Lifetap and Flametongue changes rolled back on the PTR?
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Mar 5th 2008 at 5:25PM
While the PTRs are still down to apply the latest round of changes, World of Raids has already sniffed out a few changes and additions to the latest patch files. Possibly the most interesting change is the fact that the Warlock Life Tap nerf seems to be currently completely reversed. The spell is restored to its 2.3 status, with the highest rank swapping 580 health for 580 mana at the base value.
In addition, the Mortal Strike debuff appears to have been removed from the description of the Flametongue weapon and totem for Shamans.
Priests will now also be able to dispel up to 10 friendly and 10 hostile targets using Mass Dispel.
Also added this patch were the musical files for the Sunwell, as well as a handful of new effects with names such as "Quest Complete," "Summon Festival Scorchling," and "Guzzle Beer," which look to most involve the seasonal content for the Midsummer Fire Festival.
Welcome to progressive patching, folks. This is an incredible turn of events for sure. Not only is one of the most controversial nerfs in WoW history completely reversed, but it seems that Shamans can't quite celebrate their re-ascension to PvP power just yet. These could be temporary, of course, and we'll see what happens when the dust settles. If Blizzard has simply decided to revert these changes in the short term, how will they tackle the underlying issues of Warlock mana usage and Shaman PvP viability? Will they put it off for another patch, or take a different angle as testing continues? We'll be eager to find out!
Filed under: Priest, Shaman, Warlock, Realm News, Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Classes, Buffs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rubin Mar 5th 2008 5:35PM
Lifetap has been rolled back? Seriously? Sounds almost too good to be true.
John Mar 5th 2008 5:40PM
Seriously sounds too good to be true lol
Zarzuur Mar 5th 2008 5:45PM
the new Life Tap got life-tapped!
Manatank Mar 5th 2008 5:36PM
Now all they need to do is roll back the change to LB and I'll be happy.
Brasson Mar 5th 2008 5:40PM
I think the most controversial nerf in WoW history was when they changed druid shapeshifting to require over a thousand mana. Those were dark times.
Morien Mar 5th 2008 5:49PM
my poor little druid cried.
Askia Mar 5th 2008 8:55PM
I think that Blizz just needs to be more careful when it comes to their changes. Just like with the "drinking" nerf, they're pursuing class breaking changes to fix Arena problems.
Yossarian Mar 5th 2008 6:06PM
Perhaps they're just resetting to 0, ineffect, before they come out with another iteration of the nerfs/buffs?
Mats Mar 5th 2008 6:13PM
I guess thats what happens if you manage to post 4000 posts of informative feedback.
Rock Mar 5th 2008 6:23PM
Worked for Shamans!... Oh wait...
dart Mar 5th 2008 6:24PM
Informative?
QQ LIFETAP IZ NURFEDZ!1 = Highly intellectual response.
simeon Mar 5th 2008 6:42PM
Nobody said whether the feedback was intellectual or not. Nice try, though.
Retron Mar 5th 2008 6:22PM
Our dark prayers to nameless entities have been answered!
...if the lifetap de-nerf sticks that is of course...oh noes what if they de-de-nerf?!
/me begins preparations for further sacrifices.
Finnicks Mar 5th 2008 6:32PM
What are you talking about? What kind of warlocks ARE YOU? Don't make more sacrifices if they re-nerf it...!!
...Start now! It's called "preventative maintenance."
Djinn Mar 5th 2008 6:41PM
Wow I am glad I didn't over-react to this as I had thought and deleted my lvl 52 lock thinking she would be useless after this change. Yay for warlocks I am going to level her up to 70 now!!! WOOT!!!
phisquare Mar 5th 2008 8:13PM
Yes, deleting toons over silly nerfs is always a wise decision.
sloegin Mar 5th 2008 7:11PM
Hopefully the devs can figure out what to do with warlocks short of changing a fundamental aspect of their builds and gearing.
As for mortal flametongue lol, shammies understand that they're in a disfunctional relationship with the devs, and where buffs and nerfs are concerned, the best shammies can sometimes hope for is indifference.
Calaana Mar 5th 2008 7:20PM
As a shammy, I'm glad to see the ft roll back; now we might get something that fits the class, instead of being turned into half assed warriors.
VSpeck Mar 5th 2008 8:46PM
Don't hold your breath. I think this might have been one of those be happy with what you could have moments.
Buuty Mar 5th 2008 8:36PM
For cristsakes Blizzard, it isn't that hard to fix shammies without breaking WoW. Get on the ball...my shaman is sad.