The Winners & Losers of Melee DPS in The War Within

Summary

This video ranks melee DPS specs in the 'War Within' beta, highlighting Unholy Death Knights, Windwalker Monks, and Fury Warriors as the most fun, while discussing the need for improvements in Rogue and Havoc Demon Hunter specs. The review focuses on the enjoyment of gameplay rotations and the thematic appeal of each class.

Takeaways

• 💀 Unholy Death Knights have been significantly improved in the 'War Within' update, making them feel more fluid and enjoyable to play.
• 🗡️ Unholy's new abilities like 'Festering Scythe' and 'Raay of the Abomination' enhance the gameplay experience by adding more interaction and strategic depth.
• 🏇 The 'Rider of the Apocalypse' talent allows Unholy Death Knights to ride their death chargers permanently in combat, adding a cool thematic element.
• 🌪️ Windwalker Monks continue to be a favorite due to their smooth rotation and satisfying opening combo, which has been further refined in the update.
• 🌟 The 'Conduit of the Celestials' talent for Windwalker Monks provides a unique and engaging gameplay experience by interacting with celestial powers.
• ⚔️ Fury Warriors are described as fast-paced and bursty, with a resource generation that feels almost non-stop, especially during 'Recklessness'.
• 🔨 Arms Warriors, while slower and more methodical, benefit from the 'Colossus Smash' talent, which captures the essence of an Arms Warrior's playstyle.
• 🏴‍☠️ Rogues, particularly Assassination and Subtlety, are criticized for their complexity and homogenization, making them less enjoyable in the current state.
• 🔪 Havoc Demon Hunters have lost some of their unique gameplay elements like the 'Tear Set' from Dragonfly, which made them feel like true glaive masters.
• 🌌 The 'Demonic Surge' talent for Havoc Demon Hunters shows potential but needs clearer visual feedback to enhance the gameplay experience.

Q & A

What significant changes were made to the Unholy Death Knight in the 'War Within' update?

The Unholy Death Knight received a complete overhaul in the 'War Within' update. The class now feels more quick to ramp, with fewer globals needed before damage starts. Unholy blight is now purely passive, and Army of the Dead has been replaced with the summoning of a big old BFA bomb, which cleaves through mobs, applies festering wounds, and diseases.

What is the new mechanic introduced with the Unholy Death Knight's 'Festering Scythe' talent?

The 'Festering Scythe' talent turns the Unholy Death Knight's festering strike into a scythe that cleaves through all enemies in front of them, dealing huge damage and applying wounds to all targets. This mechanic helps in quicker ramp-up of wounds, enabling more frequent use of death and decay and Scourge strike for AOE damage.

How does the 'Rider of the Apocalypse' hero talent enhance the Unholy Death Knight's gameplay?

The 'Rider of the Apocalypse' hero talent allows the Unholy Death Knight to ride their death charger in combat. Additionally, there is a talent that enables the player to permanently ride their death charger in combat while outside, adding a unique and cool aspect to the gameplay.

What changes were made to the Windwalker Monk in the 'War Within' update?

The Windwalker Monk had the button bloat removed from the spec, including the removal of active chi wave, chi burst, and expel harm. This makes the rotation smoother and more fluid. The opening rotation also became more satisfying with the ability to summon spirits and perform a series of powerful kicks.

What are the key aspects of the Windwalker Monk's 'Conduit of the Celestials' hero talent?

The 'Conduit of the Celestials' hero talent allows the Windwalker Monk to be guided by the orus celestials, summoning them all at once and gaining interactions from them, such as increased speed on Fist of Fury. It also has a chance to refund the Monastery Stacks, allowing for potentially continuous use of Blackout Kick.

What are the main characteristics of the Fury Warrior's gameplay in the 'War Within' update?

The Fury Warrior is described as super fast-paced and bursty, with insane resource generation, especially when inside the Recklessness cooldown. The hero talents, such as Mountain's Thunder and Slayer, add visual appeal and powerful effects to the gameplay.

What issues were highlighted with the Arms Warrior's gameplay in the 'War Within' update?

The Arms Warrior's gameplay was noted to be methodical with a slower pace compared to Fury. The main issue highlighted was the need for 'Anger Management' to reduce the cooldown of Avatar for Arms, as being inside Avatar is a visually appealing aspect of the warrior class.

What changes were made to the Rogue class in the 'War Within' update, and what are the concerns?

The Rogue class had a rework that homogenized the specs, making them revolve around stealth windows. Concerns include the need for more differentiation between the specs, especially in terms of gameplay mechanics and hero talents, which are currently seen as underwhelming.

What are the main issues with the Subtlety Rogue's gameplay as described in the script?

The Subtlety Rogue is criticized for having too many cooldowns to manage in the opener, making the rotation complex and potentially overwhelming. Suggestions include reducing the number of cooldowns or combining some into passive abilities.

What are the concerns with the Havoc Demon Hunter's gameplay in the 'War Within' update?

The Havoc Demon Hunter lost the tear set from Dragonfly, which was a significant part of their gameplay. The concerns include the lack of integration of the tier set into the spec's talents and the mobile build using momentum or inertia, which is seen as not being good gameplay design.