Personally, I find Rogues and Ferals borderline unplayable in vanilla and TBC due to that tick-based energy regeneration, where you're just sitting there waiting for your energy to go up in increments of 20. For classes that already rely on pooling energy at times, sitting 5 away from being able to press a button until you get the whole 20 back is torture.

Pressing buttons every gcd = fun. Sitting there waiting = not fun. Probably why I like Monks in the later expansions where you can hit an equilibrium of energy and chi to keep pressing things. But while I can limit my button spam to some degree in classic, those old-school ticks are still killer. When Wrath changes that to constant regen, the energy classes become infinitely more fun to play.

I've always assumed this was a universal feeling, but recently I found out there are people out there who actually prefer the old 20-tick system. And that just don't make no sense to me. If that's you - what possible advantage does it have over smooth regen?

Old regen has its uses. If you time it right, getting that burst of energy for a jucier opener feels super satisfying. And on the cat side, it can help with the powershifting rhythm. At the end of the day, more skill expression is always good.

I feel like it's very subjective. As Val said, the old regen system emphasizes skill expression and makes Druids and Rogues feel like they can outplay others. Whenever you'd see a Feral in Classic/TBC topping the meters, most players would automatically assume they're amazing. IMO, both systems have their advantages and disadvantages.

For example, the old system can be more calculated and feels like it gives Druids more agency. The skill expression itself comes from the reaction time involved in perfecting powershifting and the split-second players have to decide whether to use an additional Shred, reposition, or end up using any CP on the target to use Rip before running away to avoid boss mechanics.

On the other hand, the new system removes the need to think through every button press. Druid still has a huge skill ceiling, but fast energy regen lets players make mistakes without fearing an OoM state. From that PoV, it offers a much more relaxed experience while still requiring a lot of knowledge and skill.

Praise be Forever. They went with the good energy regen. Rogues and ferals are now playable.