Patch 2.4 Classes changes - Unofficial/Unconfirmed

[Boubouille]

Update - Added today's news to the post. Blue posters have been surprisingly calm yesterday, that's not the first time but it could mean great things for today.

Notes about the class changes list
A longer explanation might get the attention of most of the users. The list posted yesterday IS NOT from the patch notes, it's more than likely a leak from an internal mail/meeting discussing potential changes for classes. 90% of them probably won't be in the initial release of the 2.4 Patch on PTRs and even if they're added later, keep in mind that you'll be playing on a TEST server used to ... test changes and see how it works with enough people to gather an accurate feedback.


Spell haste and Global Cooldown
In 2.4, Spell haste will let you decrease your global cooldown, Nethaera explains how efficient it will be.

With haste gear you can work toward lowering the GCD down to 1 second, but it will take more than just gear to max it.
You can max it with the use of both haste on gear and abilities/talents.

Raid UI changes in 2.4
Another feature has been added to the raid UI in 2.4
[blizzquote="Rislyn;http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=2968233433&postId=44193869842&sid=1#249]The Raid UI now can display the range of players relative to you. The option to enable this is in the Party & Raid section of the UI Options.[/blizzquote"]


Blizzcast Episode 2
The Episode 2 of the Blizzcast is currently in post-production and will probably be released in the the upcoming weeks. Bornakk reminds people that you won't necessarily see tons of new things here.

If you missed the first Episode you can download it here or just check its page on the official site for a transcript/stream.
[blizzquote="Bornakk;http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=4311059148&postId=44224567182&sid=1#49]And to build off what was said, the tag line at the top of the official BlizzCast page is "Taking you deeper into the world of Blizzard." While new game/content information might be discussed from time to time, that isn't the primary goal. Instead we want to bring some unique perspectives to the variety of aspects involved in making games and our company in general.[/blizzquote"]


2.4 Potential class changes
Read this first

• It's unconfirmed and potentially fake (50% chance I'd say)
• Most of these changes won't be in the initial release of the 2.4 Patch on PTR, it's more a todo-list for classes changes than a full list of changes at the release.
• According to the source, they're a list of changes that Blizzard will like to experiment on the PTRs. You won't see them in patch notes until Blizzard decides or not to test them on a PTR build. That's why they're called TEST servers
  

The "Blue posters are always right" minute
[blizzquote="Nethaera;http://www.wowblues.com/us/please-confirmdeny-patch-notes-4311160586.html]What we've posted on the forums is the extent of the notes we've made public at this point in time. The complete official notes have not been posted yet. Please take anything posted outside the forums or website with a grain of salt.[/blizzquote"]

This could perfectly be a fake, seriously, if you didn't read this before going through the changes you'll probably make a hundred of puppies sad.

Can't say you weren't warned now. The full list of change follows

Druid

• Cyclone range reduced to 20 yards, down from 30.
• Lifebloom healing coefficient reduced by $
• Natural Perfection now reduces damage by 2/3/4% down from 1/3/5%
• Tree of Life: You may now cast any Restoration spell in this form.
• Improved Tranquility: Now also reduces the mana cost of Tranquility by 10/20%.
• Moonkin Form no longer gains 150% attack power or mana returned from melee hits, but now refunds 2% of your total mana every time you critically hit with a spell.
• Force of Nature: Treants now have a 15% chance to proc Entangling Roots on the target.
• Nurturing Instinct: Increases your healing spells by up to 50/100% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 25/50% of your Attack Power.
  

Hunter

• Improved Mend Pet now has a 50/100% chance to remove one Curse, Disease, Magic or Poison effect, up from 15/30%.
  

Mage

• Blink mana cost reduced roughly 40%
• Improved Blink now increases the distance you Blink by 15/30%, and you have a 15/30% chance to reduce the cast time of your next Fireball, Frostbolt, or Arcane Blast spell by 50% after you Blink. (Might just do one of these effects…)
• Prismatic Cloak now reduces damage taken by 3/6%, up from 2/4%
• Mana Cost of Slow reduced roughly 40%
• Arcane Fortitude now increases your armor by an amount equal to 100% of your Intellect, up from 50%.
• Mana Shield now scales with spell damage. (Max rank with full S3/best gear will absorb around 1Kish, added damage absorb doesn't cost/consume mana to the shield, it will always cost what the tooltip says)
• Improved Fire Ward is now Molten Shield
• New Talent: Molten Shield – Reduces all damage taken by 2/4% while using Molten Armor, and causes your Fire Ward to have a 25/50% chance to reflect Fire spells while active.
• Frost Warding: Chance to reflect Frost spells while Frost ward is active by 25/50%, up from 10/20%.
• Icy Veins no longer increases the chance your chilling effects Freeze the target, but now reduces pushback by 100% for 20 sec.
• Icy Veins spell haste bonus no longer stacks with Bloodlust.
• Ice Flows now gives you a 15/30% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while casting any Frost spell.
  

Priest

• Mana Burn effect reduced roughly 50%.
• Mana Burn cast time reduced by 1 second.
• Improved Mana Burn: Now increases the amount of mana burned from your Mana Burn spell by 10/20%.
• Focused Will now reduces damage by 2/3/4% down from 1/3/5%
• Lightwell: Charges increased to 15, up from 5.
  

Paladin

• Turn Undead no longer fears the target, and now incapacitates it.
• Turn Undead now works on demons. (Prob will be renamed to a diff spell)
• Turn Undead is now subject to diminishing returns.
• Turn Undead now lasts 10 sec. in PvP.
  

Rogue

• Envenom no longer consumes the Poison applications.
  

Shaman

• Lightning Bolt: Spell coefficient reduced by $
• Lightning Overload can no longer proc on instant cast spells. (aka NS+CL won't proc it)
• Lightning Overload can no longer critically hit.
• Tremor Totem and Poison Cleansing Totem now pulse every 3 seconds, down from 5.
• Earth Shield mana cost reduced by 50%
• Earth Shield now has 6 charges, down from 10.
• Healing Grace: Now also reduces the chance your spells will be dispelled by 10/20/30%
  

Warlock

• Life Tap: Spell coefficient reduced by $
• Life Tap now consumes toughly 10% more health when used.
• Demonic Knowledge now increases your spell damage by an amount equal to 4/7/10% down from 5/10/15%
• Improved Shadowbolt: Now only works for the Warlock.
• Improved Shadowbolt: Now increases Shadow damage by 3/6/9/12/15%, down from 4/8/10/14/20%
• Incinerate spell coefficient increased by $
  

Warrior

• Endless Rage now properly generates 25% more rage from damage dealt (previously only 12% cause of a bug)
• Improved Hamstring: Now has a 10 second cooldown.
  

Items

• Mystical Skyfire Diamond now reduces the next spell cast by 20%, down from 50%. (It also might just be changed to straight stats, still in debate. Don't be surprised if this metagem just gets added stats with the current effect in the initial 2.4 notes, it's still being worked on.)
• Shaman Gladiator 4-set bonus now reduces pushback by 30%, down from 70%.
  

[Cronik]

I can almost tell that these are fake, First of all ,the shaman changes are ridiculously stupid. Why would they nerf elemental after they buffed it? That makes NO sense. the Treant thing seems super fake, that would make it amazingly op.

Sorry but i doubt half of these changes are super fake. If they were real, i'd almost quit because shamans were getting the nerf stick again.

[devilwarrior]

If fake, best fake ever

However, this seems rather odd
Nutiring Instinct will still suck, as a druid's AP is calculated based on our form. Basing anything on it outside of cat form is a waste.

Well, if you're in Cat/Bear form, you'll get lots of extra healing now. I see that as a very big definite plus.

[stormgust]

Well, the lifebloom nerf won't get past the PTR, unless Blizzard plans to remove Resto Druids in PVE. And adding HT to tree of Life isn't a buff, because you will never use that skill in a Raid >.>

[shailiha]

If these are real I thank blizzard for ending my addiction. My Resto shaman who has elemental as offspecc won't be fun to play anymore.

[Yasuhiko]

This isn't what I'd call a positive outlook if they were, in fact, real.

However, before I take these in as such, I'd like to see a citation. Some of the changes seem ridiculous, particularly the elemental shaman changes as mentioned.

[Ippe]

Yep, obvious fake. One look at the mage changes is enough to confirm that.

[Merin]

Would pretty much be the final death blow for Shadow Priests in upper end raids if they're denied use of Improved Shadowbolt. I really don't see them nerfing Shaman nukes either. This reads more like a Mage wish list than a set of believable changes.

[Stuke]

Turn Undead now lasts 10 sec. in PvP.

Thats proof right there its fake. Turn undead doesn't work in pvp since players are humanoid and this spell only works on Undead and supposedly demons now.

[Yasuhiko]

If it works on demons, it would be able to fear warlock pets.

[Merin]

Thats proof right there its fake. Turn undead doesn't work in pvp since players are humanoid and this spell only works on Undead and supposedly demons now.

Warlock pets. That said, I'm unsure if pet targeted spells, such as Hibernate, have reduced effect in PvP.

[Sulika]

Is posting fake patch notes going to become a common feature of mmo-champion? I suspect most of the people who read the posts here do so to avoid having to deal with that crap.

Unconfirmed patch notes should just be a discussion point in the forum until they are confirmed at which point they can be regarded as news.

[Nippe]

Wow... if people would try to fake anything, why not make it serious... I mean the mage changes are just a great laugh. If this DOES happend i will feel so owned ;D buts its just bullshit..

[Synneth]

This has to be a fake for this reason:

Nurturing Instinct: Increases your healing spells by up to 50/100% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 25/50% of your Attack Power.

Bear tanks now get an extra +1000 healing? Not likely.

[sweep71]

Lightwell: Charges increased to 15, up from 5.

Yep, those are real. Only Blizzard can continue the joke that is Lightwell. It would be really really funny if it was not so sad.

[Rathyl]

Warlock pets. That said, I'm unsure if pet targeted spells, such as Hibernate, have reduced effect in PvP.

They do. I hibernate enough hunter pets to know.
The pattern of the notes doesn't work though, just off what was done last patch. Shamans renerfed to the bad point of 2.3. ES has nothing happen to it, its mana efficiency scarcely changes. And the mage nerf just looks like a complaint for 5v5s. And as pointed out above, bears would recieve far too much healing from their Nurturing instinct.
Though the moonkin changes would rock. =P

[mpohagan]

The incapacitate effect to demons would be pretty useless for Paladins in arena anyway as I'm guessing SL damage would break it. Its an interesting idea (and along the lines of what I'd like to see implemented), but that just plain wouldn't work.

[Geofferson]

Fake imo.

1) No Rogue Nerf
2) There is a Rogue Buff

[Merin]

Paladins just need Divine Favor to provide the effect of Nature's Swiftness, and LoH to drop to a 10 minute cooldown and restore 30% (still of the Paladins) hp and 30% mp as a mana burn counter, Shamans need Hex. Priests and Druids don't need to be nerfed at all in PvP, and I hope that Blizzard ceases to listen to the chain whining eventually.

The biggest glaring fake about the patch notes is that I really, really doubt Blizzard will be lowering Shadow Priest raid damage by 20, Blizzard has fucked Shadow Priests enough in BC and, they're not exactly heavy hitters in the upper content. List written by a Mage, probably with tears in his/her eyes while doing so.

[Natsuto]

Is posting fake patch notes going to become a common feature of mmo-champion? I suspect most of the people who read the posts here do so to avoid having to deal with that crap.

Unconfirmed patch notes should just be a discussion point in the forum until they are confirmed at which point they can be regarded as news.

QFE... if I want fake notes, all I have to do is check out the wow PTR forums