WoD Alpha patch notes

[BetrayedOf52]

SO void shift is gone, im a little pissed

[Theed]

Have you tried it?

WoD PvP is a whole new animal.

Agree, we need to test this. Spriest survivability is really bad IN THEORY. On live it is alright but only because of the stupid haste levels and millions of instant procs. And mage is a better target most of the time!

Every PVP set will get new bonuses so there may be something and glyphs like the new freecast fade glyph are nice - but i still think we need either passive reduction back, especially with cc reduced and nothing done about melee cc removals/immunities or an low cd active mitigation skill.

[Deleted]

Blizz has seriously dropped the ball for sp's, multidot fights they were good. So in other words I can cheese as an sp, does that make a raid group wanna bring me, if i can cheese my way to competitive dps and be inferior in every other way. SP was in a way better place in cata, and for the sake of change they made something that was rng but promoted good play and not really a problem, something that was not rng and made the rotation boring. Sp's always had some of the best tier sets in game, this also changed with the shadow orb changes, in all they have just continually nerfed sp's with the removals of abilities and changes. Sp's need to do some sick dps to offset their utility loss now, for raids to bring them, and if we have learned anything blizzard has been very unlucky with changes to sp so far.

[Calamari]

That Glyph currently is Holy/Disc only...

Derp, didn't read the tooltip carefully enough, adding a 60s cd to fade wouldn't have helped much either. ;(

They must have something up their sleeves though to buff SP survival in PvP, with the removal of T90 self-heals, casted PoM, possibly also the removal of the Inner Fire armor.. there must be something in the works to compensate that we just don't know of yet. #HopeForBetterTomorrow

[SomethingWycked]

As a Discipline Priest: I like the changes to healing in general. The idea that my healing targets should be damaged and in need of healing but not in imminent danger of dying sounds like a great thing. Getting rid of the "HUGE DAMAGE > HEAL NOW OR THEY DIE" model will reduce the inherent stress of healing and probably make it more fun. I'm looking forward to this new healing model.

However, for Discipline specifically:

Rapture has been removed. (Nerf.)
Renew has been removed. (Nerf.)
Void Shift has been removed. (Nerf.)
Inner Will and Inner Fire have been removed. (Nerf.)
Hymn of Hope has been removed. (Nerf.)
Inner Focus does not reduce mana cost. (Nerf.)
Psychic Scream has been removed from the spell book and placed into the talent tree. (Nerf.)
Void Tendrils have been nerfed. (Nerf.)
L90 talents have cast times, and are getting their throughput nerfed. (Nerf.)
25% reduction in Atonement healing. (NERF.)
"Additionally, we're toning down the power of damage absorption in general." (NERF.)

Prayer of Mending has a cast time, but can now stack and be cast multiple times. (Sidegrade or slight upgrade? Depends on how RNG treats where the PoM lands and how much it will heal for.)

Holy Nova, in its current incarnation, is terrible; tiny AoE range, minscule throughput unless the entire 10-25m group is stacked in one spot. I find no value in it when it comes to 5-man content. In WoD, its supposed to be my go-to efficient AoE healing? No thanks, I'll probably just spam PoM. (Highly situational glyph spell to spellbook spell: sidegrade or very slight upgrade.)

L100 talents: another shield (which has already been nerfed due to the general nerf to absorbs), an occasional free PoM, or a double-edged heal... I'll probably steer clear of the shield talent due to the general design philosophy against absorbs. Double-edged abilities fit Shadow thematically, but not priests in general, and I really don't like the idea of reducing my healing throughput for an emergency heal which I should have been able to handle in a non-emergency fashion if my shields hadn't been nerfed. Looks like I'll go with the ho-hum occasional free PoM.

In the past, absorbs helped make Discipline a great single-target and tank healing spec. In the current incarnation, Atonement helped Discipline with AoE raid heals as well as adding to the overall DPS of the group. Absorbs and Atonement are both being nerfed at the same time, absorbs by a fluctuating amount due to the alpha state of the game, and Atonement by a whopping 25%. What is Discipline going to be good at now? Basic, flavorless healing that all the other healing classes can provide, with an occasional inefficient shield (Rapture has been removed) and none of the other classes' neat tricks? We're getting passive buffs while leveling 90-99, just like everyone else, and three iffy L100 talents.

What exactly should I be excited about when it comes to playing Discipline in WoD?

[Deleted]

What exactly should I be excited about when it comes to playing Discipline in WoD?

Personally, I'm excited about active mana regeneration and more of a choice as to how Penance is used and potentially Words of Mending.

I'm also looking forward to the new healing mechanics, mainly to see if Blizzard can get what they proposed in Cataclysm correct. Then again, that is hardly a Discipline exclusive feature. Aside from that, there isn't much else to be gleeful over. The entire shift of the healing model to one which makes absorbs less effective (by increasing health pools and allowing more "standard" healing to go through) is kind of way long past overdue. However, it doesn't leave much of the Discipline that you might enjoy just now behind.

[Nurasu]

The entire shift of the healing model to one which makes absorbs less effective (by increasing health pools and allowing more "standard" healing to go through) is kind of way long past overdue. However, it doesn't leave much of the Discipline that you might enjoy just now behind.

Eh, I'm not too worried about it. The niches of other healing classes have much less of an impact than disc's currently does. It will be healthier for everyone to shift more of disc's thoughput into actual healing and away from absorbs, to be more in line with everyone else. We will retain the uniqueness of the spec, but it won't be quite as prominent.

[Dierdre]

However, for Discipline specifically:

Rapture has been removed. (Nerf.)
Inner Focus does not reduce mana cost. (Nerf.)
Hymn of Hope has been removed. (Nerf.)

Mana costs are being adjusted accordingly. In the grand scheme of things, it's actually a buff since now you'll never need to use hymn (not like anyone did anyway).

Renew has been removed. (Nerf.)

Don't get me started.

Void Shift has been removed. (Nerf.)

That oh so cool gimmick everyone will miss and nobody really uses.

Inner Will and Inner Fire have been removed. (Nerf.)

Yes. Please give me back Inner will. I need it.

Psychic Scream has been removed from the spell book and placed into the talent tree. (Nerf.)

Psyfiend is gone. Buff.

L90 talents have cast times, and are getting their throughput nerfed. (Nerf.)

Encounters will be designed around less instant casts, cast time is still 1 GCD.

25% reduction in Atonement healing. (NERF.)

Yes. A very long overdue and justified nerf. We'll live.

"Additionally, we're toning down the power of damage absorption in general." (NERF.)

Not a nerf. Healing model redesign.

What exactly should I be excited about when it comes to playing Discipline in WoD?

You'll get the chance to experience what a healing spec feels like.

[nobodysbaby]

How can you yell "nerf" after each change @Something (and others to for that matter)? Some, I understand but all? Like IF; ofc they will rebalance accordingly, its just a buttonbloat, well needed.

All healingclasses get changes and spells removed and we still havent seen the final balancing to spells. When they nerf Atonment, Im sure they will boost healing instead for example.

[appro]

Alright I'll bite.

However, for Discipline specifically:

Rapture has been removed. (Nerf.)
Inner Focus does not reduce mana cost. (Nerf.)
Hymn of Hope has been removed. (Nerf.)

Mana costs are being adjusted accordingly. In the grand scheme of things, it's actually a buff since now you'll never need to use hymn (not like anyone did anyway).

Not really. Its raising the baseline of healers and reducing the disparity between top end priests and bottom. The mana management of disc priests and synergy with mana tide is being entirely removed. Its a nerf due to the lack is distinguishing between quality players and 'others' that will occur now.

Renew has been removed. (Nerf.)

Don't get me started.

Sure renew isn't used much by disc but it has its place, particularly at the start of expansions.

Void Shift has been removed. (Nerf.)

That oh so cool gimmick everyone will miss and nobody really uses.

Not a gimmick, my priests used this no less than 25 times in our last 14/14 heroic SoO clear. If you're not using this you're not maximising your potential or saving lives.

Psychic Scream has been removed from the spell book and placed into the talent tree. (Nerf.)

Psyfiend is gone. Buff.

How is the removal of this a buff? Refer to point 1.

L90 talents have cast times, and are getting their throughput nerfed. (Nerf.)

Encounters will be designed around less instant casts, cast time is still 1 GCD.

Not true. 90 talents are now a 1.5 second cast and obviously can't be cast while moving. Additionally 90 talents now have a healing cap. Significant nerf.

25% reduction in Atonement healing. (NERF.)

Yes. A very long overdue and justified nerf. We'll live.

It was already nerf'd during ToT. It doesn't need another round.

"Additionally, we're toning down the power of damage absorption in general." (NERF.)

Not a nerf. Healing model redesign.

Are you stupid? its a huge nerf, the entire spec of disc is based around absorbs.

What exactly should I be excited about when it comes to playing Discipline in WoD?

You'll get the chance to experience what a healing spec feels like.

Yay! we're being molded to feel like all other healers /s.

[SomethingWycked]

Yay! we're being molded to feel like all other healers /s.

This was exactly the heart of my complaint. I'm not an absorb or Atonement healer? So I'm just another healer? A huge number of my neat abilities are being taken away or nerfed in a big way and I'm getting literally nothing in return except a bit of a buff to PoM?

Where is the shiny new ability that I've come to expect from a new expansion? Where is the revamp of the spec/class that makes it more interesting/exciting/fun to play because it is even more unique from the other healers? Nowhere. We're getting ability pruning and nerfs, being "brought into line" with the other healing classes and they're cutting the heart out of what Discipline means.

Again, to be fair, I like the proposed changes to the healing model. More triage, less burst. I think healing in general in that environment will be great fun... For a Shaman, or a Druid, or even a Holy Priest (who had their core abilities rebalanced around the spells having the power rather than the "stances," instead of having them nerfed or removed entirely). But the announced changes to Discipline have had the opposite effect of exciting me about playing the spec.

[Dierdre]

The mana management of disc priests and synergy with mana tide is being entirely removed. Its a nerf due to the lack is distinguishing between quality players and 'others' that will occur now.

Again, mana management is all but gone, it's being redesigned for all classes to be an active management instead of a "hit every X" scheme (which involves no skill whatsoever from "quality players" btw).

Not a gimmick, my priests used this no less than 25 times in our last 14/14 heroic SoO clear. If you're not using this you're not maximising your potential or saving lives.

Well I have no reason to doubt you, but if someone dies it's certainly not because you didn't use VS, even if you were solo healing.

Not true. 90 talents are now a 1.5 second cast and obviously can't be cast while moving.

And 1.5s is... 1 GCD. Modified by haste. As is the t90 cast time. And encounters ARE being designed around less instant casts. So which part was "not true"?

[nobodysbaby]

Really NOT looking forward to having to switch to red Chakra to do some clunky Telluric Current manaregen dpsing! Meh.

[appro]

Where is the shiny new ability that I've come to expect from a new expansion? Where is the revamp of the spec/class that makes it more interesting/exciting/fun to play because it is even more unique from the other healers? Nowhere. We're getting ability pruning and nerfs, being "brought into line" with the other healing classes and they're cutting the heart out of what Discipline means.

Looking for all the new shiny toys and playthings? That's all over in the Mistweaver camp.
I guess blizzard felt bad for bringing in Mistweaver then having it sit around the bottom of the meters for most of the MoP. Some of their new abilities look fun and the spec is looking quite strong imo. I'm actually tempted to throw in the towel for Disc and start playing MW instead, particularly as our guild has 2xDisc yet no MW.

[Zeernial]

Wait people here actually believe blizzard can balance this game? did you guys not play the last two expansions where they promised bigger health pools would change healing or whatever? When they said a fixed maximum mana would somehow balance healing? That bigger healthpools would mean some semblance of triage?
No clue how people can still eat up what blizzard says and champion their "balance changes".
I suppose bigger healthpools were a thing, a thing that only lasted the launch raid tier and then forgotten.
we will probably have another situation where disc/holy are weak at the start and end up being buffed and becoming the best by the end.

[Deleted]

Mana costs are being adjusted accordingly. In the grand scheme of things, it's actually a buff since now you'll never need to use hymn (not like anyone did anyway).

Oh, we did, but not just because of mana return of Hymn of Hope, but also because of stronger Shadowfiend/Mindbender.

[Deleted]

Looking for all the new shiny toys and playthings? That's all over in the Mistweaver camp.
I guess blizzard felt bad for bringing in Mistweaver then having it sit around the bottom of the meters for most of the MoP. Some of their new abilities look fun and the spec is looking quite strong imo. I'm actually tempted to throw in the towel for Disc and start playing MW instead, particularly as our guild has 2xDisc yet no MW.

Mistweaver was terrible this tier. They nerfed Revival and Mistweaver cannot cope with burst damage very well. Throughput-wise, a fight like Malkorok proves its absolutely amazing. In ToT, Mistweaver was decent. In 5.0, Mistweaver was amazing (our Windwalker went Mistweaver straight away). Right now you won't find Mistweaver being a popular spec though. I have mostly checked Priest changes for WoD so I don't know what you're talking about regarding Mistweaver in WoD.

Oh, we did, but not just because of mana return of Hymn of Hope, but also because of stronger Shadowfiend/Mindbender.

He's talking about Hymn of Hope being cast by Shadow. That attitude wouldn't last in my guild tho, that is for sure.

Well I have no reason to doubt you, but if someone dies it's certainly not because you didn't use VS, even if you were solo healing.

Talk about solo healing, when I did Challenge Modes as Shadow in blues back in 2012 my Void Shift most certainly saved the tank's life on more than one occasion. We sported a Blood Death Knight and a Restoration Druid. My off heals were of tremendous value. Even Power Word: Shield was.

This was exactly the heart of my complaint. I'm not an absorb or Atonement healer? So I'm just another healer? A huge number of my neat abilities are being taken away or nerfed in a big way and I'm getting literally nothing in return except a bit of a buff to PoM?

That usually happens if you go from overpowered to back into the pack.

Where is the shiny new ability that I've come to expect from a new expansion? Where is the revamp of the spec/class that makes it more interesting/exciting/fun to play because it is even more unique from the other healers? Nowhere. We're getting ability pruning and nerfs, being "brought into line" with the other healing classes and they're cutting the heart out of what Discipline means.

Check the T7/L100 talent tree. Saving Grace is more or less a 1:1 replacement for Void Shift.

[Deleted]

He's talking about Hymn of Hope being cast by Shadow. That attitude wouldn't last in my guild tho, that is for sure.

He was answering this:

However, for Discipline specifically:

Rapture has been removed. (Nerf.)
Inner Focus does not reduce mana cost. (Nerf.)
Hymn of Hope has been removed. (Nerf.)

[apepi]

Hey guys, I am trying to do some armor theorycrafting but I can't seem to find inner fire in wowhead? Was it removed?

[Kaesebrezen]

Hey guys, I am trying to do some armor theorycrafting but I can't seem to find inner fire in wowhead? Was it removed?

Yes.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/134...#ability_prune