Blizzard Details Upcoming Class Tuning in World of Warcraft

Blizzard has recently announced several class tuning adjustments that aim to balance gameplay based on data and feedback received from the community. This article delves into these changes, slated to take effect after the next scheduled weekly maintenance.

Classes

• Guardian

  • Absorb granted by Ursoc’s Fury reduced to 45% of damage dealt (was 50%).
  • Innate Resolve’s bonus to Frenzied Regeneration reduced to 120% (was 150%).

• Havoc

  • Eye Beam is no longer interrupted by school lockout effects.

• Vengeance

  • Fel Devastation is no longer interrupted by school lockout effects.

• Fixed an issue that caused Mass Invisibility to cancel inconsistently, with no direct actions taken.
• Developers’ notes: This change also adjusts the timing of when Mass Invisibility is removed from spell casts. Mass Invisibility now cancels when beginning a cast, instead of when it ends, which is consistent with other invisibility effects.

• Fire

  • Flamestrike damage reduced by 6%.
  • Flame Patch damage reduced by 8%.
  • Incendiary Flames can now only proc once every 10 seconds (was 8 seconds).
  • Conflagration damage reduced by 10%.
  • Developers’ notes: Fire Mage damage in heavy AoE scenarios is still higher than we’re comfortable with. We intend these adjustments to further rein it in.

• Mistweaver

  • Ancient Teachings now transfers 150% of damage done (was 135%). Does not apply in PvP combat.
  • Yu’lon’s Grace can now stack up to 15% of maximum health (was 10%) and stacks 3% per second (was 2%).
  • Chi Cocoon’s absorb is increased by 100%.
  • Enveloping Breath’s healing decreased by 12%.
  • Developers’ notes: We’re shifting more of Celestial Harmony’s throughput into Chi Cocoon, with the intent of keeping the talent’s power level similar in raid, and increased in dungeon content.

• Holy

  • All damage decreased by 10%.
  • Blessing of Summer now causes attacks to deal 20% additional damage as Holy (was 25%). Blessing of Summer remains at 30% in PvP combat.
  • Developers’ notes: Holy Paladin damage output has been higher than we would like, considering their toolkit as a whole.

• Assassination

  • All ability damage increased by 5%.
  • Auto-attack damage increased by 5%.

• Protection

  • Defensive Stance’s reduction to damage dealt reduced to 5% (was 10%).
  • Spell Reflection’s damage reduction increased to 25% (was 20%).
  • Vanguard’s increase to stamina increased to 35% (was 30%).

Player versus Player

• Necrotic Aura now increases magic damage taken by 4% (was 8%).

• Frost

  • Dead of Winter now increases the cooldown of Remorseless Winter by 10 seconds (was 25 seconds).
  • Frost Fever damage increased by 30% in PvP combat.
  • Frost Strike now deals 75% increased damage in PvP combat (was 67%).
  • Remorseless Winter now deals 100% increased damage in PvP combat (was 80%).

• Havoc

  • Chaos Strike/Annihilation damage is now increased by 10% in PvP combat.
  • Eye Beam damage is no longer increased in PvP combat (was increased by 16%).
  • Isolated Prey (Talent) no longer has reduced duration bonus for Chaos Nova in PvP combat (was reduced by 50%).
  • Soulrend (Talent) damage is now reduced by 8% in PvP combat (was reduced by 17%).
  • Essence Break (Talent) damage is now reduced by 10% in PvP combat (was reduced by 20%).
  • Essence Break (Talent) bonus damage for Chaos Strike and Blade Dance is now reduced by 19% in PvP combat (was reduced by 38%).

• Balance

  • Moon and Stars now reduces interrupts and silences by 50% for 6 seconds (was 70% for 10 seconds).

• Augmentation

  • Verdant Embrace healing decreased by 25% in PvP combat.
  • Molten Blood is now 50% effective in PvP combat (was 70%).
  • Panacea healing decreased by 20% in PvP combat.
  • Ebon Might is now 80% effective on allies.
  • Ebon Might now increases the Augmentation’s damage by 30% in PvP combat (was 20%).
  • Prescience now grants 6% critical strike chance in PvP combat (was 3%).
  • Developers’ notes: The Augmentation Evoker ability to extend game length has been more effective than we would like, so we’re decreasing the effectiveness of some healing spells. Additionally, we’re shifting more of Ebon Might’s output into the Evoker themselves.

• Explosive Shot damage increased by 20% in PvP.

• Beast Mastery

  • Kill Shot deals 10% increased damage in PvP (was 9% decreased).

• Marksmanship

  • Master Marksman talent effectiveness in PvP increased from 7/15% to 12/25%.
  • Rapid Fire damage is increased by 40% in PvP (was 25%).

• Dampen Harm minimum damage reduction is now 25% in PvP combat (was 30%).

• Discipline

  • Power Word: Shield is no longer reduced by 15% in PvP combat.
  • Aegis of Wrath increases Power Word: Shield by 20% (was 30%) and decays by 2% (was 3%) every second in PvP combat.
  • Developers’ notes: Aegis of Wrath was too impactful in PvP due to its ability to deal with burst damage, so we’re reducing Discipline’s reliance on the talent and baking in some of its power to Power Word: Shield baseline. This should encourage more build diversity and give Discipline a small bump up in PvP.

• Elemental

  • Lava Burst damage is now increased by 12% in PvP combat.
  • Lightning Bolt damage is now increased by 45% in PvP combat (was 31%).
  • Volcanic Surge now increases the damage of Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning by 35% (was 25%) and increases the damage of Lava Burst by 55% (was 45%).
  • Skybreaker’s Fiery Demise now increases the critical strike chance of Flame Shock by 25% in PvP Combat (was 50%).
  • Fire Elemental now causes Flame Shock to deal damage 15% faster in PvP Combat (was 33%).
  • Developers’ notes: We’re adjusting some of Elemental’s damage away from Flame Shock and into instant damage spells to improve the spec’s finishing power, which has been lacking this season.
• Enhancement

  • Ascendance’s immediate damage is reduced by 50% in PvP combat.
  • Windstrike now deals 25% additional damage in PvP combat (was 45%).
  • Stormstrike’s damage is increased by 60% in PvP combat (was 45%).
  • Ice Strike’s damage increased by 45% in PvP combat.
  • Developers’ notes: We’re evening out the rate at which Enhancement Shaman deals its damage, as it is more reliant on inconsistent procs than we would like.

• Corruption now deals 25% increased damage in PvP combat (was 10%).
  Shadow Bolt now deals 60% increased damage in PvP combat (was 30%).

• Affliction

  • Agony now deals 25% increased damage in PvP combat (was 10%).
  • Drain Soul now deals 15% increased damage in PvP combat.
  • Oblivion’s damage increased by 40%.

• Demonology

  • Demonbolt’s damage increased by 20% in PvP combat.
  • Dreadbite damage increased by 10% in PvP combat.

• Destruction

  • Chaos Bolt’s damage increased by 75% in PvP combat (was 60%).

• Avatar increases damage by 15% in PvP (was 20%).

• Arms

  • Bladestorm damage is increased by 20% in PvP.
  • Mortal Strike damage is increased by 25% in PvP (was 10%).
  • Warbreaker and Colossus Smash increase damage taken by the target by 20% in PvP (was 30%).

• Fury

  • Onslaught damage is increased by 35% in PvP (was 15%).
  • Execute (Fury) damage is increased by 40% in PvP (was 25%).