Upcoming Class Changes

bloodurst · 02/05/09, 11:05 AM

# mproved Shadow Bolt – this talent now provides a 5% spell critical strike buff (similar to Improved Scorch).
# Improved Soul Leech – this talent now provides Replenishment (similar to shadow priests)
# Drain Soul now has a chance to produce Soul Shards even if the target doesn’t die.
# Siphon Life no longer as an active ability but the talent grants the old Siphon Life effect to Corruption.
# Curse of Recklessness and Curse of Weakness have been combined into one spell
# Consume Shadows – this Voidwalker ability is no longer channeled but has a cooldown.
# Several other warlock talents have had their ranks reduced, their effects changed or removed. This list includes but is not limited to Demonic Empathy, Shadow Embrace, Eradication, Suppression, and Pandemic.
# Additional new talents have been added.

World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Upcoming Class Change Highlights (Part 2)

I'm curious on everyone's thoughts about the announced changes? I'll be more intrigued to see what new talents are being created. I do like the idea of combining spells such as SL/Corruption and CoR/CoW

Edit: Fixed link.

chelos · 02/05/09, 11:12 AM

All of these changes, especially adding Replenishment to Imp Soul Leach and combining SL and Corruption are very exciting. I would, however like to see more Destro changes, such as making F&B a more attractive talent, or at least reducing the 5-talent point investment for such a lack-luster talent so high on the tree.

I'm sure we are all eagerly awaiting more detailed information.

Tinava · 02/05/09, 11:19 AM

The Imp Shadow Bolt change is defniitely a nice one, and thus, another reason to have an afflock in your raid.

I am intrigued by the drain soul change...I hope the proc rate isn't terrible. And really, how would that all work anyway? The only spec that uses DS in any kind of rotation is affliction.

I, too, want to see the additional talents, and hopefully in there is a F&B fix to make it more attractive. If there's no F&B fix, I can see ISL being the preferred filler for points in Destro to get down to CB.

oresteez · 02/05/09, 11:21 AM

edit: I changed my mind about my post.

Lominen · 02/05/09, 11:23 AM

So does this mean that reducing the AP of melee in PvP now grants them immunity to fear? That would be the fix we have been waiting for...

Southy · 02/05/09, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by oresteez

"Drain Soul now has a chance to produce Soul Shards even if the target doesn’t die."

This one kind of worries me. Now that Drain soul is our filler for 25% of the fight, can you imagine how many soul shards we are going to have in our bags? We are going to constantly have to remember to delete shards so the bags aren't full.

That would make, not break, my day.

Akj · 02/05/09, 11:30 AM

ISB seems like an odd choice to add the scorch debuff. Does this mean the old effect has been removed?
Does the drain Soul change mean that we have a chance to get shards off mobs regardless of level?
Good to see that there are changes to eradication, shadow embrace, suppression, demonic empathy and I hope that haunt is also in that list.
Cant wait to get more info about the new talents & other changes.

• Zakalwe · 02/05/09, 11:35 AM

What's your source for the warlock changes? The post you linked to just lists the lock changes as "coming soon".

♦ Darkside · 02/05/09, 11:36 AM

World of Warcraft (en) Forums -> Upcoming Warlock Changes in 3.1.0

Akj · 02/05/09, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

What's your source for the warlock changes? The post you linked to just lists the lock changes as "coming soon".

Part 2 - World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Upcoming Class Change Highlights (Part 2)

Drison · 02/05/09, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

What's your source for the warlock changes? The post you linked to just lists the lock changes as "coming soon".

World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Upcoming Class Change Highlights (Part 2)

Nisarie · 02/05/09, 11:40 AM

Someone beat me to posting the link, bah.

Anyway, I don't think the change to SB really changes much; it now gives us a 5% crit rating buff of some sort for a limited amount of time. DoTs obviously can't crit sans perhaps Haunt and Immolate applications, which don't count for much on meters. Shame.

I highly doubt that we will get shards, even during channeling Drain Soul, off of mobs that are too low of level. It isn't something in the mechanic of the spell, and I'm going to stand by that until Blizzard says something to the contrary.

I'd really like to know what they exactly changed in Eradication and Suppression, though. Hopefully they removed the diminishing returns in Eradication so it's worth all 3 points again.

Lebuff · 02/05/09, 11:44 AM

Seems likely that they will buff pandemic to make the crit buff from the new imp sb wortwhile.

Emolate · 02/05/09, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Southy

That would make, not break, my day.

I use a macro to trash all but 28 soul shards (still using a small soul bag).

• Zakalwe · 02/05/09, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Nisarie

Anyway, I don't think the change to SB really changes much; it now gives us a 5% crit rating buff of some sort for a limited amount of time. DoTs obviously can't crit sans perhaps Haunt and Immolate applications, which don't count for much on meters. Shame.

It's not a buff to ourselves, it's a debuff on the target, like imp scorch. Which makes me think one of the upcoming mage changes will be to reduce the imp scorch bonus to 5% from 10% - it wouldn't make much sense for us to have a similar raid buff that was only half as good as theirs. It's also pretty obvious that 10% crit from a single raid buff was a bit unbalanced.

The interesting point here is that even though affliction locks currently take ISB, they probably won't in the future because they can't be relied on to keep the debuff up when the boss is below 25%. This leaves deep demo as the only viable "ISB raid bitch" spec, so let's hope the demonic empathy change turns out to be a nice buff.