Both Shaman DPS specs are built around generating and spending Maelstrom. It makes little sense to me that Elemental has a dedicated resource bar for this while Enhancement has to track an inconvenient aura. Enhancement’s Maelstrom Weapon should just be the Maelstrom resource used by Elemental, with the cap adjusted to max 5 or 10 to reflect the current gameplay. I’m NOT calling for a return to the Legion gameplay with highly variable Maelstrom generation with Rockbiter etc. I’m only asking that the current gameplay be built into the convenience of a resource without changing anything fundamental. Warlocks already have a similar system in place. Destruction generates Soul Shards gradually, Affliction generates them randomly and Demonology generates them on demand with SB + DB. Soul Shards are functionally a different resource for each Warlock spec due to their different behavior, but all three specs can rely on their Soul Shard counter to calculate their spenders. I wish this streamlined convenience was extended to Enhancement shamans. If Elemental’s resource had been something thematically incompatible with that of the Enhancement, I wouldn’t be pushing for this (e.g. I wouldn’t fault Feral Druid for not having Astral Power because it wouldn’t make sense) but they are both Maelstrom specs. It’s just weirdly outdated.
It is weirdly outdated, but it kind of is the way it is by design. I think it is mostly due to technical reasons and the way it was introduced step by step.
Think of it like that: historically it was introduced as a 5 stack rng system, then step by step over 20 years moved to the current system.
When they had the backlash of BFA, with the legion redesign showing that it was a failure, they just backtracked completely to the old system.
I suspect that they did that because of technical issues into the game, being unable to easily integrate a rresource system with the talents that change it, as well as the highly random nature of the generation.
Also the fact that we had addons. With addons for all intents and purposes it was a resource, but now the problem is returning to bit them in the a$$.
Hopefully, if the tech allows it, I’d like to have it as a resource, but if it is hard due to spaghetti code, at least have a good option in the cooldown manager (show it as combo points or bar instead of just an aura).
100% agree, msw should be a resource.
We have been asking for this for years.
It really boggles your mind, why something so simple has not been done yet.
My guess is that it’s coding is so bad, that not a single dev wants to unravel that spaghetti.
Even now when they are streamlining every class, reworking UI, they still did not find time to implement that fundamental change.
It’s comical at this point.
No. Sorry but no.
Honest question here. What exactly is the difference between gaining/consuming a Maelstrom stack (up to 10) and gaining/consuming 10 Maelstrom (up to 100)?
The difference with Maelstrom for Enhancement is that it has 2 static max values (5 or 10) and using any of the Maelstrom-consuming abilities instantly depletes it. You cannot spend part of your Maelstrom, it’s always all or nothing (ok yes, I know that it is possible to get the talent that allows it to stack to 10 but not the one using up all available stacks, but who in their right mind would do that?). In other words maelstrom acts more like a proc than a resource.
Although I do not agree with what you said, the main difference I see between a resource and MSW is the generation part.
MSW is generated through each melee attack instance, which can happen many times during 1 attack (SS mainhand, SS offhand, WF proc, melee attack, Crash Lightning enhancement, etc), and each one of those has 25% of generating a stack.
This seems ok with a buff, but if you compare it to a resource, it translates into:
Each melee attack instance, has a 25% chance, to generate 10 maelstrom. This for a resource can be a bit weird, since it invalidates the numbers between the 10s. It also is not intuitive in understanding what really generates the resource.
You can try to fix those things, but you risk removing what makes MSW itself, namely the randomness.
I get the picture, but in the same way that Elemental can have anywhere between 100 and 150 Maelstrom, “MSW can stack up to 10” could be “+50 Maelstrom”; and “spells can consume up to 10 stacks” could be “Spells now consume all your Maelstrom”
It makes absolutely no difference mechanically, the only real change is how you track it: Either via buff-tracking or via a resource bar.
If we were to keep MSW functionality intact, yes, absolutely everything would have to generate or consume 10 Maelstrom.
Adding more granularity in resource generation could be doable, possibly making MSW less “jumpy” and prone to overstacking - something like “successful melee and Windfury hits generate 3 to 5 Maelstrom”, “Stormstrike generates 10 extra Maelstrom”, “Crash Lightning generates 3 Maelstrom per enemy hit”, etc. Maybe even allowing spells to refund some Maelstrom under some circumstances (for example, when Healing Surge overheals, refund up to 30 Maelstrom depending on how much?)
It definitely has potential, but at the same time it could get messy fast and change the feel of the spec too much. Personally I’d rather take baby steps and keep it in the 10’s.
Yeah, they tried that in Legion, but generally that lost the feeling of MSW and became a bit more like rage.
The wild swings that MSW has is the unique atribute that differentiates between other resources and itself. You know for fury you will have 3-4 GCDs between rampages, but for enh, you might be at 10 MSW in 1 GCD, or you might need 5. This randomness is what makes the spec function as it is.
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