Thread: 3.4 Changes to Face Targeting System

The face target feature will become inaccessible while moving. This is in order to remove difference between different platforms. For casters, if the enemy moves your character will face the direction of the target’s current position. However, in situations where you need to face away from the target, players will not be able to simply turn around due to the auto-attack changes, therefore, you would either need to sheathe your weapon, or cancel targeting.

This sounds like a terrible change that is a side effect of an unecessary change (removal of facing requirement on auto-attacks), especially without a dedicated Sheathe Weapon (only) keybind.

I'll need to think about this some more but I was wondering what thoughts others had on the matter.


Edit:

To clarify, as a caster my primary concern is being certain that I'm not getting hit with a gaze attack. The way things are currently, as soon as my cast resolves, I turn around and wait for the gaze to resolve. It sounds like with the 3.4 changes, I will have to turn around and sheathe my weapon. Turning around is one thing; as soon as I hit the back button, I am definitely turned around. But if I am also compelled to sheathe my weapon, I argue that I should have a button whose sole function is that it sheathes, and only sheathes, my weapon--not a button that will maybe pull my weapon back out when I want it away.

Gaze attacks have a certain charm from being a believable mechanic -- the thing prepares to appear horrifying, the players turn away to avoid the horror. Adding the extra requirement of disengaging detracts from that charm, as would the other possible interpretation of the quoted text where one might no longer have to turn around at all, but just disengage. In either case, I'm not a fan of this coming change.

Originally Posted by Nikkita

I'd actually like some clarification on what it means by As a bard there are times you briefly (and I mean VERY brief like maybe 1 or 2 GCD's MAX) drop out of Wanderer's Minuet so that you can still attack and move. Or I've heard of the use of Feint on MCH to do something like this as well since it doesn't make you "cast".

If you're a PC player, I assume they're talking about the Face Target command which is by default bound to the "F" key.

It's useful in PVP as a melee, since if you jump, you can spam F to keep your character facing towards your enemy. I think they were talking about that, more than anything.
Feint should be untouched, and still act as the same ability.

Originally Posted by StrejdaTom

I don't know, in my opinion it is a bit unnecessary change.
All the gamepad players I know even the ones from my static didn't ever mention having problems with it.
But it didn't change much for me, so if it helps others, I really don't mind.

The thing is people made facetarget macros (mostly in pvp) which lead to hitting autoattacks more often which was unfair to others (controller players for example). Also they removed autoface while moving because people for example popped raw intuition while spamming their macro (mostly auto with mouse) to run away while parrying everything (just a example).