Gnorly
10-24-2007, 11:43
Melee classes have a tremendous advantage over spellcasters. This advantage is built in to the design of this game on numerous levels.
Pushback
Melee classes can slow spellcasting automatically by simply using any of their abilities. This is called "spell pushback." The equivalent ability for a spellcaster would be for their spells to automatically slow melee attack speed.
There is no such spellcaster ability in World of Warcraft.
Interrupts
All melee classes have a designated spell interrupt ability. Rogues have kick. Warriors have both shield bash and pummel. Hunters have scatter shot and silencing shot. Almost all of these abilities, in addition to interrupting the casting of a spell, can lock out not only that spell, but that entire category of spells for a certain amount of time. The equivalent ability would be for spellcasters to be able to disarm melee classes, including the ability to disarm a hunter's ranged weapon.
No spellcaster in World of Warcraft has the ability to disarm a melee class.
Stuns
All melee classes, in addition to spell pushback and spell interrupts, have the ability to stun. Warriors have charge and intercept, rogues have kidney shot and gouge, paladins have hammer of justice and repentance. Hunters have intimidation, scatter shot and freezing trap. Both warriors and rogues have talents which enhance their abilities with passive stuns, and there are several weapons which have passive stun abilities as well. This acts as an entire second level of spell interrupts, meaning that if a melee class finds that their primary spell interrupt is unavailable, they can simply stun the spellcaster, re-interrupting whatever spell is being cast.
While spellcasters do have the limited ability to break stuns, that ability is on a long cooldown and does nothing to mitigate interrupted spells.
The spellcaster equivalent to stuns is fear and polymorph. These abilities prevent melee classes from using their combat abilties for a certain amount of time. Polymorph and fear are both broken by damage, while stuns are not. Like stuns, polymorph and fear are both broken by the pvp trinket. In addition, all melee classes have either complete or practical immunity to fear from abilities or talents.
With the exception of the mage blink ability which does nothing to mitigate interrupted spells, spellcasting classes have only passive, extraordinarily limited defenses against stuns.
No spellcasting class has a passive, talent-based enhancement to their fear or polymorph abilities.
It is clear from this comparison that melee classes possess a titanic advantage in pvp combat already. But the spellcaster disadvantages do not stop there.
Spellcasting Limitations
Spellcasters are required to face their targets in pvp combat from the moment they begin casting through the entire duration of that spell's casting time. Melee classes wishing to avoid the damage need only move out of the caster's line of sight and the spell fails. Although it is true that moving out of a melee class' "line of sight" will prevent them from landing their next attack, since all melee attacks are instant, it does not "interrupt" their high damage abilities. They simply produce error messages and remain instantly available until their target is back in their line of sight.
A melee class can silence a spellcaster indefinitely by simply running in circles. There is no spellcaster equivalent mechanic in World of Warcraft.
Spellcasters are required to remain stationary in pvp combat from the moment they begin casting through the entire duration of that spell's casting time. Melee classes, on the other hand, can not only move while they use all of their abilities, including their high damage abilities, but they can also increase their movement speeds with no penalty. They can jump, flip, sprint, run in circles, or do whatever they wish while maintaining their full, unaffected melee damage and access to every single one of their high-level abilities. In fact, because of the auto-attack mechanics built in to the game, melee classes can perform intricate manuevers of unlimited duration while attacking and doing damage automatically and simultaneously having access to all of their abilities.
The spellcaster equivalent of these are damage over time spells which are an effective counter to the ability of melee classes to manuever during combat. The difference is that damage over time spells have no effect on a melee class' attacks the way melee attacks increase casting time through pushback. Damage over time spells are also of limited duration.
Spellcasters have a finite number of spells they can cast before they exhaust their mana. Melee classes can engage in combat of unlimited duration with access to most, if not all of their high-damage abilities on demand.
All melee abilities are instant. All high-damage spells have cast times by default. All worthwhile healing spells have lengthy cast times which serve no purpose other than to trigger the lockout of that category of spells.
Other disadvantages
Eight classes in World of Warcraft can silence. Only two can disarm.
Three classes and one race in World of Warcraft can drain mana. No class can drain rage or energy.
Warriors can reflect spells at full power. No class can reflect melee attacks at full power.
Rogues can neutralize thousands of mana points worth of spells instantly. No spellcasting class can neutralize the effects of rage or energy instantly.
All melee classes have abilities which allow them to escape both snares and roots, whatever their source. Although priests can dispel magic and mages can ice block and blink, spellcasting classes have no way to neutralize melee-based snares or roots the way melee classes can neutralize spell-based snares and roots.
Melee classes have an unfair advantage in World of Warcraft pvp. Spellcasters should be equal to melee classes.
Pushback
Melee classes can slow spellcasting automatically by simply using any of their abilities. This is called "spell pushback." The equivalent ability for a spellcaster would be for their spells to automatically slow melee attack speed.
There is no such spellcaster ability in World of Warcraft.
Interrupts
All melee classes have a designated spell interrupt ability. Rogues have kick. Warriors have both shield bash and pummel. Hunters have scatter shot and silencing shot. Almost all of these abilities, in addition to interrupting the casting of a spell, can lock out not only that spell, but that entire category of spells for a certain amount of time. The equivalent ability would be for spellcasters to be able to disarm melee classes, including the ability to disarm a hunter's ranged weapon.
No spellcaster in World of Warcraft has the ability to disarm a melee class.
Stuns
All melee classes, in addition to spell pushback and spell interrupts, have the ability to stun. Warriors have charge and intercept, rogues have kidney shot and gouge, paladins have hammer of justice and repentance. Hunters have intimidation, scatter shot and freezing trap. Both warriors and rogues have talents which enhance their abilities with passive stuns, and there are several weapons which have passive stun abilities as well. This acts as an entire second level of spell interrupts, meaning that if a melee class finds that their primary spell interrupt is unavailable, they can simply stun the spellcaster, re-interrupting whatever spell is being cast.
While spellcasters do have the limited ability to break stuns, that ability is on a long cooldown and does nothing to mitigate interrupted spells.
The spellcaster equivalent to stuns is fear and polymorph. These abilities prevent melee classes from using their combat abilties for a certain amount of time. Polymorph and fear are both broken by damage, while stuns are not. Like stuns, polymorph and fear are both broken by the pvp trinket. In addition, all melee classes have either complete or practical immunity to fear from abilities or talents.
With the exception of the mage blink ability which does nothing to mitigate interrupted spells, spellcasting classes have only passive, extraordinarily limited defenses against stuns.
No spellcasting class has a passive, talent-based enhancement to their fear or polymorph abilities.
It is clear from this comparison that melee classes possess a titanic advantage in pvp combat already. But the spellcaster disadvantages do not stop there.
Spellcasting Limitations
Spellcasters are required to face their targets in pvp combat from the moment they begin casting through the entire duration of that spell's casting time. Melee classes wishing to avoid the damage need only move out of the caster's line of sight and the spell fails. Although it is true that moving out of a melee class' "line of sight" will prevent them from landing their next attack, since all melee attacks are instant, it does not "interrupt" their high damage abilities. They simply produce error messages and remain instantly available until their target is back in their line of sight.
A melee class can silence a spellcaster indefinitely by simply running in circles. There is no spellcaster equivalent mechanic in World of Warcraft.
Spellcasters are required to remain stationary in pvp combat from the moment they begin casting through the entire duration of that spell's casting time. Melee classes, on the other hand, can not only move while they use all of their abilities, including their high damage abilities, but they can also increase their movement speeds with no penalty. They can jump, flip, sprint, run in circles, or do whatever they wish while maintaining their full, unaffected melee damage and access to every single one of their high-level abilities. In fact, because of the auto-attack mechanics built in to the game, melee classes can perform intricate manuevers of unlimited duration while attacking and doing damage automatically and simultaneously having access to all of their abilities.
The spellcaster equivalent of these are damage over time spells which are an effective counter to the ability of melee classes to manuever during combat. The difference is that damage over time spells have no effect on a melee class' attacks the way melee attacks increase casting time through pushback. Damage over time spells are also of limited duration.
Spellcasters have a finite number of spells they can cast before they exhaust their mana. Melee classes can engage in combat of unlimited duration with access to most, if not all of their high-damage abilities on demand.
All melee abilities are instant. All high-damage spells have cast times by default. All worthwhile healing spells have lengthy cast times which serve no purpose other than to trigger the lockout of that category of spells.
Other disadvantages
Eight classes in World of Warcraft can silence. Only two can disarm.
Three classes and one race in World of Warcraft can drain mana. No class can drain rage or energy.
Warriors can reflect spells at full power. No class can reflect melee attacks at full power.
Rogues can neutralize thousands of mana points worth of spells instantly. No spellcasting class can neutralize the effects of rage or energy instantly.
All melee classes have abilities which allow them to escape both snares and roots, whatever their source. Although priests can dispel magic and mages can ice block and blink, spellcasting classes have no way to neutralize melee-based snares or roots the way melee classes can neutralize spell-based snares and roots.
Melee classes have an unfair advantage in World of Warcraft pvp. Spellcasters should be equal to melee classes.