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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Great news for those disheartened by the PTR change to drinking whereby the first few seconds suffered much-decreased mana regeneration. Community Manager Kalgan (US) has just announced that this mechanic will now only be active in Arenas:

You haven’t read it wrong, but we’ve decided to have that rule only apply inside arenas. It’s an inconsistency, but one we’re ok with to prevent water from feeling unnecessarily weird everywhere else.

This change — or rather, lack of one — should make instances like Heroic Black Morass much more manageable.

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The latest changes to Lifebloom (the coefficient nerf and the changes to Empowered Rejuvenation) went live on the Public Test Realm this afternoon. After some testing, at 1500 +Healing, you can expect to see an 8% nerf to the amount healed per tick by Lifebloom. You can expect a further 0.2% reduction for every 250 +Healing beyond 1500. This is due to a flat 10% nerf to the +Healing coefficient to the HoT portion of Lifebloom.

For those interested, here is the math used to find these values:

At 1617 +Healing and all relevant talents (Gift of Nature and Empowered Rejuvenation), Lifebloom currently ticks for 201 on Live and 185 on Test. To determine the portion of Lifebloom from +Healing, subtract the base tick amount of 43 from the total tick amount on both Live and Test (158 and 142, respectively). Multiply these values by 7 for the number of ticks (you could instead multiply it by 6, but the number of ticks will eventually be divided out again). This comes out to 1108 on Live and 994 on Test. Dividing by the 1617 +Healing, the coefficients are 0.685 and 0.615 respectively. This translates to a 10.3% nerf to the Lifebloom +Healing coefficient for ticks.

Contrary to what many suspected, the nerf was applied to the HoT portion of Lifebloom rather than to its generally more PvP-appropriate direct heal, calling into question why this change is being made to begin with. All other changes to Restoration (increasing returns from drinking, Natural Perfection‘s change from 15% to 12% damage reduction, and the set bonus change to 0.2 sec off Regrowth).

Without considering the contributions from Gift of Nature and Empowered Rejuvenation (unlikely to be had by many Balance and Feral-specced Druids) the base coefficient is now 0.468 down from 0.521, representing the same 10.3% reduction to the coefficient. Without the corresponding increases from these two talents, the nerf is slightly more severe: 0.082 at 1500 +Healing vs. 0.080 with talents.

Sioban of Lifebloomer has an analysis of how this change may affect multi-tank healing here.

Falx: how is PTR? is it cool?
Phaelia: Right now it’s a bunch of Druids flying up in the air so they can take fall damage and test how bad our heals were nerfed

For those curious, this nerf does not affect the 88 +Healing bonus to Lifebloom afforded by the [Idol of the Emerald Queen]. We still get the same 7 HP per tick. So if you’re a "glass half full" type of person, the idol actually got a buff. It’s now worth 80 +Healing instead of 72. >.<

Continue reading ‘~8% Nerf to Lifebloom, Thunderheart Changes’…

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Portions of the patch notes reported by MMO-Champion.com as having been leaked early last week have shown up in the latest iteration of the PTR Patch Notes. So far, these changes include the following:

• Lifebloom healing coefficient has been reduced.
• Natural Perfection: This ability will no longer be triggered by taking critical strikes while sitting. In addition, it is now affected by the Subtlety talent and reduces damage by 2/3/4%, down from 1/3/5%.
• Nurturing Instinct increases your healing spells by up to 50/100% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 10/20% 5/10% of your Attack Power while in Cat Form.

For those who don’t remember, we may possibly expect to see the following additional changes (in one form or another):

• Cyclone range reduced to 20 yards, down from 30.
• Tree of Life: You may now cast any Restoration spell in this form.
• Improved Tranquility: Now also reduces the mana cost of Tranquility by 10/20%.
• Moonkin Form no longer gains 150% attack power or mana returned from melee hits, but now refunds 2% of your total mana every time you critically hit with a spell.
• Force of Nature: Treants now have a 15% chance to proc Entangling Roots on the target.

Continue reading ‘“Fake” Patch Notes Not So Fake after All’…

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