Since it just hit the main page, I figured I'd start a thread for discussion. First, the changes;
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
- Flame Shock Instantly sears the target with fire, causing (1,086 + 44.9% of SP) Fire damage immediately and (2,328 2,910 + 21.0% of SP) Fire damage over 30 sec. Damage has been shifted more to the initial strike (due to not needing the glyph), and duration has been increased to 30 seconds from 24 by default.
- Stormlash Totem Summons an Air Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster, empowering allies within 40 yards with lightning. 10 yard radius increase (tooltip fix; this was hotfixed in already)
Talents
- Ancestral Swiftness Passive: Increases spell haste by 5% and melee haste by 10%. 5% buff for melee haste.
- Conductivity: When you cast Healing Wave, Greater Healing Wave, or Healing Surge, allies within your Healing Rain share healing equal to 20% of the initial healing done. If your Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Earth Shock, or Stormstrike damages an enemy, allies within your Healing Rain share healing equal to 50% of the initial damage done. Now heals based on healing/damage to ANY target, not targets within Healing Rain itself.
- Elemental Blast: Elemental, Enhancement: Harness and direct the raw power of the elements towards an enemy target, dealing (4,726 + 211.2% of SP) Elemental damage and increasing the caster's Critical Strike, Haste, or Mastery by 3,500 for 8 sec. Restoration: Harness and direct the raw power of the elements towards an enemy target, dealing (4,726 + 211.2% of SP) Elemental damage and increasing the caster's Agility, Critical Strike, Haste, or Mastery by 3,500 for 8 sec. I assume this is a typo, and that it's Enhancement that is getting an Agility proc from this and a slight damage boost, not Restoration.
- Elemental Mastery: 60 sec cooldown. 1 minute cooldown now, not 2 minutes, big buff to the talent. Still lasts 20 seconds.
- Stone Bulwark Totem Summons an Earth Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster for 30 sec that grants the caster a shield absorbing [ [131.3% of AP or 210% [164.1% of AP or 262.5% of Spell Power] ] damage for 10 sec, and up to an additional [ [43.8% of AP or 70% [54.7% of AP or 87.5% of Spell Power] ] every 5 sec thereafter. Decent buff; about 20% stronger as of 5.2
- Unleashed Fury Your elemental weapon imbues are empowered, granting additional effects when triggered with Unleash Weapon: Flametongue Weapon Increases the enemy target's damage taken from your Lightning Bolt by 20%, and from your Lava Burst by 10% for 10 sec. Makes this much more appealing for Elemental, but a slight nerf for Enhancement.
Elemental & Enhancement
- Shamanistic Rage: Shaman - Elemental & Enhancement Spec. Elemental gets Shamanistic Rage. 30% damage reduction, usable while stunned, 60s cooldown, lasts a full 15s, and the mana effect is pretty darn significant. Will also get to use the glyph, as well.
Major Glyphs
- Flame Shock: When you Flame Shock deals damage, it heals you for 30% of the damage dealt. The duration increase was baked into the spell, along with an initial damage increase, so this is just a new option, not a loss.
- Glyph of Purge Your Purge dispels 1 additional Magic effect. but has a 6,000/1000 sec cooldown. Adds a 6 second cooldown if glyphed, so it's a choice between spammable Purge, or highly effective single-cast Purge.
There's a lot of good in there, and the only thing that comes across as a nerf is the Purge glyph change. Everything else is pretty much what the community's been asking for.
Before you comment on damage numbers; this is still the first pass at the PTR and they typically get mechanical stuff in first, and numbers tweaks later. Plus, we need to see how the changes affect other specs, too; if most other specs get nerfs (I haven't read the full list yet), we may not need the kind of buffs we've been throwing around to catch up.