Originally Posted by sp00n

However, reducing the dodge rate for special attacks also increases the crit rate for such attacks, as those are on a two roll system.
Assuming a 6% dodge rate, your crit rate is reduced by crit rate*0.06. Reducing your chance to be dodged by 2.5% nets an increase of crit rate*0.025.
For 60% crit (combat dagger) this would be 1.5% more crits, for 30% an increase of 0.75%.

Originally Posted by panny

There's been some talk around that a mob's chances to dodge/parry while casting is reduced to zero. Is this actually confirmed? I seem to remember a fairly large chain of dodge/parries on Aran a few weeks ago on a mostly alt Kara run. It's possible I could have remembered wrong or gotten unlucky during those small windows when Aran melees. Some confirmation either way would be nice.

Originally Posted by Left

He was referring to someone's suggestions that they remove the "intermediate" expertise stat so that there weren't two conversions. IE, 16 rating -> 1 expertise -> 1.0% reduction in dodge/parry, instead of 4 rating -> 1 expertise -> 0.25% reduction in dodge/parry. The argument is that it makes it easier for the player to understand if there aren't two 4:1 conversion factors involved.

The major downsides to making 16 rating = 1 expertise = -1% dodge/parry are:
1) It wouldn't match up well to the existing weapon skill system, making the change more confusing.
2) It wouldn't be fine-grained enough to match well with current talent options. (I'm thinking paladins and warriors here, given the new Defiance.)
3) It would have the disadvantage (as stated above) of causing 15 rating to give you 0% reduction and 16 rating to give you 1% reduction - a pretty coarse-grained system.

Alternatively, they could eliminate the conversion altogether.

The upsides to this are:
1) It would be simpler to understand and calculate
2) It could be changed to act like the current resilience: Resilience is shown only as a rating in your defenses stat-block and is treated as a floating point. There is no intermediate "resilience" value converted from resilience rating. There are also no talents which give "resilience" directly. Instead, talents reference direct % reductions in crit chance or crit damage. (See for example the paladin Ret talent Divine Purpose or the druid Feral Combat talent Survival of the Fittest.)
3) Talents could be re-evaluated to give a direct benefit in dodge/parry reduction (or some combination) which would best be balanced and suit the class. For example, the Rogue talent Weapon Expertise could be changed to "Reduce your opponents chance to dodge your attacks by 2%/4%" and/or the paladin Combat Expertise talent could be "Reduce your opponents chance to parry your attacks by 0.5/1/1.5/2/2.5%" (insert appropriate %'s which balance the talents).
4) Since talents wouldn't give expertise directly, there wouldn't be discrepancies in usefulness of expertise talents between tanking and DPS classes - only on usefulness of expertise gear.

Really, it doesn't matter much which way they do it. If they choose to implement it like Defense and have a 2 conversion system (as now on the PTR), that will work fine and we'll get used to it. If they choose to do away with it in talents altogether, replace the talents with direct % reductions, and make expertise work like resilience, crit rating, or hit rating, then we'll get used to that too. Personally, I think the second way would make more sense, but it would also probably require more rework on their part. Which is probably why we see it like it is now. Functionally, both are the same... so whatever.