Blizzard and class balance
I am well aware that not all scenarios can be tested in advance. A system that consists of 13 classes with 40 specializations, which in turn consist of 80-100 talents, simply cannot test all possibilities in advance.
It is clear that more data from the live environment of the game is needed to have an accurate picture and to make adjustments based on that.
But honestly, it feels like Blizzard is no longer even trying to meet the goal at the launch of an expansion.
If you look at the first balance changes that went live today, they are not minor fine-tuning or minimal adjustments because a few things are slightly stronger or weaker than intended.
The changes are so massive that adjustments are made to some abilities and classes by 20% to 30%, both up and down. In some cases, such as the area spell potential of the Shadow Priest, we’re even talking about a hefty 66%.
One might wonder what the regular balance updates during the beta were for and what sense this whole effort had if they ultimately find at launch: “That was all wrong; we need to readjust all classes considerably.”
Even though I absolutely see the necessity of this balance change, it is frustrating for some to level a class for two weeks, test it in dungeons, and fall in love with it, only to hear at the start of the season: “Yes, ouch, we miscalculated; here’s a huge nerf.”
World of Warcraft has become increasingly larger and more complex, but the developers still have over 20 years of experience when it comes to class balance. It would be nice if that would reflect somewhere, so that such “overhauls” are no longer necessary right after the launch of an addon.
Small corrections are good and useful. Here, I must praise WoW and the developers for quickly and promptly reacting when any specialization goes off the rails. But for an expansion to launch and essentially be devoid of any “balance” – that is something that should hopefully be different in the future.
Do you have any further criticisms of World of Warcraft Midnight? What major glitches need to be fixed and should not occur in the future? Or are you completely satisfied with the new addon and have no complaints about it?
Some problems were addressed almost immediately by World of Warcraft. The horrendous housing costs were almost instantly reduced by up to 93% after criticism.
