So this has been beaten to death but I just wanted to give my 2 cents on how I feel about the game’s current state and WoM.
Firstly, I have no problems with the combat being changed, but when the meta was changed from dodging to stagger there were a lot of issues introduced. Dodge dancing was a way of mitigating damage by avoiding enemy swings and kiting around large groups to whittle them down. Changing the flow of combat to be more team oriented and crowd focused is fine, but with all of the bugs and issues with enemy tracking and being hit by enemies in the back line that you can’t even see, we’ve gone from a game that was mostly fair and a fun experience to one that is inherently broken and unrewarding to master because bugs will just ruin your day regardless of how well you play.
Next Cataclysm. Cataclysm is a great addition to the game. A new difficulty was definitely needed. However, there is little reason to play it beyond portrait frames and bragging rights. Sure the experience itself is fun and I’ve been playing it exclusively over legend, but there isn’t a long term reason to play it. The lack of any kind of extra reward or incentive to play makes it so most people don’t even care about trying it. And why would they play cata when they get the same or lesser rewards for something so difficult? I understand that the mode is intended for the hardcore and is supposed to be extremely punishing for its own sake, but I’d figure there would surely be a reason for people playing this that goes beyond liking it for difficulties sake. I’d really like to see new people move up to this difficulty in the future, and help them learn the ropes for the first time and be rewarded for their bravery when trying something new and challenging.
Weaves. Weaves are in such a weird spot. On the one hand, the crafting system is vastly improved over the base game, the weapon skins look amazing, and the level design is really good. The art team did an amazing job on this. They’re fun to play and I enjoy conquering the challenge with a friend. On the other hand, what is really the point in the long term? I don’t get anything out of it but portrait frames, commendation chests, and a leaderboard ranking. I know I don’t speak for everyone, but who gives a hoot about any of that? There’s no incentive to play these long term because my progress is just reset in three months for what will most likely be more portrait frames. I hope you guys have more planned in the future because these will die very quickly if there isn’t a reason beyond saying, “look at me I’m good.”
Beastmen. They look cool and I like the idea of them, but the lack of variety in their roster, one really annoying special, and some very janky combat mechanics makes them more of a chore to fight than fun. Again, not a rewarding experience to fight.
I don’t think any one of the things added in the dlc is wholly bad or was misguided, but there is no reward for any of it. I have no reason to actually continue to play these things in the long term because there is no gain from any of it. Everything the dlc offers doesn’t stand to improve any portion of the current game, and doesn’t give rewards to the player for attempting these new activities and eventually conquering them. When you do the most challenging thing a game offers you are usually rewarded with something fitting of that achievement. In WoM you get to say, “I did it,” and that’s about it.