Will Prot pallies need dodge and parry talents in WOTLK

[ElTorro]

Will Prot pallies need dodge and parry talents in WOTLK as much as they do in BC due to the new mechanics?

[Samiel]

Depends on how you plan to tank, with avoidance or Stam Stacking.

[ElTorro]

Well with the semi-removal of crushing blows in raids http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/07/31...iding-changes/ and that stamina=spell dmg=threat with http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?spell=53592 i'd say that dodge and parry would be more inclined to be in a ret build than a prot build in wotlk as we should be getting hit for a lot less because of strength=block value which is in ample amount on the plate armor drops ive seen for far from the beta.
Just my thoughts could be wrong :P

[wyrdone]

Since by looks they have not changed the T6 gear at all in WotLK (other than the spell dmg to spell power change), I'd expect us to still need a fair amout of avoidance to be raid viable.

As for those saying dump spell power, it looks like the scaling of both is about equal, so this weapon http://static.mmo-champion.com/mmoc/...guardianv2.jpg looks pretty nice to me.

[Menergy]

There is no reason not to grab the talents. If you skip them forget raiding, heck even heroics.

Edit: I know the strength -> block rating change will favour blocking to a degree but having a chance to completely avoid damage is just too powerful. With a boss hitting you for 8k, the healers might have trouble keeping you up if you never dodge/parry/miss.

[Dragonjin01]

With the new gear the way they are in Wotlk it is no point to just get all stam and avoid the talents for protection like parry and dodge. If you want to tank Heroics and Raids you need that damage mitigation to take less damage. With the new system of Enrage / Frenzy / Berserk, that dodge and parry will be needed. For a prot pally once you get that Epic BS tanking gear and the new upgraded epic spell damage mace you will have around 1200-1300 spell damage anyway with those talents so threat should not be an issue.

[smokeajay]

With the new gear the way they are in Wotlk it is no point to just get all stam and avoid the talents for protection like parry and dodge. If you want to tank Heroics and Raids you need that damage mitigation to take less damage. With the new system of Enrage / Frenzy / Berserk, that dodge and parry will be needed. For a prot pally once you get that Epic BS tanking gear and the new upgraded epic spell damage mace you will have around 1200-1300 spell damage anyway with those talents so threat should not be an issue.

Maybe it is just me, but I'd rather use a nice 1h melee dps weapon than a caster weapon (unless AoE tanking 4 or more mobs) for the benefit to Hammer of Righteousness.

[Zarcob]

Will Prot pallies need dodge and parry talents in WOTLK as much as they do in BC due to the new mechanics?

Brutallus doesn't crush and he has no trouble smashing anyone that fails to dodge or parry frequently enough.

Crushing blows really have little or no bearing on most paladin raid content because tanks at that level are already easily uncrushable. It will benefit tanks just starting out at the raid level, but primarily, it benefits druids. I think it's laughable an overgrown squirrel without a shield can tank in the first place, but whatever, it might be a sign of less spike damage in raids across the board.

[Scarzi]

Dodge Parry and Stamina is all paladins/warriors will stack now unless they have threat issues or blizzard makes shield block absorb a LARGE amount of damage for once. Plus you save a ton of mana from the talent which reduces mana after a dodge or parry...why wouldn't you stack it as much as you can without gimping your stamina to much?

[Zarcob]

Plus you save a ton of mana from the talent which reduces mana after a dodge or parry...why wouldn't you stack it as much as you can without gimping your stamina to much?

Guarded by the Light? I'm pretty sure that was changed to a flat decrease in mana cost for the spells:
http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?spell=53583