wow 7.2.5 PvP Class Tuning Hotfixes for June 13th

[Starym 3,800]

 

It seems 7.2.5 will be bringing even more class changes than mentioned in the official patch notes, specifically of the PvP variety. 7 classes with various specs get some pretty serious tuning, with Hunters, Paladins and Priests getting the most, including a lot of stat templates changes.

Blizzard (source)

As we’ve often done before, we’ve got a round of PvP tuning hotfixes that will take effect with our next maintenance in each region. We wanted to get this posted for discussion before the weekend.

Thanks for your feedback!

Player versus Player

Demon Hunter
Havoc

• Template Agility increased from 80% to 85%.
• Template Haste reduced from 130% to 110%.
• Template Versatility increased from 100% to 120%.
• Chaos Blades increases damage dealt by 20% (was 30%) in PvP situations.
• Fel Barrage damage reduced by 30% in PvP situations.
• Nemesis durations increased to 30 seconds in PvP situation (was 15 seconds).
• Nemesis now increases damage by 15% (was 25%).

Hunter
Beast Mastery

• Template Agility decreased from 80% to 70%.
• Template Armor decreased from 120% to 100%.
• Template Critical Strike increased from 70% to 100%.
• Template Mastery decreased from 75% to 45%.
• Dire Beast: Basilisk is now immune to snares and roots.
• Dire Beast: Basilisk damage has been increased by 50%.

Marksmanship

• Template Agility decreased from 105% to 100%.
• Template Critical Strike increased from 50% to 80%.
• Template Haste decreased from 150% to 120%.
• Sniper Shot no longer increases its own range.
• Sniper Shot duration increased to 15 seconds (was 10 seconds).
• Sniper Shot range is increased to 55 yards (was 40 yards).

Monk
Mistweaver

• Way of the Crane causes Spinning Crane Kick to heal for 100% of damage dealt (was 200%).
• Way of the Crane now heals based on absorbed damage.
• Way of the Crane now costs 8% of base mana.

Windwalker

• Template Versatility increased from 100% to 120%.
• Template Haste increased from 175% to 200%.

Paladin
Holy

• Template Intellect increased from 135% to 145%.
• Avenging Crusader's mana cost has increased by 30%.
• Avenging Crusader's cooldown recovery rate on Judgment and Crusader Strike decreased to 30% (was 50%).
• Avenging Crusader's bonus damage decreased to 30% (was 50%).

Protection

• Hand of the Protector's healing is reduced by 60% in PvP (was 45%).
• Light of the Protector's healing is reduced by 60% in PvP (was 45%).
• Luminescence now heals for 20% of healing taken (was 30%).
• Mana regeneration reduced by 25%.

Retribution

• Template Strength reduced from 85% to 80%.
• Blessing of Sanctuary's cooldown is now 45 seconds (was 30 seconds).
• Lawbringer's duration increased to 45 seconds (was 30 seconds).
• Divine Punisher now grants 3 Holy Power (was 2).
• Luminescence now heals for 20% of healing taken (was 30%).
• Templar's Verdict now deals full damage in PvP situations (was a 30% reduction).

Priest
Discipline

• Overloaded with Light increases Light's Wrath damage by 200% in PvP situations (was 500%).
• Power Word: Fortitude can now be active on 3 targets.
• Power Word: Fortitude's mana cost has been reduced by 80%.
• Power Word: Shield's absorption amount is increased by 10% in PvP situations (was 25%).
• Purified Resolve now provides a 5% maximum health shield (was 8%).
• Strength of Soul decreases physical damage taken by 20% (was 30%).
• Strength of Soul's heal has been increased by 75%.

Holy

• Template Damage dealt decreased from 75% to 65%.
• Template Haste increased from 100% to 125%.
• Template Intellect increased from 135% to 145%.
• Template Mastery reduced from 100% to 75%.
• Divine Attendant now reduces cooldown by 2.5 minutes (was 2 minutes). Tooltip will be inaccurate till a followup hotfix.
• Greater Fade's duration has been reduced to 4 seconds (was 6 seconds).
• Ray of Hope's bonus healing has been reduced to 50% (was 100%).
• Renew's periodic healing has been increased by 100% in PvP situations.
• Spirit of the Redeemer now has a 3 minute cooldown (was 5 minutes).
• Spirit of the Redeemer now has a 7 second duration (was 10 seconds).

Shadow

• Mind Blast damage increased by 30% in PvP situations.
• Mind Flay damage increased by 40% in PvP situations.
• Shadow Word: Pain damage reduced by 20% in PvP situations.
• Shadow Word: Void damage increased by 20% in PvP situations.
• Shadowform reduces physical damage taken by 20% in PvP situations (was 10%).
• Vampiric Touch damage reduced by 15% in PvP situations
• Void Torrent no longer deals decreased damage in PvP situations, (was 20% less.

Shaman

• Purifying Waters healing reduced by 40%.
• The Healing Surge cast by Swelling Waves now heals for half its regular amount.

Enhancement

• Gathering Storms no longer counts pets and guardians in PvP situations when increasing the damage of your next Stormstrike.

Restoration

• Template Critical Strike increased from 50% to 120%.
• Template Versatility increased from 130 to 140%.
• Earth Shield will now heal when an attacker takes 4% of their max health in damage (was 8%).
• Earth Shield now has 4 charges (was 3).
• Healing Stream Totem now heals for an additional 40% in PvP situations (was 10%).
• Riptide heals for an additional 30% in PvP situations.
• Healing Wave heals for an additional 50% in PvP situations (was an additional 100%).

Warrior
Fury

• Template Stamina decreased from 100% to 95%.
• Bloodthirst's heal is reduced by 25% in PvP situations.

7.2.5 patch notes.

[Yridaa 490]

I played WoW for a long time, of which PVP was about 0.1-1% of my total time spent (Usually only for transmogs, achievements, mounts).

 

When I look at this list (And many, many before it), I just don't know what to think of the PVP aspect of the game. It changed so much, so often. I remember Blizzard being adamant (And I mean really really adamant) about not changing abilities in PVP when asked at Blizzcons and such (All the way back in 2005 up to and including WoD iirc) , their reasoning being that it would make it too complicated if abilities behaved differently or were tuned differently than they are for PVE. Skills behaving differently was only done as a very last resort in an effort to balance things (I think most notably effects like the old Mortal Strike and later on, Colossus Smash)

 

So over the years, it's become more and more difficult to balance things, and they seem to have bitten the bullet and changed many, many abilities in PVP in Legion. "Reduced in pvp, increased in pvp" etc.

 

Not only does that look like a big mess to me (Do people even know what abilities are viable, or a good rotation nowadays?), but they stepped things up even more with things like these templates now?

 

Look at this ridiculous part: "Shaman - Restoration - Template Critical Strike Increased from 50% to 120%."

Oh I don't know, that's a value increase of 140% (If a value was 1000 crit, it is now 2400).

 

Like, why are they still slamming so hard on the balance departments? "Oh this ability is overtuned, lets reduce this healing ability by 40%", "Oh renew's HoT sucks really bad, lets just double the value and see if it's better now."

 

 

Like, it takes them 9 months to figure out a hot is undertuned SO MUCH they had to DOUBLE the effect? Odds are, it's still undertuned because buffing something to 200% (240% crit template like above) of its original value is not something you should do lightheartedly. So this ability (And probably many, many, of many classes/specs/talents) was so incredibly bad for almost a year now?

 

 

 

And people STILL try to convince me WoW is a good PVP game?

Edited June 11, 2017 by Yridaa

[Seksi 208]

It certainly is better than it used to be and these wide large balance changes help get things "to the same ballpark" before smaller changes can be considered when things are more balanced.

Looking at RBGs that my guild is doing, heal comp is disc + mw + rdruid and heal shamans are banned so its good that there are some buffs here for that. Holy paladin outside of Avenging Crusader shenanigans was also on the weak side.

In general PvP in WoW is in major flux right now since Legion introduced the new tools and knobs that can be used to balance things out so its natural to see bigger changes that ONLY impact pvp than before when it would impact everything else simultaneously. 

[Valks 2,375]

22 hours ago, Yridaa said:

Not only does that look like a big mess to me (Do people even know what abilities are viable, or a good rotation nowadays?), but they stepped things up even more with things like these templates now?

Thing is, these buffs/nerfs make complete sense to those that do PvP. While it may look like a big jumble of up and down, you can actually clump them into one reasonable decision.

For example, Prot Paladins on the whole have essentially had their healing reduced. In 3s, having a Prot Paladin was essentially running double healer/one DPS, despite the Prot still being able to do a huge amount of damage.

If this new system didn't exist, Prot tanks that raid would now be shouting about how unfair it is their healing is being nerfed. I'm definitely on board with this new system. 

Also, yeah, there are definitely best talents and such, but they fluctuate depending on your comp and your enemies. For rotations, it's all reactive. A rogue has plenty of options for using their combo points, they just have to decide which is best at that point.

[Yridaa 490]

You can mention how good it is to have templates to rebalance and skills having PVP versions as well, and while that may very well be true, it does mean that Blizzard has decided against their earlier statements (Which I mentioned in the post above)

 

Also, it would be nice if someone could provide some feedback regarding some of these changes (Such as some skills such as Renew getting buffed to heal for twice as much), as in, how viable it was before the nerf and how viable it would be now, and why balances sometimes need to be massive numbers instead of just 10-20-30%.

 

That was the original point I was trying to make, that with these new tools and templates, they're still buffing and nerfing things by upwards of 150-250% - Are you really convinced Blizzard knows what they're doing?