I Played 100+ Hours Of PvP During Midnight's Beta... These Are My Thoughts

Summary

Venuki provides an in-depth review of the *War Within* beta, focusing on class design, UI issues, and gameplay pacing. He discusses how different healing and DPS classes feel after the prune, offering insights into changes like the removal of abilities and the impact on gameplay. Venuki highlights the challenges with the UI, particularly regarding crowd control tracking, add-ons, and damage meters, while also expressing optimism about the pacing of matches. Despite some frustrations, including the need for UI improvements, he remains positive about the game’s future and invites viewers to share their thoughts.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker has been actively playing the beta of *The War Within* and is sharing their thoughts on various aspects of the game, including class design, healing, DPS, and UI.
• 😀 The 'prune' mechanic (removal of certain abilities) has affected classes differently. For example, Discipline Priest feels similar to retail but lacks some abilities like Mind Bender and Renew, while others like Demonology Warlock gained more utility.
• 😀 Some classes, such as Devastation Evoker and Discipline Priest, feel fluid and fun to play despite the pruning, but there are concerns about the fun factor of others like Mage, which feels less enjoyable post-prune.
• 😀 The speaker is particularly concerned about the mage class, which feels strong in terms of performance but lacks the fun factor compared to other classes like Devastation Evoker.
• 😀 Add-ons and UI improvements are a key concern, particularly around crowd control tracking, trinket tracking, and healing frames. The speaker hopes add-ons will be able to address these issues.
• 😀 The new user interface has mixed reception, with issues such as confusing crowd control icons, inability to scale icons independently, and cluttered buff displays that need refinement.
• 😀 The current state of damage meters is another major concern. The lack of visibility into enemy team performance makes it harder to analyze and compare damage output effectively during PvP matches.
• 😀 Pacing in the beta feels slower than retail, with dampening scaling quickly and health recovery being much slower. This allows for more strategic gameplay where healers have to make careful decisions about when to use cooldowns.
• 😀 Some classes, like Beast Mastery Hunter, are perceived as overpowered with unhealable damage, but overall, the slower pacing and lower healing recovery make games feel more balanced and strategic.
• 😀 Despite some frustrations with UI and class design, the speaker is generally optimistic about the game’s future, and hopes future updates will address the concerns raised by players across PvE and PvP.
• 😀 The speaker is close to reaching 100,000 subscribers on YouTube and encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and provide feedback in the comments.

Q & A

What is the overall feedback on the beta for *The War Within*?

The feedback from the speaker is generally positive. They mention enjoying the pacing of the game and the class design of the healer roles, particularly Discipline Priest, Resto Shaman, and Mistweaver Monk. However, they express concerns about certain classes feeling too simplified, like Survival Hunter and Fire Mage, and are waiting for potential updates.

How has the prune of abilities affected different classes in the beta?

The prune has made certain specializations feel simpler, with some abilities being removed from classes like Outlaw Rogue and Survival Hunter. For example, Discipline Priest has lost some abilities, but the core gameplay still feels fluid. Other classes, like Demonology Warlock and Devastation Evoker, feel like they gained utility or maintained similar functionality despite some losses.

What are the issues with the user interface (UI) in the beta?

Several UI issues are highlighted, such as confusing icons for crowd control (CC) effects, difficulty in isolating and noticing crowd control on healing frames, and an inability to track trinkets for the player's team. The speaker also suggests that add-ons may be necessary to fix these issues.

What improvements does the speaker hope to see in the healing frames?

The speaker wants healing frames to be more organized, particularly for tracking crowd control effects. Currently, CC effects are difficult to spot, and the UI doesn't highlight them effectively. They also suggest the ability to isolate or highlight dispellable buffs and improve the scaling of icons on unit frames.

How does the pacing of the beta compare to retail?

The pacing in the beta is much slower compared to retail. Health bars don't yo-yo as much between full and nearly dead; instead, damage tends to stick, and healing takes more effort. The speaker finds this more enjoyable, as it allows for strategic decisions and prevents quick, one-shot kills that are common in retail.

What are the challenges with damage meters in the beta?

The speaker expresses frustration that the damage meters only show the player's own damage, not the enemy's. This makes it hard to compare performance, especially in mirror matchups. The lack of enemy damage visibility is a significant limitation, as players can't analyze what their opponents are doing differently.

What classes does the speaker enjoy playing in the beta?

The speaker enjoys playing Devastation Evoker, Discipline Priest, Resto Shaman, Mistweaver Monk, and Demonology Warlock. They mention that these classes feel fun and satisfying to play, though some, like Fire Mage and Survival Hunter, need further adjustments.

How does the speaker feel about the potential changes to the mage classes?

The speaker is cautiously optimistic but also concerned. While they believe mages will be strong, they aren't sure if they will be fun to play. They hope for more changes, especially since they miss certain abilities that were removed.

What is the speaker's opinion on the current state of the game in terms of balance and tuning?

The speaker feels that some classes are overtuned, particularly Beast Mastery Hunter, which they describe as dealing unhealable damage. They also note that the healing is strong, especially in the early stages of the game, but dampening ramps up quickly and helps balance the game in the later stages.

What does the speaker think about add-ons in the beta?

The speaker is hopeful that add-ons will be able to resolve many of the UI and gameplay issues in the beta. They specifically hope that add-ons can improve the clarity of CC icons, track trinkets for their team, and clean up unnecessary buffs in the UI. The speaker suggests that add-ons might be essential to enhance the user experience.