[2023] Player Health and Enemy Damage to be Increased

We’ve decided to increase both player stamina and enemy damage by 25% in Embers of Neltharion. This is very much like an adjustment that was made just before the launch of Dragonflight, and it’s for the same reasons.

• When damage mitigation abilities and healing are too strong relative to player health, the only way to threaten players is to make enemy damage very high and spiky. If healers can very quickly top off their teammates and mana isn’t a limiting factor, enemies have to be tuned to have the capacity to do burst damage that kills players before healers can react. That isn’t very satisfying gameplay. Increasing player health and tuning enemy ability damage appropriately gives players more time to react to incoming damage, and it makes players’ choices about cooldowns and mana management more meaningful.

Along with this change, you’ll see several adjustments to hybrid healing spells, items, and enchantments, as well as percentage-based healing spells.

These changes are included in this week’s new PTR build.

Changes

• Developers’ notes: Along with adjusting creature damage and player stamina in Embers of Neltharion, we’re adjusting the healing done by several talents. For tanks, our goal is to keep their relative strength comparable to 10.0.7. For damage dealers, we’re adjusting active healing spells to be more powerful so that they retain their impact when solo or when supporting a group. We’re also adjusting the effectiveness of several healing effects for damage dealers and healers that are based on maximum health, to keep their relative effectiveness equivalent.
• Player stamina increased by 25%.
• All creature spell and melee damage increased by 25%.

Death Knight

• Blood Draw healing increased by 25%.
• Blood
  • Blood Plague healing increased by 25%.
  • Relish in Blood healing increased by 25%.
  • Leech from Voracious increased to 12% (was 10%).

Demon Hunter

• Havoc
  • Fodder to the Flame now heals for 20% of maximum health (was 25%).
• Vengeance
  • Fel Devastation healing increased by 25%.
  • You heal for 10% of all damage you deal to targets with Frailty (was 8%).
  • Feast of Souls healing increased by 25%.
  • The maximum absorb of Revel in Pain increased by 25%.
  • The Hunt now heals for 25% of damage you deal to your Hunt target was 20%).
  • Healing from consuming a Soul Fragment increased by 25%.
  • Charred Warblades causes you to heal for 4% of Fire damage dealt (was 3%).
  • Soul Barrier absorbs 25% additional damage.
  • The bonus absorb value from consuming Soul Fragments increased by 25%.

Druid

• Balance
  • Regrowth healing increased by 50%.
  • Regrowth healing is no longer reduced in PvP Combat (was 15%).
  • Swiftmend healing increased by 50%.
  • Rejuvenation healing increased by 25%.
  • Wild Growth healing increased by 25%.
  • Protector of the Pack’s maximum heal value increased by 25%.
• Feral
  • Regrowth healing increased by 50%. Does not affect PvP Combat.
  • Swiftmend healing increased by 50%.
  • Rejuvenation healing increased by 25%.
  • Wild Growth healing increased by 25%.
  • Protector of the Pack’s maximum heal value increased by 25%.
• Guardian
  • Regrowth healing increased by 50%
  • Swiftmend healing increased by 50%.
  • Rejuvenation healing increased by 25%.
  • Wild Growth healing increased by 25%.
  • Protector of the Pack’s maximum heal value increased by 25%.
  • Lunar Beam healing increased by 25%.
  • Elune’s Favored causes you to be healed for 40% of Arcane damage done (was 30%).
  • Brambles reflects 25% additional damage.
  • Ursoc’s Fury causes Thrash and Maul to grant an absorb shield for 60% of damage dealt (was 50%).

Evoker

• Devastation
  • Living Flame healing increased by 25%.
  • Emerald Blossom healing increased by 25%.
  • Verdant Embrace healing increased by 25%.
  • Panacea healing increased by 25%.

Hunter

• Rejuvenating Wind now heals for 8%/16% of maximum health (was 10%/20%).

Monk

• Brewmaster
  • Soothing Mist healing increased by 25%.
  • Chi Burst healing increased by 25%.
  • Chi Wave healing increased by 25%.
  • Expel Harm healing increased by 25%.
  • Staggering Strikes reduces Stagger by an additional 25%.
  • Celestial Brew absorbs 25% additional damage.
  • Vivify healing increased by 92%.
  • Celestial Fortune now has a chance equal to your critical strike chance to be healed for an additional 80% of the amount healed (was 65%).
• Mistweaver
  • Chi Cocoon now provides a shield for 8% of your maximum health (was 10%).
• Windwalker
  • Soothing Mist healing increased by 25%.
  • Chi Burst healing increased by 25%.
  • Chi Wave healing increased by 25%.
  • Expel Harm healing increased by 75%.
  • Vivify healing increased by 92%.

Paladin

• Protection
  • Moment of Glory creates an absorb shield for 25% of all damage dealt (was 20%).
  • Bulwark of Order creates an absorb shield for 30%/60% of Avenger’s Shield damage dealt (was 25%/50%).
  • Light of the Titans healing increased by 25%.
  • Word of Glory healing increased by 25%.
  • Flash of Light healing increased by 50%.
• Retribution
  • Word of Glory healing increased by 50%.
  • Word of Glory healing is now reduced by 45% in PvP Combat (was 30%).
  • Flash of Light healing increased by 50%.
  • Flash of Light healing is now reduced by 30% in PvP Combat.
  • Light’s Celerity increases Flash of Light healing by 20% (was 50%).
  • Light’s Celerity increases Flash of Light healing by 10% in PvP Combat (was 20%).
  • Guided Prayer casts a Word of Glory at 60% effectiveness (was 100%).
  • Justicar’s Vengeance heals for 5% of maximum health (was 6%).

Priest

• Shadow
  • Power Word: Shield absorbs 25% additional damage.
  • Renew healing increased by 25%.
  • Prayer of Mending healing increased by 25%.
  • Flash Heal healing increased by 50%.

Rogue

• Soothing Darkness now heals for 24% of maximum health (was 30%).

Shaman

• Elemental
  • Healing Surge healing increased by 37%.
  • Earth Shield healing increased by 25%.
  • Chain Heal healing increased by 25%.
  • Healing Stream Totem healing increased by 25%.
• Enhancement
  • Healing Surge healing increased by 37%.
  • Earth Shield healing increased by 25%.
  • Chain Heal healing increased by 25%.
  • Healing Stream Totem healing increased by 25%.
  • Improved Maelstrom Weapon increases the healing of your next healing spell by 5%/10% (was 10%/20%).

Warlock

• Demon Skin now recharges Soul Leech at a rate of 0.2%/0.4% of maximum health (was 0.2%/0.5%).

Warrior

• Ignore Pain absorbs 25% additional damage.
• Pain and Gain heals for 3.5% of maximum health (was 4.5%).
• Arms
  • Storm Wall now heals for 8% of maximum health (was 10%).
• Fury
• Invigorating Fury now heals for 15% of maximum health (was 20%).
• Protection
  • Fueled by Violence causes you to be healed for 110% of the damage dealt by Deep Wounds (was 85%).

Player versus Player

• Developers’ notes: Alongside the gamewide update of increasing player health by 25%, we’re adjusting the stamina and primary stat bonuses from Gladiator’s Distinction to help offset the impact in PvP. This should increase damage and healing and reduce player health enough to keep the pace of play in Embers of Neltharion similar to how it was prior to the change.
• Gladiator’s Distinction now provides 300 stamina (was 2703) and 1600 primary stat (was 300).

Professions

• Developers’ notes: The following items and enchantments are improved to maintain their relative value with the change to player stamina.
• Enchanting
  • Enchant Boots – Watcher’s Loam now provides 25% more stamina.
  • Enchant Chest – Sustained Strength now provides 25% more stamina.
• Jewelcrafting
  • Solid Eternity Amber now provides 25% more stamina.
  • Forceful Nozdorite now provides 25% more stamina.
  • Puissant Nozdorite now provides 25% more stamina.
  • Jagged Nozdorite now provides 25% more stamina.
  • Steady Nozdorite now provides 25% more stamina.
• Leatherworking
  • Fierce Armor Kit now provides 25% more stamina.
• Tailoring
  • Frozen Spellthread now provides 25% more stamina.
• Blacksmithing
  • Shadowed Belt Clasp now provides 25% more stamina.

Thank you for your testing and feedback!