How "execute centric" will Warriors be in Legion?

[Rikhart]

I really love playing warrior (even though our rotations arent in the best shape ever, amirite), however it grates me more and more that you only really start shining, and become able to compete with other classes, sub 20%.

My question is a simple one, for Legion, do you think this will continue as it is in live? Or maybe be even more pronounced (god, I hope not)?

[Shelly]

Likely very.

We don't have a numbers pass yet and won't for probably 6-months or more, but they are limiting the number of "executes" in the game again - I think at this point the only folks with one left are Warriors and SPriests but I could be wrong. They've also removed Sudden Death which really lets them concentrate on making that last 20% a really big deal for your raid if you've got a warrior or two hanging out.

That said I've got high hopes for rampage-carnage builds where the rampage ability when talented with carnage acts how the old execute used to and sucks up all your extra rage for more damage. In BC it was pretty much the only time you ever really did damage as Prot so fond rose colored glasses there.

Anyway, given that we can fill most of our GCDs and there's a large amount of uptime on both enrage with high attack speed, berserking with more attack speed and one passive haste talent and one active haste talent our overall damage could be pretty consistent - especially white hits - then spike fairly high as soon as 20% rolls around.

[Valech]

Considering, that we are one of the two classes who have an execute with legion, I guess VERY execute centric.

Which I personally find good. Bursty aoe, brilliant cleave and a strong execute for those tight soft enrage phases. Some reasons to pack a warrior or two.

[Swaggah]

Wasn't the reason why WoD execute hit so hard was because everyone suddenly had an execute but blizzard still wanted warriors execute to be special since it was iconic, and now that most others are gone I would think they'd scale it back some compared to WoD

[Phookah]

I would guess yes, given that warriors are going to be like 1 of 2 classes/specs that even have an execute anymore.
Wouldn't make much sense to try and have it so they stand out, and then not make it particularly noteworthy.

[Shelly]

Wasn't the reason why WoD execute hit so hard was because everyone suddenly had an execute but blizzard still wanted warriors execute to be special since it was iconic, and now that most others are gone I would think they'd scale it back some compared to WoD

That's not a bad point but there is precedent from vanilla, BC and LK where warriors were often the only ones with a true execute. Paladins had hammer but even it lost out to the pure raw physical damage that warriors could put out with a full rage bar.

Just saying that since it really feels like Blizzard's intent is to try and make each class distinct that heavy hitting executes will be a good return to our roots. Until the final numbers pass though all bets are off. :-)

[Rikhart]

Don´t get me wrong I like the execute mechanic itself, but would be happy if some weight was shifted from that into the remainder 80% of the fight. So you could hover around the top dps spots (granted equal gear and skill levels), instead of near the bottom and then suddenly becoming alive at a certain % and clawing back up.

[Bigbazz]

Warrior Execute in TBC/LK was nothing compared to now, at the end of WOTLK it was debatable as to whether using execute was a dps loss over just continuing the rotation... Now (and likely in Legion) Execute is not only a dps increase but makes up the majority of our dps entirely.. Blizz said Warriors wanted to be even moreso the king of execute in Legion so yeah, more of the same I guess.

[Deleted]

Likely very.

We don't have a numbers pass yet and won't for probably 6-months or more, but they are limiting the number of "executes" in the game again - I think at this point the only folks with one left are Warriors and SPriests but I could be wrong. They've also removed Sudden Death which really lets them concentrate on making that last 20% a really big deal for your raid if you've got a warrior or two hanging out.

That said I've got high hopes for rampage-carnage builds where the rampage ability when talented with carnage acts how the old execute used to and sucks up all your extra rage for more damage. In BC it was pretty much the only time you ever really did damage as Prot so fond rose colored glasses there.

Anyway, given that we can fill most of our GCDs and there's a large amount of uptime on both enrage with high attack speed, berserking with more attack speed and one passive haste talent and one active haste talent our overall damage could be pretty consistent - especially white hits - then spike fairly high as soon as 20% rolls around.

warlocks too

[Shelly]

warlocks too

Not sure I get what you're saying since Warlocks don't have an execute I can find and from what I've seen Affliction at least - only one in the alpha - seems built more around multi-dotting in general and mass unstable affliction whenever possible.

[Ansi]

A lot, I hope.

Speaking of Warrior identity, Execute really is our signature move and even more so if they remove similar abilities from other classes.

A previous complaint was, that too much of our damage was centered around Execute — I personally don't mind at all. It is one of the things that really makes Warrior fun and satisfying.

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Blizz said Warriors wanted to be even moreso the king of execute in Legion so yeah, more of the same I guess.

Source? :-) This would make me genuinely happy!

[Rikhart]

Warrior Execute in TBC/LK was nothing compared to now, at the end of WOTLK it was debatable as to whether using execute was a dps loss over just continuing the rotation... Now (and likely in Legion) Execute is not only a dps increase but makes up the majority of our dps entirely.. Blizz said Warriors wanted to be even moreso the king of execute in Legion so yeah, more of the same I guess.

Exactly, you can have execute but make it be in line with the rest, not our top-ability-by-far.

[Secondwind]

With the talk of Execute being Warrior's signature ability.... anyone else kind of disappointed at the new execute animation? I mean compared to Carnage or Whirlwind, Execute's animation just doesn't really stick out the way I would expect it to.


But to answer the OP's question, there's really no way to tell how execute centric we will be until tuning is done. Personally I'd like to see a 30-50% jump during execute phase. That would mean if average dps is 100k, you'll deal 90-95k above 20% and 120-135k sub 20%. That's a big enough swing to be noticable, but the 5-10% drop outside of execute phase isn't quite enough to make you feel like nothing else matters.

...I'd also be okay with Execute Phase being a less huge swing in DPS and Execute being usable less often. Like imagine if Execute had a 15-20 second cooldown that resets if it kills its target. But that one hit dealt something like twice as much relative damage as Execute deals now. Or even just a 20% or so increase, but make it a guaranteed crit that scales in damage with crit strike chance. Basically let Execute be the nuclear bomb of our rotation without completely taking over the rotation for the last 20% of the fight. Arms rotation during execute phase is literally CS Execute, because you don't want to hit anything else. That's really pretty sad.

[Accendor]

Since the fury artifacts got this 3 talents you can assume that they currently plan to rely heavy on Execute:
10% bonus crit on execute
15% Chance that Execute makes the next Execute free (variation of Sudden Death)
Each Execute makes the next Execute do 5% more Damage for 15%, this effect stacks

[caervek]

Hopefully less than in WoD, one of the best things about Gladiator was that it didn't change massively below 20%. But I wouldn't count on it.

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Arms rotation during execute phase is literally CS Execute, because you don't want to hit anything else. That's really pretty sad.

As opposed to before execute phase where it's CS MS? :P

[Rikhart]

Since the fury artifacts got this 3 talents you can assume that they currently plan to rely heavy on Execute:
10% bonus crit on execute
15% Chance that Execute makes the next Execute free (variation of Sudden Death)
Each Execute makes the next Execute do 5% more Damage for 15%, this effect stacks

Noticed that before, and it is one of the details that fuels my concerns. Instead of wasting 3 (I would be ok with one talent for execute, 3 is overboard imo) talents for one fifth of the fight (and many that wont even be usefull AT ALL, like low hp adds or trash mobs), they could use those traits to make the rotation as a whole more engaged.

[Deleted]

My problem is, without sudden death, Execute only has a real value when fighting bosses. Why levelling, you can kill normal mobs easily even with BT when they are lower than 20%. Execute would even be a Rage waste here. You might want to catch a few Executes at Raid / Instance trash packs, still those mobs would fall 1 second later anyways by raid AOE. So it basically a Skada/Bar issue here.

I am currently leveling (another) warrior and through Sudden Death, which very often procs directly after Charge, its very joyful to devastate the mob directly after approaching him.

I will painfully miss Sudden Death for sure.

[Deleted]

I'd like some Execute-centric talents tbh. Perhaps a talent that increases the threshold for execute from 20% -> 30%.

[Accendor]

My problem is, without sudden death, Execute only has a real value when fighting bosses. Why levelling, you can kill normal mobs easily even with BT when they are lower than 20%. Execute would even be a Rage waste here..

Actually, it is not. While leveling there is not reason to not use the Execute glyphe that returns 30 when you successfully execute an enemy. Glyph will be useless in Endgame of course, but for leveling this is really no concern for me.

[Teye]

Not sure I get what you're saying since Warlocks don't have an execute I can find and from what I've seen Affliction at least - only one in the alpha - seems built more around multi-dotting in general and mass unstable affliction whenever possible.

Doomguard still does more damage to targets that are sub 20%.