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  Armor pen nerf in 3.2.2 |
09/04/09 06:24:06 PM
Patch 3.2.0a
Ghostcrawler
<Lead Systems Designer> |
The nerf to armor pen in 3.2.2 is
intentional. Compared to the recent buff where we increased the
value of armor rating to 125%, this nerf would take it back down to
110%. While we are still evaluating the effects of this change in
the 3.2.2 build, we did want to let you know of the possibility in
case you were about to spend a lot on armor pen gems.
In fact, this was really the point. Several melee specs (and
Marksman hunters) had begun to focus on armor pen at the expense of
all other stats. Gear without armor pen was being passed over and
gem sockets were increasingly being filled with just this one stat.
While every spec has stats that are more valuable than others, this
one felt like it was starting to trump everything. Not
coincidentally, characters stacking lots of armor pen were starting
to do more damage than their peers and more damage than we were
comfortable with.
This change is largely for PvE reasons, though we won't cry at all
if melee damage in PvP drops a little as a result.
We're letting you know now so that this doesn't feel like a stealth
nerf, assuming it goes live. While you might disagree or be
frustrated by the change (though I also suspect it won't come as a
surprise to many players), we ask that you try and keep your
response to something appropriate for these forums.
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09/04/09 09:07:34 PM
Patch 3.2.0a
Ghostcrawler
<Lead Systems Designer> |
There is rarely an ideal time to
announce a nerf. In the case of e.g. the Prot paladin healing nerf,
we had already decided we were going to fix it and how we were
going to fix it so we announced it relatively early. The armor pen
decision included more debate. I am sorry if the timing was bad for
any of you personally, but we certainly can't promise that future
nerfs or buffs won't necessitate gear changes.
I wouldn't focus too much on the issue of using too many of the
same kind of gem. There are plenty of situations where that has
been the case since BC (though it's not ideal in a perfect world).
Rather the case was that classes that had been using Agi or Str or
whatever were now switching almost exclusively to armor pen and
being greatly rewarded for it. Gear without armor pen was being
passed over. Specs that benefited a lot from armor pen were
outstripping specs in the same class. As many other players have
concluded, it was just too good.
That said, we don't think it will be a trash stat if we make this
change. If you could beat plate-wearers in PvP before we don't
think that will suddenly flip overnight. We don't think you'll feel
the need to shard your items with armor pen.
We also think the change is good for both PvE and PvP. My earlier
comment was to try and discourage players from thinking their PvE
got nerfed for PvP reasons, though that absolutely happens
sometimes when we can't avoid it. Some players have been concerned
about the power of melee classes in Arenas. While this change alone
isn't likely to sway their opinions, chilling out melee damage in
PvP probably isn't a bad thing.
Yes, armor pen is gone in Cataclysm, at least as a rating on gear.
Until then we want it to be a good stat but not one that trumps
every other gear consideration.
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09/06/09 01:48:19 PM
Patch 3.2.0a
Ghostcrawler
<Lead Systems Designer> |
Q u o t e:
You're an idiot.
That's the last thing you'll be able to post. Hope it was worth
it.
Plenty of players are able to disagree with us while still
communicating like adults. If that's not something you can manage,
these probably aren't the forums for you.
[Not tracked]
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09/06/09 01:57:18 PM
Patch 3.2.0a
Ghostcrawler
<Lead Systems Designer> |
Q u o t e:
GC: stop messing with us. While making your "exciting" changes to
this game, you've managed to frustrate many with all your tweaks,
requiring re-gemming and re-gearing to stay competitive.
There are two basic strategies for balancing the game. One is that
we just let things go until major content patches (or even
expansions). The other is we step in and make adjustments when we
feel it's appropriate. We tried the first way for a long time, but
it was fairly frustrating for classes who were behind or had other
issues knowing that they would be that way for months or longer.
We've been trying the other way more lately -- making pretty rapid
adjustments, though not always as rapid as some players would like.
However there is a consequence that sometimes you'll get nerfed
even as other classes get buffed, or you'll have to rethink your
gear when some stat becomes better than something else. It's a
two-way street. Now, we don't want it to feel like a roller coaster
or feel arbitrary in any way. But we also don't want broken things
to just endure, and everyone here would agree there is more we can
fix.
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09/06/09 02:13:20 PM
Patch 3.2.0a
Ghostcrawler
<Lead Systems Designer> |
We're not trying to prevent having a
"best stat for me." To some extent, that's unavoidable. But if the
best stat isn't far above the second best stat, then gearing is a
decision beyond just "take the thing with the best stat." While
there may still be a best in slot item, those are rarely trivial to
obtain and in the meantime you might have to actually consider the
drops you do get.
Some of you are saying you'll never touch armor pen again, which I
find questionable, but we'll see. Some of you are saying you'll
stack it even more to get as close to the cap as you can. But there
is a point at which you are giving up too many other stats just to
benefit from armor pen. Not many people really wanted it when it
was at the original LK value (we'll call that 100%) so there has to
be a sweet spot between that and the 3.2 value of 125%.
One valid point many players have mentioned is that stats that cap,
say hit, just keep getting a more and more generous allotment of
rating on higher gear even though players don't necessarily need
more as they face tougher foes. That is a design flaw with the
system, though not necessarily an easy one to fix with these kinds
of number tweaks.
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