CAtaclysm

[Dust]

Cool :)

[tsjoen]

Death Knights will tank as Blood in Cataclysm
We're doing our Cataclysm preview on the death knight changes later this week, but we knew one change risked overshadowing all the others, so we figured we'd go ahead and drop the proverbial Blood bomb today.

In Cataclysm, death knights will have a dedicated tanking tree, much like the other three tank classes. That tree will be Blood.

We’ll go into more detail in the upcoming preview, but we wanted to take the opportunity to explain the reasoning for such a big change.

Why the about face? We actually thought the “tri tank” experiment worked out okay. We suspected there would always be a “best” tanking tree, because that’s the way these things shake out, but we hoped it would be close enough that many players could tank with their favorite tree. When we tried out this design for Wrath of the Lich King, we were using it as a test case to see if we wanted to do similar things with the warrior and paladin talent trees.

A lot has happened since that time. We introduced the dual-spec feature, allowing players to have a tanking spec and dps spec that they could switch between. We introduced Dungeon Finder, which makes it easier to find players who want to tank, and even let players level up using a dedicated tank spec. In Cataclysm, we are introducing the concept of passive talent tree bonuses and we think that feature is a lot stronger when the talent tree has a particular focus (such as damage, tanking or healing). For example, it’s safer to give more passive damage to a tanking tree than we can a dps tree. Above all, we were just spending a lot of effort trying to balance three trees (though it was really six trees, since each tree was trying to do two things).

It started to feel unfair to the other tank classes that we had to spend so much effort tweaking three types of DK tanks, and it even started to feel unfair to the DK that we couldn’t focus their tanking experience. One bit of feedback that really struck home was the DK players who said, essentially, “I look at the Protection tree and I’m jealous of all of the cool tools they have to help their tanking. As a DK, I have to pick and choose tanking talents from within a sea of dps talents.” Rather than have a strong focus, the trees felt a little watered down because they were trying to do so much. With Frost as a dual-wield, spell and runic power focused tree, Unholy as a disease and minion focused tree, and Blood as a self-healing, defensive cooldown, tanking tree, we think the focus of each tree is a lot clearer and cooler.

In Cataclysm, Blood will be the death knight version of a Protection tree. It will have passive talent tree bonuses that reflect tanking. It will have tools, such as a Demo Shout equivalent, necessary for tanking. Several of the more fun tanking talents from Frost and Unholy will be moved into Blood. We will be able to revise (or even remove) clunky mechanics like Rune Strike and focus on letting DKs generate threat with their normal Blood tanking rotation.

This is major change, and we understand it will be met with some disappointment from players who really liked the flexibility, those who appreciated the unorthodox talent tree design, or those few of you who really liked Blood dps. Nevertheless, we are convinced that this is the right change for the game.

More exciting death knight news coming up soon in the preview.

[Dust]

I see a free talent respec coming.

[Fangfury]

Typical, Synestra just respected Unholy Tank from Blood Tank :/

[Idorian]

What I don't understand is that if they do these changes will it still be possible to have Blood as dps spec?

[Dust]

Probably as much as it is possible to be a Frost mage for DPS. It works, but you're only at 80% of the potential DPS output.

[Genetics]

With Frost as a dual-wield, spell and runic power focused tree, Unholy as a disease and minion focused tree, and Blood as a self-healing, defensive cooldown, tanking tree,

or those few of you who really liked Blood dps. Nevertheless, we are convinced that this is the right change for the game.

No, blood will only be tanking.

But i fear they will break the thing i like about DK's, the physical damage converted into threath, and not that much like for example warriors and paladins, where abilities = threath.

We will see tomorrow i guesse

[Genetics]

I got a feeling, most abilities are PvP oriented and nothing much new is introduced, making the game go boring fast. Unless they focus in this expantion an many many instances...

We will see

[Dust]

Instances are more expensive to make.

[Uskie]

bah , h8 it they picked the least interesting specc to develop as a tanking specc , they could have done more with unholy specc as tank for more magic damage reduction tanking , we are now a simple plate wearing druid tank with self heal ability's ( like druid tanks have on their crit's ) eassy way out for Blizz i guess , having 2 types of tanks > 1 type with damage converting into self heal tanks , and a shield wearing type like pala's and warriors

[Genetics]

I am happy they took blood, means more solo oportunities!!

and there is no class that tankheals himself. Imo blood is the best tankspec they could take. And they mentioned the best tank spells will be merged with blood... so maybe all damage reduction from unholy go to blood?

[Zelorra]

As someone somewhere remarked, needing sheet applications, web applications, java applications and all kinds of applications to not suck at a game is not hardcore, but retarded. Anyone with an average IQ can use those (even me). Anyone can go to a web site and read, read, read instead of playing. It's not hardcore. It would be hardcore if there were no such sites, applications and sheets and only a hardcore sheet expert, who crunches numbers in the basement would be able to reach 2k dps. Or someone who tries endlessly different builds and rotations at the dummy. Stats should be intuitive, not esoteric. As a MMORPG it should be about playing a game with other people not playing sheets alone

For me, a hardcore player only uses the original game interface, has never used any site to see what is the best spec, best food, best abilities for something, because he uses his mighty brain, and never uses addons, because he's too cool for those little things that make the life so much easier. I think there is no such player (except those in their first week, still not knowing there are sites, addons... they are the true hardcore dudes, struggling to kill the level 10 defias BLEEP)

[MindyMcfly]

http://www.mmo-champion.com/news-2/cata ... ha-198562/

Photos and stuff.....

[Dust]

http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/

The beta NDA is lifted! Yay, no more secrets :)

I must say, the worgen starting area looked extremely well made when I played it some time ago, it was very unfinished in some places, but the story flowed well. Flying through the old world is strange, But there are some significant changes, stormwind is now a bit bigger, lots of damage in some zones.

[Cyberia]

My worgen is still stuck in the starting area... hopefully they'll give me a boat that you can use more than once