Real 1.12 Patch Notes

[Treesh]

It says in the notes that shift-V will show friendly and hostile targets, but it's unclear whether this will include extra-group pet bars. There's always hope!

I'm just going to have to get used to toggling between the different views because having all up at once will annoy me greatly.

[Artega]

I'm sorry, but I take offense at this. I feel personally insulted.:(

Vile Alliance scum!

I don't see why you should feel insulted unless you're one of the aforementioned whiny Alliance players, and I doubt that you are:)

Oh joy... broken with a minor patch, and I'm going to have to wait until 1.12 before it's fixed?!?

Just keeps getting better, doesn't it?<_<

[nobbie]

I've spoken with the developers and they let me know that they're not satisfied with the impact the windfury totem change is having on current end-game content balance, and plan to undo the change. Please remember that the testing phase of any patch is precisely to test such changes and evaluate their possible impact on the game, whether or not they eventually go into the final release build.

SOURCE: WOW Forums

[Watto44]

Some happy feral druid news from the latest PTR build: cat form is getting a passive aggro reduction. Also, the new rank of ferocious bite drops from the beast. Yay! Also also, damage from rip and ferocious bite is now increased by attack power. Given some of the FBs that I've managed with subpar attack power, there are going to be some happy kitties out there. :w00t: Off to do some half-arsed test now...

edit. Snipped from my post on the test realm forums:

[snip]It seems that it's adding one hundredth of your attack power per tick per combo point:
damage added per tick = (AP/100)xCP

That is, except when you build up five combo points. With a five point rip, you are getting substantially less than that. In fact, for five point rips your attack power seems to be effectively reduced by 80%. In other words:
damage added per tick = ([0.8AP]/100)x5

Just wondering if that was intentional or a bug? Would appreciate any feedback.:)[/snip]

If the difference between and four point and a five point rip is intentional, it probably doesn't make that much difference for PvE. In a PvP setting though, the extra 4 seconds to generate energy to get that fifth combo point could be critical. I can definately see myself taking a "four is enough" policy.

edit 2: Clarity and, you know, sense.

[Arnulf]

Likely incomplete, but they were taken off the PTR downloader (which is up currently up! Hurry and get it before it gets swarmed)

+30 Spell Damage Enchantment: Fixed a bug with this enchantment which was preventing it from benefiting healing spells.

I am confused.

I always thought of the +30 spell damage enchant that it would only benefit damage and not healing. Now I'm reading that it should have a benefit to healing spells too. So why is it named spell damage and not 'spell damage & healing'?

The zandalarian shoulder enchantment with +18 to damage and healing has the correct wording for example.

I'm thinking of putting +30 spell damage on my fist of cenarius now...

Another thing that bugs me to no end is that equipment specifically designed for mages only has the wording +spell damage & healing on it too. Am I missing something, or does the polymorph spell benefit from that? Poor mages.

[Bob the Beholder]

I am confused.

I always thought of the +30 spell damage enchant that it would only benefit damage and not healing. Now I'm reading that it should have a benefit to healing spells too. So why is it named spell damage and not 'spell damage & healing'?

The zandalarian shoulder enchantment with +18 to damage and healing has the correct wording for example.

I'm thinking of putting +30 spell damage on my fist of cenarius now...

Another thing that bugs me to no end is that equipment specifically designed for mages only has the wording +spell damage & healing on it too. Am I missing something, or does the polymorph spell benefit from that? Poor mages.

It is a bit goofy. But, then, it is Blizzard.

And I believe that Polymorph heals by a percentage of the target's health per tick, with no effect from +healing, so don't worry too much about it. :)

[Warlock]

Some happy feral druid news from the latest PTR build: cat form is getting a passive aggro reduction. Also, the new rank of ferocious bite drops from the beast. Yay! Also also, damage from rip and ferocious bite is now increased by attack power. Given some of the FBs that I've managed with subpar attack power, there are going to be some happy kitties out there. :w00t: Off to do some half-arsed test now...

edit. Snipped from my post on the test realm forums:

[snip]It seems that it's adding one hundredth of your attack power per tick per combo point:
damage added per tick = (AP/100)xCP

That is, except when you build up five combo points. With a five point rip, you are getting substantially less than that. In fact, for five point rips your attack power seems to be effectively reduced by 80%. In other words:
damage added per tick = ([0.8AP]/100)x5

Just wondering if that was intentional or a bug? Would appreciate any feedback.:)[/snip]

If the difference between and four point and a five point rip is intentional, it probably doesn't make that much difference for PvE. In a PvP setting though, the extra 4 seconds to generate energy to get that fifth combo point could be critical. I can definately see myself taking a "four is enough" policy.

edit 2: Clarity and, you know, sense.

Linear with AP for the first four then nothing for the fifth (5*0.8=4) seems odd. 4-point Rips may well be the way to go; there was some argument for stopping there already (with 4 CP already up a crit Claw or Shred will still only generate one CP). I'll do some math and post if I find anything interesting. Do you know whether the Rogue version scales the same way?

[Watto44]

Linear with AP for the first four then nothing for the fifth (5*0.8=4) seems odd. 4-point Rips may well be the way to go; there was some argument for stopping there already (with 4 CP already up a crit Claw or Shred will still only generate one CP). I'll do some math and post if I find anything interesting. Do you know whether the Rogue version scales the same way?

No idea unfortunately. I'm currently leveling a rogue to twink around with a bit, but he's only a baby.:)While I no good at theorycraft it would seem that 'waisting' the crit would be better though, assuming a linear progression. (ie. While you 'loose' the potential additional damage from the extra combo point, you still have one more than you had before anyway... If that makes any sence. At all.)

edit. There was a very slight gain in bonus damage from a four point to a five point rip, so the actual figure is slightly higher than 0.8. With my admittedly brief tests it was somewhere in the 0.82 ballpark.:)

[Raelynn]

I am confused.

I always thought of the +30 spell damage enchant that it would only benefit damage and not healing. Now I'm reading that it should have a benefit to healing spells too. So why is it named spell damage and not 'spell damage & healing'?

The zandalarian shoulder enchantment with +18 to damage and healing has the correct wording for example.

I'm thinking of putting +30 spell damage on my fist of cenarius now...

Another thing that bugs me to no end is that equipment specifically designed for mages only has the wording +spell damage & healing on it too. Am I missing something, or does the polymorph spell benefit from that? Poor mages.

I believe it comes down to how the + to spells works. Basically, healing is like a type of +. You would see +healing in a similar way to seeing +shadow dmg or +nature damage. However, there is no separation between damaging types and healing types, as healing is just another school of spells. As the system is implemented, if it doesn't add to a specific school, it adds to all schools, which includes healing.

Does that help?

[MongoJerry]

Some happy feral druid news from the latest PTR build: cat form is getting a passive aggro reduction.

Cats deal enough damage to pull aggro?

always thought of the +30 spell damage enchant that it would only benefit damage and not healing. Now I'm reading that it should have a benefit to healing spells too.

I always thought it was a bug or at least a poor implementation. Compare the +55 healing enchant to the +30 damage enchant. That's about the same ratio that you would expect between an equal valued item with +healing versus +damage/healing. It just should have been +damage/healing all along.

So why is it named spell damage and not 'spell damage & healing'?

The zandalarian shoulder enchantment with +18 to damage and healing has the correct wording for example.

Probably because the person who originally implemented the enchant was a mage dork who thought "Priests should only be healing, so they're covered with the +55 healing enchant, and mages only pew pew, so we'll give them the +30 damage enchant. Let's go out back and smoke something. This buzz is wearing off."

Also, there was briefly a time in the game where some items really did come with purely +damage on them and did not help healing spells. Enough players balked at that that the Blizzard developers changed their minds and changed everything to +damage/healing. This enchant was the only holdover from that change.

Another thing that bugs me to no end is that equipment specifically designed for mages only has the wording +spell damage & healing on it too. Am I missing something, or does the polymorph spell benefit from that? Poor mages.

There is now only +damage/healing, which could also be read "+to all schools of magic," +healing, and +specifc schools of magic.

[Watto44]

MJ, I think that's the best post you've ever made.:)"Let's go out back and smoke something, the buzz is wearing off" made me laugh.:)Out of curiosity, how long have they been waiting to fix the +30 spell damage "bug"? That's actually quite a sizable buff.:)

PS. Careful or I'll ninnervate you to death Mongo. /rawr :w00t:

[oldmandennis]

Cats deal enough damage to pull aggro?

Completly off topic but I find the "feral = PvP" thing to be a complete myth. Without stuns or poisons, its tough to hold a caster still long enough to claw him to death. Bear doesn't generate enough rage to do much. And I haven't seen anybody prove me different (I'm talking about BG's, not duels). Flag runner/tough to kill healer/flag guarder are ideal spots for druids, I think, and none of those need max feral.

Max feral does rule for grinding.

[Warlock]

Completly off topic but I find the "feral = PvP" thing to be a complete myth. Without stuns or poisons, its tough to hold a caster still long enough to claw him to death. Bear doesn't generate enough rage to do much. And I haven't seen anybody prove me different (I'm talking about BG's, not duels). Flag runner/tough to kill healer/flag guarder are ideal spots for druids, I think, and none of those need max feral.

Max feral does rule for grinding.

I'd agree with that - in PVP I really miss my old NS heal. Full feral is for PVE grinding or tanking (and now possibly damage dealing). There are a bunch of useful talents in feral though, if I respecced for PVP it would certainly include at least down to feline swiftness and possibly further.

I haven't done well on running 4 CP v 5 CP Rip numbers since I don't know the base values. Adding a 5th Claw to a 4*Claw, Rip sequence clearly isn't as good as adding a 4th to 3*Claw, Rip but a sequence using the latter needs to spend more energy on Rips. Laboratory condition damage to energy considerations tend to be trumped by other things in game anyway (eg. need to Rip soon enough that the mob takes damage from the full duration, need to use FB on raid mobs to conserve debuff slots, etc.)

[Trien]

Completly off topic but I find the "feral = PvP" thing to be a complete myth. Without stuns or poisons, its tough to hold a caster still long enough to claw him to death. Bear doesn't generate enough rage to do much. And I haven't seen anybody prove me different (I'm talking about BG's, not duels). Flag runner/tough to kill healer/flag guarder are ideal spots for druids, I think, and none of those need max feral.

Max feral does rule for grinding.

A 1/29/21 is a very nice well-rounded build for flagrunning/defense... or 0/30/21 if you want that extra HotW point. Nowadays though, I've gone 'full feral' just because I have more fun with it. Yeah, I may not be quite as effective at surviving and all, but... I'm enjoying it, and that's what playing the game is all about. Natural Shapeshifter is an important part of the build though, since I take advantage of feral charge and bash for immobilization followed by a shift into cat to deal damage. Hence why the #$*@ unfixed furor bug is so debilitating right now. NS is a definite lifesaver, but I've learned to live without it. I've found that I start thinking more about the fight control (limited as it is that a druid can do), and the whole philosophy of killing them before you need a heal, which is what every non-healing class has to do.

PvE damage though, I've found it quite easy to pull agro as a cat when fully buffed, and I'm doing nowhere near the damage the top rogues are... and spamming cower every time it comes up, so this'll definitely be welcome. Not that I get to scratch things that often in raids anyhow, but still...

Just a side thought which came up... sometimes I wish WoW was more accomodating to 'non-standard' builds, like the funky things you could do in Diablo II and still be effective, if not necessarily the most efficient.

[Warlock]

Just a side thought which came up... sometimes I wish WoW was more accomodating to 'non-standard' builds, like the funky things you could do in Diablo II and still be effective, if not necessarily the most efficient.

I think things are improving slowly in this light - perhaps not so much 'non-standard' builds (I doubt we'll ever see "LF1M tank, priest preferred") as improved viabilty in secondary roles. No-one thinks it unusual for a Warrior to build for damage, for instance. Now if we can just get as much Feral and Shadow loot as there is for DPS warriors:)

[Watto44]

A 1/29/21 is a very nice well-rounded build for flagrunning/defense... or 0/30/21 if you want that extra HotW point. Nowadays though, I've gone 'full feral' just because I have more fun with it. Yeah, I may not be quite as effective at surviving and all, but... I'm enjoying it, and that's what playing the game is all about. Natural Shapeshifter is an important part of the build though, since I take advantage of feral charge and bash for immobilization followed by a shift into cat to deal damage. Hence why the #$*@ unfixed furor bug is so debilitating right now. NS is a definite lifesaver, but I've learned to live without it. I've found that I start thinking more about the fight control (limited as it is that a druid can do), and the whole philosophy of killing them before you need a heal, which is what every non-healing class has to do.

PvE damage though, I've found it quite easy to pull agro as a cat when fully buffed, and I'm doing nowhere near the damage the top rogues are... and spamming cower every time it comes up, so this'll definitely be welcome. Not that I get to scratch things that often in raids anyhow, but still...

Just a side thought which came up... sometimes I wish WoW was more accomodating to 'non-standard' builds, like the funky things you could do in Diablo II and still be effective, if not necessarily the most efficient.

I just spent a little time playing a 0/30/21 build, and I really didn't like it that much.:)I found that in group situations NS didn't really add that much. In group situations it gave a warrior an extra swing, or me an extra 3 seconds of running, but I didn't feel it added that much. It definately had its moments in two or three versus X situations however.

The things I miss most from the feralstraition build are nature's focus - haha, cop that hunter's pets - and improved rejuvination. Outside of BGs/group PvP if you need nature's swiftness to get a heal off, you're just not trying hard enough.:)

Dennis: You're right, full feral doesn't really add that much to BG/group play. However, it absolutely shines when you're away from the zerg. In those situations, I feel I can play a much for fluid game with my build than the feralstraightion build. However, when I'm in the zerg I do try and heal my butt off. Being able to spec fully into feral and still have ninnervate is a great new toy.:)