Patch 4.1 PTR patch notes update for March 3
by Josh Myers 
Mar 3rd 2011 at 9:05PM
- Efflorescence has been redesigned. It creates a healing zone at the feet of a Swiftmend target, but this healing zone now restores health equal to 4/8/12% of the amount healed by Swiftmend to the three most injured targets within 8 yards, every 1 second for 7 seconds. This periodic effect now also benefits from spell haste, but the individual ticks cannot be critical effects.
- Spirit Link Totem (new talent) reduces damage taken by all party and raid members within 10 yards by 10%. This lasts 6 seconds, and every second it is active, the health of all affected players is redistributed among them such that each player ends up with the same percentage of their maximum health. This counts as an Air totem and has a 3-minute cooldown.
- The current healing priest 4-piece raid set bonus no longer requires a target to be under the effects of Weakened Soul for the priest to receive the Spirit bonus. Instead, the benefit will be granted each time the priest's Penance spell heals a target.
March 3rd patch notes update
Death Knights
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Talent Specializations
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Frost
- Howling Blast now has a facing requirement.
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Frost
- Prowl has a new icon.
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Talent Specializations
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Feral
- Feral Swiftness now also causes Dash and Stampeding Roar to have a 50/100% chance to instantly remove all movement impairing effects from the affected targets when used.
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Restoration
- Efflorescence has been redesigned. It creates a healing zone at the feet of a Swiftmend target, but this healing zone now restores health equal to 4/8/12% of the amount healed by Swiftmend to the three most injured targets within 8 yards, every 1 second for 7 seconds. This periodic effect now also benefits from spell haste, but the individual ticks cannot be critical effects.
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Feral
- Multi-Shot damage has been increased by 250%.
- The root effect from Shattered Barrier now shares diminishing returns with the root from Improved Cone of Cold.
- Grand Crusader will now generate a charge of Holy Power if the Avenger Shield it procs is used within 6 seconds.
- Holy Fire damage has been increased to be approximately 30% higher than Smite.
- Mind Sear damage has been doubled.
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Talent Specializations
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Discipline
- Atonement now works with Holy Fire in addition to Smite.
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Discipline
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Talent Specializations
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Restoration
- Deep Healing now benefits all heals, not just direct heals.
- Spirit Link Totem (new talent) reduces damage taken by all party and raid members within 10 yards by 10%. This lasts 6 seconds, and every second it is active the health of all affected players is redistributed among them, such that each player ends up with the same percentage of their maximum health. This counts as an Air totem and has a 3-minute cooldown.
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Restoration
- Rain of Fire damage has been increased by 25%.
- Seed of Corruption damage has been increased by 20%.
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Talent Specializations
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Fury
- Precision (passive) now increase auto-attack damage by 40%, in addition to the 3% hit it offers currently.
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Glyphs
- Glyph of Rake is now Glyph of Pounce, which increases the range of Pounce by 3 yards.
- Glyph of Divine Accuracy now also affects Holy Fire in addition to Smite.
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Fury
- The current healing priest 4-piece raid set bonus no longer requires a target to be under the effects of Weakened Soul for the priest to receive the Spirit bonus. Instead the benefit will be granted each time the priest's Penance spell heals a target.
Filed under: News items, Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Ditchcricket Mar 3rd 2011 9:10PM
Spirit Link!? Holy Shmoly!
Drakkenfyre Mar 3rd 2011 9:14PM
It just won't die.
It was originally it's own spell on the 3.0.2 PTR. Never made it live.
Was sad to see it go.
Shamper Mar 3rd 2011 9:50PM
Didn't you mean to say "resto schmesto!"?
Um sorry, it's been a long day......
johnthediver Mar 4th 2011 11:56AM
I fear for the 10 yard range portion of this totem. This means healers will have to be in melee range to use it as a tank saving CD. Not exactly what I was hoping for for a resto CD.
Artificial Mar 4th 2011 12:46PM
@johnthediver: At least you're not wearing cloth... :p
Minos Mar 4th 2011 1:13PM
@johnthediver:
Clearly, shamans need to borrow from hunters and get a totem launcher.
verse Mar 4th 2011 1:16PM
Spirit Link Totem promptly being renamed "Obama Link Totem."
It claims its here to reduce dmg taken by 10%, but all it really wants is to redistribute health.
; )
Harvoc Mar 3rd 2011 9:11PM
Well looks like Restoration shamans got both a raid cooldown and spirit link. I must say the idea behind it is pretty creative and is also an Air totem, the category with the least number of totems. How it works out in a raid environment is hard to predict but I have high hopes for it. So, congratulatons shamans!
Merch Mar 3rd 2011 10:11PM
Yeah but 10 yard range? That's really limited. As a healer, my basic rule is to stay away from the bad people hurting my tank. I know that are fights where the group stacks so sure it will be useful there, but in general, I don't like it. Unless they allow us to drop it at range, which I doubt they will.
vocenoctum Mar 3rd 2011 10:56PM
Oh great, now I have Totem Launcher stuck in my head, I hope you're happy!
zweitblom Mar 3rd 2011 11:38PM
Seriously, I do not get the excitement displayed by some commenters here. It's 10%, for 6 seconds, within 10 yards, on a three minute CD. This is Sentry Totem 2.0.
Matrillik Mar 4th 2011 1:00AM
Wrong, it's 10% and a spirit link, which means all the melee that would take incidental damage from aoes and cleaves n shit would also take 10% less damage and the tank damage would be spread throughout the melee as well, at which point you can chain heal your balls off and the tank won't die. It's awesome.
Boobah Mar 4th 2011 1:21AM
Yeah, because if the only people in those ten yards is you (at full health) and a tank (at, say, 10% health) you drop the totem and a second later you're both at 55% health, a 1-second 45% heal on the tank. If there's two full health people and a 10% tank, after one second all three are at 70% health, for a 60% heal on the tank. Totally worthless.
The 10% damage reduction is just gravy.
Cody Mar 4th 2011 2:42AM
So spec into the Totem radius to increase it or does that not work?
Imnick Mar 4th 2011 6:53AM
You people are just thinking about it wrong.
This is an AOE damage cooldown.
Power Word: Barrier suffers from all the same drawbacks as a 10 yard totem but nobody says it is useless.
There are many occasions such as Chimaeron's Feud, Nefarian's Crackle, Cho'Gall Phase Three, Magmatron, Theralion, Al'Akir Phase Two, Maloriak and Atramedes where players will just be stacked on top of eachother so that AOE effects hit everyone.
In any of those cases this will be an extremely valuable totem because not only does it reduce incoming damage it increases the efficiency of other people's AOE heals and allows the benefits of defensive cooldowns to be shared by the whole group.
If for example a priest within ten yards of the totem uses dispersion, everyone's damage taken is reduced for the eight seconds the totem is down.
Yshara Mar 4th 2011 10:42AM
The reason nobody says PW:B is useless is that it can be cast at range, whereas shaman have to drop totems right where they are standing. Normally healers don't stand with the tank.
Whitecatsjogging Mar 4th 2011 2:27PM
What about the idiots that don't know how to stand behind a boss? Tank healing would be going well until melee takes a massive blow with tank, then tanks health is really low with the possibility of dieing from a immediate 2 nd blow. Not great for pugs.
Imnick Mar 5th 2011 12:01AM
So it can't be cast on the tank
...and?
Who said it was a tank healing spell?
It's not!
If you read my comment I said it was an AOE healing spell, for the times when you are all stacked in AOE floor effects healing with AOE.
If the tank is standing in these effects he will benefit from the totem, if he is not then he will not benefit from the totem but also won't have been getting any AOE healing anyway.
Hollow Leviathan Mar 3rd 2011 9:11PM
I'm glad they're working to incorporate fan-favorite idea Spirit Link still. It raises the question of whether you can heal the lowest max-hp member during it's effect to keep the tank topped off for much less effort.
Boobah Mar 4th 2011 1:27AM
You can't top the tank off that way. Admittedly, it ticks more often than you can probably cast, but as described any overheal is just plain lost. If there are lots of people, your multi-target heals just became your best way to heal the tank, though.