TalentReview
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Breakfast Topic: Class Reviews
With patch 1.12, we will have seen talent reviews for every class in the game. Every class has seen changes - both small and large - since the game's launch, and Blizzard has stated that there won't be any more large-scale reviews of this nature in the future. With that in mind, which class do you think has come out on top after this review process? I cannot, personally, think of a clear winner for PvE or PvP, as there is still much to be said for a player's specific build and skill, regardless of class. However, do any of you see a particular class winning out above all the rest?
Patch 1.12: Rogue Talent Preview
Though the rogue talent review is still a work in progress, CM Drysc has posted a peak at the changes to come. The following information is all subject to change based on testing and player feedback - so if there's something here that troubles you, I'd encourage you to post your concerns on the rogue forums before breaking into a full-scale panic. And now, for your reading pleasure, the rogue changes! The following talents have been removed: Improved Deadly Poison, Improved Distract, Throwing Weapon Specialization, Improved Vanish, and Rapid Concealment. Improved Instant Poison is now "Improved Poisons" and increases your chance to apply ALL poisons by 2/4/6/8/10%. Rapid Concealment has been merged with Camouflage, by combining these talents you not only get a great talent to start off the tree, but obviously it frees up a number of points to be spent elsewhere. Murder will now also apply to all finishing moves. The benefit this will provide to output and attack combinations is fairly straightforward. Vile Poisons now gives your poisons a chance to resist dispel effects, in addition to increasing poison damage. Improved Kidney Shot has been changed, and will instead increase the damage taken by the target while they are affected by Kidney Shot. This talent no longer reduces the cooldown of Kidney Shot. Improved Sprint has been changed, and will instead have a 50/100% chance to remove all movement impairing effects when you activate your Sprint ability. This talent no longer reduces the cooldown of Sprint. Improved Evasion renamed to Endurance, and will add a Sprint cooldown reduction. New talent Weapon Expertise in the Combat tree, increases your weapon skill with all melee weapons. The recovery of damage with an increased weapon skill should be a good boost to overall output. Initiative is being reduced to a 3 point talent, but resulting in the same 75% end chance to add an additional combo point. Elusiveness is being reduced to a 3 point talent, but resulting in the same 75 sec cooldown reduction to Evasion, Blind, and Vanish. Ghostly Strike now has a reduced Energy cost, the reduction of Energy was enough to make it necessary to also reduce the damage output slightly. Improved Garrotes damage reduction will be removed. This is being changed as part of an overall improvement for Garrote. Setup is being moved higher up in the tree, becoming a 16 point talent with no prerequisites, helping move the talent in reach of specific builds. New talent Heightened Senses in the subtlety tree, increases your Stealth detection, and reduces the chance for you to be hit by spells and ranged attacks. Hemorrhage will be moved up in the tree to become a 21 point talent. This should help to place the ability in a more reachable position, and allow for a little more versatility with specific talent builds. New talent Deadliness in the Subtlety tree, increases your Attack Power by a percentage. Premeditation will have its Energy requirement removed, changed to an instant cast, and range increased. Its cooldown will remain the same. Premeditation will now be pre-reqd by Preparation. Vanish will now remove effects that allow the caster to remain aware of the rogues presence, such as Mind Vision and Hunters Mark. Garrote, Rupture, and Eviscerate are being increased in damage. More details to come. Expose Armor will now reduce armor by a percentage. [Fan art by Astrid Hansen]
Additional Shaman Changes
Several modifications have been made to the existing shaman review. The talent calculator should already be updated with these changes. So what does everyone think of the following new changes? Totemic Focus: Now reduces mana cost of totems by 5 to 25% (was 3 to 15%). Elemental Devastation: Moved down to tier 3 - swapped with Storm Reach. Storm Reach: Moved up to tier 4- swapped with Elemental Devastation. Totemic Mastery: Now increases totem range by 10 yards (was 5 yards), but will not stack with the 3-piece Earthfury bonus.
Additional Mage Tweaks
Two additional changes have been made to the upcoming mage review. The talent calculator isn't updated with these yet, but should be soon. So for patch 1.11, expect the following additional changes:Winter's Chill: Will now increase crit chance by 1% (lowered from 2%), but will stack up to 10 times (from 5).Improved Scorch: The fire vulnerability effect has been increased to 30 seconds (from 15).
What to Expect in Patch 1.12?
No, patch 1.11 isn't even live on the test server, but there is already information coming out about patch 1.12. It seems to be fairly well-known that rogues will be getting reviewed in this patch, and World of Warcraft Vault's E3 wrap-up notes that we should expect some kind of PvP revamp. This morning Tseric chimed in saying it was also possible that Warriors and Warlocks may be looked into as well. Anyone out there have great expectations for this future patch?[Fan art by Astrid Hansen]
Mage Talents Updated
...and in a very good way. Changes include the following:Arcane TreeArcane Subtlety: Now a 2-point talent that reduces your target's resistances to all your spells by 5/10 and threat caused by your arcane spells by 20/40%.Wand Specialization: Now only a 2-point talent.Magic Absorption: New 5-point, tier 2 ability. When you resist a spell, you regain 1/2/3/4/5% of your maximum mana and increases your resistances by 2/4/6/8/10.Improved Arcane Explosion: Now a 3-point ability that increases the critical chance of Arcane Explosion by 2/4/6%.Fire TreeBurning Soul: Now adds threat reduction as well as prevents you from loosing casting time by taking damage. Threat reduced by 15/30%.Improved Scorch: The fire vulnerability DoT has been improved to 3% each, and still stacks 5 times (for a total of 15% increased fire vulnerability).Frost TreeFrost Warding: Moved to tier 1.Elemental Focus: New 3-point tier 1 talent that increases your chance to hit with fire and frost spells by 2/4/6%.Improved Frost Nova: Moved to tier 2.Permafrost: Moved to tier 2.Frost Channeling: In addition to the mana cost reduction, this talent now also reduces threat caused by frost spells by 10/20/30%.Shatter: The pre-requisite for this talent is now Improved Frost Nova rather than Frostbite.Winter's Chill: Changed functionality. Now causes a debuff that increases frost crit chance by 2%. 20/40/60/80/100% chance to apply the debuff.Ice Barrier: Now receives 10% of the benefit of +frost damage gear and can stack with a priest's Power Word: Shield.
Mage & Shaman Talent Calculators
Official talent calculators have been released for the recently reviewed mage and shaman talent trees. These provide a clearer picture of the mage and shaman revisions than the already available text-based descriptions for the classes. To those dissatisfied with these changes, I can only encourage you to wait until we see how they play out on the test realms.
Shaman Review Revealed
Eyonix has posted notes on the Shaman changes planned for patch 1.11. Expect a talent calculator in the next few days, but for now you can see them summarized in text. Other than a single dark note - windfury attack power reduced (to bring it in line with other weapon enchantments) - the review sounds like a good one. What do the shaman players in the audience think?
Patch 1.11: Mage Changes Announced!
Blizzard has released an official look at the mage improvements. It does, as expected, include Arcane Explosion as an instant-cast spell by default and Evocation as a trainable skill at level 20. As to the rest of the changes? Well, I may not have played a mage far enough to make a judgment call, but none of them seem overwhelming. Any opinions out there?[Thanks, Silvertusk]
Shaman Review in 1.12?
As other class reviews have come and gone, the remaining classes have become quite touchy about who is going to be next. We already know that mages will be reviewed in 1.11, and yesterday Eyonix let us know that shamans are scheduled after mages, leaving them patch 1.12. To the rogues groaning on the sidelines, remember that being last may not be for the worst - after all, shaman was the last class reviewed by Blizzard before the game's launch.
Class Reviews: Who's Next?
If you've been playing for very long, you've noticed that each patch Blizzard focuses on a single class to tweak and (hopefully!) improve. While we all know that 1.10 will feature the priest review, the as of yet un-reviewed classes (mage, rogue, and shaman) have been wondering who's next. Today Eyonix let slip that mages will be the next class up for review. Mages, let's hope for good things in your future!
