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Q u o t e:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=12890871641&sid=1

reposted, since blue dont visit class forums anymore

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Divine Hymn
Use: the CC component of the spell, the heal is meh. Very situational but its fine, not all spells are created equal.

Problem:
SIX minute cooldown is ridiculous. The first time I used it, was on the last boss in heroic Old Kingdom. It was great when I had 4 "mobs" beating on me when the boss did Insanity, 20 sec CC, ample time to take down 2 of them. 2nd time around, I had to rely on fear and needless to say, I didnt make it thru that Insanity (the rogue killed me naturally)

Suggestion:
Lower the cooldown. 3 mins would be good.

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Hymn of Hope
Use: ugh, if I can get it off. I KNOW, MANA IS MANA!

Problem:
EIGHT second channeling for 8% mana, FIVE MINUTE COOLDOWN, really?!...heroics I dont see anyone (regardless of spec) using it during combat. Spriest using it then going back to shadowform, wait the mana gained is lost just by going back to shadowform. Healing priest, people would die if you stopped casting.

Suggestion:
I don't know how to fix this horrible horrible spell. Arcane Torrent is 6% instacast 2 min cd, just ugh...my brain hurts

Divine Hymn also has issues like giving a pain suppression effect to the enemy, breaking on *all* targets as soon as the incapacitate is broken on *any* target by the autoattack of anybody or their pet. Plus it shares a cooldown with psychic scream, putting such on cooldown when used, in addition to its 6 minute cooldown.

For being the top trainable healing spell priests receive this expansion, it is quite weak.

Anyway, although it is true this topic can fit in damage-dealing forums too, insofar as some priests are shadow and hence functioning as DPS, we've been having a big thread on the topic here in the healing forums:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=12890950965&sid=1

Thank you, Ghostcrawler. These days right after the expansion release must have a lot to deal with at once.

I'm glad to hear that you are aware of the issue as a top current priest concern (another being PvP survivability, yet that'll be better raised after there are season 5 representation statistics for an objective metric).

I'll reproduce your post so the people in the other thread see it too, linking here.

Yeah, Hymn of Hope is rather underwhelming.

I think GC is right on this though - other classes (and other problems) have a priority over something like HoH, because Priests, especially healing Priests, are actually quite fine in PvE right now.

PvE may not need it but I would love to have it for PvP. Maybe lower the CD and make it a discipline spell (or is it already)?

Haven't tried it yet but as a PvPer, something like this spell would be a great advantage in arena.

Mindflay is still broken, GC.

That too.

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Q u o t e:
We have some plans to tweak the Hymn spells a little, but they are not at the top of the list. When things settle down a little, we'll try some new ideas.

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While your on a roll.

Fix shadowflame.

What is at the top of this list? So far everything I see GC mention is below the top.

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Q u o t e:
What is at the top of this list? So far everything I see GC mention is below the top.

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Interesting question. But, knowing how people are, he probably couldn't answer it without offending many. For instance, if it was hunters, half the other classes would be offended, seeing themselves as neglected. Yet, if it wasn't hunters, hunters would be offended. That's a lose-lose situation, and Ghostcrawler must know player mentality, since he probably spends more time on the forums than even me.

We'll find out what have been their current priorities when patch 3.1 reaches the PTR with the patch notes posted. It should include the dual-spec feature, very nice. Other than that, personally I mainly just hope it includes a different, better Circle of Healing nerf rather than the 6-sec cooldown, or even no nerf at all. Hopefully, if there isn't time to buff priest Divine Hymn in the immediate future, there isn't time to nerf us either.

dont forget that hymn of hope atm is not effected by spell haste at all...

lemme check.. yes

the ONLY channeled spell not effected by spell haste...

240 haste? BL? great...

still 8 seconds.....

meanwhile i did totally use it the other day, we took down all the leader bosses for "for the horde" and i ended up using it only to miss the next few spells and go back to wanding... lol

Woot black war bear btw! 4- 1 shots :D

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Q u o t e:
We have some plans to tweak the Hymn spells a little, but they are not at the top of the list. When things settle down a little, we'll try some new ideas.

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It's quite a pity they're not on the top of the list :( I'd love to have both of those skills functionally... usable.. :/

Edit: I found the best use for Hymn of hope at the moment is paired with Mind Control for griefing your own faction-- Mind Control alliance at key points and toss them a shield or renew, maybe a fort / shadow prot, and also, Give them a pain suppression (Divine Hymn) for at least 3 seconds (More if it holds) when they are being stun locked or kidney shot.

Both hymns.. are in bad shape :s

You have an AoE CC that heals every friendly target around you as well... 6 minute CD is fine on that, seriously. If it was say the 51 point disc talent or holy talent, THEN I'd disagree, but as it's a trainable skill, it's fine.

However, I agree with the hymn of hope thing.

Hymn of Hope is a group mana regen, not a personal one. That being said, so far I've only used it to reduce down time. I imagine while healing in a raid it'd be more useful. There are other people that can cover while you're casting it and you can be in a party with 5 mana bars and get its full benefit.

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Q u o t e:
You have an AoE CC that heals every friendly target around you as well... 6 minute CD is fine on that, seriously. If it was say the 51 point disc talent or holy talent, THEN I'd disagree, but as it's a trainable skill, it's fine.

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That's a pretty unfair comment. As a druid myself (rerolled from priest a while ago), I know there is no comparison between the three major new trainable abilities we received (a staple OOC rez spell, a frequently +40% attack power feral ability, and Nourish) versus priests getting only one frequently useful major new trainable spell: Mind Sear.

Actually, I know every class's new abilities for the expansion, and in general they tend to get more. These big, new trainable spells of the expansion for each class usually are around as good as 51 point talents, albeit not in the case of priest Divine Hymn.

As people have explained in various threads, Divine Hymn typically just gets broken on all targets at once by someone's next autoattack hitting any one of the targets, in rather weird mechanics. It's weaker than Tranquility for an AOE heal, and it is on a longer cooldown besides. Plus, the heal is redundant, so far as that if it really worked as a CC, one could just heal while attackers were safely CCed.

Perhaps it should be made either a worthy healing spell or a workable CC without odd nerfing mechanics built into it, not this strange mixture of both unfortunately mostly just failing at everything in practice, rather limited for something on a long 6 minute cooldown.

It's good to see Ghostcrawler has read some feedback on the topic, and, though we don't know the details, apparently he plans to get it changed in some manner.

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Q u o t e:
Edit: I found the best use for Hymn of hope at the moment is paired with Mind Control for griefing your own faction-- Mind Control alliance at key points and toss them a shield or renew, maybe a fort / shadow prot, and also, Give them a pain suppression (Divine Hymn) for at least 3 seconds (More if it holds) when they are being stun locked or kidney shot.

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Although it can't be too effective when only rarely with the long cooldown, that's hilarious and definitely thinking outside the box. I wish you were in my battlegroup. :)

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Q u o t e:


That's a pretty unfair comment. As a druid myself (rerolled from priest a while ago), I know there is no comparison between the three major new trainable abilities we received (a staple OOC rez spell, a frequently +40% attack power feral ability, and Nourish) versus priests getting only one frequently useful major new trainable spell: Mind Sear.

Actually, I know every class's new abilities for the expansion, and in general they tend to get more. These big, new trainable spells of the expansion for each class usually are around as good as 51 point talents, albeit not in the case of priest Divine Hymn.

As people have explained in various threads, Divine Hymn typically just gets broken on all targets at once by someone's next autoattack hitting any one of the targets, in rather weird mechanics. It's weaker than Tranquility for an AOE heal, and it is on a longer cooldown besides. Plus, the heal is redundant, so far as that if it really worked as a CC, one could just heal while attackers were safely CCed.

Perhaps it should be made either a worthy healing spell or a workable CC without odd nerfing mechanics built into it, not this strange mixture of both unfortunately mostly just failing at everything in practice, rather limited for something on a long 6 minute cooldown.

It's good to see Ghostcrawler has read some feedback on the topic, and, though we don't know the details, apparently he plans to get it changed in some manner.

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I shoulda posted on my priest then -.- (This is moonlily)

I find it perfectly fine, just as I did on beta on my other account.

Divine Hymn is a spell I'd LOVE on ANY of my toons, it is a good spell, it's just situational. Just as Demonic Circle for locks, Nourish for Druids, Freezing Arrow for Hunters, etc is. The level 80 spells are meant to be situational, for the most part.