Ailis in Hunterland

3.3 is coming.

I would venture pretty soon based on the amount of information we already have and the speed with which new information is being released.

My guess?  Before Thanksgiving.

Anyway, let’s talk changes, shall we?

Classes: General

• Default Equipment: Starting weapons are now more uniform. Rogues now start with a pair of daggers equipped. All other classes except shamans start with a 2-handed weapon equipped and the required skill already known. Shamans start with a 1-handed weapon and a shield, as they benefit more from the shield than they would from a 2-handed weapon.
• Health and Mana Regeneration: These regeneration rates have been increased by up to 200% for low level characters. As a player’s level increases, the regeneration rates gradually reduce, returning to normal rates at level 15.
• Spell Mana Costs: These costs have been reduced for almost all lower level spell ranks. In general, if a spell decreased in cost with a higher level rank in patch 3.2.0, that spell now has the decreased cost at all ranks. In addition, spells learned before level 20 with reduced cast times and/or durations have even further reduced mana costs, proportionate to their reduction in cast time or damage.

Races: General

• Orc and troll shamans now have their own unique totem art.
• Racial Attribute Bonuses: These bonuses have been recalibrated to even out the amount of starting health on the various races. All races start with a standardized level of stamina, except for orcs, dwarves, and tauren who now start with 1 extra point of stamina. For each class, bonuses and penalties to all attributes have been adjusted so that each race has an equal attribute total.

Shamans

• Fire Nova Totem: This totem has been replaced with a new spell, Fire Nova, which is available at the same ranks as the old Fire Nova Totem. Existing characters will automatically learn this new spell in place of the totem. With a Fire Totem active, shamans will be able to use Fire Nova (fire magic) to emit the same area-of-effect damage as the old Fire Nova Totem from the active Fire Totem, not consuming the totem in the process. Fire Nova will activate a 1.5-second global cooldown when used and has a 10-second spell cooldown. The caster must be within 30 yards of the totem to use this ability, but does not need to be within line of sight of the totem.
• Talents
  • Elemental Combat
    • Improved Fire Nova Totem: Renamed Improved Fire Nova. This talent now provides an additional 10/20% damage to the spell and reduces the cooldown by 2/4 seconds.

Items

• Glyphs
  • Shamans
    • Glyph of Fire Nova Totem: Renamed Glyph of Fire Nova. This glyph now reduces the cooldown of Fire Nova by 3 seconds.

And just released (so therefore subject to many, many changes…):

• Item – Shaman T10 Restoration 2P Bonus – Your Riptide spell grants 20% spell haste for your next spellcast.
• Item – Shaman T10 Restoration 4P Bonus – Your Chain Heal critical strikes cause the target to heal for 25% of the healed amount over until cancelled.
• Item – Shaman T10 Elemental 2P Bonus – Your Lightning Bolt spell reduces the remaining cooldown on your Elemental Mastery talent by 1 sec.
• Item – Shaman T10 Elemental 4P Bonus – The cooldown on your Lava Burst ability is reduced by 15 sec.
• Item – Shaman T10 Enhancement 2P Bonus – When you activate your Shamanistic Rage ability you also deal 12% additional damage for 15 sec.
• Item – Shaman T10 Enhancement 4P Bonus – Each time the beneficial effect of your Maelstrom Weapon talent reaches 5 charges, you have a 15% chance to gain 20% attack power for 10 sec.

Breakdown

Well, that certainly is a lot going on.  Add to that the new Icecrown Heroics and Raid instance plus all emblems are being upgraded again (All emblems of Conquest drops are now Triumph drops and the new instance drops Emblems of Frost) and you have a solid packed patch that will, hopefully, keep us busy enough until Cataclysm releases.

The large majority of the general changes are next in a long line of changes designed to make leveling faster and easier.  With Cataclysm being released next year and the introduction of Worgens and Goblins plus the re-mapping of Azeroth, you’re going to have a lot of people re-rolling in starting zones.  So, Blizzard is making it easier for those of us with multiple max-level characters to start from 1 again.

Totem art. It’s about damn time.  Granted, I play Alliance, so my totems have always been unique but I’ve never ceased to find it odd that all Horde totems look the same.  Now, each race will have totems unique to their race.  Currently available pictures are Dwarf, Troll and Orc.  Goblin totems still unavailable (and probably for quite some time, honestly).

Fire Nova Totem. Shamans: “We don’t have AoE!”  Blizzard: “You do now.”  I haven’t been on the PTR to test this out but it sounds ridiculously fun and I wonder what the effect is with pairing it with Magma Totem.  Something tells me this is no comparison to a Mage’s Blizzard or a Druid’s Hurricane, but it adds another level of DPS to any Shaman tree.  This can be an “oh shit” button for Resto Shamans and a way to help with mobs (whelps anyone?) for both Elemental and Enhancement Shamans.

Set Bonuses. Okay, an Enhancement set bonus I can get behind.  I still cringe a little when I look at the current Tier 9 bonus especially compared to the awesome that is the Tier 8 bonus.  Tier 10 seems to make up for Tier 9 in that both bonuses focus on one of our most important stats – Attack Power.  With the reduction in CD on Shamanistic Rage in the last patch from 2 minutes to 1 minute, with the T10 2P bonus, you will have an extra 12% damage every 60 seconds.  Add to that the constant MW procs now potentially giving you 20% more AP, Enhancement Shamans are going to see higher instances of burst damage in a full T10 set.

Let’s just hope the design is something I can get behind as well.