Rage normalization in Cataclysm
Straight from the mouth of Bornakk this morning comes some critical news for warriors and druids concerning the rage mechanic in Cataclysm. The short summary: rage is going to be normalized, each auto-attack will give a set amount of rage. This will solve rage starvation at lower levels and make rage an interesting mechanic at the higher tiers of raiding.
Some of the major points:
Rage [will be] no longer generated based on damage done by auto-attacks. Instead, each auto-attack provides a set amount of Rage, and off-hand weapons will generate 50% of the Rage main hands do.
If the attack is a critical strike, it will generate 200% Rage. Haste will accelerate swing times to generate Rage faster.
Rage from damage taken will no longer be based on a standard creature of the character's level, but instead will based on the health of the warrior or druid.
All "on next swing" attacks in Cataclysm are being removed. Heroic Strike and Maul will be instant swings that cost a variable amount of Rage.
Personally, I find the removal of the "on next swing" attacks to be a major change that is long overdue. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, especially given the years of theory-crafting and playing style that has been devoted to rage management. It's all going to change when Cataclysm comes out.
The full statement after the break.
This post is currently being edited.
To resolve these issues, Rage will be normalized in Cataclysm. This will make the Rage gained by characters more consistent and avoid drastic differences between low-end and high-end gear.
The concept of normalized Rage may leave a negative impression on some veteran players, as we tried it once before in The Burning Crusade and it wasn't successful, resulting in them feeling weakened. However, we think that the concept is still sound -- it was just that the previous implementation didn't balance the values correctly, leading to players being Rage-starved. That is not the goal. As part of the change, we want to give warriors and druids a lot of ways to control their rage, so even in the worst-case scenarios they won't feel like they lack the resource to do their job.
Here are some of the ways the Rage mechanic will change in Cataclysm:
We understand this change may be scary for many players, but keep in mind that the constants in the formulas for gaining Rage will give us the ability to make quick adjustments if we feel Rage generation is too low. Our goal is for each character's Rage to not be always high or always low, but rather a resource that needs to be managed properly by the player.
Warriors/druids in the lowest levels of gear can be Rage-starved.
Warriors/druids in the highest levels of gear no longer have to manage their Rage when it becomes infinite.
Warrior/druid tanks lose Rage income as they improve their gear and take less damage.
The gameplay of warrior and druid tanks loses a lot of depth when massive boss hits means never having to manage Rage.
Heroic Strike and Maul are effective, but tedious abilities for using up extra Rage.
In general, warriors and druids don't have enough control over their Rage.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From Goblins and Worgens to Mastery and Guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.
