Warlords of Draenor Beta Notes Update (August 19)
by Magistrate - 10 years ago show comments
The latest Warlords of Draenor beta notes were released today, this time exclusively focusing on classes. A couple sections have been stricken and restructured, such as for monks and rogues.
If you’ve been lax about giving beta feedback, this may be the perfect time for you to jump in. Celestalon (Technical Game Designer Chadd Nervig) says classes in beta are moving into a “bugfixes, stability, and polish” phase. He recently posted a thread for class theorycrafting and the team is looking for data insights, if you’ve got the brain for it.
We encourage you to read the full list of beta notes on the official blog.
Reading Notes
- Note updates and additions are denoted in bolded text
- Removed sections are denoted with
strike-through text.- Only updates since the last note list have been included for ease of reading. See the official blog post for more.
- Some larger sections, sentences, and subtitles have been retained for context reading.
- Click to navigate via the Changes Index
Changes Index
Classes
Death Knight
Frost Changes
- Icy Talons now increases attack speed by 35% (down from 45%), and haste by 5% (up from 0%).
Blood Changes
- Rune Tap has been redesigned. It now reduces all damage taken by 50% for 3 seconds. It also now has 2 charges, with a 40-second recharge time.
- Will of the Necropolis has been redesigned. It now automatically triggers an immediate, free Rune Tap when you take damage that reduces you below 30% health. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 30 seconds.
- Glyph of Rune Tap has been redesigned. It now reduces Rune Tap’s recharge time by 10 seconds, but reduces the damage reduction it provides by 20%.
Druid
Ability Consolidation and Refinement
- Starfall no longer cancels when mounting. However, it can no longer hit stealthed or invisible targets.
- Wild Mushrooms no longer become invisible.
Guardian Changes
- Guardian Druids’ Mastery (Nature’s Guardian) has been replaced with a new Mastery: Primal Tenacity.
- Mastery: Primal Tenacity causes the Druid to gain a Physical absorb shield equal to 12%
16%of the attack’s damage when they are hit by a Physical attack. Attacks which this effect fully or partially absorbs cannot trigger Primal Tenacity.- Soul of the Forest (Guardian) now increases Mangle’s Rage generation by 5 (down from 10).
Restoration Changes
- Incarnation: Tree of Life no longer enhances Lifebloom. Instead, it also enhances Rejuvenation, increasing its healing by 50%, and reducing its cost by 50%.
- Heart of the Wild (Restoration) now increases healing done by 35% (up from 25%).
- Soul of the Forest for Restoration Druids has been redesigned.
- Soul of the Forest (Restoration) when casting Swiftmend, the Druid gains Soul of the Forest. Soul of the Forest reduces the cast time of the next Healing Touch by 50%, or increases the healing of the next Regrowth, or Rejuvenation,
or Wild Growthby 100%, or increases the healing of the next Wild Growth by 50%.Hunter
Ability Consolidation and Refinement
- Thrill of the Hunt now has a 20% chance to trigger (down from 30%).
Mage
Talent Revisions
- Presence of Mind is no longer a talent, and is now learned by only Arcane Mages.
- Evanesce is a new Talent available at level 15, replacing Presence of Mind.
- Evanesce causes the Mage to fade into the nether, avoiding all attacks for 3 seconds. This spell has a 45-second cooldown, replaces Ice Block, is not on global cooldown, and may be cast while a cast-time spell is in progress.
- Alter Time is now a level-30 Talent, replacing Temporal Shield.
- Alter Time now lasts for 10
15seconds (up from 6 seconds), has a 90-second cooldown (down from 3 minutes), and no longer affects the Mage’s mana, buffs, or debuffs.Frost Changes
- The Brain Freeze effect now increases Frostfire Bolt’s damage by 15%
25%, and can now stack up to 2 times. It also no longer triggers from the Bomb Talents, and instead has a 10% chance to trigger from Frostbolt casts. Each Multistrike of Frostbolt increases that cast’s chance by an additional 25%. (Total of 60% on double-Multistrikes).Monk
Ability Consolidation and Refinement
- Power Strikes now triggers every 15 seconds (up from every 20 seconds).
Mistweaver Changes
- Chi Brew now grants 1 charge of Mana Tea (down from 2 charges).
- Ascension now increases maximum Mana by 20%
10%(up from 15%).- Stance of the Spirited Crane is a new ability for Mistweaver Monks, which replaces Stance of the Fierce Tiger, and provides the following effects.
- The Monk gains Eminence, causing all damage dealt to also heal nearby allies.
- Eminence now causes a nearby target to be healed for 50%
35%of all damage caused by the Monk and includes auto attacks.- Blackout Kick causes Eminence to heal 5 allies instead of 1, but heals for only 20%
15%of damage dealt instead of 50%.
Ascension, Mana, and Energy (Brewmaster, Mistweaver)(Note: Lines for Ascension, Combo Breaker, and Stance of the Fierce Tiger got moved to other sections.)
We’re making a few changes that mostly affect Windwalkers, but has a minor impact on Mistweavers and Brewmasters as well. For energy-based gameplay to function well, the primary limitation on ability usage should be energy, not time. As such, we’re making the following changes to address GCD-capping problems. First, we’re reducing the effects and mana increase of Ascension, because it became more powerful when combined with several of our other changes to healers. We believe that Ascension will remain as a competitive talent for Brewmasters. Second, energy cost of Jab has been increased for Windwalkers. And Third, we reduced the chance for Combo Breaker to trigger. Individually, these may sound like significant nerfs but Windwalker damage has been adjusted to compensate for these changes. The goal is not to reduce DPS while addressing the issue with GCD-capping.
Ascension now increases energy regeneration and maximum mana by 10% (down from 15%).Combo Breaker now has an 8% chance to trigger, per effect, per Jab (down from 12%).Stance of the Fierce Tiger now also increases Jab’s energy cost by 10.Windwalker Changes
For Energy-based gameplay to function well, the primary limitation on ability usage should be Energy, not time. That breaks down when a rotation becomes limited by available GCDs, rather than by Energy. Windwalkers were hitting this “GCD-cap” too easily, causing scaling problems as they geared up, and removing rotational choices. To solve this problem, we’ve made a few tweaks that will slow down their rotation slightly; but still allow Windwalkers who enjoy the GCD-capped playstyle to have options available to focus on Haste and Energy regeneration. Individually, these may sound like significant nerfs, but Windwalker damage has been adjusted to compensate for these changes. The goal is to address the issue with GCD-capping while not reducing DPS.
- Jab now costs 45 Energy while in Stance of the Fierce Tiger.
- Stance of the Fierce Tiger now increases all damage done by 20%
now also increases Jab’s energy cost by 10.Brewmaster Changes
- Elusive Brew now increases dodge chance by 45%
35%(up from 30%).Paladin
Ability Consolidation and Refinement
- Selfless Healer no longer causes Bastion of Glory to apply to Flash of Light. However, it now increases the healing of Flash of Light on others by 35% per stack (up from 20%).
- Sword of Light now increases damage by 25% (down from 30%).
Priest
Ability Consolidation and Refinement
- Borrowed Time’s effects have been merged into baseline Power Word: Shield for Discipline Priests.
- Borrowed Time has been redesigned. It now increases the Priest’s stat gains to Haste from all sources by 40% for 6 seconds.
Talent Revisions
- From Darkness, Comes Light has been split into two abilities depending on the Priest’s specialization.
- Surge of Darkness (Shadow) now has a maximum of 3 charges (up from 2) and can now also trigger its effect from Devouring Plague, but its chance to trigger has been reduced to 10% (down from 20%) to compensate.
- Surge of Light (Discipline, Holy) activation chance has been reduced to 8%
10%(down from 15%).Miscellaneous Changes
- Enlightenment is a new passive ability for Discipline Priests.
- Enlightenment increases the critical healing chance of Prayer of Mending by 10%, and increases stat gains to Critical Strike from all sources by 5%.
Rogue
Ability Consolidation and Refinement
- Assassin’s Resolve now increases damage by 15% (down from 20%).
- Deadly Throw no longer has a minimum range.
- Garrote now ticks every 2 seconds (up from every 3 seconds). Damage has been adjusted to compensate.
Subtlety Changes
- Hemorrhage’s periodic damage is now based on attack power (instead of the initial strike’s damage), and ticks every 2 seconds. Damage has been adjusted to compensate.
has rolling periodic behavior, meaning that remaining damage from the previous application is added into the newly-applied periodic-damage effect.- Sinister Calling now increases Agility by 15% (down from 30%), and the amount of Multistrike bonus received from all sources by 5% (in order to act as Subtlety’s Secondary Stat Attunement). And finally, when the rogue Multistrikes with Backstab or Ambush, they also twist the blade, causing all Bleed effects to advance by 2 seconds, triggering an instant tick
instantly tick an additional time.
Rolling Periodic Damage(Note: Lines for Crimson Tempest and Hemorrhage got moved to other sections.)
A couple of Rogue abilities do periodic damage, but don’t have an intended alternative if that periodic is already on the target. We made these abilities roll remaining damage from their previous effect into the new effect, so that it’s still ideal to use them again in these cases.
Crimson Tempest’s periodic damage now has rolling periodic behavior, meaning that remaining damage from the previous application is added into the newly-applied periodic-damage effect.Hemorrhage’s periodic damage now has rolling periodic behavior, meaning that remaining damage from the previous application is added into the newly-applied periodic-damage effect.Shaman
Ability Pruning
- Ancestral Vigor has been removed.
Restoration Changes
- Chain Heal now heals each chain target for 10%
15%less than the previous target.Warlock
Ability Consolidation and Refinement
- Seed of Corruption and Soulburn: Seed of Corruption can no longer both apply to the same target.
Warrior
Stance Changes
Warriors have always had stances; they’re very important to the feeling of being a Warrior. In order to make stances more meaningful, and ease keybinds, we made stances have their own action bars, and re-added stance restrictions on abilities. However, we also made it so that you’ll automatically be shifted into the appropriate stance if you try to use an ability that isn’t usable in your current stance. One important difference between this and previous incarnations of Warrior stances is that these abilities are rotational, not utility cooldowns. Stances are now more for different gameplay modes (dealing damage vs. tanking). There shouldn’t be cases where you find yourself swapping stances, use an ability, and then immediately swapping back.
- Colossus Smash now requires Battle Stance.
- Recklessness now requires Battle Stance.
- Sweeping Strikes now requires Battle Stance.
- Activating Defensive Stance now puts Mortal Strike, Bloodthirst, Whirlwind, Slam, Raging Blow, and Wild Strike on a 6-second cooldown.
- Devastate is now available to all Warrior specializations (was Protection only) and requires Defensive Stance or Gladiator Stance.
- For Arms and Fury Warriors, Devastate has a 30% chance to reset the cooldown of Revenge.
- Revenge is now available to all Warrior specializations (was Protection only), and requires Defensive Stance or Gladiator Stance.
- Shield Barrier is now available for all Warrior specializations (was Protection only) and requires Defensive Stance.
- For Arms and Fury Warriors, Shield Barrier can be used without a shield.
Taunt now requires Defensive Stance or Gladiator Stance.Talent Changes
- Staggering Shout has been removed and replaced with 3 new talents that vary by specialization.
- Fury: Furious Strikes: Wild Strike costs 15
10less Rage.Fury Changes
- Bloodsurge’s effects have been merged into baseline Bloodthirst and no longer reduce Wild Strike’s global cooldown. Its spell alert has moved to the top slot instead of the left and right slots, and now has 2 charges (down from 3 charges).
- Bloodthirst now replaces Heroic Strike for Fury Warriors.
- Wild Strike now has a 0.75
0.5second baseline global cooldown, and costs 45 Rage.P.S. Congratulations to @Celestalon’s recent hairstyle upgrade to 4/4.
@^ Ed. Note: yaaaaay (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
(Source)
