Feral Druid players in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic have had a rollercoaster ride in the past few days. Blizzard made significant changes to the specialization, which quickly led to the need to nerf some aspects of the class. Last week, Blizzard aimed to curb the popular Feral Druid playstyle “bearweaving” by introducing specific changes to the class specialization.
The Bearweaving Playstyle
Bearweaving has been a popular playstyle since the original Wrath of the Lich King. However, Blizzard claimed that it increased the complexity of the class, far beyond its intent. Therefore, the company wanted to eliminate the meta playstyle. To rectify this, Blizzard decided to make Feral more powerful in PvE without the need to bearweave, while not affecting the specialization’s performance in PvP.
The Effect of the Changes
The changes did have the intended effect of smoothing out the specialization’s rotation, as well as improving DPS for average players without the need to shift in and out of bear form. However, in a new forum post, Blizzard wrote that it underestimated how strong of a buff the changes would be for top-level Feral players in PvE.
As a response to the buff, Blizzard changed the damage increase bonus from the class’s Naturalist talent from 10% to 5%. The change had the intended effect in PvE but negatively affected Feral performance in PvP.
The Reversal of the Naturalist Talent Change
The Naturalist talent change had caused fan outcry, and Blizzard eventually reverted it, leaving the Feral buffs that turned out to be stronger than expected in place. Blizzard confirms that it will no longer implement additional adjustments to Feral Druids.
Blizzard’s Historical Reluctance to Make Major Changes
Since WoW Classic launched in 2019, Blizzard has been hesitant to make significant changes to the old-school version. This reticence has been evident, especially when it comes to class balancing. However, in recent months, Blizzard seems to have become more comfortable with the idea of introducing changes. For example, the company introduced a whole new dungeon difficulty into Wrath of the Lich King Classic and implemented changes first to Retribution Paladins and now Feral Druids.
Acknowledgment of Mistakes and a Willingness to Improve
Blizzard admits that implementing modifications without fully taking into account all the possible impacts of the changes was a mistake. “Ultimately, our team are all humans, and we make mistakes, or may fail to consider all angles,” Blizzard writes. “It’s frustrating when these mistakes cause confusion or uncertainty, and frankly just isn’t very ‘Classic.’ We can do better.”
Going forward, Blizzard will test significant WoW Classic changes on the game’s public test realm. This will allow the company to “measure twice and cut once,” ensuring that any changes that come to WoW Classic are better communicated to players.
Conclusion
The past few days may have been a rollercoaster ride for Feral Druid players in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic. However, Blizzard’s willingness to acknowledge their mistake and implement changes to make Classic WoW better is a positive sign. Blizzard’s commitment to communicate with players transparently about any changes that come to WoW Classic is a step in the right direction.
