Mountain Thane Warrior Feature with Bajheera and Plkatv - Fury & Protection Hero Talent Tree

Hey there, WoW gamers! Today, we're here to discuss the exciting new talents coming to the Fury and Protection Warriors in the upcoming expansion, The War Within. In a recent interview with Blizzard, Bajheera and Plkatv, we got an exclusive insight into the Mountain Thane talent tree for these warrior specs. So, let's dive in and explore what's in store for our favorite heroes!

Blizzard has already revealed hero talents for other classes like the San'layn Death Knights, Chronowarden Evokers, and Lightsmith Paladins. If you want to learn more about these trees and get additional developer insights, make sure to check out Blizzard's official blog post! Oh, and don't forget to watch Bajheera's video interview for an even more detailed discussion.

Embodying Class Fantasy

Before we dive into the specifics of the Mountain Thane talent tree, let's talk about the overall fantasy of this new warrior archetype. The developers wanted to bring the iconic Warcraft 3 Mountain King into WoW, and they saw Mountain Thane as the perfect opportunity to do so. With lightning strikes and the powerful Avatar ability, this tree offers an incredible experience for warrior players.

The hero talent tree includes familiar abilities like Avatar, Storm Bolt, Thunder Clap, and introduces a new ability called Lightning Strikes. What's really cool about Mountain Thane is that some talents can trigger cooldowns even when they're already on cooldown. This adds an extra layer of depth and excitement to the gameplay.

Blizzard has put a lot of thought into the visuals of Mountain Thane as well. Although the team is still working on finalizing the details, they showcased a glimpse of the ability at BlizzCon. From what we've seen, it's safe to say that the visuals will be epic and fully in line with the Mountain Thane theme.

One of the talents in the Mountain Thane tree is Thunder Blast. This ability is an enhanced version of Thunder Clap, with an added thematic Stormstrike damage. Not only does it synergize well with the rest of the tree, but it also has a distinct visual effect that sets it apart from the regular Thunder Clap. Blizzard has really focused on selling the Mountain Thane fantasy with this talent.

Design Decisions: Blademaster and Gladiator

During the interview, Bajheera and Plkatv raised an interesting question about why Blizzard didn't explore themes like Blademaster and Gladiator, which are already well-established in the Warcraft lore and have been highly requested by players. The developers explained that while there are many cool ideas to choose from, it's impossible to incorporate everything.

Blademaster, for example, has iconic abilities like Windwalk invisibility and Mirror Images. However, these abilities didn't align with the core identity of WoW Warriors, and Blizzard didn't want to make such a drastic change. Similarly, Gladiator, with its historical significance in WoW, didn't fit the design philosophy of hero talents that focuses on enhancing existing roles rather than introducing new ones.

Creating Hero Talents

Combining different spec identities to create hero talents was both a fun and challenging experience for the developers. With 39 specs to consider, they had to carefully decide what was appropriate and narrowed down the options through extensive discussions. The names of the hero talent trees, such as Mountain Thane and Lightsmith, were chosen to make them immediately resonate with players.

Blizzard aimed to retain the essence of each specialization while adding unique elements to the hero talent trees. For example, both the Augmentation and Preservation talent trees for Chronowarden share the theme of time magic, making it a natural fit for a hero tree. The team also had to find creative solutions to make other talent trees, like San'layn for Unholy Death Knights, feel satisfying for all specs within that class.

Balancing Trees in Different Content

When designing hero talent trees, the developers carefully consider different types of content, including PvP, single target encounters, and AoE encounters. Their goal is to ensure that no talent tree becomes the go-to choice for a specific type of content or specialization. Different options are provided to balance single target and AoE damage, defensive and utility choices, allowing players to make meaningful decisions based on their playstyle.

While players may find certain optimizations within a specific talent tree, Blizzard aims to minimize the friction of changing talent trees. Learning from the lessons of covenant abilities, players will have the flexibility to switch talents and hero talent trees whenever they desire.

Designing for PvE vs PvP

The design process for hero talents takes into account both PvE and PvP aspects. The combat team at Blizzard consists of diverse individuals who have experience in both PvE and PvP content. This diversity allows them to create talent trees that feel good for every type of player. While some abilities may be initially conceptualized with a focus on PvP, adjustments are made to ensure they perform well in PvE as well.

Tier Sets vs Hero Talents

The interaction between tier sets and hero talents is a top priority for the developers. While they couldn't share any specific details about tier sets in The War Within, they acknowledged the importance of balancing the two systems. In Season 3, class sets were made more impactful on talent tree selections, and feedback from players like Bajheera and Plkatv has been positive regarding this design choice. How hero talents and tier sets will work together in the expansion is something the team is actively considering.

Providing Feedback

Player feedback is crucial to the development process, and the Blizzard team encourages players to provide their thoughts and opinions. The official forums are the best platform for submitting feedback as they are organized and concise. However, feedback through videos, Reddit posts, Discord threads, and even tier lists are also taken into consideration. Written feedback that describes personal experiences, impactful choices, or frustrations is especially valued by the development team.

When Can We Try Hero Talents?

The aim of Blizzard is to make as many hero talent trees available for testing as soon as the public testing for The War Within begins. They understand that early feedback from the community is essential for iteration and improvement. In addition to blog posts like this one, Blizzard plans to release more articles and showcase additional talent trees in the coming months, providing ample opportunity for players to share their thoughts and suggestions.

That's all for our interview summary! So much exciting information about the Mountain Thane talent tree for Fury and Protection Warriors. Get ready to unleash the power of the Mountain Thane in The War Within!