FULL POST: https://eu.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/midnight-alpha-test-development-notes/590289
WOWHEAD’S PREVIEW: https://www.wowhead.com/news/all-talents-tree-on-midnight-alpha-so-many-new-talents-378673
- Developers’ notes: As we head into Midnight, we’re continuing to refine and focus Survival Hunter’s fantasy, giving clearer playstyle, gameplay, and visual direction. Over the course of Alpha, we’ll be reintroducing one-handers into Survival Hunter’s pool of available weapons, which means we’ll also be looking to distance Survival from its spear-only identity that it’s had since Legion. We’ll be doubling down on Survival’s relationship with its pet with new talents that create an interdependency between the Hunter’s damage and their pet’s damage. Additionally, we’re leaning into the rugged, crafty, and bomb-centric fantasy we explored in The War Within with a new Fire grenade called Flamefang Pitch, a new visual and fantasy identity for Fury of the Eagle called Boomstick, and a host of new Wildfire Bomb talents and synergies.
Survival Hunter had a substantial number of abilities that were competing for your attention at any given time. Coordinated Assault and Flanking Strike have been combined into a new burst cooldown called Takedown that strives to take the best parts of both spells and blend them into one moment. We also made the tough decision to redesign Mongoose Bite. We feel confident that simplifying Mongoose Bite will allow us to carve out more interesting design space for Survival both now and in the future.
Lastly, in Midnight, we’d like Survival Hunter’s area damage to come from their explosives: Wildfire Bomb, Boomstick, and Flamefang Pitch, and as such we’re removing Butchery and its associated effects. We expect Raptor Swipe (Survival Hunter’s Apex Talent) to provide meaningful and exciting moments of AOE in between your chunky explosive spells. - Apex Talents: Raptor Swipe
- Raptor Strike has a 25% chance to trigger a Raptor Swipe, dealing moderate physical damage to up to 5 nearby enemies and grant you 15 Focus.
- During Takedown, your chance to trigger Raptor Swipe is increased to 50/100%. Raptor Strike and Raptor Swipe damage increased by 10/20%.
- Raptor Swipes cause your pet to lash out, dealing heavy single target damage to your main target and granting you 3% increased Haste for 10 seconds. Multiple applications may overlap.
- Survival hunters are now able to dual wield one-handed axes, swords, and daggers.
- New Ability: Hatchet Toss – Throw an axe at your target dealing moderate damage. 40 yard range. 30 Focus cost. Replaces Arcane Shot upon specializing into Survival Hunter.
- New Talent: Strike as One – Your damaging abilities provoke your pet to attack, dealing light Physical damage.
- New Talent: Takedown – You and your pet leap to your target and strike as one, dealing heavy physical damage to your target. For the next 8 seconds, the damage dealt by you and your pet is increased by 20%. Generates 50 Focus. 1.5 minute cooldown.
- New Talent: Savagery – Takedown cooldown reduced by 15/30 seconds.
- New Talent: Shower of Blood – Your bleed effects deal 8/16% increased damage.
- New Talent: Two Against Many – Strike as One damages 2 additional enemies and its damage is increased by 15% for each enemy it strikes.
- New Talent: Mongoose Fury – Raptor Strike increases the damage of Raptor Strike by 10% for 8 seconds. Multiple applications may overlap.
- Developers’ notes: In Midnight, we’re looking to distance Survival from the demands and cognitive load of Mongoose Bite/Mongoose Fury and move that complexity into new and more exciting parts of their kit. The unique animations for Mongoose Bite have been preserved with this change.
- New Talent: Shrapnel Bomb – Wildfire Bomb’s periodic effect is now a Bleed. Choice node with Flamebreak.
- New Talent: Flamebreak – All fire damage dealt is increased by 15%. Choice node with Shrapnel Bomb.
- New Talent: Flamefang Pitch – Toss a fiery concoction that explodes violently upon reaching its destination, dealing heavy Fire damage to enemies in its area. After landing, your Flamefang Pitch ignites nearby terrain, dealing moderate damage to enemies in its area over 8 seconds.
- New Talent: Wildfire Imbuement – Throwing your Flamefang Pitch imbues your weapon with flame, causing you and your pet’s damaging attacks and abilities to deal additional Fire damage for 10 seconds.
- New Talent: Wallop – Gaining a stack of Mongoose Fury has a 20% chance to increase the damage of your next Raptor Strike by 50%. Choice node with Bloody Claws.
- New Talent: Boomstick – Unload a series of 4 shotgun blasts in front of you, dealing heavy Physical damage over 3 seconds. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.
- Developers’ notes: In Midnight, we’re reintroducing one-handed weapons to Survival Hunters and distancing Survival from its spear-only identity. As such, we’re updating Fury of the Eagle to better match this new direction for Survival Hunters.
- New Talent: Shellshock – Your Boomstick’s damage is increased by 40% when striking a single target. Each additional target reduces this bonus by 8%.
- New Talent: Mongoose Rounds – Each time you fire your Boomstick, gain 1 stack of Mongoose Fury. Choice node with Wildfire Shells.
- New Talent: Wildfire Shells – Each time you fire your Boomstick, reduce the cooldown of Wildfire Bomb by 4 seconds. Choice node with Mongoose Rounds.
- New Talent: Lethal Calibration – Throwing a Wildfire Bomb increases your critical strike damage by 15% for 12 seconds.
- New Talent: Wildfire Tar – Wildfire Bomb now deals its periodic damage over 6 additional seconds. Enemies affected by your Wildfire Bomb’s periodic damage take 15% increased damage from your pet.
- New Talent: Sticky Bombs – When Wildfire Bomb explodes, it leaves behind a sticky bomb on its primary target, exploding for moderate Fire damage after a short delay. Damage reduced beyond 8 targets.
- New Talent: Bonding – Mastery increased by 3%. You gain 5% increased Mastery from all Mastery sources.
- Guerilla Tactics has been updated – Now increases initial explosion damage by 15% (was 50%).
- Developers’ notes: We’re reducing the giant modifier on this talent and baking it into the spell baseline.
- Flanked has been updated – Now causes Takedown to strike 4 additional nearby targets, deal 50% increased damage, and increases your attack speed by 100% for its duration.
- Bloody Claws has been updated – Each stack of Mongoose Fury also increases the damage of Strike as One by 10%. Choice node with Wallop.
- Lunge has been updated – Wildfire Bomb cooldown reduction reduced to 0.5 seconds (was 1 second).
- Tip of the Spear has been updated – Now increases Raptor Strike’s damage by 15% and reduces its Focus cost by 5.
- Sic ‘Em has been updated – When Kill Command critically strikes, it bleeds your target for additional damage over 5 seconds.
- Outland Venom has been updated – Now increases critical strike damage by 4% (was 2%).
- Grenade Juggler has been updated – Throwing a Flamefang Pitch grants 1 charge of Wildfire Bomb. Flamefang Pitch damage increased by 30%.
- Explosives Expert has been updated – Now also increases Flamefang Pitch damage by 5/10%.
- Killer Companion has been updated – Now increases all pet damage by 10/20%.
- Quick Shot renamed to Quick Toss and has been updated – Now casts Hatchet Toss when it triggers instead of Arcane Shot.
- Kill Command now replaces Steady Shot when learned in the Survival specialization tree.
- Wildfire Bomb initial damage increased by 55%. Now deals 40% increased damage to its primary target (was 80%).
- Raptor Strike now costs 40 Focus.
- Butchery damage increased by 60% and now has a 12 second cooldown. Cooldown reduced by Haste.
- Wildfire Bomb no longer has a Focus cost.
- Kill Command no longer has a cooldown.
- Improved Wildfire Bomb is now a 2-point node.
- The following talents have been removed:
- Alpha Predator
- Bombardier
- Born to Kill
- Butchery
- Contagious Reagents
- Coordinated Assault
- Cull the Herd
- Deadly Duo
- Flanking Strike
- Developers’ notes: Flanking Strike’s visuals and functionality have been baked into Takedown.
- Fury of the Eagle
- Grenade Juggler
- Merciless Blow
- Mongoose Bite
- Ranger
- Relentless Primal Ferocity
- Ruthless Marauder
- Spearhead
- Sulfur-Lined Pockets
- Symbiotic Adrenaline
- Tactical Advantage
- Terms of Engagement
- Viper’s Venom