Changing Caster Animations in Shadowlands

[Eleann]

Hi all,

I'd like to make a suggestion that perhaps could get applied later on in Shadowlands if people are up for it:

Since the very beginning of our WoW adventure, all caster classes cast all their spells using their hands. We know that some wicked staves and wands have been introduced to the game since then, and they have always displayed on our character's back. Therefore, why not make caster weapons be usable to cast spells with for a change? What is the point of possessing such powerful, glorious weapons if they just sit on our backs all the time? I'd love to use Spectral Censorite's Staff or Phoenixfire Staff to cast my spells with for example.

All melee classes cast spells using their weapons. Now, I know some may say that it looks nice to be casting spells using your hands, but it could also look nice to use a powerful staff or wand as well. It's simply a suggestion for a change because it has always been the case that casters use their hands for spells but no weapons. Besides, as with many WoW features, we could be given the choice on whether we wish cast animations to be displayed using your weapon or your hands.

Let me know what you think.

[Yemkela]

It would be really cool if it we're just certain spells you channeled through your weapon, so we could still do some finger wiggling but occasionally shoot lasers from our staves or whatever.

[Razion]

We had this with a few spells in Legion, and it was cool then. I think a couple of a class's most powerful spell coming out of their weapons adds a lot to the idea of just how powerful the spell is.

[Wyrt]

Should be an option. I prefer using hands to cast, so I wouldn't want it as a forced change, but more character customization options are always good even if I won't personally use it.

[infinitemeridian]

More animations in general. Also, updating the racial specials - the male BE 2H one is god-awful, I hate playing warrior / dk / pally as BE because of it. Also more idle stances - the brewmaster artifact over the shoulder stance should be added for all 2H melee specs.

[Soon-TM]

That was a detail I really liked from Legion. To see my Mage using his staff to cast Mark of Aluneth was mother!@#$ingly cool, and I'd like to see it back - and for more spells. Imagine your toon wielding his/her staff to cast e.g. Phoenix Flames or Shadow Word Death (those particular spells ought to be made baseline imo).

[Eleann]

I totally agree with all of the responses here. Not only do some races need a complete overhaul on animations, like blood elfs and possibly trolls and night elves, but I also completely embrace the idea of combining hand and weapon animations depending on what spell is used. I've been maining priest for a couple years now and I can easily imagine spells like holy word: serenity, holy word sanctify and life binder's invocation being cast using a weapon. They could possibly even add some extra glitter to the weapons prior to the spell going off!

Keep up the suggestions!

[Alteiry]

Hi all,

I'd like to make a suggestion that perhaps could get applied later on in Shadowlands if people are up for it:

Since the very beginning of our WoW adventure, all caster classes cast all their spells using their hands. We know that some wicked staves and wands have been introduced to the game since then, and they have always displayed on our character's back. Therefore, why not make caster weapons be usable to cast spells with for a change? What is the point of possessing such powerful, glorious weapons if they just sit on our backs all the time? I'd love to use Spectral Censorite's Staff or Phoenixfire Staff to cast my spells with for example.

All melee classes cast spells using their weapons. Now, I know some may say that it looks nice to be casting spells using your hands, but it could also look nice to use a powerful staff or wand as well. It's simply a suggestion for a change because it has always been the case that casters use their hands for spells but no weapons. Besides, as with many WoW features, we could be given the choice on whether we wish cast animations to be displayed using your weapon or your hands.

Let me know what you think.

This is a fucking awesome suggestion.

[Soulwind]

Maybe having more than one animation for each thing would help too, so that if you cast the same spell twice, it comes out of your right hand first, and then your left hand, adding a bit more variety to your character movement.

[shoc]

The fact that WoW is 16 years old and casters still sheathe their weapons to cast blows my mind. That is not how a staff is used in any other high fantasy media ever.

It's one of my favourite things about FFXIV, they really got it right.

[infinitemeridian]

Also, what happened to fixing fist weapons? I thought they were going to work on making them more visually pronounced.

[Cosmic Janitor]

1st) we have no creative imput here, this is a fan forum.
2nd) This has been suggest for 15 years straight, Blizzard still hasn't done it.

[gd8]

khadgar has some projectile spell staff-casting animations they could do it if they wanted to

[TheVaryag]

Hi all,

I'd like to make a suggestion that perhaps could get applied later on in Shadowlands if people are up for it:

Since the very beginning of our WoW adventure, all caster classes cast all their spells using their hands. We know that some wicked staves and wands have been introduced to the game since then, and they have always displayed on our character's back. Therefore, why not make caster weapons be usable to cast spells with for a change? What is the point of possessing such powerful, glorious weapons if they just sit on our backs all the time? I'd love to use Spectral Censorite's Staff or Phoenixfire Staff to cast my spells with for example.

All melee classes cast spells using their weapons. Now, I know some may say that it looks nice to be casting spells using your hands, but it could also look nice to use a powerful staff or wand as well. It's simply a suggestion for a change because it has always been the case that casters use their hands for spells but no weapons. Besides, as with many WoW features, we could be given the choice on whether we wish cast animations to be displayed using your weapon or your hands.

Let me know what you think.

I personally would love a rework of all the animations because the "Added" Ranged and Melee animations are worse than the base ones we had before, reasoning Is that every race and gender had a unique casting animation and melee attack, now they have generic animations replacing the cool unique race/gender specific ones. We all remember that two handed overhead swing orc men did, or the giant forward leap the humans did with a two handed weapon, now that's all gone, you don't do that anymore and I want that back.

When I heard of the new animations my LOGICAL expectetion was more unique and polished animations per race and gender, but they just added generic few animations to ALL melee and ranged chars and It pisses me off. People found It really cool their race and gender did a specific sort of animation for a special ranged or special melee attack, and different swings from different sides. To this day I really hate watching my arms warrior do the same, exact, generic, animation, every, single, warrior does. Instead of any unique orc animations, they really need to work on those and among the trillion other reasons It's why I hated Legion so much.

But what you just suggested Is even more brilliant, they could add that to new animations, unique sort of looking animations for melee/ranged for every race/gender through their weapon. imagine channeling a lightning chain strike through your hammer and unleashing It forward like Thor. I mean ACTUALLY come to think of it, Frost Death Knights already do this. When you do howling blast, you put your weapon forward and sort of use the spell through your weapon like Arthas did In that cinematic.

[Alkizon]

shoc
- snip -

Technically, in the video, in most animations he “waves his hands”, and staff simply remains “attached” to them, which creates impression that he uses it.

As fn.male mage, I was always completely satisfied with set of gender+race animations that I had ( would be much better if it stayed this way, and I fully agree with previous speaker - I don't think, that generated homogenization here did benefit anyone, and this is said quite “moderately” only if I won't touch upon fact of changes in all basic animations that they did for new models, otherwise, on my part, there now would be a lot of unflattering abuse of artists). This doesn't mean that I'm opposed to that for certain specific abilities there may be special/unique ones, but, again, modesty is needed in everything (1-5 abilities maximum; in this case, it's necessary for animations to take into account time/speed/frequency/situation of using ability, otherwise you can end up like Blizzard's paladins with "$hit, exams are tomorrow!" spam ). Not in all situations "binding” weapon to hand here would look adequate, although it won't particularly interfere (sometimes it was possible to achieve this effect by spamming “take out weapon” before using ability, which could become trivial customization for those people who consider it more acceptable for this particular character; considering, that now they're artificially getting into state of stupid and inappropriate looking "caster" combat stance, this apparently aren't working), just sometimes: for some gender/+race/+spell/+weapons/+animations.

In addition, if we remember, that new models' animations use too stupid and "wild"-trembling palms' motion (there could be link to message from old forum, where friend describes this process in detail, but they already killed old forum, all that’s left are pictures and google cache trace, which probably also will be overwritten on some stage), in contrast to moderate old ones, so animation with weapons “tied” to rattle/jerking/trembling/rotating palms now will look even more inappropriate than without them. I remember old models do neatly casts on the go, since they used mostly hands only, and new ones all upper half of the body... laughter and stupidity and nothing more

By the way, friend spoke quite well about animations in BDO, but we talked directly about "fencing" (weapons-manipulation/hand-to-hand combat, not about effects which pople can keep completely disabled there). As I understand it, all characters, that warlock have (even sorceress not much a caster), manage some kind of weapon, but this person simply doesn't play pure casters (I think, that it's due to game specifics, combat system is more like fighting slasher; apparently, some personal preferences, because I know for sure that there are mages, but it could be watched on YouTube).

ps. Khm, unexpected... contrary to all Blizzard’s statements

[FelPlague]

The fact that WoW is 16 years old and casters still sheathe their weapons to cast blows my mind. That is not how a staff is used in any other high fantasy media ever.

It's one of my favourite things about FFXIV, they really got it right.

yes it is. idk if you know but for example in D&D unless you get specific staves or spell casting items, you need to have free hands to cast spells.
the spells are cast from your hands, not your weapons, it is the same from wow.

[Eupriestlol]

They should let us customize animations instead. Then everyone would be happy. Lets say I want to use the dwarven female casting animation on my blood elf? etc etc the variations would be endless. Arent all characters on the same skeleton now? I mean the different races already share many animations. Whatever, not like any of this is going to happen any way.

[Sullan]

I hope the different customizations will have different animations

[Segus1992]

More animations in general. Also, updating the racial specials - the male BE 2H one is god-awful, I hate playing warrior / dk / pally as BE because of it. Also more idle stances - the brewmaster artifact over the shoulder stance should be added for all 2H melee specs.

Then don't. Non-issue really, unless you're one of those nutjobs who only play BE male.

The idle stance really shouldn't be added for all melee specs either, it'd look stupid as fuck with a sword, holding a sharp blade either against your throat or your shoulder.

[matrix123mko]

They missed opportunity in Legion. Ion stated that mages don't use staves in Warcraft universe, making me doubt in his awareness of Warcraft games.