Those: Blizzard
02/19/2024 at 2:00 p.m. – Ah yes, when the demonology warlock in WoW was still able to slip into the metamorphosis form… In the WoW Reddit forum, the inventor of the Warlock revision in MoP writes what was important.
Many WoW players still reminisce about their class’s playstyle in Mists of Pandaria (2012). Although the action bar was bursting at the seams and the new talent trees were quite controversial, the feeling of almost all classes was rarely as good as in MoP. Since then, demonology warlocks in particular have wanted the MoP style of play back.
Warlocks slipped into a metamorphosis form (similar to Season of Discovery) and were essentially tanks for a short time, dealing powerful AoE damage in close combat. The shape was visually based on Illidan Stormrage’s demon form. In the WoW Reddit forum, former Blizzard developer Alexander Brazie reports on which game design philosophies he took into account when developing the ability introduced in WotLK and revamping the demonology spec at the time.
Ex-WoW dev on the challenges of class design and the “Rebirth of the Demonologist”
Recommended editorial contentHere you will find external content from [PLATTFORM]. To protect your personal data, external integrations will only be displayed if you confirm this by clicking on “Load all external content”:Load all external contentI agree to external content being displayed to me. This means that personal data is transmitted to third-party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
In the WoW Reddit forum, Alexander Brazie writes that he to this day receives emails in which players celebrate his design for the MoP Demonologist. But what do you actually have to pay attention to in order to create a unique play style and a cool class fantasy for WoW?
“The path to great game design is rarely linear. Others may not see your vision at first, but that’s okay. What’s important is learning from challenges and emphasizing connection with the player.” writes Brazie.
The three pitfalls of class design
Misunderstanding the bond a player has to the spec: The developers may be underestimating how attached players are to their class’s current mechanics.Overlooking class identity: It’s easy to focus on balance and functionality while neglecting what makes a class unique and fun.Resistance to innovation: Both developers and players can shy away from dramatic changes because they fear the loss of familiarity.
“The Warlock rework taught me how important it is to balance class mechanics with players’ fantasies, and how difficult it is to redesign established gameplay elements.
By incorporating community feedback and encouraging a collaborative approach to class redesign, developers can create more engaging, balanced, and enjoyable gaming experiences. This not only revitalizes interest in established classes, but also strengthens the bond between game developers and players, resulting in a more vibrant and engaged player community.”
Demonology Overhaul Post-Mortem
At the end, the ex-WoW dev lists a few conclusions that should be drawn from the game design.
Creative problem solving and experimentation are crucial in game design Class identity is crucial to player engagement and satisfaction A balance between innovation and practicality is key to successful game development
In the Reddit thread above, Alexander Brazie answers more questions about class design in World of Warcraft (buy now). His Reddit thread only roughly explains his thoughts on the Warlock rework in MoP. You can read the full post-mortem article about the Demonology specialization here.
In WoW Classic (Season of Discovery), warlocks once again have the opportunity to slip into the popular metamorphosis form from MoP – but this time permanently and as a real tank. And it might not be that long before we can officially play MoP again. Because Cataclysm Classic is almost already in the starting blocks. And after Cataclysm, as is well known, comes MoP.