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Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2016 8:48 pm
by Maizou
Silly question:
Hunters can wield 2h Swords. There are a multitude of 2h swords in lore that are currently just sitting idly by and not doing anything.
So... why did they invent Talonclaw in Legion, instead of making Survival Hunters use 2h swords and give us one of the multitude of 2h swords that already exist in the lore?
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2016 8:49 pm
by Rawr
No clue, they made Rexxar a Survival Hunter and he has 2 axes, that he throws so you got me.

Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:14 pm
by Kalliope
I believe from a gameplay standpoint, it's so there would be another class using agility-based polearms.
(Thinking of classes sub-100, anyway.)
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:24 pm
by Wain
I think from a thematic standpoint. Spears are just an animal hunting kind of weapon.
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 12:06 am
by Rhyela
I think Wain's idea sounds pretty plausible. Personally, I prefer a polearm over a sword for that very reason. The only thing I might have wanted more was some dual axes. But, I'll take my Talonclaw.

Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:27 am
by Quiv
Aren't spears usually thrown from range when used in hunting? Using a spear as melee reminds me more of the Spartans from 300 than IRL hunters

Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 8:15 am
by Sukurachi
Spears are used both as ranged and as melee weapons.
(what amounts to) Throwing your weapon away should probably be considered an act of last resort.
Somewhat off-topic, but a quick question: BM gets a pet plus Hati. Survival gets melee plus their pet.
Marksmanship gets a nice bow... but can you have a pet with you? Even if it is more like a decorative pet?
I was trying to read a guide on MM hunters and it talked about the Dire Beast ability, but it seems to me that if a MM Hunter can't have a pet to attack then he shouldn't be able to "call beasts from the wilds to assist him" either.
Anyways, the question is really "can I still have a pet at my side" as MM Hunter?
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 9:08 am
by Shinryu Masaki
I don't mind the polearm, especially since it has Tauren lore tied to it. And it honestly remind me a lot of Final Fantasy's Dragoon class, especially XI where they could summon a wyvern pet to help them in combat.
Sukurachi wrote:Somewhat off-topic, but a quick question: BM gets a pet plus Hati. Survival gets melee plus their pet.
Marksmanship gets a nice bow... but can you have a pet with you? Even if it is more like a decorative pet?
I was trying to read a guide on MM hunters and it talked about the Dire Beast ability, but it seems to me that if a MM Hunter can't have a pet to attack then he shouldn't be able to "call beasts from the wilds to assist him" either.
Anyways, the question is really "can I still have a pet at my side" as MM Hunter?
Just use Steady Focus as your level 15 talent instead of Lone Wolf, that's all there is to it. There's Careful Aim too but to me it looks like it requires a lot of crit to make it worth it, and even then mostly on long living mobs like a raid boss. Also about that guide, it looks like an old one since Dire Beast is no longer a talent but is both a BM only skill and the focus generator for that spec. Hope that helps!
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 4:17 pm
by Rawr
I don't like the fact that some of the SrvL abilities require 2-handed melee weapon.

I like the idea of punching things with toothy squids while my pet mauls them

Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 4:43 pm
by Rhyela
Is that your hunter? He looks amazing. <3
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 5:46 pm
by zedxrgal
I don't mind the polearm but I would have really preferred two axes also. Or fist weapons like what that worgen has.
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 6:55 pm
by Rawr
Rhyela wrote:Is that your hunter? He looks amazing. <3
Thats one of my Hunters on Moon Guard

Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:07 pm
by Gimlion
I LOVE spears/polearms, and I love the idea of hunters using them. It seems silly, and I'm likely not the only person, but I've been crying to diversify the specs since LK, and specifically by making MM a shot oriented class by removing the *need* of a pet, and making SV a melee spec. Not saying I single-handedly influenced blizzard, but it is certainly fun knowing that ideas I generated myself were also generated by top-tier designers.
That said, it would be fantastic to have other options. Dual weapons would be my preferred non-spear hunter weapon.
Also; I'm still holding out for a ranged dps class that specifically gets to use thrown weapons as their primary damage, or a dual wielding pistol class.

Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:22 pm
by Sukurachi
That's one of the most serious problems with Legion: they have players stuck with very specific weapon types.
My Shadow Priest always used a staff, but when he found a wand cool he'd use that with an off-hand. Now? He HAS to use a pair of daggers. That can't be mogged into a staff... nor a wand.
So I changed his spec to Holy. Screw that dagger thing.
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 8:44 pm
by Wain
It's nothing compared to them giving the fist weapon artifact to the RANGED shaman spec. Anything seems sensible compared to that. I wonder at times if they couldnt pull themselves back from the bigger picture long enough to think, "does this make sense?".
Sorry, I've already spent way too much time expressing my opinion on the management of class changes in this expansion, but I think there's a special level of Helheim reserved for those who enacted them. And for whomever did the voice acting for Granny Marl
The rest of Legion I'm really enjoying. Though Nomi can go die in a fire of his own creation

Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 10:00 pm
by SpiritBinder
Wain wrote:
The rest of Legion I'm really enjoying. Though Nomi can go die in a fire of his own creation


Gold!
Yeah I'm kinda down with the spear. As other have said hunting with a spear comes across rather well thematically for me. I know there could have been other things (Like a funky moon glaive, or twin Rexxar axes **Rwar! ) but I think the spear works well enough. The one I have the most trouble with (though I may be missing some of it as I've not used it much) is the MM bow.
Oh here's a bow from the windrunner family... yeah.. here it is... oh it's an artifact too? Is there much else to it? (No really I'd love to know if anyone could fill me in) I foud at least the spear has a history to it, even if they only just made it up. While questing in highmountain there was that hero/vehicle quest when you got to see/use the eagle spear.
It really made it more of a "Thing" for me compared to the MM bow.
What I would have liked to have seen, is some other skins for the eagle spear that were more wow Hunter Themed. Maybe a Sen'Jin Darkspear... spear. I would go great with troll/headhunter/tribal styled hunters.
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 10:20 pm
by Wain
SpiritBinder wrote:It really made it more of a "Thing" for me compared to the MM bow.
For some reason the MM artifact quest was simple and seemingly-truncated compared to the other two. Enter the portal, kill lots of demons in a line, grab bow, The End. What little story there was had some puzzling plot choices, like the reckless NPC who not only jumps through the portal to come with you, but runs well ahead (why?), getting himself killed. And the fact that when Vereesa realizes her sister isn't there, she expresses barely any disappointment but instead just tosses you her bow with hardly a thought. Imagine if your sister had been abducted and was possibly dead. Someone comes with you to help you find her. It turns out she's not at the location you expected, but her family heirloom ring is (which they left behind for no reason, at all). Without a thought you toss it to your friend and go "meh, she's not using it any more, you may as well have it".
Maybe they just ran out of time to work on it. :/
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 10:28 pm
by Kalliope
Wain wrote:SpiritBinder wrote:It really made it more of a "Thing" for me compared to the MM bow.
For some reason the MM artifact quest was simple and seemingly-truncated compared to the other two. Enter the portal, kill lots of demons in a line, grab bow, The End. What little story there was had some puzzling plot choices, like the reckless NPC who not only jumps through the portal to come with you, but runs well ahead (why?), getting himself killed. And the fact that when Vereesa realizes her sister isn't there, she expresses barely any disappointment but instead just tosses you her bow with hardly a thought. Imagine if your sister had been abducted and was possibly dead. Someone comes with you to help you find her. It turns out she's not at the location you expected, but her family heirloom ring is (which they left behind for no reason, at all). Without a thought you toss it to your friend and go "meh, she's not using it any more, you may as well have it".
Maybe they just ran out of time to work on it. :/
Yeah....probably.
As I've started delving into other classes, I think we overall lucked out. I barely got any theming storywise from the moonkin weapon. Very disappointing, since I was pleased about the description and concept that "balance" was important...but then it didn't deliver on the quest itself.
I still don't like that the marks quest didn't do anything that required us to be in marks spec either. I'm not sure that the BM quest required as much either, technically, but I certainly haven't attempted it without a pet out, so....*shrug*
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 10:54 pm
by Wain
Yeah I think we were just lucky that the BM quest was particularly involved.
I've done a DK one and found it seemed to use the same area / quest line a druid one that a friend had done previously. I think they must have been double-dipping. The BM one, and the SV one (though slightly less involved) were pretty unique.
Re: Why did they invent Talonclaw?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 12:34 am
by Sigrah
Wain wrote:It's nothing compared to them giving the fist weapon artifact to the RANGED shaman spec. Anything seems sensible compared to that. I wonder at times if they couldnt pull themselves back from the bigger picture long enough to think, "does this make sense?".
Sorry, I've already spent way too much time expressing my opinion on the management of class changes in this expansion, but I think there's a special level of Helheim reserved for those who enacted them. And for whomever did the voice acting for Granny Marl

I agree, it's part of the reason I'm already burned out on Legion right now. Between that, not being allowed to fly, professions feeling like a massive grind thanks to Blizzard's "need" to make gathering professions feel important by making recipes require more mats (BTW, thanks for that Blizz, I'm sure the gold farmers are just *loving* that gift), and world quests feeling more like the Diablo 3 bounties I burned out on a long time ago, it just feels like a bunch of BS busy body work. I don't know, maybe I'm just getting too old for this game.
Wain wrote:The rest of Legion I'm really enjoying. Though Nomi can go die in a fire of his own creation

True story: I drove a big, blunted wooden stake into Nomi's heart the other day when all the bacon I gave him for research ended up coming back very burnt, and out of nowhere it just burst into flames. The only conclusion I could arrive at is that Nomi can burn a stake as well as he burns, well, a steak.