As we reported from BlizzCon last year, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be overhauling item bonuses. Today, Blizzard has revealed more details about these upcoming changes.
“Cataclysm will bring about major changes to familiar character stats such as Intellect, Armor Penetration, Defense, and others, ultimately designed to make the effects of stats more easily understandable and make gear choices more interesting,” write Blizzard.
World of Warcraft community manager Eyonix writes, “The most obvious question these changes raise is ‘Why are stats being changed, and why now?’
“As the game has matured, we've run into increasingly complex issues with the current stat system. Many stats are inherently confusing, and the way they interrelate can feel convoluted. Attack Power, for example, currently translates to damage, but so does Armor Penetration. Defense provides five different statistical benefits of varying utility. Mana regeneration involves understanding multiple stats and rules and often ends up being irrelevant anyway.
“In addition, the difference between a "good stat" for a class and a "bad stat" can be extreme. Some casters want Haste but not Crit; hunters want Armor Penetration but not Haste.
“There are other overarching issues, as well, such as Intellect not being very exciting for casters despite it being a core stat - and these are just a few examples.
“Our ultimate goal is to make gear a more interesting (and less confusing) choice by making each stat valuable to more players.”
Of particular interest is Reforging, a trade skill that will allow players to replace one item bonus for another, with a conversion penalty.
For a full rundown of the changes, you can visit the World of Warcraft community forums here.
Facebook Comments