Remove RNG stun = buff damage?

#0 - Jan. 15, 2009, 2:34 p.m.

So, RNG stun was removed from Starfall - this isn't a QQ post, I could see this being a good change in the long run especially if other forms of RNG stun get removed. But I feel like the RNG stun and the possibility of the spell being overpowered in PvP was one of the biggest obstacles to really taking a hard look at this spell's scaling, and one of the biggest reasons moonkins refrained from asking for buffs to Starfall.

The benefit this spell gets from your stats is VERY poor right now, about 2% of your spell power per star, making it the poorest scaling Balance damage spell in the game. With the stun nerf it will quickly become completely useless not only in PvP but also in PvE except as a way of producing Nature's Grace procs. Maybe it's just me, but 1100 mana for a 3 minute cooldown that does nothing for me except generate 3-4 NG procs seems astoundingly weak. I notice almost no difference using the spell now compared to just after I hit level 80; the only time the damage noticeably increases is after training a new rank. It does practically the exact same thing whether I have 1000 spell power or 3000 or 5000.

Ghostcrawler

#17 - Jan. 15, 2009, 9:06 p.m.

We have been waging a long war against random proc stuns. We managed to clean up several of them when we changed mace spec, but like vermin, they sometimes crop up again.

The Death and Decay glyph and Starfall with Celestial Focus were the two greatest offenders because they affect multiple targets. We will almost certainly be phasing out the single target random stuns (such as the Starfire stun of Celestial Focus and Blackout) as well. We didn't do that yet because it involves changing several talents and in some cases we will need to provide compensation.

If you are a druid who doesn't like Starfall, we have noted your feedback. Starfall is area effect damage that you don't have to channel. That is it's purpose. If it isn't doing that job, we can buff it. But introducting an overpowered and frustrating PvP mechanic is not a good way to fix the spell. We removed the de-stealth for the same reason.

Ghostcrawler

#140 - Jan. 15, 2009, 11:19 p.m.

Okay clearly I was trying too hard to be entertaining.

Yes, we instituted those random procs on purpose. We knew what we were doing. Sand gnomes did not sneak in and make the changes for us. Upon reflection, and with more player feedback, we have come to the conclusion that it was the wrong decision. Originally we thought getting rid of the mace spec stun was sufficient. Now we think random stuns are probably not good for the game across the board. You don't need to ask about individual talents or spells. If it is a random chance to stun attached to another spell or ability, chances are we will phase it out.

On RNG: As I have said, we are not trying to remove RNG from the game. If your chance to crit is less than 100% and something happens when you crit, then congrats, there is RNG in your Arena. But we don't want RNG to dominate skill and other factors. Randomly proc'd stuns, like the recent changes to the dispel system, are something that crossed the line.

Q u o t e:
So, GC, what was starfall intended to be FOR ?

As I said, Starfall is a non-channeled AE. You can Hurricane and Starfall at the same time for instance. It is a dps increase over not pushing the button given that you can do other things while the damage is going off. If the damage is so low that you don't invest in the talent, then we will buff it.

Ghostcrawler

#323 - Jan. 16, 2009, 9:28 p.m.

Q u o t e:
Let me explain this in seed of corruption terms - Our starfall is being applied on the primary target on each star, but the "seedsplosion" is occuring CENTERED ON THE CASTER. Not on the area where the star hit.

This is fixed.