A fan presented an idea for visual changes in the upcoming expansion Shadowlands in the subreddit of World of Warcraft. He inadvertently sparked a discussion about features that have now largely been removed.
What was the concept actually about? The reddit user almostharmon introduced his concept for special “little wings” of the Paladin in the upcoming WoW expansion Shadowlands in his own thread.
These wings are part of the Paladin’s ability “Avenging Wrath,” which grants him various bonuses and acts as the “big cooldown” for particularly important phases in battle.
The user’s idea was: Depending on which of the four covenants of Shadowlands the Paladin chooses, the wings should have a different appearance:
A similar principle is already offered by the various back embellishments and wings that can be earned as rewards through the different covenants. However, the concept is receiving great support and is one of the most popular topics in the subreddit. However, players are now talking about something entirely different.
Paladin wings spark discussion about glyphs
This is what players are now discussing: almostharmon himself mentioned in a comment in his thread that he wishes glyphs would return. This discussion has been picked up by many other players and is receiving support, including from user Rex_Partysaurus:
I totally agree with you, the removal of glyphs must definitely stop. You just have to look at LoL or their own MOBA Heroes of the Storm. People jump on unique customization options […] Customizations for spells are the adjustments that people really want.
Rex_Partysaurus on reddit.
What are glyphs? Glyphs are an old system that was originally introduced with Wrath of the Lich King and expanded with Cataclysm. They altered certain spells and abilities, granting them new effects or different functionalities.
Later, however, the system was trimmed down so much that glyphs only had an optical effect, until many of them eventually disappeared. At that time, one reason given was that Blizzard did not want to confuse players when a spell suddenly looked different than expected. This was presumably especially true for PvP.
Why do they want glyphs back? As Rex_Partysaurus has already mentioned, many players apparently want the ability to make their spells look visually appealing. However, they also mention a second reason.
Due to the fact that many classes are now accessible to many more races, they are losing some of their racial identity. For example, priests of different races have quite different sources for their powers, but this is not reflected in the spells.
With such optional customizations, class abilities could be aligned with the races. Blizzard is already planning to bring back many abilities from the past for the classes. Perhaps the fan’s desire for glyphs will be addressed one day.
