The Butchery of Survival in BFA

[Deleted]

The new Alpha changes show the glorious work Blizzard decided to put into the red-headed stepchild of the Hunter specs.

And the work is nothing. Less than nothing, because it actively takes away the core gameplay in favor of... turning us into Semi-ranged BM.
They could literally change Raptor strike to Cobra Shot and I think we'd have every single spell they do bar bestial Wrath and Dire beast.

Instead of an interesting ramping mechanic, we just spend our focus as fast as possible. Unless you want to take said useless ramping mechanic as a talent, but it seems pretty fucking worthless and even more clunky.

No, instead of sticking to their guns and working the spec into a presentable Melee spec, they faltered and listened to the constant whining done by useless people who want Survival to be "Marksman, but can move a bit better"

I really liked the idea of Survival, a rugged trapper fighting with spear and claw, using cunning to outflank enemies. Now I am literally a bad BM hunter. So it just makes me ask.

What is the point of Survival in BfA?

[Lorgar Aurelian]

You mean a class in an Alpha isn’t comptly and utterly done? The horror!

[Deleted]

You mean a class in an Alpha isn’t comptly and utterly done? The horror!

Considering it's a complete and total step backwards from what we have. I'd say the Alpha is not doing it's job.

[Kelthos]

I think the changes look good personally. Like you said, Mongoose Bite is available as a talent so the old playstyle is still there. Flanking strike is also still there (now baked into kill command via a talent.) If anything, they've just made Survival more versatile by giving them some more ranged options. I'm also excited about serpent strike becoming an ability and synergizing with one of the new traps to cause nature damage.

[Puupi]

As long as mongoose bite with its clunky piece of shit rng 6 stack mechanic is gone by default, they are doing something right.

Though there are some questions regarding the new survival... like aoe (carve is gone, only aoe is that wildfire bomb and lvl 30 talents) and what's the point of literally every other ability being 40yd range except auto attack and raptor strike.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

Considering it's a complete and total step backwards from what we have. I'd say the Alpha is not doing it's job.

I don’t think you know what the job of the Alpha is.

[Smokinya]

Yeah not a fan of them making surv and BM so similar in the first place. Surv isn't even in terrible shape right now either. They could easily take what they have and add to it rather than homogenize it.

[McFuu]

Considering it's a complete and total step backwards from what we have. I'd say the Alpha is not doing it's job.

I do think it's a little early to cry wolf, seeing as the class uses a melee weapon, id assume any "ranged" spell would be a place holder.

[Deleted]

I think the changes look good personally. Like you said, Mongoose Bite is available as a talent so the old playstyle is still there. Flanking strike is also still there (now baked into kill command via a talent.) If anything, they've just made Survival more versatile by giving them some more ranged options. I'm also excited about serpent strike becoming an ability and synergizing with one of the new traps to cause nature damage.

Survival didn't need ranged options. It needed some of it's clunky mechanics changed and smoothed over.

Now it has all of it's mechanics removed in favor of literal BM style braindead Focus-spending. Those "Interactions" are pointless numbers.

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As long as mongoose bite with its clunky piece of shit rng 6 stack mechanic is gone by default, they are doing something right.

I liked it. It wasn't clunky besides some minor rng issues, the issue was Fury of the Eagle being mandatory for 6 stacks. But we don't have Fury of the Eagle Anymore.

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I don’t think you know what the job of the Alpha is.

Neither do you, considering gameplay changes of this magnitude are for Development stages while the Alpha is supposed to be duress testing.

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I do think it's a little early to cry wolf, seeing as the class uses a melee weapon, id assume any "ranged" spell would be a place holder.

Not when our "Damage" cooldown changes Raptor Strike to 35 yard range. They're trying to make Survival a bastardized Semi-ranged spec.

[Mehrunes]

You spelled Legion wrong.

[Queen of Hamsters]

They should just admit defeat and reroll the spec to SoO-gameplay.

[Deleted]

They should just admit defeat and reroll the spec to SoO-gameplay.

Ah yes "Marksman in everything but name" Was a fun time.

Oh wait, All three specs playing almost exactly the same is why MM or Survival suffered every time each other simmed higher than the other.

[Tenant]

"I'm gonna bitch about this very clearly incomplete kit that I haven't even played for myself, nor will I be able to play until months from now"

Also fucking hilarious we're already seeing this contrarian backlash so soon for SV of all things. And I say that with my primary alt being a SV hunter, but it's not like their kit was immune to criticism (in the same way it deserved praise, too)

I do think it's a little early to cry wolf, seeing as the class uses a melee weapon, id assume any "ranged" spell would be a place holder.

There's nothing stopping it from being both melee and having ranged abilities. That's very likely the direction they're going

[Deleted]

You spelled Legion wrong.

Sorry there. I actually like Survival being a Melee spec. Consider our biggest "hero" is a Melee Hunter by trade anyway.

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"I'm gonna bitch about this very clearly incomplete kit that I haven't even played for myself, nor will I be able to play until months from now"

Also fucking hilarious we're already seeing this contrarian backlash so soon for SV of all things. And I say that with my primary alt being a SV hunter, but it's not like their kit was immune to criticism (in the same way it deserved praise, too)

Well, I don't give a shit about what you "alt"

If it's an incomplete kit, Why?

Why is it incomplete compared to the BASE they were trying to IMPROVE?

[Aggrophobic]

The new Alpha changes show the glorious work Blizzard decided to put into the red-headed stepchild of the Hunter specs.

And the work is nothing. Less than nothing, because it actively takes away the core gameplay in favor of... turning us into Semi-ranged BM.
They could literally change Raptor strike to Cobra Shot and I think we'd have every single spell they do bar bestial Wrath and Dire beast.

Instead of an interesting ramping mechanic, we just spend our focus as fast as possible. Unless you want to take said useless ramping mechanic as a talent, but it seems pretty fucking worthless and even more clunky.

No, instead of sticking to their guns and working the spec into a presentable Melee spec, they faltered and listened to the constant whining done by useless people who want Survival to be "Marksman, but can move a bit better"

I really liked the idea of Survival, a rugged trapper fighting with spear and claw, using cunning to outflank enemies. Now I am literally a bad BM hunter. So it just makes me ask.

What is the point of Survival in BfA?

To be fair, whats the point of it now?

You might like it but it's very evident that most players did not. Very, very few players used the spec at all and even less seemed to enjoy it.
It was very clear that the spec was going to be changed to something else in this expansion but if you feel like you can do a better job then a few suggestions on what could be improved would probably go a long way.

[Derian]

"I'm gonna bitch about this very clearly incomplete kit that I haven't even played for myself, nor will I be able to play until months from now"

Also fucking hilarious we're already seeing this contrarian backlash so soon for SV of all things. And I say that with my primary alt being a SV hunter, but it's not like their kit was immune to criticism (in the same way it deserved praise, too)

The problem is the things that deserved praise are the things that were pruned. The only good change so far is replacing explosive trap with a targeted grenade. They've turned the spec into less complex havoc.

[Kelthos]

Survival didn't need ranged options. It needed some of it's clunky mechanics changed and smoothed over.

Now it has all of it's mechanics removed in favor of literal BM style braindead Focus-spending. Those "Interactions" are pointless numbers..

I think the primarily melee with some range thrown in is quite different from any other melee in the game save for maybe old Ret paladin. I'm excited to give it a try, at least.

I don't see why you are complaining so hard since it seems you can more or less preserve the old play style with talent choices.

[Deleted]

To be fair, whats the point of it now?

You might like it but it's very evident that most players did not. Very, very few players used the spec at all and even less seemed to enjoy it.
It was very clear that the spec was going to be changed to something else in this expansion but if you feel like you can do a better job then a few suggestions on what could be improved would probably go a long way.

Buff the duration of Lacerate.

Remove Explosive shot as a baseline damage spell.

Mongoose bite has a lower GCD after the first bite.

Buff spells and abilties to compensate loss of Legion shit.

And to appease the Ranged crybabys, Replace Spitting Cobra with

"Headhunter:- All abilites and auto attacks have a 30 yard range"

Fixes literally everything about Survival.

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I could be wrong but the vibe I'm getting is that Survival is a melee spec with the ability to DoT and do some limited damage to ranged targets. i.e. in a raid environment they will be able to help to some extent to take down far away priority mobs that usually ranged have to burn down by themselves. Is that incredibly useful? Maybe, maybe not, but it's a direction different from any other melee in the game so I am willing to give it a try, at least.

I don't see why you are complaining so hard since it seems you can more or less preserve the old play style with talent choices.

Because instead of building on the old playstyle which made Survival unique out of all melee specs, they turned them into subpar talent choices and made Survival BM 2.0.

[McFuu]

"I'm gonna bitch about this very clearly incomplete kit that I haven't even played for myself, nor will I be able to play until months from now"

Also fucking hilarious we're already seeing this contrarian backlash so soon for SV of all things. And I say that with my primary alt being a SV hunter, but it's not like their kit was immune to criticism (in the same way it deserved praise, too)


There's nothing stopping it from being both melee and having ranged abilities. That's very likely the direction they're going

If by ranged you mean Outlaw Rogue, then yes I think that's where they are going. The class might gain some abilities to use while closing the distance or to kite, but not this end of the world it's going to be MM again.

[Kelthos]

Buff the duration of Lacerate.

Remove Explosive shot as a baseline damage spell.

Mongoose bite has a lower GCD after the first bite.

Buff spells and abilties to compensate loss of Legion shit.

And to appease the Ranged crybabys, Replace Spitting Cobra with

"Headhunter:- All abilites and auto attacks have a 30 yard range"

Fixes literally everything about Survival.

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Because instead of building on the old playstyle which made Survival unique out of all melee specs, they turned them into subpar talent choices and made Survival BM 2.0.

Would you feel better if they renamed Kill Command to something else for Survival hunters?