Beta Class Tuning 13 October 2022, Tier Sets Disabled With Prepatch, Prepatch Event Testing This Weekend

We’re continuing to make class tuning adjustments based on our observations, the data we’re getting from Beta, recent Beta raid testing, and player feedback.

In addition to new and returning abilities, the new talent trees allow players to choose abilities that were previously exclusive to one another in the talent row system. In many cases, we need to adjust the impact of these abilities to hit our throughput targets for Dragonflight.

The following adjustments are being applied, or have been applied already, to the Dragonflight Beta and PTR via hotfixes, for this week’s Raid Testing.

Demon Hunter

• Immolation Aura damage increased by 8%.
• Eye Beam damage reduced by 8%.
• The Hunt damage reduced by 10%.
• Elysian Decree damage reduced by 10%.
• Illidari Knowledge damage reduction increased to 3/6% (was 2/4%).
• Will of the Illidari – Max Health bonus increased to 3/6% (was 2/4%).
• Havoc
  • Chaos Strike/Annihilation damage reduced by 10%.
  • Blade Dance/Death Sweep damage increased by 18%.
  • Immolation Aura (Rank upgrade) duration bonus reduced to 4 seconds (was 6 seconds).
  • First Blood damage bonus value reduced to 85% of base (was 135%).
  • Unbound Chaos damage bonus reduced to 200/400% (was 250/500%).
  • Isolated Prey – Eye Beam damage bonus reduced to 25% (was 30%).
  • Inner Demon damage reduced by 15%.
• Vengeance
  • Elysian Decree no longer deals 10% reduced damage when specced into Vengeance.
  • Focused Cleave damage bonus reduced to 30% (was 40%).
  • Fel Flame Fortification damage reduction increased to 10% (was 6%).
  • Revel in Pain – Maximum absorb value increased by 50%.
  • Cycle of Binding – Cooldown Reduction per applied Sigil increased to 3 seconds (was 2 seconds).

Hunter

• Arctic Bola’s damage and chance to activate have both been doubled.
• Beast Mastery
  • Beast Cleave will no longer be improperly activated by Kill Command or Stomp damage.
  • Dire Frenzy talent damage bonus increased to 30/60% for ranks 1 and 2.
  • Dire Beast damage increased by 50%.
  • Call of the Wild has received several bug fixes:
    • Wild Instincts should no longer incorrectly grant charges of Barbed Shot while Call of the Wild is no longer active.
    • Bloody Frenzy and Wild Instincts should no longer give their effects without knowing the appropriate talent.
    • When multiple pets are summoned from Call of the Wild, it should no longer be possible to get multiple stacks of Predator’s Thirst, Endurance Training, or Pathfinding.
    • Wild Instincts now properly checks for Focus to be spent before causing a Barbed Shot reset.
    • Call of the Wild should properly be reset upon encounter end.
  • Brutal Companion has received several bug fixes:
    • Brutal Companion longer causes your pets to consume Focus when doing their extra pet special attack when your pet is above 50 Focus.
    • Brutal Companion damage bonus lowered from 100% to 50%.
    • Brutal Companion now properly works with pets that use Claw.
    • Brutal Companion’s damage bonus no longer incorrectly applies to all special attacks from your active pet.
    • Brutal Companion no longer causes the special attack to deal bonus damage if your pet is above 50 Focus.
    • Developers’ notes: Pet focus management is not intended to be part of the Brutal Companion talent; it should provide some extra special attacks from your pet. If this interacts with the above-50-Focus threshold damage bonus, you might feel compelled to manually handle the casting of your pet’s ability to always get maximum damage benefit while at 3 stacks of Barbed Shot.

Mage

• Fire
  • Pyroblast damage reduced by 10%.
  • Feel the Burn Mastery per stack reduced to 2/4% (was 3/6%).
  • Tempered Flames Pyroblast cast time reduced by 30% (was 40%).
    • Pyroblast critical strike chance reduced to 10% (was 15%).
    • The duration of Combustion reduced by 50% (was 40%).
  • Pyroclasm now increases damage of your next instant Pyroblast by 230% (was 240%).
  • Master of Flame – Ignite deals 18% more damage while combustion is not active (was 25%).
  • Controlled Destruction now increases Pyroblast damage by 4% per rank (was 5%).
  • Wildfire – Ignite damage reduced to 3/6% (was 5/10%).
    Monk
• Windwalker
  • Storm, Earth, and Fire spirits now correctly cast Strike of the Windlord.
  • Resolved an issue that could prevent Storm, Earth, and Fire spirits from copying your abilities.
  • Storm, Earth, and Fire now has 2 charges.
  • Thunderfist damage reduced by 30%.
• Mistweaver
  • Fixed an issue causing Overflowing Mist to be applied by Tear of the Morning’s AoE Enveloping Mist healing.
  • Zen Pulse damage increased by 20%.
  • Echoing Reverberation – Increased effectiveness to 80% of Zen Pulse’s values (was 70%).
  • Accumulating Mist – Increased effect to 25% per stack (was 20% per stack).
  • Spinning Crane Kick damage reduced by 10% for Mistweaver.

Paladin

• Holy
  • Resplendent Light now has a 12 yd range (was 8 yards).
  • Moment of Compassion now increases Flash of Light healing by 15%.
  • Tyr’s Deliverance’s periodic healing increased by 20%. Heal effect icon now matches cast icon.
  • Boundless Salvation – Holy Light now extends Tyr’s Deliverance by 4 seconds (was 3 seconds). Flash of Light now extends Tyr’s Deliverance by 2 seconds (was 1.5 seconds).
  • Boundless Salvation’s extension is now capped at 40 seconds.

Rogue

• Rupture damage increased by 35%.
• Ambush damage increased by 20%.
• Instant Poison damage increased by 13%.
• Wound Poison damage increased by 13%.
• Shiv damage increased by 20%.
• Sepsis damage increased by 20%.
• Echoing Reprimand damage increased by 20%.
• Assassination
  • Garrote damage increased by 35%.
  • Envenom damage increased by 25%.
  • Mutilate damage increased by 20%.
  • Fan of Knives damage increased by 15%.
  • Deadly Poison damage increased by 13%.
  • Deathmark damage increased by 20%.
  • Internal Bleeding damage increased by 20%.
  • Serrated Bone Spike damage increased by 20%.
  • Crimson Tempest damage increased by 15%.
  • Amplifying Poison damage increased by 13%.
  • Kingsbane damage growth per poison increased to 20% (was 15%).
  • Indiscriminate Carnage – Cooldown reduced to 60 seconds (was 90 seconds).
• Outlaw
  • Dispatch damage reduced by 14%.
  • Pistol Shot damage reduced by 5%.
  • Roll the Bones – Broadside damage bonus reduced to 15% (was 20%).
  • Roll the Bones – True Bearing CDR reduced to 0.5 seconds (was 1 second).
  • Roll the Bones – Ruthless Precision crit bonus reduced to 15% (was 20%).
  • Roll the Bones – Skull and Crossbones bonus Sinister Strike chance reduced to 25% (was 30%).
  • Roll the Bones – Buried Treasure Energy regen increased to 5 per seconds (was 4 per second).
  • Opportunity – Bonus Sinister Strike chance increased to 35% (was 30%).
  • Combat Potency – Energy regen increased to 25% (was 20%).
  • Fatal Flourish chance to generate Energy increased to 65% (was 60%).
  • Summarily Dispatched – Max stacks reduced to 5 (was 7).
• Subtlety
  • Eviscerate damage reduced by 4%.
  • Relentless Strikes – Energy restore reduced to 5 (was 6).
  • Improved Shadow Techniques – Energy generated reduced to 3 (was 4).
  • Replicating Shadows damage bonus reduced to 20% (was 30%).
  • Veiltouched damage bonus reduced to 5% (was 8%).
  • Deeper Daggers damage bonus reduced to 8/16% (was 10%/20%).

Shaman

• Elemental
  • Lightning Bolt (Elemental) damage increased by 17%.
  • Elemental Blast (Elemental) damage increased by 20%. Increases Haste or Crit by 6% (was 3%), or Mastery by 11% (was 6%).
  • Windspeaker’s Lava Resurgence – Lava Burst damage increased by 10% (was 20%). Now also triggers from Earthquake.
  • Earth Shock damage increased by 5%.
  • Heat Wave – When Lava Surge triggers from Heat Wave, the damage of your next Lava Burst is increased by 20%.
  • Liquid Magma Totem damage increased by 125%.
• Enhancement
  • Maelstrom Weapon proc chance lowered to 16% (was 20%).
  • Damage of all Maelstrom Weapon consuming abilities reduced by 10%.
  • Focused Lightning (Conduit) values halved for all ranks.
  • Stormstrike damage increased by 20%.
  • Windstrike damage increased by 20%.
  • Lava lash damage increased by 92%.
  • Hot Hand rank 1 Lava Lash damage bonus lowered to 20% (was 50%). Rank 2 lowered to 40% (was 100%).
  • Ice Strike damage increased by 20%.
  • Sundering damage increased by 75%.
  • Storm’s Wrath values increase changed to +150% (was +100%).
  • Gathering Storms value increased to 25% (was 15%). Maximum stacks lowered to 6 (was 10).
  • Fire Nova damage increased by 25%.
  • Feral Spirit and Elemental Spirits buff effects changed to +20% (was +15%).
  • Doom Winds active Windfury Weapon bonus damage lowered to 10% (was 25%).
  • Doom Winds cooldown increased to 90 seconds (was 60 seconds).
  • Forceful Winds bonus lowered to 40% per stack (was 45%).

Warrior

• Arms
  • Auto attack damage reduced by 25% (was 10%.)
  • In for the Kill now increases haste by 20% (was 25%) when enemy is under 35% health.
  • Skullsplitter now generates 20 Rage (was 30).
  • Skullsplitter damage reduced by 22%.
  • Mortal Strike damage reduced by 3%.
  • Execute damage reduced by 5%.
  • Juggernaut – Maximum stacks reduced to 12 (was 15).
  • Deep Wounds periodic damage reduced by 6%.
  • Rend periodic damage reduced by 7%.
• Fury
  • Bloodthirst damage increased by 7%.
  • Bloodcraze – Increases critical strike chance of Bloodthirst by 15% per stack (was 10%).
  • Bloodborne damage bonus granted increased to 20% (was 15%).
  • Cruelty – Annihilator’s damage increased during enrage by 10% (was 5%).
  • Raging Blow Damage increased by 3% for each strike.
  • Crushing Blow damage increased by 3% for each strike.
  • Annihilator damage increased by 1.5%.
  • Wrath and Fury – Raging Blow Damage bonus granted increased to 15% (was 10%).
  • Slaughtering Strikes – Raging Blow now increases the damage of each strike of Rampage by 20% per stack (was 10%).

With the initial release of the Dragonflight pre-expansion patch (version 10.0.0), class set bonuses from Eternity’s End (9.2) will be marked Legacy, effectively disabling them in combat.

While it’s routine for us to mark older set bonuses as Legacy, we do not normally take this step so soon after they were acquired. Unfortunately, the extent of class changes coming in the pre-patch is an exceptional circumstance that has led to this decision.

In the future, it is not our intention to repeat this timing when marking class sets as Legacy.

To account for the removal of set bonuses and addition of the new talent trees, game content will be re-tuned in 10.0.0 so that difficulty remains relatively the same.

Starting tomorrow, October 14 at 10:00 a.m. PDT, we will be update the Dragonflight PTR to begin a playtest of pre-patch events:

• The Introductory Quest Line
• Elemental Storms in Badlands and Un’Goro.
  • These Storms will change the surrounding area’s weather and enhance enemies with additional powers.
• The Return of Uldaman as a level 60 dungeon.

This playtest will end on the Dragonflight PTR on Sunday, October 16 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

See you there!