[WoRBot]

Update: Class Panel Video - Dual Spec Feature added.

UI Panel detailed report will be soon online aswell.

The World of Warcraft Class Panel was the second major panel of the day, and included both Tom Chilton -- Lead Designer -- and Greg Street -- Lead Class Systems Designer.

Greg Street took the microphone for most of it, as he's become known as one of the more vocal developers on the Wrath of the Lich King beta forums under the nickname Ghostcrawler.  Now we know why:  Ghostcrawler is the Lead Class Systems Designer for World of Warcraft, and is one of the people responsible for many of the positive gameplay changes you're seeing in the expansion for classes.

From left to right:

http://www.worldofraids.com/gallery/files/1/wow_class_panel_033_thumb.jpg http://www.worldofraids.com/gallery/files/1/wow_class_panel_035_thumb.jpg http://www.worldofraids.com/gallery/files/1/wow_class_panel_013_thumb.jpg http://www.worldofraids.com/gallery/files/1/wow_class_panel_044_thumb.jpg http://www.worldofraids.com/gallery/files/1/wow_class_panel_042_thumb.jpg

Class Panel Video - Dual Spec feature:

 

Death Knight – Design Goals

•  Runes and Runic Power for energy

  
  

•  Tanking & DPS Roles

  • But no tanking, DPS or PvP trees

  
  

•  “Presences” to generate threat

  
  

•  Amazing start zone and faction

  • Talents, blues, mounts as quest rewards

    
    

  • Phased, progressing zone

  
  

• Runes as a resource

  • Class distinction is key

    
    

  • Runeblade is core to Death Knight lore

    
    

  • Infinite, but 3 different cooldowns to watch

  
  

• Many UI Iterations

 

Death Knight – Mechanics

•  The Evolution of Runes

  • Rune customization → Death Runes

    
    

  • Rotations → Runic Power

    
    

  • Random Diseases → Combo Points

  
  

•  Talent Trees, style not role

  • Blood, melee and healing

    
    

  • Frost, burst and control

    
    

  • Unholy, diseases and minions

Current Classes, Part I

•  Hunter

  • Pet overhaul: talent trees, training, stable slots

    
    

  • Clean up shot rotations

    
    

  • Disengage

    
    

  • Freezing Shot

  
  

•  Priest

  • Let Shadow do dps

    
    

  • Let Discipline heal a raid

    
    

  • Mind Sear; No racials

 

Current Classes, Part II

•  Mage

  • Frostfire Bolt

    
    

  • Mirror Image

    
    

  • 3 (or 4?) dps specs

  
  

•  Druid

  • Balance: real CC and dps; no more Oomkin

    
    

  • Resto: Nourish (Flash Heal) and Wild Growth (AE)

    
    

  • Feral: cat or bear or hybrid

 

Current Classes, Part III

•  Shaman

  • Totem consolidation

    
    

  • Lava Burst, Riptide

    
    

  • Hex

  
  

•  Rogue

  • AE: Fan of Knives

    
    

  • Valid Sap targets

    
    

  • Return of poisons

    
    

  • Return of the dagger

 

Current Classes, Part IV

•  Warrior

  • Protection: more toys, fewer mitigation talents

    
    

  • Arms: Overpower, Bladestorm, Sudden Death

    
    

  • Fury: Titan's Grip

  
  

•  Warlock

  • Pet diversity

    
    

  • More interesting rotations

    
    

  • Demonic Circle

    
    

  • Metamorphosis

 

Current Classes, Part V

•  Paladin

  • Seal and Judgement overhaul

    
    

  • Protection: needs to care about tank gear

    
    

  • Holy: needs heals for movement and groups

    
    

  • Retribution: needs dps, mana, and got Replenishment

 

Group Flexibility, Part I

•  30 specs but 25 raid slots

  • More viable specs and death knights, but no room

  
  

•  Buffs felt out of control

  • Complex, inconsistent, stacking problems

    
    

  • Curse of Shadows – gg mages

    
    

  • Bloodlust rotations

    
    

  • Jimmy can't come → No WF → Cancel the raid

 

Group Flexibility, Part II

•  Buff and debuff overhaul

  • Most buffs affect the whole raid

    
    

  • Multiple ways to get the same benefit

    
    

  • But no stacking

    
    

  • Plenty of room to bring who you want

    
    

  •  Bring the player, not the class

    
    

  • Everyone buffs, everyone does dps!

 

Group Flexibility, Part III

•  Downplay consumables

  • Potion cooldown, gg drums

  
  

•  Gear and Skill >> Buffs and Pots

  
  

•  Just bring good players

 

Group Flexibility, Part IV

•  More shared gear

  • e.g. Spell Power – healers might not need second gear sets

  
  

•  Four main tank classes

  • Overlap niches

    
    

  • Healing and coordination >> threat

  
  

•  Dual Specs are coming – more flexibility!

At this point the slides and explanation stopped, and the mic was turned over to fans who had a chance to ask questions about World of Warcraft's classes.  Here's a quick recap of some of the important things learned from the Q&A with Tom Chilton and Greg Street.

 

Q&A Session

• Making improvements to UI for gear swapping.

  
  

• Want to see Affliction back in raids.

  
  

• Infernals and Doomguards no longer break, can be used indoors, but have a set duration.

  
  

• Want to reinforce the idea that Warlocks have a bunch of demons they can bring.

  
  

• Feral mana concerns are being looked at.

  
  

• Mages are being brought back as a strong DPS class to get over the issue of only being a drink table and teleport.

  
  

• Looking to increase damage of Living Bomb, mechanics could potentially be fun. Arcane Barrage; a way to mix up rotations for the Arcane Mage.

  
  

• Not really looking to give Mages more mitigation, especially through Mana Shield type spells.

  
  

• Interested in removing the cooldown on Windfury Weapon; mechanics in place to encourage use of Flametongue on offhand.

  
  

• Don't think Retribution burst damage is way off in beta at the moment.

  
  

• Giving tanks just enough abilities to get the job done, but not feel the same as each other.

 Don't forget to visit the Curse BlizzCon 2008 page, where you can find links to coverage across the network on Curse.com, Arena Junkies, and World of Raids.

[Kody]

First! Ghostcrawler isn't a hot chick after all.

[garan]

Kody said:

First! Ghostcrawler isn't a hot chick after all.

sadpanda

was putting my two cents he will be like alextrasza hot model

[FuzioN]

garan said:

sadpanda

was putting my two cents he will be like alextrasza hot model

HE!? well close enuff by the looks

But then again everyone dont care very much about how they look

[Greeder]

Putting aside all the bullshit talk, what was said about the Dualspec?
Didn't have a chance to watch it.

[Kody]

It's planned to be fairly easy to do, not something that involves going back to a trainer, etc. While you won't be able to swap specs on the fly during a fight or as someone is charging at you, they do plan to allow you to swap your spec before a boss fight, for example.

[Mpaxalomad]

i wish they will announce something about Paid Character Customization the next days at blizzCon , it would be such a big suprice >.<

[koenigsegg]

What did they say about Titan's Grip on the class review? Or was that only to sum up the new skills/talents?

and

WTB Heroic Leap back. Was so fun to use.

[koenigsegg]

Kody said:

It's planned to be fairly easy to do, not something that involves going back to a trainer, etc. While you won't be able to swap specs on the fly during a fight or as someone is charging at you, they do plan to allow you to swap your spec before a boss fight, for example.

I bet they wont allow swapping in arena either, hehe. I mean, there are multiple times of OOC in arenas. Think they will just not alow it inside arena.

[Jaffamatt]

I will be glad to have it as a priest so i can heal for my raid and go shadow to pvp w/o tons of gold.


But im glad they waited this long to make it a serious subject. It would have sucked in TBC as a priest bc not only did i have a spec for shadow and a spec for holy, but a set of gear for both which each required a special tailoring spec (FSW for shadow and PMC for holy).

But with the new spellpower stat that helps eliminate problems like that.

[elitenls]

Quote

Don't think Retribution burst damage is way off in beta at the moment.

Good to hear the truth out of the developer's mouths.

[Kody]

elitenls said:

Good to hear the truth out of the developer's mouths.

That was in regards to a question about whether it was too good or not at the moment and whether they plan to nerf it for PvP reasons, which would in turn hurt PvE paladins, by the way.

[ablock]

elitenls said:

Good to hear the truth out of the developer's mouths.
[/FONT]

Don't cling to it. Expect some nerfs inc soon still.

[elitenls]

Nerfs yes, everyone is going to get buffed and nerfed a few more times before November. Expected, and not worried about. If they do it right, everyone will be doing the same overall DPS (while Warriors and Paladins, for example, should be doing it in BURSTS rather than sustained like everyone else).

Faceroll spec-death nerfs, no. We'll still be feared by anyone who can't kite in Wrath (and ones who lag but can kite).

[ErikOO7]

Can't get the video to work :-/ Two hours later I can finally watch the video now, but it has no sound >.< Anyone else having problems?

[Kody]

ErikOO7 said:

Can't get the video to work :-/ Two hours later I can finally watch the video now, but it has no sound >.< Anyone else having problems?

Gametube seems to be having some serious problems today. I'm guessing we're not helping them with that video either.

[Ideon]

argh, wtb more info regarding the dual-spec thingie

and they didnt even specify when they were gonna implement it...it's like saying "we plan on doing an expansion about the burning legion and Argus"...that would be a punch in the face, considering they didnt say which expansion it would be

[garan]

Kody said:

That was in regards to a question about whether it was too good or not at the moment and whether they plan to nerf it for PvP reasons, which would in turn hurt PvE paladins, by the way.

I think they don't know how to handle paladin dps without making it op =/ Someone remember the famous 21k sentence bug? =P

[Cerastes]

Regarding Duel Spec,

My only suggestion would be towards the UI, if we switch spec it could switch our UI/Buttons to, as in a set we saved with the spec.
Least then if we swap spec before a boss fight it is not a further 10 minutes moving things around etc.

[Svad]

I would have though some crazy yank had sneaked a rocket launcher in there, so they could rid of us the pest that is kalgan. and secondly, i only see 200 pounds + ppl there :- /

secondly, i didnt know GC was a women, is she the fat one, or the one with the yellow teeth ?