I’ve been hard at work on my secret project since yesterday (and it’s not going well at all I’m afraid), which explains the relative lack of beta blather. But I happened to check the beta forums this evening while waiting for my test database to finish exploding violently and what do you know! There’s a new beta build that just went live!
I won’t be liveblogging this update like I did the last one (I have an exploding database to deal with, after all), but I will update this post with any big pet news as I hear it for the rest of the evening.
I’m going through the talents and skills to see what focus costs might have changed. But the first thing I noticed: Heart of the Phoenix is now an active talent instead of a passive one. It has no focus cost, no range, it’s instant, and it has a 10 minute cooldown. And even better, it resurrects your pet with full health!
Along similar lines, the Ferocity talent Lick Your Wounds now heals your pet for 100% (instead of 50%) of its health over 10 seconds while channeling.
I’ve been through most of the pet family skills now and I’m not seeing any major differences there. (Although lightning breath may have gotten a damage boost … or possibly I mis-typed it the last time I recorded LB6 damage.) In particular, it doesn’t look like the focus changes that Ghostcrawler mentioned made it into this build. But Koraa mentioned earlier today that the next build will have a lot of hunter changes, so the focus changes may be in there as well.
Ah, well this is interesting: Kaet untrained all her talents and now she can’t Call her chimaera, or take any of the other exotics out of the stable. I get the message “You are unable to control exotoc creatures.” I never did test that last build, although I heard that it wasn’t implemented yet.
Unfortunately I haven’t found any new exotic families yet. Perhaps that also will come next build.
Arrg, too bad I am raiding late tonight, really want to log in and check the new build out! :(
“It has no focus cost, no range, it’s instant, and it has a 10 minute cooldown. And even better, it resurrects your pet with full health!”
Now thats a great point spent! It was Ok before, but thats a lot more like it.
Can’t wait to check it out.
eeek….Heart of the phoenix seems a bit…..
overpowered >.>
I gotta disagree Hiro, Heart of the Phoenix seems just right. COming back with full health is great. After all, if pet came back to life say, in the middle of a raid or something, your pet would just die again from random AoE.
I don’t mind a 10 min cooldown either. Like Glassdragon stated, it was alright before, but now it seems just perfect ^^
Thanks for the update Mania!
I know it sounds like an odd idea, but how about Heart of the Pheonix having a reagent cost associated with it.
I have a high level Shaman, and thus have Reincarnate. That costs me a reagent to use, and this could use the same thing one. I am offering this as a way to kind of blunt the power of the ability rather than anything horrific.
And Mania, good luck rebuilding that exploded database.
Well, it isn’t exactly as if it is the Hunter that is dead, nor that the Hunter can’t rezz the pet anyway. I think it is enough that we have to spec for it and only certain pets can get it.
I am a bit torn here. On the one hand, 10% was WAY to low. On the other, 100% seems like a bit much. Then again, it is on a ten minute cooldown, and we do still have to deal with a pet that lost a level of happiness, and ANOTHER level if they die after that. My thought is the reasoning goes two ways. The first is that if a hunter is beast master, then the pet under the new system won’t be dying all that often in the first place, as far as PvP goes. The second is that if the hunter ISN’T beast master, then its not as big a deal for some one not specced for pets to get theirs back at full health.
My other thought isn’t so happy. My other thought is that they expect pets to die a lot, and die fast. In the end, though, this is still just beta. This is an experiment, to see how having a dead pet come back at full health is going to effect things.
Seidoyumi: I don’t think Heart of the Phoenix is op, nor needs a reagent to be used; tbh the 10 min cd is perfect, why? I have a warlock, I leveled him on demo untill around erf, 45, I had that imp demon summon; lowers the cast/mana needed, and gave me a talent that allowed me, when using it, to have a demon nearly instant cast if need be. And how was it kept from being over powered?
A 15 minute cd, that’s how.
So a pet having a self rez with a cd of ten minutes tbh is fine, it’s not op, it’s not under powered, it’s perfect, especially with 100% health cause if it died when you REALLY NEED YOUR PET and HotP is up, YOU CAN GET YOUR PET NOW.
Besides would you really want to worry about ‘do I have enough phoenix hearts for HotP’ or whatever would be used if a reagent was needed?
Like Hunters aren’t hurting enough for bag spaces. Hush with the comments of more reagents.
Mania just wanted to point out a possible spelling mistake in case you missed it with a pet skill.
Chimera
Your pet simultaneously breaths frost and lightning at an enemy target, inflicting Frost and Nature damage and shlowing the target.
Shlowing should be just slowing.
Ryai-
I did not level my Warlock to 70 as Demonologist. I tried it a few times. However, I would point out that Warlock pets are very limited in scope compared to Hunter Pets. For instance, only two Warlock pets are designed to tank while all Hunter pets are capable of tanking (though some more so than others). Only one Warlock pet is designed to dish out crowd control and heavy DPS, and yet most Hunter pets are capable of dishing out a lot of damage, and many will now have some form of CC. All Warlock pets other than Imp require Soul Shards. Part of the reason why Imps are without a reagent to summon has to do with their absolute fragility. The only way that they can survive an instance run is not to fight. Any fight in which there is any AoE will kill them if they are active. Hunters can cast an HoT spell, and all their pets are, relatively speaking, fairly sturdy. (I am well aware that many raid and boss fights see pets die and die fast, but as a general rule they are pretty sturdy).
As for the worry about ‘do I have enough reagents’, I tank as a Paladin and have to worry about having enough potions and Symbols of Kings. I DPS as a Warlock and have to worry about having enough Soul Shards for a run. I heal as a Shaman and have to worry about having enough Ahnks. Hunters have to worry about having enough food and ammo. For every run, we have to worry about having enough of what we need. That is simply the way of instances.
To me, what makes it overpowered to me is that there is no mana cost and it is instant. Reincarnate is limited to a much longer cool down, and only bounces you back for a small amount of mana and health.
All that aside, to go toe to toe with your example, this is where it falls apart. Heart of the Pheonix will cost nothing and be instant. Summoning any Warlock pet costs 80% of base mana. Even with talents, this drops to 30% base mana at the very best. There is still a cost associated with it. And Fel Domination has an even longer cooldown associated with it.
So, basically, Heart of the Pheonix- no costs at all, instant cast, ten minute CD.
Fel Domination- 30% mana cost to summon, .5 second cast time, fifteen minute CD, and optional soul shard requirement.
A purchased reagent might not be a bad way to balance that out. However, this is a suggestion and a thought, and nothing I’m pushing hard for, ok.
Sorry for the double post-
Cattiebrie-
What I’m suggesting is more, well, a cost associated with this ability. Maybe it should require a mana cost from the Hunter, or a health cost. I just thought a reagent would be a better way to balance out a skill lacking in any costs what so ever since the Warlock equivalent has costs associated with it.
“A purchased reagent might not be a bad way to balance that out. However, this is a suggestion and a thought, and nothing I’m pushing hard for, ok.”
No, hunters have enough crap to carry around with an addition slot being used. A regend does not blance anything out. In fact it does nothing but take up space. Thats it.
Stop comparing warlocks and hunters. They arnt the same class. The examples dont mean anything.
I think the feedback on this new incarnation of Heart of the Phoenix is interesting — in both directions. But since this change has just happened, let’s give it some time to see how it works out and how overpowered — or not! — it ends up being in practice. :>
You seem to have forgotten that we do have a cost associated with ressing pets. They lose 25% of their DPS and we have to feed them. We can’t feed them in combat either. Don’t forget that our pets dying hurts us a lot.
Isn’t it enough that you have to spend I think; two points to unlock it and one to use it? And tbh, why should it cost mana? Not saying anything bad but, a warlock could just spirit tap/dark pact the mana back, while a hunter would have to pot/aotv the mana back. And it’s not a hunter talent- it’s a pet talent so I guess I started the ‘in the wrong’ for likening the warlock talent to a pet talent.
Maybe I should compare Heart of the Phoenix to a warlock trinket I heard about; it lets you summon a VW for no mana/no soul shard, every xx ammount of time. Never did get around to finishing that questline on my lock, but anyways, I guess that’s a better example then a player talent to an npc talent.
It’s just a trinket replacement, and it only works on one family of pets, er, Tenacity, amirite? And you have to ofc spend 3 points for it.
So I still find it hard that it needs to have a reagent to be balanced out when it’s once every ten minutes. That and warlocks can get their soul shards easy enough, and for free might I add; you can obtain them from mobs inside, and outside, an instance and I bet the same for a raid when you need one.
Now if hunters could obtain a reagent as easily as that, I’d not really complain, I mean I knew I’d need soul shards for my warlock’s demons. But a reagent for one spell for one pet family?
Maybe they can just bump the cool down to 15 minutes- and imp. Rez pet brings it down 13/11 minutes in total. And possibly affect the health, such as 50% normal, 85%/95% with imp rez pet >>
Cause seriously there are other ways to ‘make it better’ without throwing a mana, health or reagent cost to Heart of the Phoenix imo.
And also; a warlock doesn’t nessisarily need his/her minion, I mean I’ve run around just fine on my warlock when my imp/felpup’s died, I just fear the crap out of the mob or player, dot n drain, even elites. But a hunter needs the pet, it’s our tank in pve and a serious chunk of our dps/cc in raids/instances. I kinda like the fact that in WotlK, there is a chance when my pet dies, I can rez it up right quick and not have to worry about mend pet madness so it won’t die again.
That is ofc if the pet is in the right ‘tree’.
In the end not really trying to start out hate for warlocks, or hunters, or shaman or paladins or anything; but I’m just trying to say, in the end, I don’t feel like Heart of the Phoenix needs a mana, reagent or health cost when it could be tagged onto a talent, or have the cool down increased, or yet again tagged to a talent. Or hell what about tagging it to Spirit Bond and fixing that to be something more useful than it is atm?
I know I’ve probably come off as an idiot with what I just wrote more than likely <<
Its not overpowered, locks have 2 things to bring back a pet. One requires a soulshard the other is a trinket that summons a VW with no mana or shard needed. Soulshards are very easily obtained no matter where they are PvE, Instances, Raids all they have to do is Soul Siphon before the target dies & spent soulshard is back. Demonology locks when they lose a pet, have a talented skill that allows them to summon a new pet in under a sec. Its so fast that its very hard to prevent, for hunters this new skill which is only available to one type of pet & we have to choose to pet talent for it just like demonology locks & their talent puts us on a a more even keel with them. When warlocks use either the trinket or the spell to summon a demon instantly their demon is full health. If you have ever done arena against a demonology lock & killed their fel hunter only to have them summon another one back almost instantly royally sucks especially since this new fel hunter is at full hp again. The difference between our pets & a locks demon is that ours will be able to get a res 5mins faster then the locks, but the locks demon suffers no damage penalty for being killed where our pets do since they drop a happiness level. Also I want to point out at least a lock if their pet is killed or they kill it before it dies with sacrifice, they can choose a new pet that might be a bit better for the situation or fight that the other one died in, a hunter can’t.
A regent to use this skill would be pointless just for the fact hunters have less bag space available already compaired to other classes b/c we have a quiver, & on top of that we have to have extra food with us to feed our pets to keep them happy so they are doing the max damage they can, so a regent for a skill that is just like a current skill already in the game that locks do enjoy, would be just one more wasted bag space that isn’t needed. Locks do share our pain in the fact that their bag space is like ours, but at least for them, their quiver equivilent bag is for the regent they use to summon a new demon that they can easily replace anytime they wish where we wouldn’t be able too.
Since this skill is just like one already in the game, I say its not OP, just puts us a bit more even with another class that also uses pets.
for hunters this new skill which is only available to one type of pet & we have to choose to pet talent for it just like demonology locks & their talent puts us on a a more even keel with them.
Just wanted to say where the new skill is only available to one type of pet, I meant it to be its only available to a small group of pets of a particular class.
Carrion Birds
Cats
Devilsaurs**
Hyenas
Moths
Raptors
Tallstriders
Wolves
Are the pets currently that would get to use this skill, & compared to the other talent groups, there are fewer choices for pets here then with them.
@Mania and beta testing hunters:
I am curious, just a little question.
If your pet dies, your pet-controlloing bar will disappear. How can you activate “heart of th phoenix” – a pet’s talented skill? Write a macro and put it on hunter’s?
@Stranger
The pet skill bar doesn’t disappear when it dies it disappears when you start to rez it, so when it dies just click on “Heart of the Phoenix” and it self rezzes. :]
I have an idea for “heart of the phoenix”.
Heart of the phoenix: passive pet skill. If the pet dies, it will give its master (hunter) a buff, which grants hunter’s “revive pet” spell to become instant casting and reduce (40%) mana cost. The buff lasts for a few minutes. And if hunter has talent points invested in “improved revive pet” (beast mastery tree), the mana reduction effect will stack.
How about this idea?
Yay for over-poweredness!!!!
Sorry Hellshot, but the shard that allows you to summon a voidwalker free is changing. Now it requires a shard, but does it instantly, I think, as well as giving you a set amount of stamina.
Sei, why are you trying to balance pet skills against straight out player skills? Those are two entirely seperate ball games, and should not even be considered together. Not only that, but you failed to mention that fel domination, while it does act on a fifteen minute timer, is applicable to any of the warlocks demons, and not 1/3rd of them. Not that it matters, Fel domination is ALSO a player skill, and not a pet skill. Not a single minion requires a regeant to perform one of its actions, so your argument there is sort of moot. What players needed was a way to rez their pets safely, when they gave the say so, and not with a piddly 10% health. I will and have agreed that 100% is a bit much, 50% would have been a bit more balanced. Another thing to consider is that you have to TALENT your pet for it, and even then, as I stated, only about a third of them can aquire it. And on a ten minute cooldown, its not really THAT overpowered, and since it doesn’t auto cast, you don’t even have to use it.
Sei, your arguments about hunters needing to use up more bag space is also moot. As a paladin, I can carry around a stack of 100 symbol of kings in one bag slot. I also need to carry my regeant for divine intervention. Two to three bag spots, and food and water for myself, another four bag slots. Warlocks have to sacrifice a whole bag for soul shards, its true, but can rely soley on food to restore their health. Rogues, food and poisons. The list goes on. Until you get to hunters. Hunters require a quiver, food for themselves, water for themselves, and food for their pets. Not only that, but we already spend a good deal of money on arrows. Forcing us to also give up another bag slot or two, AND pay for a new regeant? Not cool. Worth a regeant? Totally, but man, I run out of bag space fast enough as it is.
I love that new version of heart of the phoenix. It seems awesome, and really usefull. I hope the no-mana-cost issue remains at it is. I mean, if it cost mana, and brings your pet back with so few HP that any hit can kill her again… where is the benefit about the revive pet hability?
@ Mania
You mentioned in a couple of headlines ago that you’d wish that they would change the tooltip to let you know if a mob is an exotic tamable. They listened.
http://i38.tinypic.com/mj3dpg.jpg
New Wolf model tamable(non exotic)
The Vargul Plaguehounds in Zul’Drak are now beasts and tamable! They have the new runed demon dog skin but with fiery legs and reddish runes. They seem to have some running animation issues akin to the Ghost Wolf though. When they are idle they seem to do a little hop and shake their head.
Pics:
http://i34.tinypic.com/34xp4w9.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/27zgln7.jpg
I’m hoping the blue skin of the runed demon dog will become tamable, but so far no luck. I’ve only checked the blue ones in dragonblight. Checking the blue ones in Borean Tundra in a bit. Server keeps going down randomly.
sweet demon dogs.
Thanks for the tip, Ceron! I hope you don’t mind, but I turned the screenshot you linked into this morning’s post. :>
Still no kodos. :(
With talents, Revive Pet is a 4 second cast for around 50% of base mana that brings the pet back with 45% of its base health, castable in combat, no cooldown. Heart of the Phoenix is just a free Revive Pet every 10 minutes that relies on the hunter surviving whatever killed the pet.
It’s hardly in the same league as Rebirth or Reincarnation, despite the that it creates some very interesting PvP options for Ferocious pets, as well as being a *very* nice perk that only BM hunters will be able to afford on their raiding pets.
I can see why there might be an outcry of op for pvp situations but only in battlegrounds and world pvp yes? Doesnt arena lock out long cooldown abilities? I dont arena much so dont know for sure but i thought thats how it worked so wouldnt this be something only a certain family of pet has (and we all know that bm hunters will have exotics so if you have one of these your probably not bm), not be usable in arena, and on a 10 min cd, so how would that be op? In a raid it would save my pet dps on bosses that happen to kill my pet or at least double the time it lasts before dying for real is all. In pvp it’ll bring my pet back in a battleground and if i get ganked it might help me a little but i dont see it being too op. I think when anyone sees 100% on anything they instantly think op tho lol, especially when attached to anything hunterly.
Palla-
First of all, I wasn’t the one who mentioned Fel Domination, that was Ryai, and I was simply pointing out that there is a cost associated with that skill. I still feel that Warlocks get the shaft when it comes to their pets. What is more, you, as a Warlock, have to spec to get Fel Domination while a Hunter can simply choose to get a pet with that ability. As it stands in the expansion, an Affliction or Destruction Lock will have to sacrifice eleven points from their main tree to acquire that skill. A Hunter will simply have to tame one of the Ferocity pets, which will undoubtably be one of the more popular trees anyway.
While I am aware of the costs involved with buying ammo, food for two and water, and the sacrifice of a bag slot (which is another thing I’ve always liked to see changed. I would love to see a single specialty bag slot added to the bar), I recomended a reagent as the cost because a Hunter who runs out of mana in a fight can only regain mana through a potion, and a health cost would put the Hunter at risk.
Take a look at it from the other direction, though. In an arena, where the fight would be very short, the Hunter can just pop this talent durring each fight and thus negate the usefullness of eliminating the pet. While I know that this talent is not within the ‘pvp’ pets, it is in the high DPS pet family. If this were in the tanking family of pets, I would not think of this as overpowered since a tank has lower DPS, and is geared to take a beating rather than dish one out. Just remember, Warlocks have a cost associated with their talent, but this would be a freebie for a Hunter.
The other way to make this something that every Hunter isn’t going to run out to grab for PvP and Arena is to maybe make the cost a bit different. Perhaps a short debuff that would take the pet out of combat for, say, five or six seconds to recover.
I do see a reason for having it be full health, though, and not half or a tenth of the pet’s health given that damage taken could easily wipe a pet out fast even at half health. I just do not like having a skill like this be for free especially since now a Hunter pet is going to be a significant part of their combat ability as opposed to the rather minor way in which a Warlock pet is going to suppliment a Warlock’s abilities. I simply felt that a reagent that one bought, and which had a high stack amount would be far more preferable to the outcry which will ensue from the other classes about this ability and which could result in this ability being yanked entirely. Even the improved resurrection for pets has a cost associated with it, that of mana.
I am mostly playing Devil’s Advocate here. While I do feel that a cost would be nice, it isn’t something I’m tied to. I like the idea of having this skill, but I would be worried about the uproar the first time this gets used in a PvP situation and three or four patches from now it being pulled because the other classes feel it is overpowered and give Hunters too much of an advantage. I know that many Hunter players will not see this as overpowered, but put yourself into the boots of another player who suddenly had a ressurrected pet attack them.
And, Mania, It is a good, healthy debate.
On the one hand, I think this is intended for raiding/dungeon use, because it’s in the Ferocity tree, rather than the Cunning PVP tree. Yet, the Cunning tree is looking pretty lousy right now. Hopefully they’ll balance that out.
Even if hunters bring a Ferocious pet into the arena with this ability, well, honestly I don’t see the problem. Hunters have a much harder time in arenas than warlocks, despite the fact that both classes’ pets are fragile. It’s simply that warlock pets – as you say, Seidouyumi – are a minor supplement to a warlock’s abilities. Hunter pets are NOT, and *never have been* a minor part of our combat ability, and yet they are easy to kill in the arena. One of multiple problems there.
Heart of the phoenix may be not OP, but it’s so good, and too good. It may be considered “imbalance”. Imbalance in several ways.
First, it make pets with ferocity talent tree much better than the others, and hunters will use these pets more often. It’s imbalance between pets.
Second, the pets with this talent will resurrect spontaneously and instantly every 10 mins, that will lower the usefulness of “revive pet” spell and “improved revive pet” talent.
My previous post is not complete. Let me make it clearer.
“Heart of the phoenix” should compensate the disadvantage of “revive pet”, but not replace it. In my idea, it will work as a BUFF for the hunter like this:
Normal revive pet: 10 sec cast time, restore 15% HP, a lot of mana cost
Improved revive pet (2 ponits): 4 sec cast, 45% HP, reduce 40% mana cost
Normal revive pet with HotP buff: instant cast, 70% HP, reduce 60% mana cost
Improved revive pet with HotP: instant cast, 100% HP, reduce 100% mana cost
And this method has another benefit: If your pet dies and you run too far away, the corpse will disappear, and pet controlling bar will disappear as well, you would be unable to use the skill. If “heart of the phoenix” became a buff and last for minutes, you can bring your pet back without your pet’s corpse present. Also, you can save one slot on pet control bar.
Seidouyumi – I think you might be wrong as to what may be more popular as the type of pets for PVP. I think the Cunning type will be due to the spiders with web and silithids with Venomweb, or the Tenacity type with crabs having pin (cannot wait to test these all out, but sadly not in beta). In my small opinion in the PVP area, I doubt that my pet would get to use Heart more than once, maybe twice as I die far more than my pet does. (I suck at PVP and am only doing it currently for the little dragon).
I do love all the changes that are being made for the Hunters (wish SWG would get this idea for Beast Masters there) and really appreciate all you beta testers that are looking closely at all that is being done. and BIG thanks to Mania for all the work put into the site to keep us informed. Thanks all.
Stranger
if it is a buff, it can be dispelled. this is not the intention of the ability.
also – if you just run away from you pet allowing your pet to be “reborn” instantly after having its corpse despawn .. doesn’t that defeat the purpose of “rising from the ashes” like a phoenix? if there’s no body to rise from, there is no reborn. makes sense to me.
but instead of 100% health, maybe make is 70% baseline, and have imp. revive pet effet it as well to bump it up to say 85 or 90.
Jolyroger- I think that we might see enough Hunters fore go Cunning pets with their slowing mechanisms in order to get the ability to have their pet instant rez every ten mins if there is not some other cost associated with it. Right now, there are a number of pets which are more suited for PvP than the ones chosen simply because the sheer damage output of certain specific pets. So, I think it is an issue.
As for SWG- word on the street is that it’s been picked up by a new studio to be revamped. A new studio also picked up and is finishing the Star Trek MMORPG.
Aylfric-
This is part of why I want this ability to stay, and I wanted a reagent cost associated with it. Pets are much more important to a Hunter than a Warlock. I have no doubt people are already going to whine about the movement impares on the Cunning pets, but to have a high DPS pet be insta-rez is going to mean a major uproar. Some kind of cost, be it reagent, mana, health, or debuff would help balance things out a bit and make a pet like this less likely to be pulled into a battleground. One oddball idea is to have a focus debuff on the pet. Maybe after rez, the pet cannot build up focus for a certain period of time.
This is completely off topic, but it’s Cryptic of City of Heroes fame that picked up STO. And good luck to them — that game has killed more MMO companies now than … well, than WoW has. *grin*
Trust me, Sei, I have been on the receiving end of a hunters pets many, many, MANY times. The only time I kill the pet is if the hunter is doing something stupid mean time, or if its on a healer and the hunter is off playing with a mage or something. And that is the CORE weakness of this ability in any PvP or arena scenario. Don’t matter to much if’n the hunters dead. I am, and have looked at this from both a hunters perspective, and a casters perspective. Considering the buffs that are being made to caster classes, I think things like this are more and more nessecary. Right now, worst case scenario, a mage manages to get the drop on you, freezes you in place, and ice lances you into oblivion. This is just about the ONLY scenario I can think of where an equally geared caster can kill me with any sort of reliability, and even that has its flaws. However, with the expansion, suddenly there’s living bomb, blast wave has a knock back to interupt attacks and casting, ((Arcane is still delightfully screwed)) frost is getting ANOTHER instant cast damage dealer to frozen targets that also stuns, shadow priests are getting dispersion, and warlocks are getting haunt and demon form as hunter counters. Admittedly I’m not overly worried about haunt, but demon form has the potential to give hunters a head ache. The warlock goes from caster, to wanna be warrior with a charge and melee abilities. Even more fun for hunters if the warlock got off any DoTs before deciding to go all Illidanish.
Soooo, my point is that this seems overpowered….. by TBC terms. But it isn’t IN TBC, its in Wrath, where once again everything has been stepped up a notch. Hopefully we won’t be left behind, eh?
As a side note, and angry ramble. Shaman are having their 2ap stat changed from strength to agility. Am I the only person who thinks its utter BS that we are the ONLY class that does physical damage without a two point stat?
Mania-
So far, just one. Still, it seems to have a major curse over it. Of course, I have heard SO many times how X game or Y game was going to kill WoW. So far, it hasn’t happened. So far, they seem to have left a wake of fear, terror and uncomfortable sighs in their wake.
Palla-
I do know that things have been severely ramped up in Wrath. However, even you have admitted that the 100% health seems a bit excessive. I’m mostly playind Devil’s Advocate and arguing for something I like while pointing out the weaknesses. The reasoning behind the reagents (and I would love to have a bag similar to my key ring for reagents too) is that having some cost behind it really would drop the complaint level from the other classes more than be a huge burden on Hunters.
Still, until Wrath hits, it’s all speculation. But, it’s still nice to debate it :)
I hope they wont turn it back
Seidouyumi: Actually STO has been floating around the game dev world for quite some time. Perpetual was only the most recent casualty. A friend of mine worked on oneof the early versions (before these games were known popularly as MMOs) back in the 90s.
Okay, okay, now I’ll get back to pets. *grin*
Mania-
Ah, ok, I knew only of the one. Then again, Star Trek has had a lot of issues with video games on the whole.
Featherkitty-
I think everyone hopes that it won’t go back to the 10% rez health as well.
I forgot to mention that there is some information that has surfaced out of this last build that is not totally Hunter related.
Casting knockback has been altered. Casting spells (of which there are a small few for Hunters) will now have a knockback of .5 seconds for the first and second hit, and after that, no further knockback will occur. For channelled spells, the first two hits will drop the spell length by 25% each, but after two hits, it will not be altered. This will affect any and all abilities that aren’t instant casts.
OK, I have a question. For Winsd Serpents… is their lightnign breath considered a talen or a spell? If it is a spell, wouldn’t having a “caster” wind sepent give it’s lightning breath a boost since spell power is helped by INT, and “casters” have raised INT. I coould be waaay off on this, that is why I am asking. I have never had one as a pet and i was just curious to know how the mechanics of “caster” pets work. Thanks.
The spell pushback change was actually in the previous build – I agree it is somewhat interesting when it comes to making use of Steady and Aimed Shot in PvP.
As far as Heart of the Phoenix goes, I think only 51-point BM hunters are going to take it on raiding pets. MM and SV hunters would have to sacrifice DPS pet talents in order to pick it up at level 80. And of course, hunters can only take it for PvP if they actually use a Ferocious pet like a devilsaur or raptor, which may not be the best option for PvP when utility pets with stuns (e.g. Ravage, Sonic Blast), roots (e.g. Web, Venom Web, Pin), snares (e.g. Tendon Rip, Froststorm Breath) and interrupts (e.g. Nethershock) will be more useful. (although it is possible to pick up both Tendon Rip and Heart of the Phoenix if you use a hyena for PvP)
At a 10 minute CD (7 minutes with Longevity), Heart of the Phoenix should actually be usable in the arena (I believe the cut-off is abilities with a CD longer than 15 minutes), so I expect Blizzard will be taking another look at the effectiveness of this once more zones are open and beta PvP gets to the level 80 mark.
Well, Nim, I only just found out about it, and thought I would send it along since the Crab ability Pin is channelled, and there are a few Hunter skills/spells that are cast.
Dweezill – yes, but. The scaling factor is so bad (maximum synergy) that even in the best circumstances it can only just about match normal pets, and without that it falls well below. Stay clear.
Ketari,
So, even if I stack a ton of INT on my hunter, it still wouldn’t be worthwhile to try to boost it’s lightning breath that way?
@Palladiamors: Shamans are getting the exact same melee AP as Hunters: 1 per Strength, 1 per Agility. And just like every other class in the game that gets AP from agility, they will now stack that in preference to any other source of AP. Heck, cat druids stack Agi before Str and they still get 2 AP/Str.
@Dweezil: Intellect doesn’t boost spell power, but for caster-type pets it does increase spell crit chance. The Elitist Jerk-based theorycrafting thinktank concluded that the lost physical damage cannot be made up by the higher crit-chance of Lightning Bolt at any reasonable gear level, thanks in large part to the 8% lower hit chance of spells vs. raid bosses. The lower stamina on the casters sealed the deal.