Wrath news for Discipline and tanks
by Matthew Rossi 
Aug 5th 2008 at 6:00PM
Redoubtable Blizzard poster Koraa comes to the rescue with words of reassurance: if rage/mana generation continues to be an issue with these spells (since they absorb damage and thus either prevent the tank from gaining rage via damage or mana via healing that damage) then there may well be changes to allow them to be less of a problem. We're warned that this would be a last resort fix, however.
I'd personally love it if a priest could shield me as I run in on a boss without being worried that I won't get enough initial rage to start generating threat. Perhaps (as some posters argue) the bosses will be hitting so fast that rage won't be an issue. We'll see what happens, of course, but the very idea of Power Word: Shield and its related talents not cheating me of my initial threat generation makes me giddy.
Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Priest, Warrior, Analysis / Opinion, Expansions, Death Knight, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Manatank Aug 5th 2008 6:14PM
As a Prot Paladin I'd love if people would stop teaching priests not to shield. I want it up when ever it is off cooldown. If I have mana issues, I can fix that with gearing that increases my overall threat.
Barzaar Aug 5th 2008 6:34PM
PW:Shield isn't exactly very mana efficient... especially not for the small amount it absorbs.
sadartaud Aug 5th 2008 6:36PM
As a priest who's healed in every spec, I can confidently tell you that the reason we don't regularly shield (excepting that pre-battle shield) is because unless forced to move, it's always more efficient to cast flash heal than it is to shield. Taking +heal and global cooldown into account, the flash heal is always more efficient.
Leaving out Improved Power Word Shield and talents that augment Flash Heal (to make the math easier) we're talking 600 mana to prevent 1300 +30% +heals damage versus 470 mana to heal 1101-1279 +42.8% +heals +the possibility of critting.
If you're a prot pally the Flash Heal has the added bonus of mana regen whereas the Shield gives you squat.
Just my two cents.
Manatank Aug 5th 2008 6:42PM
If you shield me, I can throw another avenger's shield. Don't forget the spell casting pushback negation.
Sallix Aug 5th 2008 7:30PM
Playing with a Priest (me as a Pally tank) I've learnt that the most of the time the shield is used as an "oh crap" button, say I got reduced to low health and a cast time would take too long, the shield buys the priest time.
Jim Aug 5th 2008 6:18PM
The good folks at Elitist Jerks have often said PW:Shield being bad is a myth for tanks in raids. I don't know, and tanks don't like it so I don't do it, though I tend to believe that it's probably negligible, just like its mitigation. Reflective shield would generate threat on its own, though it's not like there are a ton of Disc Priests raiding to test it out.
Regardless, it seems like all of the talents we are seeing look like our bad guys are going to be really, really, bad.
Queso Aug 5th 2008 10:48PM
It actually says in the talent "this damage causes no threat"
my2cents Aug 6th 2008 1:10AM
tbh I think the whole argument of "Power Word: Shield is good vs. Power Word: Shield is bad" is a bit silly. On my priest, I find that there are plenty of times when it's worth using. I'm extremely glad I have it. But on the other hand, I don't generally renew it repeatedly every time someone's Weakened Soul debuff falls off. It's a very useful, but situational spell plain and simple. Whether or not deep Disc will change that has yet to be seen.
Boondoggle Aug 5th 2008 6:42PM
The reason Priests don't cast PW:S more often is not rage mechanics, it's that it is terribly inefficient in terms of hps and hpm.
The 1.5 gcd makes it pale in comparison to flash heal, which is likewise inferior to a GHeal. PW:S is properly used when the target has less than a second and a half to live or you have to heal on the run.
Myssidia Aug 5th 2008 6:49PM
Well... If you also take into account the new talents, PW:S won't be as mana inefficient. It should actually *give* you mana, if my math is correct. And since the GCD is going down to 1 sec, it makes for an even better (and now more mana efficient) buffer before the Penance, Flash Heal, or Greater Heal. I've been quasi excited about these changes since I first saw them. =D
Jack Spicer Aug 5th 2008 7:04PM
I'm terrible at theory crafting, so I'm just going to list the list of talents that can buff a discipline priest's Power Word: Shield as listed on the Official Wrath Beta talent calculator. (These are all given as max points invested)
*Improved Power Word: Shield - Increases the damage absorbed by PWS by 15%
* Reflective Shield - 50% damage absorbed is reflected on the attacker
* Rapture 25% of the damage absorbed by PWS is returned to you as mana
* Borrowed Time - Increases amount absorbed by PWS by 20% of +healing
Not to mention the regular +Spell Power talents:
*Twin Discipline +5% spell power
*Imp. Divine Spirit 6% spirit into +spell power
*Enlightenment +5% spell power (int, sta, and spirit too)
And Mental agility - -10% Mana cost to instant cast spells.
All those taken in combination would, I believe, make PWS a fairly efficient spell. You'd have to spec for it, of course, though.
Boondoggle Aug 5th 2008 7:48PM
What you have to give up, however, to get the mana return and lowered gcd is everything below 20 points in holy: spiritual guidance, spiritual healing, circle of healing, and other goodies.
PW:S certainly has its uses, and it is looking like it will get even better in WotLK, but when it comes to PvE healing, it still will not have the efficiency to make a healing rotation, regardless of spec.
Fletch Aug 5th 2008 6:50PM
PW: Shield and low threat binding heals can be a useful (albeit somewhat mana intensive) strategy to avoid pulling aggro from the tank where CC is lacking and there are a lot of mobs. Shielding can also be handy where the tank is being subjected to mortal strikes as it is not affected by the reduction to healing. In these situations I generally don't find that the tank has too much problem with rage. That said, the larger mana cost of shield means that it is not something I throw around too much
yaba Aug 5th 2008 7:37PM
Those shields last for just a small time tanks just need to keep threat up and late in fight that wouldnt be an issue.
Tanks are also suposed to be getting more DPS now,so warriors might get more rage .
Bears generate a lot of Rage through crits and damage already.
Paladins are getting a better mana management .
DKs dont seem to have a real problem like rage starvation.
Disc is probably gonna be a better PVE spec now,I am just worried it is still gonna be so absurdly good on PVP that holy will be forgotten.
-pvp power and+pve to disc and equal pve and + pvp to holy then we get a perfect balance.
D Aug 5th 2008 7:42PM
There is a time and a place to shield tanks. When I run heroics here's the technique I use on pulls.
Shield the tank. Cast Prayer of mending on the tank. When Prayer of Mending is near cooldown I let the tank know. Tank pulls, heroic mob rips the shield off in 1-2 hits and triggers prayer of mending. 3800 dmg mitigated and the tank builds some extra threat with Prayer of Mending. I cast Prayer of Mending on the tank again as *soon* as I see the first trigger. Another 1800 healed and more threat on the tank. Then I start healing. This gives the tank a very nice lead in threat and mitigates enough damage that I don't have to start heal spamming right away.
Now, if your tank is geared to the gills and you don't have to worry about spamming heals from the get-go, this technique is not for you, but most of the time I have to do this.
This post is of interest to me because I've been thinking alot about Disc healing in groups in regards to rage/threat generation. So many shield talents and effects. I hope they don't go to waste because of rage/threat mechanics.
weasldude Aug 5th 2008 8:33PM
Honestly.....
A shield is an awesome thing to have put you on you in various situations. My first main was a raid healing priest. I now main tank.
1) You can use it to head in to a pull to give you an edge on the race to beat healing aggro vs the damage you are having to take. This is more useful in heroics which are very unforgiving, or if you are just not as geared as you could be, or having to use a gear setup such as for threat gen that is not favoring your damage avoidance/mitigation like in Reliquary of Souls phase 3.
2) You can have it put on you whilst anticipating very large damage but not actually taking any, and its damage prevention power can be stacked with actual casted heals and other hots to help you survive a lot more easily vs very large amounts of incoming damage. All of this flash heal is more efficient crap is garbage. You can't flash heal while casting greater heal. O_O
Rancor Aug 5th 2008 9:26PM
You got POM you NOOOOB. Learn to Priest or go play another game. Why is it that you people on wowinsider try to make a thing out of nothing everytime there is nothing to make a thing out of. Zzz...
Linkage Aug 6th 2008 12:53AM
Since POM is healing after damage is done, I'm pretty sure it won't prevent a killing blow even if the damage is less than POM's heal.
Shinken Aug 5th 2008 10:05PM
I think it doesn't matter which is more efficient flash vs pw:s Rather PW:S allows one to cushion inc dmg.
PW:S is a good way to catch up on healing. Think of it as a spirit link.
Wist Aug 6th 2008 12:54AM
As a raid healer, I find Shields to be an invaluable resource. Break it down. Forgetting the incoming abilities in WotLK, they:
* Prevent physical and spell damage on a target (obviously)
* Operate as an instant (and therefore costs less with Disc talents), so you can shield a raid member taking damage while other members use slower, more powerful heals to save them before it drops
* Block poison damage and other DoT ticks
* Prevent spellcasting interuption due to damage
* Reflect damage back onto an attacker (with existing Disc talent)
* Can be used with PoM for an aural indicator of when a raid member is taking damage (I use it similarly, D).
Now, we can make the same circular arguments about efficiency and mana per heal and whatnot, but in the end...do you use it? Does it work? Is it effective?
Sure is, if you use it right. I saved a couple people in Hyjal from sticky death tonight with it. And it's only getting better. I can't wait.