Shadowlands Class Identity: A Step Back or Forward?

I am not sure, unlike many of you probably, that I appreciate the class identity restoration that blizzard class design development team is working on for the incoming expansion.

As a subtlety rogue main, I am so deep and happily satisfied to play something that’s completely different from a bleeding/poisonous dot based spec like assassination. I really liked the distinction SUB had, with its precise and clean striking, relying on timing and skill windows instead of ilvl based unavoidable dots. Plus, being a fan of aesthetic, pairing my void elf with all the subtlety shadowy themed abilities make me feel so much in love with my race/class/spec choice of mine.

Will Class Identity neutralize player personalities choice and blend everything back together as one? Will it means my shadow art rogue abilities will go back to boring, plain and dull simple thief tricks with forced cowardly poison for my killing skills to be effective?

I am not sure I like where this is going…

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class identity is what you make of it for some it’s apparently more buttons to press

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Perhaps for classes such as Demon Hunter I can understand, but personally with my SUB rogue I find myself plenty of buttons to press, already.

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We don’t know much about this yet, i was/am a bit concerned aswell. At first glance what we saw at blizzcon sounds good, like bringing back unique mechanics such as poisons as class wide, but about changing stuff we already have, we need to wait for beta.

All I want is my Totem-bar back.

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Sub rogue used to have more than twice as much abilities and was the most fun spec that has ever existed in this game.

It’s utter garbage at the moment. They killed the entire spec.

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Idd it used to be a lot better imo. Right now I prefer Outlaw

I do not like class identity over spec identity … I liked the fact you had 3 unique things in one character. Now you step backwards and get less.

It’s exactly my feeling about this whole situation… but let’s hope for the best, I guess (?).

Yes, always better remain hopeful and positive despite reservations and concerns. For example I play death knight. I like how unique Unholy, frost and blood feel. I do not miss any army or ghouls on frost, i do not need remorseless winter as unholy and my blood drinking self does not miss anything from dps specs.

Sure I guess having a ghoul on each spec adds a flavour and I do miss times of sacrificing ghoul for health as tank, but I rather have strong spec identity instead simple class identity.

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I find it so damn hilarious that people actually think that bringing back poisons or auras will restore class identity. Putting on 2 poisons every 30 minutes is so much fun guys. Finally I can enjoy playing rogue again.

People like this are the reason Blizzard is not even trying anymore because you guys are praising the smallest effort as something great and gamechanging.

Sub rogue wasn’t fun because I had my poisons. Sub rogue was fun because it was HARD, had a huge skillcap and it actually had DEPTH. They literally split the entire spec into 3.

They could have restored entire specs and classes like they were before Warlords of Draenor but instead they bring back garbage nobody actually cares about.

And no, it’s not a first step. They just want us to shut up and it’s working apparently.

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It is a step back, but because it brings back lost options it is also a step forward. They themselves admitted during Blizzcon that they had gone way too far with spec obsession and skill pruning.

No, it will have the opposite effect - allow people to play in a more versatile way again. Right now spec is so nailed down and limited and that you can’t tell the difference between one frost mage to the next frost mage because there isn’t a single difference.

Versatile ? Applying poisons as Outlaw doesn’t ring very versatile to me. More like a drag and dread the spec does not need. And ghoul for all DK specs - god why ? The pet AI is close to stupid - the reason i had to go frost on my dk in bfA at start.

It adds only artificial useless bling most likely - like why the heck I need arcane blast as fire mage… nah its ok, some people wanted to spam it in Stormwind for lols, now they get it back and think its good. It is what modern people are - shallow only looking at external bling.

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Definetly back. As long as they keep making classes that are only finished if you do extensive grind in the endgame, it will always be a step back. I don’t care that I’m getting back Consecration, Hammer of Wrath and Auras back - those won’t do any good for the class in itself.

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It’s neither. We are going around in circles.

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I know some people like things as they are, that’s fine for them. But for others’ it has been too dialed back. Having some skills go between specs while not appreciated by all, will make for different play styles regardless.

Depends, because I don’t like what I read :
“All Paladin should tank, heal and deal damages”.
What I do understand is : Yeah, Classic is a success, so let’s bring back this disastrous balance, let’s gut Hybrid DPS again.

Hey Balance druids, Shaman DPS, retribladin, do you love healing ?

Well for me it helps with feeling like a dk even if I’m blood instead of just another tank

And yeah pet ai is stupid but I can live with that

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That illusion as if one extra button makes a class both fun and more skilled. They added new and unique spells to some of the class-specs giving some useless spell back is not making anything more RPG.

But as I said some people seek for artificial matters without substance. Arcane blast as fire mage is just one of those.

Yes so many other tanks are there with two hander, draining blood and spilling blood from their nostrils to ground. They are very alike others. Having a 0 dps ghoul completely fixes that notion !

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Could argue it looks a bit like ret Paladin, 2h sword, DND instead of conc, strangle instead of HoJ.

Also I don’t really care what you think about the ghoul, it makes me feel more like a dk when I’m not in unholy spec and here’s the best part : it drains affect you at all