Patch 2.2 just dropped just this week and now all the talk is about 2.3. Well get ready, because of the delay with 2.2, Blizzard has promised that 2.3 will be coming out sooner than most patches. And per blue, the changes you’ve seen posted have already gone through Blizzard’s internal testing and will be ready for the PTR shortly.

For PvP there are some pretty major class balance changes. A lot of these changes were hinted at during Blizzcon’s PvP panel, and they will have a big impact on the current play in all brackets (2v2, 3v3, 5v5).

What’s also exciting are the improvements to the more rarely seen talent trees: subtlety (rogue), discipline (priest), enhancement (shaman) and retribution (paladin). Hopefully, specs in these trees will prove viable in the arena and we will see a wider variety of class specializations and teams.

Here is the current compiled list of class changes — keep in mind that this is just the initial release. There will certainly be tweaks and adjusments after the patch hits the PTR. Take time to peruse the list, as there are many PvP specific changes (ex. Detect Magic removed = no more poly -> detect magic padding).

Feel free to discuss any of these upcoming changes on the forums.

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Mages

1. Detect Magic removed. All players may now see their target’s beneficial effects at all times.
2. Frost Ward and Fire Ward now gain additional benefit from +Dmg.
3. Frost Ward and Fire Ward (Ranks 5, 6) have had their base absorb lowered.
4. Damage coefficient reduction is removed from Improved Fireball/Frostbolt.
5. New spell : Ritual of Refreshment. It will allow players to pick up their own stack of food/water, similar to a Soulwell.
6. Evocation restores 15% of your total mana every 2 seconds instead of being a spirit-based mana regen increase.
7. Arcane Meditation is being increased to 10/20/30% mana regeneration.
8. Ice Barrier gains additional benefit from spell damage bonuses. However, the base absorb values of ranks 5 and 6 have been reduced.

Shamans

1. Item - Tidefury Raiment now grants additional mana to Water Shield
2. Item - Totem of the Thunderhead now grants additional mana to Water Shield
3. New Talent - Shamanistic Focus: After landing a melee critical strike, you enter a focused state. The focused state reduces the mana cost of your next Shock spell by 60%
4. New Talent replacing the 2 Handed weapons one - Elemental Focus: Puts you in a “focused state” after landing a melee critical strike, reducing the mana cost of your next Shock spell by 60%
5. All shaman can equip 2-Handed Axes and 2-Handed Maces without spending talent points.
6. Frost shock is no longer subject to diminishing returns.
7. Shamanistic rage also reduces all damages taken by 30% for the duration of the ability (30 seconds) in addition to its current effect.
8. Spirit weapons reduces melee threat by 30% instead of 15%.
9. Mental Quickness adds 10/20/30% to spell damage and healing bonuses based on your total Attack Power in addition to it’s current effects.
10. Lightning Overload now has a 4/8/12/16/20% chance to proc
11. Lightning Overload damage has been decreased by 50%
12. Lightning Overload now causes 0 threat
13. Lightning Mastery reduced to .1/.2/.3/.4/.5 seconds
14. Mana Spring Totem now restores mana at a rate of 20 mana every 2 seconds
15. Water Shield now costs 0 mana to cast, and the mana per globe has been substantially increased
16. Water Shield’s duration has been reduced to 1 minute, and grants mana for each globe left upon ending
17. Elemental Focus will now reduce the mana cost of your next two damage spells by 40%
18. Lightning Bolt casting time reduced to 2.5 seconds, and mana cost decreased
19. Chain Lightning casting time reduced to 2 seconds, and mana cost decreased

Druids

1. Many new macro inputs as well as druid ‘cancelform’ becoming an instant like ‘dismount’.
2. Cure Poison and Abolish Poison may now be cast in Tree of Life form
3. Remove Curse may now be cast in Moonkin form
4. Rebirth cooldown reduced to 20 minutes
5. Intensity increased to 10/20/30% mana regeneration.

Warlocks

1. Banish may no longer be cast on targets tapped by other players
2. Ritual of Souls has had it’s casting time significantly reduced.
3. Healing Reduction effects now affect all Drain spells and abilities (i.e. Mortal Strike will affect Drain Life)

Warriors

1. Weapon Mastery has been changed to reduce the duration of Disarm effects by 25/50%
2. Mace Specialization proc has been reduced
3. Mace Specialization Rage increased to 7 instead of 6
4. Tactical Mastery now greatly increases threat from Mortal Strike and Bloodthirst while in Defensive Stance
5. Devastate now combines the effects of Sunder Armor into it’s effect, and is affected by all talents and items that affect Sunder Armor

Priests

1. New Dwarf/Draenei ability - Chastise: Causes Holy damage and incapacitates target for 2 seconds
2. Fear Ward will now be available to all Priests at level 20
3. Fear Ward duration reduced to 3 minutes, and cooldown increased to 3 minutes
4. Power Word: Shield gains additional benefit from spell damage and healing bonuses. However the base absorb values for ranks 10, 11, and 12 have been reduced.
5. Pain Suppression is castable on a friendly target, it reduces the target’s threat by 5% and reduce the damage it takes by 40%.
6. Pain Suppression cooldown is reduced to 2 minutes.
7. Meditation is increased to 10%/20%/30% Mana regeneration.
8. Prayer of Healing, Circle of Healing and Holy Nova (healing effect) gain additional benefit from damage and healing bonuses.
9. Circle of Healing base amount of healing is reduced, but it gets more bonus from +healing effects. If you have more than +1338 healing you will see it heal for more.

Paladins

1. Vindication (Retribution) frequency and duration increased and now reduces all attributes by 5/10/15%, not just Strength and Agility.
2. Pursuit of Justice (Retribution) is now 3 ranks and increases movement speed by 5/10/15% and also reduces the chance you’ll be hit by spells by 1/2/3%.
3. Exorcism’s mana cost has been lowered
4. Holy Wrath’s mana cost has been lowered
5. Hammer of Wrath’s mana cost has been lowered
6. has been increased to 30 seconds
7. Improved Seal of the Crusader effect added to base abilitiy
8. Improved Seal of the Crusader now gives the effects of Sanctified Crusader
9. New Talent - Sanctified Seals (replacing Sanctified Crusader): Increases your chance to critically hit with all spells and melee by 1/2/3%, and reduces the chance your Seals can be dispelled by 33/66/100%
10. Crusader Strike cooldown is being lowered to 6 seconds.

Rogues

1. Poisons now enchant weapons for 1 hour
2. Fleet Footed increased to 15% speed increase
3. Deadly Throw traveling speed is being increased significantly, it will reach your target faster and the snare will last one second longer.
4. Ruthlessness won’t be triggered by Deadly Throw anymore, and Ruthlessness will be changed to only affect melee finishing moves as a whole.
5. Blind no longer requires a reagent, is changed to a physical attack, will share the same diminish category as cyclone, and will diminish in PvE as well as PvP.
6. Shadowstep can be used at any time (even when you’re not stealthed). After the use of Shadowstep threat caused by the next Ambush, Garrote, or Backstab will be reduced by 50%. The cooldown will be increased to 40 seconds.
7. Dirty Deeds increases the damage of special attacks by 10%/20% against targets that are below 35% health in addition to its current effect.

Hunters

1. Trueshot Aura (Marksmanship) no longer costs mana to cast and will last until cancelled.
2. Serpent Sting, Immolation Trap and Explosive Trap now all gain additional damage based on 10% of your ranged attack power.
3. Wyvern Sting (Survival) is now instant cast and has a maximum duration of 10 seconds in PvP.
4. 20 and 24 Slots ammo pouches have been added
5. Arcane Shot (Rank 6+) will now dispel 1 Magic effect in addition to damage

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For a complete list of compiled changes, check HERE.

To keep up with all the blue posts on the Blizzard forums, go HERE.

Tags: News

10 Responses to “Inc Major Class Changes in 2.3”

1. Rollyat Says:
   September 28th, 2007 at 1:09 pm

   ALL priests have fear ward? That’s kind of ridiculous, but what is moreso are the racials dwarves and dranei are getting. Another free interrupt. Buff mages in arcane/fire, locks in destro, ele/enhance shamans a little more, IMO.

   Magog: They watered fear ward down before giving it to the horde. It’s on a 3 min duration/3 min CD now — which is enough for 1, maybe 2, fear breaks per match. Even so, the set of racials that dwarf priests will have (Stoneform, Fear Ward, Chastise) is tops.

2. Ziss Says:
   September 28th, 2007 at 1:31 pm

   All to kite Rogues even more!

3. Disco Says:
   September 29th, 2007 at 12:55 am

   with blind being a physical debuff I am assuming that means you can no longer stoneform out of it anymore =/

4. SkyPower Says:
   September 29th, 2007 at 8:00 am

   Want more lock changes please!

5. lilstunna Says:
   October 1st, 2007 at 9:17 am

   rofl at arcane shot dispeling. thats just dumb. why does blizzard insist on adding rediculouse stuff like this.

6. lol Says:
   October 2nd, 2007 at 2:12 pm

   to make hunters less worthless in arenas?

7. Kaiser Says:
   October 3rd, 2007 at 8:29 pm

   Blizzards own collected data on arena stats shows hunters to be the least represented and gives colossal hints to the idea that the hunter class needs a serious reworking.

   And that is all we got?

   /cancel

8. Sabis Says:
   October 7th, 2007 at 6:53 pm

   Hunters least represented? Ret pallies are just as bad if not worse, yet our biggest pvp weakness AND our biggest pve drawback are still unaddressed.

9. Zanlee Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 9:46 am

   Ret pally, stop complaining about a single spec. You can spec holy any time. The entire hunter class is gimped in arena.

10. Ebony Says:
    October 27th, 2008 at 5:16 am

    People should read this.

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