We’re finally seeing some positive changes for Feral PVP in class tuning. The FR un-nerf is a welcome change and a step in the right direction, but not enough.
I realize this is the end of the expansion which means we’re not seeing meaningful changes that Feral really needs, but a few more hotfixes could make the experience actually pleasant and not miserable for the rest of the expac.
I’m in favour of some of the changes mentioned in numerous places by better and more well informed druids than I regarding the general druid tree. One of the biggest ones is to swap Cyclone with Remove Corruption in the druid tree.
My personal favourite would also be to reduce some of the 2 point talents like Well Honed to 1 point. I don’t think these will break anything at this stage but would be a great change.
I think Axtin’s suggestion of moving Cyclone to a choice node with Soothe is a great one. First, I don’t think there are many – if any – situations where we need both. If there are, Soothe frankly should just be made baseline already. Second, it could get rid of a dead-end node if in the absence of Cyclone, Blizz made Nurturing Instinct connect to Rising Light, Falling Night. Third, it’d free up a talent point in our already too heavy tree.
Completely agreed that several nodes need to be reduced. We shouldn’t be saddled with the only 3 point node in all of the class trees (Lycara’s Teachings), and now that Frenzied Regeneration is actually worthwhile again, Well-Honed Instincts is a talent that I’d love to take, but is it worth it at a 2 minute internal cooldown? I’m not sure – I’d have to give up either a point in Thick Hide, Rising Light Falling Night, or Heart of the Wild… I just don’t think any of those would be worth it.
Lycara’s Teachings should be reduced from 3 points to 2 points.
All of the Affinity talents should be reduced from 2 points to 1 point, meaning:
Feline Swiftness should be reduced from 2 points to 1 point (see: Fleet Footed in the Rogue Tree, which gives 15% move speed for 1 point).
Thick Hide should be reduced from 2 points to 1 point – if it needs to come down from 6% damage reduction to 5%, that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
Natural Recovery should be reduced from 2 points to 1 point.
Astral Influence should be reduced from 2 points to 1 point – especially for Feral and Guardian, for whom the talent is already nerfed from 5 yards to 3 yards.
If all of the above happened, it’s probably enough reduction, though I think Well-Honed Instincts should be 90 seconds/60 seconds, instead of 120 seconds/90 seconds. And Ursine Vigor should feel more weighty if it’s going to cost 2 points as well. But really, these reductions are imperative if we’re not going to have the wasted points (like Starfire, Sunfire, Moonkin Form for non-Boomies or Ironfur for non-Guardians, etc etc) folded into a single talent.
These trees were supposed to be all about choice. I see this un-nerf and I get excited, thinking “hey, Regrowth got un-nerfed, now Frenzied Regeneration… maybe Well-Honed Instincts and Protector of the Pack might be worth it,” but I look around for points to give up and find none. Thick Hide is required because of how incredibly weak our natural survivability is, so even though I have to waste a point in Ironfur to get it, I have to lock those points in. Astral Influence – for as weak as it is for Feral – is basically required everywhere except 2s, so even though I have to waste 3 points in Starfire, Sunfire, and Moonkin Form, I’ve got to lock those points in. The only solace is that those wasted points are at least pulling double duty by getting us closer to Cyclone – if we go for Astral Influence, then Cyclone is only a waste of 2 points (in Nurturing Instinct) instead of 5.
I’ll stop there because even after roughly 15 months of the same terrible, unchanged tree, I can’t get through writing a comment about it without getting incredibly irritated. I hope they take a look at it soon. While the tree might need a full rework – or perhaps a burn-down and replanting – there are several fixes that could be implemented right now, like the point reductions, that would lessen the pain.
Good points on all. Since the time I posted this I feel even more strongly about it not being enough. We’re still getting demolished and Wild Attunement just makes things worse.
We need some hot fixes yesterday. Imo:
Thick hide should be 2 points for 10% or 1 point for 5%
Cyclone & Soothe swap places in the tree
This would allow us to access Tireless Pursuit and Feline Swiftness, giving us much needed mobility for added survivability and more in line with class fantasy.
Want to make sure I clarify this; Personally I don’t see this as a buff because this was originally how frenzied regeneration worked.
I see it as a reverted change, and when it was nerfed like this - a lot of pushback was that the change didn’t make sense. Then again… common sense is no longer common.
Yes, it was just a reversion of a nerf. We’re still the most killed spec, even above casters in Solo Shuffle. Most forms of pvp are just miserable for me as Feral PVP.