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World of Warcraft : Mastery System Preview
Posted Mar 10, 2010 by Michael Bitton
Blizzard Blue poster Eyonix offers up a preview of the upcoming Mastery System that is set to debut with the launch of World of Warcraft's third expansion, Cataclysm, later this year.
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Eyonix on the Mastery System:
Last week, we gave you an early look at the changes we’re making to the stat system in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and explained how these changes will ultimately provide players with more interesting gear choices and make stats easier to understand. Today we’d like to go into more detail about a brand-new feature that’s an integral part of this overhaul: the Mastery system, a set of new game mechanics designed to allow players to become better at what makes their chosen talent tree cool or unique. With this system, we want to accomplish three things: give players more freedom in how they allocate talent points, simplify some of the “kitchen sinky” talents that try to do too much at once, and add a new stat to high-level gear that makes you better at your chosen role.
Here’s how the system works: As you spend points in a given talent tree, you’ll receive three different passive bonuses specific to that tree. The first bonus will increase your damage, healing, or survivability, depending on the intended role of the tree. The second bonus will be related to a stat commonly found on gear desirable to you, such as Haste or Crit. The third bonus will be the most interesting, as it will provide an effect completely unique to that tree -- meaning there will be 30 different bonuses of this nature in the game. This third bonus is the one that will benefit from the Mastery rating found on high-level (level 80 to 85) gear.
One of our primary goals with Mastery is to give players more flexibility to choose fun or utility-oriented talents rather than make them feel obligated to pick up “mandatory” but uninteresting talents, such as passive damage or healing. (For examples of the kinds of powerful but boring talents we’re talking about, take a look at the talent tier just above the 51-point talent in many of the existing trees.) In a sense, Mastery makes it so every talent in (just for example) a rogue tree essentially has an invisible additional bullet point that says “…and increases your damage by X%.” This way, if you choose a talent like Master of Deception (which reduces your chance to be detected while stealthed) or Fleet Footed (which affects movement), you won’t feel like you’re giving up damage in exchange for utility.
Read the full preview here.
I am surprised nothing has come forth to challenge Wow. It is definitely showing it's age and I don't see anything that Cataclysm is adding that changes the game much at all.
Guess I just can't get excited about this game anymore. It just has not evolved at all.
I must disagree, the game did evolve, alot in fact. The WoW we play nowadays is completely different from the one I started playing 5 years ago.
So, the fact is that people may not agree in the direction its evolution took, but it did evolve.
Even being a big fan of this IP I must say that I dont see much difference in the game coming in this next expansion other than aesthetic changes in zones etc. The game mechanics and goal are reaching its limit, and even blizzard admitted it on their anual report, the game can become obsolete in the next few months/year.
The market is in desperate need of quality contestants, but unfortunately there are little companies working with the rule of "release only when its done" and they all work on a basis of fast release to maximize profit sooner, and this led us to the actual state of the market. Half finished games, some wth great IP's, that could have been so much much more...
Question from a non-WoW player (AC & UO were to much fun to give up, and when I did DDO followed by LoTRO.. Damn you Turbine): I have always heard that WoW was very gear based and it seems to me that this further validates that point. It says in the article that it gives 3 bonuses, with the last one being based on your high-end gear. Does it mean gear that you wear when 80 or is that actually a gear level number? If not do you get the gear with a Mastery stat from raids?
Sorry for the questions, just trying to fully understand how this system works. Curious from a MMO gamer stand point.
Not that excited about this. I left the game for the 4th or 5th time a couple months ago and for the first time I have no desire to go back.
Basically they are making it so you dont have to buy many passive talents and instead you get a mastery stat that is unique to each class/build. I put this article up long before MMORPG.com put this, its in the WoW section of the forums. I see Blizz as trying to make it so that there is multiple ways of playing any given class but the DPS/healer/tanking is all equal in the end. This is because right now (as a Fury Spec'd Warrior) I have like 3-4 dominant skills that I used and others are only if I have extra rage(I get rage from dealing damage/taking damage and each skill costs rage) So it would now be just how you choose to get there that makes a character unique. To me this seems to make it slightly more skill based. Here is a example from the original article,
Holy Priest :
For each talent point spent in the Holy tree, the priest also gets:
Healing – Improves your healing by X%.
Meditation – Improves your mana regeneration from Spirit in combat. This would likely replace the existing Meditation talent from the Discipline tree, which many Holy priests consider to be a “must-have.” Regeneration will also probably be determined by whether you are in or out of combat, and not the “five-second rule.
Radiance – Adds a heal-over-time effect to direct heals, such as Flash Heal. Mastery on gear would boost this bonus, and no other talent tree would grant it.
Thus for this instance of a build, say a priest has a set rate of .5% bonus to Flash Heal and s/he spends 50 points in Holy, it would then be a 25% bonus to Flash Heal and then based on how many mastery points(from lvl 80-85 gear) a player has a additonal bonus.
Really the mastery system just sounds like it will add passives to enhance the tree you go down to further form your toon into that tree and increase the number of "free" talent points that are left over from the cookie-cutter standard builds comprised of those "must-haves" mentioned.
So you will likely see more variance in builds, but the overall effect is the same. Each toon is specialized into one of three builds and it will become more pronounced.
Cat might bring me back to WoW. Have to wait and see.
Illanadan Blizzard is increasing level cap from 80 to 85. So level 80 to 85 gear in the article must mean that they add Mastery stat to all new gear added with the expansion, but they don't redo the old gear in the game to include the stat.
As a WoW player I understand the last effect as "the effect of your gear depends on what specialization you have chosen". If I've chosen to spec my priest to discipline (strong damage absorption spells) I get more damage absorption, if I've chosen to spec holy (strong healing spells) I get better at healing, etc. It eliminates the need to do diffirent armor sets for every talent specialization.
Basically they are making it so you dont have to buy many passive talents and instead you get a mastery stat that is unique to each class/build. I put this article up long before MMORPG.com put this, its in the WoW section of the forums. I see Blizz as trying to make it so that there is multiple ways of playing any given class but the DPS/healer/tanking is all equal in the end. This is because right now (as a Fury Spec'd Warrior) I have like 3-4 dominant skills that I used and others are only if I have extra rage(I get rage from dealing damage/taking damage and each skill costs rage) So it would now be just how you choose to get there that makes a character unique. To me this seems to make it slightly more skill based. Here is a example from the original article,
Holy Priest :
For each talent point spent in the Holy tree, the priest also gets:
Healing – Improves your healing by X%.
Meditation – Improves your mana regeneration from Spirit in combat. This would likely replace the existing Meditation talent from the Discipline tree, which many Holy priests consider to be a “must-have.” Regeneration will also probably be determined by whether you are in or out of combat, and not the “five-second rule.
Radiance – Adds a heal-over-time effect to direct heals, such as Flash Heal. Mastery on gear would boost this bonus, and no other talent tree would grant it.
Thus for this instance of a build, say a priest has a set rate of .5% bonus to Flash Heal and s/he spends 50 points in Holy, it would then be a 25% bonus to Flash Heal and then based on how many mastery points(from lvl 80-85 gear) a player has a additonal bonus.
Interesting! Thanks for the explanation!
Interesting! Thanks for the explanation!
Also as a special note, this system will be out before Cata is released.
Eyonix said, "Currently, we’re not planning to retrofit the Mastery stat onto current level-80 gear when we roll out the stat-system changes prior to Cataclysm’s release. However, Mastery will begin appearing on select quest and dungeon items. You will also gain a small amount of Mastery by wearing gear of your intended armor type (such as plate for paladins). For players with dual specs, when you change between your two chosen specs, the Mastery bonuses and the benefit you receive from the Mastery stat on gear will adjust automatically based on your new spec."
Sweet!
Sounds kinda interesting, could be good, could make the game more balanced, could even make all classes even more similar than they already are. or it could be a fancy way of dumbing down the game. I dunno how this one might turn out but i know i will not be subbing to find out ill wait and see what people say
Actually the concept behind the changes is to allow more freedom of choice to players and not force more "must have" choices. The mastery system itself is meant to replace all the passive benefits of old passive bonus talents.
New talents are intended to focus each point spent to give some meaningful change to your characters abilities instead of being filled with tons of passive bonuses.
If blizzard somehow succeeds in that, it will be really interesting to see the different paths people take, but personally I think they are changing to much [again] between expansions and it is going to be a balance nightmare. If the end result is that cookie cutter builds end up being something like 50ish similar points spent with 20ish points that differ from player to player I think that is a big improvement.
TLDR version: if people complain they don't have enough talent points to get all the good talents when the changes are released it will be a success.
Basically they are making it so you dont have to buy many passive talents and instead you get a mastery stat that is unique to each class/build. I put this article up long before MMORPG.com put this, its in the WoW section of the forums. I see Blizz as trying to make it so that there is multiple ways of playing any given class but the DPS/healer/tanking is all equal in the end. This is because right now (as a Fury Spec'd Warrior) I have like 3-4 dominant skills that I used and others are only if I have extra rage(I get rage from dealing damage/taking damage and each skill costs rage) So it would now be just how you choose to get there that makes a character unique. To me this seems to make it slightly more skill based. Here is a example from the original article,
Holy Priest :
For each talent point spent in the Holy tree, the priest also gets:
Healing – Improves your healing by X%.
Meditation – Improves your mana regeneration from Spirit in combat. This would likely replace the existing Meditation talent from the Discipline tree, which many Holy priests consider to be a “must-have.” Regeneration will also probably be determined by whether you are in or out of combat, and not the “five-second rule.
Radiance – Adds a heal-over-time effect to direct heals, such as Flash Heal. Mastery on gear would boost this bonus, and no other talent tree would grant it.
Thus for this instance of a build, say a priest has a set rate of .5% bonus to Flash Heal and s/he spends 50 points in Holy, it would then be a 25% bonus to Flash Heal and then based on how many mastery points(from lvl 80-85 gear) a player has a additonal bonus.
*raises eyebrow* Interesting
Note: with Blizzard you always have to look at the other supporting systems around a new mechanism.
Together with the Astery system they also introduce the reforging system on armour.
Meaning you can change stats on weapons and armour yourself. Turn + X Stamina stat into +X Intellect for example.
Together with the above Mastery system it simply means you won't get the "ideal" class/gear/talent settings ever for any boss or situation.
Sorry to disagree with you, but I think the theoreticians and mathematicians will be all over the Mastery system the moment it is rolled out. By the end of the first week, ideal cookie cutter specs will likely be posted on various class forums. This hasn't changed from the vanilla days and happens with every expansion.
There seems to be a lot of speculation about the new system even though the Blues have repeatedly said they are revamping all the talents and trees and only giving out a little bit of info. About the only expectation I have right now is that things will change.
Sorry to disagree with you, but I think the theoreticians and mathematicians will be all over the Mastery system the moment it is rolled out. By the end of the first week, ideal cookie cutter specs will likely be posted on various class forums. This hasn't changed from the vanilla days and happens with every expansion.
There seems to be a lot of speculation about the new system even though the Blues have repeatedly said they are revamping all the talents and trees and only giving out a little bit of info. About the only expectation I have right now is that things will change.
Ideal, not required. It sounds like, with this system, you don't have to have the ideal spec. You can get by with .6% less damage or healing. I know, I know, the pinnacle of the hardcore will not accept a massive discrepancy like .6% DPS, but 98% of the WoW population will.
Of course, we're not 100% sure how it'll turn out. I'm just trying to say that, you're right, there will always be theorycrafters out there who solve the variables for optimum performance. But it sounds like their power will be greatly reduced, which is a good thing in my opinion. I didn't even know about the reforging system, only the stat streamlining and this Mastery system.
Very interesting stuff. I can't wait for the new expansion.
Honestly, as a WoW player for three years, I found it tiresome that they are constantly messing with the skill trees. It's one of the main reasons I left.
I really don't know if the Mastery system will spur enough interested to bring ex-WoW players back into the game, or, keep the game interesting for people to want to stay in the game.
I must disagree, the game did evolve, alot in fact. The WoW we play nowadays is completely different from the one I started playing 5 years ago.
So, the fact is that people may not agree in the direction its evolution took, but it did evolve.
Even being a big fan of this IP I must say that I dont see much difference in the game coming in this next expansion other than aesthetic changes in zones etc. The game mechanics and goal are reaching its limit, and even blizzard admitted it on their anual report, the game can become obsolete in the next few months/year.
The market is in desperate need of quality contestants, but unfortunately there are little companies working with the rule of "release only when its done" and they all work on a basis of fast release to maximize profit sooner, and this led us to the actual state of the market. Half finished games, some wth great IP's, that could have been so much much more...
Nonsense. It is basically the same game they initially came out with. Sure they have made minor changes, but it is still all about gear and raids to get it.
There is going to be some drastic changes in the way gear and stats are done from the way we know them now. I am sure there are going to be some good things coming from it; at the same time I am positive we are going to find some big drawbacks that weren't thought of.
You hybrids are probably going to suffer a great deal in the beginning. I remember reading something about it being more favorable to wear the gear (leather, plate, chain, etc) that your class is supposed to wear opposed to using cloth or whatever lesser because of the stats. I thought then ouch! Simply because hybrids can be a bit overlooked at times. If you are going to ignore the hybrids then why did you create them?
Just like the DK. It is supposed to be a Hero Class. People complained it was OP so they hit it with the nerf bat and pretty much made it a class no one wanted in the group or raid. Of course starting out at a lvl 55 brought out way too many DK's and many that have no clue how to play the class. Then they tried to fix the over nerf and helped the class a bit but it is still not a class I think of as a Hero Class. The truth is it is another Hybrid Class that they just don't know what they were doing with or for. Yes they can pretty much tank in any tree spec but frost really offers more for benefits to tanking as far as hp, but for the agro the dmg in some of the other specs is much better. The truth is though they are hard to heal because they can't get the HP a Pally, Warrior, or Druid can. They have a hard time holding argo if they have heavy hitters in the group, runic power is slow to restore even spec'd for it and other drawbacks. Those are the main things. When I tanked on my Dk before the nerf on a single target I did ok holding agro ( I am horrible on OT but that is in part due to my vision , much better as MT because of that). In truth though I enjoyed tanking on my DK before the nerf bat. Now I rarely even play it. It is not a Hero Class and certainly isn't a tanking class per say.
So I keep listening and watching to see info on all these "great" changes that is supposed to help us all to see if they include the hybrids or if they make them struggle as always.
Kinda agree with that. I'm all for changes but it seems to happen to often and always drasticaly. Anyway this is not something that would make me come back. At this point i'm not even sure i'll ever go back to WOW, last time i played was a year ago. Even with the new expansion, i just dont feel the need to play this game anymore.
Not impressed with this system.
I would like to see a new class in every major expansion, but instead they give us a new race or two and relatively minor ways to improve stats of our existing classes. The latter requires a lot less balancing.
Where is my damn Demon Hunter?!
Why? So the game can become as horribly balanced as all the other MMOs that constantly added new classes without regard.
The core Demon Hunter abilities were already given to Warlocks. At this point a Demon Hunter in WoW would basically just be a melee Warlock. Whoo hoo.
The Mastery system by itself isnt supposed to be new and exciting. Its just meant to give you passive bonuses. Its meant to complement the talent tree revamp. Blizzard should have waited on the stat revamp preview and the Mastery preview until they had a talent tree to preview as well. Seeing all 3 components together and at one time would have been less confusing and more exciting.