Drinking potions – that’s so last decade. Real pros in World of Warcraft will soon throw their potions at allies – at least healers will likely do that.
Potions are quite a classic thing in MMORPGs. You use them when your health or mana points are running low or when you need a little boost to get through a particularly tough phase of a fight. This has always been the case in World of Warcraft.
However, with the new expansion “The War Within”, there is a new type of potion that employs a different concept: You throw them at your comrades.
Where does the idea come from? Even though the system has been around in a few other RPGs, Baldur’s Gate 3 truly popularized it. Especially at higher difficulty levels, it is common not to just drink healing potions, but instead to place them on the ground and smash them or simply throw them at allies, so that more characters can benefit from the effect at the same time.
What types of potions are these? In The War Within, engineers can craft these special potions. These “potion bombs” are placed like other AoE effects and then hurled at the target area. Enemies in the target area take some damage, but the real benefit comes from the buffs. Up to 5 allies receive – depending on the potion bomb – a buff:
- Additional primary stats (Intelligence, Strength, Agility) for 30 seconds.
- Increased healing received for 12 seconds.
- Increased movement speed for 20 seconds.
Even though engineers create these potions, they can be used by everyone else.
Who are the potions intended for? Since the potions affect a total of 5 allies, their effect is only 1/5 as strong as a personal potion. DPS characters will likely continue to reach for their personal potion to give themselves a boost exactly when they need it.
However, the potion is a real alternative for healers and other support characters (like enhancement shamans). If they don’t need a mana potion during combat, they can instead use their potion cooldown to help damage dealers a bit more and enhance their performance.
The potions will therefore primarily be used by supporters who want to do something good for their teammates. What do you think of this type of “potions”? A cool innovation in The War Within? Or is it niche or cumbersome?
