Warlocks rejoice, Kalgan has just officially confirmed that previously mentioned removal of the Lifetap nerf was intentional. While they were originally concerned that Warlocks were still too overly represented in the arenas, he said, a recent downtrend in their numbers convinced them to withdraw the nerfs, at least until the numbers settle down again. He also shared a chart that revealed Blizzard's analysis of the number of a class in each arena type vs. their desired numbers for the 2200+ and 1850 score ranges. The numbers are shown as a percentage by class and team type. A Percentage of 100% means they're at Blizzard's expected representation level. Above that means they outpace it, below means they're below it.

We'll show you the charts here after the break.

Here's the numbers for the 2200+ bracket:

         2v2     3v3     5v5

Druid	276.0%	184.0%	80.5%

Hunter	43.0%	50.2%	43.0%

Mage	8.7%	96.0%	96.0%

Paladin	19.7%	29.5%	147.4%

Priest	113.3%	164.8%	185.4%

Shaman	37.8%	50.4%	138.6%

Rogue	144.2%	175.1%	61.8%

Warlock	149.2%	93.2%	111.9%

Warrior	130.4%	90.7%	79.3%

He's also posted the numbers for the 1850 bracket:

Druid	184.0%	138.0%	92.0%

Hunter	50.2%	50.2%	50.2%

Mage	61.1%	87.3%	87.3%

Paladin	68.8%	88.4%	137.6%

Priest	133.9%	133.9%	154.5%

Shaman	75.6%	88.2%	138.6%

Rogue	154.5%	154.5%	82.4%

Warlock	121.2%	102.5%	102.5%

Warrior	90.7%	85.0%	85.0%

For a veteran of the arenas, these numbers probably aren't overly surprising (Although I do admit that Warriors are a lot lower than I expected at the 2v2 1850 bracket). If you looked at this chart long enough, you could probably find plenty of insights into how Blizzard decides what to balance, and why they've talked about focusing on Hunter, Shaman, and Mage buffs as of late. You might not want to read too much into the numbers quite yet though: They don't tell us which specs are represented for each class in what proportions, and Kalgan said that they try not to be a slave to the charts: I.E., don't expect any 5v5 buffs for Warriors any time soon. He also says that they look for how synergies and class representation come into play. For example, they assume the over-representation of Druids may help drive down the number of Paladins in the 2v2 and 3v3 brackets -- although for me, I'd say one should also say that a druid's wide arsenal of instant cast healing spells helps that too.

On what might be a less happy note for Shamans, Kalgan has confirmed in that same series of posts that the removal of the Flametongue Mortal Strike debuff was intentional as well. He said they felt that they'd gone a bit too far with that change. We'll have to see if they give Shamans anything to replace it.

So what do you think about this chart? Does it match up to your expectations? What do you think about the numbers for your favorite (or least favorite) PvP class?

Tags: arena-charts, chart, flametongue, kalgan, life-tap, warlock-life-tap-nerf

Filed under: Shaman, Forums, Classes, PvP, News items, Blizzard, Analysis / Opinion, Patches, Warlock, Arena