4.0.6 - Tomorrow!? Updated notes ...Follow

I'd really just like to see them add another ability to BM, lol. I loved it early on in beta, when it wasn't just spamming Kill Command.

I see that you'll occasionally use Arcane Shot, at least, which is nice. But I don't think it would hurt to add something else.

It doesn't even need to be a traditional shot--it can be another pet ability, but I'd like to feel more involved as the player.

Hell, let me shoot an arcane bolt at my pet, which causes them to do some almost-badass attack on the enemy. At least I get to hit a button and see something happen. :)

BM and SV are pretty similar, actually. Both use a 6-second cooldown main ability (KC and Explosive Shot), both keep Serpent Sting up via Cobra Shot (and don't use Steady Shot), and dump focus with Arcane Shot.

BM also has the use of Focus Fire to manage, where SV has Black Arrow.

I prefer SV mainly because of it's excessive CC, but BM is my go-to leveling spec just because of how powerful your pets are with 4 more pet talents to spend. With things like Intervene, Roar of Sacrifice, Pin/Web/Bad Manner/etc to manage, there's plenty to do. Especially if you pull your next mob via Misdirection or a Trap Launcher Freezing Trap.

Yeah, there's at least more going on with a 6 sec cooldown on KC. Arcane shot (at least while solo) will probably be about on-par with KC after the buff it receives in the patch, frankly I don't know how it will fare buffed.

To be honest I quite like where SV and BM are at in terms of rotation (though I don't really like Black Arrow), and I haven't played with MM enough to form an opinion on it, though it seems a bit more complicated.

Yeah, that's the general "rotation" that EJ says to use with BM at the moment.

Gotta say i much preferred MM for leveling my hunter, loved that sick talent that restores 50 focus every time you killed an enemy. I grabbed a 333 gun from the guild bank and ran around getting 25k chimera shot crits (also auto-dazes enemies) and pretty much ignoring my focus bar and pet. The only thing i hate about the MM tree are all the useless talents for aimed and steady shot since you never use either after getting cobra shot, though i see aimed shot got some nice buffs so it might be worth using again. Imp. Steady Shot and Master Marksman should really affect Cobra Shot as well.

You can call that a buff if you're ignoring the entire rest of the patch notes.

They're reducing Ice Lance damage by 15% all the time and restoring that missing 15% only when you have FoF procs.

On any other class, you'd call that a nerf.

I think I disagree. At best, it seems to be a wash. At worst, what about the damage FFB loses?

Unless maybe the 15% increase to Frostbolt is multiplicative with the mastery, which could potentially make things a slight buff. I'll have to go check the Oboards and EJ in a bit and see if Lhivera or one of the other theorycrafters have some info.

While true, that's not what he said. He said ice lance got buffed.

Probably because he's already spent most of his time complaining about the druid changes since they were announced.

Can't say I do either. Just saying if you're gonna complain, make sure what you're complaining about is correct.

You're saying that Isn't enough evidence that your complaint about mages has something to do with druid nerfs?

Even if, worst case scenario, your assumption is correct, it's still not a buff. It's a net change of NOTHING. That isn't a buff.

But I'm fairly certain you're wrong. Everything I've been reading(to be fair, that's mostly the Oboards) indicates that it's a change where you only have the damage increase when you have the buff.

My main issue was with the hard counter comment. Ferals have hard countered mages since the dawn of time, this one change does not negate that. It makes it a harder fight for a feral sure, but I can see many tools being used by good ferals to continue winning this..only thing is it wont be 100% win rate anymore. Yes you stand a serious chance at losing, even badly to mages. But they arent a hard counter.

You have 5pts up, instant cyclone available, you are on the mage and smash through his ice barrier. Immediately you are rooted. Immediately cyclone. One root negated. Trinket another. I would always trinket a root over a deep freeze as a feral in 4.0.6 becaues you will win this by playing 100% aggressively that means open hard, cyclone after shattered barrier, trinket nova, barkskin and tank deep freeze damage, shadowstep and jump back on target, recyclone when rooted again, when rooted out of range fake cast heals to bait a CS and minimize damage taken (time spent cancelling frostbolt to cast counterspell, only to miss wastes precious time that you are rooted). Back in form, back on target.

Uh what? So I have to know the deepfreeze is coming before it lands, (It is insta cast) and switch into bear. Certainly can not switch to bear after is has landed.