A new patch for World of Warcraft is coming. This brings some changes to dungeons and classes. Especially the changes to Mages, Paladins, and Druids should please many players, as the three classes lose some of their strength in PvP.
What are these changes? In the upcoming hotfix, Blizzard is specifically adjusting three classes in PvP:
- Druids: Convoke the Spirits can no longer cast Moonfire or Wild Charge when fighting other players. The spell belongs to the Night Fae, the strongest covenant for many Druids.
- Protection and Retribution Paladins deal 20% less healing with Word of Glory in combat against other players.
- Holy Paladins now have a 30-second cooldown on Divine Favor (previously 25 seconds) and the increased casting speed is now 30% (previously 60%).
- The effect of Infernal Cascade from the Mage is reduced by 33% in combat against players, and Evocation only grants 50% of the barrier.
The changes will take effect with the server restart on January 27, 2021.
Why is this important? Paladins are considered one of the strongest classes because they can heal their partner enormously even in damage or tank specialization, especially in an arena. Blizzard is now at least slightly reducing this.
Fire Mages are among the currently most popular classes in the arena, as they can potentially decide a round with their powerful spells in just a few seconds, for example by directly killing the opposing healer. Until now, only immunities helped.
Druids are also considered extremely annoying. Moonfire is a spell that actually needs to be cast for four seconds and then deals several tens of thousands of damage. Convoke the Spirits casts random Druid spells for four seconds.
If Moonfire appears at the very beginning of a Convoke, it doesn’t need to be cast for four seconds but occurs spontaneously. This way, Druids could potentially kill players before they could interrupt the spell.
Other PvP Changes and Dungeon Nerfs
What else is changing in PvP? The hotfix brings additional changes beyond the nerfs to the three classes that aim to modify the balance:
- In 2v2 arenas, “Dampening” now starts at 20% when both teams have either a tank or a healer.
- Players deal 20% less damage to the companions of Hunters, Death Knights, and Warlocks.
- The ability Fleshcraft of the Necrolords can now be used in the starting area of arenas and battlegrounds.
- The minecarts in the Silverpine Mine no longer take damage from spells and abilities.
Compared to the nerfs of Mages, Druids, and Paladins, these are relatively small adjustments.
These are the changes to dungeons: Additionally, several dungeons and the raid Castle Nathria received some adjustments. Four of the Shadowlands dungeons are receiving a significant nerf.
With the changes, some of the harder instances should become easier, and the mythic mode of the raid should become more pleasant for some guilds. The changes will also take effect on January 27.
What do you think of the changes in PvP? Did Mages, Paladins, and Druids also annoy you in the arenas and battlegrounds, or do you find the nerfs too strong? Which classes would you like to see balanced in the future? Let us know in the comments.
