Patch 8.2 of World of Warcraft introduces a change that will cause a lot of frustration for some players. It has to do with mounts and incapacitation.
Update: Blizzard has announced that this issue is a bug. It is expected to be fixed soon on the PTR. Shields will continue to protect against incapacitation!
Original Announcement:
In World of Warcraft, there are many little annoying moments. Most players know the problem: You ride through an area populated by enemies, get hit by one of the foes, and immediately dismount because you have been incapacitated.
In the current expansion “Battle for Azeroth,” this was rarely an issue, as numerous shields protected against incapacitation. But that will change with Patch 8.2 Rise of Azshara.
What will change? With Patch 8.2 Rise of Azshara, various absorption effects will no longer protect you from being forced off your mount. Also, hits that are mitigated by shields, such as the Azerite trait “Cloaked Protection,” “Power Word: Shield,” or “Soul Drain,” can now force players off their mounts and slow them down.
Why is Blizzard doing this? The reason for the change is relatively obvious. After all, Patch 8.2 introduces new equipment for mounts that can protect against incapacitation. However, players are unlikely to choose this equipment if their characters cannot be forced off their mounts in the first place.
How can this be prevented? Incapacitation can still be prevented in Patch 8.2 through various effects. These include:
- Use the item “Rugged Leather Harness” from the leatherworker. It prevents incapacitation for 2 hours (or 8 hours for leatherworkers).
- Use the new mount equipment that prevents incapacitation.
- Play a tank. Tanks cannot be incapacitated because they cannot suffer critical hits.
Forced choice of mount equipment: This change will likely make it less clear which mount equipment will be used. In addition to protection against incapacitation, there is also a parachute for falls or the ability to walk on water with all mounts.
What do you think about the change? Is it good that incapacitation now also works through shields? Or is it an annoying idea to make certain mount equipment more interesting?
