Upcoming Class Tuning - December 12: Season of Discovery

Blizzard has recently announced a significant set of changes and adjustments that will be implemented in Season of Discovery, starting from December 12th. These adjustments, which are based on class performance and player feedback, will be rolled out during the weekly maintenance on regional realms. In this blog post, we'll delve into the details of these changes and what they mean for each class.

Druid

Druids will be receiving some welcome buffs in Season of Discovery. The damage of the Starsurge rune ability will see a significant increase of 182%. Additionally, the cooldown of Starsurge will be reduced from 10 seconds to 6 seconds, allowing for more frequent usage. To make the ability more accessible, the mana cost of Starsurge will also be reduced to 1% of the base mana, down from the previous 3%.

Hunter

Hunters will see some changes to the Flanking Strike ability. Firstly, the ability will now benefit from weapon enhancements such as sharpening stones. Secondly, it will be on the global cooldown and will be treated as a melee attack, allowing it to benefit from various combat modifiers. In order to use Flanking Strike, a weapon must be equipped. Moreover, the pet damage from Flanking Strike will now be treated as a melee attack and will receive the same benefits as the hunter's damage.

Additional Changes

Blizzard has also stated that there are additional changes in the pipeline to further normalize Hunter pet performance. While the specifics of these changes have not been revealed yet, they are expected to enhance the overall pet performance without making them overpowered compared to other tanks in the game.

Priest

Priests are getting some significant buffs to their damage-dealing abilities. The damage of Priest Homunculi will be increased by 100%, making it a more potent tool for offense. Void Plague, another priest ability, will see an even more substantial increase in damage, with a boost of 200%. Moreover, the Twisted Faith talent will now provide a 50% increase in damage done by Mind Blast and Mind Flay, when used on targets afflicted with Shadow Word: Pain. This is a significant jump from the previous 20% increase.

Rogue

Rogues have a few adjustments coming their way in Season of Discovery. Abilities like Saber Slash, Shiv, and Main Gauche will now properly consume Remorseless Attacks. The tooltip for Saber Slash will be fixed to accurately reflect its damage, which will not be reduced. Additionally, Saber Slash damage will now be considered a Bleed and will benefit from the Mangle debuff. It's important to note that Bleed-immune creatures will no longer be affected by Saber Slash.

Shaman

Shamans will experience some buffs to their Lava Lash ability. The damage of Lava Lash will be increased from 100% weapon damage to 150% weapon damage, making it a more powerful attack. Furthermore, the mana cost of Lava Lash will see a significant reduction from 4% of base mana to just 1% of base mana. Additionally, the chance of triggering the Overload effect will be increased from 33% to 50%. Another improvement for Shamans is the Dual Wield Specialization, which will grant a 10% increased chance to hit while dual-wielding.

Boon of Blackfathom

The Boon of Blackfathom world buff has also received an adjustment. It will now provide a 3% spell hit and a 25 spell power buff in addition to its existing physical damage and movement speed effects. This is a change from the previous spell crit effect. Developers have cited the struggles faced by spellcasters in Blackfathom Deeps (BFD) due to poor scaling without spellpower and the increased requirement of spell hit against creatures that are two or more levels above the caster. They advise keeping Chronoboons handy and avoiding unnecessary damage to maintain the buff.

Conclusion

The upcoming class changes and adjustments in Season of Discovery are aimed at addressing issues with class performance and player feedback. Blizzard is actively working to improve the gaming experience by enhancing the abilities and mechanics of each class. These changes will allow players to adapt their playstyles and optimize their performance in various content, whether it be raiding, dungeons, or PvP. Keep an eye out for further updates as Blizzard finalizes the hotfix for Hunter pet performance.