The Queue: Insert headline here

[Boilerplate introduction.]

[Something funny.]

Sometimes NDAs exist for exceedingly boring reasons and that’s undoubtedly the case here. We aren’t going to see any big revelations. I suspect they took this opportunity to hold a Legion summit because press and fansites were already gathered together for the Warcraft movie premiere, so they might as well talk about the next expansion, too.

In this case, the NDA probably exists to create a fair playing field. Without an NDA, those who lived in the Hollywood/LA area could get their news/interviews/whatever written up within an hour of the summit’s conclusion. Those who need to travel cross-country to get home would be at a severe disadvantage. With an NDA, everyone has time to get home, write the news, and make sure their pieces are polished before publication. Anybody who needs clarification from Blizzard can get it, and if Blizzard wants to coordinate some kind of promotion, they have time to do it.

From the outside, NDAs are exciting and mysterious. From the inside, they’re quite dull.

Well, neither of those are Cataclysm professions. They were added earlier than that. But that’s beside the point, I think. Jewelcrafting and Inscription were professions implemented with character customization in mind — but when Blizzard thinks character customization, they often think first in terms of character power rather than character aesthetics. But this is an RPG. When it comes to character power, the vast majority of people are going to do what’s best for their character, so there’s no actual customization involved. Instead, it becomes a mandatory system.

Blizzard is locked in this cycle where they want customization options, but they build those options completely around character power, which results in a min/max scenario, which becomes mandatory, then Blizzard doesn’t like its mandatory nature, they remove it, and start the cycle over again.

Unfortunately, building two professions around that concept has been particularly disastrous. This isn’t the same as turning off reforging; this is gutting two whole professions players have had for years now. It sucks pretty bad!

I would certainly like more profession gameplay, but even Legion‘s profession content seems uninspired. There’s actual progression in the system now, but it feels no more interesting to me now than it ever was when you get down to the actual gameplay. I don’t know if Blizzard knows how to make interesting professions.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I wonder why there can’t be an overlap in how characters heal. Why is Malfurion the only character who can apply a heal-over-time? Or Uther the only one with something like Holy Light? There are plenty of assassins who have a skillshot, right? Or have an AOE damage spell?

I don’t think the healing spell or spells on their own define the character; the entire kit defines the character. Tyrande, for example, has a relatively straightforward healing spell but is also an archer with a ranged stun and Hunter’s Mark. She’s effectively another assassin — except she has a healing spell.

I don’t see why not. They got their free will back after breaking free from the Lich King. Thassarian and Koltira were buddies. I don’t know if you can have a buddy when you don’t have emotions. And if those guys can be pals, I’m sure someone could experience the emotions of sisterhood, too. So sure.

P.S. Yes, the placeholder stuff in this Queue is a gag.