World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Upcoming Feral changes

Ghostcrawler

Blizzard Poster

0. Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 11:47:35 AM PST

ARMOR
We are changing the way bear armor works so that bonus armor on items does not receive the bear armor multiplier. Specifically this means that trinkets, rings, necks and cloaks with bonus armor will not be multiplied by the bear bonus. The normal armor on leather will still be multiplied by this bonus. We are also going to remove bonus armor from Feral staves. You’ll get your bonus armor from the leather you acquire.

Examples:
1) A ring that grants 100 bonus armor will now grant a bear 100 armor (not ~470 armor).
2) Leather legs with 253 armor will still grant a bear ~1190 armor (not 253 armor).
3) A feral staff will now grant 0 armor.

We are making this change because armor is such a good stat for bears that it makes taking pieces with bonus armor a non-decision and we don’t want acquiring these pieces, which tend to not be common, to be so much of a barrier to a druid who wants to tank a raid.

This change will NOT be in effect when Lich King ships. We are letting you know this now so that you don’t go through heroic efforts to acquire items like the Badge of Tenacity, or Defender’s Code. Defender’s Code, with 850 armor, will still be a good trinket. But it won’t be an insanely good trinket for a bear.

We will adjust the bear armor modifiers so that your net mitigation does NOT go down with these changes. Let me repeat: this is not a nerf to Feral armor. It is a change to the amount of armor you get from gear with bonus armor.

MANA
We are adding an effect to a deep Feral talent (something like Primal Tenacity) to further reduce the cost of shapeshifting into cat or bear by 50%. This talent will stack with Natural Shapeshifter for a total cost reduction of 80%. PvP-focused druids can get both talents to shift easily and often despite, no longer having Int on gear at level 80.

PROTECTOR OF THE PACK
We are removing the group requirements from this talent. The new tooltip will say: “Increases your attack power by X and reduces the damage you take in Bear Form and Dire Bear Form by Y.” The values of X and Y themselves are not changing.

Again, these changes will NOT be in Nov 13 for Lich King’s launch. We will add them in a patch that will come out sometime before the major Ulduar content patch. We're letting you know now so that you can choose quest rewards and loot drops accordingly.

Smith

< Twisted Fate >

Stonemaul

1. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 11:49:44 AM PST

First. I win.

EDIT: I think this was a good change. Never really did like being restricted to armor trinkets/rings as a former druid tank.

[ Post edited by Smith ]

WTB Title: Agent
ಠ_ಠ

Rahtlu

< The Betrayer >

Exodar

2. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 11:50:13 AM PST

Damnit, 2nd

The X/Y Component question....

Q u o t e:
We are removing the group requirements from this talent. The new tooltip will say: “Increases your attack power by X and reduces the damage you take in Bear Form and Dire Bear Form by Y.” The values of X and Y themselves are not changing.

Would it be the X and Y based on having a full group?

Also I love the talent for -50% mana for ferals, it's exactly what we needed, thank you very much.

[ Post edited by Rahtlu ]

Water Walking: Now works on land as well.
-Tectonorc

Alandrek

< Soul >

Khaz Modan

3. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 11:51:11 AM PST

Nice to see the somewhat clunky "flavor" on PotP removed (though it wasn't game breaking).

Mana cost reduction is a great change, too.

EDIT: Hopefully an update for Paladins soon, too. ;)

[ Post edited by Alandrek ]

Idonttank

< Bellatoris Domini >

Warsong

4. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 11:52:17 AM PST

'Tis about time, thank you.

King of US-Warsong

Arianne

< The Coalition >

Lightbringer

5. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 11:53:04 AM PST

Grats Bears.

To: Kil'jaeden
RE: 25 Annoying People

I put my parasites on that... can't find good help these days. My devilishly good looks (no one can resist my eyes) usually takes care of that.

Fappy

< Hybrid >

Uldum

6. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:03:18 PM PST

I'm happy in meh pants now.

Skyfiredraco

< Mixed Nutz >

Skywall

7. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:07:33 PM PST

Q u o t e:
We will adjust the bear armor modifiers so that your net mitigation does NOT go down with these changes. Let me repeat: this is not a nerf to Feral armor. It is a change to the amount of armor you get from gear with bonus armor.

GC, you may want to bold out that part before the people that only ever skim these things go off the handle and start flooding the forums with NERF cries :P

Anyway, good to know :)

I've got a druid myself that has been feral quite a bit. It always seemed somewhat odd that a braxxis staff of slumber (level 64 BoE blue) was the best tank weapon till an earthwarden... and the earthwarden beat almost any good raid or badge piece. We aren't even going to get into the badge of tenacity thing lol...

Looking forward to playing with my fuzzy friend in wrath still and now may even try to pvp with him a bit at that 20% shift cost :)

cheers

(\__/) This is Bunny.
(='.'=) Cut, copy, and paste Bunny onto your signature.
(")_(") Help Bunny gain World Domination.

Rasmfrackn

< Malowned >

Icecrown

8. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:12:03 PM PST

Q u o t e:
ARMOR
We are changing the way bear armor works so that bonus armor on items does not receive the bear armor multiplier. Specifically this means that trinkets, rings, necks and cloaks with bonus armor will not be multiplied by the bear bonus. The normal armor on leather will still be multiplied by this bonus. We are also going to remove bonus armor from Feral staves. You’ll get your bonus armor from the leather you acquire.

Examples:
1) A ring that grants 100 bonus armor will now grant a bear 100 armor (not ~470 armor).
2) Leather legs with 253 armor will still grant a bear ~1190 armor (not 253 armor).
3) A feral staff will now grant 0 armor.

We are making this change because armor is such a good stat for bears that it makes taking pieces with bonus armor a non-decision and we don’t want acquiring these pieces, which tend to not be common, to be so much of a barrier to a druid who wants to tank a raid.

I'm not a bear but I'd like to say good luck with your changes. It should hopefully lead to a more tenable gearing situation. I'm glad you realized that armor-granting trinkets and jewelry WERE final for bears, and got away from your notions that they may not always be best.

May I suggest adding some sort of AP-based survivability for bears? I know AP scales wildly between soloing and full raid buffs... maybe just AP from gear? If you want bears to use rogue leather (and that's all you're providing), it would be straightforward to tie mitigation to the stats it provides. That is, healthy doses of agi and AP. You've got the avoidance from agi part down, but I believe that *that* AP should also be part of the mitigation equation. It gives you one more knob to tweak that will directly scale with itemization levels.

Dempseya

Boulderfist

9. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:12:26 PM PST

Yay for waiting a month to be able to shapeshift in pvp?

70 Druid, Paladin, Warlock, Hunter and Rogue

Atros

< WipE >

Dath'Remar

10. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:12:32 PM PST

Hmm... some questions. On existing feral staffs with armor (or maybe upcoming LK staffs with armor that nobody has yet). Will the bonus armor on be removed to add another actual mitigation stat, like Agility most preferably, or Dodge Rating? Maybe not on every single weapon that has Armor, but spread things out to where our weapons have more choice in which one we use. "This boss hits hard... do I want to use my dodge staff, my armor staff, my stam heavy staff?"

Prolich

< Malicious Intent >

Detheroc

11. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:12:49 PM PST

/cheer

"Ooh, what it warriors could spell reflect ghost wolf? THAT WOULD BE AMAZING IN A CAN! " - Klepsacovic
How do we analysis this?
Semigroups have mathematical properties and silly properties.

Kalyke

< Encore >

Bloodhoof

12. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:13:51 PM PST

Nice changes. The PotP requirement didn't seem game-breaking but flavor for the sake of flavor without any purpose behind it didn't really add anything. The shifting change will be nice.

As for armor, since overall mitigation isn't changing I think it's a really good change. This opens up options for rings, necks, trinkets and tanking weapons that simply were not available before. It should make it easier to customize tanking sets for specific purposes. I know as a Warrior tank trinkets are the easiest way for me to load up on a particular stat I want for the content I'll be tanking - whether that's more hit/expertise/sbv for threat, stamina or avoidance. Trinkets are good for rounding out your overall stats and Bears couldn't do that because they always need their BoT and PW trinkets.

"Context is important." -Kisirani 9/20/08

Outtkast

< Aftermath >

The Underbog

13. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:16:03 PM PST

I am a sad bear now...

I really like the PotP group thing. It wasn't that hard to maintain the full 12%, and it was different.

And now they give us no armor from staves and trinkets. Although GC said they will adjust the numbers so we don't loose armor for this. Please god, no more armor loss. Still copping with going from 33k to 21k. (had more armor when i started kara) I understand though. Change is hard, Learn to embrace it, not repell it.

Still PotP group requirement makes me sad. I'm sure i'll be flamed, sure i'm probably dumb cuz i like the uniqueness, and how it was "different". But i can see how every1 wanted it gone, It's important that you get the buff while soloing. Guess i was a minority.

Skimo

< doom creast >

Terenas

14. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:16:12 PM PST

hey GC... you lost me, this change won't come into effect until after WotLK in a major patch?

Dempseya

Boulderfist

15. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:17:10 PM PST

Q u o t e:

Although GC said they will adjust the numbers so we don't loose armor for this. Please god, no more armor loss.

Wait, what are you upset about?

70 Druid, Paladin, Warlock, Hunter and Rogue

Fappy

< Hybrid >

Uldum

16. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:18:04 PM PST

Q u o t e:
I am a sad bear now...

I really like the PotP group thing. It wasn't that hard to maintain the full 12%, and it was different.

And now they give us no armor from staves and trinkets. Although GC said they will adjust the numbers so we don't loose armor for this. Please god, no more armor loss. Still copping with going from 33k to 21k. (had more armor when i started kara) I understand though. Change is hard, Learn to embrace it, not repell it.

Still PotP group requirement makes me sad. I'm sure i'll be flamed, sure i'm probably dumb cuz i like the uniqueness, and how it was "different". But i can see how every1 wanted it gone, It's important that you get the buff while soloing. Guess i was a minority.

I didn't really mind it either but it was kind of glitchy at times and didn't always work right.

Lamn

< Crucial >

Kalecgos

17. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:18:50 PM PST

As a Paladin I'd like to say it's very encouraging to see these changes made to Druids, and Druids being informed well in advance of the changes. It's a positive sign that new days are upon us.

Also, bacon.

Feranel

< End of Decency >

Proudmoore

18. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:19:38 PM PST

Cool.

Any word on removing FAP weapons and just making Predatory Strikes do the same thing?

"That is correct. At level 80, you will be tanking in rogue DPS leather (no, I'm not joking) which will have no defense on it."
-Gingersnaap, Crushridge

Talean

Cenarius

19. Re: Upcoming Feral changes 11/04/2008 12:20:35 PM PST

I assume this means that if there were another pair of leather pants with the same ilevel but 353 armor, it would they recieve ~1190 armor + 100 armor?

Forum > CLASS ROLES > TANKING