build 13033
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PTR build 13033: Restoration shaman update
Another PTR build is on the way with patch 13033. With it, there are several tweaks and changes all over the place. Earlier today, we heard about the changes warriors are receiving in the patch -- but what about restoration shaman? We only get one change this time around, but it is a big one. Back in build 12984, Mana Tide Totem was changed from adding back a percentage of your base mana to increasing your spirit by 200 percent for the totem's duration. This was a fairly significant change that mirrors the shift from MP5 to spirit. It placed the ability firmly in the camp of healers only, and instead of giving us a flat amount back, it increased our mana regeneration based on whatever it was at the time of casting. The cooldown remained at 5 minutes, which was a bit long, considering the effect. In the latest PTR build, though, the cooldown is being reduced to 3 minutes. This change should also be applied to the Cataclysm beta pretty soon, as well. This is a fantastic change and one that will make us that much stronger in the months to come. An average boss fight right now in Wrath lasts roughly around the 5-minute mark, meaning that you can only use this cooldown once per fight in most cases. After 4.0.1 drops, though, you will be able to use it more than once per boss fight. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. Also consider that in the Cataclysm beta, healer mana is at a premium. Every heal has a right and wrong place, and we consume mana so much more quickly than we have previously. This change allows us to use a very important regeneration cooldown much more often, and so we can keep healing for longer. This will give us a distinct advantage early in the upcoming expansion. Anything that gives us mana back is a good thing. Things that give it back to us faster are even better. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Heroics, protection spec and build 13033
The Care and Feeding of Warriors is about warriors, who hurl themselves into the fray, the very teeth of danger, armed with nothing more than the biggest weapons and armored with the absolutely heaviest armor we can find. Hey, we're not stupid -- we're just crazy. Last week, I said that we'd see changes to protection. This week, we're seeing them. It's build 13033, also known (to those of us who care) as the protection warrior pass. Last week firmly started balancing fury's DPS, but this week is definitely protection's turn. Today, in fact, just hours before this patch went to the beta servers, I got done writing a long post talking about protection in the beta, what I saw as its strong points and its weak points. Every single one of the weak points was addressed in this build. Every single one. This is what you call serendipity. It also means I have to completely rewrite my column with not a lot of time to spare, so as you may understand, I am at once pleased to see things improved and irritated that I spent all that time writing a column that will never see the light of day. It should be noted that these changes are on the PTR, not live on the beta as yet. It's a little odd to see the PTR get updated first, but I'd expect the beta servers will see a new build soon as well. Having been 85 for a week, as well as having transferred over two level 85 premades, I've been running around testing out various alternate specs and taking them into instances. Why did I do this? Because, as we have already established, I am certifiably insane. Even before this patch, protection stood out as the strongest of the warrior leveling specs, and now it should see increased power as a tanking class. Vengeance is amazing for a leveling protection warrior. It takes the greatest strength of the tanking classes -- the ability to soak up damage -- and turns it into offensive power.
