Cataclysm patch 12479

[Gimlion]

I understand this is unfair to BM, but I feel this is a bit unfair to MM too, Aimed shot is not MM's main damaging attack, while Exp. is SV's... Why does SV get their best and most used shot as their starter spell when MM and BM don't? If they made it more in-line of equality I'd say it should be Bestial Wrath, Aimed Shot, and Wyvern Sting, -OR- BW, AS, Black Arrow, -OR-
BW, Chimaera Shot, Explosive. Those would all make much more sense IMHO.

[Ryai]

I understand this is unfair to BM, but I feel this is a bit unfair to MM too, Aimed shot is not MM's main damaging attack, while Exp. is SV's... Why does SV get their best and most used shot as their starter spell when MM and BM don't? If they made it more in-line of equality I'd say it should be Bestial Wrath, Aimed Shot, and Wyvern Sting, -OR- BW, AS, Black Arrow, -OR-
BW, Chimaera Shot, Explosive. Those would all make much more sense IMHO.

Either way atm, Aimed shot is still better than Intimidation. And it also may be the fact Aimed Shot does damage/increased RAP against the target and reduces healing effects %% amount still afaik. They also may not be wanting to scale Chimera down to such a low level either.

[Palladiamorsdeus]

Aimed shot no longer decreases healing done. We now have a venom for that. Can't remember what it was called though.....

[Ryai]

Aimed shot no longer decreases healing done. We now have a venom for that. Can't remember what it was called though.....

Widow Venom?


Well then, in the end, Aimed Shot is still a bit better than intimidation.

[Anansi]

Aimed Shot no longer has the healing penalty, which comes from Widow's Venom should we opt to use that instead of Scorpid Venom. Aimed Shot also has a long cast time like it used to have, so it is not a rotational shot. The only time it will be used during combat will be when we get five stacks of Master Marksman, then we get a free instant cast Aimed. It is no longer the same as it was in Wrath and is very much a Marksmanship style ability. We will be using it as an opening shot for leveling and possibly for pulling if the tanks can get over their egos and allow someone else to pull

But yes, on an ability-by-ability basis Aimed is better than Intimidation. However, BM also has better pets, so as I've said before there's a trade off you opt for when choosing the BM spec.

[Palladiamorsdeus]

I'm not really arguing with that. Intimidation still has it's uses, not saying it doesn't, but it doesn't have anywhere near the application of Aimed Shot.

But Gim does have a good point. SV is getting what you'd consider to be their iconic shot right off the bat. Meanwhile MM get's a shot that was already fairly high in the tree and easy to aquire. That also prevents any other specs from getting it. And then BM get's.....intimidation. Which has plenty of useful applications in PvP, and moderately useful applications before feign death, but just can't match up to the 'use on every cooldown' explosive shot, or the 'use often' aimed shot.

And again Anansi, no they don't. Not until about level 78, when we get the mastery ability and start gaining mastery. And even past that, I am not entirely convinced it's going to even back up for BM. Pre-mastery, BM's pet's are JUST on par with everyone elses, and possibly even behind SV's.

[Sarayana]

I can tell ya one thing... I'm considering one of the other specs for leveling. Not because I think BM will be bad for leveling, but because I think it won't have to be the leveling spec anymore. If you get signature shots and abilities earlier on (I mean the ones we get through talents), then you'll feel like you're really getting the spec-specific (god that sounded redundant) goodness right up front. The reason I shied away from leveling Aoani as SV, for example, is exactly the same reason they decided to give them ES at 10; I didn't want to spend the whole leveling time buffing a shot and rotation I wasn't going to have until very late in the game.

We'll see where it ends up, but if nothing else comes of it, there's at least that.