Mountain Thane Hero Talents: A Furious Warrior Review with Strong Fantasy, Rotation Concerns, and RNG Factors

January 04, 2024 5 minutes

Welcome to our blog post by WowCarry! Today, we're going to dive into the exciting new Hero Talent Trees introduced in Blizzard's upcoming expansion, "The War Within." These Talent Trees are an extension of the existing Talent system and offer a separate talent tree for each class and specialization, allowing players to explore new class fantasies and gameplay options. In this post, we will be focusing on the Mountain Thane Hero Talents for Fury Warriors.

A New Hero Specialization: Mountain Thane

The Mountain Thane is the first Hero Specialization to be introduced for Warriors in "The War Within" expansion. Inspired by the iconic Warcraft III Mountain King, these elite warriors harness the power of thunder and lightning, making them an unstoppable force on the battlefield. The Mountain Thane Hero Talents for Fury Warriors emphasize abilities like Avatar and Thunder Clap, while introducing a transformative talent called Thunder Blast that replaces the traditional Whirlwind ability in the rotation.

While some may argue that the Mountain Thane concept may not translate well to all playable races or that the elemental theme is more aligned with Shaman, it's important to remember that inspirations can come from multiple sources. In World of Warcraft, abilities like Thunder Clap and Storm Bolt have long represented the power of the storm in warriors. So, it's not far-fetched to imagine Night Elves or Pandarens embracing this power and conquering the mountains.

  • The Strengths and Intrigue of Mountain Thane

The implementation of the Mountain Thane specialization for Fury Warriors perfectly captures the essence of the Warcraft III Mountain King. The talents focus on iconic abilities like Avatar and Thunder Clap, and the inclusion of Thunder Blast as a replacement for Whirlwind adds a thematically fitting and ingenious twist to the rotation. This talent allows Fury Warriors to generate rage and enable multi-target cleave, effectively adding a new dimension to their gameplay.

Furthermore, the addition of Thunder Clap as a replacement for Whirlwind is a brilliant way to promote the use of an ability that has been overlooked by Fury Warriors for a long time. While Whirlwind can still be used independently, the talent encourages players to incorporate Thunder Clap into their rotation, giving it the attention it deserves.

  • Potential for Improvement

While the Mountain Thane Hero Talents show great promise, there are some aspects that could be improved upon. One notable area is the interaction between the Bloodthirst and Raging Blow abilities. Currently, the talents in the Tree are divided between these two abilities, even though Fury builds rarely use both of them regularly. This discrepancy could be addressed in the class and specialization talent trees to ensure a more coherent and versatile gameplay experience.

Another area of concern is the reliance on RNG (Random Number Generator) effects in the Mountain Thane talent tree. Many of the effects are based on percent chances to proc, with some requiring consecutive procs for their activation. While layered RNG procs can add complexity, their infrequency can make them feel less enjoyable. It would be beneficial to adjust the frequency and values of these abilities to make them more engaging for players.

In terms of defensive abilities, the Mountain Thane specialization feels somewhat lackluster, especially considering that Fury Warriors can also serve as tanks. The defensive bonuses provided by certain talents appear insignificant or have limited uptime. It would be worthwhile to consider adding more impactful and thematic defensive abilities, potentially involving Heroic Leap or Avatar, to enhance the overall survivability of Fury Warriors.

  • Balance and Tuning

It's important to keep in mind that the talents and numbers we've discussed are subject to tuning and adjustments. Previously, Fury Warriors have faced issues with "high value procs" that ultimately weren't as impactful as intended. Each ability in the limited rotational toolkit of Fury Warriors holds significance, so any new additions need to provide substantial benefits to warrant their prioritization in the rotation. As of now, Thunder Blast, while a welcome addition, does not feel like a major gameplay moment and could benefit from a damage increase.

In conclusion, the Mountain Thane Hero Talents for Fury Warriors in "The War Within" expansion are an exciting addition to the class, capturing the nostalgia of the Warcraft III Mountain King while introducing new gameplay options. While there are some areas for improvement and balance tuning, the overall concept is solid and enhances the Fury Warrior playstyle without drastically altering it. We eagerly await the release of the Slayer and Colossus Hero Talents to see what other exciting enhancements and themes await us in the new year.

Talent Description
Lightning Strikes Damaging enemies with Thunder Clap, Revenge, Raging Blow, or Execute has a 10% chance to also strike one with a lightning bolt, dealing moderate Nature damage. Lightning Strikes occur 50% more often during Avatar.
Call of Thunder The Stormstrike damage or Nature damage your abilities deal is increased by 5%. Stormstrike damage ignores Armor. Thunder Clap damage increased by 50%, and it generates 5 Rage. Improved Whirlwind and Meat Cleaver now improve Thunder Clap as well as Whirlwind.
Strength of the Mountain Bloodthirst and Rampage damage increased by 10%.
Storm Shield Intervening a target grants them a shield for 5 sec that absorbs magic damage equal to 3 times your Armor.
Storm Bolts Storm Bolt also hits 2 additional nearby targets, stunning them for 2 sec.
Steadfast as the Peaks Victory Rush increases your maximum health by 10% for 5 sec. Thunder Blast reduces damage you take by 4% for 5 sec.
Burst of Power Lightning Strikes have a 20% chance to make your next 2 Bloodthirsts have no cooldown.
Avatar of the Storm Casting Avatar grants you 2 charges of Thunder Blast and resets the cooldown of Thunder Clap. While Avatar is not active, Lightning Strikes have a 10% chance to grant you Avatar for 4 secs.
Thunder Blast Bloodthirst has a 20% chance to grant you Thunder Blast, stacking up to 2 charges.
Thunder Blast Your next Thunder Clap becomes a Thunder Blast that deals Stormstrike damage.

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