After the recent interview about 10.0.7, I have a major concern about the design of the Onyx Annulet. Specifically from these two quotes.
The Annulet and Primordial Stones, once fully upgraded, should be relevant and should be an upgrade for basically everyone. That’s part of why it spans multiple item levels and has multiple effects. it should be something that’s worth chasing for everyone.
The High-end players should be replacing in Season 2. if it feels like you should use this over Mythic Aberrus Rings, that’s something they’re going to want to remedy.
BIS items without stats, especially for specs that rely heavily on specific stats to smooth out / enhance their gameplay, feel terrible to use. The initial pitch we heard for the Annulet was that it would be, for the most part, an item to increase the power level of the majority of WoW players but not necessarily something those in the top ilvl bracket would be using to increase their performance. With the recent interview this seems to have changed and we’re all going to be losing 1000-1200 secondary stats for the upgrade it provides.
I think it’s pretty cool that this item has a bunch of unique effects that are relevant in all sorts of content, including open world which has up to this point felt like an afterthought for those who find it their primary game mode. I also like that this item appears to be able to be maxed out through content that doesn’t require a group or look to be all that difficult, making it truly for everyone. However, I’m personally really not looking forward to my spec feeling worse to play after equipping it.
Before I close off, I know that for many specs this item currently isn’t an upgrade (Largely because it has no secondary stats) but given the intent outlined by the developers I’m expecting that to change with tuning. I’d love to see this be done by giving it stats, ideally by letting the player choose them, but I’d settle for a haste crit mastery 3 way split as we’ve seen on universal player items in the past.
Absolutely. If it’s not BIS I don’t care, it’s a cool item that everyone can get and does interesting things that make the game more vibrant without necessarily being powerful enough everyone will be using it.
However as you’ll see here.
That’s not going to be the case. And personally I think “Don’t use it if you don’t like it” is a pretty dumb stance to take with things like this.
Except from the fact both quotes hes put in, both say it will be something game changing for everyone.
Which is the concern.
If they make it rhe BiS players will use it, and for classes which dont rely too much on stats to enhance the gameplay it will be fine and dandy.
Classes who need to chase certain stst threshholds to enhance the gameplay its a loss of one slot which could dampen the gameplay until a higher ilevels reached.
Is it? From the second quote it could be implied that it’ll only be replaced by mythic abberus / maxed vault rings, meaning people are going to be using it well into season 2 unless they get remarkably lucky.
We don’t have proof or a full understanding of blizzard’s intentions, which is why I’m just expressing concerns. I’m not looking forward to wearing an item that makes my character play worse, especially when it’s by taking away something I’ve already got and would have expected to continue to have.
We have spent 6 years fighting borrowed power, if we back down to accepting some form of compromise now, we will retrigger borrowed powers return.
If this launchs, blizzard start screaming player engagement statistics and things start reverting, the issue is its very obvious to why theyve done this.
Since df launch.
People have complained about things to do open world.
People have complained about rhe lack of progression in open world.
So now theyre trying to edge around to see appeasement from both sides, if this is going to plague to launch of season 2 its going to flop hard.
A returning player doesnt want to return to find out they missed a patch during rheir break and now have to go back a entire patch recatch up a new added system to catch up.
This is what caused so many issues with player retention in prior expansions, returning to the game felt awful due to being behind in systems that cause you to feel unable to catch up.
I get it, you like DF, ive liked it too, this isnt a critism to the expansion, the point is to prevent things now ruining what they achieved with the expansion, not to say the expansion is bad.
Honestly I have nothing against items like this, they’re cool, they’re short term enough that we don’t get attached, they add a bit of spice, and they’re a good way to make players who enjoy solo progression stronger.
If this thing felt good to use I’d have no issues with it at all.
The only thing I dislike is that it makes my character play worse by taking something away I already have.
Well i can agree they are cool, but when they feel like ur losing things, they kinda lose this factor
New things shouldnt resort to things feeling worse, hopefully if they really do drop this they csn find a way to do it without it feeling like a downgrade due to what u lose