every time I look at my talent tab in the game I think about how some talents are objectively terrible
and even the most niche build will do better picking a different talent.
![maintenance_turtle maintenance_turtle](./images/smilies/maintenance_turtle.png)
Wouldn't you agree that tweaking said bad talents a bit so they actually worth a consideration when building your character would help diversify them?
I'll go down class by class and mention the worst offenders from each talent tree and update gradually. Feel free to comment and tell me what you think are underpowered talents :
Rogue:
![insidious_turtle insidious_turtle](./images/smilies/insidious_turtle_head.png)
The main problem here is that the 31 point talents in Assassination and Sublety are not good enough and almost never taken - neither in PVP nor PVE. The 21 point talents in all trees on the other hand are extremely good
Assassination:
- the 31 point talent vigor: doesn't really do anything as 10 energy is not enough and doesn't change a lot in long fights as energy reg is not affected - buffing this to 20 energy would make it more useful I daresay. Both 21 talents in combat and sub tree are way more powerful - taking those in the current state is always better.
Combat:
- Lightning reflexes: is almost never taken as improved SS and impr. gouge offer better returns. Perhaps buff this talent to a 3 pointer with 1/3/5 or 2/4/6 percent higher dodge chance.
Sublety:
- Sleight of Hand: in the wrong tree wor the threat part (which isn't worth it). Perhaps give feint a small buff to decrease damage taken for a short while (20% less damage taken for 2 or 3 seconds) after cast.
- Improved Sap: this talent is good - i just feel 3 points should give you a fail safe sap (so 100 % chance to stay in stealth )
- Setup: the premise is good but this is also seldomly taken as most ppl cant spare the points. Buff it a little, make the CP on spell resist 100%.
- Ghostly Strike: a lot of ppl don't take this talent. The biggest problem to my understanding is that this skill always counts as a hit even if u miss the strike (the buff apparently does this) so you never get the energy refund if u miss. Make the buff only appear on a hit and refund energy on miss would be the most common-sense solution.
- Deadliness: the main problem with this talent is that others in the same tier (Seal fate and expertise/aggression) are far better and the follow-up - premedition is rather weak. A change to 2/4/6/8/10% or 3-15% more agi could make it more appealing.
- Premedition: as said this talent i rather weak for a 31 pointer. Perhaps make the premedition target take 10 % more damage for some time after leaving stealth (6 seconds or so) or during the premedition duration (for everyone - like a death mark) would make it a more attractive.
Hunter
![wary_turtle_head wary_turtle_head](./images/smilies/wary_turtle_head.png)
Hunters have quite a lot of good talents but also very weak ones (Spirit Bond, Pathfinding, Impr. Scorpid Sting) or one that are gimmicky at best (Improved Eyes of the Beast).
Beast Mastery:
Improved Eyes of the Beast: waste of points. Naming it "Beast Soul" and adding improving scare beast (5/10 more seconds, less resist, less cd) would make it at least decent. Could also reduce the time to tame a beast which is nice but rarely used.
Improved Aspect of the Monkey: Also very situational, as 5 points for 5 % dodge is okay, but you need to have the aspect activated which kills it. In PVP you'll often get jumped and cant change the aspect in stun lock or when feared. Change to 5% dodge in general and reduce mana cost of aspects by 20/40/60/80/100 % . Name suggestion: 'Aspect Dancer'.
Improved Aspect of the Cheetah/Pack (Pathfinding) : also quite bad. Perhaps add general movement speed bonus to you.
Spirit Bond: the heal over time is very low and hardly noticeable. Increase healing received for pet (and possibly you)
by 10/20 % so it buffs mend pet and helps keeping the pet alive.
Marksmanship:
Improved Arcane Shot: quite bad. Arcane shot has bad scaling but nonetheless finds itself in a raid hunters rotation. Add a chance (20/40/60/80/100 %) to dispell one effect against other players to give it a better use. Or give some spellpower based on attack power (or intelligence) so this scales a bit like in TBC. This would also help alleviate the quite stagnant power increase of hunters the further one progesses in raids.
Improved Scorpid Sting: Scorpid Sting is bad to begin with and this talent doesnt make it better. Merge this into improved stings which affects then could affect both serpent and scorpid sting.
Survival:
Improved Feign Death: One does't have the points to spare for this normally as FD is resisted rarely as is. Bake it into Suvivalist with 1% less resist chance for every point into survivalist.
Both Slaying talent in first tier: Merge them to a 5 pointer to increase damage/crit damage against tracked targets (improved tracking) by 1/1.5/2/2.5/3 %.
Wyvern Sting: this is normally not taken as the main contestant -scatter shot - does similar things but much better and more reliably with lower CD and no OOC restriction. Removing the OOC restriction and possibly lowering the CD would make this more useful.
Priest
![turtle_in_love_head turtle_in_love_head](./images/smilies/turtle_in_love_head.png)
Priest is well designed and I wouldn't change a lot.
Shadow
Improved Fade: this talent stinks and nobody i know ever took it - its quite common for healers to draw aggro but this is much too far into the shadow tree to be worthwhile. Since you're fading, give attacks/spells on you a chance to miss you (5/10 %) for 6 seconds or increase your movement speed would make it at least a consideration.
Warlock
![satisfied_turtle satisfied_turtle](./images/smilies/satisfied_turtle.png)
The Demonology Tree has some bad talents which doesnt make the tree bad but one with few choices.
Demonology:
Fel Domination: this talent is good but 15 mins CD seems excessive for what it does. 5 or 10 mins for an instant demon summon seem more appopriate.
Improved Enslave Demon: this very rarely comes to use and uses up up to 5 points for that to boot. The investment ratio is off if i daresay. Make it a 2 pointer for the same gain and leave it at that.
Improved Firestone: the fire stone sucks as it is and this might be the worst talent in the game. Making the fire stone an item similar to a grinding stone to buff your weapon with would make it a little less horrible.
Improved Spellstone: i dont have a warlock at 60, please tell me if this is any good. Afaik you can use it to absorb magic damage.
Mage
![hiding_smth_turtle_head hiding_smth_turtle_head](./images/smilies/hiding_smth_turtle_head.png)
Fire and ice Trees are mostly good, arcane CAN support other specs but has quite a lot of underwhelming talents.
Arcane:
Arcane Focus: spell hit is good but there aren't any arcane spells you would want as primary damage spells since they are too mana consuming. AE, counterspell and poly resists are bad in pvp but even there 2/5 points is enough. Merging it with improved arcane missiles (which is useful in certain situations/pvp) could help.
Magic absorption: the premise is good but the 10 resistance doesn't help and full resists are quite a gamble. Perhaps tie the mana-restore to the degree of resist,e.g.if you resist 1/4 you get 1% mana, if you resist 1/2 you get 2% mana, full resist 4% to make it proc a little more often.
Arcane Meditation : 15% mana reg is low (I know other classes get the same), perhaps buff it to 30% to support going down into this talent tree.
Shaman
![wary_turtle wary_turtle](./images/smilies/wary_turtle.png)
The enhance tree has some problematic talents which probably stem from the time when shammy was planned as a possible tank.
Elemental:
Elemental Devastation: tell me if I'm off but in TBC this wasnt consideredd worthwhile since it procced not enough since spell crit wasnt high enough for a melee focused shaman. Making this a proc on general offensive cast would make it better (3/7/10%).
Enhancement:
Improved Lightning Shield is quite bad as Lightning shield doesnt do a lot of damage and has to be recast very often. Making this give more LS orbs (3/5/7 more orbs) would make it considerably better.
Anticipation and Toughness are both pretty bad and dont offer enough to be worthwhile. Increase the bonus or merge them.
Stormstrike increasing nature damage to the target by 20 % for everyone for a set time (e. g. 6 seconds ) could make it better as a support ability.
Druid
![unhappy_turtle_head unhappy_turtle_head](./images/smilies/unhappy_turtle_head.png)
Druid has mostly well designed trees with only very few inferior talents. Balance druids have mana issues, should remedy that.
Balance:
Improved Entangling Roots and Improved Thorns whereas the latters damage isnt really worth it. Improved Entangling Roots is overshadowed by natures grasp if u need someone rooted as it roots very fast and allows for bear form instead of getting beaten trying to cast entangling roots.
Also add some mana efficiency, ideas are: omen procs on damage spell, wraith and starfire proc with buff to reduce mana cost of one another, mp5 component to moonkin Form.
Feral: Feral Aggression is the most skipped talent here as others are simply better.
Paladin
![scared_turtle_head scared_turtle_head](./images/smilies/scared_turtle_head.png)
Protection:
Redoubt: the proc only going off on receiving a crit is the main draw back here and goes against tanks gearing up exactly to NOT get hit by crits, the talent anticipation actually anti-synergizes with this talent which should never be. Changing it to proc on taking damage, on a successful block/dodge/parry or proc when under a certain health threshold could all make this more reliable and could make paladin tanking more viable.
Perhaps add a mana recharge proc on blessing on sanctuary (when blocking) or to holy shield block.
Warrior
![insidious_turtle insidious_turtle](./images/smilies/insidious_turtle_head.png)
All in all warrior has a good design but a few talents don't do much and aren't viable. Also some are quite poorly placed and force you to take them even if they won't have much effect (Enrage for PVE fury)
Arms:
Improved Thunder Clap: not particularly good as the 3 rage decrease for 1 ability is not much and it isnt an ability you really spam. Increasing the radius or allowing it to affect more targets MIGHT make it better. I have no better idea here :(
Fury:
Improved Cleave: the percentages sound like a lot until you realize its only the BONUS damage not the entire ability damage. Giving it a chance to crit, increasing the general damage of the ability, reducing rage cost could all be better than the current state.
Enrage: WHAT? Enrage ?... well, the slight problem here is you have to invest 5 points here to advance to flurry. Its good in PVP as you will get hit and crit often, but for PVE where you dont want to get hit (or dont get crit by regular mobs)its a bit wasted. Changing it to a chance proc on general physical damage received, proccing on taking a big hit (>25% (50%) of your (base)health could make it a bit more rounded for both PVP and PVE.