[8.0] Battle of Azeroth Protection discussion thread

[Krom2040]

Protection is atrocious to play right now. Shield Block is completely inadequate as a primary defensive button.

I feel like Blizzard needs to announce *something* about their intentions before just removing probably the most important skill that a spec has. I understand that it’s Alpha, but this is the kind of change that inspires panic. I’m sure I’m not alone in believing that I’ll be forced to quit my warrior if nothing else changed.

[Firefall]

Protection is atrocious to play right now. Shield Block is completely inadequate as a primary defensive button.

I feel like Blizzard needs to announce *something* about their intentions before just removing probably the most important skill that a spec has. I understand that it’s Alpha, but this is the kind of change that inspires panic. I’m sure I’m not alone in believing that I’ll be forced to quit my warrior if nothing else changed.

They did post something. They said that spells like Ignore Pain don't have a place in Battle for Azeroth. Nothing is coming to replace it, they are just going to give us some passive buffs to make us viable and that's it.

[Tyze]

They did post something. They said that spells like Ignore Pain don't have a place in Battle for Azeroth. Nothing is coming to replace it, they are just going to give us some passive buffs to make us viable and that's it.

Source? /10 chars

[Firefall]

Source? /10 chars

They said that they want all tanking active mitigation to be armor, then said that blocking is effectively armor now. Shield Block is our active mitigation now.

https://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/...y-armor-block/

Edit: oops thought you were someone else at first.

[Tyze]

They said that they want all tanking active mitigation to be armor, then said that blocking is effectively armor now. Shield Block is our active mitigation now.

https://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/...y-armor-block/

Edit: oops thought you were someone else at first.

Yeah but then Warrior only has Shield Block? I mean Druids have iron fur and regen, paladins have sotr and light of the protector etc.

[Firefall]

Yeah but then Warrior only has Shield Block? I mean Druids have iron fur and regen, paladins have sotr and light of the protector etc.

Yup. We have Shield Block and Spell Reflection and a couple cooldowns. They consider that good enough it seems. Maybe they think Victory Rush is our other active mitigation? They are completely lost.

[Tyze]

Yup. We have Shield Block and Spell Reflection and a couple cooldowns. They consider that good enough it seems. Maybe they think Victory Rush is our other active mitigation? They are completely lost.

Well we need something. Because Shield Block only has limited charges and high rage cost. A Prot Warrior will melt if he doenst have Shield Block up, gotta need something to fill

[Firefall]

Well we need something. Because Shield Block only has limited charges and high rage cost. A Prot Warrior will melt if he doenst have Shield Block up, gotta need something to fill

Right now we are almost into beta and I wouldn't get your hopes up. The most likely answer is that they are going to buff our passive survivability until we are viable, then make us actually have a defensive rotation in a future patch (or next expansion).

[Deleted]

At this point every other tank has a physical damage reduction and a heal, so I'd guess that warriors will get a heal as well. Probably Impeding victory, even though I'd expect the reset mechanic to be rather awkward on a tank, so maybe something else.

[Deleted]

They said that they want all tanking active mitigation to be armor, then said that blocking is effectively armor now. Shield Block is our active mitigation now.

https://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/...y-armor-block/

Edit: oops thought you were someone else at first.

There is absolutely nothing in that post that says they wont give ppl magic damage reducting active mitigation. Not a single one of your points are anything other then pure speculation.

[Deleted]

It isn't in that post. But it was in the post where they outlined their ideas about tanking in BFA. Currently at work so I can't go look for it, but maybe I'll remember it later and post a link to it.

[Apart]

I'm not sure what to say yet about the awkward changes for Protection. They've switched around a lot of talents, but the main problem I still have is that I don't have enough self-healing/sustain outside of having Shield Block up. Shield Block recharging was already slow and they've made it even slower.

[Tyze]

So yeah. Prot doesnt seem very exciting.

They truly have failed the BFA classes, lets hope the content is fun enough

[CommunistXirvant]

Are fury and arms any better than the dumpster fire that was legion?

[Beno]

So yeah. Prot doesnt seem very exciting.

They truly have failed the BFA classes, lets hope the content is fun enough

Not Entirely sure about that, looking at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUOT2dKUhVs by Preach (whose opinions i generally rate, especially when it comes to classes and choices) seem to like it. Looks like the value is in the choices and game play - rather than having bonkers rotations and managing shit like ignore pain

[Quaade]

Are fury and arms any better than the dumpster fire that was legion?

Arms is better, Fury is currently worse and the current direction of Prot is seriously alarming, every other tank class I've spoken to have been afraid that this will happen to them as well and most other Prot agree that in it's current form it's a useless spec.

There are four talents which are mandatory. Punish, Bolster, Devastator and Heavy Repurcussions as they makes us able to tank in the first place. You can take something else, if you want to be useless. The only choice in these talents are a false choice.

- - - Updated - - -

Not Entirely sure about that, looking at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUOT2dKUhVs by Preach (whose opinions i generally rate, especially when it comes to classes and choices) seem to like it. Looks like the value is in the choices and game play - rather than having bonkers rotations and managing shit like ignore pain

I've no idea who that is, however if he says this is a good choice, he has clearly never understood what a tank is meant to do in the first place. Take hits, that's all, a tank might as well just be a brick of health and mitigation being wheelbarrowed to the next fight.

Removing IP for nothing makes us worse at this. Putting four talents that are mandatory to make us better at this shows that the devs have no understanding of this mechanic as well.

Tanks are never there to do damage and way too much of a Protection Warrior is damage focused, which makes them fail the intended role right out of the gate.

[Deleted]

Tanks are never there to do damage and way too much of a Protection Warrior is damage focused, which makes them fail the intended role right out of the gate.

Once you are clear of oneshots, damage output from tanks is most definitely a factor during progression.

I only really have a problem with Bolster right now, for the cost of a talent, which feels mandatory because only having SB feels greedy af honestly it doesn't feel good at to use (esp not with bolster on the gcd).
With a 10 sec uptime, 5 cd and low rage cost (20) it should always be up really which just makes it a management buff, and not a 'meaningful choice' as they've continueously stated is the direction they are taking.

At least make bolster stack like ironfur then, because even though spamming revenge as your only dump does a ton of dmg, it doesn't feel like tanking, more like a hybrid gladiator spec.

There are some nice new talents and new baseline stuff for warrior, which feels great, so with a few changes, possibly a 2nd non talent mitigation would go a long way.

It's not the end of the world, but if it went live as it is now, I wouldn't play it.

[Quaade]

I only really have a problem with Bolster right now, for the cost of a talent, which feels mandatory because only having SB feels greedy af honestly it doesn't feel good at to use (esp not with bolster on the gcd).
With a 10 sec uptime, 5 cd and low rage cost (20) it should always be up really which just makes it a management buff, and not a 'meaningful choice' as they've continueously stated is the direction they are taking.

At least make bolster stack like ironfur then, because even though spamming revenge as your only dump does a ton of dmg, it doesn't feel like tanking, more like a hybrid gladiator spec.

There are some nice new talents and new baseline stuff for warrior, which feels great, so with a few changes, possibly a 2nd non talent mitigation would go a long way.

It's not the end of the world, but if it went live as it is now, I wouldn't play it.

I have to to tell you that your opinion is factually wrong. When you do M+ higher than, or equal to, your current gear level you never have Devastator, you have Indominable in order to make your health pool bigger, especially when the mobs have Fortified.

You have more health as that's more predictable to heal and it gives bigger IPs which again is more predictable.

If you die it leads to a TPK unless the mobs/boss are low or you overgear, that's a fact.

Tank damage is a part of progression however it's secondary to being able to survive better, doing 2 million DPS is irrellevant if you lack the tools from preventing yourself to melt. In that case a tank who does 1 million DPS and who have those tools will be more desirable.

The DPS can step up their game and do more, a tank is there to take the hits for them. Higher DPS from a tank should come naturally with better gear, it should never be a default state or a sought after state.

Healers love tanks that are predictable to heal. Looking over the other tanks in the game they've on common factor. Predictability, the only ones who lack that is warriors. Well, we do have a certain kind of predictability, we'll die unless someone else picks us up. This is the reason Mannoroth's Bloodletting Manacles is one of the best tank legos for us and the reason that kind of heal should be baseline.

If Prot goes live in its durrent form the end result will be one less tank that can do endgame.

[Deleted]

You have more health as that's more predictable to heal and it gives bigger IPs which again is more predictable.

Well since IP is gone, I don't see the point of your arguement.

[Deleted]

Not Entirely sure about that, looking at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUOT2dKUhVs by Preach (whose opinions i generally rate, especially when it comes to classes and choices) seem to like it. Looks like the value is in the choices and game play - rather than having bonkers rotations and managing shit like ignore pain

Preach comes from a gameplay PoV not a balance PoV. Gameplay wise he thinks warriors are at the middle of the pack of tanks atm. THats not even slightly relevant as to how well balanced we are compared to the other tanks and he should have known that before he posted that video. He isnt doing a well enough job explaining to people that its from a gameplay PoV.