Patch 7.0.3 Class Tuning Hotfixes - September 23, Tanks in PvP, CM Interaction

[Shigma]

What surprises me is Brewmaster isn't getting love. Also i don't see them in-game, nor i see people asking for tweaks or anything. Must be the most ignored class in-game right now.

[Chickat]

You are clueless. Arms is dead.

Please elaborate. Ill admit I dont play Arms, but all I see is 2 nerfs to 2 artifact talents. If those nerfs killed the spec the talents were too good to begin with.

[Zandalarian Paladin]

Thanks devs for pally buffs. We were lacking on so many fronts, hopefully this makes the spec viable now.

[Sorshen]

Please elaborate. Ill admit I dont play Arms, but all I see is 2 nerfs to 2 artifact talents. If those nerfs killed the spec the talents were too good to begin with.

Focused Rage is the talent on which he spec is based on. It already got nerfed from 50% the week before.
Arms is extraordinarily reliant on Tactician procs (resets CS, triggers Shattered Defenses, etc.), the impact of it is monumental on your dps - without them your're bottom.
Arms was already very frustrating to play due to this rng factor. The proc rate and the general feeling was greatly improved by Exploit the Weakness and the bis relics are EtW relics. They just nerfed EtW to the ground while also scraping another 10% off FR.
We were expecting nerfs but not like this. There were many things they could've done here to reduce the output of FR (like increasing baseline MS damage and decreasing FR stack bonus) but they chose the wrong direction by making the rng aspect even more terrible.

[Chickat]

Thanks devs for pally buffs. We were lacking on so many fronts, hopefully this makes the spec viable now.

Yeah, really happy with the divine storm buff too. Should help me in Mythic+'s

- - - Updated - - -

Focused Rage is the talent on which he spec is based on. It already got nerfed from 50% the week before.
Arms is extraordinarily reliant on Tactician procs (resets CS, triggers Shattered Defenses, etc.), the impact of it is monumental on your dps - without them your're bottom.
Arms was already very frustrating to play due to this rng factor. The proc rate and the general feeling was greatly improved by Exploit the Weakness and the bis relics are EtW relics. They just nerfed EtW to the ground while also scraping another 10% off FR.
We were expecting nerfs but not like this. There were many things they could've done here to reduce the output of FR (like increasing baseline MS damage and decreasing FR stack bonus) but they chose the wrong direction by making the rng aspect even more terrible.

Ouch, sounds like a bad time. Still though if a talent nerf is that bad the spec is badly designed in the first place. =/ Im sorry u may have to reroll/change specs.

[Wolfheart9]

Dat Warden Tower PvP Nerf.. down to 450 honor per day from them, cutting by over a third.

[Zorgulon]

Focused Rage is the talent on which he spec is based on. It already got nerfed from 50% the week before.
Arms is extraordinarily reliant on Tactician procs (resets CS, triggers Shattered Defenses, etc.), the impact of it is monumental on your dps - without them your're bottom.
Arms was already very frustrating to play due to this rng factor. The proc rate and the general feeling was greatly improved by Exploit the Weakness and the bis relics are EtW relics. They just nerfed EtW to the ground while also scraping another 10% off FR.
We were expecting nerfs but not like this. There were many things they could've done here to reduce the output of FR (like increasing baseline MS damage and decreasing FR stack bonus) but they chose the wrong direction by making the rng aspect even more terrible.

This right here! I mean, yes, arms may have been doing too much dmg, but making the RNG aspect SO much more brutal that we can almost guarantee we'll have CS on a 30s CD every time is horrible. Without CS we don't do dmg AT ALL! but Blizz seem to have overlooked that blaring fact. EtW was the only way I can tolerate arms, and I play arms mainly because fury is garbage. Without any changes to fury, and such hard nerfs to arms, wtf are we to do?

Could they not just have tuned our numbers!? I mean, the FR nerf is warranted, I can see that, but not the EtW. No other spec has this or will ever have this kind of RNG. We are more dependent on it than fury warriors in WoD.

[Exerionx]

You are clueless. Arms is dead.

Dramatic much? Arms nerf was absolutely guaranteed to come.

[Zorgulon]

The overall goal of these changes is to buff up some underperforming specs while also reining in a couple of over-performers, without dramatically changing anyone’s playstyle or causing them to feel as though the spec they chose to focus on became the “wrong choice.”

Well, you failed at your own goal at your first balance tune. I started laughing when I read that part after seeing what was done to Arms warrior. Arms DEFINETLEY feels like the wrong choice now.
I'm usually not the one to cry, whine and moan at patch notes, but this one fucking insane! The Focused Rage nerf is ok, I get that one. Was even nerfed before, but it'll probably still be the go to talent. Making us never be able to reset Colossus Smash, experiencing the lvling process all over again is too much. Too much indeed. Exploit the Weakness was the one thing that made the spec work, so I guess that shows that the design for the spec was flawed in the first place.

[Mhyroth]

yep thanks for letting me quit that game. gearing 2 chars, spriest & demonhunter, now nerf them until they are unplayable DDDD soooo good blizzard, sooo goooooood

There was nothing balanced in obliterating packs of mobs in Dungeons (seen some high end guilds do it) with a Demon Hunter. The packs died before they could melee the Tank and it basically turned M+5 and higher into an AoE fest.
I knew they'd nerf it and AoE will be more balanced now.
I do feel sorry for Spriests.

[Sorshen]

Dramatic much? Arms nerf was absolutely guaranteed to come.

Not dramatic. Just spot on.

[Zorgulon]

Dramatic much? Arms nerf was absolutely guaranteed to come.

Of course! Arms did a bit too much dmg, I agree on that. But here's the thing:

Arms don't do dmg without Colossus Smash. We just don't. We're balanced around it. And we rely on CS procs to do any kind of consistent dmg. Exploit the weakness was what made us work. Now, we are almost guaranteed to have the full CD of CS go between each CS, which is 30sec. Now, as I mentioned, we don't do dmg without CS seeing as we are balanced around that one ability. CS window lasting a whole 8sec, we'll be able to do dmg every 22 seconds. The rest we do nothing.
Tune our numbers, the focused rage nerf is OK! Not the Exploit the Weakness one.

[Sithalos]

I guess all the Fire mages can drop their bandwagon swords now.

[barnicle]

I understand that Mass Hysteria was op, but i would like to remember that using Surrender to Madness is a HUGE risk. The management is really intense and eventually you will die, none other class has to deal with something like this (it's not boring... i love it).

BTW, that change to Mind Sear (deals like 10k per tick while Holy Nova deals 46k-50k per cast... srsly) isn't even close to be enough... Feeling really behind on Mythic+
It is depressing being beaten on short-time AoE dps by... everything (even a goddamn holy priest spaming Holy Nova).

[Nnyco]

so no change to tanks? brm and blood still garbage while warriors are still op ... great

[Exerionx]

Of course! Arms did a bit too much dmg, I agree on that. But here's the thing:

Arms don't do dmg without Colossus Smash. We just don't. We're balanced around it. And we rely on CS procs to do any kind of consistent dmg. Exploit the weakness was what made us work. Now, we are almost guaranteed to have the full CD of CS go between each CS, which is 30sec. Now, as I mentioned, we don't do dmg without CS seeing as we are balanced around that one ability. CS window lasting a whole 8sec, we'll be able to do dmg every 22 seconds. The rest we do nothing.
Tune our numbers, the focused rage nerf is OK! Not the Exploit the Weakness one.

I don't play Arms so I can't argue too much. But I am confident that Arms will not be at the bottom of the pack after the changes.

Not dramatic. Just spot on.

Right... if you say so.

[Littleshashi]

Good buffs for Ele and Frost but they didn't touch their shitty artifacts :/

Perhaps since these are hotfixes they will play with artifact weapons in the actual 7.1 patch.

[TrumpIsPresident]

Thanks for the worthless ele "buffs". What a bunch of clowns.

[Celeclop]

so no change to tanks? brm and blood still garbage while warriors are still op ... great

Vengeance got nerfed to 35% and Protection generates less rage from intercept and Shield Slam in these new patch notes. Ignore Pain relies on the amount of rage that the Warrior can generate so these are actually HUGE nerfs towards Ignore Pain as a whole since less rage = less ignoring of the pain.

[Soulfròst]

RIP Havoc.