Why Health Funnel is gone for Destro?

[Sylar Hao]

Today I re-subbed after several months and the very first thing I did was logging into my warlock and head towards ICC, as usual (Invincible will never drop for me it seems XD), and I started sorting my action bars because of the ability pruning and I noticed something that got me shocked: Health Funnel gone for Destruction? I've seen that soloing stuff is quite easy right now, but my pets still suffer damage while questing and raids, so... how do I heal them now as a destro lock? Bandages?

I can understand we lost Fel Flame (tbh, I don't) and Drain Life, Howl of Terror as baseline and that Healthstone and Ember Tap healing are a joke as well (to be fair healing on all classes has taken a bit hit), I still try to hit Twilight Ward every now and then (muscle memory I guess) and the lost of Backlash drove me mad for a while... Seriously, Destruction desperately needs some sort of proc to play with so it's not a constant Incinerate spam and I don't think Fel Flame would hurt in the slightest...

...but what's the reasoning for losing Health Funnel? Our pets doesn't deserve to be healed because of being Destruction while Affliction's and Demonology's can get healed? Or is this just pruning for the sake of pruning? Or just going deeper into specs differentiation? At least Ember Tap could heal the pets for a bit... or make Soul Link like in 5.2 but not a 100% damage and healing share but 25% or something like that.

Sorry for the small ranting, it just doesn't make sense to me.

[Archmage Arugal]

If I'm remembering right, they cited Flames of Xorath as the reason for removing Health Funnel, saying Destro can just insta-summon the pet if it dies. They also added in the Ember Tap perk, for all the good that will do.

[Brusalk]

If I'm remembering right, they cited Flames of Xorath as the reason for removing Health Funnel, saying Destro can just insta-summon the pet if it dies. They also added in the Ember Tap perk, for all the good that will do.

I don't think they ever cited a reason for removing Health Funnel for Destro; it was just gone. They actually removed FoX in the same build they removed Health Funnel!

There's a WoD perk we can get that causes Ember Tap to heal our pet for 20% of the self-heal. The only problem with this is that shortly thereafter they nerfed the beejeezus out of Ember Tap.

As a result, the only way for Destro to heal a pet is to RNG your way into getting the Ember Tap perk as you level to 100, and then proceed to heal it for 3% of its max health per cast. It's completely bonkers.

[Deleted]

I don't think they ever cited a reason for removing Health Funnel for Destro; it was just gone. They actually removed FoX in the same build they removed Health Funnel!

There's a WoD perk we can get that causes Ember Tap to heal our pet for 20% of the self-heal. The only problem with this is that shortly thereafter they nerfed the beejeezus out of Ember Tap.

As a result, the only way for Destro to heal a pet is to RNG your way into getting the Ember Tap perk as you level to 100, and then proceed to heal it for 3% of its max health per cast. It's completely bonkers.

Basically what Brusalk said.

I suggest that you level as demonology, expect it to get fixed eventually. Ember tap will probably heal more than the current 20% (from perk) at some point, and ember tap itself will get changed somehow (Charred remains = ember tap too strong, no charred remains = ember tap is okay/weak-ish).

[Harsesis]

Once you are lvl 100 you will have the Ember Tap perk. You get one every odd level iirc. It will only show you rolling a perk for your current spec but you will be getting the others regardless.

[Grizelda]

My aren't you a little ray of sunshine?

What in the Devs choices so far, leads you to believe Ember Tap will be buffed? The nerf seems to coincide with their "We don't want you to be able to pet tank certain things" attitude.

Telling people to just play another spec/class, Blizz will get around to fixing things eventually is not as comforting as you think.

[Sylar Hao]

I've searched for the pearks of each class and spec... well, in my opinion what warlocks get on each spec it's just stuff that should be baseline, not extra bonus or something interesting... the Ember Tap perk is... well... ok-ish.

Instead, when they stated they wanted instant cast and mobility to be reduced they skipped Moonkins or what? One perk makes Starsurge instant and another it's just backlash but with any damaging spell. And they have Moonfire. Fire mages get a mini-sprint while casting Scorch which can proc Hot Strike, elemental have shocks, Lava Surge procs and a mini-sprint with Unleash Elements. Not counting blink, travel form and ghost wolf for movement... which warlocks have to pre-set...

Shadow, Affli and Demo can reapply dots while moving at least...

Meanwhile Destruction can cast Rain of Fire which is terrible for single target and does barely nothing in PvP and/or run (or try to) because you usually (and should) have Conflagrate on CD.

Yay! XD... GG Blizzard.

[Chickat]

Basically Destro is now a group pve or pvp spec. You cant reliably solo with it anymore, so if you enjoy it, you need another spec with it for soloing. Destro and Demo recommended. Destro with sacrifice.

[Nhiosis]

I've searched for the pearks of each class and spec... well, in my opinion what warlocks get on each spec it's just stuff that should be baseline, not extra bonus or something interesting... the Ember Tap perk is... well... ok-ish.

Instead, when they stated they wanted instant cast and mobility to be reduced they skipped Moonkins or what? One perk makes Starsurge instant and another it's just backlash but with any damaging spell. And they have Moonfire. Fire mages get a mini-sprint while casting Scorch which can proc Hot Strike, elemental have shocks, Lava Surge procs and a mini-sprint with Unleash Elements, Shadow, Affli and Demo can reapply dots...

Meanwhile Destruction can cast Rain of Fire which is terrible for single target and does barely nothing in PvP and/or run (or try to) because you usually (and should) have Conflagrate on CD.

Yay! XD... GG Blizzard.

I pointed this out on the official forums last week and got flamed, but you're spot on. Warlocks were unfairly pruned to the extreme, losing abilities that other classes kept equivalents of. What makes it even worse is that they hardly provided reasons for half of the removals, just took them away and put their feet up.

All QQ aside, it's the first time in 8 years of playing that I'm not excited to be a warlock.

[Grizelda]

Why with Sac? What about movement fights? Don't you think Sup/D Serv might be better?

[kamuii]

Why with Sac? What about movement fights? Don't you think Sup/D Serv might be better?

Didn't test in raid, but on beta at lvl 100 with 595 ilvl tested D serve doomguards do the same dps as imp. Not sure why I would take that talent.

[Nerraw]

Presumably it was removed because it wasn't used much, since it was under the pruning section. Which, as we all know, was because of Sacrifice. They clearly have the data. What they don't have is the understanding to read between the lines of it.

[mordecai167]

I've searched for the pearks of each class and spec... well, in my opinion what warlocks get on each spec it's just stuff that should be baseline, not extra bonus or something interesting... the Ember Tap perk is... well... ok-ish.

Instead, when they stated they wanted instant cast and mobility to be reduced they skipped Moonkins or what? One perk makes Starsurge instant and another it's just backlash but with any damaging spell. And they have Moonfire. Fire mages get a mini-sprint while casting Scorch which can proc Hot Strike, elemental have shocks, Lava Surge procs and a mini-sprint with Unleash Elements. Not counting blink, travel form and ghost wolf for movement... which warlocks have to pre-set...

Shadow, Affli and Demo can reapply dots while moving at least...

Meanwhile Destruction can cast Rain of Fire which is terrible for single target and does barely nothing in PvP and/or run (or try to) because you usually (and should) have Conflagrate on CD.

Yay! XD... GG Blizzard.

False

Rain of Fire is actually a dps increase on single target. It was buffed alot this patch.

Most destro warlocks use Mannoroth;s fury now because of that.

and its really going to be good with Cataclysm