Monday, February 4, 2013

The Formidable Fluxfire Feline

I must admit that I haven't been using one of the most popular pets in Pet Battles until now. What can I say? Up until now, I guess I just didn't have a practical use for the Fluxfire Feline, even though it's great against nearly all pets. With the Darkmoon Zeppelin, Clockwork Gnome, and Mechanical Pandaren Dragonling, what was I going to do with another mech pet?

Answer: Oh so much, and more.


After using the Fluxfire Feline for the DMF tamer battle a few times, I can definitely understand why this pet is getting a nerf. One shotting a pet with at least 500+ overkill? And only having to hit three buttons (Wind-Up, Supercharge, and then Wind-Up again)? Ouch. Going up against a pet like that in PVP must be beyond frustrating. Even more so if there's a team of three of these hard hitting kitties.

In PVE battles, though, it's kind of disappointing that it will be nerfed. Is it warranted? Probably.

One could argue that it doesn't really hurt anyone to be so OP in a PVE battle since there's only one active player involved. It's just you and the tamer/wild pet team. Who is it negatively affecting? Are there even any negative side effects?

It's a pet that can pretty much replace any other pet and do just fine, and in the spirit of Pet Battles, that's not quite right. There should be a choice, and a smart one at that, not just a mindless "win button" companion. The overall gameplay intent is being undermined if there are pets such as this. Sure, some pets should be strong against certain types, but a pet that's strong against every type? It makes it painfully clear that that's where Blizzard draws the line.

But that still doesn't remove the fact that it's fun to feel really strong. Which is why it's sad to see the feline get neutered/spayed in 5.2.

Well, that's the way things go, I suppose. Change is only natural and we'll just have to adapt. My only regret is not experiencing the wonder and joy that is the Fluxfire Feline sooner! But I'm sure it will still have a place in Pet Battles, and we'll see if it's still just as strong in 5.2.

4 comments:

  1. In Pve this pet is not so overpowered as you make it sound - just use a magical pet...

    What disappoints the most is that blizz now in Pet Battles to start to "fix" by nerving ..whats next removing weather effects?...

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    1. @Anonymous: I dunno. My Fluxfire Feline one shots Fezwick when I do the DMF daily. Seems pretty OP to me lol.

      I think there are some cases where a "nerf" is necessary to ensure the overall stability of the game. Sometimes there are probably better ways to fix things, though.

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  2. I have to say, I adore my fluxfire feline - and it's one of the primary pets I use in my rotation for leveling. The answer to it is fairly simple though: elementals.

    Yes, it can be somewhat OP with a type advantage, but not enough to get nerfed. Sure, you can one-shot Fezwick - but that takes 2 to three turns, and I know my feline doesn't have that much HP - so it's somewhat balanced.

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    1. @Lazerbath: A counter-argument to that would be since it's mechanical, it essentially has another life which means it can usually get off that 3rd oneshot, even if the Fluxfire doesn't have a lot of health itself. A oneshot is still a oneshot, regardless of how long it takes.

      But I think the main thing Blizzard is trying to address is that since it's attacks are so effective, many don't feel the need to try different pets and explore their options. When one pet takes center stage and refuses to get off, it takes some of the fun out of the mini-game as a whole lol.

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