Hunters: Focus on the Horizon

Today we have our first post from a contributing author. Allow me to introduce Pyros, a seasoned hunter. Pyros sent along this write-up for the site. I hope you enjoy it, and remember if you would like to get involved it's as simple as sending me a well written essay. So let's see what Pyros has to say...

There are a lot of changes on the horizon for hunters. At least that is the post blizcon buzz. Blizzards track record for follow through with hunter changes is less than stellar, (WARE IS ME TRAP LAUNCHER??) but with the changes being discussed for Cataclysm there is a bit more reason to be optimistic this time around. Will we actually see the end of consumable ammo and mana? It is hard to believe that these ideas will be pushed back again. The timing for it is long overdue and Blizzard seems to have set the stage appropriately this go around with the upcoming expansion.

No one argues with the removal of consumable ammo. Well, no one but engineers. It just makes sense. Hunters really are one of the only classes that require a constant investment in craftable items to maintain top dps. But should mana go the way of the dodo? As someone who has played a hunter since day 1 (even longer if you count beta time) I believe so.

Mana as a resource was not the initial design for hunters. Hunters first showed in a beta build with focus. Alas, the mechanics of focus did not work well for the class. Rather than rework it Blizzard made them mana based and shipped the game that way. I don’t have an inside track to Blizzard, but my guess is that it was the easiest way for them to get the game out the door. Hunters were added in so late into the beta process that they really never got the kind of testing other classes did. Blizzard could have gone the way of the Rogue or the way of the Mage, but I am guessing they bolted on an existing resource mechanic since they did not have time to iron out a unique resource for hunters.

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of the class and the world that was tied to that hunter/mana system. Changing it was not just a mater of replacing the resource and calling it a day. A change like that is going to involve changes to existing skills, abilities, talents, gear itemization, boss encounters, and probably a host of other things that the average player just does not consider. Each patch that provided work arounds for hunter issues also provided more elements that would need to be changed if they were to scrap mana as a resource. It was a low priority change with too many long reaching ramifications to make good sense in the past.

So why after all this time is Blizzard finally changing a core tenet that has been with the hunter class since release? I think the answer is because they finally can.

Cataclysm, from what we know of it so far, is going to be a bit different than the last two expansions. Both the previous expansions contained some content for leveling players, but the focus was predominantly on new content and new zones for the 10 new levels. Both centered around new worlds with new zones.

Conversely, Cataclysm looks to be reworking most of the old world in a new light. There will certainly be new zones to explore, but there will also be some compelling reasons to go back to re-experience the changes in our old familiar haunts. What better time to make sweeping class changes that reach all the way back to level 1 than when all that old world content will need to be redone?

There are so many changes slated for Cataclysm that reworking the hunter class from 0-85 is finally feasible. They can change all the old gear because they are simplifying stats for all classes. They can rework talents and skills because all damage modifiers will have to be changed anyway with the ammo and stat changes. They can make all the current high end gear obsolete because a gear reset with an expansion is expected. The fact is, there is no better time to go back and fix the class because they are going to have to rework so much of the initial game anyway. The plans for Cataclysm finally give Blizzard the ability to make the changes they have hinted about making to the class for a very long time.

Many hunters will cry about the change, but most who have been around for a while are probably in the same boat as me. I am excited about the change and I see it as a way to solve some of the issues that have plagued the class since day 1. Still, I can’t help but be a little nervous that we are going to get another “Black Arrow Change.” Black Arrow was a half assed solution that fixed some problems while creating others. I hope the switch to focus is a bit more thought out. Given the timeframe we are talking about here, it should be.

Time will tell, but Blizzard seems to have created an environment with Cataclysm that will make some fundamental class changes possible. Not just for hunters either. I anticipate that the simplifying of stats will mean changes to most, if not all classes. Still, the changes to the hunter class look to be the most sweeping.

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BlizzCon Reactions: New Races and Class Combinations

Worgen and Golbins... well, they're official. Also, we're getting new class/race combinations. Blizzard is definitely mixing things up a bit this time around. Some of them make sense, some.... not so much. At any rate, though, more variety is pretty nice, right? Right?

I'll start off with Worgen. We've seen them in game, primarily in Shadowfang Keep. Not much is known about them, short of they used to be human. So Worgen have a chance to really juice up the story of the cultures and civilizations of WoW, which I dig. They're also a race that we haven't seen that much of (SFK is about the extent of it). From a lore point of view, I was a little thrown off by why the Alliance would even bother with them. They're not humans anymore. The Alliance has generally not been accepting of imperfect races (Blood Elves, Forsaken). But it's primarily the Humans that are the racist bunch in the game. If you watch the Cataclysm trailer, you'll see it's the Night Elves (referred to as "Old Friends" iirc) that make the first move, possibly hinting that the Night Elves tried to assist the people of Gilneas when the affliction struck that area.

From a gameplay perspective, I'm pretty excited about Worgen. There are a lot of unique things about them. What first got me excited, though, was Karazhan, or more specifically, Torment of the Worgen. That item game me a chance to play as a Worgen for a brief few seconds, and I liked it. The animations were very animalistic, and I'd imagine they have been improved for Catacylsm. I can't wait to see their druid forms, either. Gilneas, too, is shaping up nicely. You can get a great view in the trailer. The town really gives off that "Don't go out past midnight" vibe. It's very stale and foggy. It doesn't posses the lavish color and flamboyance of Silvermoon City, or the modern (for the time) developments of Stormwind. It looks like it truly has spent the better part of a decade behind a massive wall, locked off from the rest of the world. All said, the Worgen should add a unique perspective to the Alliance, and I can't wait to give 'em a go.

Now, Goblins. Where do I begin with how much I don't want this to happen...

Goblins have been around for a long time, since back in the Warcraft II days (and possibly Warcraft, though I don't recall seeing them). They have always been traders, leading the different trade cartels around the world. They have also been a neutral faction the whole time (though in the past have shown preference for the Horde). From a lore view, it's a bit odd that the Horde would accept them into their ranks, but I'm told the starter quests (which are supposed to be as if not more epic than the Death Knight zone) explain the peril of this particular trade cartel and their need to join the horde for survival, so I won't complain too much until I get a chance to run through it. If nothing else, some little cannon fodder packing high explosives will help clear the way for the REAL Horde.

I don't see myself actually playing a Goblin for too long. Oh sure, I'll play one. I may even play two. But the chances I'll have one at max level are kind of slim. Who knows, though. This may be the first character animation that actually makes me WANT to level a mage (because for the life of me I just can't do it). It will be a tad odd seeing a Goblin main-tank a boss. The Alliance have had a similar view watching Gnome tanks in action, which really just seems bizarre to me. At any rate, the jury's still out on this one. At first I was terribly against it, though every time I get more on the story behind their perils, I get a little more intrigued. Time will tell.

Finally, I'd like to briefly discuss the new class/race combinations. If you want a list of them, they're floating around all over the place. Go look. Okay, first off, Tauren Priests and Paladins. Wow, I was against this when I heard it. I was legitimately MAD that this was happening. That is, until I reminded myself of a new quest and a conversation that takes place in Thunderbluff. In it, a wounded soldier and a Shaman or Druid, for the life of me I can't remember, nor can I be bothered to go look, are discussing the ways of Tauren Druidism, and how they may be leaving out half of the story by worshiping only An'she (the moon), and not including Mu'sha (sun). The sun is light, and Paladins/Priests are followers of the light, so this is a step forward in Tauren religion which, again, I like.

Troll druids; I wanted to hate this so much, but I couldn't help saying YES. There was that odd lore thing bugging me again. Yeah, I know that Trolls have been known to transform into animals, I ran Zul'Aman. Quite a lot, actually. But those were Amani trolls in ZA. I'm sure the Darkspear can do it to, but they've never really played up that angle. Once again, though, the trailer shines new light on this vague acquisition of power by the Trolls. In so many words, they have decided to embrace this power to help strengthen the Horde ranks with more diversity. They have willingly accepted the trials to becoming a druid. I'm okay with that, too. I'm so okay with this, actually, that I would transfer my Druid into a troll in a heartbeat if Blizzard were to give me that option (please? PLEASE?).

The rest of the new combos are less exciting/game breaking/paradigm shifting. More hunters, great. As if Forsaken didn't attract enough little kids, now they can be hunters. Gnomes get a healer. Enjoy. I may roll a Dwarf Shaman purely for the novelty (and I like shaman). More Mages get thrown around. Yawn. More options is (usually) not a bad thing, so maybe this will finally get players to roll alts who haven't already. I know I will be rolling at least 5 more toons when the expansion hits.

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