WoW Players Are Getting a Massive Class Tuning Pass in Tuesday’s Patch 12.0.5

Stan's Avatar by Stan

In case you’ve missed it, here’s a rundown of all class changes going live with this week’s Patch 12.0.5 release this Tuesday.

Highlights

  • Evokers are getting Battle Visage iconBattle Visage, a new ability that lets you stay in Visage form outside of draconic casts, no more forced shifting!
  • Marksmanship Hunters are getting their Explosive Shot iconExplosive Shot back as a talent. Multiple talents have been removed for the spec.
  • Unholy Death Knight‘s getting a significant rework.
  • Healers are getting buffs across the board.
  • Fury Warrior‘s Hack and Slash iconHack and Slash has been reworked.

Check out the official patch notes below for a list of all the changes.


CLASSES

  • DEATH KNIGHT
    • Frost
      • Chosen of Frostbrood (Rank 3) has been updated – When Frostwyrm’s Fury is recalled, it now grants the full Haste bonus at 50% duration instead. The ability used to recall Frostwyrm’s Fury is no longer on the global cooldown.
      • Deathbringer
        • Echoing Fury secondary effect has been redesigned – Casting Reaper’s Mark grants 1 stack of Exterminate with 100% first scythe and 100% second scythe effectiveness.
        • Exterminate has been updated – After Reaper’s Mark explodes, your next 2 Obliterates or Frostscythes cost 1 Rune and summon 2 scythes to strike the enemies. The rest of the effect remains the same.
    • Unholy
      • New Talent: Cycle of Death – Putrefy reduces the cooldown of Death and Decay by 1 second. Death and Decay reduces the cooldown of Putrefy by 0.3 seconds for each enemy it damages, up to 3 seconds.
      • Raise Abomination has been updated – Disease Cloud no longer causes enemies to take increased damage from minions. Now deals Plague damage periodically to nearby enemies.
      • Putrid Echoes has an additional effect – Putrefy now consumes up to 2 available charges on cast.
      • Lesser Ghoul damage reduced by 17%.
      • Scourge Strike now applies Virulent Plague in addition to spreading it.
      • Pestilence renamed to Blightfall and now overrides Dark Transformation instead of Outbreak.
      • Necrotic Coil’s Shadowstrike damage now prefers the primary target.
      • Some talents have changed locations in the talent tree.
      • The following talents have been removed:
        • Blightfall
        • March of Madness
        • Scythe of Decay
      • Rider of the Apocalypse
        • Unholy Armaments has an additional effect – Your Ghoul and skeletal archer deal 10% and Lesser Ghouls deal 20% increased damage.
        • A Feast of Souls has been updated – While you have 2 or more Horsemen aiding you, your Death Coil deals 20% and Epidemic deals 20% increased damage.
      • San’layn
        • Frenzied Bloodthirst has been updated – Essence of the Blood Queen increases the damage of your Death Coil and Death Strike by 3%, and Epidemic by 3% per stack.
        • Thrill of Blood has an additional effect – Dread Plague deals 5% and Virulent Plague deals 5% increased damage.
        • Desecrate has been updated – Death and Decay deals its damage 100% faster.
  • DEMON HUNTER
    • Demon Hunters can now further customize their appearance with new eye options: a new void blue eye color and a flameless option for both fel green and void blue eyes.
    • Devourer
      • Spontaneous Immolation has been redesigned – Soul Immolation heals for an additional 6% of your maximum health over its duration and its cooldown is reset upon killing an enemy that yields experience or honor.
      • Soul Immolation has been updated – No longer deals self-damage. Now heals for 24% of your maximum health over its duration.
      • Sweet Suffering has been updated – Now increases the duration of Feast of Souls by 1 second/2 seconds (was 2 seconds/4 seconds).
      • Eradicate now deals separate damage to its primary target and its area damage targets.
      • Feast of Souls is no longer capped at 20 stacks.
      • Removing Grim Focus via a macro or right-clicking the aura will prevent it from being reapplied for 10 seconds.
      • Void-Scarred
        • Burning Blades has been updated – Now affects Hungering Slash (was Reap) and now additionally increases Reap’s damage by 20%.
        • Untethered Fury has been updated – Now increases Void Ray damage by 15%.
        • Monster Rising has been updated – Now increases Collapsing Star damage by 15%.
        • Violent Transformation has been updated – Now additionally causes the Hunt to deal 25% increased damage and reset the cooldown of Soul Immolation.
        • Student of Suffering increases Mastery by 4% (was 8%) and grants 2 Fury (was 5 Fury).
        • Blind Focus increases Cosmic damage dealt by 2% (was 3%).
    • Vengeance
      • Feast of Souls now heals instantly upon activating Soul Cleave (was heal over 6 seconds).
      • Untethered Rage trigger effect now lasts 12 seconds (was 10 seconds).
      • Fracture base cooldown reduced to 5.5 seconds (was 6 seconds).
      • Annihilator
        • Celestial Echoes now causes Fracture to generate 3 additional Fury and deal 25% increased damage (was 5 Fury and 30% damage).
  • DRUID
    • Balance
      • Meteorites has been updated – Every time Starfall drops a wave of stars, a meteorite also falls on up to 2 targets in its range, each dealing Astral damage.
      • Meteorite projectile damage reduced by 30%.
    • Feral
      • Unseen Predator (Rank 1) now has an additional effect – Unseen Attack damage is reduced if less than 5 combo points and 50 Energy are spent on Ferocious Bite.
      • Unseen Predator (Rank 2) has been updated – Unseen Attacks increase your damage done by 8%/15% for 1 second per combo point spent to trigger it. Additional applications extend this effect.
      • Unseen Predator (Rank 3) has been updated – Tiger’s Fury causes you to perform an Unseen Attack for maximum damage after your next 2 combo point generating attacks. Rip and Unseen Attack damage increased by 30%.
      • Unseen Slash and Unseen Swipe base damage increased by 25%.
    • Guardian
      • Wild Guardian (Rank 2) now grants 1 charge/2 charges of Dream Guide or Dream of Cenarius.
      • Wild Guardian (Rank 3) now empowers Maul, causing it to deal 40% additional damage over time.
      • Galactic Guardian’s interaction with Red Moon has been updated – Stacks of Lunar Wrath are now consumed upon spending 20 Rage.
      • Regrowths cast by Dream Guide now heal for an additional 100%.
    • Restoration
      • Everbloom (Rank 2) has been redesigned – When Lifebloom’s final bloom occurs, it heals 6 allies within 40 yards for 25%/50% of its healing amount.
      • Everbloom (Rank 3) Blooming Frenzy now triggers 3 times (was 5).
      • Wrath damage increased by 40%.
      • Starfire damage increased by 40%.
      • Starsurge damage increased by 40%.
      • Sunfire damage increased by 25%.
      • Moonfire damage increased by 25%.
  • EVOKER
    • New Ability: Battle Visage – Activate to automatically assume your Visage whenever you are not casting draconic spells such as Fire Breath and Soar.
      • Full list of abilities that temporarily shift you to Dracthyr: Deep Breath, Dream Flight, Breath of Eons, Fire Breath, Eternity Surge, Dream Breath, Upheaval, Hover, Spatial Paradox, Rescue, Zephyr, Verdant Embrace (without Dream Simulacrum talented), and Soar.
      • Many abilities that used to force a shift to Dracthyr have adjusted visual treatments for Visage form.
      • While active, Battle Visage also applies a camera height override to Dracthyr form to prevent the camera from adjusting rapidly when shifting between forms.
    • Unravel damage increased by 300%.
    • Blessing of the Bronze is now castable on friendly players who are not in your party or raid group, similar to other group buffs like Arcane Intellect.
    • Fixed an issue where Twin Guardian was applying its bonus at the start of Rescue rather than upon landing.
    • Augmentation
      • New Talent: Mighty Inferno – Inferno’s Blessing’s damage is increased by 40%, and your effects that extend Ebon Might also extend Inferno’s Blessing.
      • Inferno’s Blessing will now correctly always apply to the casting Evoker, and will no longer apply to pets.
      • Regenerative Chitin has a new icon.
      • Molten Embers has been removed.
      • Chronowarden
        • New Talent: Chronal Dynamo – Living Flame’s cast time is reduced by 0.2 seconds, and it deals 50% increased damage or healing when it is a non-instant cast.
        • Energy Cycles has been removed.
    • Preservation
      • New Talent: Temporal Barrier – Summon a vortex of temporal energy, absorbing 900% spell power and applying Echo at 30% effectiveness on your target and up to 4 allies within 40 yards.
      • Temporal Anomaly now has an additional effect – Applies Echo at 30% effectiveness on the first 5 allies it passes through.
      • Fluttering Seedlings has been redesigned slightly – Emerald Blossom sends out 1/2 flying seedlings when it bursts, plus up to 2/4 additional seedlings if Emerald Blossom heals fewer than 5 allies. Each seedling heals an ally up to 40 yards away.
      • Fluttering Seedlings healing increased by 67%.
      • Fluttering Seedlings is now considered a Green spell and its healing is increased by Ouroboros.
      • Life-giver’s Flame now also functions with Deep Breath, causing the first 5 targets hit to heal nearby allies for 80% of damage done.
      • All healing reduced by 5%. This does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Verdant Embrace mana cost reduced by 27%.
      • Resonating Sphere has been removed.
      • Chronowarden
        • New Talent: Chronal Dynamo – Living Flame’s cast time is reduced by 0.2 seconds, and it deals 50% increased damage or healing when it is a non-instant cast.
        • Energy Cycles has been removed.
  • HUNTER
    • Marksmanship
      • New Talent: Explosive Shot – Fires an explosive shot at your target. After 3 seconds, the shot will explode, dealing Fire damage to all enemies within 8 yards. Deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets.
      • New Talent: Shrapnel Shot – Casting Explosive Shot has a 100% chance to grant Lock and Load.
      • New Talent: Precision Detonation – When Aimed Shot damages a target affected by your Explosive Shot, Explosive Shot instantly explodes, dealing 20% increased damage.
      • Precise Shots has been updated – No longer reduces the global cooldown and no longer provides bonuses to auto shot. Damage bonus reduced to 50% (was 100%). Now affects Kill Shot and Black Arrow at 100% effectiveness.
      • Windrunner Quiver has been redesigned – Consuming Precise Shots has a 30% chance to grant Precise Shots. The damage bonus of Precise Shots is increased by an additional 15%.
      • Unmatched Precision has been updated – Now increases Precise Shots damage by 10%/20% (was 20%/40%).
      • Small Game Hunter has been updated – Now increases Explosive Shot damage by 15% and Volley damage by 25%.
      • Eagle’s Accuracy has been updated – Now increases Aimed Shot damage by 5%/10% and Rapid Fire damage by 10%/20%.
      • Steady Shot damage increased by 100%.
      • Arcane Shot damage increased by 33%.
      • Multi-Shot damage increased by 33%.
      • The following talents have been removed:
        • Bullet Hell
        • In the Rhythm
        • Lethality
        • Target Acquisition
      • Sentinel
        • Can’t Miss Won’t Miss has been updated – Now increases Precise Shots damage by 10% (was 40%).
    • Survival
      • Sic ‘Em has been updated – Now triggers from Strike as One critical strikes (was Kill Command).
      • Lunge has been updated – No longer grants Wildfire Bomb cooldown reduction. Now additionally grants 2% Agility, increased by an additional 2% while dual-wielding.
      • Shrapnel Bomb has been updated – Now additionally causes Wildfire Bomb to grant 15 Focus over 3 seconds.
      • Takedown now communicates that it removes Root effects from your pet.
      • Pack Leader
        • Hogstrider has been redesigned – Each time your Boar deals damage, the damage of your next Boomstick is increased by 5%, up to 20%.
        • Hoof and Blade has been redesigned – Now increases Hogstrider’s damage bonus by 2%.
        • Sharpened Fangs has been updated – Now additionally increases the damage Wildfire Bomb deals to its primary target by 15%.
        • Lethal Barbs now grants 1 Focus (was 2 Focus).
  • MAGE
    • Arcane
      • Arcane Pulse cast time is now 2.25 seconds (was 1.75 seconds) and its cast time is reduced by 8% for each Arcane Charge you have.
      • Fixed an issue where Arcane Missiles with Aether Attunement talented or an Overpowered Missiles proc would target critters and pull them into combat, but not deal damage to them.
    • Frost
      • Icicles has been updated – No longer generates rapidly out of combat.
      • Glacial Spike now has a duration of 60 seconds (was unlimited).
      • Frozen Orb can now be cast without a target selected.
      • Fixed an issue causing Freezing Rain’s effect duration to not match the duration of Frozen Orb.
  • MONK
    • Brewmaster
      • Master of Harmony
        • Harmonic Surge has been redesigned – Casting Celestial Brew or Celestial Infusion grants 2 charges of Potential Energy. Your next cast of Tiger Palm or Vivify consumes all charges of Potential Energy to cause a Harmonic Surge. Harmonic Surge: For each charge of Potential Energy, deal Nature damage to your target and nearby enemies, and heal up to 5 allies. Damage and healing increased per stack of Potential Energy consumed.
        • Potential Energy has been redesigned – Casting Keg Smash grants a charge of Potential Energy.
        • Coalescence’s tooltip has been adjusted for clarity, and it now applies its own distinct periodic healing and damage effect.
        • Several tooltips have been updated to clarify that they interact with both Celestial Brew and Celestial Infusion.
    • Mistweaver
      • All healing reduced by 5%.
      • Sheilun’s Gift’s healing is increased by 5% per cloud consumed (was 10%).
      • Spiritfont now causes Enveloping Mist to be instant cast.
      • Way of the Serpent no longer causes Soothing Mist and Crackling Jade Lightning to be cast while moving. This is now default behavior.
      • Emperor’s Elixir’s tooltip has been adjusted to better reflect its effect.
      • Conduit of the Celestials
        • Inner Compass now rotates its stances on an 8 second timer.
      • Master of Harmony
        • Harmonic Surge has been redesigned – Casting Thunder Focus Tea grants 2 charges of Potential Energy. Your next cast of Tiger Palm or Vivify consumes all charges of Potential Energy to cause a Harmonic Surge.
          • Harmonic Surge: For each charge of Potential Energy, deal Nature damage to your target and nearby enemies, and heal up to 5 allies. Damage and healing increased per stack of Potential Energy consumed.
        • Potential Energy has been redesigned – Casting Rising Sun Kick or Rushing Wind Kick grants a charge of Potential Energy.
        • Coalescence’s tooltip has been adjusted for clarity, and it now applies its own distinct periodic healing and damage effect.
        • Several tooltips have been updated to clarify that they interact with both Celestial Brew and Celestial Infusion.
    • Windwalker
      • Crashing Fists has been redesigned – Fists of Fury damage is increased by 20% (was extends duration by 1 second).
      • Tigereye Brew (Rank 1) has been redesigned – Every 3 Chi spent generates Tigereye Brew. Zenith consumes up to 20 Tigereye Brew stacks to increase your critical strike chance for its duration by 1% per stack. Generates quickly up to 10 stacks while out of combat and may generate up a maximum of 30 stacks.
      • Tigereye Brew (Rank 3) has been redesigned – Zenith now grants access to 2 additional Zenith Stomps.
      • Xuen’s Battlegear may now additionally trigger from Spinning Crane Kick, reducing the cooldown of Fists of Fury by 0.5 seconds for each unique target struck, up to 2.5 seconds.
      • Zenith Stomp now generates 2 Chi.
      • Zenith no longer generates 2 Chi on cast.
  • PALADIN
    • Blessing of Protection and Blessing of Spellwarding now show on Raid Frames when Center Big Defensives is enabled in the Raid Frames Interface menu.
    • Holy
      • Holy Shock healing increased by 10%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Word of Glory healing increased by 20%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Eternal Flame healing increased by 20%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Light of Dawn healing increased by 20%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Greater Judgment absorb increased by 250%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Beacon of the Savior (Rank 3) now causes Flash of Light and Holy Light to move Beacon of the Savior to their target once per 5 seconds.
      • Herald of the Sun
        • Walk Into Light has been redesigned – Now increases the chance for Infusion of Light to occur by 100% during Avenging Wrath.
      • Lightsmith
        • Holy Armaments now generate 3 Holy Power.
  • PRIEST
    • Discipline
      • Atonement now causes spell damage to heal all targets affected by Atonement for 28% of damage done (was 35%). Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Power Word: Shield absorption increased by 25%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Void Shield absorption increased by 25%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Flash Heal healing increased by 25%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Shadow Mend healing increased by 25%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Power Word: Radiance healing increased by 25%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
      • Plea healing increased by 25%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
    • Holy
      • All healing done increased by 8%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
  • ROGUE
    • New Talent: Sanguine Vial – When you deal the killing blow to a target that yields experience or honor, the cooldown of Crimson Vial is reduced by 15 seconds and your next use heals 5% of your health instantly.
    • Airborne Irritant has been updated – Blind has 50% reduced cooldown, 70% reduced duration, and applies to all nearby enemies.
    • Assassination
      • New Talent: Negotiable Contract – If the target of your Deathmark dies, Deathmark jumps to a nearby enemy combatant for its remaining duration.
      • Deathstalker
        • Deathstalker’s Mark has been updated – Garrote applies 3 stacks of Deathstalker’s Mark to your target, unless Deathstalker’s Mark is already active. You learn Mark for Death. When you spend 5 or more combo points on attacks against a Marked target you consume an application of Deathstalker’s Mark, dealing 120% Plague damage.
          • Mark for Death: Move your active Deathstalker’s Mark to your target. 10 yard range, 20 second cooldown, 25 Energy, and not on the global cooldown.
      • Trickster
        • Cloud Cover has been updated – Activating Adrenaline Rush creates a cloud of smoke for 10 seconds, allowing attacks from within the cloud to apply Fazed, stacking up to 2 additional times. Effect persists for 10 seconds after leaving the cloud.
    • Outlaw
      • Ace Up Your Sleeve has been updated – Between the Eyes has a 3%/6% chance (was 5%) per combo point spent to grant 4 combo points (was 2/4) and reset its own cooldown.
    • Subtlety
      • Deathstalker
        • Deathstalker’s Mark has been updated – Shadowstrike applies 3 stacks of Deathstalker’s Mark to your target, unless Deathstalker’s Mark is already active. You learn Mark for Death. When you spend 5 or more combo points on attacks against a Marked target you consume an application of Deathstalker’s Mark, dealing 120% Plague damage.
          • Mark for Death: Move your active Deathstalker’s Mark to your target. 10 yard range, 20 second cooldown, 25 Energy, and not on the global cooldown.
      • Trickster
        • Cloud Cover has been updated – Activating Shadow Blades creates a cloud of smoke for 10 seconds, allowing attacks from within the cloud to apply Fazed, stacking up to 2 additional times. Effect persists for 10 seconds after leaving the cloud.
  • SHAMAN
    • Enhancement
      • Overflowing Maelstrom secondary effect has been updated – Each Maelstrom Weapon stack consumed grants Overflowing Maelstrom, reducing the cast time and increasing the healing of your next Healing Surge or Chain Heal by 10%. Overflowing Maelstrom can accumulate up to 20 stacks, benefiting each cast by up to 10 stacks.
      • The names of Raging Maelstrom and Overflowing Maelstrom talents have been swapped to better reflect their effects.
    • Restoration
      • All healing done increased by 8%. This does not apply to PvP combat.
      • All damage dealt increased by 30%.
  • WARRIOR
    • Rend radius increased to 10 yards (was 8 yards).
    • Wrecking Throw will now be highlighted when the Warrior targets a unit with an active Absorb shield.
    • Shattering Throw will now be highlighted when the Warrior targets a unit with an active Immunity effect, or a Mage’s Ice Wall.
    • Arms
      • Mortal Wounds now triggers from Mortal Strike and Slam (was Mortal Strike and Cleave).
      • Crushing Combo removes the cooldown from your next 2 uses of Cleave (was 3).
      • Colossus
        • Practiced Strikes now increases Mortal Strike and Slam damage by 15% and Cleave and Whirlwind damage by 15%.
        • Demolish’s area of effect strike radius increased to 10 yards (was 8 yards).
        • Dominance of the Colossus reduces the cooldown of Demolish by 5 seconds when you would gain a stack of Colossal Might and are already at max stacks (was 2 seconds).
      • Slayer
        • Reap the Storm has been updated – When Cleave hits 3 or more targets you have a 20% chance to unleash a flurry of steel, striking all nearby enemies for high Physical damage and applying Overwhelmed.
        • Unrelenting Onslaught now also increases damage dealt by Bladestorm by 20%.
    • Fury
      • Hack and Slash has been redesigned – Rampage has 100% chance to refund a charge of Raging Blow.
      • Improved Whirlwind now causes Whirlwind to apply Rend to all targets if Rend is known.
      • Mountain Thane
        • Storm Surge causes Avatar to increase the damage of Thunder Clap by 10% (was 50%) and reduce its cooldown by 25% (was 50%).
      • Slayer
        • Reap the Storm has been updated – When Rampage hits 3 or more targets via Improved Whirlwind you have a 20% chance to unleash a flurry of steel, striking all nearby enemies for high Physical damage and applying Overwhelmed.
        • Unrelenting Onslaught now increases damage dealt by Bladestorm by 20%.
    • Protection
      • Colossus
        • Practiced Strikes now increases Shield Slam damage by 15% and Revenge and Thunder Clap damage by 15%.
        • Demolish’s area of effect strike radius increased to 10 yards (was 8 yards).
        • Dominance of the Colossus reduces the cooldown of Demolish by 5 seconds when you would gain a stack of Colossal Might and are already at max stacks (was 2 seconds).
  • WARLOCK
    • Demonology
      • Grimoire: Fel Ravager has been updated – Summons a Fel Ravager to assist you in combat for 20 seconds and will purge 1 beneficial magic effect from an enemy. Turns into Devour Magic while on cooldown.
      • Antoran Jailer’s Soul Barrage has been updated – Releases a volley of Chaos magic that deals Chaos damage to the target and up to 10 additional targets within 10 yards.
    • Destruction
      • Conflagration of Chaos has been updated – Conflagrate and Shadowburn have a 100% chance to guarantee your next cast of either ability to critically strike and increases its damage by your critical strike chance.
      • Conflagration of Chaos icon has been updated.
      • Chaos Incarnate and Inferno have swapped positions in the talent tree.