The Nerf Bat Survival Guide.

We've all felt it. We all hate it. And if one thing is true amongst our community, it's this; we all fear it.

From the rustic first incarnation of the MMO to the latest and most sophisticated version, there is a term that inserts a shiver to the spine on every utterance.

Nerf bat.

Alas, it's a fact of life that our favourite characters are going to see attention from the nerf bat on occasion. Particularly as the PvP environment becomes harder to manage (Cataclysm will fix it!), we find our PvE strength and utility is maliciously cut into in the spurious name of "balance". What often makes the nerf bat bite particularly deep is the fact that we're being balanced around an aspect of the game many of us have absolutely no interest in. It can be painful.

However, this entry is a quick guide to surviving the largest trauma of the nerf bat and trying to avoid the nerf rage that invariably accompanies it. Yes, I've fallen victim to the wiles of arrowed hatred in the past. But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't try to better myself with regard to nerf acceptance, especially considering the potentially global audience that now has to put up with my whines.

Anyway.

1) Try to look at the nerf in context.

Is it affecting something you're entirely dependent on? In the vast majority of cases, the developers won't gut a necessary PvE ability because it would drastically affect playstyle. If they have to, your set of patch notes will have a trade off in order to make up for the perceived loss in performance. Otherwise, the demolition of something you consider to be a dependent ability may well mean you're doing something wrong. Look at how you're playing and you may get a shock.

2) Consider the entire set of patch notes.

I mentioned it above, but it's worth mentioning in its own right. A nerf is almost always accompanied by a set of patch notes that will, in most cases, contain a buff to compensate. It's rare to see an ability shaved without sugar to go with the medicine. Therefore, make sure you read all of the notes and weigh up what you're losing in accordance with what you're gaining because it's hardly ever a lose-lose situation you'll find yourself in. You'll be surprised.

3) Be honest about the effects.

Very, very, VERY often, people will complain about a nerf that will barely effect them; the very fact that they're being nerfed is outrageous enough. But it's also common that a nerf itself will have very little bearing on a character's performance in PvE, so worrying about it becomes pointless. The 3.3.3 changes to Shield Slam, for example, barely affected end-game tanks, yet were covered in acid-coated scorn regardless. Be honest with yourself - if it doesn't affect you, don't sweat it.

4) Compare your notes with another class.

It's often the case that nerfs are applied across the board in order to bring the game more in line with the developers vision of how it should be. In which case, a scan over the classes that are performing the same role as you will often indicate a common theme that the developers wish to address. If that's the case, everyone's getting hit with the bat so (amusingly) that means, in real terms, that nobody is being nerfed. Remember; the developers don't have it in for your class.

5) Don't compare your character to another.

This is always true, but particularly when dealing with nerfs. The fact is, all classes are not supposed to play the same or have the same strengths and weaknesses. This means that a certain amount of differentiation should always exist, an implication that has a far-reaching and logical conclusion; your talents don't need to mirror those of another class. Around 90% of arguments are based on the "he has, so I should have" premise. The game doesn't work that way.

And finally...

6) Live with the Bat.

Yes, it happens. Occassionally, an ability will be nerfed out of recognition and nothing is done to soften the blow. The only real example of this for Protection warriors in WotLK was the change to Warbringer; an iconic ability that lost a significant amount of its charm when it stopped breaking roots. But these occasions are rare and all you can really do is try to accept the change stoically, and believe it happened for a good reason. Yes, it's hard. But it's also the key to living with nerfs.

And that's it.

Remember that the developers are making decisions based on what's good for the game, and not necessarily what's good for your character. Balance is a flimsy term, one that has a myriad of meanings and implications depending on who you speak to. But the developers often undercut player abilities to make for a more compelling game and the trick to dealing with the nerf bat is accepting this fact, and realising that the changes made are making more people enjoy the content to a greater degree.

We don't always live in zen, but we should try.

If not... There is only one option.

Accommodating "problem" players.

I generally read Scott Andrews' Officer's Quarters over at wow.com because I generally find him interesting, helpful and clear. This week, however, I read one of his posts that resonated with me quite a bit and, truth be told, it's something I can relate to.

The post in question relates to a guild officer who had to deal with a player who was deaf, where the guild raid rules stipulated that everyone had to be on Ventrilo during a raid. No exceptions were to be made, so the deaf player logged into Ventrilo but, naturally, couldn't listen to the discussions. A few wipes later, something of a lynch mob developed and the player in question (a Restoration druid) was essentially blamed for the failures and chased out of the guild due to not being able to perform in a way that, to him, was physiologically impossible.

First of all, hold back the vomit.

The treatment of any person in such a shabby way (not withstanding the officer who contributed the letter to Scott explicitly stating that the druid was a very good player) is doubtlessly making people gag, but there is something else going on here and this is why I could relate to the problem. Basically, it is the projection of blame onto someone who was not in a position to deflect it and it occurs to me that this actually happens in my guild.

No, there are no deaf members. But we do have a Russian in the guild who have such a flimsy grasp of English, that it can often be extremely difficult to accurately convey what is required of him prior to a pull and, worse, getting him to switch during an encounter is close to impossible. On many occasions, this has seen wipes occur that could have been avoided and otherwise put more pressure on other players in the raid to cover what I can't request of our Russian.

Now, the more "hardcore" amongst us would likely say he's a liability and shouldn't be brought along for difficult content. But as soon as the penny drops and he does understand what's going on, he is absolutely on top of it and is far more reliable than others who can understand English perfectly. This has become apparent throughout the content, but never more clearly than when we were working on Firefighter. After a few mishaps, he got to grips with what was happening in each phase and knew exactly what he should be doing in order to complete the encounter successfully. After that, not a single shock blast, spin up, void zone, flame patch or frost bomb got anywhere near killing him. Heck, he even uses potions and health stones liberally when others are forgetting them.

In short, he is a very capable raider who can have serious problems with language.

The point here isn't how good a player is or isn't; it often boils down to how far the guild should go to accommodate someone. In the case of the Restoration druid, the guild had originally allowed for his inability to hear by typing the instructions in raid chat and he followed them no problem. As soon as he was asked to join Ventrilo, I'm guessing nobody told him what he should be doing prior to the pull because "he was on vent", thus leading to failures that were no fault of his own. Ostracism then ensued and the poor fellow, despite being talented, was chased away.

In our case, we're dealing with a player who puts in every scrap of effort to be the best he can be. Gear, enchants, gems and rotations are all paid attention to and he's continually available for raids. He is always fun to raid with as well, as he's a character on Ventrilo (yes, he enjoys being on) and never whines or bitches about loot - he's grateful for what he gets and is only really interested in playing with friends.

But due to language, he often holds up progression.

Here's the crux, though; how far should the guild go? I say:

The raid leader should understand the specific difficulty and attempt to work around it for the best net result. The guild should make every reasonable allowance for members with difficulties to be a part of the raid set up, but no unreasonable allowances.

What I'm saying here is that you should always try your hardest to get members playing to the best of their ability and not judge them on something that isn't necessarily their fault; this is especially true if they're otherwise a good raider and/or good member. If after you've gone that extra mile you still can't get the desired result, you should feel secure in asking that player to sit out so that someone else can help the raid progress.

I've opted to do this many times, and the individual concerned has understood perfectly why I've made the choice and has happily accepted it. The fact that he does so, because he believes in the guild and desires its success as a whole, makes me all the more determined to break my back and get him through the content he wants to play.

In truth, every guild would be a better place if it had more members like him.

Those three words... So important.

[The latest build (14/08/10) has fixed two of these issues; namely Cleave now shares a cooldown with Heroic Strike and is far more elegant, while rage income seems to have practically doubled. Both good things, both mentioned in this blog post. :)]

I love you? Nay, such romanticism has little place in circles such as ours. It is another three words to which I refer.

"Need more rage".

Lest accusations of unfairness be levelled this way, it behoves me to share some experience gleaned in the testing phases of our upcoming adventures. It shall be posited that not all is well in the world of Protection warriors but, perhaps, one might view this with a more positive slant. To whit:

For our current battles, rage is rarely a significant consideration. Yes, there are those annoying avoidance streaks but there are ways that allow the erudite to compensate; it's not a significant issue. In our look to the future, however, rage is now a priceless commodity and cannot be largely ignored, lest you wish rage-starved damnation to befall you. The obvious plebeian reaction to this has seen vulgar slang utterances that my gentle readers will doubtless be familiar with: "wtf", "omfg" and "QQ". Alas, the oft sarcastic "lol" or "rofl" has been bittersweet accompaniment to these travesties of language. Yet, it is not difficult to ascertain from whence the complaints arise. A list of problems, for your convenience:

1) Rage income has significantly reduced.
2) Heroic Strike, though altered for the better, is ignored/rarely used.
3) Shockwave and Thunderclap hit for precious little when not talented.
4) Battle Shout (Blessing of Might) and Commanding Shout (Prayer of Fortitude) grant rage, but on a cooldown.
5) Cleave is now on the GCD.

Now, dire as these first appear, more must be posited in their defence.

Rage is too plentiful to be a genuine consideration at present. Little to no control is exercised over its inflow or outflow, with the proposed model providing a significantly higher level of consistency. At the cost of income this change may be, but one suspects this is merely a numbers issue.

Heroic Strike needed to be pulled from mouse wheels, yet retain its status as something extra. One suspects damage and threat output will be scaled independently to Heroic Strike to begin with, only to change should rage become more plentiful. Again, I offer numbers as the main consideration here.

Shockwave and Thunderclap hitting for so low is, however, a genuine concern, my humble readers. Number tweaking could, again, be the dastardly culprit here, yet I suspect something more subversive is afoot. Having to specifically train for more multi-target power undercuts my training in other areas. Choice is good.

Battle Shout and Commanding Shout are currently required for rage income. The fact Commanding Shout has been brought on par with the holiest of prayers is a good change, but a resource crutch is not, not I say, what I wish to see. The power of my voice should inspire courage, not hint at desperation.

Cleave should not be working from our GCD, for it is too weak. Our multi-target repertoire cannot sensibly contain an attack that will only see use as a "holder" for keeping the attention of one additional enemy, especially while also being a replacement for Shield Slam or Devastate.

So there it is.

Alas, our list may compel the gentle reader to engage in the mouth-breathing linguistic refuse that I erstwhile gave examples of. But we should not be viewing life through the lens of current combat, for the same rules no longer apply. What we are dealing with is a paradigm shift in how we construct and navigate our battles safely, with more emphasis placed on interactivity with both the combat choices and said choices of your comrades. One endeavours to share what the solutions may be.

Shouts take the place of Bloodrage before a pull, thus strengthening those around you and giving you resources; Bloodrage remains your emergency button throughout the fight. Heroic Strike is now back to the use for which it was intended, as opposed to a strain-inducing damage crutch. When you need to bleed off rage, you use it - when you don't need to bleed off rage, you don't. This is elegant, decisive and in need of technical mastery betwixt desk and seat. Thunderclap and Shockwave now hit as the lady's favour, but hitting as the knight's lance is no longer a necessity for them. The temporary removal of certain enemy's from the fight, as well as the single target focus of comrades, will require only a baseline of area presence that will protect your priest - more is superfluous. In presenting all this, however, I remain steadfast in the assertion that Cleave is unfit for purpose. It's use will cost you more than you stand to gain, particularly when exacting Revenge does a similar job for less resources and with more relative power. I would recommend it either using the same model as the most Heroic of Strikes, or it be altered to hit more than a single additional target.

I stress, my gentle readers, that much is in flux due to the influence of bugs and the lack of number tuning. But do not be fooled into thinking that the general gameplay direction we now embark upon is incorrect. It's far from it. It will just require us to unlearn the bad habits picked up two years prior, and re-engage with all we held dear before then. The warrior code demands the ability to improvise, adapt and overcome. Do not be found wanting.

But, hark. My goblet is empty and my time grows short. As my wife summons me to the bedchamber, I must douse the embers and retire for the evening. Remember that the future is coming and we have hope that it will be bright indeed. The sea of agony will try to wash over you in the upcoming days, weeks and months but the most perilous road is always the one most worth travelling. To that end, my insight leads me to offer this as a reference point for your training.

Good evening.

The sun shines anew.

Welcome, gentle readers, and warm yourself by the embers of a fire in its death throes. We are at a crossroad, you and I, a crossroad requiring a choice of direction that must be one way or the other. And as is often the case in matters such as these, change is afoot.

This blog, from here on in, shall change; nay, transform. No longer shall it remain my anonymous scribbling for personal alleviation of repressed bitterness. It shall, instead, germinate from the chrysalis of privacy, to the moth of public scrutiny. I pray you find patience in your hearts, while all previous entries are reviewed to fulfil my desires for their inauguration into the Warcraft groupthink. As failure rides hard on the heels of any new endeavour, I deign that my endeavour shall at least be fun.

Until the next time, dear friends. Feel free to spend the night so that you might depart, refreshed, on the morrow.

Let dawn approach.