Patch 2.4 on the PTR
Here are a list of changes that effect all us healers, as always the full list of patch notes can be found here :
General
- Spell Haste: Spell haste now reduces the global cooldown on spells, down to a minimum of 1 second. This change does not apply to melee and ranged abilities.
- Spirit-Based Mana Regeneration: This system has been adjusted so that as your intellect rises, you will regenerate more mana per point of spirit.
The spell haste change we knew about. This change to spirit regen based on intellect will be really interesting to see for Priests and Druids. It could be a great buff, or a nerf to those in lesser gear with smaller mana pools. Remains to be seen when I manage to get on the ptr or get some feedback from there.
Druids
- Empowered Rejuvenation: This talent now properly affects the final heal from Lifebloom.
- Gift of Nature: This talent now properly affects the healing from Tranquility.
- Insect Swarm: Casting lower ranks of this spell is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.
- Lacerate: This ability now deals additional damage based on the attack power of the Druid.
- Mangle (Bear) now properly triggers a 1.5 second global cooldown, increased from 1.0.
- 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.
- When a Druid in cat form casts Pounce it will now properly animate.
I think we are all surprised that instead of Resto Druid Nerfs, we instead see buffs. The “Bloom” on Lifebloom will now receive an extra 20% of our Bonus Healing when specced and Natural Perfection will not be dispelled so easily. Yay Druids!
Paladins
- Avenger’s Shield, Holy Shield and Holy Shock: Casting lower ranks of these spells is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.
- Divine Illumination: The mana energize from this talent no longer has a chance to set off other triggered effects.
- Holy Shield and Holy Shock: Casting lower ranks of these spells is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.
- Judgment of the Crusader: It is no longer possible to have icons for two different ranks of Judgment of the Crusader appear at the same time when judged by multiple Paladins.
- Judgment of Wisdom: Some abilities (such as Frostbolt) were not triggering the mana energize effect from this spell. This has now been fixed.
Looks like mostly fixes and as with most classes the discouraging of downranking in arenas to conserve mana.
Priests
- Fear Ward is now usable while in Shadow form.
- Inner Focus: Chastise now benefits from Inner Focus. In addition, Starshards no longer consumes Inner Focus.
- Power Word: Shield: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized.
- Prayer of Mending: This spell will now fade from players who leave or enter an instance, change continents, or exit the game.
- Reflective Shield: The reactive damage from this talent no longer breaks crowd control affects which break on taking damage.
- Shadowguard: No longer consumes the charge of Inner Focus when triggered.
- Silent Resolve:This talent is now affects Surge of Light, Power Infusion, Inspiration, Spirit Tap, Blackout, Levitate, Shackle Undead, Touch of Weakness, Hex of Weakness, and Symbol of Hope.
- Touch of Weakness: No longer consumes the charge of Inner Focus when triggered. It will also function properly even when the Priest with Touch of Weakness on is silenced or stunned.
- Vampiric Touch: Casting lower ranks of this spell is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.
Again we see some adjustments to downranking and some nice changes to include all priests buffs to resist dispell or purge. This is always a double-edged sword for priests and shamans who are often the ones doing the offensive dispelling.
Shaman
- Call of Thunder: (Rank 5) now gives 5% critical strike chance.
- Earth Shield: Mana cost reduced roughly in half, and charges reduced from 10 to 6.
- Elemental Focus: This buff will no longer be removed when Shamanistic Focus is triggered.
- Healing Grace: This talent now reduces the chance your spells will be dispelled by 10/20/30%.The resistance to being dispelled modifier from this talent now applies correctly to Water Breathing.
- Rockbiter Weapon: Tooltip and error messages have been adjusted slightly.
- Stormstrike has a new icon.
- Totem timer icons will now show up under your player portrait when you cast totem spells. Right-clicking a totem timer icon will destroy that totem.
- The Shaman spell Fire Nova Totem will no longer sometime detonate without doing any damage.
Would have liked to have seen Resto Shaman get more love for arenas. However, the mana reduction on Earth Shield and final addition of a dispel resist to their threat reduction talent are nice buffs.
Looks like Blizzard stuck to their word about “no sweeping class changes” and I for one am definitely happy! More once I manage to get on the PTR.