Enchanting, reforging, and gems
- They feel like there is too much modification needed to be done every time you get a new piece of gear: enchants, gemming, and reforging your caps.
- There will be fewer items which can accept enchants, but the items which can still be enchanted will have more powerful enchants and more choice.
- Fewer gem sockets, but gems will be much more powerful. No more socket bonuses or metagems. Sockets are a bonus which can appear on gear and do not count towards item budget.
- Reforging is gone!
- Hit and expertise are gone. Blizzard felt like they didn't feel like a bonus.
- Dodge and parry stats are gone. Tanks will still be able to dodge and parry, but they will no longer be gear stats.
- New stat for tanks: bonus armor which can appear on items such a rings and necks
- New tertiary stats are being added. These are bonuses which can appear on gear and do not count towards the item budget.
- Examples of tertiary stats: lifesteal (gain life per hit), avoidance (reduce AoE damage taken), sturdiness (item doesn't lose durability), speed (makes you move quicker, and stacks), cleave (chance of AoE damage on your attacks).
- There is no longer "strength plate" or "int plate" -- there is simply "plate." This also applies to cloth, leather, and mail.
- The primary stat on an item will change based on the spec of the character wearing it, i.e. intellect for a holy paladin, strength for a retribution paladin.
- Allows almost every item that drops in a raid to be useful for someone.
- These stats also change when you respec.
- Only one tier set per class (no longer separate healing and DPS sets), and the set bonuses will also change when you respec.
- The one exception to this new armor system is the following items which will not dynamically adjust stats based on spec: jewelry, cloaks, trinkets, and weapons.
- Yes, the item squish is finally coming.
- Your relative power will not change whatsoever.
- Soloing old content is still possible.
- If it takes you 5 seconds to kill a Gulp Frog, it will still take you 5 seconds after the item squish.
- You should still feel powerful when getting new gear, it's just the numbers will have a few zeroes knocked off the end.