Warclaw Nerfs

[Guest]

It's pretty clear that ANet is completely regretting introducing a mount to WvW, right? I know this pleases a lot of people for whatever reason, but after today's changes Warclaw is basically the functional equivalent of a riding toy.

Here's the history as best I can recall: they lowered the speed globally, then removed the speed increase for allied territory - it's barely faster than swiftness and slower than any class with mobility skills. They reduced the number of dodges, the dodge distance, and the dismount leap. They reduced the health dramatically. It can't be stealthed or contest points. They added the dismount skill. Now they shrink the target cap and remove the ability to finish enemies. What does it do anymore? Serious question.

Some of those changes were obviously needed, but overall we're left with a small additional health pool that any gank class can easily break through that leaves you stunned and an easy target for them, along with inheriting all the condi they slapped on you, and that's if they miss the dismount skill. It offers almost no utility as a movement option for most classes. The chain pull is a joke - once people have the achievement there is literally no reason to use it over building even a paper ram. Sniff has a long cooldown and only limited utility (and often doesn't work). The ONLY strong use it had was the ability for a smaller fighting force to tactically mount stomp to overcome a bigger group.

Along with the siege changes and scourge buffs I really have no idea what ANet's vision for WvW is at this point. They just want the k-train omniblobs in full force able to bunker together invincible and take whatever they want if there's no opposing blob to fight them I guess?

[Mini Crinny.6190]

Going from spawn all the way to north camp shouldn't really be a 'freebie' like it was,

Siege damage should of been nerfed along with the major class balance back in Feb

Scourge buffs are yikes tho

[Counter Terrorist.7421]

Warclaw Mastery 4: This mastery no longer causes Superior Battle Maul to finish downed enemies. Instead it causes Superior Battle Maul to deal 20% bonus damage to downed enemies.That was only good thing warclaw introduced to WvW. Consider a revert on that change Anet. I doubt you see a player increase in the game mode so to speak. It's almost like you want all none zerglings away from the game mode.

[Kylden Ar.3724]

@"Kunzaito.8169" said:Here's the history as best I can recall: they lowered the speed globally, then removed the speed increase for allied territory - it's barely faster than swiftness and slower than any class with mobility skills. They reduced the number of dodges. They reduced the health dramatically. It can't be stealthed or contest points. They added the dismount skill. Now they shrink the target cap and remove the ability to finish enemies. What does it do anymore? Serious question.

Nothing. And 25% speed increase is more consistent and not making you a huge target. The barely faster than swiftness isn't really an advantage compared to the mobility of any class but Necro, which will only run in zergs with scourge changes anyway.

As for this last change, it should have been one or the other, not both.

@"Kunzaito.8169" said:Along with the siege changes and scourge buffs I really have no idea what ANet's vision for WvW is at this point. They just want the k-train omniblobs in full force able to bunker together invincible and take whatever they want if there's no opposing blob to fight them I guess?

They are turning the whole thing into EotM in the hopes we all leave and they can drop it in favor of more Living World and Gemstore.

[Luranni.9470]

Warclaw is just a really old and decrepit blobber bus now, that's it :P.

For posterity: Completion of Fatal Fangs with stomps is 1,060 :D.

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

Can we remove downstate now?

[Luranni.9470]

@Lan Deathrider.5910 said:Can we remove downstate now?

No. Nobody is allowed to stop the EOTM train.

[Excursion.9752]

Never liked the mount stomp. But I wish they made it a tad faster than it is now. A mount being out maneuvered and out paced by a person on foot is junk to me.

[XenesisII.1540]

Nothing for them to regret, it's an avenue for them to make money on skins.Most of the team don't play wvw so why would they give two kittens about how much you like it or not or how much it affects your game play.They made changes because of the complaining about it in here, now hopefully it shuts up the complainers and maybe buy a skin is all they care about.

[Solanum.6983]

I don't mind them removing the stomp finisher too much, I just wish they gave something in return like some speed.

[Jaykay.9641]

@"Kunzaito.8169" said:...What does it do anymore? Serious question...

I get the angst with all the nerfs. It's hard to imagine it actually does have benefits, but the biggest thing that the Warclaw does is open up a utility slot for something else that used to be used for movement speed increases. No real need for 25% movement increase signets (unless you like the active ability), "Retreat!" on Guardian, and so on.

The other small factors Warclaw provides are a small HP boost and an extra 2 dodges as you said in the OP.

While these seem small, they do play some role in WvW.

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

I don't get why they reduced the target cap...

How about we get that third dodge back huh? And the dodge distance?

[Guest]

@"Jaykay.9641" said:I get the angst with all the nerfs. It's hard to imagine it actually does have benefits, but the biggest thing that the Warclaw does is open up a utility slot for something else that used to be used for movement speed increases. No real need for 25% movement increase signets (unless you like the active ability), "Retreat!" on Guardian, and so on.

Does it do that, though? Most classes and builds have at least some access to swiftness and movement even in their base. They get movement speed buffs by any allied objective. They can use sentry drops for 15 seconds of swiftness. If they are with any other players they will probably get some swiftness from them. And at worse they can change a util for movement and then change it back when they get where they're going. This is a marginal-at-best benefit.

The other small factors Warclaw provides are a small HP boost and an extra 2 dodges as you said in the OP.

While these seem small, they do play some role in WvW.

Yeah, they do offer these small things. But that's my point is that they've walked back the mount to where it offers basically just a couple of novelty benefits. It's not at all on the same level of fun or utility to use as any of the other mounts, and that's really disappointing.

[Virdo.1540]

Now, we have no reason to even summon the Warclaw anymore.

Im happy with that. I can just run around on foot, like in 2015. =)

[JusticeRetroHunter.7684]

But that's how it should have been from the start. WvW mounts should have been cosmetic only, and not have mounts limited to just warclaws, but all sorts of mounts...just remove their functionalities, and we would have no issues with mounts interfering in player vs player games.

[Tom.5914]

Mount stomp was the best thing ever in wvw, this stupid downstate should be removed from pvp and wvw.

[subversiontwo.7501]

The only thing I've ever seen WvW players ask for in a mount (before the Warclaw) was for it to balance out the differences in swiftness access across the classes and make sure that trains didn't need to spam light fields or blast lightning fields when transporting around. I guess we have kind of reached that point now. I'm decently happy with it. It would still have been awesome to let people ride as passengers on your mount (so they can biobreak during transports etc.), and it would have been fun to see the mount as a Dolyak for themes and stuff. That's just icing though, but still an opportunity lost.

[kamikharzeeh.8016]

@"Kunzaito.8169" said:It's pretty clear that ANet is completely regretting introducing a mount to WvW, right? I know this pleases a lot of people for whatever reason, but after today's changes Warclaw is basically the functional equivalent of a riding toy.

this is also my problem. it's so hellish silly... what do they expect from us? applaud? for nothing but silly nerfs all across the bord? i forgot it yet, but didn't we even pay gold for the warclaw saddle or so? gold for a 100% COSMETIC thing? i has two dodges, but most chars can have better mobility unmounted. skill2 is rather bad, does only give vague info and u gotta [M] also pings not for very long. the rest? YEAH THERE IS NO REST.

i'm next level pissed.

[SWI.4127]

I think it's pretty obvious they introduced the mount so they could sell more skins, then threw in some random functionality without giving much thought into how it would affect the game mode.

[Metzie.3012]

---

Warclaw Mastery 4: This mastery no longer causes Superior Battle Maul to finish downed enemies. Instead it causes Superior Battle Maul to deal 20% bonus damage to downed enemies.

---

This skill was basically the only and unique selling point (besides the spear) of the "Warclaw", and a novelty in WvW that could really annoy opponents and players. And what does ANet do? They throw their own (original) thoughts, creativity and design as well as development overboard (and with it once again their credibility and conviction) to please a few whining players?

What comes next? Will the spear be removed or reworked to deal 20% more damage to players on mounts without throwing them off the mount? The mount is degenerating more and more into a useless WvW element that is only used for skin illustration.

Personally, I'm now more likely to walk around in WvW than sit on the chunky mount and think that I can't move forward.

Keep it up ANet, great Job!

[SWI.4127]

@"Metzie.3012" said:This skill was basically the only and unique selling point (besides the spear) of the "Warclaw", and a novelty in WvW that could really annoy opponents and players. And what does ANet do? They throw their own (original) thoughts, creativity and design as well as development overboard (and with it once again their credibility and conviction) to please a few whining players?

What comes next? Will the spear be removed or reworked to deal 20% more damage to players on mounts without throwing them off the mount? The mount is degenerating more and more into a useless WvW element that is only used for skin illustration.

Personally, I'm now more likely to walk around in WvW than sit on the chunky mount and think that I can't move forward.

Keep it up ANet, great Job!

Funny you mention the spear, because they only added that due to "a few whining players". If kept their "conviction and credibility" as you put it, then that dismount skill wouldn't even exist in the game. So nice contradictory post.

[Metzie.3012]

@SWI.4127 said:

@"Metzie.3012" said:This skill was basically the only and unique selling point (besides the spear) of the "Warclaw", and a novelty in WvW that could really annoy opponents and players. And what does ANet do? They throw their own (original) thoughts, creativity and design as well as development overboard (and with it once again their credibility and conviction) to please a few whining players?

What comes next? Will the spear be removed or reworked to deal 20% more damage to players on mounts without throwing them off the mount? The mount is degenerating more and more into a useless WvW element that is only used for skin illustration.

Personally, I'm now more likely to walk around in WvW than sit on the chunky mount and think that I can't move forward.

Keep it up ANet, great Job!

Funny you mention the spear, because they only added that due to "a few whining players". If kept their "conviction and credibility" as you put it, then that dismount skill wouldn't even exist in the game. So nice contradictory post.

There is not really anything contradictory in the post, especially since a way to drop players from the mount was required. And I doubt very much that there were only a few (who consider wvw to be what it is or should be) who asked for such a possibility. ;-)

[SexyMofo.8923]

Seriously, just stop developing video games.

[Svarty.8019]

@"Kunzaito.8169" said:It's pretty clear that ANet is completely regretting introducing a mount to WvW, right? I know this pleases a lot of people for whatever reason, but after today's changes Warclaw is basically the functional equivalent of a riding toy.

Warclaw: Toothless.

Gratz gankers, you got what you wanted. YET AGAIN!

I can't wait to see what this Twitch-Cult-of-Personality will group-whine about next.

[SWI.4127]

@Metzie.3012 said:

@SWI.4127 said:

@Metzie.3012 said:This skill was basically the only and unique selling point (besides the spear) of the "Warclaw", and a novelty in WvW that could really annoy opponents and players. And what does ANet do? They throw their own (original) thoughts, creativity and design as well as development overboard (and with it once again their credibility and conviction) to please a few whining players?

What comes next? Will the spear be removed or reworked to deal 20% more damage to players on mounts without throwing them off the mount? The mount is degenerating more and more into a useless WvW element that is only used for skin illustration.

Personally, I'm now more likely to walk around in WvW than sit on the chunky mount and think that I can't move forward.

Keep it up ANet, great Job!

Funny you mention the spear, because they only added that due to "a few whining players". If kept their "conviction and credibility" as you put it, then that dismount skill wouldn't even exist in the game. So nice contradictory post.

There is not really anything contradictory in the post, especially since a way to drop players from the mount was required. And I doubt very much that there were only a few (who consider wvw to be what it is or should be) who asked for such a possibility. ;-)

So is this mount stomp situation somehow different than just a few whining players? Or is the only difference that you personally don't like it?