#214 - April 2, 2009, 4:38 p.m.
Q u o t e:
Death Grip is not the problem. Death Grip coupled with Chains of Ice is a problem, even if CMs are defending a OP ability as "fine".
I'm not defending anything or agreeing to the assertion that a particular ability is "OP". I think from what I've been reading it comes down to specific and somewhat different concerns that players are having.
- Death Grip relocates a player and brings them to their attacker versus rooting, stunning where they are or sending them away. The relocation of a player is seen as more powerful than being able to immobilize or cause a player to lose control of their character.
- Death Grip when used in conjunction with other abilities creates a powerful combination of abilities.
- Death Grip when used by multiple death knights can create a frustrating experience.
- Death Grip when used by multiple death knights in the arena is seen as unstoppable.
- Death Grip prevents a caster from completing any time-based casts and sets off the global cooldown.
- Concerns over PvP are split between Battleground and Arena with more focus on the Arena aspect due to the prevalence of players utilizing multiple death knights in a team.
Please feel free to correct me if you see any points that are incorrect.
That said, I'll try to run down each of these a little bit further and see where we end up.
Point one being the relocation issue: It was brought up that this should be removed and it made more like an intercept or become an intercept instead. The problem with an idea like this is it takes away a unique mechanic for the death knight and a strategic value to the ability. It's true that being able to draw an enemy to you is a great strategic element. That's not something anyone is denying from what I've seen (including me). But, it's important to note that it's what happens after that that must be taken into consideration. You also need to consider that other classes while they are not moving an enemy into a specific spot also have capabilities of either disrupting an enemy or immobilizing them.
For instance, a priest with Psychic Scream can fear up to 5 enemies to flee. This can be very disruptive of a defensive set up. A hunter can trap, a druid can Cyclone, a mage can sheep, and so on. Many classes have abilities that manipulate another player's capabilities to respond to the fight at hand. It's more about the concentrated effect of multiples of any one class.
Given that the expansion is still "new" in relative terms, it's understandable that a particular new and exciting class is going to be more heavily played. Time may change that and I've seen many people say they have gone back to a main character rather than play their death knight and then many others have found the one class they truly enjoy.
Point two- Death Grip when used with other abilities is powerful. I agree this is true, but I also believe that other classes equally can create powerful combinations of abilities to essentially shut down another player. Again, it seems that we most often come back to the idea that it's multiple death knights that put a magnifying glass on it. If we're looking at singular death knights, then it comes down to how the latest changes (in the next content patch for all classes) play out and whether or not we're moving closer to that illusive balance we all keep staring in the eye.
Point three- Absolutely. Multiples of any class using their abilities on you can get frustrating. I don't believe it's exclusive to death knights.
Point four- This also can be true, but again, like the above, multiples of any class could be seen as unstoppable when placed up against certain combinations of classes. So it continues to come down to continuing to evaluate the balance of classes in an overall viewpoint. While we could balance solely on PvP, we must still keep in mind PvE and how changes effect it as well. We don't balance exclusively for one aspect of the game over the other but do our best to look at the overall effect and how it changes the game as a whole. I know many people don't believe that these are where our efforts go, but it is the truth.
Point five- Noted and understandably frustrating, however instant spells are still available from the moment of being gripped, through the air, and upon landing. It can be a bit like walking on the razor's edge to counter and find a way out of the situation, but hopefully, you're not PvPing alone and can call on friends to help you get the heck out of there.
Point six- There is no doubt that the way things play out in the battleground and in the arena, though similiar have different dynamics due to the amount of players involved, but I don't think they are that far off.
This all said, these concerns aren't flying off into a vacuum. They are duly noted and will be carried on. As we've said in the past, we may not always agree on the end result, but our viewpoint comes from having to look at everything as a whole rather than simply the parts. Each decision and change made can have a butterfly effect and while we don't admit to absolute perfection (due to being human and all) we do our best and look to our community (as one of many resources) for continued feedback whether it's in the words they say, or the way they play.
Ultimately, I don't think it comes down to a concern over this one ability, despite the seeming focus of the discussion. If I'm boiling things down a bit simply, it's because the time it takes to split hairs can be extensive and can often result in merry-go-round discussions that never seem to make it out of their own spin.
