Wrecktangle's lunchtime Ret Build (Long Post, but read it fully before commenting)

[Wrecktangle]

I have one concern with this build, out of combat/out of range healing. How does our mana work? Do we regen it passively at all? Do we start fights with full mana? No mana? Half?

This is a very valid concern, that apparently I completed neglected when designing. Mana would regen passively. How much I am not sure. I would say something along the lines of 10s with no actions would result in a full mana bar out of combat, inside combat I think it'd need to be slower or non-existent. The downside to this is it would slow your pace if you felt compelled to stop and wait after each mob pull. Ideally with TV and SoW that wouldn't be a terribly large issue. Definitely a valid issue though, nice catch.

You would start a fight with whatever resource you currently have, be it 100% mana, 50% or even 0%. Alternatively we could develop a reverse victory rush mechanic where upon dealing a killing blow your next attack (or just like CS, etc.) costs no mana and regenerates 100% mana. I'm not terribly keen on that idea though. I'm not sure how that would interact in an add fight though in raids. Might have to prevent that from existing. Another alternative could be a attaching a mana regeneration value to Blazing Light instead of a cost after a killing blow. That'd solve the problem of questing, have some value in PvP, and be a rarely if ever used raiding tool.

In the case that we don't passively regenerate any mana, how are we to heal out of combat? Or if we can't get into melee range of our target? We have enough trouble being kited as it is, currently, and the "range tier" wouldn't help with it, as TV's 12s CD and Crusader Strike not being able to be cast more than once every 4+s would relegate us to one heal every 24 seconds or so, which just isn't enough with how little mobility we have here...

This is a fair analysis from a PvP perspective. I'm not sold that we'd be nearly as kiteable live with several mobility options in talents coupled with several offensive snare/slow/stun mechanics, but even still that would be viable counterplay. If that's to be Ret's weakness in that match-up (remember not balanced around 1v1) that to me is fine.

Perhaps let Blazing Light be cast without sufficient mana at reduced effectiveness, maybe 10% and no benefit from mastery (slightly less than what Flash of Light heals for right now with all 3 traits)? This would however need a component to prevent Blazing Light from being spammed infinitely, so I would suggest the following:

Give Blazing Light 5 charges, with a 5.5-6s recharge, this would mimic our current ability to cast 5 FoL before running out of mana (charges) and the ~28s it takes for our mana pool to regen to full on live.

Not a terrible suggestion from a reduced effectiveness standpoint. I don't like the idea of charges though, That seems to suffer from the live WoG issue where it has a cost, and a cooldown associated to a healing spell. Having both a cost, charge and cooldown seems clunky. The main difference between my heal and live is that instead of casting 5 FoLs, you can cast 1 spell, to do the same healing that 2-3 of those could do, at a fairly large detriment to your resource, not your time.

Don't like it, too many baseline abilities, no holy power, mana usage. Zero steps forwards three steps back.

Ok, so you don't like it because it has too many baseline abilities. How many is too many? Which do you think are necessary and why? What would you cut and why?

No Holy Power? So you like combo points? What about Holy Power do you find fun or engaging?

Mana usage is a vague statement. It doesn't tell me anything. What about mana usage for a magic wielding warrior do you not like? Is it the thematics or mechanics that you're averse too?

How did you derive at zero steps forward and three steps back? Which mechanics are bad and why? What would be a change that could move the spec forward? You are saying that there isn't a single good idea in this entire build?

Again, remember this was designed back in January. Almost a year ago. try to frame your response as if you were responding then. If I were to redesign this now it'd be a complete rework.

[kail]

Why can't they just adapt Warhammer's Warpriest play-style? If not for ret, then at least for holy considering we have the perfect artifact weapon for it.

[Nurvus]

Why can't they just adapt Warhammer's Warpriest play-style? If not for ret, then at least for holy considering we have the perfect artifact weapon for it.

Because WoW does not have a Defensive Target.
Come to think of it, that feature would be a great addition.