Rings from WoW Patch 8.3 are powerful - but they have major disadvantages

New loot in Patch 8.3 of World of Warcraft is causing a stir. These rings are quite powerful, but they can also kill you under certain circumstances.

Patch 8.3 Visions of N’Zoth of World of Warcraft is currently on the PTR and brings a lot of changes. As already seen in Patch 8.1.5, Blizzard seems to be experimenting with special loot that does not only provide positive effects. Some rings from Patch 8.3 are particularly noteworthy as they have an extremely strong passive effect, which also comes with drawbacks.

The data miners from WoWhead have already found these rings in the game data.

Rings provide a hefty bonus: In general, these rings provide a fixed bonus of a solid 2% on damage dealt and healing done while equipped – in addition to the normal values that a ring provides. However, in return, there is a very hindering negative effect, a special corruption. Here are the drawbacks of each ring:

Face of Truth: Occasionally, a ghostly scroll appears that you and all others with this corruption can see. Every second you do not look at the scroll, you take damage. If you take damage 5 times, you will be feared for 6 seconds.
Last Grasp: When you defeat an enemy, you summon a hostile void tentacle that attempts to pull you in with Void Grip.
Masochistic: When you drop below 25% of your health, you taunt all nearby enemies for 5 seconds.
Mesmerizing: Your damage spells and abilities that hit the same target multiple times in a row reduce your movement speed by 5% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 10 times.

Overconfident: When you gain overhealing, you refuse further healing for the next few seconds, up to a maximum of 25% of your maximum health.
Revel in Violence: Your killing blows cause you to revel in violence, rooting you for 6 seconds.
Spontaneous Fury: At periodic intervals, a random enemy is marked, becoming the target of your fury. While the fury lasts, your damage against all other enemies is reduced by 10%.
Thing From Beyond: At periodic intervals, the Thing from the Deep appears and attacks you. Its movement speed increases with corruption.

Are the rings worth it? Of course, the rings are currently just initial ideas on the PTR that may still be adjusted. In general, a bonus of 2% is quite strong, and sometimes even more valuable than some Azerite traits. Whether the drawback outweighs this effect will be a decision each player must make for themselves. For those who do not enjoy keeping track of additional mechanics, the rings are likely unsuitable.

What does Blizzard hope to achieve with this? In recent years, there has been ongoing criticism of Blizzard and WoW that individual items have lost significance. In Classic, for example, when a mage possessed a “Staff of Dominance”, they were proud of it and knew exactly where it came from or what it could do.

In Battle for Azeroth, hardly anyone knows the names of the items they simply carry, as they have become generic. Through the effects on the rings, Blizzard aims to make loot feel more meaningful again while incorporating small gameplay challenges.

You can find all information about Patch 8.3 Visions of N’Zoth in our comprehensive overview.

What do you think about items with such effects? Should there be more items with drawbacks? Does this add variety? Or is it rather annoying and disrupts gameplay?