Protection Warrior: Block Value & Shield Ability Improvements

[Rytz]

Hi:

I've been thinking that block value could double as an extra threat boost for shield abilities. Specifically Shield Slam and Shield Bash. Shield Slam is underwhelming in terms of threat considering that it's an end-talent ability. There's no way to reduce the cooldown or rage requirement. Shield Bash is nice for the interrupt and you can spec into it for a silence but does mid/low base threat with no extra threat coming from damage.

The general block value/strength equation looks something like this:

Code: Select all

20 strength == 1 block value == 1 damage

And consider the following base threat values for Shield Slam and Shield Bash:

Code: Select all

Shield Slam: 250 threat + damage threat
Shield Bash: 180 threat + interrupts/silence threat (almost never works on elites/bosses)

If you take the block value and directly add that as extra threat to shield abilities, you get a nice boost to shields towards threat sustainment. If a character had 200 block value, the boost was 1/1, the result would look like this:

Code: Select all

Shield Slam: 250 threat + 200 block value threat + damage threat
Shield Bash: 180 threat + 200 block value threat + interrupts/silence threat

If block value is leveraged as an extra threat modifier, you could tweak some shield talents (like Shield Slam) to maybe scale the threat generated from block value. Something like a new Rank 2 of the Shield Slam talent which doubles the threat generated by block value.

Boosting threat for shield abilites would be beneficial because:
1. Warrior tanks would be better separated from other tank classes/specs because of threat generation with shields.
2. "Deep Prot" warriors would be more viable in end-game and could hold better threat for DPS pumpers when compared to min/max builds like Fury Prot.
3. Block value becomes more important overall and +block items become better utilized.

Just a thought. Thanks.

[Hardwelsam]

Hello!

The idea not bad.
But the most of statistic idea u talk is mostly like wotlk expansion,there Prot war work like that.
Since it is custom vanilla server u will have to re think it.
Even the threat with shield slam.

[Rytz]

Hello!

The idea not bad.
But the most of statistic idea u talk is mostly like wotlk expansion,there Prot war work like that.
Since it is custom vanilla server u will have to re think it.
Even the threat with shield slam.

I've never played anything other than classic (never played vanilla). Interesting to know that they did something similar in Wrath. Block value just seems kinda wasted when it could be used as a threat modifier. I see potential for something fun and unique.

[Lahire]

I dig this technical balancing idea. It would also incentivize war tank to wield a shield ; the dual weapons tanking was funny, new and cool when it was discovered, but from a RPG/flavour point of view it is a very strange thing.
+1