Did they remove the cheat way to lvl a gathering profession? I spent 3 hours to max out my gathering professions and its free.
Engi costs 1 million gold, JC costs more.
While I'm for a balanced bracket and the possibility of not allowing BOA's, I'm not that keen on adding to many rules. If we deny the usage of tidal charm (witch takes considerably LESS effort to get then revelosh gloves of the monkey witch needs an average of 200+ runs in Uldaman). we lower the skillcap. Knowing when to use tidal charm and using it right takes some skill, and it opens up for many cool moves. Like interrupting a key spell (like evocation) from a long range or using tidal charm to stun a rogue under evasion and then gouge+first aid+ disarm or just get away.
Removing herbal makes it much more dangerous to be low on HP. ATM if I get low on HP I know I could use lifeblood if I had to to survive, but I try not to use it since its got a CD and it would be better if I managed to get away and bandage or something. If its denied I would have to blow a vanish instead or a mage would have to blow a iceblock instead of being able to use these abilities for other usages, like a reopener/ CC remover etc.
For every ability or usable item we remove (not first aid, don't need 450, 300 is fine for everyone I think) we lower the skillcap.
So far, its talk about removing items that only takes a little more time to get then the average item. Ther's no talk about removing items that costs allot of gold (like PoD or epic items). For many the gold problem is bigger then being able to spend 5 min every now and then to log on an alt and check if Prince is there (dude that drops tidal) or lvl'ing a profession. I mean, if your not dedicated enough to spend 3 hours on get'n herbalism to 300 (or max a day if they nerf'd the fast way), your not really dedicated and your probably one that wont be online much at all. If there's like (random number) 10 ppl that play pretty much every day and for more then an hour, why shouldn't they be able to spend the little time it takes to lvl a prof or look for prince because of someone that hardly plays CBA to get it.
Don't get me wrong, when the 39 starts, and it will start, I wont insist on using herbal or tidal charm against people before they get it, but after a month or so more and more should be seen with it (Pretty much never ever used tidal charm against someone without it, unless they were a SL lock or a priest with good enough skill and gear that it would be 100% impossible to win without it and often lost against them when I even used it. I also never used 450 herbalism when it was possible to get, if my opponent didn't have it)
If you want a player with good gear to take off a ring etc to be more balanced, fine.
But removing key stuff like herbal and tidal charm makes the bracket more bursty. Those are survival abilities and increases the skillcap.
If we should remove items we should remove items with too awesome offensive stats making the dps outcome too OP. And items not everyone can get like BoA's, and really expensive shit like epic rings/weps (unless your playing a spec that only works with those, like maybe Balance druid or something, I don't know)
Ps, I'm gonna fucking hate going back to using a dress on my MALE rogue instead of the awesome looking BOA chest, but I'm gonna do it.
(not really...)
so far.