Masterwork Elementium Deathblade hotfixed

If you are a warrior, DK or paladin looking to pick up the Masterwork Elementium Deathblade, well, you probably don't care that it is simply hideous. Reusing the same model as pretty much every blue sword outside of the crafted 2H blue Obsidian Executioner (which, in my opinion, had a superior model) was bad enough. But a lot of people were still interested in it due to its stats -- specifically, a slow swing speed of 3.8 and a top-end damage of 3,256. (To give you an idea, the Skullstealer Greataxe, a weapon with nearly 100 more DPS, has lower top-end damage.) Top-end damage is often used to calculate special attacks for various melee classes, making the sword very attractive for the ilevel.

However, if you were looking to pick up the MED for that reason, don't bother. As you can see from the original link, its top-end damage has been lowered to 2,769, while its swing speed has been increased to 3.5. Forum posters immediately noticed, and Blizzard's Zarhym soon clarified the change.

Now, of course, there's debate raging back and forth about the change and if the sword is even worth crafting anymore. My take on it is yes, it's worth crafting -- it's just not better than Firelands drops for some players anymore. It shouldn't be even close, which it was. If you're crafting or buying this sword, you're still getting a better weapon than drops in normal mode tier 11 raids, and that's fine. It shouldn't outperform heroic tier 11 and be able to compete with tier 12 weapons. It's meant to help you catch up to Firelands, and it will still do that.

The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new tier 12 armor!