Patch 3.2.2 changes for Druids
There were only a few changes to the class in this patch, most of which we'd already discussed when they were on the PTR. Interestingly, most are concerned with buffing Balance and Feral PvP performance, which is definitely a good thing given that Resto still vastly outclasses both. However, I am not a PvP kind of person, so my take on this is necessarily going to be somewhat limited; if you think I've missed a potential effect from these changes, feel free to drop a comment.
Moonkin Form: This form now also reduces the damage the Druid takes while stunned by 15%.
A buff to Moonkin defense, pure and simple, and a welcome addition versus the wide array of stuns available to enemy players. As Ghostcrawler's mentioned previously, their main concern related to Balance PvP is survivability, and this is an improvement to precisely that.
Typhoon: The daze duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.
Between this and the increase to Typhoon's knockback distance (20 yards to equal Thunderstorm), Typhoon should be a more useful ability for both offensive and defensive purposes. The knockback distance was so small previously that the addition of a Daze effect seemed superfluous. We'll see how this does.
Infected Wounds: The debuff generated by this talent no longer stacks and instead causes the full effect with a single application.
For PvE purposes, this results in a faster application of the attack speed debuff meant to mimic Thunder Clap for both single-target and multi-target tanking. However, bears are still unable to apply it to 2+ targets simultaneously the way Thunder Clap does, so for 5-man work you'll still be tab-targeting to get it applied to all the mobs on larger pulls. It does remove a number of global cooldowns that would otherwise have been devoted to Mangling/Mauling targets in need of the second stack though, so -- /thumbs-up.
For PvP purposes, this is just a straight-up buff, period, but Ferals got an even bigger one --
Predatory Strikes: This talent now also causes the Druid's finishing moves to provide a 7/12/20% chance per combo point to make the next Nature spell with a cast time below 10 seconds instant cast.
Oy. I still want to curl into a ball and die over posting about this in the middle of falling asleep on my keyboard previously, but c'est la vie. What surprises me most is that this change went to a talent that all Ferals should have regardless of spec -- it's the sort of thing you'd expect to see yoked to, say, Primal Tenacity, although doing so might have made it overbudget in the same way that Blizzard's acknowledged Survival of the Fittest is. Oh well.
As we've noted previously, this is a somewhat more convoluted version of the old Tier 5 Feral bonus, and while it has limited PvE use, it will shine in the hands of a skilled PvP Feral. The vast majority of the Druid's spell arsenal is Nature-based, so all of our healing abilities, plus Entangling Roots, Hibernate, and Cyclone will now be insta-cast assuming 5 combo points and a finisher on your target. The option that immediately came to mind would be a 5-CP Maim on one target with an instant Cyclone on another, allowing you and your partner/s a 5-second period to heal up and/or get out of combat. Being able to take 2 enemies out simultaneously borders on overpowered for 2v2 and 3v3 arena, and would allow you the opportunity to try bursting down other opponents in 5v5 (not that Feral has made a big showing in any bracket, but I'm curious to see what results).
Appropriately enough for a patch playing on nostalgia, you can also use the bonus to get what amounts to a Nature's Swiftness + Healing Touch combination with the benefit of a minimal "cooldown." This is bound to make all old-school Ferals remember the classic days of the 1/29/21 or 0/30/21 "Feral" PvP spec that invariably took Nature's Swiftness because it outclassed anything you could get in the Feral tree.
For myself, I'll mostly be using it to make Feral grinding even faster than it is already, or for the amusement of an instant midair heal after switching to flight form.
2n - 1 go left, 2n go right. I don't see enough DoTs! More DoTs now!
Are you ready for the return of Onyxia? With the Brood Mother being revitalized as a 10 and 25 person raid, you'll need to be sure you know everything that's coming at you. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2.2 will make sure your set for the next patch!
