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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsHybrid Theory: Spell Power hands on
by Alex Ziebart 
Aug 3rd 2008 at 1:00PM
We've chit-chatted about the new Spell Power mechanic off and on, but we've never gone into serious detail about it yet. Why? Well, we didn't really know how it worked. We knew what it does but very few of us had a real hands-on experience with it. That has since changed.
Spell Power has done very very good things for the Hybrid classes, pretty much across the board. Obviously it will not drastically change Feral, Enhancement or Retribution, but it actually does add to those last two as well to some extent. Primarily it changes the Healing and Caster specs of the Hybrid classes, obviously. It brings back a lot hybridiness* to classes that... really haven't felt that way in quite awhile.
The way Spell Power works is that all +Damage and all +Healing are collapsed into one stat: Spell Power. Healing spells were rumored to just use 2x your Spell Power as its base, but that isn't really the case. Healing spells just generally use a higher coefficient than damaging spells. Say, Flash of Light will get a greater benefit than Scorch, both being spells with a 1.5 second cast time. There was a lot of worry that this change would gut some classes' healing numbers due to the transition over to the new system, but the consensus has actually been that most classes are putting out bigger healing numbers for one reason or another. Probably the coefficients are balanced in a way that they will have very little change (if any) and the higher numbers we're seeing are a result of things like Blessing of Light being folded into the base healing of Paladin heals.
In the short term, when we're looking at soloing and leveling, this has done some nice things. I won't post spreadsheets and charts displaying the DPS changes and things like that, but I can say that soloing in your healing gear has gotten much, much easier. It isn't ideal DPS gear, but it has become passable, much moreso than it was. At the same time, your DPS gear has become passable Healing gear, though again not ideal.
Now, my situation is not going to be identical to everyone's since my DPS gear is largely from Sunwell Plateau, but I disenchanted my mostly T6 Healing gear shortly after logging my Priest onto the beta realms, because my DPS gear was basically just as good for healing 5-man dungeons. There was no reason to have two sets. It functions just fine both as Healing gear and DPS gear. It wasn't ideal for both roles, but it was more than enough. In my damage gear and specced Holy, I still managed to crit a Greater Heal for nearly 13,000, because all of the Spell Damage I used to have is now working at a coefficient equal to if it were +Healing. Of course, +Healing isn't the only stat you need as a Healer, but the point is my damage gear doubled as Healing gear just fine.
Another thing this has done is provide options. For example, a quest that takes place in the Nexus offers Mantle of Keristrasza or Cloak of Azure Lights. Both cloaks can be used by certain classes for certain specs, not just healing and not just DPS. There isn't just one DPS cloak and one Healing cloak. One of them is probably better suited to your spec, but the other may be better suited to your personal playstyle. That's fine. You have more choices available to you now.
Does this choice mean more casters and healers will make poor gear choices and roll on things they probably shouldn't in dungeons? Well... yeah, unfortunately. Anytime you give people choices many of them will make the wrong ones. However, overall, I think it's turning out to be a pretty good thing, especially for healers. My Shaman in Karazhan gear managed to solo through the newbie zones of Northrend specced Ele in Resto gear without any hitches. When I upgraded pieces of gear, I didn't need to worry whether or not I needed to save what I replaced for X spec of Y situation. I vendored it and moved on with life.
In the long term this choice will, as always, disintegrate a little bit come raiding. Only if you raid hardcore, though. Hardcore is another nebulous term, but let's pretend we're on the same page, eh? In a 'hardcore' progression guild, there's always going to be a gearset that is ideal for your spec. That's just the nature of gaming. Perfection. The freedom that Spell Power gives you in choosing your gear will largely fade away. But you know, that's fine. It's no big deal, really. It's still a huge boon to Healers and Casters alike, especially the ones of the Hybrid variety.
Oh, you Melee DPS guys? You guys with AP to Spell Power talents? It's not just your Shocks and Judgements that are getting a fun little boost, no sir. My Ret Paladin is having quite a lot of fun owning face and then healing herself up with Sheath of Light goodness. Delicious.
*It's in my dictionary, why isn't it in yours?
Do you have a burning desire for more sweet, sweet Hybrid Theory? Take a look at our discussions on the looming arrival of the Death Knight. You may also be interested in the possible changes coming for Shaman, Druids and Shadow Priests. For other class columns and guides, take a look at the WoW Insider Directory!Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Priest, Shaman, Analysis / Opinion, Expansions, Hybrid Theory, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 4)
Ghey Aug 3rd 2008 5:47PM
You pretty much need two DPS'ers to take down a PVP geared healer.
Notice how I say PVP (max resilience and 12k hp) and not mooncloth.
mufee Aug 3rd 2008 7:09PM
denial
obarthelemy Aug 3rd 2008 2:03PM
I'm wondering if my nicely geared healing priest should still farm DPS gear in preparation for WotLK or not.
Does 'old' (BC) +heal gear get converted to Spell Power too ? In that case, no need for two distinct sets from now on, without waiting for WotLK.
Eamara Aug 3rd 2008 4:00PM
Yes, all old gear with either +damage or +healing gets converted into Spell Power.
Palladiamors Aug 3rd 2008 2:11PM
*Chuckles* I get the feeling not to many of you were around pre-TBC. Back when plus healing or plus damage were hard to find. It wasn't balanced towards spelldamage back then, but if you had it, it definitely helped tip things in your favor. I say this because as a holy paladin in simple Lightforge gear, I was the anti-rogue and anti-warrior. It was TBC that defined the difference between 'healer' and 'dps' as far as casters went. With the addition of easy to aquire spell power or healing gear, the balance had to be rescaled, and suddenly the damage a healer could put out wasn't so impressive anymore. I think the change to flat rate spellpower will be nice, but I also think holy paladins are coming out ahead since the regearing of protection and retribution paladins. I hope there is some sort of defining trait to assist healers, since any caster class can cry for critical, but healers can't cry for hit.
jappaex Aug 3rd 2008 2:31PM
Ahhh yes back in the days of MC's +30 Spell dmg epic weps... i miss MC lol.
DirtyPriest Aug 3rd 2008 6:37PM
Hmmm I completely forgot back then everyone had 0 spellpower until Blizzard starting putting in specialized gear. I was thinking it would be imbalancing, but at some point in the game, healing/nukes of hybrid classes were on nearly the same level i.e. baseline. Healing specific gear or nuking specific gear would make your other half of your class completely useless. So it should be more or less back the way it was before spell power became so prevalent. We'll see.
Palladiamors Aug 3rd 2008 2:13PM
From my understand, +healing and damage has just stopped existing all around, and is now just spellpower. But I wonder if that applies to greens of healing and of the prophet and such?
Jaynitan Aug 3rd 2008 4:46PM
All gear will be assimilated, resistance is futile.
Greens and everything will be adjusted to the new values of spellpower. The tuning is supposed to keep your heals healing for about the same or a little more than before and keep your dps where it was.
STereo Aug 3rd 2008 2:39PM
No class should be able to effectively heal and dps in the same fight. There are 4 classes in the game that are dps only - anyone would be stupid to roll one of those classes if there's another class that can bring both dps and healing to the table at the same time.
Greede Aug 3rd 2008 3:21PM
Nothing will stop people from re rolling other then that person. Alot of people who play a DPS class use to be a tank/healer and swore it off cuz they didnt like it. Allowing a Healer to Quest on his own without having to have a DPS grouped with him makes the game more casual, but like was said in the article if you want to be top end in anything be it PvP or PvE you need to have the right gear for the right spec and cant expect to out DPS a shadow priest as a Holypriest just because you have spell power.
awall Aug 3rd 2008 3:35PM
Dedicated dps classes will still have their spots. Serving as a main healer will still require taking a spec. that reduces their effective dps well below that of a caster dps class. In early encounters, this may mean you can bring a tank and several healers. When max dps is required, though, dps classes and specs will still be needed.
Tbear Aug 3rd 2008 4:14PM
That may be your opinion, but Blizzard thinks otherwise. There is a shortage of healers, this will help with that problem.
Cookie McWeaksauce Aug 3rd 2008 4:36PM
You're overreacting. This system changes almost nothing. Healers still won't be able to dps nearly as well as dpsers, because they won't have dps talents. My resto druid has a nice set of cat gear, but his dps is nowhere near good enough to be much use in a dungeon. Almost all healers out there today already have one set for damage-dealing (or more), and one set for healing. And almost none of them are trying to replace real dps classes/specs in instance runs.
The only huge difference under the spellpower system is that they won't always have to switch between two sets of gear for group/solo play anymore... unless of course they prefer to melee while soloing, as my druid does (bah!). Healers will be able to throw out more damage in between heals, and caster druids and shaman should be able to do some useful offhealing, but it still won't be passable as main dps or main healing, as far as groups are concerned.
That said, it does seem potentially OP in terms of pvp.
Tyler Aug 3rd 2008 2:53PM
Hybrids are meant to be able to do multiple things.
BTW the correct term is 'Hybridity'. :p
Palladiamors Aug 3rd 2008 3:03PM
Wow, are people really whining and crying about this? You guys..... have never played a hybrid, have you? How can it possibly be bad that a class specced for DPS is going to be able to heal you better? And how can it bad that the class that is HEALING you is actually going to be able to help you kill things?
Huey2k2 Aug 3rd 2008 4:08PM
People are complaining because hybrids are getting better at everything, and non hybrids are keeping the status quo.
Hybrids will be able to do damage and heal with one spec in WotLK, I as a mage will be stuck doing damage, and not much more damage than a DPS specc'd hybrid who can ALSO heal.
How is this fair?
Raymund Aug 3rd 2008 4:32PM
Hybrids have ALWAYS been able to heal themselves (Druids, Paladins, Shamans, Priests) no matter WHAT spec, but if it isn't correctly specced, it isn't efficient.
NOTHING has changed except a little bit of itemization.
You rolled a mage. Mages don't heal. Thats a class mechanic. Also, if you have trouble out-DPSing an equally geared hybrid class as a pure damage class, then your spec is probably stupid and you have 0 clue about spell rotations.
Your arguement is saying "OMG BALANCE DURIDS IZ GETTIN LIFEBLOOM" Well, sir/miss, we've had that for a while. Even feral druids have it! Imagine that....
Jordrah Aug 3rd 2008 6:09PM
hybrids will always be better than the non hybrid classes. they might not be able to out do them at their job, but overall, they are better. at least thats how it should be =P
and mages already have a heal, its called Conjure Food
Palladiamors Aug 3rd 2008 6:50PM
Huey, what? Only two classes are capable of shutting down my healing and then offing me in short order, and those are rogues, and mages. Counterspell is your friend. I hate to say it, but if your outgeared, then ain't much going to be able to help you, except better gear.