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Where have all the warriors gone?
WoTLK certainly turned class and spec balance on its head, but have warriors been the biggest victim? The Zechs Files wonders whether 3.1 will be enough to save the arena warrior from extinction.
By Michael 'Zechs' Radford
Mar 24, 2009 15:01
WoTLK certainly turned class and spec balance on its head, but have warriors been the biggest victim? The Zechs Files wonders whether 3.1 will be enough to save the arena warrior from extinction.Many moons ago – probably during in season three – I claimed that WoW was balanced around warriors. Not that they were the best class (although at the time, they were pretty close) but that they were the cornerstone of WoW balance; every class was judged against warriors.
Oh, how things have changed since then! If my claim was true then they are no longer the cornerstone but more of a bottom rung in a kind of “balance ladder.”
Warrior was always my favourite class deep down. Even now that it’s stuck at 77 because I see no point in using it, I still long for the day that I can bring it out of retirement. Watching Peacheadzlol’s movie yesterday gave me hope that I won’t have to wait forever, but one good MS movie (and it is the only one since WoTLK that I’ve seen) doesn’t suddenly mean the class is back to its glory days.
But this isn’t just another forum post whine about my crappy my class is (I started playing a holy paladin, so I can’t really complain). The evidence is there, and not just the usual anecdotal “class x beat class y in a duel” nonsense. Look at the top ten teams on the tournament realms – the cream of the crop in terms of online WoW. In America: zero warriors; in Europe: zero warriors.
It’s no surprise that druids, the warrior’s best friend back in TBC, are also doing so badly. But at least they have some representation in the SK100. Of the top 300 players in the world, two are warriors. That’s less than one percent, boys and girls. How the might have fallen, indeed.
But reasons for the warrior’s fall are much harder to back up with facts. Bladestorm, though fairly easy to avoid, is a devastating ability when used correctly. Fury got buffed exponentially in WoTLK and is the spec of choice for most PvP warriors, yet it still lags behind other DPS classes in arena.
My own opinion is that the class just doesn’t offer anything unique now. Deathknights are more durable and do more damage. Hunters have what used to be the warrior’s biggest asset: Mortal Strike, and, what’s more, theirs is ranged. Then there was the removal of mace stun while hunters got TNT. Survivability, despite being in plate, has never been so low for warriors. In the movie I linked above, you’ll notice that he spends at least half of his time running around with a shield out trying not to die. And this is supposed to be a durable, heavy-armored tank class?
3.1 may be the light at the end of the warrior’s tunnel. Being able to charge in combat is huge. Not game-breakingly huge but it’s a massive buff. Blizzard’s usual approach to class balance via patches is “if it’s broke, fix it hard.” From the top to the bottom and then back again is a common journey for most classes in WoW – just ask a warlock.
The world's first weekly esports column, The Zechs Files, returns next Tuesday.
Oh, how things have changed since then! If my claim was true then they are no longer the cornerstone but more of a bottom rung in a kind of “balance ladder.”
"Warriors are no longer the cornerstone but more of a bottom rung in a kind of balance ladder."
Warrior was always my favourite class deep down. Even now that it’s stuck at 77 because I see no point in using it, I still long for the day that I can bring it out of retirement. Watching Peacheadzlol’s movie yesterday gave me hope that I won’t have to wait forever, but one good MS movie (and it is the only one since WoTLK that I’ve seen) doesn’t suddenly mean the class is back to its glory days.
But this isn’t just another forum post whine about my crappy my class is (I started playing a holy paladin, so I can’t really complain). The evidence is there, and not just the usual anecdotal “class x beat class y in a duel” nonsense. Look at the top ten teams on the tournament realms – the cream of the crop in terms of online WoW. In America: zero warriors; in Europe: zero warriors.
It’s no surprise that druids, the warrior’s best friend back in TBC, are also doing so badly. But at least they have some representation in the SK100. Of the top 300 players in the world, two are warriors. That’s less than one percent, boys and girls. How the might have fallen, indeed.
But reasons for the warrior’s fall are much harder to back up with facts. Bladestorm, though fairly easy to avoid, is a devastating ability when used correctly. Fury got buffed exponentially in WoTLK and is the spec of choice for most PvP warriors, yet it still lags behind other DPS classes in arena.
"Fury got buffed exponentially in WoTLK and is the spec of choice for most PvP warriors, yet it still lags behind other DPS classes in arena."
My own opinion is that the class just doesn’t offer anything unique now. Deathknights are more durable and do more damage. Hunters have what used to be the warrior’s biggest asset: Mortal Strike, and, what’s more, theirs is ranged. Then there was the removal of mace stun while hunters got TNT. Survivability, despite being in plate, has never been so low for warriors. In the movie I linked above, you’ll notice that he spends at least half of his time running around with a shield out trying not to die. And this is supposed to be a durable, heavy-armored tank class?
3.1 may be the light at the end of the warrior’s tunnel. Being able to charge in combat is huge. Not game-breakingly huge but it’s a massive buff. Blizzard’s usual approach to class balance via patches is “if it’s broke, fix it hard.” From the top to the bottom and then back again is a common journey for most classes in WoW – just ask a warlock.
The world's first weekly esports column, The Zechs Files, returns next Tuesday.
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ontopic. good news for PVP warrios that are struggling in arenas/bgs
.. And just to clearify any confusing I didn't play RestoDruid pre-tbc.
In TBC it wasn't as bad because the damage was less but WOTLK is just insane damage, even as it is it's broken, but consider they take 10% MORE, it's a death wish, and druids suck because theres so many DK's and you go from having 3 blooms and a rejuve up to having none up, again it's riduclous.
can't complain about their dmg, but they do drop surprisingly fast for a plate wearer and 1v1 on a warrior is horrible :(
Warriors are for newbie.
pros - high dmg, good mobility with intercepts
cons - get destroyed quickly if caught in stun after intercept and popping their offensive cds can actually just make them kill themselves against good players.
previous warriors have been able to turtle games out that's why druid/warrior worked so well but now if their healers cced warriors can go down quick once shieldwall has been used.
also warriors are still more useful than rogues easily.
anyhow whining wont do a thing classes get nerfed and buffed all the time i guess we have to wait till the next time warriors get buffed again, btw they are nerfing TG Again ! godspeed guys and good luck !
fury warriors with pallys do fine against resto druids with rogue ...
both old glory comps, that are broken (especially rogue/druid. not war/pal)
1. stances penalize them instead of buffing them (read: pros and cons kinda balance eachother out BUT you can't use all skills in all stances so yes the stances actualy penalize warriors)
2. when they are left alone they don't have the rage to do anything, when they are beeing focused they have the rage but can't do anything cause they have to sit in defensive stance with shield up (well that or die)
3. only physical DMG (they suck vs characters with high armor value)
4. they have no CC except for the worst fear in game that breaks on DW dot (lol)
5. they have 0 mobility (someone in the thread mentioned something about great mobility - wtf?) only thing they have is intercept (3.1 will change that) - every one knows warriors are the easiest class to kite
6. worst snare - hamstring out of all snares in the game is the most shitty (50% reduced movement - where other classes got more slow lower atatck/cast rate in the same snare) and it is the only thing warriors have
if you ever dueled a rogue you should know that a rogue can easily dump his energy on you and then stand in between your melee range and min intercept range and you can't do anything cause he moves faster then you and just waits for energy to go back to full and starts over the fight
also if you say snare = snare you kinda say that slow (mage snare) nerf was unjustified even though everyone knows how incredibly overpowered slow was (so no snare |= snare)
*Our fear is pretty bad, but how many comps do warriors play where a fear target will be dotted?*
ROFL ever heard about deep wounds (aka i attack you get a dot)
and yes our fear is pretty bad: it costs 25 rage which is way too much and has the most incredible CD (will only be like 2 min in 3.1... ROFL 2 min that's supposed to be low???)
and where warlock fears break on death ours breaks on 200 dmg DW dot
*Warriors are still kinda easy to kite, but with charge in combat coming for 3.1, that will change.*
afaik they are moving imp intercept into Fury so instead of having 15 sec inercept you will have 25 sec intercept and 15 sec charge which isn't really a massive buff (in arms ofc but fury is getting "nerfed to the ground baby" anyway so i expect warriors to respec arms mainly)
and about defensive capabilities: it's not so much we are squishy (even though we pretty much are)
the main warrior problem is that: when you go on the defensive you put out 0 pressure against the other team so in 3v3 situation sitting onw arrior the whole game is viable because you are basicly 3v1 then cause the healer basicly just spam heals warrior and warrior jsut sits in def with shield up and tries not to die - so that leaves 1 player to play his game but it's just not enough.
and as i said before warrior has 0 control over the fight.
no CC no tactics just a full out damage based pressure and when you aren't able to DPS you are basicly useless
squishy this squishy that you can survive a lot of situations with good reflexes and some LOS pillar humping but once you start going on teh defensive you stop putting out pressure and that's when you lost the game even though you can drag it out till your healer goes OOM
First they were imba like hell having 50% enrage and scaling with gear incredibly well, gear became better and Pat showed the world via youtube why you shouldn't let a warrior reach rank 14, although normaliziation on instant attacks was released. Then they were a really playable class for a whole addon and now they are one of the two worst classes, at least until the next Patch. I don't think that all they recieved are nerfs. They just got too large boosts at certain points (new gear, TBC and so on) which had to be adapted.
But right now I'm really glad to have a mortal strike second specc on my tank warrior when 3.1 will be released, I tried arena together with a well geared druid and we got stuck at 1620 already.... even against people that played low like one can barely imagine. (DK possibly needing two buttons to own a druid within few seconds, rogues kicking my PLATE ARMORED ass within a single stun while I don't even got that much less hp than as the 31k hp tank I'm used to be)
Considering the fact that warriors only had a good shot in arena cus of being a rage class (Not having to gogo drink) and druids having redicilous surviveability. They did never really have a chance to beat any class at farming, arena, 1v1pvp, dpsing, the list keeps going.
But yes, warriors were and will allways be extremly strong with a healer at hand.