Patch 3.2.2 Notes Update, Blue Posts

[Boubouille]

Patch 3.2.2 PTR Notes Update
The official notes have been updated with a minor changes to shaman's Cleansing Totem.

Shaman

• Cleansing Totem: No longer pulses instantly when dropped.

Please note that a new build will be deployed on test realms tonight and that I'll probably have a few other things for you later.
[blizzquote author=Dresorull] We're still working on getting the PTR servers back up and available for testing. We're in the process of updating the PTR servers to a new build. (Source)[/blizzquote]

Blue Posts

The effects of the Cataclysm on Outland
Just because Azeroth is being affected doesn't mean the threat of the Burning Legion isn't still there (for new toons to experience at least). If anything changes in this regard it would probably be a couple quests that send you there but I wouldn't expect Outland itself to change much since messing with 2 continents is already a lot of work. (Source)

[...] You have to consider the changes with some form of leniency, while technically you could say that if the story progresses then we need to remove a bunch of the content from Outland and Northrend as those are over - but for numerous reasons, you can probably see why that would be a bad idea. This is the same type of thing that happens by just having a persistent world, just because one quest was completed where something was killed doesn't mean it vanishes from your sight forever.

While a level 80 doesn't need to return to the locations of Outland and Northrend and can focus on the new stories - a new character hasn't helped defeat the villains in those areas so they still need to answer the call and fight them off (or in the terms people are tossing around, they need to level). (Source)

Shaman / Warlock
Totem of Wrath / Demonic Pact
We want to solve the discrepancy between ToW and DP before Cataclysm.

Demonology needs to be brought because it does competitive dps, not because it has an awesome buff. Or even better, you should want the Demo lock because the player playing it is someone you want to play with. Nobody should get brought because they have an awesome buff but are otherwise a liability. You should be able to get most of the buffs and debuffs you really need in a number of different raid configurations, and ideally even taking two players of the exact same spec won't feel like a mistake. The game should be in defeating the boss, not assembling the group. (Source)

[Bananengurke]

yay! sounds like demo warlock buffs incoming!!

[NiveouS]

That is not that minor... can be quite a big difference for the pvp shamans. Though would have to agree, it is needed. Rogues rejoice?

Never really noted how long it takes to pulse...

Edit: and DK's rejoice...

[Trio]

Shaman

• Cleansing Totem: No longer pulses instantly when dropped.

So, the totem is going to pulse at some random interval between one and five seconds? Such a pointless change

[Blaugrana1899]

we all now that the allmighty cleansing totem was winning arena matches all over the world! it was insane! everywhere you went, you had tons of shaman just spamming the totem until everyone else was dead!

seriously, it's already impossible to get off rogue poisons... now they nerf cleansing totem, i just can't believe it. since i play a DK myself, i know it could be annoying sometimes, when all your diseases were getting dispelled by a totem spamming shaman... but it never ever crossed my mind to see it as overpowered. it's a PVP change, benefitting rogues and deathknights and hurting shamans... that's ridiculous.

[Kreuz Kontrol]

The totem doesn't have as big of an effect on Rogues as it does Death Knight. Rogue poisons get applied constantly. Death Knights have to use weak one rune attacks to reapply their diseases, not to mention diseases are pretty much a requirement for Death Knight attacks to hit harder than wet noodle since all of them hit a % based on the number of diseases on the target.

"Counter" classes are fine, but Shamans could completely nullify a Death Knight with one single totem. Fair? Not really. It's about the same as back in the day when Shamans / Priests could simply purge / dispel Retribution Paladin seals making them nothing but an auto attacker. (This was before nifty abilities like Crusader Strike and everything that's came after it.)

[Nikkanugs]

The totem doesn't have as big of an effect on Rogues as it does Death Knight. Rogue poisons get applied constantly.

Cleansing totem has a major effect with rogues, even with a high proc rate. 4 seconds without a poison proc and he can be enough time to ghost wolf away/heal without wound on

[Yukimaru]

Eh, was a matter of time before cleansing totem for a nerf. oh well.

[Mogrutana]

The totem doesn't have as big of an effect on Rogues as it does Death Knight. Rogue poisons get applied constantly. Death Knights have to use weak one rune attacks to reapply their diseases, not to mention diseases are pretty much a requirement for Death Knight attacks to hit harder than wet noodle since all of them hit a % based on the number of diseases on the target.

"Counter" classes are fine, but Shamans could completely nullify a Death Knight with one single totem. Fair? Not really. It's about the same as back in the day when Shamans / Priests could simply purge / dispel Retribution Paladin seals making them nothing but an auto attacker. (This was before nifty abilities like Crusader Strike and everything that's came after it.)

lol, DK's QQ'in about shamans makes me laugh.

[Blaugrana1899]

The totem doesn't have as big of an effect on Rogues as it does Death Knight. Rogue poisons get applied constantly. Death Knights have to use weak one rune attacks to reapply their diseases, not to mention diseases are pretty much a requirement for Death Knight attacks to hit harder than wet noodle since all of them hit a % based on the number of diseases on the target.

"Counter" classes are fine, but Shamans could completely nullify a Death Knight with one single totem. Fair? Not really. It's about the same as back in the day when Shamans / Priests could simply purge / dispel Retribution Paladin seals making them nothing but an auto attacker. (This was before nifty abilities like Crusader Strike and everything that's came after it.)

(attention! heavy QQ incoming! here we go...)

with the big difference, that retribution paladins were not dominating PVP at that time. death knights on the other hand, allthough they've been nerfed pretty hard, haven't had a problem with the totem for a few seasons now... why now?

and "completely nullify" is just not true. i feel much more nullified by the chain-CC some classes are able to pull off... or melee-zerg-teams, who just keep on hitting their buttons until i'm gone, no matter what i do.

since the totem always gets killed on sight, i'd say the only thing the change has nullified is the shamans ability to dispel death knight diseases efectively. they could just make every buff that's useful to some class in some way undispellable... they've done it with retribution paladins, mages, warlocks... if they don't want buffs/debuffs to be dispelled, why do they give some classes the ability to do so in the first place?

before i forget... i always found that "dispel over time" priests have pretty annoying too... why don't they get nerfed?

[konju]

Cleansing totem has a major effect with rogues, even with a high proc rate. 4 seconds without a poison proc and he can be enough time to ghost wolf away/heal without wound on

Woah...you mean shamans might actually have a way to fight back against a rogue?


That would be horrible...

[Adsam]

Does it seem to anyone else that Blizz seem to want to gradually, painfully remove shamans from existing in WoW? i mean, 3.2.2 will be stopping ele/enhance shamans from Thunderstorm/Shamanistic Rage while stunned (our only "Real" defence from any class) and now this. Also, not sure of the changes that are in the works at the moment with ToW, but that will no doubt be put outside to die slowly....
Before I see any more QQ-ing about how shamans need nerfs for any apparent reason, I want you to ask yourself one simple question...... "Have Shamans ever been a threat to me whilst playing in BC or WotLK?"

[good diu bro]

Cleansing totem has a major effect with rogues, even with a high proc rate. 4 seconds without a poison proc and he can be enough time to ghost wolf away/heal without wound on

OMG I cant belief they buff rogues!

No, seriously they will just cast cleanse spirit (and maybe a riptide) before they turn into a wolf, the totem is for their team when the rogue use fan of knifes.

[Sunwind]

this is hilarious. as if rogues and DK's need help against shamans wtf?

[Reapertouch]

Blue Posts

Shaman / Warlock
Totem of Wrath / Demonic Pact
We want to solve the discrepancy between ToW and DP before Cataclysm.

Demonology needs to be brought because it does competitive dps, not because it has an awesome buff. Or even better, you should want the Demo lock because the player playing it is someone you want to play with. Nobody should get brought because they have an awesome buff but are otherwise a liability. You should be able to get most of the buffs and debuffs you really need in a number of different raid configurations, and ideally even taking two players of the exact same spec won't feel like a mistake. The game should be in defeating the boss, not assembling the group. (Source)

If this is what Blizzard is trying to achieve. Should people playing other classes be expecting the buffs they bring to raids, to be more simplified in the future? (i.e. no more Imp Power Word: Fortitude or Imp Mark of the Wild)? will they be dumbed down to just one basic buff that a player can cast being ANY spec?
Thats just sort of what it sounds like what they are saying when it is put like this "Nobody should get brought because they have an awesome buff but are otherwise a liability. You should be able to get most of the buffs and debuffs you really need in a number of different raid configurations, and ideally even taking two players of the exact same spec won't feel like a mistake. The game should be in defeating the boss, not assembling the group." :-\

[Posokhov]

So, shaman hit #1 in representation in 3s for 2 weeks. Are already being nerfed.
Get nerfed the first patch.
DKs get 2 seasons of free frost wyrms.
Paladins are working on their 3rd season of free frost wyrms right now.
RMP has yet to need 1/10th as much skill as Ghostcrawler thinks it needs and will, once again, have close to 30% of the top 3v3 spots.

Shaman can't do ANYTHING to rogues. Not enhancement. Not elemental. Not restoration. None of them. The changes this patch simply make shaman worse and worse against rogues. Can we seriously give other classes abilities that counter rogues? Maybe even put an internal cooldown on the application of non-instant and non-deadly poisons? Seriously.

* Of the past 7 WoW tournaments, the most recent was one by Team eMazing Gaming running beastcleave, which is getting hammered this patch.
* The one before that was Blizzcon, won by TSG, running DK/arms warrior/holy pally cleave, which was nerfed in 3.2 out of existence.
* The five tournaments before that? RMP. Nerfs they received?
...
...
...
...
...

Oh wait, none.

It's seriously time for Blizzard to gut RMP.

[subanark]

Shaman

• Cleansing Totem: No longer pulses instantly when dropped.

So, the totem is going to pulse at some random interval between one and five seconds? Such a pointless change

Its not just pvp nerf. Being able to drop a totem right as everyone gets hit by a poison is pretty powerful. Also, it only cost 1 second GCD to use with the same mana cost as cure toxins/cleanse spirit.

[Adsam]

Its not just pvp nerf. Being able to drop a totem right as everyone gets hit by a poison is pretty powerful. Also, it only cost 1 second GCD to use with the same mana cost as cure toxins/cleanse spirit.

Agreed it is quite powerful - for a totem that you get at level 38. However, it still is just a totem, and is primarily used in raids/dungeons. Dont like it? run away from it or destroy it. At the same time though, a resto shamans heals arent terribly effective, nor do they really have a defence ability to assist with any stuns/fears.

[Marath]

yay! sounds like demo warlock buffs incoming!!

no, ele nerf is more likely

[Giniro]

For all the shaman whining about this change, you should do more high end arenas (or at least look up numbers before you ridicule the change).

From SK-gaming (listing class representation among top 100 teams across all battlegroups):

2v2
8. Shaman (15%)
10. Death Knight (11%)

3v3:
1. Shaman (48%)
10. Death Knight (18%)

5v5:
2. Shaman (105%)
8. Death Knight (36%)

Also, if you don't trust the numbers from S7, ask Ghostcrawler about Cleansing Totems effect on DKs:
"It's overpowered. Long-term we need some kind of overhaul to the dispel system so that you can free allies who get debuffed or CC'd but you aren't constantly losing important class abilities because of cheap, fast and sometimes pulsing dispels.

I'm being vague because we haven't announced any 3.2.2 or 3.3 changes yet. Those won't be the overhaul I described, but we hope to do something."