Shadowlands: Druid Design Philosophy

[zathaia]

Below extract is taken from Class Design Philosophy bluepost:
"Druids are the masters of shapeshifting—a versatile hybrid class than can adapt their form to suit a wide variety of situations—and Shadowlands reinforces this core identity by giving them even more flexibility. We’re bringing several abilities back to the class and making others more widely available. Most notably, the Affinity system has been expanded to offer utility abilities along with passive bonuses.

General Changes
All Druids will be able to use Ferocious Bite, Barkskin, Cyclone, Stampeding Roar, and Ironfur regardless of their active specialization. Druids of any specialization will also now be able to use Cyclone and Stampeding Roar. In addition, Heart of the Wild has returned as a Talent, providing an option for Druids who want to use off-role abilities during combat.

The Affinity Talents associated with each specialization (Balance, Guardian, Feral, and Restoration) also gain an additional utility ability. Balance receives Typhoon, Feral gets Maim, Guardian gets Incapacitating Roar, and Restoration can use Ursol’s Vortex."

My Opinion:
This makes me incredibly happy. This idea of druid's affinity having an even more important role for your effectiveness is the perfect change.
And then on top of that having a "Heart of the Wild" talent that perhaps might make the druid even closer to the chosen affinity's regular spec.

Question:
What do you think about this? Do you appreciate Blizzard focusing more on the Hybrid Druid Design?

[VinceVega]

Below extract is taken from Class Design Philosophy bluepost:
"Druids are the masters of shapeshifting—a versatile hybrid class than can adapt their form to suit a wide variety of situations—and Shadowlands reinforces this core identity by giving them even more flexibility. We’re bringing several abilities back to the class and making others more widely available. Most notably, the Affinity system has been expanded to offer utility abilities along with passive bonuses.

General Changes
All Druids will be able to use Ferocious Bite, Barkskin, Cyclone, Stampeding Roar, and Ironfur regardless of their active specialization. Druids of any specialization will also now be able to use Cyclone and Stampeding Roar. In addition, Heart of the Wild has returned as a Talent, providing an option for Druids who want to use off-role abilities during combat.

The Affinity Talents associated with each specialization (Balance, Guardian, Feral, and Restoration) also gain an additional utility ability. Balance receives Typhoon, Feral gets Maim, Guardian gets Incapacitating Roar, and Restoration can use Ursol’s Vortex."

My Opinion:
This makes me incredibly happy. This idea of druid's affinity having an even more important role for your effectiveness is the perfect change.
And then on top of that having a "Heart of the Wild" talent that perhaps might make the druid even closer to the chosen affinity's regular spec.

Question:
What do you think about this? Do you appreciate Blizzard focusing more on the Hybrid Druid Design?

I am so freaking hyped for those changes... finally a normal heal back for restos and the moonkin incarnation, which, imho, was the best of all the moonkins. Starfall buffing dots. Maybe we will use it even again...

God i love it. And nearly all the other classes too!

[Shyzhi]

Never liked the affinitys at all, Just make them weaker and base line for all specs, i wanna feel like a druid again not a feral cat. Ofc its early days and things can change but as it stands im not very excited for the druid changes iv seen going forward.

[VinceVega]

Never liked the affinitys at all, Just make them weaker and base line for all specs, i wanna feel like a druid again not a feral cat. Ofc its early days and things can change but as it stands im not very excited for the druid changes iv seen going forward.

But feral was always a cat... in classic the played a bit offtank but that was it...
Sorry i don't really get what you mean

[RelaZ]

I'm incredibly underwhelmed.

Affinities are a trash idea and should've just been removed, and most of the things should've been baselined. Instead, we should've gotten a talent row with Typhoon/Faerie Swarm/Mass Entangling Roots (or Ursol's Vortex). Now we'll just be pigeonholed into PvE: Balance and PvP: (if HotW is good) HotW+Resto or (if HotW is not good) Guardian.

Incapacitating Roar is even on Incapacitate DR, that means Ferals will not be able to play comps with Mages or Hunters if Guardian Affinity is mandatory/BiS. Those are the only interesting Feral comps there are. Such a snooze. At the very least Incapacitating Roar needs to only DR with itself (not Disorient, because that DRs with Cyclone).

Bloodtalons change looks horrible depending on what they mean with "in quick succession". Does it mean mean without other abilities in between? If not, then how long time will I have to use all three abilities to gain the buff? 20 seconds?

If the rotation becomes a forced Shred->Rake->FB->Shred 5x CP->Rip whenever you need to renew Rip it'll suck so bad. The superior solution would've been to just remove the mechanic and create something else that's fun (like bringing back old pre-WoD snapshotting).

As a Feral, I'm getting HotW as a talent and baseline Barkskin - that's it. Cyclone was a PvP talent already, and there are no good interesting PvP talents to replace it anyway.

Where is Disentanglement (Powershifting), they could even just make it as a 1sec CD ability that removes all slows and roots, only usable in form, instead of an actual Powershift (since that apparently "lagged the game").
Where is Hibernate on Predatory Swiftness?
Why is Incapacitating Roar on the incapacitate DR?
Where is Cyclone being usable while in form or instant with Predatory Swiftness?
Why is Typhoon gated behind Balance Affinity? I'll never be able to pick it because the other Resto/Guardian affinity perks are just superior in PvP. PS: Gating it behind Mighty Bash is just as bad.
Where is Nature's Swiftness for Ferals?
Where is Stampeding Roar and Dash removing all slows & roots on use baseline?
Where is baseline LotP?
Where are my baseline heals!?! Why is Healing Touch not baseline and on Predatory Swiftness?

[huth]

Why is Incapacitating Roar on the incapacitate DR?

Do we seriously need to tell you?

[RelaZ]

Do we seriously need to tell you?

I knew someone would come in and comment on that and show their absolute stupidity. Nice job /golfclap.

I even considered writing "I understand the RP reasons based on the name, but those are bullshit as the spell has literally previously existed as "Disorienting Roar". The spell just needs to be renamed to Whatever Roar and only DR with itself." but I opted not to so someone could come in here and show their stupidity, lack of historical knowledge and inability to think for themselves how easily this would be solved.

Also, I get to bump the thread. Thanks!

[Mirishka]

I am so freaking hyped for those changes... finally a normal heal back for restos and the moonkin incarnation, which, imho, was the best of all the moonkins. Starfall buffing dots. Maybe we will use it even again...

God i love it. And nearly all the other classes too!

Same here. They had me at 2H Frost, but there's dozens of other changes that had me like 'oh snap!!"

[Mouri Kogorou]

as balance if i understand it, they are bringing the alternating power BS back?
dont like that design.

[Razion]

I have been off-healing as DPS on my Druid on a more consistent basis lately... but I'm never sure if my groups appreciate when I do it, even when it's an emergency and we all barely make it through, as no one ever says anything about it. Is the healer silently kind of miffed because they didn't get the opportunity to shine, or use their CDs? I also am going to be kind of sad when on all the runs there isn't that kind of emergency I'll have that big Heart of the Wild CD just sitting there... unused. I kind of liked where the affinities were at now where I had a bit I could contribute without feeling like I *had* to just to optimize. Maybe it'll feel different when I actually have it, but I wasn't really all that fond of the idea of Heart of the Wild when it was in the game last time, and I was super happy later when Affinities replaced it, so I'm a little concerned specifically about it still.

The only returning ability I'm kind of happy to see returning is Stampeding Roar... gives me more indoor movement. But that's more a problem of Travel Form not being usable indoors... I'd rather just be able to Stag Form anywhere than have the Roar as "group utility". It can feel nice to give group members beneficial effects like this, but I also feel like Heart of the Wild it's very few and far between where it's actually useful to an extent where I can enjoy it...

[Vilendor]

Great, they buff and remake the shit out of balance like in every single expansion since BC, meanwhile they plan to change 1 talent in feral. And i bet they will make BT worst as it already is.

To the hell with affinities and "hybrid design", outside of pvp it's a dead concept since 15 years

What's the opposite of hyped? Depressed? I'll wait until beta and see if they can remove the least useful and least wanted class stigmas from feral, but at this point i doubt it

[huth]

I knew someone would come in and comment on that and show their absolute stupidity. Nice job /golfclap.

I even considered writing "I understand the RP reasons based on the name, but those are bullshit as the spell has literally previously existed as "Disorienting Roar". The spell just needs to be renamed to Whatever Roar and only DR with itself." but I opted not to so someone could come in here and show their stupidity, lack of historical knowledge and inability to think for themselves how easily this would be solved.

Also, I get to bump the thread. Thanks!

And you immediately jump ahead and think it's just because of the name. Good job.

Has it ever occured to you that maybe your request itself isn't all that reasonable and Blizzard doesn't want a DR free mass CC for good reason?

[RelaZ]

And you immediately jump ahead and think it's just because of the name. Good job.

Has it ever occured to you that maybe your request itself isn't all that reasonable and Blizzard doesn't want a DR free mass CC for good reason?

It's a fully reasonable request that has been in the game previously at a time when the class design was much better.

But please, by all means, enlighten me. Just know that if your reasoning has anything to do with Mythic+ "balance" at all it's a terrible "reason".

[thilicen]

Love the balance tuning, hope it plays as good as it sounds.

[Anastacy]

Gonna express my hatred for Nourish in this thread as well.

I thought Blizz had finally given up on shoving it down our throats.

[Alixie]

They're going to fuck up Balance by bringing back that stupid seesaw mechanic. You have to keep your eyes glued to the bar at all times, otherwise you might catch yourself having fun while forgetting not to cast Lunar Strike during the Solar Eclipse side of the bar. Balance currently, plays as smooth as Demonology. Why screw that up to bring back a mechanic they even admitted was clunky and reworked it for Legion?

[sololux]

Balance got F'd

[lappee]

Balance got F'd

Mookins are saved.

[huth]

Mookins are saved.

I'd say we look at the actual design first. While it sounds like a bit like a throwback, it's also clearly different from the previous designs, so it's a bit hard to judge without details.

It's a fully reasonable request that has been in the game previously at a time when the class design was much better.

It's fully reasonable why exactly? That it's been in the game before means little. They changed it away because they didn't like how it played with the rest.
"when the class design was much better" is just your personal opinion as well, not any particular point in time.

[lappee]

I'd say we look at the actual design first. While it sounds like a bit like a throwback, it's also clearly different from the previous designs, so it's a bit hard to judge without details.

Its WotLK with Astral Power for Satsurge (and Starfall, rather than having a CD on it).