taunting
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The Daily Grind: Should PvE crowd-control work in PvP?
One of my very biggest pet peeves about playing a Protection Warrior in World of Warcraft is the fact that taunt does not work in PvP. Some players argue that having platemail and a huge bar of health makes up for my losing a core class ability, but I say platemail and a huge bar of health is pretty useless when I can't force players to attack me. World of Warcraft is hardly the only game that nerfs core skills for PvP. Ultima Online, for example, offers music skills like Peacemaking and Provocation that can't be used on other players, rendering Bards ineffective Felucca-side. But it needn't be that way. Warhammer Online was a breath of fresh air; at launch, I ran around on my Ironbreaker, gleefully taunting other players and forcing their attention to me. Hit me, fools! Muahaha! Sure, I'd rather see more organic and tactical combat such that taunt as a mechanic isn't even necessary, and some players might say Guild Wars 2 does just that. But what about those games that can't just cut taunt from the skill roster? Do you think PvE crowd-controls like taunt should work in PvP? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Behind the Mask: Pointing fingers and assigning blame
When I posted about teaming roles last week, I really wasn't expecting the feedback you guys gave me. Some of you insisted that the holy trinity was dead, others told me that healers can do just fine if they only have heals, and still others told me that tanks are useless. Some of you also commented that Archetypes make decent tanks or that spread stats are a bad thing. I wish I had time to make a detailed rebuttal to all the comments, but information comes first! This week, we're going to talk about Champions Online's threat mechanics. Originally I was going to talk about tanks in general, but that is such a huge topic that we're just going to have to break it up into bite-sized chunks. I talked about threat mechanics a long time ago, but some things have changed. This is particularly relevant because the two adventure packs are on sale right now, and if you're a free member, you really owe it to yourself to pick them up. They're that awesome, and you can explore the game's more interesting team content for a tiny fraction of the price. When you try them out, you'll have this guide to tell you about how big team engagements work and why your Inventor faceplants every fight. You may even be able to stop it...
Drama Mamas: Dealing
Dodge the drama and become that player everyone wants in their group with the Drama Mamas. Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We're taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com.This week's drama includes a guild leader who needs to deal with her most negative guildie. We also have a PuG leader who needs to deal with a DPSer who taunts. Let's not deal with any more of this introduction.The Negative Guy Dear Drama Mamas: I am an older Guild Leader of a great guild. I have a recent guildie that is completely draining me. He is a complete 'Eeyore' . He came to my guild as a friend of my mom's from another server.
LotRO dev diary details Book 12 Guardian retooling
As promised, a new Lord of the Rings Online dev diary has surfaced giving excruciating detail on the changes to the Guardian class in the upcoming Book 12 content patch. The short version is: tanking is getting both buffs and nerfs; a new dps stance is being added along with new dps skills; and new utility abilities are coming.Let's take these one section at a time, shall we?TankingThe good news is the new defensive abilities the Guardians are getting. Shield Wall will allow the tank to take all the incoming damage targeted at another party member. And Fray The Edge is a new ranged single-target taunt that is stackable and has a chance of triggering a Fellowship Maneuver.The bad news is some current defensive skills are overpowered and are getting tweaked. Shield-taunt will no longer put the Guardian at the top of the threat list, but will add significantl threat. And the Deep Breath ability that allows Guardians to prematurely end the cooldown of many of their skills is getting it's cooldown significantly increased.There are some other tweaks, but the bottom line for Guardians in defensive mode is they are going to have to change their playstyle a bit. They have relied on some ability mechanics that are making their job too easy in some cases, especially in Raids.Before the wailing and sackcloth and ashes get going, remember two things: the devs are trying to balance the game to make it challenging and every game does class revamps. No one hates you. Well, except that Minstrel that kept dying in your pick up group, but aggro control is everyone's job, right?Read on for the really good news.
Reflections on Tseric
Tseric has left Blizzard. While we don't know officially why he is gone, we can make a pretty strong guess. We do know that he was under a huge amount of stress, and even at one point argued with a forum poster with what I consider to be completely eloquent language. The last time we see him on the forums was that very same day. In the last post he left on the forums, posters were mercilessly taunting him. His reply that Sunday morning was simple, short, and more than slightly bitter: I'm sure you all think you're hilarious in your own space/mind. Get off my internet. Kthx.
