Patch 5.4 PTR patch notes updated for July 8

A new set of updates to the patch 5.4 PTR patch notes has been posted on the official blog. Plenty of class changes have been integrated as well as some changes to battlegrounds and the accumulation of conquest points.

• Death Knights, Scent of Blood now also has a chance to activate when you dodge or parry a melee attack.

• Hunters, Counter Shot is now a baseline interrupt ability learned at level 22.

• Rogues, Burst of Speed's cost has been reduced to 15 energy, down from 30 energy.

You can see the full list of patch notes at the official site, but if you'd just like a list of the new changes, follow after the break for a consolidated list.

• Player spells with different target limits depending on raid size will gradually increase their limits based on the number of players in Flexible Raid difficulty.

• All taunt type abilities now increase all threat generated against the target while the taunt is active by 200%.

• Scent of Blood now also has a chance to activate when the Death Knight dodges or parries a melee attack.

• Force of Nature

  • Guardian: Guardian Druids now gain Vengeance when their Treant takes damage.

• Counter Shot is now a baseline interrupt ability learned by all Hunters at level 22.

• Silencing Shot is no longer a talent and is now an ability that replaces Counter Shot for Marksman Hunters.

• Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger's summoned version of Xuen will no longer taunt off players that are tank-specialized.

  • For Brewmaster Monks, they now gain Vengeance when Xuen takes damage.

• Keg Smash now deals 18% less damage.

• Mastery: Bottled Fury has been redesigned. The Mastery now gives a chance to generate an additional charge of Tigereye Brew when the Monk gains one normally.

• Tigereye Brew received a number of adjustments.

  • Stacks up to 30 charges (up from 20 charges).

  • Can be consumed 15 at a time (up from 10 at a time).

  • Increases damage by 5% per stack, (up from 1% per stack) but is no longer increased by Mastery.

  • The Monk gains 1 charge of Tigereye Brew for every 4 Chi spent (down from 1 charge per 3 Chi spent).

• Seal of Insight no longer has a chance to restore mana on attacks.

• Glyph of Battle Healer has been redesigned. The glyph now causes Seal of Insight to heal the most wounded raid or party member instead of the Paladin.

• Grand Crusader no longer has a chance to activate from Crusader Strike and Hammer of the Righteous, but now has a 30% chance to activate when dodging or parrying a melee attack (up from 12%).

• Shadowy Apparitions now creates a shadowy version of the Priest that floats towards the target and deals damage. The apparitions are now treated as a missile, and is no longer an attackable creature.

• Eviscerate now deals 10% less damage.

• Burst of Speed's cost has been reduced to 15 Energy (down from 30 Energy).

• Cheat Death now reduces damage taken by 85% after activating (up from 80%).

• Cloak and Dagger now allows the Rogue to use Ambush, Garrote, and Cheap Shot from 40 yards away (up from 30 yards).

• Shadowstep now has a reduced cooldown of 20 seconds (down from 24 seconds).

• Assassination Rogues should no longer be eligible for any other weapon types except daggers in situations where loot is automatically awarded(Raid Finder, Bonus Rolls, Heroic/Normal Scenarios, and the upcoming Flexible Raid difficulty.)

• Backstab now deals 315% weapon damage (up from 275%).

• Hemorrhage now deals 160% weapons damage (up from 140%); 232% weapons damage if a dagger is equipped (up from 203% for daggers).

• Chain Heal's effectiveness will no longer decrease with each jump (up from a 30% reduction to healing with each jump).

• Earth Elemental Totem's summoned Greater Earth Elemental will no longer taunt off players that are tank-specialized.

• Healing Rain's radius has been increased to 12 yards, up from 10 yards. For 25-player instances, Healing Rain will heal for a reduced amount when healing more than 14 raid members. It remains the same in 10-player instances, healing for a reduced amount when healing more than 6 raid members.

• New Talent: Rushing Streams. This new talent replaces Healing Tide Totem, increases healing done by Healing Stream Totem by 100%, and causes the totem to heal 2 targets at once.

• Healing Tide Totem is no longer a talent and is a baseline ability for all Shamans. Additionally, this totem will now heal 12 raid members (up from 5) when used in a 25-player instance now heals for 50% more.

• Stone Bulwark Totem's initial damage absorption shield now absorbs an additional 33% in damage.

• Unleashed Fury

  • Earthliving Weapon effect now applies to the Shaman, not the target.

• Purification once again increases healing done by all water totems. now only increases healing done by Healing Stream Totem by 50% (was healing done by all Water totems).

• Elemental Shaman 2-piece PvP set bonus has been changed. It now allows Lightning Shield to be triggered once every 1.5 seconds instead of once every 3 seconds.

• Archimonde's Vengeance has been redesigned. For the passive portion of the talent, each time the Warlock or their pet takes damage, the Warlock now gains 1% of the unmitigated damage back as spell power for 20 seconds.

• Glyph of Everlasting Affliction will be redesigned.

• Glyph of Soul Swap will be redesigned.

• Agony now deals 5% more damage.

• Drain Soul now deals 40% less damage, and if other periodic Affliction damage effects are triggered by Drain Soul, they now deal 60% of their normal damage (down from 100%).

• Haunt now deals 50% more damage, and increases damage done by all of the Warlock's other spells against the target by 45%.

• Malefic Grasp now deals 40% less damage, and causes all of of the Warlock's other periodic Affliction damage effects to instantly deal 30% of their normal periodic damage (down from 50%).

• Nightfall now gives Corruption a 7% chance to generate a Soul Shard (up from a 5% chance), but the increased chance only works on the most recently applied Corruption.

• Soul Swap no longer does any damage, and now copies damage-over-time effects instead of just moving them without needing a glyph. Copied effects now once again preserve their power and duration. Duration has been reduced to 6 seconds (down from 20 seconds).

• Unstable Affliction now deals 10% more damage.

• Revenge now generates 20 Rage (up from 15 Rage).

• Conquest Point rewards for winning a random or call-to-arms Battleground match has been increased.

  • First win of the day now awards 150 Conquest Points (up from 100).

  • Subsequent wins now awards 75 Conquest Points (up from 50).

• Bombs are no longer an item held in the player's inventory and will now do considerably more damage, 4500 (up from 1250).

• Players carrying a bomb now have a button that allows them to place it with a spell effect over their heads.

  • Placing a bomb takes 2 seconds, and can be interrupted like a Battleground capture point.

  • Disarming a bomb takes 2 seconds, and can be interrupted like a Battleground capture point.

• Demolishers will no longer have the Ram ability and only one will spawn at each stage.