5.4 Changes and Notes as of 7/10

[Zagam 1,982]

They nerfed it to 4 Imps? Might be time to drop the glyph as I see 4 Imps being a DPS loss than using the basic Demonic Calling.

[Zagam 1,982]

Talents and Specialization

• Harvest Life: Drains the life from all enemies within 15 yards of the target, causing 187 [+ 17.5% of SpellPower] Shadow damage and restoring 3-4.5% of the caster's total health every 1 sec. Lasts 6 sec. Replaces Drain Life.Increases the damage of your Drain Life spell by 50% and the healing of your Drain Life spell by 150%.

• Soul Swap: You copy your Shadow damage-over-time effects from the target, preserving their power and duration. For 63 sec afterwards, the next target you cast Soul Swap: Exhale on will be afflicted by the copied Shadow damage-over-time effects. You cannot Soul Swap to the same target.

Glyphs

• Glyph of Drain Life: Increases the healing of your Drain Life by 30%.Increases the healing from Harvest Life generated by your primary target by 20%.

• Glyph of Havoc: Havoc gains 3 additional charges, but the cooldown is increased by 35 seconds.

• Glyph of Imp Swarm: Teaches you the ability Imp Swarm. Requires Demonology. Imp Swarm Summons 54 $104316lWild Imp:Wild Imps; from the Twisting Nether to attack the target. The Wild Imps passive effect is disabled while Imp Swarm is on cooldown. Imp Swarm's cooldown is reduced by spell haste. Also increases Wild Imp's cooldown by 4 sec.

• <a class="icontiny" href="http://ptr.wowhead.com/spell=146964" rel="diff=17227"> Glyph of Unending Resolve: The damage reduction of Unending Resolve is reduced by 20%, but the cooldown is reduced by [s2 / 10060 sec.

[Zagam 1,982]

Harvest Life complete re-work. No longer an AoE ability, this ability will be a snap-decision healing tool. Looks like a good use in PvP, but not sure if a buff of 50% makes the damage competitive. 150% increased healing will be quite significant, but typically DPS avoid using a utility spell such as this when maximizing DPS is important. Interesting to watch pan out.

Soul Swap duration has been halved. You will be using this back-to-back or losing the buff. Just requires quick targetting.

The Glyph of Drain Life is going to make the healing component of Drain Life enormous.

Glyph of Havoc was datamined a while ago. Not likely to be a DPS increase unless a secondary target presents itself in 60 second intervals. If constant secondary target is present, Glyph will not be a gain.

Change to Imp Swarm is annoying. It will lower our burst, and I'm going to have to re-work the math theorycrafting on whether or not the Glyph is a DPS gain over Demonic Calling. It's going to change it quite a bit...

The change to Unending Resolve via the Glyph looks rather lame. Reducing a 180 sec CD to 120 sec CD but reducing the potency by 20% makes it a rather soft CD. A 2 min CD with only a 20% reduction is pretty tame. Compartively, Paladins get a 30 sec CD cooldown 20% mitigation spell. With Sacrificial Pact and Soul Link at our disposal, I think keeping UR to a 40% mitigation tool will be better than glyphing it. For PvP, the extra protection from being silenced may prove worthwhile.

[Twinkielock 15]

An one imp loss would be that drastic? What's the other option? (I can't access the client at work)

Edited July 24, 2013 by Twinkielock

[Omaric 246]

Not drastic, but it could change whether or not it's the clear winner. To me, I still enjoy the extra DF generation on the opener. Overall it's what, 3-4 less wild imps per fight? That's not a big enough hit for me to negate picking up an ability that allows me to spam Soulfire during my opener (until we drop current tier 2-piece).

[Zagam 1,982]

The issue is using Imp Swarm disables Demonic Calling while Imp Swarm is on CD. It also puts a 4 second delay (not affected by Haste) on Demonic Calling while Imp Swarm is off CD. Hell, I might as well lay out the math here.

At 0% Haste, without the glyph, you'd receive an Imp every 20 seconds. That would be 6 Imps per 2 minutes, or 3 Imps per minute (3 i/m)

At 10% Haste, without the glyph, you'd recieve an Imp every 18.182 seconds. This would be 3.3 i/m

At 20% Haste, without the glyph, you'd recieve an Imp every 16.667 seconds. This would be 3.6 i/m

At 30% Haste, without the glyph, you'd receive an Imp every 15.385 seconds. This would be 3.9 i/m

At 40% Haste, without the glyph, you'd receive an Imp every 14.286 seconds. This would be 4.2 i/m

At 50% Haste, without the glyph, you'd receive an Imp every 13.333 seconds. This would be 4.5 i/m

Basically, every 10% Haste, you acquire an additional 1/3 of an Imp per minute. To see it in a 2 minute threshold, you'd see the following:

0% Haste = 6 Imps

10% Haste = 6.6 Imps

20% Haste = 7.2 Imps

30% Haste = 7.8 Imps

40% Haste = 8.4 Imps

50% Haste = 9.0 Imps

Now, to do the same with the Glyph, you have to think about the base delay of Demonic Calling along with the fact it's on CD with Imp Swarm. So, we see the following:

0% Haste = 1 Initial Imp + 5 Imps with Imp Swarm - 120 second CD on Imp Swarm = 0 additional Imps before next Imp Swarm. Total = 6

10% Haste = 1 + 5 with Imp Swarm - 109 second CD on Imp Swarm + 21.8 sec CD on Demonic Calling = 0 additional. Total = 6

20% Haste = 1 + 5 - 100 second CD on Imp Swarm + 20 sec CD on DC = 1 additional. Total = 7

30% Haste = 1 + 5 - 92.3 second CD on Imp Swarm + 18.4 sec CD on DC = 1 additional. Total = 7

40% Haste = 1 + 5 - 85.7 second CD on Imp Swarm + 17.1 sec CD on DC = 2 additional. Total = 8

50% Haste = 1 + 5 - 80.0 second CD on Imp Swarm + 16 sec CD on DC = 2 additional. Total = 8

Basically with the glyph, every 20% Haste gives you an extra Imp on top of the 5 you get with Imp Swarm. You can see right away that using Imp Swarm gives you less Imps. Why, then, have me and Gaddho suggested using Imp Swarm? It's because you can maximize your Imp damage with Dark Soul stacking. This is why the threshold of 20% and 40% for Imp Swarm is set. 20% is fairly easy to achieve, but 40% is for heavy Haste builds.

With the change to 4, we'll now see the following:

0% Haste = 5 in 2 mins

10% Haste = 5 in 2 mins

20% Haste = 6 in 2 mins

30% Haste = 6 in 2 mins

40% Haste = 7 in 2 mins

50% Haste = 7 in 2 mins

At a heavy Haste % of 40, we're going to see a net loss of 1.4 Imps every 2 minutes of the fight. At 20% Haste, we will see a loss of 1.2 Imps per minute using the glyph. However, lining 5 Imps up wtih Dark Soul buffs them by 30%. Therefore, with Dark Soul up, you essentially have 30% more Imps. That can be shown here:

No Imp Swarm

0% = 6 Imps + (2 out during Dark Soul = 2 * 0.3 = 0.6) = 6.6 Imps

20% = 7.2 Imps " " = 7.8 Imps

40% = 8.4 Imps " " = 9.0 Imps

Glyph of Imp Swarm (with change to 4)

0% = 5 * 1.3 = 6.5 Imps

20% = 6 * 1.3 = 7.8 Imps

40% = 7 * 1.3 = 9.1 Imps

TL;DR: Imp Swarm will still be a DPS gain when utilized with Dark Soul but only EVER so slightly. If you don't use Dark Soul properly with Imp Swarm, then the glyph is a DPS loss. However the gap between using the glyph and not using the glyph has gotten drastically smaller. We will see a nerf in our burst and our Demonic Fury generation at the beginning. They've gone back to their word where Glyphs shouldn't be mandatory, and Glyph of Imp Swarm was every bit mandatory. Now, it is not. You'll decide if you want bigger burst and DF generation every 2ish minutes or better sustained and better DF generation overall.

[Omaric 246]

For me the answer will definitely be more burst during Dark Soul. I can't see a situation arising in the near future where I won't want extra DF generation from Imp Swarm while Dark Soul is going. *Especially* once we lose our 2 piece that we have right now.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Omaric

[Kaboozey 16]

Haven't seen anyone mention the change to the 4-Piece Tier 14 bonus. Now increases damage by 10% during Dark Soul. No more armor switching during pre-pot phase for you!

They seem to be making a lot of pvp changes. Were they just not happy with 'lock representation?

[Lappenforce 0]

MMO Champion:

• For Affliction Warlocks, the Soulburn empowered version of Drain Soul also receives a 50% increase to damage and 150% increase to healing.

Since when is Drain Soul empowered by Soulburn? Or am I being dumb here?

Edited July 25, 2013 by Lappenforce

[Omaric 246]

You can rest assured it should read "Drain Life" as Drain Soul isn't known for its health draining ability.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Omaric

[Zagam 1,982]

The 4pc T14 set bonus was likely used for the 80 sec CD on Dark Soul, but man, people will find any way to manipulate things. So lame. And yes, the Soulburn effect is related to Drain Life, not Drain Soul, as Omaric points out.

[Kaboozey 16]

The 4pc T14 set bonus was likely used for the 80 sec CD on Dark Soul, but man, people will find any way to manipulate things. So lame.

It's nothing new man. People have always abused old gear and set bonus's in this way if it provided an edge. I remember using the Blue Dragon Card during BC, and tanks still rocking Thunderfury because the threat generation was just that good. You once referenced 'locks gear switching during their time in Northrend for a bonus and I believe I saw rogues doing a gear switch prior to combat recently (during MoP), but I forget what it was for.

[Zagam 1,982]

People did that bullshit Moonwell Chalice swapping in Dragon Soul as Demonology. So stupid.

[Omaric 246]

The same will probably eventually happen to UVoLS.

[dirkusbirkus 0]

I'm still anticipating Destruction spell buffs to off-set the change in Ember generation. Surely they won't let one spec fall out of the running, right?

Is it too early to start worrying about Destro becoming a liability in 5.4? I've been keeping tabs on the changes to the other specs and at this point it looks like I need to start learning to play Affli. I don't really *want* to drop Destro because I think it's a lot of fun and that's why we play games, right? It's just looking increasingly like if I don't choose one of the other specs, I'd be hindering not only myself, but my guild's progression too.

Possibly a bit melodramatic from me at this point, there's still time for them to shoehorn in some Destro buffs. I hope you're right, Zagam

[Jenaye 9]

To be fair, you should be proficient in all 3 specs.

[dirkusbirkus 0]

To be fair, you should be proficient in all 3 specs.

Not all of us have time to burn, thanks. I play as much as I'm able. We're not a hardcore raiding guild, we don't push for ranks or anything, we play to have fun with friends. Despite this, I do feel a certain level of responsibility to get the most out of my own DPS. Up til now, that was fine as Destro,

Not sure why you'd expect players to have mastered all 3 specs of a class unless they were heroic progression tbh.

Edited July 26, 2013 by dirkusbirkus

[Zagam 1,982]

To be fair, he's not saying you should master all 3 specs. However, you should be able to play a spec to 90% of its capacity within 15 minutes of practice. Obviously mastering the spec takes time, but you should be able to play any spec at any time for any fight with the abundance of information on the specs both here and on other websites.

Since you say that you play at a more casual level, playing your class to 90% capacity would be more than sufficient. 15 minutes of time on a dummy isn't too much to ask, I would think.

The same will probably eventually happen to UVoLS.

They've already said they're not changing this thing. It's not going anywhere and it will be BiS through the rest of the expansion for Demonology.

[Omaric 246]

Because they've never changed their minds. :P

[Alphric 7]

Because they've never changed their minds. :P

I saw in the patch notes where they're going back and changing the tier 14 4 piece bonus

[Zagam 1,982]

He was being sarcastic. The 4pc T14 was from people using it to get an extra Dark Soul in fights which is/was not intended. The Unerring change is something I'm confident isn't going to happen. The more I play Demonology, the more I get annoyed by the Wild Imps inability to be controlled. I'm usually the last ranged DPS on Essence of Anima because they're not up long enough for the little douchebags to target swap. Same goes for a fight like Council switching to adds. If there was a way to have them snap target yours, I'd be much more pleased. I can't tell how badly this will affect raiding in the next tier.

[Kaboozey 16]

These tweaks/changes are unending:

Talents

• Grimoire of Sacrifice (Affliction) now increases the power of many of your single target spells by 20%, down from 30%.

Affliction

• Haunt now increases periodic damage, not all damage.

Demonology

• Wild Imps Every 20 sec, you gain Demonic Calling, causing Your Shadow Bolt, Soul Fire, and Touch of Chaos hits summon a Wild Imp from the Twisting Nether. This effect can occur every 20 sec. Each Wild Imp will cast 10 Firebolts before departing. Each Firebolt generates 5 Demonic Fury. Warlock - Demonology Spec.

Demo appears to just be a wording change. Affliction nerfs.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Kaboozey

[Zagam 1,982]

There are no nerfs in that table as Affliction. You're not supposed to be using Grim of Sac unless you're over 545 item level, and even then, it's arguable. Now there's no argument. You should be using an Observer or Fel Imp anyways.

Haunt's change only makes it so you don't spam the living shit out of Haunt because it'll be doing 45% more damage. This weekend when I ran fights as Aff, I was seeing 330k Haunts. Haunt would be the new Chaos Bolt without that change...not really a nerf. It was just a nerf to those who said "I'm going to spam Haunt when I have shards" and that wasn't intended, clearly, as made note by the change.

[Kaboozey 16]

There are no nerfs in that table as Affliction. You're not supposed to be using Grim of Sac unless you're over 545 item level, and even then, it's arguable. Now there's no argument. You should be using an Observer or Fel Imp anyways.

LoLwut? "There are no nerfs"? Currently it's a toss-up of what's best even at >545 item item level, but with this nerf that isn't a nerf, there isn't an argument of which talent to use? As in you'd be doing less damage, right? How is this not a nerf? Mind... blown.

Edit: As Affliction, some (like myself) don't want to use a pet 100% of the time. In fact, the only pet I really ever wanna see out is Felguard.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Kaboozey

[JvChequer 43]

Affliction wasn't nerfed, just fixed before going Live like 5.0 and being extremely OP.