This is the way.
The rockbiter nerf isnt that big a deal. Double rockbiter was only a thing for dual weild tanking and handicapped pvpers.
Shaman Tanks wont feel hurt by that nerf because they already do enough threat and will have consistent threat with overcharge.
Enhance DPS will be a great addition to caster heavy comps that need a melee dps for future boss mechanics, as enhance will fill that melee spell hybrid.
Extra, extra, read all about it! Man plays his class incorrectly! Calls his class weak! Cant parse higher than gray and calls it Blizzards fault! Read all about it!
I’m definitely not looking for homogenization in class design. Just scale the abilities, talents, and runes that we already have towards a standard-ish dps goal. Of course some fights will favor some specs, but generally the goal should be to normalize results for the health and population of all specs.
Classes are good at different activities, so there’s no reason they should be equally effective in raids.
I expected nerfs going into Phase 3, and was good with what was done to Lava Lash, Way of Earth (although I think Blizzard may end up addressing threat generation there), and Spirit of the Alpha. The Rockbiter nerf was over the top though.
What’s funny, and sad, is that Blizzard didn’t understand they wouldn’t need the additional threat reduction effect on Spirit of the Alpha given the Rockbiter nerf.
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Personally disagree on your assessment about Rockbiter. I think it was what was making everything else completely overpowered, but I respect your take, no hate.
Edit: Agreed about Alpha, we needed that change 3 weeks ago, now it seems unnecessary and I will probably run decoy 90% of the time.
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im putting all my money that since WoE is nerfed for ENH shaman in PvP, 2handed will be the only viable choice for PvP and PvE. Its a good thing since we’re getting closer to Hand of Rag and all shaman want to run around with that puppy.
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Way too late in the game at this point, but I kinda wish they had just not done dual-wield at all. It seems to be the cause of so many issues between RB stacking and Ele/Resto using it for double caster weps, wizard oils, and enchants.
If they do it over I hope they double down on making 2h good, and maybe add some shield buttons for tank.
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Winds guide you!
The WoE nerf is strange to me because it is aimed only at enhancement. If they wanted to nerf WoE in PVP then they should have swapped shield mastery to a leg rune and WoE to a chest rune, but instead they just screwed enhancement.
how can we do enough threat if we are oom? I am not sure you understand the fundamental issue with shaman tanks requiring a shield. The mana from using a shield is TRASH. Also using flame shock and molten blast is almost 500 mana where stormstrike and lava lash were like 90 mana.
There has ALWAYS been an issue with shaman tanks and mana. We just were able to generate enough threat as a DW tank using dps moves that the fights would end before we went oom. Using a shield you are more than likely oom halfway through. Not to mention if you want to “do enough threat” you need to use max rank shocks that are super mana intense.
Aka shaman tanks were always broken, people just found better ways around it and captilized on it. I have been saying since day 1…HOW DOES A SHAMAN TANK GET MANA BACK FROM CASTER MOBS THAT BARELY MELEE?
Enhancement Shamans are currently Simming right behind Gladiator Warriors and are simming like 400-500 dps higher than everyone else.
its bad enough that on single target fights i always run water shield.
i know it sucks.
One critical thing hadn’t occurred to me, but was captured to some degree in this thread: Elemental spec interplay with Mental Dexterity.
This is the reason for the Rockbiter nerf. Blizzard must have realized it at the last minute and panic-flushed RB. It’s why there was no mention before the patch notes of the RB change (that I saw at least). They realized dual-wielding RB elemental shamans might scale beyond belief since Mental Dexterity wasn’t a deep enhancement talent, but rather a rune that any spec could utilize.
Understand that RB has literally had these attack power values since early Vanilla, perhaps even launch. The Classic team actually had the gall to try and rewrite history with this from the patch notes:
With the addition of Mental Dexterity this phase, we felt the need to tone down shaman attack power numbers and further incentivize using weapon imbues that are more geared towards damage-dealing.
If Flametongue weapon was intended to be more geared towards damage-dealing, then guess what? Long ago, it would have actually out-damaged RB for Enhancement (again, setting aside Spell-hancement). You’re full of sh*t Blizzard.
Blizz can easily make 2H enhance viable by buffing the 2H rune. As it is now it’s really bad.
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I’m fine with the nerf as long as other classes get the same treatment. The supposed goal is you cannot do damage while being tanky in pvp or pve.
Priest need dispersion to be only -10% damage taken or -90% damage done.
Paladins need all SoD runes disabled during bubble.
Bearfrom -50% damage done while active.
Boomkin -50% armor While active.
Rogue - Blade Dance -50% damage done while active.
Warrior - Retaliation 2 min CD -50% damage done while active.
Warlock -90% self healing while in Meta form
As far as I know shaman only cause problems
Prior to SoD, we could only have Rockbiter on one weapon in Vanilla, because we could only have one weapon of course. Let’s make that a hard and fast rule.
Then we have to address Elemental accessing Mental Dexterity rune. In the thread I linked above, there’s discussion that rune should only be accessible if having some deep enhancement talents selected.
If the two things above happen, then there’s zero reason this Rockbiter nerf should stand. Well, other than Blizzard not wanting to admit they’re full of sh*t.
All they had to do is make it scale of strength instead of attack power.