I’ve been thinking about how we could make World of Warcraft even more awesome, and I reckon a dynamic glyph system for customizing our (spell) visuals would be a game-changer. Here’s why:
Personalized Class Identity
Take, for example, the iconic “Green Fire” questline for Warlocks. By completing a challenging journey, Warlocks could transform their fire spells from traditional orange flames to fel green. This customization not only looks impressive but also solidified their connection to the demonic forces they command. Now imagine Arcane Missiles with a yellow hue or being able to customize the rocks of Earth Shield to resemble cubes or something similar.
Increased Content Longevity
A dynamic glyph system could continuously introduce new visual options and provide new content especially to solo-minded so-called casual open world players. It would also be a wonderful opportunity to return to class quests, the final of each chapter perhaps involving a solo challenge of sorts.
Community and Social Interaction
It would build on the already successful transmogrification feature and would for sure be a hit among players.
What do you think? What are some of your ideas for enhancing / changing the look of some spells?
I feel like Hero Talents are leaning into that direction. Granted, everything else like changing the colour of your spells should be introduced with new glyphs or even future challenging solo content like the Mage Tower.
I feel like merging two specs together, even with choice nodes on some steps in the talent tree, do not build on class fantasy enough and in many cases might even restrict it and be a downgrade. For example, with hero talents I can no longer just be a regular balance druid, I have to merge with another spec in theme. Instead of getting to choose between a focus on celestial spells like Starfall, Starsurge or Celestial Attunement versus nature spells like treants and mushrooms/vines, I have to make a compromise with Feral, Guardian or Restoration. There is no option for me to invest the extra talent points in becoming a standalone unique more powerful Balance druid who specializes in certain aspects of it.
Some classes have specs that combine well but because hero talents are a feature of an expansion, they had to provide every spec with two choices and this inevitably led to some of them feeling extremely underwhelming and lacking that visual prowess that was promised, because it is just very difficult to design a talent tree combining two specializations that already have so much potential on its own.
So I find the system a bit underhanded in that regard. So as a compromise I propose the glyph system =)
I just want more of this. For example a Full Shadow mode for Holy priests and full Holy mode for Shadow.
As per glyphs I really want something to hide Shadow form and Moonkin form. Even with the current options I feel it limits my mog options on Shadow and Balance.
Some more cool ideas I woke up with today. Obviously the names are not final and should fit with the proposed theme.
Glyph of the Unholy Ward: Makes Anti-Magic Shell a dark, shadowy barrier with dark green runes.
Glyph of Wild Growth: Adds faeries to the spell that dance around the targets throughout the duration. When the effect ends they playfully fly away, winking.
Glyph of Chain Lightning: Makes the chain into a series of thunderstrikes that create a new unique sound.
I feel like the spell customization and generally the glyph system is untapped potential to enhance the enjoyment of the game.
Blizz kinda let the whole customisable glyphs thing die out with the odd rare glyph thrown in once a blue moon.
People mostly use it for DMF trinkets, rep contracts and Vantus Runes for progress… useless profession otherwise since the long past Major and Minor glyphs system.
That’s so true, in my opinion shadow priest should only show that on their skin, maybe purple smoke around, but leave the armor unnaffected, as per druid forms… armor should adapt to the druid form and show when transformed, but blizzard are too lazy to do that when they even havent had the will to make a bunch of glyphs for evos in the past 2 years and doesn’t look that they are gonna do that in tww.
