March 12, 2024: The Dragonflight Season 3 Balance Pass
Frost Mage gained several ability buffs, Preservation gained healing and defensive adjustments, and Subtlety’s Eviscerate received a damage reduction. This historical guide covers the general class changes in Blizzard’s March 12, 2024 hotfix entries, not a current-expansion balance update.
The official hotfix history is the reference for the values below. Its separate PvP section contains additional modifiers; general class changes should not all be labeled PvE-only.
All Eight Specs in the General Class Changes
| Specialization | Documented change |
|---|---|
| Restoration Druid | Rejuvenation healing +12%; excludes PvP. |
| Preservation Evoker | Time of Need clone healing +100%, clone Living Flame +16%. Live-Giver’s Flame 40/80% (was 35/70%); Inherent Resistance 4/8% (was 2/4%); Attuned to the Dream 3/6% (was 2/4%). |
| Marksmanship Hunter | Player and pet-ability damage +3%. |
| Survival Hunter | Player and pet-ability damage +3%. |
| Frost Mage | Flurry, Waterbolt and Water Jet damage +25%; Frostbolt +10%; Ice Lance +5%. |
| Mistweaver Monk | Overall healing −6%, excluding PvP. Sheilun’s Gift healing +6%; Jadefire Stomp healing/damage +6%; Expel Harm healing +6%. |
| Subtlety Rogue | Eviscerate damage −6%; excludes PvP. |
| Elemental Shaman | All damage +3%; excludes PvP. |
The two-rank Preservation values refer to different effects: Live-Giver’s Flame converts damage to healing, Inherent Resistance reduces magic damage taken, and Attuned to the Dream increases healing done and received.
Read Each PvP Exclusion Individually
The general entries explicitly exclude PvP for Rejuvenation, Mistweaver’s overall healing reduction, Eviscerate and Elemental’s damage increase. The listed Hunter and Frost Mage entries do not carry that exclusion.
For a PvP comparison, read both layers: the general ability adjustment and any separate PvP modifier. Do not apply the PvE Eviscerate number to an arena log without checking the PvP entry for that date. A section heading alone does not settle an ability’s effective combat value.
What Changes for Healing and Damage Reviews?
- Preservation: Blizzard linked its changes to low utilization and range restrictions. The listed adjustments improve healing and defensiveness; they do not increase spell range.
- Mistweaver: a global healing reduction and selected ability increases affect different layers. They are not a blanket increase to every heal, nor proof that the package cancels out for every build.
- Frost and Subtlety: an ability’s percentage change is not the same as a whole-spec percentage change. Its contribution, targets and usage determine how much it affects a particular log.
When comparing old logs, keep the encounter, equipment, damage targets and kill timing similar. Patch-note values establish the adjustments; they do not establish a later Mythic+ rank or identify the most influential ability in every build.
Jadefire Stomp Already Had Its New Name
The Seeds of Renewal class notes document Faeline Stomp becoming Jadefire Stomp in Patch 10.2.5. That rename belongs to the January 2024 update, not Patch 10.0.5 in January 2023.
For a raid snapshot before this March tuning, see the Amirdrassil Week 16 report. Its stated reporting week predates March 12, so these later adjustments cannot explain those earlier results.
