Warlock changes in Beta build 8982
by Zach Yonzon 
Sep 25th 2008 at 4:00PM
Metamorphosis cooldown has been reduced to 3 minutes instead of 5, which feels a little more useful. Although to balance this out, it lasts 30 seconds (down from 45) and increases damage by 20% instead of 40%. It's a nerf to total DPS, but still not a bad change, as a shorter cooldown allows more flexibility in the use of the ability. The real problem with Metamorphosis right now is that the demon abilities are just... all wrong. Demon form actually merits it's own post, so I'll write about that some other time, but I'll leave you with this one to chew on: Challenging Howl. Yeah, just in case you're one of those cuckoohead Warlocks who've always dreamed of tanking, you've got your wish. You weirdo.
Improved Corruption now increases the damage of the now *ahem* instant-cast Corruption by 10% and increases the crit chance of Seed of Corruption by 5%. Not too shabby for a talent that used to just reduce the cast time of a spell that should've been instant cast to begin with. Backdraft was fixed to the proper 10/20/30% haste bonus per rank of the talent. Beta was always really wonky that way, anyway, but Improved Shadow Bolt was nerfed even more to a mere 10% bonus, which is about half of what it is on live. I'm not too thrilled about that, but overall, I think Warlocks got away mostly unscathed this build. Keep that candle burning, brothers, keep it burning...
Filed under: Warlock, Analysis / Opinion, Talents, Wrath of the Lich King
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
harrodcd Sep 25th 2008 4:10PM
Twitter is causing logon prompts.
Offending URL.
http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/WoWInsider.json?callback=twitterCallback2&count=5
Flavio Sep 25th 2008 4:16PM
Nerf Locks!
: )
Munitions Sep 25th 2008 4:25PM
... Are we all sure that 200% isn't a typo? Even to me (a lock who has never thought we were any more overpowered than anything else), that seems a bit much
Caustik Sep 25th 2008 4:25PM
What's the point in Metamorphosis anyway?
Datix Sep 25th 2008 4:37PM
I've always envisioned it as a "boss is at 3% and our tank just went down" talent. Lock tank FTW.
Caustik Sep 25th 2008 4:46PM
That's a nice change, indeed.
I'm generally tanking rogues with mine.
Joshua Williams Sep 25th 2008 4:39PM
Believe it or not 200% was needed. Haunt wasn't even doing enough healing to displace a good sized mele hit or crit. It needed that buff. though it doesn't even work right now.
Also, I don't know who you are writing these things about the changes in warlock builds, but you give the wrong attitude. If you head over to the beta lock forums you can plainly see that most of the community is sorely disappointed.
Sayce Sep 25th 2008 10:21PM
I'm fairly certain that it isn't his job to give the attitude of the warlocks in the blizz forums. If we wanted that..... we would be reading the forums.
He's giving his analysis and his opinion of the changes. For those of us used to reading his work, those two things are much more valuable than reading all of the whining in the forums. Who needs that?
PimpyMicPimp Sep 25th 2008 10:24PM
I concur. Not nearly enough attention is being given to the whiners.
sephirah Sep 25th 2008 4:40PM
1. Haunt healing is mostly useless in pve, the real problem of haunt is the casting time and/or cooldown
2. Improved Corruption in the previous build increased Corruption damage of 20%, so it's a bit nerfed.
I cannot affliction as whole now, cause on the PTR Death's Embrace, Eradication and (probably) Malediction aren't working (probably never did).
eroch Sep 25th 2008 10:22PM
1. Self healing is what makes warlocks so strong as a pure dps/utility class. No healing is useless (except the 20% healing return on haunt). If it does stay and work at 200% healing, that's a 2-3k+ heal (haunt does 900-1.5k dmg w/my crappy gear) every 12 seconds. No longer will dark pact really be needed, save the accidental 10+ mobs at once pull while normally doing 4-5 at a time. Should haunt actually work and keep 200% healing, I will prob never spec anything else unless they up the proc rate on soul leech or heal amount. Now that is a pretty worthless talent. 55/11/5 or 0/17/54 - cant wait.
2. Still 10% more dmg is 10% more dmg. If compared to live, it is buffed so thats all that matters.
3. I haven't specced deaths embrace or malediction yet. Find other things much better for solo/pvp play, but eradication seems to work for me.
With haunt not working and metamorphosis not working, I've been learning to love the destruction tree. Never really played it much in my entire lock career, but something about seein 4-5k crits on a regular basis with my sub-par gear brings a smile to my face.
Unabis Sep 25th 2008 4:42PM
not enough killing, need more killing. and what the point for Aoe Tunt if we can take hits for 30sec? ya....
wicketdreams Sep 25th 2008 4:44PM
They are seriously screwing us Demo locks with Meta. They have no idea of how to implement it to be useful. Either make it a permanent form like shadow priest or scrap it all together and give us the Doomguard.
hpavc Sep 26th 2008 2:28AM
/vote doomguard
Augustus Sep 25th 2008 4:52PM
Tanking is meant as a last ditch defense, obviously, being on a 30 sec ability.
Tank died? Pop Meta, Challenging Howl and Immolate Aura and if the dps can burn the mobs down before meta fades you just might save the group from a wipe.
Sounds cool to me.
nian Sep 25th 2008 4:51PM
Arg... metamorphisis is becoming more and more what I always pictured it to be but it's in the wrong damn tree! It should be destruction 51pt talent and should remove the pet when activated.
destruction also has all of the reactive spells... which would actually become usefull with the damage reduction of metamorphisis. Destruction also has a few health restoring mechanics and would benefit a lot more from the ability to take hits(since of all the 3 builds, it requires you to be in closer than the other two dot-and-run specs). It also has improved searing pain... which is the warlocks only "+causes a lot of threat" ability
CvijaFaQ Sep 25th 2008 5:27PM
Turning into a Demon should not be a Demonlogy ability?
Now that's thinking out of the box.
Naix Sep 25th 2008 4:56PM
Finally warlocks are being buffed to near usefulness.
Abbadon Sep 25th 2008 10:19PM
You're missing some of the wording on the Haunt change...
The previous build returned 20% of all dmg (or shad dmg) done to the mob while Haunt was on it.
Now, 200% of the dmg Haunt does is returned.
Before, I would get back about 315hp from the lv 72 ogres NW of Shat.
Now, I get back about 350hp.
Zep Sep 25th 2008 5:21PM
No, haunt always only returned its own damage as health. It's not 200% now though, it's more like 30% (bliz messed up).