What I DON'T want to see in today's blue posts...

Considering the lengthy threads of sometimes bizarre hopes and dreams for the Cataclysm preview later toady, it's easy to get caught up in what you want to see to the point that you may lose sight of the fact that we won't see much this early in the expansion cycle.

Of course, I can't overlook the room there is to hurt the class (or any class) with big changes. It's always there - the DK blood tree shitstorm has already started, for example, and their class preview isn't even in the first round, and the information available for the talent tree change can't be anything except neutral at worst, and pretty solidly positive considering the implications that mixed DPS/tank trees would have under the mastery system.

Warlocks I think are in a riskier position in this respect, though, because some of the worst things that could be done to the class are things the community is begging for.

So, what am I not hoping to see?

1. Permanent Demon Form
This is by far the biggest thing I don't want to see, and the reasons are legion. Metamorphosis is the single most lore-steeped spell in the game. Blizzard was hesitant to implement it to begin with because it's tied to a pretty profound (and not fully resolved) story arc - one that touched several zones in Azeroth, dominated four raids worth of content in Burning Crusade, had it's fringes in Icecrown Citadel and still has elements left to the imagination in the Emerald Dream.

Not only lore, but this is our class's only major DPS cooldown - lack of cooldowns is a shortcoming our class has been saddled with for a very long time. We've only got two of them, and demonic empowerment is pretty damn weak. And no implementation of soul burn will make it a comparable cooldown without being grossly overpowered.

It's also not in any way analogous to druid forms or warrior stances. It doesn't alter our class, it doesn't change our role, and it doesn't turn us from a healer with some piss poor DPS spells into a DPS spec the way Shadow Form does. Any implementation of a permanent metamorphosis would come coupled with significant nerfs not just to Meta, but to the spec around it.

Secondary nerfs, loss of our only significant cooldown, diluted spec flavor and blurred class identity... There's nothing good about permanent demon form. If the people who want it ever get it, they won't be happy with what they get, because it won't be what they want.

2. New Minions
WHAAA? YOU DON'T WANT NEW PETS ABNOT? OMG!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for a new pet, but I think it's an ill advised move unless a LOT is done in other areas. Right now, our pets are lacking in usability as it is. Adding a sixth when the five we have aren't in a good place is only going to reinforce the problem. Worse so if all three trees remain chained to their current minions of choice, there will be no niche for a newcomer to fill. A lot of this will depend on the talent tree changes, which I doubt we'll see more than a bullet list of rough examples of today, but it comes down to our current pets: Fix what we've got, not what we've not.

I include permanent doomguard in this, as well. I hope to see expanded roles for both doomguard and infernal, but I don't think this is their place. Like I said, though, we do have quite a shortage of cooldowns...

3. Shit Hunters have just because
Class identity is a frail thing - warlocks have been stuck between mages and hunters forever, and the comparison will never go away, nor is it always bad in and of itself. However, it's a dangerous comparison when it starts taking aspects that define the other classes and bringing them to the Warlock side.

I'm more open to pet talent trees than some of the other things people want. Buffs are buffs, and a lot of good could come from them despite the class distinction side of things. However, my main thrust here is permanent enslavement. We already do that, effectively, it's the point of our pets, adding a pick-your-own aspect to the process just comes back to point two: A sixth pet when the five we have aren't really in a great place.


4. Affliction filler just because
Pure stubbornness on my part here, but the arguments about shadowbolt not being in the affliction tree are plain and simple retarded. Using spells outside of your talent tree is the norm in most classes, even your primary attack. Affliction's not even the most grievous offender, just look where improved death strike is.

Thankfully this one also sounds like one that won't be happening anyway - Blizzard has already dropped hint that range and threat reduction talents would be homogenized. Ruin stands as a stickier one to unwind - simply giving affliction a crit bonus talent for shadowbolt would still leave ruin an option for immense crits.

5. Just another laundry list of soul burn speculation
The Blizzcon list was interesting, but still read like the product of an early brainstorming session, not a class preview. I want to know more about the new shard system as much as anyone, but I don't want a bland unsatisfying brianstorm list. I want to know in real terms how big they want shards to be - how much they'll alter spells or boost DPS, how many you'll really have access to in combat, how they'll actually be handled as a resource system, how much not using them or using them poorly will hurt you and what options you have to mitigate that hurt...

A laundry list of empowered spell effects is certainly one part of this, but the real functions of the system are still pretty vague, and a list of empowered effects won't do anything to shed light on them.