Time: 04:31:10 CET 19:31:10 PST 22:31:10 EST 11:31:10 Seoul 10:31:10 Beijing
NEWS
Blizzard on the job: arcane on the way out?
After weeks of staring at a blank horizon, PvP'ers finally see something in the distance. It's name is 3.1 and it might bring some much needed balance to the mage class.
By Michael 'Zechs' Radford
Feb 10, 2009 18:10
After weeks of staring at a blank horizon, PvP'ers finally see something in the distance. It's name is 3.1 and it might bring some much needed balance to the mage class.Finally! As I predicted last week, things are picking up!
After a couple of weeks of “nothing is happening” columns things are starting to happen. SK WoW is bigger than ever, ESL TV’s WoW Wednesdays is back on our screens, the EM finals are tantalisingly close and, most important of all, we have class changes coming!
Blizzard’s approach to class balance often leaves me in mind of their approach to release dates. The (in)famous “it’ll be released when it’s ready” mentality is an honourable concept, but one that often leaves players frustrated. Clearly the game needs fixing, as I discussed last week, but Blizzard generally does seem to get there in the end.
Although the changes lined-up for 3.1 are by no means complete, one can already see some alterations to the most problematic classes. Indeed, even tomorrow’s so-called “band-aid” patch, 3.09, will have some much needed nerfs for the arcane mage.
To my mind, arcane is probably the biggest problem with arena play right now in terms of classes/specs. Hunters are also very bursty and can be deadly in the hands of the right player, but fortunately most hunters don’t seem to be that good (sorry guys). I don’t know if it’s the cute kitty attracting girls and children or what, but it’s very rare to find a genuinely skilled hunter in my experience.
Mages, on the other hand, are so out of control that even a ten year-old back-peddler can have some success. I don’t like to talk about my own games so much (yes, because I suck) but I have actually had this experience recently in a 2v2. Between arcane barrage and PoM/pyro they can kill a reasonably geared paladin – supposedly the most durable class in the game right now (or at least tied with deathknights) – in seconds. I don’t like to use the term ‘overpowered’ in my columns, but arcane mages are the closest thing to tipping me over the edge.
I feel sorry for the skilled mages, because there are plenty of them, who are being tarred with the same brush as the clickers. I’ve always felt that mages have the highest skill ceiling in WoW, but since 3.0 they also had the floor raised. In other words, the penalty for being bad at mage, which used to be quite harsh, was almost completely removed in the pre-Wrath patch.
Anyone who cares to do a little research into my own arena exploits might find this mage-bashing a little bit rich coming from a holy paladin. But isn’t that just the point? I can freely and openly admit that paladins are in a pretty sweet spot right now. But mages are so much worse. I don’t make any pretence about being a high skilled player, but I think I’m at a level where I shouldn’t be losing to an equally-geared key-turner.
Unfortunately for mages (or fortunately, if you like frost), Blizzard is often fairly heavy-handed when it comes to such a big problem as mages have become. Look at the state of warlocks compared to six months ago if you don’t believe me. Or, at the other of the scale, look at feral druids.
Luckily, mages only really have one problematic tree. Frost is faring quite well in the 3v3 bracket (RMP with a frost mage accounts for 10.3% of the top 100 teams). If Blizzard does go down the “nerfed to the ground” road at least they have frost to fall back on. It will almost be like going through a time warp to the middle of season two.
The world’s first and only weekly esports column, The Zechs Files, returns next Tuesday.
After a couple of weeks of “nothing is happening” columns things are starting to happen. SK WoW is bigger than ever, ESL TV’s WoW Wednesdays is back on our screens, the EM finals are tantalisingly close and, most important of all, we have class changes coming!
Blizzard’s approach to class balance often leaves me in mind of their approach to release dates. The (in)famous “it’ll be released when it’s ready” mentality is an honourable concept, but one that often leaves players frustrated. Clearly the game needs fixing, as I discussed last week, but Blizzard generally does seem to get there in the end.
Although the changes lined-up for 3.1 are by no means complete, one can already see some alterations to the most problematic classes. Indeed, even tomorrow’s so-called “band-aid” patch, 3.09, will have some much needed nerfs for the arcane mage.
"The (in)famous “it’ll be released when it’s ready” mentality is an honourable concept, but one that often leaves players frustrated."
To my mind, arcane is probably the biggest problem with arena play right now in terms of classes/specs. Hunters are also very bursty and can be deadly in the hands of the right player, but fortunately most hunters don’t seem to be that good (sorry guys). I don’t know if it’s the cute kitty attracting girls and children or what, but it’s very rare to find a genuinely skilled hunter in my experience.
Mages, on the other hand, are so out of control that even a ten year-old back-peddler can have some success. I don’t like to talk about my own games so much (yes, because I suck) but I have actually had this experience recently in a 2v2. Between arcane barrage and PoM/pyro they can kill a reasonably geared paladin – supposedly the most durable class in the game right now (or at least tied with deathknights) – in seconds. I don’t like to use the term ‘overpowered’ in my columns, but arcane mages are the closest thing to tipping me over the edge.
I feel sorry for the skilled mages, because there are plenty of them, who are being tarred with the same brush as the clickers. I’ve always felt that mages have the highest skill ceiling in WoW, but since 3.0 they also had the floor raised. In other words, the penalty for being bad at mage, which used to be quite harsh, was almost completely removed in the pre-Wrath patch.
"I feel sorry for the skilled mages who are being tarred with the same brush as the clickers."
Anyone who cares to do a little research into my own arena exploits might find this mage-bashing a little bit rich coming from a holy paladin. But isn’t that just the point? I can freely and openly admit that paladins are in a pretty sweet spot right now. But mages are so much worse. I don’t make any pretence about being a high skilled player, but I think I’m at a level where I shouldn’t be losing to an equally-geared key-turner.
Unfortunately for mages (or fortunately, if you like frost), Blizzard is often fairly heavy-handed when it comes to such a big problem as mages have become. Look at the state of warlocks compared to six months ago if you don’t believe me. Or, at the other of the scale, look at feral druids.
Luckily, mages only really have one problematic tree. Frost is faring quite well in the 3v3 bracket (RMP with a frost mage accounts for 10.3% of the top 100 teams). If Blizzard does go down the “nerfed to the ground” road at least they have frost to fall back on. It will almost be like going through a time warp to the middle of season two.
The world’s first and only weekly esports column, The Zechs Files, returns next Tuesday.
RELATED NEWS
41 comments
Loading comments...
Most read last month
Most discussed last month
orly? -.-
haha epic
How about an article that doesn't involve you QQing about something?
If you think mages are 'fine' you obviously play one, the melee QQ also hinted at that :)
Zechs: "I don’t make any pretence about being a high skilled player, but I think I’m at a level where I shouldn’t be losing to an equally-geared key-turner."
/nod
Imo a better solution would have been to wait till patch 3.01 and try to buff/nerf all classes in one patch.
I play mage myself, in arena at 1700+ rating with frost specc 20/0/51, and know something. And getting pissed off on Slow which is damn good with imp CS.
Cast Slow on the enemy target, cast imp cs too, and when the imp CS runs out, you got still Slow on you. I wouldn't rly like to use IB just to take it off, but often, or atleast those mages I've played against have used pom pyro on me after slow-imp cs combo. And.. not to forget AM
It ain't fun when mage cast slow -> mirror image -> and just spams 1 button evry 3 sec (oh yeh sorry frogot about the bom pyro macro so that makes 2 buttons and ur spamming 1 of them evry 3 sec) and after that some of those mages even say that they are out skilling the ppl that they win... lawl
The only reason that mages are superior to paladins at high ratings is that most paladin + DK 2v2 teams that you meet are wearing ~200 resil and PVE 25man gear which works against almost anything, except mages.
Mage burst was on a par with rogues, DKs and ret paladins, not to mention hunters although mages are obviously glass cannons whereas the afformentioned classes are CERTAINLY NOT.
Just for example - Death Knights - even after the nerf are the single hardest class to kill in terms of their mitigation abilities.
Feel free to downrate this and agree with OP but please think about things in perspective and try not to give a biased and unfounded opinion to the huge audience you have here... I, for one, find it pretty insulting.
Nicely put.
You're unique m8!
Do you see that arcane mages make up LESS than 1% in the top 1000 teams now? how's that for balance?
Oh and your beloved pallies are over 25% now...