wow War Within Beta Development Notes: July 24th

[Staff 1,488]

Here come this week's Beta development notes, featuring more class tuning, PvP changes, profession tweaks and more. 

Beta (Source)

Hello testers! Here are this week’s updates to the War Within Beta:

CLASSES

• DEATH KNIGHT
  • Hero Talents
    • Deathbringer (Blood/Frost)
      • Reaper’s Mark debuff damage has been reduced by 30%.
      • Blood
        • Exterminate damage has been reduced by 10%.
      • Frost
        • Exterminate damage has been reduced by 25%.
    • Rider of the Apocalypse (Frost/Unholy)
      • Trollbane’s Icy Fury damage reduced by 35%.
    • San’layn (Unholy/Blood)
      • Vampiric Strike now scales with Unholy Assault and other similar effects.
      • Visceral Strength’s Strength granted increased to 6% (was 5%).
      • Each stack of Frenzied Bloodthirst’s Essence of the Blood Queen increases your Death Strike and Death Coil damage by 3% (was 2%).
  • Frost
    • All ability damage reduced by 5%.
  • Unholy
    • All ability damage reduced by 10%.
    • Clawing Shadow damage increased by 25%.
• DEMON HUNTER
  • Hero Talents
    • Fel-Scarred
      • Demonsurge damage increased by 80%.
      • Burning Blades damage over time effect increased by 50%.
      • Enduring Torment now grants 10% increased Chaos Strike and Blade Dance damage (was 5%) and 5% Haste (was 3%).
      • Student of Suffering bonus Mastery effect increased by 50%.
      • Flamebound now grants 40% increased critical damage bonus for Immolation Aura (was 30%).
      • Monster Rising now increases Agility outside of demon form by 8% (was 5%).
  • Havoc
    • All non-Hero Talent ability damage increased by 13%.
• DRUID
  • Frenzied Regeneration heals you for 20% of your maximum health (was 32%).
  • Renewal heals for 20% of maximum health (was 30%).
    • These changes have been reverted.
  • Hero Talents
    • Druid of the Claw (Feral/Guardian)
      • Bestial Strength increases Ferocious Bite damage by 8% (was 5%) and now increases Rampant Ferocity damage by 8%.
      • Feral
        • Ravage damage dealt to other enemies in front of you increased 25%.
        • Dreadful Wound damage increased by 10%.
    • Elune’s Chosen (Balance/Guardian)
      • Fixed a typo in Lunar Insight’s tooltip.
      • Guardian
        • Boundless Moonlight damage reduced by 70%.
        • Lunar Insight now increases Moonfire damage by 10% (was 20%).
    • Wildstalker (Feral/Restoration)
      • Bloodseeker Vines damage reduced by 10%.
      • Bursting Growth damage increased by 30%.
      • Bond with Nature increases healing you receive by 4% (was 3%).
  • Feral
    • Developers’ note: We are increasing Feral’s damage overall, especially against multiple targets, and moving some of their damage out of Ferocious Bite and into other sources like bleeds and builders.
    • Rip damage increased by 10%.
    • Rampant Ferocity’s damage increased by up to 100% (was 50%) when players spend extra Energy on Ferocious Bite.
    • Taste For Blood increases Ferocious Bite damage by 12% (was 15%) and an additional 12% (was 15%) during Tiger’s Fury.
    • Apex Predator’s chance to proc against multiple targets increased slightly.
    • Shred, Swipe, Brutal Slash, Thrash, Lunar Inspiration Moonfire, and Rake initial damage increased by 30%.
    • Berserk now increases all ability and auto-attack damage by 15% (was 10%).
    • Berserk: Frenzy now causes enemies to bleed for 150% of all direct damage dealt by combo point generating abilities (was 135%).
    • Primal Wrath direct damage increased by 20%.
    • Adaptive Swarm direct damage increased by 20%.
  • Guardian
    • Frenzied Regeneration heals you for 20% of your maximum health (was 32%).
    • Dream of Cenarius increases the healing of the affected Regrowth by 130% (was 200%).
    • Fixed an issue with the increase to the amount of Rage required to trigger After the Wildfire.
    • Nerub-ar Palace (4) Set Bonus updated – Arcane damage you deal is increased by 5% and bleed damage you deal is increased by 8% (was 5%).
• EVOKER
  • Hero Talents
    • Scalecommander (Devastation/Augmentation)
      • Mass Disintegrate now chains from the Evoker instead of the target, and its range has been increased to 25 yards (was 20 yards).
  • Devastation
    • Animosity causes empower spells to increases the duration of Dragonrage by 5 seconds (was 4 seconds) up to a max of 20 seconds (was 16 seconds).
    • Titanic Wrath is now a 1-point node (was 2).
• HUNTER
  • Hero Talents
    • Dark Ranger (Marksmanship/Beast Mastery)
      • Black Arrow damage increased by 100%.
      • Shadow Surge damage increased by 50%.
      • Dark Hounds now auto attack as Shadow damage.
      • Withering Fire now fires a 4th arrow. The arrows are slightly more staggered time-wise from each other.
      • Overshadow now increases damage of affected abilities by 20% (was 15%).
    • Sentinel (Survival/Marksmanship)
      • Marksmanship
        • Symphonic Arsenal damage reduced by 25%.
  • Marksmanship
    • Wind Arrows now fire after you cast Aimed Shot, rather than during their cast.
    • Many issues with Wind Arrows failing to fire or breaking have been resolved.
    • Rapid Fire’s cooldown between procs of Wind Arrow has been reduced to 0.2 seconds (was 0.7 seconds).
  • Survival
    • Wildfire Bomb damage reduced by 5%.
    • Flanking Strike damage reduced by 5%.
• MAGE
  • Hero Talents
    • Frostfire (Frost/Fire)
      • Frostfire has been updated to use Fire Mage’s Living Bomb behaviors and now benefits from talents that affect Living Bomb.
      • Excess Fire now applies Living Bomb at 75% effectiveness for Fire Mages only.
        • Developer’s note: We’re aware of an issue where Frost Mage’s Living Bombs are also being cast at reduced effectiveness. This will be fixed in a future build.
    • Spellslinger (Frost/Arcane)
      • Embedded Splinters maximum stack count reduced to 8 until Splinterstorm is learned.
      • Controlled Instincts no longer has damage variance.
      • Controlled Instincts damage is now capped at 5 targets and no longer splashes.
      • Volatile Magic now correctly damages the primary target having its Embedded Splinters removed.
      • Volatile Magic now deals one instance of damage that scales based on the number of stacks removed.
        • Developer’s note: The changes to Controlled Instincts and Volatile Magic are being made to help reduce the number of damage events and increase performance in high target scenarios.
      • Frost Splinter damage increased by 100%.
      • Embedded Frost Splinter damage increased by 100%.
      • Frost Splinterstorm damage increased by 100%.
      • Splintering Orbs’ Arcane Orb now only grants 2 Splinters per target hit (was 4).
    • Sunfury (Arcane/Fire)
      • Burden of Power now increases the damage of Arcane Blast by 30% (was 15%).
      • Phoenix non-exceptional spell damage increased by 20%.
      • Phoenix Greater Pyroblast damage increased by 30%.
      • Phoenix Arcane Surge damage increased by 100%.
  • Arcane
    • Arcane Barrage damage reduced by 65%.
    • Arcane Barrage damage increase per Arcane Charge increased to 90% (was 30%).
    • Arcane Blast damage increased by 10%.
    • Concentration now procs 3 times per minute (was 2).
    • Arcane Echo now has a 0.2 second cooldown between procs.
    • Arcane Echo damage increased by 25%.
  • Fire
    • Pyroblast damage increased by 5%.
    • Phoenix Flames damage increased by 10%.
    • Fireball damage increased by 20%.
    • Flamestrike damage increased by 10%.
    • Quickflame Flamestrike damage bonus increased to 25% (was 20%).
    • Flame Patch damage increased by 30%.
    • Living Bomb damage increased by 100%.
      • Developer’s note: Living Bomb’s frequency has been creating performance issues in high-target scenarios. The following changes are targeted at reducing damage events while only marginally affecting throughput. We’ll be keeping an eye on how these changes affect Fire Mage and will make adjustments as necessary.
    • All talents that affect Lit Fuse’s proc rate have been reduced by 50%.
      • Lit Fuse
      • Explosive Ingenuity
      • Explosivo
    • Explosivo’s Living Bomb damage increase during Combustion reduced to 40% (was 50%).
      • Developer’s note: Talents that grant a guaranteed Living Bomb gain a lot of power from these changes, so we’re adjusting them to compensate.
    • Deep Impact’s cooldown reduction reduced 10 seconds (was 15 seconds).
    • Living Bomb is now target-capped at 8 targets and no longer splashes.
    • Living Bomb visual effects now have reduced visual fidelity in raid groups.
  • Frost
    • Ice Lance damage increased by 10%.
    • Glacial Spike damage increased by 10%.
    • Flurry damage increased by 12%.
    • Blizzard damage increased by 50%.
    • Frozen Orb damage increased by 10%.
    • Comet Storm damage increased by 10%.
    • Splintering Ray’s Ray of Frost damage increased to 30% (was 25%).
    • Splitting Ice’s Ice Lance damage to nearby enemies increased to 90% (was 80%).
    • Cone of Cold damage is increased by 100%.
• MONK
  • Brewmaster
    • Brewmaster’s Balance increases Monks’ Armor by 45% (was 50%).
    • Increase to amount of damage staggered has been reduced to 5% (was 8%).
• PALADIN
  • Shield of the Righteous increases your Armor by 160% of your Strength (was 150%).
  • Hero Talents
    • Templar (Retribution/Protection)
      • Protection
        • Hammer of Light now costs 3 Holy Power (was 5).
  • Holy
    • Holy Shock healing decreased by 8%.
    • Word of Glory healing decreased by 13%.
  • Protection
    • Word of Glory healing increased by up to 300% based on your missing health (was 250%).
    • Bulwark of Order now shields you for 60% of your Avenger’s Shield damage (was 50%).
• PRIEST
  • Hero Talents
    • Oracle (Holy/Discipline)
      • Resolved an issue causing Premonition of Solace to not benefit from Premonition of Piety and Benevolence.
      • Premonition of Solace absorb value increased by 40%.
      • Premonition of Piety now increases healing done by 15% while active (was 10%).
      • Premonition of Piety now redistributes 70% of overhealing (was 50%) to up to 4 nearby allies (was 3).
      • Resolved an issue causing Premonition of Insight to not work with Rapture.
      • Discipline
        • Preventive Measures now increases the absorb of Power Word: Shield by 25% (was 15%).
        • Preventive Measures now increases the damage of Penance, Smite, and Holy Nova by 25% (was 15%).
        • Preemptive Care now increases the duration of Atonement by 3 seconds (was 1 second).
        • Assured Safety now applies 4 stacks of Prayer of Mending (was 2).
      • Holy
        • Preventive Measures now increases the healing done by Prayer of Mending by 25% (was 15%).
        • Assured Safety now applies a Power Word: Shield at 100% effectiveness (was 25%).
        • Preemptive Care now increases the duration of Renew by 6 seconds (was 3 seconds).
        • Preemptive Care now also applies to the duration of Renews from Revitalizing Prayers and Lightwell.
  • Discipline
    • Rapture cooldown now starts when pressed, and it lasts up to 30 seconds.
• ROGUE
  • Hero Talents
    • Fatebound (Assassination/Outlaw)
      • Hand of Fate’s “Heads” effect now grants 10% increased damage on its first flip (was 3%).
    • Trickster (Subtlety/Outlaw)
      • Outlaw
        • Nimble Flurry now increases Blade Flurry damage by 20% while active (was 15%).
      • Subtlety
        • Nimble Flurry now flurries 50% of noted ability damage while active (was 40%).
  • Assassination
    • All ability damage increased by 4%.
    • Auto-attack damage increased by 10%.
    • Envenom damage increased by 10%.
    • Crimson Tempest damage increased by 10%.
  • Outlaw
    • All ability damage increased by 10%.
    • Auto-attack damage increased by 10%.
    • Sinister Strike damage increased by 10%.
    • Pistol Shot damage increased by 10%.
    • Blade Flurry initial damage increased by 50%.
    • Sleight of Hand additional chance for Roll the Bones to grant multiple effects increased to 15% (was 10%).
    • Count the Odds chance to grant a Roll the Bones effect increased to 15% (was 10%).
  • Subtlety
    • Auto-attack damage increased by 10%.
    • Eviscerate damage increased by 10%.
    • Black Powder damage increased by 10%.
• SHAMAN
  • Stone Bulwark Totem now has a 3 minute cooldown, but its effect has been significantly increased.
  • Hero Talents
    • Farseer (Restoration/Elemental)
      • Resolved an issue causing Ancestors to not cast anything when the targeted version of Earthquake is cast.
      • Lava Burst damage from Ancestors increased by 25%.
      • Chain Lightning damage from Ancestors increased by 50%.
      • Healing Surge healing from Ancestors increased by 60%.
      • Ancestral Swiftness is now a 30 second cooldown (was 45 seconds).
      • Heed My Call now increases the duration of Ancestors by 4 seconds (was 2 seconds).
      • Ancient Fellowship now has a 20% chance to trigger (was 15%).
      • Ancient Fellowship is now less random.
    • Stormbringer (Elemental/Enhancement)
      • Stormcaller now increases the critical strike chance of your Nature spells by 5% (was 10%).
      • Tempest secondary cleave damage lowered to 50% (was 70%).
      • Unlimited power reduced from 3% Haste per stack to 1% per stack.
      • Arc Discharge lowered to 2 Chain Lightnings (was 3).
      • Enhancement
        • Conductive Energy’s lightning rod variant is now 10% of damage transfer (was 20%).
    • Totemic (Enhancement/Restoration)
      • Enhancement
        • Tremor now deals Flamestrike damage.
        • Surging Totem’s Tremor frequency is now affected by Haste.
        • Tremor damage reduced by 35%.
      • Restoration
        • Imbuement Mastery now increases the duration of Earthliving Weapon by 3 seconds (was 6 seconds).
        • Chain Heals from Lively Totems no longer consume Whirling Air, Nature’s Swiftness, Tidal Waves, or Tidebringer.
        • Healing Surges cast while Whirling Air and Spiritwalker’s Tidal Totem are active no longer consume Whirling Air.
        • Healing spells cast while Whirling Air and Nature’s Swiftness is active no longer consumes Whirling Air.
  • Elemental
    • Thunderstrike Ward now has its own spell visual.
    • An issue with Thunderstrike Ward dropping off has been fixed.
    • Earthquake now triggers Storm Frenzy on cast only.
    • An issue with Fusion of Elements buff activating from the Icefury override instead of the cast has been fixed.
  • Enhancement
    • Fire and Ice now properly buffs Primordial Wave.
    • Nature’s Fury now properly affects Primordial Wave.
    • Primordial Wave baseline passive buff lowered to 250% (was 500%).
    • Primordial Wave now properly scales with Enhancement Shaman’s Mastery and Elemental Spirits’ elemental damage buffs.
  • Restoration
    • Tidebringer is no longer consumed if Chain Heal is cast while Nature’s Swiftness or Ancestral Swiftness is active.
    • Earthliving Weapon’s heal over time duration is now 6 seconds (was 12 seconds), and healing has been increased by 75%.
    • Undulation can no longer trigger from additional Healing Waves from Primordial Wave.
    • Undulation now displays and highlights Healing Surge or Healing Wave when it triggers instead of being consumed immediately.
• WARLOCK
  • Hero Talents
    • Hellcaller (Destruction/Affliction)
      • Seeds of Their Demise has been modified to reduce lucky and unlucky streaks when granting Flashpoint or Tormented Crescendo.
      • Zevrim’s Resilience healing has been increased by 800%.
  • Affliction
    • Soul Conduit now has a 5% chance of refunding a Soul Shard (was 10%).
    • Fixed an issue where Tormented Crescendo was not correctly checking if the target had Unstable Affliction, Corruption/Wither, and Agony.
    • Fixed an issue where Cull the Weak was not correctly increasing the damage of the first 4 targets damaged by Malefic Rapture.
  • Demonology
    • Fixed an issue where Impending Doom would not summon a Wild Imp when Doom expires.
  • Destruction
    • Rain of Fire damage increased by 35%.
    • Channel Demonfire damage dealt to nearby enemies increased by 25%.
    • Fixed an issue where Power Overwhelming incorrectly gave 1% Mastery instead of 0.5% Mastery per stack.
    • Fixed an issue where 3 stacks of Power Overwhelming were granted when using Rain of Fire while talented into Inferno.
    • Soul Conduit now has a 5% chance of refunding a Soul Shard (was 10%).
• WARRIOR
  • Impending Victory heals you for 20% of your maximum health (was 30%).
    • This change has been reverted.
  • Protection
    • Impending Victory heals you for 20% of your maximum health (was 30%).

ITEMS

• Removed the Artisan’s Acuity from one-time outdoor professions treasures. So crafters are still able to start with relatively the same amount of Acuity to begin their crafting journey, 200 Artisan’s Acuity has been added to the starter reagent bags from the quest “Crafting to Order” in Dornogal.

PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER

• CLASSES
  • DEATH KNIGHT
    • Necrotic Aura (PvP Talent) has been removed.
  • DEMON HUNTER
    • Rain From Above’s cooldown has been increased to 90 seconds (was 60 seconds).
    • Chaotic Imprint (PvP Talent) has been removed.
  • PALADIN
    • Lightsmith
      • Fear No Evil now reduces the duration of Fear effects by 10% In PvP combat (was 50%).
      • Holy Bulwark’s absorb is no longer reduced by 50% in PvP combat.
    • Holy
      • Holy Shock’s healing is no longer increased by 15% in PvP combat.
    • Retribution
      • Justicar’s Vengeance heal is no longer reduced by 40% in PvP combat.
      • Truth’s Wake is no longer reduced by 25% in PvP combat.
      • Searing Light is no longer reduced by 20% in PvP combat.
      • Divine Storm’s damage is no longer reduced by 8% in PvP combat.
  • SHAMAN
    • Totem of Wrath now increases critical strike damage and healing by 15% (was 20%).
  • WARLOCK
    • Affliction
      • Soul Swap is now a PvP Talent (was an Affliction talent) – Copies your damage over time effects and Haunt from the target, preserving their duration. Your next use of Soul Swap within 10 seconds will exhale a copy damage of the effects onto a new target.
• REWARDS
  • Imperfect Ascendancy Serum now grants passive primary stat and Haste. Active effect reduced by 50%.
  • Raid Rewards
    • Swarmlord’s Authority now grants passive Haste (was primary stat). Scarab damage and absorb values increased accordingly.
    • Sikran’s Endless Arsenal’s Surekian Brutality stance bonus damage procced by critical strikes reduced by 50% and can no longer crit.

KNOWN ISSUES

• Khadgar, Alleria, and Turnip’s Delight realms will be inaccessible.
• On “These Go to Eleven” realm, delves may be inaccessible to players.