Patch 3.2.2 PTR Druid changes
by Allison Robert 
Aug 20th 2009 at 4:00PM
MOONKIN FORM: This form now also reduces the damage the druid takes while stunned by 15%.
Ghostcrawler mentioned recently that the main concern for Balance PvP isn't damage or CC -- it's just survivability, pure and simple. This is a very welcome change in that vein, although I'm surprised that it went to us over other casters, who are arguably more vulnerable to melee stuns. Well...maybe not. Shadow Priests have Dispersion, Warlocks have Demonic Circle, Mages have Ice Block and Blink, and so on. All of these are instant-cast, which might be part of why they're more effective "Oh s^$t!" buttons than Roots and Cyclone, both of which can be interrupted and silenced. Travel Form leaves you more vulnerable than you are in Moonkin, Bear Form has limited options given that most moonkin PvP builds I see still don't put any points in Feral despite the change to Survival Instincts, and Nature's Grasp -- well, you have to get hit for that to trigger that anyway.
We'll see if this helps, although if the root of Balance arena issues lies in the vulnerability of caster form (which was one of the factors driving the "tankiness" of Trees in Season 6), this change just nudges the Druid to stay in moonkin more than they already are. Still, I'm curious to see what effect this will have.
TYPHOON: The knockback distance for this spell has been increased to match Thunderstorm.
Huh. I actually had no clue that the Thunderstorm knockback was bigger all this time. Well, I fail at Comparative Hybrids 101.
PREDATORY STRIKES: This talent now also causes the Druid's finishing moves to provide a 7/13/20% chance per combo point to make the next Nature spell with a cast time below 10 seconds instant cast.
Translated from Developerese, this means you'll have a stacking 20% chance per combo point of getting an insta-cast Nature spell after landing a finishing a move in Cat, i.e. 100% at 5. In PvP, I expect this will typically be a heal, although Entangling Roots and Hibernate -- versus Hunter pets and other Druids -- come to mind too.
EDIT: I wrote the article at 2:00 this morning and it shows. Analysis fixed up, much love and thanks to the commenters who caught a boneheaded mistake.
Experienced Ferals will recognize this as a version of the Tier 5 two-piece set bonus. To this day, I'm still not sure why they phrased that bonus the way they did, because shaving 2 seconds off a 2-second cast spell = 0 seconds, which to normal people is also known as "insta-cast," but that is all part of the mystery that is Blizzard. Maybe they employ a post-structural theorist as a copywriter there, I don't know. Anyway, the insta-Regrowth was mostly useless for PvE purposes, but to be honest, I rather enjoyed it. It was always fun for soloing, and it saved both me and a few other people on fights like Vashj occasionally. It was also sought as a PvP bonus, to the point where the few dogged PvP Ferals I knew at the time were still running two-piece T5 well into Season 3.
Because it's the PTR, I expect Blizzard is waiting to see whether this addition will measurably impact Feral PvP (which has generally been pretty dismal in arena), so stay tuned.
2n - 1 go left, 2n go right. I don't see enough DoTs! More DoTs now! Are you ready for the return of Onyxia? With the Brood Mother being revitalized as a 10 and 25 person raid, you'll need to be sure you know everything that's coming at you. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2.2 will make sure your set for the next patch!
Filed under: Druid, Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Guides, Classes
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Noraa Aug 20th 2009 4:04PM
yar
Kenage Aug 20th 2009 4:08PM
Unless I'm reading it wrong, the Predatory Strikes change says 7/13/20% chance *per combo point*, meaning 5-CP finishers give 100% chance.
Mitch Aug 20th 2009 4:16PM
^^^ 100% chance on 5 combo point finisher. Pretty self-explanatory, imo. Also . . . cyclone is a nature based spell . . .
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=33786
OY
Allison Robert Aug 20th 2009 4:23PM
You're 100% correct, and thank you. No more writing articles at 2:00 sans caffeine for me!
Mitch Aug 20th 2009 4:50PM
We all make mistakes ^_^
Continuum6 Aug 20th 2009 8:36PM
I have recently been concidering abandoning my beloved PvP Feral. Not anymore. He's currently decked out in full Hatefull with Deadly nonset pieces and "of Triumph" rings, neck, etc.
I love my druid and i love PvP, but there has just been something irritating me about being virtually CC-less against silence and interrupt-enabled foes unless i blow seconds off my stuns to cyclone or root them that could otherwise be used for damage.
This fixes everything. I thought about getting my warlock's health up to an obscene 27k to have fun melting faces, or leveling my 39 rogue, but this makes me happy.
Looks like i still can haz cheezburger =)
Saelorn Aug 20th 2009 4:08PM
The way you quoted it makes it sound like "20% chance per combo point" is the correct interpretation, and a 5-point finished guarantees it (which is the opposite of your analysis).
Flairn Aug 20th 2009 4:26PM
Exactly. The 'developernese' says that at maximum talent points in predatory strikes, you have 20% chance to get an insta nature spell (in pvp I agree, probably a heal) for every combo point. ie. 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% depending on the number of combo points. I think a lot of the kitty builds out there are cheering now. Especially in arenas, a good strategy will be to mangle (or do whatever) until you get to 4 or 5 combo points, then maim and while the opponent is stunned, cast and insta heal on yourself, then shift back. This will give more then enough time to get the heal on yourself and generate some energy after you shift back, probably even do some damage. Obviously I haven't tried it yet, since I'm not on the PTR, but I think if it patches through like this, it should increase feral survivability by a noticeable ammount.
Allison Robert Aug 20th 2009 4:32PM
Entirely correct, and I fixed up the article to reflect this. I remember writing this last night in a sleep-deprived haze wondering what possible good a 20% chance could do except to leave arena match outcomes up to RNG even more than they already are. Naturellement, this makes a great deal more sense, and is probably a more "balanced" version of the Tier 5 feral bonus given that you *have* to be stacking some CP's in Cat to get any use out of it, rather than just shifting out of form.
micgillam Aug 20th 2009 4:10PM
"To this day, I'm still not sure why they phrased that bonus the way they did, because shaving 2 seconds off a 2-second cast spell = 0 seconds, which to normal people is also known as "insta-cast," but that is all part of the mystery that is Blizzard."
I can't say for certain if this is how it worked, but from a theory standpoint it's possible that the discrepancy was that the bonus was applied after spellcasting-slowing debuffs (like mind-numbing poison, curse of tongues). So if there was a debuff slowing spellcasting by 30%, regrowth would still take 0.6 sec to cast. Whereas if the bonus was applied beforehand, a %30 increase in casting time on an instant is still 0 seconds.
Pure speculation.
Allison Robert Aug 20th 2009 4:26PM
That makes a lot of sense. The Arcane Mage's Slow (what few Arcane mages you'd find in arena) and the Rogue's Mind-Numbing Poison could certainly have factored into the decision to word the bonus that way, and I expect Blizz would probably have thought about that in programming what was pretty obviously a PvP-oriented bonus.
Turtlehead Aug 20th 2009 11:18PM
That's the most likely reason. Another possibility is the set was created at a time when Blizzard was considering changing the cast time of the spell but in the end didn't. There are a few places in the game where nuggets of never-made change show as oddities. (Though of course none come to mind right now. Doh.)
I wonder if a spell that reaches 0 sec does = instantcast in the code. Probably does; I don't have a toon with any 0 sec gear or talents (only makes-instant ones) but someone would've noticed by now if their 0 sec Regrowth couldn't be cast while moving!
djjdogxxx03 Aug 20th 2009 4:10PM
Yeah druids are more OP now.... WTF!!!!!
Razz Aug 20th 2009 4:20PM
I read the Predatory Strikes change differently than Allison. It says there's a 20% chance *per combo point*, meaning a 5-point finisher guarantees the effect (which is why it's set to 20% at the highest level, I'd imagine).
Also, according to Wowhead, Cyclone is in the Nature school. Am I missing something as to why it wouldn't qualify?
Bigchuck Aug 20th 2009 4:12PM
his talent now also causes the Druid's finishing moves to provide a 7/13/20% chance per combo point to make the next Nature spell with a cast time below 10 seconds instant cast.
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What interests me is that the likelihood of this triggering isn't dependent on how many combo points you have
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Umm, it says right there in the description "per combo point". Also, wowhead lists cyclone as a nature spell, so as far as I can tell this article is completely wrong.
Feist Aug 20th 2009 4:34PM
Actually What interests me is that the likelihood of this triggering isn't dependent on how many combo points you have; it's a flat 20% chance per finisher, any finisher is untrue.
Read the tooltip again. 20% chance per combo point, means it's 1/5 on a one pointer, but guaranteed on a 5 pointer - it works like the Rogue talent Relentless Strikes based on the wording, which means using 5 point finishers will let you guarantee instant-nature spells after a shift.
So, 5 point maim-> instant heal -> shift back before the CC wears off.
Allison Robert Aug 20th 2009 4:35PM
Fixed! My apologies again, I'm still /headdesking over it.
Aarkan Aug 20th 2009 4:18PM
5pt finisher = 100% maelstrom weap
Sarakin Aug 20th 2009 6:43PM
i love maelstrom weapon. it's mine though don't take it from me druids
Aarkan Aug 24th 2009 10:44AM
We didn't ask for it! I am excited about it though it'll definitely be nice to pop a regrowth on myself in the middle of hectic fights. I usually drop a finisher right before the "RUN AWAY!" phases anyway. Or I could always cast wrath o.0