Blizzard Dropped Us The Bomb

Cataclysm is NOT Just a Clever Name
Early yesterday Blizzard announced upcoming changes to raiding in Cataclysm. Insolence over at Pwnwear.com posted a great thread with all of the requisite blue text, if you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours I highly recommend taking a look before reading further (link). I decided to finally weigh in after giving some careful consideration to the blue posts, clarifications and getting some perspective from other bloggers.

Now let’s get to the heart of this thing…

There’s a Thin Line Between Entertainment and War
First, there’s things I definitely like and wholeheartedly support: namely the change from the currently clunky Emblem mechanic to a points based system similar to what we’ve been seeing in PVP. This streamlined system honestly excites me, also the mention that we’ll have some interchange and the removal of rating from many items (including weapons) was also great news. To be honest, I would’ve used an arena Axe most of this expansion for a full EH set over most of the weapons I’ve gotten. But the idea of grinding out arenas to raid has always been a no go for me.

The cycling of tiers in this system (as described by Bashiok in this thread) is also something I feel I can really get behind. It’s intuitive, and keeps people competing while also trimming the fat from the system. Throw in the mention of trading PVP points for PVE and vice versa, and you get a resounding “F Yeah!” from me, along with all of the requisite high-fives inherent with such exultant expletive.

There’ll Be No Shelter Here
There are a few things that concern me however, the leveling of the playing field creates a few problems. Essentially, it comes down to reward: with loot being the same in both instances, and assuming that you get the same type of points (though amount will vary) I wonder where the incentive comes in. It’s hard to argue the merits of twenty fives when you take logistical concerns under consideration along with the rest. It’s a question of “Risk vs Reward”, a concept I’m sure many fellow Goblins are familiar with.

Now, please understand this is not meant as a QQ or anything resembling it. This is a simple question, with loot being equal and all other rewards being pretty much equal, and difficulty being the same (I’m not sure how, but ok), why bother doing 25s? It’s a sentiment expressed over and over again on various blogs. And a question I want to address, largely because I’ve actually been hit with this question by guild mates while raiding last night.

The Thin Line is Everywhere
There really is a lot going on behind the scenes for a raiding guild. It takes a LOT of work to keep it going, and even more to make it successful. So the question is valid, is it worth the logistical headaches to do twenty fives for the same loot? The short answer is, maybe.

For starters, there’s a lot of information we don’t have just yet. Blizz has remained tight lipped about legendaries in this new environment (let’s face it, we all want a legendary weapon). Will they be available in both, will they be available only in twenty fives? We just don’t know yet. Similarly, we don’t know exactly what the “higher” loot ratio that they’re talking about will be. Some theories point to a five boss raid dropping 2 items per ten man, with the same bosses dropping 6 per in twenty five man versions. This of course would be a higher ratio per capita meaning your raid force would get more loot per week, per person.

There’s also talk of aesthetic bonuses: special mounts, titles, etc for twenty fives. And of course, the guild achievement system that is going live at the same time may also hold some incentive. But, I’m not sure how well that would go over. The problem is that the change in philosophy seems to be making both equal so that it’s just a choice of which you prefer. Unfortunately, things don’t work that way. If twenty five man raiders are perceived as being given something extra, I think a lot of the ten man enthusiasts will cry foul. And of course, if both are absolutely equal and it’s just a question of which do you prefer… then I can see it eliminating a lot of interest in twenty fives for a lot of people.

In the end, it’s not an easy question to answer. And one thing Blizzard did get right, the answer to this problem is probably going to be different for everyone. For myself, I would definitely prefer to continue as a twenty five man guild. There’s more than nine people that I truly enjoy raiding with, it comes down to my personal feelings for my guild. I’m proud of it and it’s members. I’m proud of our accomplishments: chief of which is managing to kick the living shit out of raid bosses with a group of people I would have no problem sharing a beer with in public. I’ve been in various guilds, in several MMOs. And honestly, I’ve never been in a guild with people I liked as genuinely as I do in Face on Fire. It’s a rare thing we have, and something I would let go of only grudgingly. So, before I get completely side tracked in the awesomeness that is Face on Fire, let me just say in honor of them “F Yeah!” and move on…

In the end though, like many things in Cataclysm I think it’s just too early to tell. I’m sure that people will leave when Cataclysm drops. It happens, there’s going to be turnover with any expansion… How much, and who is anyone’s guess. Some people will re roll or switch mains (hell, we’ve already had two raiders switch mains recently). Things are going to be “different”, it sounds trite and maybe a bit of a cliche but: forget everything (well, most of it anyway) that you know about raiding and inter personal relations in guilds. These things are going to be changing, and it’s the right time for it. The game itself is changing with Cataclysm, it’s normal to be scared. Just don’t panic. Try to keep an open mind, and if you’re still more than just “concerned” repeat this mantra, “They know what they’re doing (I hope).”

Thanks for reading…