Shadowlands Class Changes - AoE Capped Abilities

[Lumy]

Shadowlands Class Changes - AoE Capped Abilities
In Shadowlands many class AoE abilities are getting capped to 5 or 8 total targets. This change aims to broaden the field of tactical options in Mythic+ and more clearly differentiate the strengths of classes in a variety of AoE situations.

Death Knight

• Consumption - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Bonestorm - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Frostscythe - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Bursting Sores - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Death and Decay (Blood) - Now makes Heart Strike hit up to 4 enemies.
• Death and Decay (Unholy) - Now makes Scourge Strike/Clawing Shadows/Necrotic Strike hit up to 5 enemies.

Demon Hunter

• Blade Dance - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Soul Cleave - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.

Druid

• Swipe (Feral) - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Brutal Slash - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.

Hunter

• Multi-Shot - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Beast Cleave - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Barrage - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Carve - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Butchery - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Explosive Shot - Now strikes up to 6 enemies.

Mage

• Frozen Orb - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.

Monk

• Fists of Fury - Now strikes up to 6 enemies.
• Rushing Jade Wind - Now strikes up to 6 enemies.
• Spinning Crane Kick (Mistweaver, Windwalker) - Now strikes up to 6 enemies.

Paladin

• Divine Storm - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.

Rogue

• Crimson Tempest - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Fan of Knives - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Blade Flurry - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Killing Spree - Now strikes up to 5 enemies when Blade Flurry is active.
• Shuriken Storm - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Secret Technique - Now strikes up to 7 enemies.

Shaman

• Meteor - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Eye of the Storm - Now strikes up to 6 enemies.

Warlock

• Felstorm - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.

Warrior

• Whirlwind - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Cleave - Now strikes up to 5 enemies.
• Bladestorm (Arms) - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Bladestorm (Fury) - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Ravager (Arms) - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Ravager (Protection) - Now strikes up to 8 enemies.
• Revenge - Now deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets.
• Thunder Clap - Now deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets.

[Baneto]

Change the AoE for every class in-game because of MDI mythic+, what a great idea.

[cerebro]

stupid change

[GUZ]

So fn dumb

[LemonDemonGirl]

Soo.... Mind Sear and Shadow Crash are staying the same?

[DavidAlien]

You'd think they also put this in to stop the different calculations in the game as well. With every single mob you hit having a roll on "crit", "corruption proc" "essence proc", "will it be parried/dodged" and all that.
I think it, in some weird way could help the servers some.

[froschhure]

super lame

[Esper]

So I hope this means they won't have add waves on boss fights with dozens of adds again. But it's just yet another example of Blizzard ruining an aspect of one of their games to cater to the 0.01% of their players that compete in e-sports.

[gaymer77]

Is there a reason why priests weren't hit with the nerf bat in terms of AOE? I think priest AOE in Shadowlands will be totally OP. NERF THE PRIEST AOE!!!

[Zyky]

"This change aims to broaden the field of tactical options in Mythic+ and more clearly differentiate the strengths of classes in a variety of AoE situations."

I don't know how this is the perception when the majority of them 5 target cap. It'd be different it was like Rogue 5 target and Ret Pally 10 targets, but when they're the same value there is no way to "differentiate" because they're all the same(exactly the same way now) and you go off the utility of the class(exactly how it is now).

[Kaver]

“This change aims to...”

I cringe every time Blizzard say this.

Just like when they said the corruption system aimed to make ilvl more relevant and gearing less rng. How did that go.

[loras]

Finally the retarded aoe fest is put to chains some, only took 'em well over a decade...

A pity that it seems fairly arbitrary and inconsistent from a first look, i'd have preferred it to be more systematic like i.e. "category A does x damage divided by the number of targets above y, category B strikes up to Z number of targets, category C strikes all targets in its area without limit, etc...", but perhaps it is there and i'm just not seeing it yet.

Edit: it might also open up interesting new pvp mechanics, like abilities that just do a set amount of damage divided by the number of targets hit; basically opening up ways fir single target nuking spells that can mitigated somewhat by huddling together.

[Aradur]

So Eyebeam (aka the biggest AE Clusterfuck) stays the Same?

[Kaver]

"This change aims to broaden the field of tactical options in Mythic+ and more clearly differentiate the strengths of classes in a variety of AoE situations."

I don't know how this is the perception when the majority of them 5 target cap. It'd be different it was like Rogue 5 target and Ret Pally 10 targets, but when they're the same value there is no way to "differentiate" because they're all the same(exactly the same way now) and you go off the utility of the class(exactly how it is now).

I also have a hard time seeing this. But it seems like Blizzard are often just doing random changes and making up imaginary goals for them. They might as well say:

“We are going to buy 1000 bunnies and paint them pink. This change aims to make survival hunter more popular in mythic raiding.”

Their aims and their methods are completely out of touch.

[xlord]

I also have a hard time seeing this. But it seems like Blizzard are often just doing random changes and making up imaginary goals for them. They might as well say:

“We are going to buy 1000 bunnies and paint them pink. This change aims to make survival hunter more popular in mythic raiding.”

Their aims and their methods are completely out of touch.

don't give them idea's, before you know it whole of orgrimmar/stormwind is full with pink bunnies

[Makabreska]

Ah yes, Shamans and their Meteors

[Kalisandra]

Finally the retarded aoe fest is put to chains some, only took 'em well over a decade...

MoP had an AoE soft-cap, where if you hit targets over the cap (8 or 10 targets) damage to each target was reduced so that the total damage equalled what you'd get hitting the cap number. At least with the current system the targets you do hit take decent damage.

A pity that it seems fairly arbitrary and inconsistent from a first look, i'd have preferred it to be more systematic like i.e. "category A does x damage divided by the number of targets above y, category B strikes up to Z number of targets, category C strikes all targets in its area without limit, etc...", but perhaps it is there and i'm just not seeing it yet.

That would be nice. As it is, it's kind of "AoE caps on most melee & Hunters, none on most ranged, but random exceptions".

[exochaft]

You'd think they also put this in to stop the different calculations in the game as well. With every single mob you hit having a roll on "crit", "corruption proc" "essence proc", "will it be parried/dodged" and all that.
I think it, in some weird way could help the servers some.

There is some merit to this, as the way these abilities typically work with target caps is pick either the closest X number of targets from you (if you are the center of the AoE) or the target itself (if the AoE radiates from the target). Once you reach that target cap, less math needed per ability execute than if there was no target cap.

People seem to think these caps are radically new, but they've been in the game before for many of the classes. Also, that list isn't complete at all, as there are a bunch of abilities that still don't have a target cap (such as Thrash for bears), have higher target caps (like Starfall with 20 targets), or have square root diminishing returns with no target cap (like Fury of Elune). The power of every ability isn't necessarily proportional to the number of targets it can hit, either, as it's a case-by-case basis. Numbers balance withstanding, some cleave classes with less targets hit per AoE ability are dominating the ones that have higher/no caps on the beta. While that could change, it may not.

Some of the more problematic scaling issues that have creeped into the game tend to be where there's no cap on scaling, and AoE is one of them. While people tend to half-joke that we have to wait for the MDI for Blizz to fix something, MDI's tend to expose issues of this nature. While I'm certain the MDI had some influence over these changes, I don't think it's the main driver behind these issues. Again, such target caps have been in place in the past and were aspects of the flavor of some abilities. While the raid content doesn't necessarily show the AoE caps being an issue in Shadowlands for now, it will certainly have an effect in M+ and PvP.

[Amaterasu65]

Ignite also spreads to 8 targets near your main one after using Phoenix Flames.

[Kalisandra]

So Eyebeam (aka the biggest AE Clusterfuck) stays the Same?

I'm assuming these caps are in addition to, or changes to, the ones they've already put into the game for Shadowlands.