When are Gdruid buffs coming?

Classes Druid
121

The hair splitting in this thread is crazy. The bottom line is: bears need buffs. Tanking is often looked as binary, (did you win?) where healing is less so, and obviously DPS is extra analog.

Well, when balancing tanks, you have to look at the analog. Damage taken per second, damage mitigated/returned per second, damage done per second. You do this for every mob type - boss, trash, mini boss, caster heavies, melee heavies, etc. Do the math. Representation numbers are as much a popularity contest as an index on power.

More than just numbers, bears need a direction. What’s the motif? Damage sponge that healers love to heal? Better buff the F out of mastery then. Are they dodge tanks that have tools to snap-recover from bad RNG stretches? Lower the CD on FR and give IF two charges with a reset mechanic instead of a rage cost. What’s the damage profile? AoE bleeds? Buff thrash. Single target bruiser? Buff mangle/gore.

Threads like this make me a little angry. I got all the MT appearances except for healing because I thought I’d never heal. I’ve only seen my sweet bear form like 3-4 times this entire expansion. I only look at mana cat when I’m questing. It’s no bueno.

Some targeted buffs would be great, a numbers pass would be better. At this point, either blizzard has a secret playbook about how guardians are supposed to play that no one else has guessed correctly, OR they just don’t care - there may be some lingering “wanna be warrior” mentality lingering in the office, some inherent hybrid tax being applied even when it’s not warranted. It’s hard to believe it could be this wrong for this long.

7 Likes
122

Bang on, my friend - especially your comments concerning the direction with Guardian Druids.

2 Likes
123

This is a bad joke, right?

  • All damage abilities increased 12%.
  • At level 80, Guardian Druids now learn Stampeding Roar (Rank 2), which reduces the cooldown of Stampeding Roar by 1 minute.
  • Ursol’s Vortex (replaces Intimidating Roar) - Conjures a vortex of wind for 10 seconds at the destination, reducing the movement speed of all enemies within 8 yards by 50%. The first time an enemy attempts to leave the vortex, winds will pull that enemy back to its center.
  • Ironfur now has a maximum of 8 stacks.
  • Ironfur and Maul now cost 40 Rage (was 45).
  • Mangle now generates 10 Rage (was 8).
  • Shifting to Bear Form now gives 25 Rage (was 20).
  • Mangle and Thrash direct damage increased by 15%.
  • Frenzied Regeneration’s healing has been increased by 33%.

That’s objectively false

Sure, provide all the data you have on this.

This is entirely a you problem.

That’s already occurred.

…like what are you even talking about.

Somehow that’s not remotely what I was saying, but good on you for trying to play. That said, yes, guardian is strong as is.

2 Likes
124

So you wouldn’t change anything about Guardian?

1 Like
125

None of the minor adjustments you cite have anything to do with the myriad of issues the players have been presenting for YEARS.

  • Damage increase is a numbers pass.
  • Stamp Roar is the same as it was before.
  • Ursol’s is a change, not a buff; we lost the AoE Cower effect which many people preferred.
  • Ironfur stacks is a fix, not a buff
  • Rage cost lowered is a minor buff
  • Mangle rage is a minor buff
  • Shift rage is meaningless; it needs to be equal to Ironfur cost
  • Mangle/Thrash damage increase is a numbers pass
  • FR increase is minor and nowhere close to where it was (based on damage taken)

The only buffs in this list that relates to the vast feedback offered is getting closer to being able to cast Ironfur sooner after the pull. Nothing else on that list has any impact on the issues presented in the multiple threads here. And nothing on that list is a “massive buff”.

3 Likes
126

You really haven’t been reading the threads in this forum of late, have you?

First of all, most Guardian Druids aren’t really all that concerned about how Guardian Druid is doing right now, in patch 8.3, because we are literally on the cusp of a new expansion. As far as we’re concerned, this patch is pretty much over. Guardian Druids aren’t going to change prior to pre-patch.

Secondly, Blizzard can buff Mangle and Thrash all they like - that isn’t addressing the underlying issues at the base of the spec, issues I suspect that a level 11 Troll Warrior wouldn’t understand. For instance, the lack of a slow, magic damage mitigation, spell casting, tank identity, etc., etc. Guardian Druids are only doing OK at the moment, and this largely because of azerite traits, essences, and corruption effects - all of which will be going away come SL.

On the matter of the buffs you mentioned: do you realize why Blizzard implemented them in the first place? It’s because Guardian Druids were not doing OK - they certainly were not “Strong.” Those buffs are band-aid fixes, sad attempts to patch up the sinking boat that is Guardian Druid. Guardian Druids have been underperforming all BFA - hence the buffs, and they’re likely to fall back down to the bottom of the barrel come SL without some sorely needed attention. The time for band-aid fixes, patch ups, and crutches in the form of new systems is coming to an end. Something has got to change. The underlying issues need to be addressed, or this is just going to be an ongoing buff/patch up cycle.

My advice to you, Mr. Troll, is to do your research first before opening you big yap and tangling with the bears - unless you like your uninformed opinions being mangled and mauled to death unceremoniously.

10 Likes
127

Hello sir, the forums for beta are over yonder. These are for live. You seem to be lost.

Monk and warrior can maintain 100% uptime on their slows, but only 20%

Paladin doesn’t have a baseline slow

Bdk can slow one target at a time, or up to three in their D+D

VDH has no baseline slows.

I’m confused?

You mean that thing that all tanks struggle with, by design, along with bleeds? Right.

You need your class fantasy in order?

What.

Read;strong

You mean that thing that will affect literally everyone bar none?

Typically buffs are given to those that are not strong. I’m glad you reached this momentous conclusion.

All of BFA? It’s really strange, that people have continued to play it in higher level content, and it’s become notably more popular as time has gone on.

This sounds like how nearly every spec is talked about in class discords.

So you can chill with the fetishistic roleplay crap.

Something tells me I’m significantly more informed on how bears perform.

Anyone who preferred intim was objectively wrong. That’s not a matter of opinion, ursols is flat out better.

I’m aware of that. I have to wonder if you even understand what it was fixing.

None of it has a major impact? Alrighty, scale it back to Uldir, and compare how bear performs in a vacuum, then to now. The difference is pretty marked. Almost as though, it’s never quite as severe as people make it out to be, and simple fixes are typically all that’s needed to perform similarly to others of the same role.

2 Likes
128

So since this is for “live” only, then there’s no point in feedback. Gotcha.

3 Likes
129

You still never answered my question Derez.

130

Lack of a slow and magic mitigation. Reminds me of warrior!

131

I’m going to make this nice and easy for everyone - I’m going to sum up the extent of your “Vast knowledge” of Guardian Druids, make it plain for all to see:

Please go away, Mr. Troll. You’re wasting everyone’s time.

Thanks for your time,

Barespanks

7 Likes
132

I’m working on Mythic N’zoth now, what’s specifically harder for us than other tanks? We’re only about 1/2 through with the fight and working on getting our Evoke Anguish placement down before we start the Mythic only phase, so if it’s that phase I don’t have experience yet. I haven’t played my other tanks much this xpac either (only some heroic bosses on my monk and pally), so I don’t have a great comparison.

I definitely wish I had my monk’s statue for the psychophages, but I assume every non-monk tank is a bit jealous of that thing. I can’t think of much else but I’ve mostly just played bear since Wrath or so, except for part of early WoD when bear was in an awful, awful state so I might just be too used to bear to really see it’s issues compared to other tanks.

I do think bears are ok right now, but just ok and just bearly (I had to). I’m a bit worried about Shadowlands and planning to level and gear my monk just in case it gets even worse.

1 Like
133

Do you not remember how Guardian Druids played at the start of BFA, before all the new rental powers kicked in to smooth things over?

Thanks for your time,

Barespanks

2 Likes
134

I’m just talking about right now, not at the start of BFA. I’m also just mostly interested in the Mythic N’Zoth thing in case there’s a nasty surprise I don’t know about waiting for me

135

I remember, couldn’t get a +10 pug for weeks because I wasn’t a DK. A full-time healer on a Bear wasn’t enough to make up for how strong DKs were.

We lack so many tools other tanks get, what do we get in return?
We get taxed so god damn hard for the “potential” of our non-Guardian skills, that are functionally useless most, if not all, of the time for us.

Right now really doesn’t matter, there is so much borrowed power homogenization, we might as well be mobile totems for corruption effects. Do you want to be the Twilight Devastation (or 50% vers) totem with an AoE speed increase, or the Twilight Devastation (or 50% vers) totem with an AoE health buff? The power creep has become unreal, and the base spec abilities are pretty much a non-factor when your dps blows up dangerous mobs in moments.

Its probably better to look at Guardian at the start of BFA versus other tanks at the start of BFA, because that is closer to what our relative power/strengths/weaknesses are going to be.

3 Likes
136

Eh, I didn’t have that issue. I pugged a +10 the first or second week keys were out. We went WAY over time, but to be fair it was Waycrest with Sanguine and Necrotic and when the G’huun adds liked to walk through walls. Ugh.

You’re right about most of that, though. It kinda seems like all the other tanks have super useful abilities/utilities. I wouldn’t doubt it’s because of the non-guardian skills, even though we can’t put em to use a lot of the time.

Anyway, I didn’t want to get caught up in the debate. I really just wanted to know why Mythic N’zoth is such an issue for bears, since I’m still working on getting him down.

137

No problem. I understand. There are some Guardian Druids kicking around here that can answer that question for you, I’d imagine.

Thanks for your time,

Barespanks

138

There’s no denying that Guardian Druids are going to be way worse in SL. Anyone saying otherwise and stating that Guardian doesn’t need buffs, is delusional.

4 Likes
139

I think I pugged all 10 keys the first or second week of the patch. Also not sure if I timed. Other classes are just better.

In fact, I started a brand new blood dk last week. Leveled it, geared it and did a 10+. I could easily get all the rest 10+ done rn, just RL duties call. The 10+ I did, on time, was KR, my least favorite dungeon.

Despite this, Warrior, monk, Paladin, etc, are all better tanks.

1 Like
140

Psychophages are indeed the problem, and it’s not just the monk statue. Our lack of a slow makes kiting them problematic while also maintaining control.

Can it be done? Sure. Although I’m told by others that Psychus 2 is particularly difficult for bears (I haven’t actually seen a successful log of somebody doing it, in fact, although I haven’t checked every single bear log).

We need to rely on other forms of snare (such as Remorseless Winter, Hunter abilities, etc.) because we can’t provide it. Blizzard’s cheap cop-out this expansion was Honeypot Pie, but that only works when they melee you so it’s ineffective against Psychophages since they don’t just run up and take a swing at you.

Out of control psychophages lead to sanity losses which lead to cuckoo players which lead to wipes. Can it happen with other tanks? Sure, but not to the extent that we have problems with it, simply because we don’t apply a slow.

(Corruption has also made this a lot easier since psychophages die a lot faster. Thought Harvesters also used to hit like a ton of bricks, but also not really an issue since they fall over much quickly now that we all overgear the fight.)

3 Likes