.
4. Oddly, even though more options, it could increase balance (due to having to figure out how fewer abilities will be chained to achieve more of a balance. Balance is always easier based around fewer abilities per person, not how many characters there are.)

Personally, I'd be down for it, what about everyone else?

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

I think we should keep the current system and don't fix what isn't broken.

[Deleted]

I think we should keep the current system and don't fix what isn't broken.

Exactly this. btw, I just tried Kingdoms of Amalur and it sucks because they did what u are proposing. They limit the abilities to just 4 and that's very limiting, in every sense.

[Chickat]

I think you shouldnt fix what isnt broken. Maybe it will be good for Titan or WoW2, but i see it having a negative impact on wow.

[HardlyWaken]

Exactly this. btw, I just tried Kingdoms of Amalur and it sucks because they did what u are proposing. They limit the abilities to just 4 and that's very limiting, in every sense.

Well obviously... I hate 4-6 buttons myself. That's why I was very specific with how many I chose. 4 DPS abilities still allows for rotations and combos. Take too much away you get boring, but find a nice mid-point you get engaging, and strategic and not chaotic.
If you consider what you use now, most people only use ROUGHLY 10 abilities in PVE total (not accounting for macros and those who are excessively optimal)... It's not that big of a change, but instead of having stacking CC and buffs, we instead have choices to make.

[kukui]

if you like GW2 skill system better, then play GW2 (btw, I play GW2). WoW has its ways of doing things and have been very successful for 8 years.

[StationaryHawk]

I don't think we should be changing the game in such a drastic way, nor do I want it to be. The current system works fine.

[HardlyWaken]

if you like GW2 skill system better, then play GW2 (btw, I play GW2). WoW has its ways of doing things and have been very successful for 8 years.

While successful, I'm actually addressing a concern they had themselves, as well as many others. That is:
There are too many abilities, but they couldn't cut the fat because they felt like every bit they COULD remove would have been someones favorite spell.
and
CC has gotten a bit out of hand.
Yes, WoW has been successful, but with every expansion we get more and more abilities to throw down on our hotbar, where do we draw the line and how DO we draw it?

[Keoren]

I never really liked ability slots in any game, nor do I see such drastic changes taking place at this point.

[kukui]

While successful, I'm actually addressing a concern they had themselves, as well as many others. That is:
There are too many abilities, but they couldn't cut the fat because they felt like every bit they COULD remove would have been someones favorite spell.
and
CC has gotten a bit out of hand.
Yes, WoW has been successful, but with every expansion we get more and more abilities to throw down on our hotbar, where do we draw the line and how DO we draw it?

You draw the line by shutting down the game. WoW will not be their main focus in 2-4 years. They have already stated that "Titan" now has a full team working around the clock on the game. I wouldn't be surprised if they announced it at Blizzcon 2013. Not to mention they canceled this years Blizzcon (saying what they had to announce was not ready). Once "Titan" comes out they said they will only support WoW if the player base remains strong.

[taurendeathknight]

That sounds incredibly boring, that essentially means we spam 2 buttons on a boss? How excitement.

[Deleted]

Meh, some of the current abilities in wow feel really clunky and out of place.
Some feel like they could be rolled into other abilities.

Over-all though, there is really not that many but there is definetly room to remove / combine a few

[HardlyWaken]

That sounds incredibly boring, that essentially means we spam 2 buttons on a boss? How excitement.

Just to show you what I mean:
4 Dps Spells, 2 Offensive Spells.

Rogue:
Mutilate (1)
Slice and Dice (Offensive spell/buff)
Mutilate,
Rupture (2)
Dispatch (3)
Mutilate
Envenom (4)
....
What has changed?

[Arkenaw]

No thanks, the "customization" is just an illusion and will devolve into cookie cutter specs, this is coming from a UA/HB monk(guild wars monk that is)

[Sierra85]

i wouldn't change it to what you have suggested because it doesnt feel right with the style of world of warcraft.

[schippie]

The appeal to wows combat for me is the wide variety of abilities. I mean as warrior i have 4 action bars filled, with almost all the abilities being used.
If you take away the thinking from wows combat you have not much left, thats the only real strength it has got over other games. That fixed rotations exist, that take a lot of skill to do properly in every fight. To obtain the highest numbers possible.

[vindicatorx]

You want to play one of those 2 games be my guest go ahead. I however don't play those games for a reason and I sure don't want to see WoW try to be more like either of those games.

[Deleted]

Well obviously... I hate 4-6 buttons myself. That's why I was very specific with how many I chose. 4 DPS abilities still allows for rotations and combos. Take too much away you get boring, but find a nice mid-point you get engaging, and strategic and not chaotic.
If you consider what you use now, most people only use ROUGHLY 10 abilities in PVE total (not accounting for macros and those who are excessively optimal)... It's not that big of a change, but instead of having stacking CC and buffs, we instead have choices to make.

But the thing you most forgot about WOW is it's incredible situational encounters that require you to use abilities a bit further than ur current in the action bar and there are times when a stun with ur rogue can save ur noob tank, for example. Plus there's also pvp, which you also didnt adress, and I think doesn't need further explanation =P. Plus there's these words, which I'd like to make my own:

The appeal to wows combat for me is the wide variety of abilities. I mean as warrior i have 4 action bars filled, with almost all the abilities being used.
If you take away the thinking from wows combat you have not much left, thats the only real strength it has got over other games. That fixed rotations exist, that take a lot of skill to do properly in every fight. To obtain the highest numbers possible.

[Dilbon]

Less is more.