Changes to Balance and Feral Druids in Patch 10.2: What to Expect

Hey, gamers! It's WowCarry here, and I've got some exciting news for all you Balance and Feral Druids out there. Blizzard has recently announced the upcoming changes to these two specializations in the next Patch 10.2 PTR build. So, let's dive into the details and see what's in store for our favorite Druid classes!

Balance Druid Changes

After carefully considering player feedback, Blizzard acknowledges the importance of Balance Druids having the option to reduce Celestial Alignment's cooldown in PvP. To address this, they have decided to revert Orbital Strike back to its previous design and position in the talent tree. This change will allow Balance Druids to coordinate burst phases with their team effectively while adding a visually prominent aspect to Celestial Alignment.

Previously, the design of Orbital Strike aimed to provide Balance Druids with different options to quickly deal damage at the start of dungeon packs or during raid encounters with additional enemies. However, Blizzard realized that it wasn't fulfilling its intended purpose effectively. To rectify this, they are tweaking Balance's Mastery, Astral Invocation. This Mastery will now increase the damage dealt to targets with Sunfire or Moonfire on them, with double the bonus to Astral spells. This adjustment prioritizes the application and maintenance of DoTs (Damage over Time) by making it essential for Balance Druids to keep Sunfire and Moonfire rolling. Nevertheless, Blizzard also understands the frustration of losing damage when it's impractical to put up your DoTs against enemies that die quickly. To address this, Astral Invocation will now provide 2/3rds of its value at all times, with the remaining third bonus kicking in when Moonfire and Sunfire are active on the targets. This change allows for greater flexibility, especially during raid encounters where casting Starfall on boss adds can be initiated without significantly sacrificing the benefits of Astral Invocation.

To ensure a smooth gameplay experience, Blizzard has also ironed out a few bugs where Astral Invocation wasn't increasing the damage of certain abilities like Orbital Strike and Power of Goldrin. Additionally, they have slightly reduced the base damage of these abilities to maintain their intended tuning.

Lastly, Aethereal Kindling and Lunar Shrapnel have been swapped in the talent tree. While increased damage is always valuable, there may be situations where extended DoT durations are unnecessary.

Feral Druid Changes

Now, let's move on to the Feral Druid changes coming in Patch 10.2. One of the notable alterations is the ability for Feral Druids to cast Innervate while in Cat Form. This change has prompted discussions about design philosophy.

Blizzard's priority is maintaining clear and unique identities for each Druid form. For instance, if you want to showcase your strength and intimidate your foes, you'll need to be in Bear Form. On the other hand, if you prefer a cunning and agile approach, Cat Form is the way to go. Casting spells outside of these forms is usually restricted, except with specific perks such as Predatory Swiftness or Lunar Inspiration. Although there have been exceptions made for gameplay reasons, such as allowing Guardian Druids to cast spells as a bear in dire situations, Blizzard generally aims to preserve the limitations on form-shifting.

The concept of friction, defined as the level of difficulty or inconvenience, comes into play when discussing restricting casting abilities in the Cat Form. Shifting out of Cat Form to cast Innervate introduces friction, but friction is not always a bad thing. It encourages players to come up with creative and flexible ways to overcome obstacles. Just like high-level Mythic+ keys that present their own set of challenges, successfully dealing with friction can be rewarding and keep the game engaging.

However, Blizzard realized that the friction Feral Druids faced when using Innervate was significantly higher compared to other Druid specializations. To address this concern, they have decided to make the change and allow Feral Druids to cast Innervate while remaining in their Cat Form. The friction for casting Rebirth, however, will remain in place as the difference in difficulty is at an appropriate level.

These changes aim to provide a more balanced gameplay experience for both Balance and Feral Druids. The adjustments made to the talents, abilities, and form restrictions should enhance the overall enjoyment and effectiveness of these two specializations. As always, Blizzard appreciates player feedback and will continue to fine-tune the game based on the community's input.

Final Thoughts

It's always exciting to see Blizzard's dedication to continuously improving and refining gameplay experiences for different classes and specializations. With the upcoming changes to Balance and Feral Druids in Patch 10.2, players can expect a more versatile and engaging playstyle. Whether you're a fan of casting devastating spells as a Balance Druid or prefer the agile and stealthy approach of a Feral Druid, these changes will undoubtedly make your adventures in Azeroth even more exhilarating!