Hello there!
As a TBC Veteran, TBC R1, Retail Multi-R1, and Beta Tester… I feel compelled to give my feedback and honest opinion on this topic. Though I may be biased since I did roll Tauren Warrior 2 years ago in Classic for the sole reason of having a larger hitbox, I will do my best to not be dogmatic in this post.
Per the title, ~ Taurens have been exponentially nerfed in TBC [Arena/PvP].
Without any discussion or feedback from players testing the Beta… the devs normalized Tauren hitbox to be the same as every other Races ONLY in arena.
For me personally, and many other Tauren Warrior’s that I’ve talked to, this change is absolutely devastating. I would go out on a limb and say that a majority, if not all, Tauren Warriors (that PvP) when deciding their race TWO years ago in Classic WoW… went the race specifically for the reason that they’d be slightly* more useful in Arena come The Burning Crusade because of their larger hitbox.
It is understandable that Tauren vs Tauren range is VERY large… However that only happens in nuanced situations where it is either a Tauren Warrior vs another Tauren Warrior or a Tauren Warrior chasing a Tauren Druid, with the Druid not being in animal form. Sure the advantage is given to the Warrior in that situation… but as soon as the Druid goes Bear / Travel (which they usually are when running around the pillar or trying to gain distance) the range is not nearly as large.
While this is certainly a significant nerf to Tauren Warriors… what is more troublesome is the fact that the original Hitbox remains unchanged in World PvP, Instances, Duels, and Battlegrounds. This creates unreproducible mechanics when trying to practice PvP outside of arena… inconsistency of game mechanics, so to speak. You are essentially playing one race inside of Arena and a different one in every scenario outside of Arena. Additionally, other races hitboxes have not been adjusted where there are nuanced issues; Gnome LoS’ing when in the pit of Blade’s Edge Arena, Male/Female Undead/Gnome issues when getting up/down the tomb in Ruins of Lordareon, etc.
The change itself, if speaking in the realm of hypothetical nerfs, would be similar to players rolling Human in TBC for the sole purpose of having Every Man For Himself in WotLK and then it being nerfed. Going Orc for Stun Resist and then having it nerfed. Or players going any race that might have “advantage” at a later point in expansions. I’d understand these changes in later expansions, when a player is able to Race Change… or when leveling becomes easier… But for many players, myself included, we’ve spent the past 2 years leveling, gearing, and becoming attached to our specific race… per Classic tradition…
The meta race in PvP on Horde has always been Orc for additional stun resist and Blood Fury. However, the double-edged sword and “hidden” bonus of having a larger hitbox, allowing you to hit casters / ranged from further away when being kited… and also in-turn being hit from further away by melee, made Taurens appealing to players that had to decide between the two races for PvP. In my honest opinion, IF the change WERE to be reverted, I would still argue that Orc would remain the dominant choice for Horde Warriors due to Stun Resist / Rogue Teams, Blood Fury being able to drop 5 stack wound poison, and the sheer AP bonus from the on-use ability as well.
I think this change to a rather “static” element of TBC is not wise… especially in the “hidden nerf” fashion it was done, before talking to the community / beta testers.
In my opinion, if hitting other Taurens through the pillar is the issue, then the pillars mechanics need to be adjusted for that specific situation… without nerfing the entire hitbox of the Race. If the change is NOT revoked… I am in firm belief that the option for race change needs to be given to Taurens.
Edit:
After reading a bunch of the responses I’m a bit taken back… Some I feel are deciding to read between the lines… and others I can’t help but feel are attacking the post because of who I am // who posted it.
Let me make something clear; If this change is NOT reverted I am OK with that. I just think there needs to be consistency, i.e. nerf it both in and out of Arena.
But some of these comments “OMG IT WAS SO BROKEN IT NEEDED TO BE FIXXED!!!” Who are we kidding here? Do you guys even know how much stuff is broken in Classic / TBC but will remain?
I already have a level 60 Gnome Warrior ready to go for TBC Arena… I’m making this post for other Tauren Warriors / Hunters as well. It’s not the end of the world… but something that SHOULD be discussed.
