Beastcoil + New Video Coming Soon

As I am sure is well known by now, 2.4.2 is currently set up to introduce an instant cast version of Scare Beast with a 30 yard range.  What I say here probably won't be news or fresh insight, but I really don't care.  While this isn't a final set of patch notes, and may not even make it remotely in the final version of 2.4.2, it makes a statement about the kind of attitude that is being taken towards balancing this game.

This is the most blatant example of designing the game around straight counters (rock-paper-scissors) that I have seen yet.  This ability has close to no practical use against any class except druids (and shaman, to a far lesser extent).  While I don't play a hunter and won't pretend to understand their issues - it has always felt like a skilled hunter was a powerful opponent.  Even before the last set of hunter buffs (which I remember reading were not addressing real hunter issues - a common retort that is rarely really explained) hunters were fine in my eyes.

This change just seems so poorly thought through.  It's just a big bandaid for whatever issues hunters may have (though hunters seem perfectly fine against druids) and several very long nails in the coffin for feral druids.  Now feral druids will not only be useless in caster form, but they will be rendered largely harmless against even more forms of teams by this change.

I do know and think that restoration druids should not be as powerful as they are in small brackets - but this isn't the way to do this.  Across the board druid nerfs really hurt the two specs that aren't as popular and play incredibly differently - balance and feral.

In addition, I dislike how this just puts more emphasis on the mana burn metagame as druids against a hunter will either have to eat viper sting or spend some of their time feared.  Of course good druids can pillar kite to negate this somewhat - but when an ability is instant cast at 30yds, it only takes a very small mistake to face a very harsh punishment.

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In completely unrelated news, I have completed a new PvP video and am currently working on the commentary for it.  It will feature 2.3 and 2.4 arena content from the perspective of a pure balance druid (no dreamstate/ns "balance druid" bull****).  I expect to have it done and officially released within about a week and will make another post about it then here and on various forums.