I’m off with the Cheerleader to head down to ICON to run some WHU panels.
I should point out that while we’ve gotten several requests to post the video or audio of the panels, we will not have recording equipment on had. So while I can post a recap, there’s be no recordings.
The panel I think will be the most fun is the Science of Broken, in which we apply science to the question of which class is the most broken. We’ll be using BMEA, or Broken Modes and Effects Analysis, to determine which is the most broken class in WoW — and for this panel all you guys can help!
How BMEA Works
For each class we identify potentially broken abilities. Each ability is evaluated by its Effectiveness, Duration, and Frequency of Use. We assign a value of 1 (low) to 10 (high) for each category. The categories are then multiplied to get the BMEA value for that ability. All of the BMEA ability values are added to get the total BMEA value for the class.
For example, if we were to gague the broken value of Aimed Shot, for example, we might give it a an Effectiveness score of 7 — it doesn’t do great damage, but it’s brutal for the healing reduction in pvp. It might get a Duration score of 4 for 10 seconds, and a Frequency score of 4 for it’s 10 second cooldown. The total BMEA of Aimed Shot would then be 7*4*4 = 112. Naturally these are just sample numbers off the top of my head – the point of the panel is to have good discussion to determine what the values should be!
We will be looking at abilities from both a pvp and a pve viewpoint – whichever is stronger. The idea is to find the most broken class across the board, not just for one playstyle.
So help us out by suggesting abilities of classes that you think contribute to their brokenness! (Note: please use the correct name for the ability, and the class that uses it).
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Member
I would like to suggest Bestial Wrath, the mechanics of the hunter relying on a pet for a good portion of their dps is bad. But we have two great alternative specs for Dps and BM is arguably the best “leveling/soloing” spec. So as much as I would love to see Beast Mastery rise to the level of MM and SV. I think time would be better spent on talking about other classes.
I will be back if I can think of big issues I have with my other toons.
I think Backstab (rogue) is a bit useless atm.
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=48657
Although I get the point, shouldn´t it be 7*4*4 example? =D
I can’t help. I haven’t looked at another class since before WOTLK and I haven’t really been in BG’s. I remember when I quit wow when WOTLK came out Ret Pallies and DK’s decimated everything in lvl 70 BG’s. My poor mage didn’t stand a chance.
A side note. Took a spin through Warsong Gulch today as I was bored. 2nd most damage in the BG in my PVE gear (as I don’t have any PvP gear) I love MM!
Seee you soon Frost!
Member
Ok thought of something, I have a holy priest, there is a lot I didn’t like about the Spirit of Redemption/Lightwell talents.
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=20711
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=48087
I didn’t take them after a while because no one would use Lightwell if I put it down and if I die and Spirit of Redemption pops things are going bad (SoR never saved a raid I was healing). Priests are pretty squishy, unless you are Disc, but then you have issues with raid healing sometimes, but holy is almost not worth it. Most RL I have run into just want Druid/shaman/pallies for heals since they can take a bit more of a beating.
I also don’t like the last Balance talent for Druids. Starfail (http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=53201)
As a raiding moonkin I never took the talent/spell because it was more of a liability. In some cases while soloing or on some AoE pulls it is amazing for dps, but over all I found it wanting. I am open to criticism on that though, Moonkin is a great raiding spec and a lot of fun, so if any moonkins want to correct me on Starfall, please do.
Thanks! Forgive the wall of text.
Member
Meh that’s easy, hunters are still pretty broken
. Let me illustrate it with a simple question, how many times do you use fire traps for PvE or PvP? (Explosive Trap, Immolation Trap). How well is the hunter bubble compared to the paladin counterpart? (Deterrence).
Let’s quickly analyse this:
Explosive trap and Immolation trap:
Effectiveness 1-2 (insufficient damage to be applied in PvP or PvE)
Duration 10 (spamable)
Frequency 10 (spamable)
Deterrence:
Effectiveness 5-6 (Does not work against hunters and some stuns, cannot attack meanwhile)
Duration 1 (lasts five seconds)
Frequency 2 (cooldown on 2 minutes, compared to Divine Shield)
Divine Shield:
Effectiveness 10 (Immune to anything, and can deal damage)
Duration 8 (lasts for a smashing 12 seconds)
Frequency 4 (cooldown on 5 minutes)
In general the hunter has a lot of spells, which are alike the spells of other classes. However they are just less effective!
Anyway I look forward to a more scientific approach, since as you can see I am blurred by the sight of being hunter and getting raped in PvP by many other classes!
, but in PvE I love seeing those retardins lacking behind! 
Admin
OMG! Bella has internets in her car! This will be the best road trip ever
So any suggestions on nasty abilities of other classes?
Off the top of my head I’d say warrior Titan’s Grips, warrior whirlwind, pally bubble, pally holy damage, every stun of every class that they can dps through, lock fears that they can dps through, druid shapechanging, rogue vanish, rogue and druid sprint, death knight’s death grip and slow, DK’s anti magic bubble, DK damage reduction cooldowns, rogue/hunter/warrior mortal strikes, lock’s chaos bolt, priest mass dispell. And I’m sure there’s tons more.
I find stuff like this interesting. I want to understand it better.
All of your base data will be subjective. How are going to get a big enough sample size so that you have can have a confidence level that will provide statistically meaningful data. My guess is that you will need thousands of responses from every class. Maybe even many more since in WOW emotions are a major factor in people opinions.
I don’t have any degrees in a science related field. I have an advanced degree in Investment Management which requires a intermediate understanding of statistics – which is enough to come up with possibly stupid questions like this. I am seeking to undestand the greatness that is frost.
Member
innervate and rebirth (brez) from druids as no other classes can cast a large mana regain or brez
Although shammy’s little resurrect thing (I can’t recall the name, but it uses an ankh as a reagent I believe) to come back to life could be looked at too. Very useful for lvling and comes in handy as a self-brez in raids.
Member
innervate and rebirth (brez) from druids as no other classes can cast a large mana regain on others or brez
Although shammy’s little resurrect thing (I can’t recall the name, but it uses an ankh as a reagent I believe) to come back to life could be looked at too. Very useful for lvling and comes in handy as a self-brez in raids.
Druids are the number one contender overall in my mind. No other class can fufill every role in WoW. Tank, melee dps, range dps and heals.
This brings me to question I asked myself several weeks back. Were Shaman’s ever tanks. They wear mail armour>druids, can equip sheilds; and have some form of damage mitigation from totems.
shaman were tanks for a very brief moment very long ago, during late closed beta. When taunt was changed to resemble what it is today, many people did not like how warrior’s tanked and found it difficult/cumbersome/suboptimal. I know of guilds that would go through scholo (end-game at the time) with a shaman tanking a primary target and a warrior off tanking some other stuff. This was before scholo was a 5 man only instance.
Very quickly people learned how to tank with a warrior post taunt change, though.
Member
I think that the fire type traps are very broken, their only use is for proc’ing lock and load.
both have relatively insignificant damage and no extra effects (snakes slow cast speed/ run speed, frost slows, freeze well freezes)
They never seemed to have much use in pve, you don’t need equations to know that having to run to the boss and planting a trap and then running away will decrease your dps.
When entrapment applied to the fire type traps they had some use in pvp, for their trapping effect. But after it was nerfed they lost that use.
My point is they only have one real use, and thats for proc’ing lock and load.
Fire traps don’t even make my action bars; I’ve never really found a good use for them. :/
As far as ‘broken’ goes, our guild’s resident lock swears up and down his class is broken beyond belief, but since I’ve only played a lock in lower levels (and used him mostly for pvp) I can’t really weigh in on that; maybe someone else who’s familiar with the class can offer a yay or nay?
Admin
Alas I have no science to report. At the panel the audience unanimously wanted to see other in-game stuff, so we talked about dps meters, target dummies, and went to MC early where crazy fun shenanigans were had.
Looks like the science of broken will have to wait until next time!
Fire Traps for me also do piddly damage – I will often prefer Explosive Trap just for the burst effect.
I wouldn’t however write them off entirely for PvP: I like dropping one in the doorways in WSG and then watching them – if they mysteriously fold up instead of fading out, and there’s still time on the cooldown, then that tells me there’s a rogue sneaking in.
I’ve also discovered that while Deterrence says “while active cannot attack” I can however lay traps, and I can even cast Scare Beast.
One ability I don’t like though is Kill Shot – in raids, I might get off two or maybe three if lucky at the end of the boss fight. In PvP, the big damage just turns out to be overkill and wasted.