wow Azerite Trait Tuning for September 25th + Blue Posts

[Starym 3,801]

 

A lot of Azerite trait talk today as Blizzard have announced a second round of tuning, focusing on tanks and healers, coming with the next reset. We also got a blue post commenting on the imbalance in the traits and the Mythic+ problem with Azerite armor not being available.

There's also some PvP class tuning coming next week which you can check out here.

Trait Tuning (source)

With scheduled maintenance next week, we intend to make some targeted adjustments to Azerite Traits for tanks and healers. Here's what that currently looks like:

• Blessed Sanctuary bonus increased by 10%.
• Burst of Life healing increased by 20%.
• Craggy Bark bonus increased by 15%.
• Dauntless Divinity block increased by 20%.
• Depth of the Shadows healing increased by 20%.
• Ephemeral Recovery mana increased by 15%.
• Gory Regeneration healing increase increased by 15%.
• Judicious Defense absorption increased by 10%.
• Masterful Instincts bonuses increased by 10%.
• Permeating Glow bonus increased by 15%.
• Reinforced Plating Strength increased by 10%.
• Revel in Pain absorption increased by 20%.
• Savior trigger threshold increased to 50% health (was 35%).
• Soothing Waters healing increased by 10%.

You'll see the final adjustments in our hotfixes update post on Tuesday.

 

Trait imbalance and M+ (source)

Couple things:

We agree that the trait imbalance is a real problem right now. We made a bunch of tuning adjustments last week, and have more planned for the very near future (primarily focused on buffing underperforming traits). We see this as the source of most of the frustrations with the system; if the delta between your best and worst traits wasn't so big, it'd be less frustrating when a piece of Azerite armor doesn't have your best trait on it.

We also agree that the Mythic+ Azerite Armor situation isn't ideal. However, we need to be careful with how we award Azerite Armor through M+. Right now, easier access to Azerite Armor is one of the main advantages that raiding has over gearing exclusively through Mythic+, and we want to keep some additional benefit there as compensation for the extra effort and coordination needed to organize a raid team. That's is why we're hesitant to do something like add a guaranteed piece of Azerite Armor to the weekly chest - it'd be too lucrative.

But like I said, we do agree that the current setup can be frustrating. We're looking for better options.

[tkioz 229]

Still pathetic. Most class traits are hot garbage.

[Hypersonic 119]

29 minutes ago, Starym said:

That's is why we're hesitant to do something like add a guaranteed piece of Azerite Armor to the weekly chest - it'd be too lucrative

Eh. I simple don't understand this logic. There would be even a great RNG to get garbage and with this force people to do what they don't want to do is pretty meh for me. My motivation in the game already only M+ and for this I need to raiding on semi-hardcore level, because no other option to get high ilvl Azerite pieces with greater chance, because I can't trust in my own luck in that 1 item what contains my weekly, that loot table is just so huge. Plus if even it's Azerite, can be a total garbage... Or I need to go PvP because already there is also a fix 370 or 340 what is nonsense vs. M+.
I don't know why so hard to give us something fix. If it would be hard, I don't know you need to do 5 +10/week or something even that would be cool. Casuals don't care this whole issue but force the players who cares about it.. I hope they really soon figure it out something for this problem. 

Edited September 22, 2018 by Hypersonic

[Tanvaras 2]

9 hours ago, tkioz said:

Still pathetic. Most class traits are hot garbage.

Totally agree, I think they are missing a 1 infront of the numbers to make those garbage traits worthwhile. Azerite Armor is one of the worst implementations of gear into WoW since Vanilla (imo).

[checkmate 4]

Please remove m+ from the game, it is the worst idea blizz ever had!

1. It almost makes raiding uninteresting and not feeling rewardful

2. as a player still having love for shaman, I do have big trouble getting a random group for m+

 

I totally hate m+ and the big big effect it has on the game ...

Blizzard is hardly able to balance all speccs for raiding and pvp and now they implement a system, which is even more difficult to balance ...

We saw at several MDI that there are always certain powerclasses and combos

 

 

Edited September 22, 2018 by checkmate

[jinsu2301 273]

48 minutes ago, checkmate said:

Please remove m+ from the game, it is the worst idea blizz ever had!

Garrisons? LFR?

Seriously, if it wasn't for M+, dungeons would be dead the moment raids open.

48 minutes ago, checkmate said:

1. It almost makes raiding uninteresting and not feeling rewardful

No. The highest items you can get through M+ are only heroic raid level (apart from the weekly chest), and there are certain items you will only ever get through raiding. Also, I find it more satisfying to beat a hard raid boss with my guildies than to clear the same dungeon for the 100th time.

48 minutes ago, checkmate said:

2. as a player still having love for shaman, I do have big trouble getting a random group for m+

Well, that's not an issue with M+. That's just shaman being undertuned at the moment. Also, don't choose the PUG life...

48 minutes ago, checkmate said:

We saw at several MDI that there are always certain powerclasses and combos

Same can be said for raiding and PvP. Fact is though, it only ever matters on the very high end. Unless you are pushing for very high keys, your composition doesn't matter all too much. Don't blame Blizz for the community beinga  bunch of elitist c**ts.

Edited September 22, 2018 by jinsu2301

[Thundertree 5]

We are at a point where this kind of answers and fixes seem like A-level trolling. You can fuck up an xpac as much as you want, no offense taken. But when you start to act like everything is fine and nearly insult the intelligence of your player base, you are gonna end up with the short end of the stick.

[Migol 433]

I look at the change for my Paladin tank's trait there and wonder what their logic is?  

Dauntless Divinity - When Guardian of Ancient Kings expires, your Block is increased by 2,332 for 30 sec

Now, I have to wonder if they're clueless about how my class works because of this trait.    On paper, I'm sure this looked great to someone, you use a cooldown, then you get a second, bit weaker cooldown after it ends as a trait bonus!

The problem any Paladin will notice is that GoAK is a -5 minute- cooldown, as in generally once per fight.    So this is a trait that will give you 30 seconds of increased block once...after you've blown your main cooldown that lasts 8 seconds (Usually more than enough to weather a boss ability).     There are other things (really) wrong with this talent but that's the big thing.    It protects you a bit after the damage phase or moment of non-healing is over, when you've probably already stabilized.    It does nothing to help us prevent the danger moments, or weather the boss abilities that we'd pop the cd for in the first place.    And it only happens once.    Practically any trait would be better.   

Blizzard's solution to this problem?    Slightly buff the numbers!    That's a bandaid on what is simply a non-functional talent.

[Vorguz 33]

11 hours ago, Migol said:

The problem any Paladin will notice is that GoAK is a -5 minute- cooldown, as in generally once per fight.    So this is a trait that will give you 30 seconds of increased block once...after you've blown your main cooldown that lasts 8 seconds (Usually more than enough to weather a boss ability).     There are other things (really) wrong with this talent but that's the big thing.    It protects you a bit after the damage phase or moment of non-healing is over, when you've probably already stabilized.    It does nothing to help us prevent the danger moments, or weather the boss abilities that we'd pop the cd for in the first place.    And it only happens once.    Practically any trait would be better. 

I can only talk from the heal perspective but the trait is a godsent for us. You brush of a strong ability from any boss and take noticable less damage over the next 30s. For us healers its not a matter of you taking damage but you mitigating it the best you can. Thats why monk is meta atm. If you dont mitigate, you'll die fast or we burn though our mana and someone else dies. Most abilitys that hit you as a tank really hard are followed by some kind of damage to other people or moving. I am with you on the cooldown tho. An effective 3-4min cd on GoAK would be better, but may be a too strong buff and elevate the paladin above all other tanks by alot.

Tldr: The trait allows healers to patch you up/catch up without using last minute tools or tank cds and burning though mana. Its not as bad as one would think.

Edited September 24, 2018 by Vorguz

[Migol 433]

20 minutes ago, Vorguz said:

I can only talk from the heal perspective but the trait is a godsent for us. You brush of a strong ability from any boss and take noticable less damage over the next 30s. For us healers its not a matter of you taking damage but you mitigating it the best you can. Thats why monk is meta atm. If you dont mitigate, you'll die fast or we burn though our mana and someone else dies. Most abilitys that hit you as a tank really hard are followed by some kind of damage to other people or moving. I am with you on the cooldown tho. An effective 3-4min cd on GoAK would be better, but may be a too strong buff and elevate the paladin above all other tanks by alot.

Tldr: The trait allows healers to patch you up/catch up without using last minute tools or tank cds and burning though mana. Its not as bad as one would think.

Well you can say that it helps by increasing mitigation (sorta, the numbers on block chance and what can be blocked and so on).   But again, only for 30 seconds once per boss.

Compare that to our "good" traits:

Inspiring Vanguard: Grand Crusader's chance is increased to 20% and it grants you 199 Strength for 8 sec.

This trait blows it out of the freaking water.    It's always on the whole fight, it increases our threat/damage significantly as well as adding mitigation (more with certain traits that give mitigation with avenger's shield), and doesn't have any drawback at all really.

Ablative Shielding: Falling below 40% health grants you 622 Armor for 10 sec. Taking further Physical damage reduces the Armor granted. May only occur every 30 sec.

Again, blows the "improved" dauntless divinity out of the water.    Always on.   Procs very often, gives a substantial boost to mitigation.

 

Like I said, the thing that just kills the "improved" dauntless divinity is the once per fight nature of GoAK.     It basically makes it nigh impossible to balance against the "always on" good traits like the ones I mention above, that's why I say the basic design of the trait is broken and numbers passes won't really change that.   If they attached it to a different cooldown (say Ardent Defender or even Blessing of Spellwarding), then it would be much more relevant.

Edited September 24, 2018 by Migol

[PatrickHenry 293]

2 hours ago, Migol said:

...

So basically, youre saying that some traits are better than others?

Is this one probably the best overall?  No.

But if youre at a point where you need GOAK, the 30sec defensive buff afterwards cannot do anything but help you.  30 seconds.  Thats an eternity in a boss fight.

[Vorguz 33]

18 hours ago, Migol said:

Inspiring Vanguard: Grand Crusader's chance is increased to 20% and it grants you 199 Strength for 8 sec.

This trait blows it out of the freaking water.    It's always on the whole fight, it increases our threat/damage significantly as well as adding mitigation (more with certain traits that give mitigation with avenger's shield), and doesn't have any drawback at all really.

Ablative Shielding: Falling below 40% health grants you 622 Armor for 10 sec. Taking further Physical damage reduces the Armor granted. May only occur every 30 sec.

Again, blows the "improved" dauntless divinity out of the water.    Always on.   Procs very often, gives a substantial boost to mitigation.

Inspiring Vanguard is a chance increase. Yes it is broken af and will be nerfed in the future,
Ablative Shielding is okish as it helps too when you drop below 40%. The drawback is that you dont have ~600 armor over the whole 10s and it can only procc every 30s. Which makes it a tad useless in raiding scince you shouldnt drop below 40%.

But the other trait is on use, You can decide when you want those extra mitigation, It gives you possibilities which is key to surviving. 
With the 30s duration you can take the next 1-2 tank abilities while it is till running which seems really good?