Patch 3.3

[Sjofn]

I appreciate that geists are cool in that creepy gimp manner of theirs, but now the... er... 'eyehole' is glowing on the Rogue T10, it looks... well. I'll let others draw their own conclusions on that, I doubt I'm the only one who can't unsee.

You are definitely not alone.

[Merusk]

In the furor over the armor, nobody mentioned this; New Achieves for the X-Realm Dungeon tool. The title reward is 

    * Looking for More - Use the Dungeon tool to finish random heroic dungeons until you have grouped with 10 random players total.
    * Looking for Many - Use the Dungeon tool to finish random heroic dungeons until you have grouped with 50 random players total. Title Reward - the Patient.
    * Looking for Multitudes - Use the Dungeon tool to finish random heroic dungeons until you have grouped with 100 random players total.

The DK T10 set is very much in keeping with the sets they've had before.  I have no complaints at this, but the verdict isn't final until we see the helm.  The T7 helm was horrible.

Hunters are probably irritated because their helm looks like the old Might helm.  Sharkblade jokes are back, baby!

[Sjofn]

Ha, I like that title reward. 

[Ratadm]

My initial reaction is t10 dk is a total copy of t3 warrior.

[Paelos]

Warriors look great, hunters look stupid.

[SurfD]

Druid

    * 2 Pieces (Balance): (Updated) When you gain Clearcasting from your Omen of Clarity talent, you deal 15% additional Nature and Arcane damage for 6 seconds.
    * 4 Pieces (Balance): (Updated) Your critical strikes from Starfire and Wrath cause the target languish for an additional 5% of your spell's damage over 4 seconds.

I sort of liked the old 4 Piece bonus (had something to do with reducing the internal cooldown on eclipse procs, but the time value was not a proper number) but the new one seems like it would be MUCH better.  A lot of it depends on if that bonus damage over time STACKS.  Ie, if i crit 3 times in 4 seconds, later crits better not overwrite previous ones).  When i can crit for 10 to 12k on Starfires and 9k on wrath, and currently sit at around a 38% raid buffed base crit (ie, not counting + crit talents that only effect certain spells) that could end up as a LOT of damage over time...

[Fordel]

The previous cooldown bonus was literally useless. Assuming the RNG gods let you proc perfectly, you can already have 100% eclipse up time. The previous bonus would have done nothing to change that in the slightest.


The new one will most likely "roll" like ignite and other similar bonus DoT mechanics.

[Mattemeo]

# Item - Priest T10 Shadow 4P Bonus - Reduces the channel duration and period of your Mind Flay spell by 51%

Obviously too good to be true, the 4pc bonus is now

4 Pieces (Damage): (Updated) Reduces the channel duration and period of your Mind Flay spell by 0.5 seconds.

which pretty much means 2.5 second Mind Flays instead of the proposed 1.5. BOO! Still, if they can get haste to work properly on the tic speed of DoTs/HoTs, maybe it'll all work out. Plus the 30 yard base range and redux of the Mind Flay glyph will make things peachier for sure.

[SurfD]

The previous cooldown bonus was literally useless. Assuming the RNG gods let you proc perfectly, you can already have 100% eclipse up time. The previous bonus would have done nothing to change that in the slightest.


The new one will most likely "roll" like ignite and other similar bonus DoT mechanics.

Actually, the internal cooldown thing might have been more useful then you think.  Yes. With good procs, you CAN have 100% uptime on Eclipse, but you have to swap between Lunar and Solar.  If the change to the internal cooldown allowed you to proc either eclipse, say, 50% more frequently, that could have been HUGE, since certain dps rotations / gear combos are MUCH better at getting more dps out of a specific eclipse proc over another.

Would have to leave it up to the number crunchers on the theorycraft sites, but being able to maintain a much longer uptime on Solar or Lunar eclipse over a given time period could easily have been pretty nice.

[Oban]

Why do they insist on making rogues glow?  If I am a stealthy thing, why would I put huge lights on my shoulders or head?

[Mattemeo]

Why do they insist on making rogues glow?  If I am a stealthy thing, why would I put huge lights on my shoulders or head?

Beats me, it's like the stupid glowing IR goggle/headset Sam Fisher wears in Splinter Cell.

Sam Fisher: "I am teh darkness lol"
Guard 1: "Dude, what're those three green glowy things in the shadows over there?"
Guard 2: "Localised Aurora Borealis. You get that shit round here."
*muffled cry*
Guard 1: "Wat, even underground? Dude? Dude, where'd you go? Oh hey, the glowy things have gone."
*muffled cry*
Sam Fisher: "I am teh darkness lol"

[Setanta]

Those diseases are nasty plain and simple.  I can't take the warlock there because I go through health pots and bandages too quickly. As for the mount, meh, she's a Forsaken warlock.  The warhorse or the dreadsteed look just as cool.  Especially because I got my dreadsteed the old way.

Respec to Demonology. Felguard and dots - I hit Revered just putting the guard on aggressive and letting it go to town while dotting and draining everything in sight. Felguard absorbs most of the punishment and if he takes diesease, let him die and resummon him. I've never had a problem with a loch in there although my enhance shammy is faster at tearing through the place as is my DK (DK got the mount on its 3rd run).

[Gobbeldygook]

New PTR up, official changes below the fold

The shadow priest buffs are well-deserved, the resto druid change will eliminate a lot of stupid and repetitive questions about haste, the cooldown changes are just meh.

Sketchy MMO-champ datamined changes:

[Merusk]

The DK changes were expected and announced. They don't like that Unholys are forgoing Scourge Strike, so it keeps getting futzed with.  This latest change meant that SS does less damage than 2x Blood Strike.. so now Unholys are ignoring SS AND their Death Rune Talent.  I'm sure it made them do flips, but they acknowledged the problem prior to pushing 3.3 and said they'd "fix" it in 3.4. 

The UB nerf is probably because spamming DC takes priority over even rune abilities right now.

[Selby]

Sign me up for that water elemental change if it is real.  Although technically not really important since I don't do much solo PvE on my mage anymore...

[Soulflame]

# Item - Paladin T10 Holy Relic (Holy Shock) - Your Holy Shock spell grants 85 spell power for 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.


Oh boy, spell power libram that stacks off of using Holy Shock!  Yet another tier where I can ignore not only the set bonuses, but also the libram!

1.  This in no way trumps the ilvl 200 heroic badge libram, which is an efficiency libram.
2.  HL builds do not require spell power, they require longevity. Also, the only time an HL build uses Holy Shock is:
a.  You're moving
b.  Someone is possibly going to die before you can cast FoL or HL.
3.  FoL builds do require spell power, in which case go do arena for a couple of weeks, and get a libram that:
a.  Doesn't require repeated use of a mana and HPS inefficient heal with a cooldown to keep up and
b.  Has way more spell power in any case.

On top of that, the 245 libram has nearly 100% uptime if you use HL consistently, doesn't require stacking, and is only slightly less spell power, assuming you even wanted it.  Which most holy paladins don't, as they are using the HL mana efficiency libram, or the pvp flash of light libram.

Similar arguments apply to the prot and ret librams, with the difference being at least it's adding to a useful stat, and the abilities are part of their regular rotation.  With the added hilarity that ret paladins are noting that the PvE libram will be better than the PvP libram... for PvP.

 

[Morat20]

What the hell is "Call stabled Pet"?

[Nebu]

What the hell is "Call stabled Pet"?

A level 80 ability that allows you to use a pet stable from anywhere in the world on a 30 min timer.  It's AWESOME!  Being able to swap pets on the fly is wonderful when you get summoned for a BG or WG.  Just change specs and grab your pvp pet without hitting a town.  Also nice for pet swapping from tank to dps on the fly for pve. 

[Delmania]

What the hell is "Call stabled Pet"?

http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=62757

I am glad to see the changes to Improved fel hunter will prompt me to continue ignoring the talent and using an imp whilst raiding.

[DraconianOne]

I understood that the felpup talent actually made it more viable as an aff pet than it currently is?  What have you heard?

[Delmania]

Yes, actually.  The changes to Improved FelHunter and the Glyph of Lifetap (now procs off of Dark Pact) do make Affliction the highest damage spec on the PTR.  Throw in change for haste and DoT spells (tick faster now) and Affliction goes through the roof as compared to the other 2 builds.  

I may switch to this spec wen the patch goes live:
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#Ifxr0zrAoiAohktZE00q:ITMzV0

It's nice t know that no matter how much Blizzard tries, Shadow Bolt will always be in the Affliction's rotation.

Still debating if I want to go Destro for PvP, though,

[Lakov_Sanite]

Chill of the Throne
   The chilling presence of the Frozen Throne deals Frost damage to all nearby enemies. Removes 1% of your health every 3 sec

this seems to be up throughout the icecrown zone.

[Sheepherder]

All of Icecrown?  That can't be right.

[bhodi]

People are postulating a bug since it goes away after the first boss dies.

[K9]

Interesting mechanic

[SurfD]

Sunwell Radiance 2.0?

[AutomaticZen]

Sunwell Radiance 2.0?

I call it 'Instant Rage Generation for AFKers'.

Until the first boss is down, fuck taking a shit, grabbing a pizza, or whatever the hell you think you have to do.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Actually, people are saying that it dropping on the first boss kill is the bug. Supposedly it gets stronger the closer to the frozen throne you get.  Mind you it's only base health so 1% is only about 77hp or something like that but it would potentially get much worse.

[Soulflame]

Why not call it the "pad the meters for Resto Druids" aura?

[Fordel]

Why not call it the "pad the meters for Resto Druids" aura?

Healing stream totem, I choose you!

[Paelos]

Actually, people are saying that it dropping on the first boss kill is the bug. Supposedly it gets stronger the closer to the frozen throne you get.  Mind you it's only base health so 1% is only about 77hp or something like that but it would potentially get much worse.

If that's true, it's quite possibly the stupidest thing they've ever implemented in a dungeon. Obviously we don't need breaks, and we enjoy getting hit by magical auras that never stop. I mean, can you eat with that up?

[Fordel]

Actually, people are saying that it dropping on the first boss kill is the bug. Supposedly it gets stronger the closer to the frozen throne you get.  Mind you it's only base health so 1% is only about 77hp or something like that but it would potentially get much worse.

If that's true, it's quite possibly the stupidest thing they've ever implemented in a dungeon. Obviously we don't need breaks, and we enjoy getting hit by magical auras that never stop.

Break Area's are probably sections the Dawn or EbonBlade have already broken into, if it does go in as is.

[Selby]

I mean, can you eat with that up?

Just like the old days of Strat with the 30m diseases that interrupted eating every 5s...

[Lakov_Sanite]

 

[Ingmar]

New patch going up tonight, notes are up at mmo-champion.com, I am too lazy to cut and paste them all but I am most excited about:


# Top-level helm and shoulder faction-related enchants are now available as Bind-on-Account items that do not require any faction to use once purchased (they still require the appropriate faction level to purchase).

YES

SUCK IT FROST GIANTS POLISH YOUR OWN HELMET