Greetings.
Mistweaver has consistently been one of the game’s least played specializations, and is often underperforming in both PvP and PvE.
In this thread, I will go over Mistweaver’s current design flaws.
- SOOTHING MIST
Summary
Soothing Mist is Mistweaver’s core ability. It’s a channeled beam through which other spells can be cast instantly, and it is Mistweaver’s most iconic mechanic.
However, in BFA, a 1,5 second GCD was added to the spell. This change is without a doubt the most significant nerf to Mistweaver, and the main weakness of the specialization.
Since we have 0 significant healing spell outside of those we channel through Soothing Mist (not counting defensive cooldowns, of course), this means that there is a 1,5 second delay every time we want to heal something. This is a massive issue when we need to heal multiple targets. I will give you concrete examples of this.
- Target A is under heavy pressure and Target B just got Feared. To dispel the fear, I need to interrupt Soothing Mist, dispel target B, then channel Soothing Mist on Target A again and wait for Soothing Mist’s GCD to be over before l can use Vivify or Enveloping Mist. This means Target A isn’t receiving healing for 3 seconds.
- Both Target A and Target B are taking huge damage. I need to apply Enveloping Mist on Both, and keep the lowest of them alive with Vivify spam (through dampening and mortal strike!) which often means switching between the two. Every single time I’m switching between target A and target B, I need to wait 1,5 second before healing them. This is stressful, clunky, and unsustainable.
Every time the fight takes places elsewhere, and I need to reposition, the channel has to be started again.
This constant, often repeated delay between the moment we start channeling Soothing Mist and the moment our first actual healing spell hits the target is a big problem.
Not to mention, we’re extremely susceptible to interrupts and every single one of our spells falls into the same school of magic. If we’re interrupted, we simply cannot heal.
In short: The GCD on Soothing Mist needs to go.
- CRACKLING JADE LIGHTNING
Summary
This one might be the single most useless ability in the game currently.
It’s a channeled spell that deals next to no damage, and does nothing else. It is also in the same school of magic as our healing spells, and it’s therefore a high risk no rewards spell that never gets used in PvP.
It needs an entirely new mechanic attached to it to make it worth using.
Here are 2 suggestions to make the spell useful and worth using.
- Suggestion n°1: Give this spell a 25 second cooldown. To compensate, every time it ticks and deals damage, it purges 1 beneficial effect from the enemy target.
- Suggestion n°2: Make it a different school of magic than other Mistweaver spells, and make it so every time it ticks and deals damage, it triggers Mistweaver’s mastery “Gusts of Mists” on all nearby friendly targets, healing them for a moderate amount.
Any of these two suggestions would turn this boring spell into an interesting and useful one.
- ESCAPING STUNS
Summary
Right now, the tool Blizzard have given us to survive stuns is too black and white. It’s a PvP talent that allows us to use Eminence: Transfer while stunned.
Either you’re in range of your portal and you negate 100% of the possible damage that could be inflicted to you, or you’re not in range and you die.
In both cases, there isn’t any real counterplay. I think this solution lacks subtlety. In my opinion, it’d be much better to bring Nimble Brew back: it was an ability that would remove all stuns from the Monk, on a 2 minute cooldown.
https://www.wowhead.com/spell=213664/nimble-brew
Since you were just breaking a stun, you were still in range of your opponent, and they could still inflict damage to you. But it also means that you could survive stuns if you weren’t in range of your portal.
I think it’s a healthier design and approach to this issue.
- FISTWEAVING AND SMART HEALS
Summary
This one has been discussed already. During Fistweaving, the heals should go to the most damaged target automatically. There’s not a lot more to say here.
If even half of these changes were to happen, Mistweaver could finally become a desirable specialization, and one people would actually enjoy playing.
I can’t stress it enough, but the most important change, the one that NEEDS to happen in the removal of the GCD on Soothing Mist.
Thanks for your time.