Resto Druids rejoice! Today’s patch notes for Patch 2.4.2 do not include the proposed change to Natural Perfection which would have singled it out as the only critical-strike mitigating talent to have diminishing returns as Resilience increases. A big thank you to reader Joshua for pointing this out this morning!

In another surprise, Feral Druids will be relieved to know that, while Scare Beast has had its range extended to 30 yards, it will retain its 1.5 second cast time. Thanks to reader Jaegor for pointing this out below!

» See all patch notes for Patch 2.4.2 (via MMO Champion)
» Read Flyv’s humorous impressions of Patch 2.4.2 and Druids

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From the Patch Notes for 2.4.2, a “Bug Fix” will be applied to the Restoration PvP talent, Natural Perfection:

Druid Talent (Restoration) - Natural Perfection will no longer proc by normal melee attacks.

What this may mean is that the 3-point talent will no longer proc from those melee attacks that would have otherwise been critical hits if not for the Druid’s Resilience rating. Interestingly, no such change is being made to the similar Priest talents, Blessed Resilience or Focused Will. Obviously, what’s good for one should be good for the other, and if they really are nerfing this ability (and it is a nerf, regardless of being classified as a bug fix), the same should apply to both classes.

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Hurricane by Triggerman

As previously predicted, the range on Cyclone has been reduced from 30 yards to 20 on both the TTR (Tournament Testing Realm) and PTR (source). With Nature’s Reach, the range drops from 36 to 24, so it’s an additional nerf to the benefit afforded by this talent. As of today, Patch 2.4 will include the following nerfs to Restoration-based PvP:

1. Drinking nerf
2. Nerf to end bloom of Lifebloom (the same heal that occasionally occurs when our HoTs are purged); this forces Restoration Druids to spec down to 5/5 Empowered Rejuvenation if they want to compensate for the reduction, locking them out of other talents from Balance and Feral considered to be synergistic and essential
3. Reduction of Natural Perfection from 15% damage reduction to only 12% (it is worth noting, however, that NP was buffed so that it benefits from the dispel resistance provided by Subtlety)
4. Removal of 4-piece set bonus from the Restoration set (+15% speed bonus in forms)
5. Cyclone reduced from 30 yards to 20; Nature’s Reach reduced from 36 yards to 24

Sadly, this change is pretty much the nail in the coffin for Restoration-based PvP and will severely handicap already struggling Balance Druids in Arenas. I guess Blizzard is still working toward their goal of having no more than 60 Druids at 2200+ rating. So much for making incremental changes to see how they affect things.

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A new build was released on the PTR today and includes the removal of the earlier nerf to the Lifebloom Heal over Time coefficient! Instead, a 20% nerf is being applied to the final bloom effect. This is exactly what (PvE) players have been clamoring for: a reduction to PvP viability acceptable due to its lessened affect on PvE. And if that weren’t exciting enough, the mana cost of Regrowth is being reduced by 20%!

• Lifebloom: the healing coefficient has been reduced. This spell will no longer cause error messages when interacting with Spellsteal or while the Druid is under the effects of a Mind Control.
• Lifebloom: The bonus coefficient on the final bloom effect has been reduced by 20%. This spell will no longer cause error messages when interacting with Spellsteal or while the Druid is under the effects of Mind Control.
• Regrowth: The mana cost of this spell has been reduced by approximately 20%.

The change to Regrowth will reduce its mana cost from 845 to 676 in caster form and from 676 to 540 in Tree of Life (611/488 with the updated [Idol of the Crescent Goddess]), essentially making it as cheap in caster form as it once was in Tree Form. With a 25% increase to its overall HPM, it’s become a much more efficient spell than before. With its reduced mana cost, the much increased mana regen in 2.4, and the availability of spell haste itemization, Regrowth may quickly find itself part of healing Druids’ regular rotation. As a front-loaded spell with a HoT component, it may be the fast raid heal many Druids have been wanting. And while the +Healing coefficient for the direct portion is only 16.6%, it sets up the possibility for Swiftmend on its recipient for the next 21 seconds, giving us the potential to instantly heal a raid member every 15 seconds should he take a sudden spike of damage. All around great news!

Obviously, while I’m not celebrating the nerf to the direct portion of Lifebloom, I’m ecstatic that the HoT portion will remain unaffected. And with the change to Empowered Rejuvenation so that it now affects the final bloom of Lifebloom, we should see little to no change (to give you an idea, on the live server my Lifebloom blooms for 1423; on the PTR, it bloomed for 1393).

Thank you for listening, Blizzard. It’s been a tumultuous last couple of weeks, and although I’m not 100% on board with the severity of the PvP nerfs, I’m more than content with your revision to the Lifebloom change. And I’m ecstatic to no longer have to cringe when using Regrowth. Thank you.

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We Druids finally received a blue response to our pleas and inquiries about the upcoming nerf to the Lifebloom +Healing coefficient, albeit not the one we have sought. Responding to a thread originating back in February, Community Manager Tharfor (EU) has posted:

It easy to see why people would view this change as a nerf, but the truth is that the coefficient was already artificially inflated.

Resto druids are still very strong at what they do. I notice when I’m raiding with mine that I don’t do very well on the healing meters, but that’s just because of the way that druid healing works.

Are we Druids then to infer that we are not intended to perform well on healing meters, those tools pored over by the most diligent of endgame raiders when making decisions about who needs to improve or even who should be permanently cut from their rosters? This statement is tantamount to telling raid guilds that a Restoration Druid isn’t intended to contribute as meaningfully as other healers. All this despite having less utility than Paladins or Shamans, lacking the raid healing tools of Shamans and Priests, and having all almost all of our "special" contributions (Rebirth, Innervate, MotW, Thorns) provided as well or better by Balance and Feral Druids, the sole exception being Tree of Life aura.

This is the first time I’ve heard that a change was needed to reduce the performance of a class/spec acknowledged to underperform in exactly the same area that the reduction is being applied, and I suspect Tharfor will regret putting his paw in his mouth (his forum avatar is a Night Elf cat). I’ve done my best to try and stay positive about the changes in Patch 2.4, but this feels like a punch in the gut; I’d Lifebloom myself, but it probably wouldn’t even top me off anymore.

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