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Blizzard's Response to Demon Hunter Rework Feedback - Potential Alterations to Havoc Tier Set
Blizzard has once again taken notice of the feedback from players regarding the Demon Hunter class and has provided some insights and possible changes to the Havoc Tier Set. In response to the concerns raised by the community, Blizzard acknowledges that there is a problem with the talent choices at the bottom of the tier set feeling overloaded without enough points to select them.
The final gate of the tier set offers an above-average number of talents to choose from. While this may not be an issue on its own, it becomes problematic when there are too many talents that are required for certain builds or subthemes within that gate. One talent that has drawn their attention is Soulrend, which was intended to become easier to pick up by reducing its cost from 2 points to 1 and moving it from row 9 to row 8. However, it seems that despite these changes, Soulrend is still falling short in terms of total cost and positional requirement.
Blizzard acknowledges that Soulrend requires several other talents to be even decent, and they agree that its current positioning within the final gate is particularly restrictive. This means that taking any other talents in the gate also requires taking Soulrend, limiting the choice and flexibility of players.
Another concern raised by players is the decision to make Throw Glaive a Fury consumer. This change has made the spec's fluidity feel clunky, as it now costs 25 fury to throw a second glaive. While some players enjoyed Throw Glaive as a rotational spender at some point during Dragonflight, Blizzard understands the tension around this concept, especially considering that the tier set heavily encourages taking Throw Glaive bonuses.
In addition to the concerns raised by players, Blizzard also recognizes that the tier set bonuses are currently weak from a tuning perspective. As a result, they are planning to make adjustments that will increase the bonuses to the intended levels of damage contribution and make a meaningful concession on the rotational requirement for extracting value from them.
Proposed Changes to Tier Set Bonuses
Blizzard has provided details of the changes they are considering for the tier set bonuses. The proposed changes are as follows:
| Set Bonus | Description |
| (2) Set Bonus | Blade Dance automatically triggers Throw Glaive on your primary target and each slash has a 50% chance to Throw Glaive an enemy for 35% damage. |
| (4) Set Bonus | Throw Glaive reduces the remaining cooldown of The Hunt by 2 sec, and The Hunt's damage over time effect lasts 6 seconds longer. |
The (2) Set Bonus will now have Blade Dance automatically trigger Throw Glaive on your primary target. Each slash during Blade Dance will also have a 50% chance to Throw Glaive at an enemy for 35% damage. This change aims to reduce the need to manually cast Throw Glaive rotationally, but still allows for its use in certain situations where you may be out of melee range or have an extra charge of Throw Glaive available. The additional partial-damage Throw Glaive procs will remain unchanged.
The (4) Set Bonus will apply a cooldown reduction of 2 seconds to The Hunt for each Throw Glaive cast or proc. This reduction will not be affected by the total number of glaives thrown per cast or the number of targets hit. This change aims to increase the overall damage output and duration of The Hunt's damage over time effect.
Blizzard expects that these changes will bring the tuning value of the tier set bonuses closer to their intended targets. They will continue to evaluate and fine-tune the bonuses and related skills as they receive more feedback from players.
Button Bloat and Short Cooldowns
One concern raised by players is the increasing number of short cooldowns and the resulting button bloat in single-target builds. Specifically, the change of Fodder becoming an active ability has been highlighted as a major issue by players.
Blizzard understands that feelings on this topic have been mixed so far, and while they do not have any immediate updates planned, they will closely evaluate the gameplay and feedback on the version available on the current Public Test Realm (PTR). Players are encouraged to share their experiences, evaluations, and feelings regarding this matter so that Blizzard can take them into consideration.
Overall, Blizzard has listened to player feedback and is actively working on addressing the concerns raised regarding the Demon Hunter class and Havoc Tier Set. They are committed to making the necessary adjustments to improve the gameplay experience and ensure that the class and tier set bonuses are in line with their intended design.
Conclusion
The Demon Hunter class has received attention from Blizzard following player feedback. Changes to the Havoc Tier Set are being considered, including adjustments to talent choices, Soulrend positioning, and the fluidity of Throw Glaive. Additionally, improvements will be made to the weak tuning of tier set bonuses. Blizzard is open to further feedback and will continue to evaluate and fine-tune the class and tier set as needed to provide an enjoyable gameplay experience for players in the raid and Mythic+.