We regularly make class balance adjustments based on gameplay data and feedback from players on class performance. The following are adjustments to overperforming tier sets, along with compensating baseline buffs, to make the start of Season 2 group content smoother and less reliant on the new tier sets for players to perform well. We also plan to buff underperforming Season 2 tier sets to ensure they outperform Season 1 tier sets.
These changes will arrive with scheduled weekly maintenance (March 4 in this region).
Classes
Death Knight
- Unholy
- Liberation of Undermine 2-set Bonus – Now increases the damage of Death Coil and Epidemic by 4.5% (was 3%).
Demon Hunter
- Havoc
- Aldrachi Reaver: Reaver’s Mark now increases damage dealt to its target by 6%.
- Aldrachi Reaver: Thrill of the Fight’s increase to ability damage is now 15% (was 20%).
- Liberation of Undermine 2-set Bonus – Winning Streak!'s chance to activate increased by 25%.
Druid
- Feral
- Sunfire damage reduced by 40%.
- Lycara’s Teachings’ Mastery bonus granted from being in Moonkin Form reduced by 66%.
Evoker
- Devastation
- Firestorm damage increased by 40%.
Hunter
- Beast Mastery
- The Liberation of Undermine 2-piece set bonus has been adjusted – Barbed Shot now fires at 100% (was 200%).
- The Liberation of Undermine 4-piece set bonus has been adjusted - Potent Mutagen damage reduced by 50% and reduces the cooldown of Bestial Wrath by 0.25 seconds (was 0.5 seconds).
- All ability and pet damage increased by 10%.
Monk
- Mistweaver
- All Healing reduced by 4%.
- Liberation of Undermine set bonus: Insurance! healing decreased by 30%.
Priest
- Discipline
- Lenience no longer stacks its damage reduction effect when multiple Priests apply Atonement to a target.
- Oracle: Preventive Measures now increases the damage of Penance, Smite, and Holy Nova by 20% (was 40%).
Rogue
- Assassination
- All ability damage increased by 4%.
- Subtlety
- Secret Technique damage reduced by 5%.
- Liberation of Undermine 2-piece set bonus – Winning Streak! max stacks reduced to 8 (was 10).
Shaman
- Elemental
- Developers’ notes: The new tier set bonuses were performing higher than we would have liked, so we’re lowering the value of the new 2-piece set bonus while increasing the damage Elemental Shaman deal baseline.
- Liberation of Undermine 2-piece set bonus – Now summons an elemental for 6 seconds (was 8 seconds).
- Liberation of Undermine 2-piece set bonus – Frequency of getting a bonus elemental summon from your spells lowered.
- Liberation of Undermine 4-piece set bonus – Damage bonus of Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Tempest, and Lava Burst increased to 30% for 8 seconds (was 20% for 8 seconds).
- Deeply Rooted Elements Ascendance procs no longer activate either the 2-piece or 4-piece bonus of the new Liberation of Undermine tier set.
- Echo of the Elementals no longer causes the Jackpot! Buff to refresh when they appear.
- All damage dealt increased by 5%.
- Enhancement
- Developers’ notes: Enhancement Shaman in the Liberation of Undermine patch are performing higher than we would like. We’re making adjustments to the new Flowing Spirits talent as well as the Nerub-ar Palace and Liberation of Undermine tier set bonuses.
- Nerub-ar Palace 4-piece set Bonus – Now has a 20% chance to summon an extra spirit when talented into Flowing Spirits. The tooltip will not reflect this change until a future patch.
- Flowing Spirits now has a 6% chance to summon a Feral Spirit.
- Flowing Spirits now properly summons a random Elemental Spirit when Elemental Spirits are talented.
- Liberation of Undermine 4-piece set Bonus – Now triggers Doom Winds for 3 seconds (was 4 seconds).
- Liberation of Undermine 4-piece set Bonus – Now increases the damage of Crash Lightning by 12% per stack (was 15%).
- Liberation of Undermine 4-piece set Bonus – Now increases the primary target damage of Crash Lightning by 75% (was 100%).
Warlock
- Demonology
- Liberation of Undermine 4-piece set bonus has been adjusted – Casting Hand of Gul’dan causes your active Dreadstalkers to cast Dreadbite at 20% effectiveness (was 50%).
- Hand of Gul’dan damage increased by 20%.
- Doomguards summoned by Pact of the Ered’ruin deal 15% increased damage.
- Gloomhound’s Gloom Slash damage increased by 30%.
- Wild Imp damage increased by 30%.
- Destruction
- Liberation of Undermine 2-piece set bonus has been adjusted – Your spells and abilities have a chance to hit a Jackpot! that fires a flurry of 6 Demonfire bolts at 100% effectiveness (was 200%). Casting Summon Infernal always hits a Jackpot!.
- Chaos Bolt damage increased by 20%.
- Summon Infernal damage increased by 35%.
- Developers’ notes: We’re making adjustments to Hellcaller to reduce its Soul Shard economy and increase its damage as compensation. When the availability of Soul Shards increases for Destruction, it reaches a point where Rain of Fire begins to surpass Chaos Bolt in damage output for single target due to the difference in casting times.
- Hellcaller: Wither damage increased by 35%.
- Hellcaller: Wither now deals damage every 3 seconds (was 2 seconds).
- Developers’ notes: We recognize that with these changes Wither damage will also be impacted. We are distributing the lost throughput across the rest of the Hellcaller kit for Destruction.
- Hellcaller: Blackened Soul damage increased 40%.
- Hellcaller: Xalan’s Ferocity now increases Fire damage by 4% (was 2%).
- Hellcaller: Xalan’s Cruelty now increases Shadow damage by 4% (was 2%).
Warrior
- Arms
- Execute damage reduced by 15%.
Player vs. Player
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The Gladiator’s Distinction set bonus now increases Stamina by 10% (was 5%) for Tank and Damage specializations.
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The Gladiator’s Distinction set bonus now increases Stamina by 15% (was 10%) for Healer specializations.
Death Knight
- Blood
- San’layn: The damage bonus from Frenzied Bloodthirst is now 50% effective in PvP combat.
- Frost
- Death’s Cold Embrace (PvP talent) now increases Remorseless Winter’s damage by 400% (was 750%).
Druid
- Feral
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Berserk now increases damage dealt by 5% in PvP combat (was 10%).
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Ferocious Bite damage reduced by 10% in PvP combat.
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Mage
- Arcane
- Magi’s Spark now echoes spells at 25% effectiveness (was 50%) in PvP combat.
- Arcane Missiles damage increased by 12% in PvP combat.
- Arcane Barrage damage increased by 12% in PvP combat.
- Fire
- Blazing Barriers from Overpowered Barrier now reflect 60% of damage absorbed (was 100%).
- Frost
- Frostfire: Blazing Barriers from Overpowered Barrier now reflect 60% of damage absorbed (was 100%).
Monk
- Mistweaver
- Jade Empowerment’s damage increase reduced to 1250% (was 2500%) in PvP combat.
- Windwalker
- Slicing Winds damage reduced by 20% in PvP combat. Slicing Winds now fails if cast while in a root.
Warrior
- Arms
- Mortal Strike damage reduced by 25% in PvP combat.
- Execute damage increased by 20% in PvP combat.
- Demolish final hit damage reduced by 30% in PvP combat.
- Fury
- Rampage damage reduced by 15% in PvP combat.
- Bladestorm damage reduced by 15% in PvP combat.
- Protection
- Execute damage reduced by 20% in PvP combat.
- All damage reduced by 15% in PvP combat.
