This is copy of my old topic from old forum.
Part one.
Outside of common course of discussions like why current demonology plays bad in general, and talk why it is bad spec for dynamic environment.
The demons.
Yes quality of this guys leaves much to be desired.
Demons AI is broken, and unresponsive sometimes. They just can stay still after being summoned, or randomly runs to you in the middle of the fight.
Sometimes they just bad programed or designed.
Here is simple example of major problems with Grimoire: Felguard and Vile fiend:
Grimoire: Felguard
- First problem occurs with Axe toss ability that felguard will use when he is summoned. Axe toss is 30 yard range ability, while Grimoire: Felguard is 40 yard range spell. If you use Grimoire: Felguard on 40 yard range, he will simply run for the target and won’t use Axe toss ability, when he will be on 30 yard range with the target. This is simple example of bad programing/design of the spell, such raw and narrow minded design without afterthoughts leaves Grimoire: Felguard in bad spot for warlock, this BUG leaves no room for error for a warlock. Description of spell doesn’t tell you that Axe toss will be used only in 30 yard range.
- Second problem - Felguard starts to use Felstorm before he reaches warlock target. In rare situations it may used to damage enemies between warlock and end target, but this situations are extremely rare. This bug or hole in the design leads to lose of DPS of 2minute CD spell.
Vile fiend:
- Potentialy good demon is broken by desing and code level.
Not only that he had problem with summoning that was almost fixed, but also he might not attack anyone, or not use it’s leap ability to attack target. [/li][li]Besides, even if Vile fiend will charge in battle, it waste almost 1.5 seconds of his life span to appearing animation, on top of that it must reach it’s target to deal some damage. And in the end Vile fiend waste from 1.5 seconds to 3-4 before it actualy start deal damage. And Vile fiend can start attak not desirable target at all
Wild Imps
- This is good example how blizzard traded balanced mechanics over visuals.
- In legion wild imps that was summoned with Hand of Gul’Dan spawned around your target, that gived them tactical advantage.
- Now when imps spawns around you, they lose this advantage. In PvP imps loose their damage because they spawn around you, and if target ran away they just will be unable to do damage, because they stand near you. In legion they had oportunity to potentialy deal more damage.
Additionaly Implosion:
- Who created mechanic that more energy Imp has the more implosion damage it will deal? Damage from one imp with full energy ~1.5k damage with my gear. And ~350 damage with 20 energy. Not only that is another bad mechanics in warlock toolkit, it’s not described anywhere. Implosion description doesn’t tell about this, no passive that indicates that hidden mechanics are exist.
Dread stalkers:
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Call Dreadstalkers suffers from total bad design of the spell. Dreadstalker’s charge AKA dreadbite can easy miss the target if target blinked or just moved very quickly. +30% Of movement speed is enough for dreadstalkers to miss the target.
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Additionally, dreadstalkers move too slow, any melee can easily avoid their pathetic damage simply moving around. They are dreadstalkers - demonic hounds, they should run faster than any player.[/li]This spell desing barely viable for PvE, but not for PvP.
Speaking of PvP - Call observer and Fel lord.
Call Observer:
- Demon with 20 yard range effect that can be only summoned where Warlock stands. How this spell should work? Observer is anti-caster demon, that attack casters only in 20 yard range, while all casters usually fight in 40 yard range - as much away from target is it possible possible.
- Additionally observer has only 8-12k health, and don’t share Avoidance passive with main demons.
Call Fel lord:
- [li]His damage was nerfed to the ground and on top of that, with his limited range of attack, he is vulnerable to control. In the battle people can simply ignore him and casualy walk away. To do some damage, Fel lord needs warlock assistance… casting shadow fury under Fel lord, but shadow fury itself has cast time and absolutely nut compedetive in PvP.
Summoner specialist should be treated differently than rest of the classes/specs. Demons that you summon are not simple Arcane shot or any other damage spell, that just deal damage. It is summoning special NPC - Demon, that will deal damage for you. Whole design of Puppeteer/Demon master is more complicated in base level. All summoning spells should have more thoughtful design/Effects/program. code to be compedetive.
Your demons can easily be controled. Any root or slow effect will reduced Dreadstalcers damage to zero, because they would simply not had shance to attack.
Additionally demonologist - master of demons, had to cast any summoning spell… that is quiet wierd to be honest. On top of that only warlock talent require not only mana for activation, but aditionaly soulshards.
It mean that you should cast spells that cost you mana and soul shards to potentionaly deal some damage?
Did anyone from class development team even played warlock on BGS or high mobility encounters?
in the next post that i will reserve for me, i will describe why demonology didn’t had such problems in the past…
Have a nice day!
Part two.
Demonology in Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor was different from Legion and Battle for Azeroth. In MoP and WoD your gameplay was centered around Metamorphosis - your secondary resource was not soulshards, it was demonic fury.
While you was out of metamorphosis, you tried to build your demonic fury.
Not all your spells was on hardcast, your Hand of Gul’Dan was instant, you had Fel flame and you had Kil’Jaeden’s cunning talent that allowed you to cast spells while you was moving, but doing so doubles cast time of the spell.
While you was in your metamorphosis, gameplay changed dramaticaly. You was no longer that slow caster, you was in your demons form, all your spells was instant (Exept soulfire) and you was really tanky, your armor was buffed and CC time was reduced.
Similar to current demonology, all your gameplay was centred around building your damage resources, in MoP/WoD it was demonic fury, in Legion/BFA it is your demons.
In MoP/WoD you builded your resources, to deal good damage in META, it was trade off, you played that slow and not mobile caster till reached desirable level of demonic fury where you could deal good damage, Metamorphosis for demonology was the game changer ability.
Now, you summon your demons, to do damage and gaind demonic core procs to deal more damage and summon even more demons, and then use Demonic turant to buff your demons and that is it! Yes! your demons became stronger, but you as was a slow caster, you remained so after - Nothing was changes in gameplay.
But why MoP/WoD is so belived while in Legion/BFA we are in such bad sape?
First and foremost, MoP/WoD demonology was all about you, it was you the hero of the action, and it was your efforts that led to the victory.
You had your personal demonic servant, that was your right hand in this gameplay.
You could choose whatever demon you want to play with, even voidwalker and imp was useful.
Now game directly told you that felguard is you definitive choose.
Felguard was best demon for new player that decided to try demonology in MoP - strong, reliable and loyal…well not really loyal to be honest. But when you get used to demonology, you could easily fit other demons in your play style. Many pro players always sugested demo players to juggle their demons for best results, and in MoP you had tools to instantly resummon your demons
I personally played with Shivarra, because i found her more fitting for my playstyle and switched to other demons when they were needed.
As you can see, you playstyle was centred around you, and your demon. you didn’t suffered from techical glitches like everlasting combat, because your wild imps are started to shoot some one.
And one of the most intesting things about demonology in MoP(well warlocks in general) it that you was tanky, not because you had your mighty shields, no it is because you had tools for good CC and reliable self heal.
Warlocks tankynes was based around 3 things.
- You had larger life pool
- Your CC was compedetive
- You had reliable healing tools
All this things was needed because like now, we didn’t had any compedetive mobility spells. Demonic gateways and Circle was good, but they was more the tools for escaping damage rather escaping combat at all.
Demonology now, is not evolution of the specialisation, it is not even stagnation, it is pure degradation over previous successful and working game mechanics.
Warlocks was good without puppeteer gameplay, it was way more reliable in:
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technical standpoint - we didn’t suffered from bad game code of demons that should deal most of our damage.
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From visual standpoint demonology…well screw it all warlocks spell looked gorgeous.
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From gameplay standpoint is was brilliant, maybe hard for newcomers but it was great.
If some one is interested in MoP version of demo i will link my other post below, and i may link some videos from that period of time (videos are not mine)
https://eu.battle.net/forums/en/wow/topic/17620592418#post-1 - My old post about MoP Demo.
https://youtu.be/Sm9q7mzInHE - video from Preach Gaming
