7.1.5 Ptr Changes

[BannedForViews]

I could see them doing it, just hoping it wouldn't be without compensation. Perdition, especially when stacking with relics, makes crit already godly good for single target output, especially when you Reap, and would just get better.

I actually see them nerfing traits like Perdition and such more as time goes on, especially in 7.2 when we get more perks, due to Reap Souls and inherent gear scaling. Affliction has the chance to become an absolute fucking balance nightmare going into 7.2, much less 7.3.

Yea but it's just not THAT good. and it's really 3.33 because last trait is worth 4, so if they made it 2, it'd massively diminish that talent and those relics, and we'd be worse off after putting a 4th point in than we are right now. AND, we aren't that strong. The extra damage is great, but it's not so great that it's make or breaking us, and overall affliction isn't embarassing content like shadow does. All this would do is devalue crit and limit our gear choices more, and if they were going to provide us with some other buff to compensate, why even bother. Crit isn't any more amazing than mastery really, so it just overall seems like a foolish thing to nerf.

And I'm still waiting for compensation for the helmet nerf. That 10% needs baked into the spec.

[Deleted]

And I'm still waiting for compensation for the helmet nerf. That 10% needs baked into the spec.

Tbh, I stopped expecting anything ^^ The clearer they state their main goal, the harder they'll miss it.

[BannedForViews]

Tbh, I stopped expecting anything ^^ The clearer they state their main goal, the harder they'll miss it.

I dont expect them to either but that's kind of the point. They nerf legendaries so they don't feel so mandatory and they give certain specs aura buffs to make up for it, but they do nothing to make up for nerfing the helmet, which is a massive boost to affliction damage.

They take actions that make you think their end goal is to close the difference in damage potential between classes, then they do other things which make you think they clearly have a hierarchy of the order in which dps classes should fall.

[evertonbelmontt]

The first mythic week raiding is the tunning week, I hope we don't stand out that early. Once nerfs are done it's over. Buffs can take longer but they eventually come if needed.

[Deleted]

I dont expect them to either but that's kind of the point. They nerf legendaries so they don't feel so mandatory and they give certain specs aura buffs to make up for it, but they do nothing to make up for nerfing the helmet, which is a massive boost to affliction damage.

They take actions that make you think their end goal is to close the difference in damage potential between classes, then they do other things which make you think they clearly have a hierarchy of the order in which dps classes should fall.

They clearly stated that they'd rather double down on strengths (tankiness) than alleviate weaknesses (mobility) - and a week later swapped talents so we couldn't take Demon Skin + Dark Pact or Burning Rush.

They specifically "watercooled" that they'd be careful with balance between specs so AP spent won't feel like a waste with drastic meta-turnarounds - then they proceeded to completely dismantle Firemage, leaving them in the dust completely.

In the class preview series pre-Legion Destruction was the last spec to be previewed because, as they said, it was fine as it is, they don't want to change how the spec feels at all and not many mechanical changes are going to happen to it - and we all know how that turned out.

Now they say nerfing overperforming legendaries will be compensated, so that people without the legendary will be stronger, while the ones with it shouldn't feel any difference... I really hate shitposting as much as anyone, but I know how this is going to end ^^ They even admitted they haven't had the time to really look at Warlocks this patch.

At this point my expectations are so low, I'd even be amazed if Aff's artifact weapon was free of bugs next week.

I'm angry because I'm passionate ^^ I'm sure we'll perform just fine... but my trust has been shaken, not stirred.

[Deleted]

The first mythic week raiding is the tunning week, I hope we don't stand out that early. Once nerfs are done it's over. Buffs can take longer but they eventually come if needed.

good point.

So I am going to play bad on purpose and tell all my warlock mates to do the same

[evertonbelmontt]

Amateurs ^.

I do this the entire expac thinking about the greater good.

[BannedForViews]

They clearly stated that they'd rather double down on strengths (tankiness) than alleviate weaknesses (mobility) - and a week later swapped talents so we couldn't take Demon Skin + Dark Pact or Burning Rush.

They specifically "watercooled" that they'd be careful with balance between specs so AP spent won't feel like a waste with drastic meta-turnarounds - then they proceeded to completely dismantle Firemage, leaving them in the dust completely.

In the class preview series pre-Legion Destruction was the last spec to be previewed because, as they said, it was fine as it is, they don't want to change how the spec feels at all and not many mechanical changes are going to happen to it - and we all know how that turned out.

Now they say nerfing overperforming legendaries will be compensated, so that people without the legendary will be stronger, while the ones with it shouldn't feel any difference... I really hate shitposting as much as anyone, but I know how this is going to end ^^ They even admitted they haven't had the time to really look at Warlocks this patch.

At this point my expectations are so low, I'd even be amazed if Aff's artifact weapon was free of bugs next week.

I'm angry because I'm passionate ^^ I'm sure we'll perform just fine... but my trust has been shaken, not stirred.

Obviously what you said is true, but I find it silly the things they try to make a deal out of. I almost have 54 traits in my affliction weapon. This idea that AP is hard to get if you're even mildly serious is silly right now. I could easily have 35 in all my weapons and swap freely. And that's the same problem with legendaries. It isn't that they were broken, it's that we want the good ones first so we don't get sat. No one really cares if 6 months from now we have all 8 legendaries for our spec, but that obviously will make nerfs irrelevant.

I just don't understand what is actually going on over there. It's as if they are too big that one group does one thing, another does the exact opposite, and they have no idea what either is doing or what the finished product actually looks like.

[Dastey]

Anyone seen the 7.1.5 Survival guide video by Blizzard on Youtube?

A quote: "The goal is to improve overall class balance while also making each specc more fun to play"

All I can think while reading this is yeah you really fucked that up for Destruction. I can live with Roaring Blaze instead of Backdraft and I can even live with a longer cast time on Chaos Bolt even though this is really annoying. However being forced to play with a pet and especially having to use life tap is certainly not my definition of "fun". But yeah thanks -_-

[Lucrece]

They clearly stated that they'd rather double down on strengths (tankiness) than alleviate weaknesses (mobility) - and a week later swapped talents so we couldn't take Demon Skin + Dark Pact or Burning Rush.

They specifically "watercooled" that they'd be careful with balance between specs so AP spent won't feel like a waste with drastic meta-turnarounds - then they proceeded to completely dismantle Firemage, leaving them in the dust completely.

In the class preview series pre-Legion Destruction was the last spec to be previewed because, as they said, it was fine as it is, they don't want to change how the spec feels at all and not many mechanical changes are going to happen to it - and we all know how that turned out.

Now they say nerfing overperforming legendaries will be compensated, so that people without the legendary will be stronger, while the ones with it shouldn't feel any difference... I really hate shitposting as much as anyone, but I know how this is going to end ^^ They even admitted they haven't had the time to really look at Warlocks this patch.

At this point my expectations are so low, I'd even be amazed if Aff's artifact weapon was free of bugs next week.

I'm angry because I'm passionate ^^ I'm sure we'll perform just fine... but my trust has been shaken, not stirred.

Fire mage is not remotely dismantled.

[Baconeggcheese]

Fire mage is not remotely dismantled.

500k ST while spamming an aoe spell isn't even worth playing man.

But rly, I think people just get so accustomed to being so powerful that when they experience the same limitations that others are subject to they feel at a disadvantage.

[Lucrece]

Yeah, the amount of spriest/hunter/firemage FOTM reroller QQ whenever Blizzard hints at touching their supreme specs is just amazing. Just like how assassination rogues are acting like they aren't totally broken in ST output as well.

This is Blizzard's doing in part because they took so long to do something about fire thanks to their crappy artifact power/legendary spec locking design problems. They didn't want to piss off the bandwagoners to a spec so they just let it fester. Now later down the xpac where switching might be less annoying (but still pretty annoying, most people don't have more than 4 legendaries let alone the throughput ones for their spec).

Add to that the long AP sink making careful investment into a spec important since we're talking 9%+ damage output difference. Everything's such a bloody time sink now. At least before the one time sink you worried about was gearing, but now the layered more on top of it all.

I'm sick of feeling like when I'm not in the mood for Stelleris Libertine I'm screwing myself out of potential output due to foregoing a sizable chunk of artifact power because I'm sick of doing the same old quests day in and day out.

It would have been so much better if they just condensed the amount of available artifact power quests daily so you do fewer chores for the same daily amount.

[Gaidax]

The AP system is fine, it has many good advantages, it's just people seem to be hard-wired that it's either max or bust, while all you need is that 5%, which is piss easy nowadays and after that it's fine.

Besides, people do not understand one simple thing, you do not compete on AP grind against the world, you at most compete in your raid group and there will always be 1 or 2 nolifers who will grind the crap out of it and get everything maxed out, but most will be chill about it, so you are not "losing" out much if anything.

I mean I have 47 traits in Destruction, then I don't care about Aff/Demo, simply because I know that I can deliver same or more damage with Destruction anyway, just because I am good at it and it's a good spec as a whole too. Then in my guild I have whole 1 guy who maxed out his weapon, because he's online 24/7 and the rest are around what I have, a bit better or worse. It's pretty even field.


Bigger problem is Legendaries, these lock you into spec more than AP ever will be, in 7.1.5 it gets a bit better, but IMO they should have slashed these not by 33-50% but by ~75% for good, like the best most uber legendary should be like 2% increase, IMO.

[Deleted]

The AP system is fine, it has many good advantages, it's just people seem to be hard-wired that it's either max or bust, while all you need is that 5%, which is piss easy nowadays and after that it's fine.

Besides, people do not understand one simple thing, you do not compete on AP grind against the world, you at most compete in your raid group and there will always be 1 or 2 nolifers who will grind the crap out of it and get everything maxed out, but most will be chill about it, so you are not "losing" out much if anything.

I mean I have 47 traits in Destruction, then I don't care about Aff/Demo, simply because I know that I can deliver same or more damage with Destruction anyway, just because I am good at it and it's a good spec as a whole too. Then in my guild I have whole 1 guy who maxed out his weapon, because he's online 24/7 and the rest are around what I have, a bit better or worse. It's pretty even field.


Bigger problem is Legendaries, these lock you into spec more than AP ever will be, in 7.1.5 it gets a bit better, but IMO they should have slashed these not by 33-50% but by ~75% for good, like the best most uber legendary should be like 2% increase, IMO.

True about the legendaries. I agree that all legendaries should be only a very small dmg increase. Like maybe 2-3% increase in overall damage. It adds up when you have 2 and currently there are some classes that do like 20% increased damage with 2 BiS legendaries or in some extreme cases depending on the fight even more.

For example we have 2 assa rogues in our guild and they are about equal on skill and gear. Player A is a bit better and is generally slightly ahead but only has 2 "useless" legendaries. And player B has those wrists where you deal 40% more poison/bleed damage under 30% and it is basically always the same story. Player A is slightly ahead in dps or they about even, but as soon as the boss starts dropping below 30% Player B starts to overtake Player A by a big amount actually and in the end the dps is something like 510K for player A and 550K for player B.

AP is super easy to get at lvl 25 now. I have like 43 in affli and 43 in destro. I am not really worried about that. Sure some guilds do have requirements because the difference between 5% more damage and 14,5% is huge, but most guilds don't have it and people are 45+ anyways.

One thing I haven't thought about quite as much. With 7.1.5 and T19 and playing Roaring Blaze, the immolate relics, especially the 8% crit one, should be way more important than they currently are, shouldn't they?

[Gaidax]

I think Roaring Blaze is seriously overestimated, a fuckup here and there and it can erase any advantage it holds.

[Bullettime]

I more wish legendaries were more like say the Frost Mage belt that actually adjusts how you play a bit. Minor damage boost, fun adding in Blizzard.

But I agree. I feel more locked into playing Affliction because I'm sitting on both the helmet AND the bracers than the AP I've invested. Awesome for playing Aff MS. Royally fucked if I were to have to swap.

[Deleted]

I more wish legendaries were more like say the Frost Mage belt that actually adjusts how you play a bit.

But I agree. I feel more locked into playing Affliction because I'm sitting on both the helmet AND the bracers than the AP I've invested. Awesome for playing Aff MS. Royally fucked if I were to have to swap.

sounds like you are in luck then with Affli being a pretty good specc in 7.1.5 and having 2 pretty good legendaries.

[Bullettime]

sounds like you are in luck then with Affli being a pretty good specc in 7.1.5 and having 2 pretty good legendaries.

Oh yeah it's amazing since I love Affliction. Still a huge design flaw in that system though. If I were to ever have to switch because of balance, Affliction not getting adjustments, or even just want to swap because of burnout, I'm just fucked.

I can grind out the AP. Nothing I can do with legendaries.

edit: Also not a big fan of the Aff helmet. It's awesome damage but holy fuck is it annoying when half my gameplay comes down to Agony spamming.

[Deleted]

Oh yeah it's amazing since I love Affliction. Still a huge design flaw in that system though. If I were to ever have to switch because of balance, Affliction not getting adjustments, or even just want to swap because of burnout, I'm just fucked.

I can grind out the AP. Nothing I can do with legendaries.

then you would know how I feel going into affliction for 7.1.5 with portal legs and sacrolash :P

[Bullettime]

Since I'm too lazy to check and am on mobile, has SimC been updated further for the patch?