Dec 2 hotfixes

[Danner]

Source: http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/02/pa...c-2/#continued

Priests

* Smite's scaling coefficient has been increased. The damage of Smite is now very similar to Heal in value. This change has been made to ensure the Archangel Discipline sub-specialization remains viable.
* The presence of the Word of Glory effect from the paladin talent Guarded by the Light will no longer prevent casting or get overwritten by Power Word: Shield.
* Killing priests with the Spirit of Redemption talent now correctly awards Honor, killing blows and Honorable Kills. Also, abilities that proc off of killing blows like Victory Rush are now proccing properly when a priest is talented into Spirit of Redemption.

Love the smite buff, but I haven't tested what the new levels are. Also, wasn't aware that SoR prevented killing blows or HK gains...

[Darkist]

Smite buff is quite huge, from 3k hitting to 5k if i remember heal value right?

[zsun]

it's hitting about 5k - 5.3k with 3.6k spellpower on a lvl85 target (non-boss)

Where exactly are the lvl80 target dummies located?
Nvm Found them... For those who are wondering the same thing, they are located upstairs in the building in the southeast part of Valley of Honor

[Danner]

I'm really not sure what the smite scaling coefficient part is all about.

Before Dec 2,
Smite: 585 to 655 base value, 71.43% coefficient
Heal: 2809 to 3263 base value, 30.2% coefficient

Increasing the smite coefficient to match Heal don't make much logical sense. Did they mean base value? If so, Smite would gain about 2.4k extra punch per hit, which is an awesome buff for all levelling healing priests. But if they did, and didn't touch HF, then Holy Fire is officially worthless... Me still confused, need more information (or a fast-forward to the end of this workday).

[Ananan]

That's what I thought when I read it too? Didn't it already have a much higher coefficient...? Hmm.

[Callypso]

You guys really need to read the post properly: It doesn't say anywhere that the coefficient is buffed up to the Heal level. It says the coefficient of smite is increased, so that smite's DAMAGE matches the healing done by heal.

There is nothing confusing about that at all.

[Iannis]

I celebrate the changes. However, personally I'd like to see the range of atonement addressed. Mostly in raid situations here. The hit box size of many larger bosses prevents
the splash heal from ever coming close to a tank.

[Devotions]

I celebrate the changes. However, personally I'd like to see the range of atonement addressed. Mostly in raid situations here. The hit box size of many larger bosses prevents
the splash heal from ever coming close to a tank.

The logical fallacy you've stepped in here is assuming that Atonement has a place in a disc raiding spec. Atonement and Archangel is, at this point, essentially a sub-specialty for casuals who do nothing besides 5 mans. The viable raiding sub-spec for Disc is a tank healer - and they're quite good at it.

[Devanox]

Atonement should be a smart heal, targeting those who need the heal the most. Still only hitting melee of course.

[Neichus]

The logical fallacy you've stepped in here is assuming that Atonement has a place in a disc raiding spec. Atonement and Archangel is, at this point, essentially a sub-specialty for casuals who do nothing besides 5 mans. The viable raiding sub-spec for Disc is a tank healer - and they're quite good at it.

* Smite's scaling coefficient has been increased. The damage of Smite is now very similar to Heal in value. This change has been made to ensure the Archangel Discipline sub-specialization remains viable.

Erm, I'm glad you're super excited to insult other posters but it's moderately silly to say Smite is a joke-spec in a thread which has a Blizzard post stating they want it to be viable.

Edit: and not to be too much of a punk, but that wasn't a logical fallacy either.

[Kelesti]

The viable raiding sub-spec for Disc is a tank healer - and they're quite good at it.

Under the new Prayer-Aegis combo, Discipline is also a raid healer, and like tank healing, they are exceptionally good at it.

Atonement should be a smart heal, targeting those who need the heal the most. Still only hitting melee of course.

You mean like it tries to be? Smart Healing is the problem, not the solution, of Atonement.

Neichus: It still is a "joke spec", I'm sorry. Increasing the healing output does not remove the flaws of large hitboxes, forced dumb "smart healing", or a cooldown that costs 10k to use?

Realistically speaking, it's still a 5 talent Point trap that doesn't actually benefit the healer at all, like Discipline's own version of Wrath's Empowered Healing (you could tell who was bad just by having more than two points in it, when optimal was still zero).

Spending 5 more points to emulate a spell that you already have isn't worth it. Inner Sanctum and Focused Will are.

[Neichus]

I wasn't making a statement about it's present viability. It's pretty clear that Blizzard believes it should be a solid raiding choice just given the quote at the top of this page. As such it is inaccurate to tell people they are wrong for wanting it to be good, which is what Devotions was doing.

[Kelesti]

This is true. I'd love for it to be viable Just a shame that it's not, and this direction Blizzard is taking with it isn't really helping as much as they think it will.

[Arrelliana]

I agree the smite/atonement spec is more for a playstyle than a raid viable spec. It definately lets you pew pew without completely taking your eye off healing. It also gives you those awesome wings....

I would prefer the wings as a CD like tree form that we didn't have to activate with smites.

[Abandon]

I actually reported Atonements range issue to a GM, and when I was talking to him he said that it was a known bug with Atonement and that the developers are going to fix it, so at least it won't be useless with big mobs (like, let's say....bosses).

[PlatedPriest]

I actually reported Atonements range issue to a GM, and when I was talking to him he said that it was a known bug with Atonement and that the developers are going to fix it, so at least it won't be useless with big mobs (like, let's say....bosses).

good.

my true wish is that if i choose to smite heal i wont be shun from a raid and called an idiot for doing so!

[Iannis]

good.

my true wish is that if i choose to smite heal i wont be shun from a raid and called an idiot for doing so!

That happened to me healing MC as Disc, back in classic. As through out all of BC too, hmm.
I think Disc priests are rather callus to name calling. Only in this last year did it become more widely accepted as a viable spec.

[harky]

That's an exaggeration. Also a bit silly. Disc was looked down on in Vanilla and BC because... it sucked for PVE. There was a point in Vanilla where Disc was the best, but that was early-MC. It went away rather quickly. It became 'accepted' in 3.0 when it was remodeled to be a decent PVE spec.

The Word of Glory change is excellent. That was getting frustrating. The Smite change... no clue. Won't change how Atonement works, so it won't fix the problems with Smite healing. Blizz should stop wasting resources on something that they originally claimed was just an optional 'fun' mechanic.

[Deleted]

I love the smite thing they have going on, makes daily heroics a blast!

But still, I'd prefer it if they cut atonement altogether and just buffed the aspects of AA so that it slashed mana costs and increased throughput of our other spells for a while [extra Penance ticks/splash shield effects] but still needed charging up through smite.

Maybe give atonement to Holy Fire since it now falls behind smite and is still on a cooldown, been my favourite spell since I first laid eyes on its animation.