Of Flinging Swords and Hugging Shields: WotLK Prot Changes

New ability: Weapon Throw (level 80): Throws your weapon at the enemy causing damage equal to 100% of AP. This ability causes high threat. 30 yd range, 0.5 sec cast, 20 sec cooldown

Amongst the latest news from the beta of WotLK the above ability, learned at level 80, seems the most exciting. But it's certainly not all to put a smile on us change-starved protection warriors: the latest build brings a whole host of updates to the prot tree - see full notes here.

Whilst this isn't exactly the big overhaul to prot talents we've been waiting for (Vigilance is still there in all its baffling glory), it certainly is a big step in the right direction.

We've had big buffs for our threat generation: see Shockwave (increased damage); Sword and Board (higher chance of a free shield slam); Critical Block (increased shield slam crit chance); Improved Defensive Stance (increased damage following a block, parry or dodge - somewhat assuaging us following the recent loss of Stalwart Protector); Improved Revenge (more damage). And well worth a mention is the increased duration of shield block from 5 to 10 seconds.

All of which speaks of a healthy amount of damage output on the horizon, and even more reason to cherish our shields (as the warrior manual says: "knoweth your shield, be at one with your shield, be your shield... then smasheth unholy face with your shield").

And while we're now hugging our bloodied-shield with one hand, we can go ahead and fling our sword at the fleeing enemy with the other. Life is good. Continue reading 'Of Flinging Swords and Hugging Shields: WotLK Prot Changes'

WoTLK: Beta Warrior Changes

There's a few undocumented changes to warriors on the latest WoTLK beta build that deserve some attention. The big one is in the picture (from World of Raids): Shield Wall reduced to a 5 minute cooldown, with 50% damage reduction (with similar cooldowns for Recklessness and Retaliation). The Improved Shield Wall talent has changed accordingly: it now reduces the cooldown by 30/60 seconds. This is something we've seen coming after the news of the Paladin shield wall-alike (Divine Protection), but nevertheless deserving of a good solid woohoo!

Another change worth mentioning is for the talent Bloodletting, which now has only 2 ranks, and increases the bleed damage by Rend and Bloodbath by 25/50% - an appealing aoe tanking talent and no doubt.

For now, the rest of the changes are primarily for further up the Arms tree, but this does at least suggest the overhaul of Protection talents isn't far behind. So while we wait patiently and well-behaved for news (alright, impatiently and banging on the Blizzard offices), let me take the opportunity to give my wish-list of talent changes:

- An increase in the rage produced by Stalwart Protector. The idea is great, and something all rage-starved warriors have been crying out for, but the current gain of 1/2 dodge per parry or dodge is a pittance.

- Shockwave moved to the 31-point talent. Although it's a decent enough ability, for the top tier talent it's simply underwhelming and inappropriate. Yes please for more aoe-tanking viability, no thanks for a tree defining talent that says "you're now a bit like a paladin". We want a talent that screams Warrior - basically, we want a talent that's good against single targets.

- Vigilance scrapped or severely reworked. In it's current form, it's just... well, weird. And very limited in its usefulness.

- Current beta tests have shown Sword and Board to be not as great as it first appears; for a 5 point talent the rage savings have turned out to be underwhelming, and there's concerns of rotations being interrupted and the free shield slam being a pain to manage (I'm not sold on this latter one just yet, but time will tell). This talent just needs a little tweaking to become a solid one - possibilities could be the free shield slam not affecting the global cooldown, or it having double the block value.

- A new prot talent that allows 2-handers to be wielded with a shield. They could call it Big Bloody Sword and Board.

...What? A tank can dream can't he?
Continue reading 'WoTLK: Beta Warrior Changes'

A Taunting Future

Out of all the WotLK beta news surfacing right now there's one trend in the warrior changes that may be not so positive. I'm talking about the following:

From the beta patch notes:

• Challenging Shout cooldown reduced to 3 minutes.
• Mocking Blow now only has one rank and causes weapon damage, cooldown reduced to 1 min and can now be used in Defensive Stance.

From the new talent tree:

• Vigilance: Focus your protective gaze on a friendly target, increasing their chance to dodge by 5%. In addition, any time they are hit by an attack your Taunt cooldown is refreshed. Lasts until cancelled. This effect can only be on one target at a time.

So what's the problem? Aren't these buffs? Won't they make tanking easier? Well, in the last question lies the problem: it may make it easy in the wrong way.

That be crazy talk, Aru

Bear with me here - this is a valid whine-session, honest.

The changes above mean that we'll have much more ability to taunt enemies in the future. With Challenging Shout, Mocking Blow and Taunt (with Vigilance), there's not many times we're going to be lacking a taunt to get aggro from a mob. The important point here is: we shouldn't need to taunt to get a mob's attention.

We're tanks, and we tank by generating threat. Our gear, our abilities, our cantankerous attitudes, almost everything we do as a tank is for this: get a mob's attention, keep it, survive it. Herein lies the challenge and the enjoyment of the role.

We tanks tank, and we like it that way.

But making taunts such an obviously powerful and prevailant ability suggests a worrying future: the shallow world of taunt-tanking. This means tanking by continually taunting mobs to hold aggro, rather than the usual (and fun) threat methods. After all, ability suggests opportunity - or worse, necessity. If Vigilance's "friendly target" includes ourselves, or it's cast on a tank buddy, then taunt will be almost always be available. With all these taunts available, it may be entirely possible to taunt-tank your way through instances. Hell, we might be able to tank a group without even swinging our sword.

Point is, we don't want to tank this way. It's boring, and it's not what tanking should be. Contrary to what our bashed-in, mishapen heads may visually suggest, we want tanking to be complicated. We don't want an easy way out, we don't want to use a hundred taunts in a run. We don't want tanking dumbed down.

Done whining yet?

As a matter of fact, no. There's another consequence to this, affecting one of the most important aspects of the game: dps control of aggro. The most talented dpsers are those that deal their buckets of carnage without ever pulling the mob off the tank. But in a future where taunts are so common? The teeth-clenchingly, hair-pullingoutedly words of "Why should I control aggro? Just taunt him" may become more prevalent. And the real worry is that the dpser here has a point - you can just taunt off, continually, and without much need for generating the most threat. Tanking suddenly becomes hellishly frustrating, or hellishly boring.

Aren't you exaggerating a little?

Yeah, no doubt I am. It's silly getting worked up about stuff like this just yet, when the expansion is still months away. These changes may just turn out as improved "oh crap" buttons, without much necessity to use them in 90% of tanking. Or they may just be a small help towards aoe tanking - sure, more a band-aid than the curing abilities we'd prefer, but better than nothing.

The worry of the trend remains, but let's spend our energies getting excited about all the good stuff heading our way instead. Shockwave? Hell yeah. Sword and Board? Oh my. Tattoos? *passes out* Continue reading 'A Taunting Future'

Shield Block Rating in WotLK: The New Black?

So I briefly mentioned this in the WotLK talents post, but felt it deserved a post to itself and a bit more discussion. Why? Because the change coming to the shield block ability in the expansion could spell a big shift for how we warriors treat shield block rating.

Changes afoot

The (admittedly preliminary) information we're working with here is that in WotLK, the shield block ability will have its cooldown increased to 30 seconds. This is supported by the new talent tree, where Improved Shield Block has been altered so that it "Reduces the cooldown of your Shield Block Ability by 5/10 seconds". This is obviously a big change from its current 5 second cooldown.

So how does this effect shield block rating?

It makes it much more important, that's what it does. Right now as a tanking stat it's below just about everything - expertise, stamina, dodge, parry, defense, block value, hit, agility, strength, AP, they're all preferable to block rating. Chance to block just isn't useful. But in a world where you can only use your shield block ability every 30 seconds - where you can only guarantee at least a block every 30 seconds - instead of its current 5 seconds, block rating suddenly becomes a powerful stat, both mitigation- and threat-wise.

At the moment we get 2 blocks per 5 seconds (with talents) from the block ability, which is usually enough to cover our needs until the cooldown is up (except against fast hitters). But imagine having 1 block per 30 seconds - suddenly that block rating percentage you never paid much attention to on the character tab is looking a lot more attractive. We will begin to rely much more on the chance to block, rather than using an ability to guarantee a block. Stacking block rating will thus be a surefire improvement of mitigation.

Bust out the tankalator, Aru

So we're in Northrend, and some big bad, guts-hanging-out scourgey boss is pounding on our head. For this example, let's say we just blew our shield block ability cooldown, and we're waiting 30 seconds for it to renew (in practice this time will be less with avoidance and talents, etc., but we'll keep it simple for now). We have 20% block rating, 500 block value. Let's say the boss is a fast hitter, and he hits every second for 1000 damage. Forgetting other factors like avoidance and armor for now, this would equal 30000 damage, with 3000 damage absorbed by shield blocks. That's 10% of the damage mitigated.

Let's say we now itemise for block rating, pushing up our chance to block by 10%. 30% block chance would mean that now 4500 damage is absorbed in the fight. That's 15%, an obvious improvement - this is how block rating works as a mitigation stat.

(The "Isn't this a nerf?" intermission

It's worth making clear that yes, this change will result in less mitigation than we have currently. If we make the big assumption that currently we can keep up our shield block ability all the time, and assume again that this would total 100% block chance for the fight - using the above example as an extreme, this would be 50% damage absorbed by shield block. Thus the change to the block ability cooldown will be seen as a big ol' nerf by many.

But what we have to bear in mind is the wholescale changes to tanking (and to fights and their mechanics) being made in WotLK - it's really not worth going back to the details of Burning Crusade tanking when we're sitting in the expansion. Yes, our abilities will change, but so will the battlefield. It's much more useful to consider WotLK a blank platform when we get there, and then analyse in terms of what we have, instead of what we once had.)

Back to the tankalator, if you please

There's an interesting side-effect of using block rating as a mitigation stat. It can be shown by altering the example above, and making the big bad scourgey boss a slower hitter. So let's say that in the 30 seconds he gets in 15 hits, this time at 2k each. The damage absorbed by shield blocks will now be 1500 at 20% block rating (5% of total damage), and 2250 at 30% block rating (7.5% of total damage).

It probably hasn't escaped your attention that this is less mitigation than before. This is the interesting part: shield block rating as a mitigation stat is better against faster hitters.

Wait, woah, hold-on there

How can this be? How can increasing the cooldown on our shield block ability - the current cooldown being the reason we have troubles against fast hitters in the first place - mean we're better against fast hitters?

Well, crushing blows are out the window in WotLK. We don't have to worry about having shield block up just to prevent them anymore. If shield block rating is now used simply for mitigation as shown above, it improves the faster a boss hits. This may mean our current weakness against fast hitting bosses is turned into a strength in WotLK. (See what I'm talking about with the blank platform of tanking?)

You mentioned threat...

That I did, and stacking shield block rating will also help with it. The revised talent of Shield Specialisation has a slight buff - the rage generated by a successful block is now 2 instead of 1. This means the more blocks, the more rage. Also, shield blocks light up revenge - so the more times this occurs, the better.

Will it really be the new black?

Will block rating ever be as useful as dodge or parry? Well, probably not. Dodge and parry give full avoidance of an attack compared to the partial damage reduction of a block. And with the new Stalwart Protector talent (2 rage per dodge or parry), they're both going to be great for rage and threat generation, too. Plus, the removal of crushing blows also removes the one possible essential motive for stacking very high amounts of block rating.

That said, there's no doubt block rating will be climbing up the tanking stats ladder a few rungs. Most likely it'll be a nice stat to balance alongside others, rather than replacing (or surpassing) any of the key ones. So, maybe block rating wont be the new black exactly, but at least a cool shade of grey. Continue reading 'Shield Block Rating in WotLK: The New Black?'

WotLK Talents

The lovely team over at wowhead recently put up the new warrior talents from WotLK to play with. Now seems a good time to give some initial thoughts and speculation (bearing in mind these talents will no doubt change beyond recognition before the release, therefore rendering all such thoughts mute, and making you wish you'd spent these 5 minutes of your life reading about something useful. Like the global economic crisis. Or shoes.):

Stalwart Protector: Mother of god YES! At last us warrior tanks are no longer punished threat-wise as our gear improves.

Improved Shield Block: Hmm, 10 seconds reduction on cooldown? This must mean shield block is being changed to having a much longer cooldown (anyone have some info on this? whaddya mean I should be researching?). There's a few implications to this - it could mean shield rating is promoted from its position as "alright I'll take him, but only cause there's nothing else" in Team Tanking Stats, with chance to block becoming a much more useful stat both mitigation- and threat-wise (as it activates revenge). It may also be a sign of crushing blows dissapearing....

Anticipation: Great change. Who doesn't like dodge?

Improved Revenge: Mixed feelings about this one. The increased damage on revenge is awesome, the chance to stun not so. The fact is, warrior tanks usually don't want their target stunned, as it reduces rage and therefore threat. For emergency action, we have concussion blow. Taking this talent could conceivably mean: more threat on bosses (immune to stun), less threat on trash mobs (rage starvation).

Improved disarm: The additional damage a target takes could be a very nice raid buff - however again most bosses are likely immune to disarm/shield break, and so this may only be of use against trash. In which case, it's turned into a decidedly "meh" talent.

Concussion blow: Nice buff to threat, can't be a bad thing.

Improved Shield bash: Improved shield slam more like. Super!

Vigilance: Veeeery interesting. Imagine casting this on a pally tank when he's having aoe-fun - taunt will never be on cooldown. In fact, any raid instance where this is cast on a tank buddy, you'll pretty much always have taunt available. Renders improved taunt much less useful. And hey, warriors get to buff someone!
...And another possible situation comes to mind. Try slapping this on the rogue that keeps over-aggroing in your heroic. Not only does he have more chance to dodge when he gets the mob's attention, but when he does get smacked in the face, you know you can immediately taunt off him. Of course the downside to this is the rogue never learns the harsh lesson of controlling his aggro... maybe let him die after all, then.

Safeguard: Potentially a very nice off-tank talent. Imagine a gruul-like fight, where the MT is taking a hell of a beating. Then imagine you being able to not only absorb a hit for him, but also reduce all damage by 60% for 6 seconds. Could be hugely good.

Sword and board: Nothing but niceness.

Shockwave: Warriors can't aoe tank huh? *shockwaves the faces of all doubters* hah! One slight grumble is that I'd like to have seen an ability useful against big ol' single target raid bosses as the top talent, but you can't have everything.

Stalwart protector: It has to be said again. Yeeeehaaaa!!!

All in all, exciting times ahead. For a masachist (mathacist?) like me, the fun will be in the new stat balancing - who knows how the mechanics of tanking will be changed in WotLK? Will AP suddenly dominate? Will we become dodge-addicted rage monsters? A whole new era of brainaching headscratching mistakeandwipingtheraidmaking is in store for us, an era where we may hear ourselves saying: "that epic headpiece is nice... but I'm keeping my old blue for the block rating and strength". Continue reading 'WotLK Talents'