WoW Dragonflight season one patch notes: Tank nerfs across the board and final tweaks to dungeons

Season one of Dragonflight is upon us with this weekly reset and it officially starts worldwide on Dec. 13. After this weekly reset, you can finally start working towards your Gladiator title in Arenas, Keystonemaster achievement for season one, and enter the fabled Vault of the Incarnates to defeat Raszageth the Storm-Eater as she tries to set free her siblings.

With this update, the balancing team is heavily nerfing tanks that could, up till this point, pull several rooms full of mobs and get away without a scratch. On top of that, Blizzard is tweaking dungeons, particularly the Nokhud Offensive, to ensure a smooth gearing-up process. 

So, let’s take a deep dive and see what exactly awaits us with this weekly reset and season one of Dragonflight. 

Class balancing

Death Knight

Blood

• Blood Fortification no longer reduces damage taken (was 10 percent damage reduction).

Demon Hunter

• Fixed an issue that unintentionally permitted Fodder to the Flame’s heal effect to crit.
• The Hunt now heals for 10 percent/20 percent (as Havoc/Vengeance) of damage dealt to the marked target for 20 seconds (was 25 percent/50 percent for 30 seconds).
• Charred Warblades now heals for three percent of Fire damage dealt (was five percent).

Havoc

• Essence Break damage reduced by eight percent.

Vengeance

• Demonic Wards Rank one and Rank two passives have been removed, reducing Demonic Wards total damage reduction to 10 percent (was 20 percent damage reduction).

Druid

Guardian

• Ursine Adept no longer reduces damage taken (was 10 percent damage reduction).

Mage

Frost

• Fixed an issue that caused Frigid Winds to not correctly benefit Freezing Cold’s snare.

Monk

Brewmaster

• Brewmaster’s Balance no longer reduces damage taken (was 10 percent damage reduction).

Paladin

Protection

• Aegis of Light no longer reduces damage taken (was 10 percent damage reduction).

Priest 

Shadow

• Vampiric Touch healing reduced to 30 percent of damage dealt (was 50 percent).
• Devouring Plague healing reduced to 30 percent of damage dealt (was 50 percent).

Rogue

• Leeching Poison leech bonus reduced to five percent (was 10 percent).

Assassination

• Poison Bomb chance to trigger reduced to four/eight percent (was five/10 percent).
• Fixed an issue that prevented Cut to the Chase from benefitting from Echoing Reprimand’s Animacharged combo points.
• Fixed an issue that would cause Garrote to fail to apply to all targets if one target was immune, when cast with Indiscriminate Carnage.

Outlaw

• Dispatch damage increased by five percent.
• Pistol Shot damage reduced by six percent.

Subtlety

• Black Powder damage reduced by five percent.
• Fixed an issue that caused Secret Technique to interact incorrectly with Cold Blood.

Warlock

• Fel Synergy now causes Soul Leech to heal you for 15 percent of the absorption it grants (was 25 percent).
• Soul Leech now grants shields up to five percent of maximum health (was 10 percent).
• Demon Skin now increases Soul Leech’s absorption up to 10 percent of maximum health (was 15 percent).

Warrior

Fury

• Gushing Wound damage and healing reduced by 10 percent.
• Bloodthirst damage increased by one percent.
• Bloodbath damage increased by one percent.

Protection

• Vanguard no longer reduces damage taken (was five percent damage reduction).
• Defensive Stance reduced to 15 percent damage reduction (was 20 percent). Damage reduction remains unchanged at 10 percent effectiveness in PvP.
• Demoralizing Shout now reduces damage taken by 20 percent (was 25 percent).
• Ignore Pain now ignores 50 percent of damage taken (was 55 percent).

Dungeons and raids balancing

The Nokhud Offensive

• Nokhud Longbow’s Multi-Shot’s damage reduced by 71 percent.
• Nokhud Hornsounder health reduced by 12 percent.
• Nokhud Hornsounder’s Rally the Clan frequency slightly reduced and its cast time slightly increased.
• Unstable Squall no longer casts Violent Dispersion on death.
• Nokhud Defender no longer casts Bloodcurdling Shout in Normal and Heroic difficulty.
• Nokhud Defender’s Bloodcurdling Shout frequency slightly reduced.
• Nokhud Thunderfist’s Deadly Thunder frequency slightly reduced.
• Batak’s Bloodcurdling Shout frequency reduced.
• Soulharvesters’ Shatter Soul will now spawn souls closer to the players targeted with the ability.
  • Granyth
    • Reduced the spawn rate of Nokhud Saboteur on Mythic difficulty.
  • The Raging Tempest
    • Primal Stormshield’s health reduced by 23 percent.
    • Primal Stormshield’s Stormshield frequency slightly reduced.

Player versus Player balancing

• Medals of Honor can no longer be used if the honor it grants would put you over the honor cap.
• Victorious Contender’s Strongbox is now available to Level 70 players from Seltherex in Valdrakken for 5,000 Honor.

Class balancing (PvP)

Death Knight

Blood

• Blood for Blood increases the damage of Heart Strike by 30 percent (was 60 percent).
• Shattering Bone damage reduced by 25 percent in PvP combat.

Demon Hunter

• Sigil of Misery PvP duration reduced to four seconds (was five seconds).
• Concentrated Sigils duration increase value reduced by 50 percent in PvP combat.
• Precise Sigils duration increase value reduced by 50 percent in PvP combat.
• Extended Sigils duration increase value reduced by 50 percent in PvP combat.
• Fodder to the Flame heal effect reduced by 40 percent in PvP combat.

Havoc

• Consume Soul heal effect when consuming a Demon Soul reduced by 60 percent in PvP combat.
• Essence Break damage reduced by 20 percent in PvP combat.

Druid

Guardian

• Moonfire damage reduced by 20 percent in PvP combat.
• Thrash damage reduced by 20 percent in PvP combat.
• Brambles damage reduced by 50 percent in PvP combat.
• Rage of the Sleeper reflect damage reduced by 50 percent in PvP combat.
• After the Wildfire healing reduced by 40 percent in PvP combat.
• Sharpened Claws increases the damage of Thrash and Swipe by 10 percent in PvP combat (was 25 percent).
• Tooth and Claw increases the damage of Maul by 20 percent in PvP combat (was 40 percent).

Mage

Fire

• Combustion can no longer be dispelled.

Paladin

Protection

• Word of Glory healing reduced by 30 percent in PvP combat.
• Light of the Titans healing reduced by 40 percent in PvP combat.
• Guardian of the Forgotten Queen cooldown increased to five minutes.

Priest

• Vampiric Touch and Devouring Plague healing are no longer reduced in PvP combat.

Rogue

• Soothing Darkness heal effect reduced by 50 percent in PvP combat.

Assassination

• Hemotoxin (PvP Talent) healing reduction effect reduced to 35 percent (was 40 percent).

Subtlety

• The Rotten damage bonus for Backstab and Shadowstrike reduced to 30 percent in PvP combat (was 50 percent).

Warrior

Fury

• Bloodthirst now restores two percent of your health in PvP combat (was three percent).
• Slaughterhouse now decreases healing taken by three percent per stack (was five percent per stack).
• Slaughterhouse now stacks up to 12 times (was 8 times).
• Slaughterhouse duration increased to nine seconds (was six seconds).
• Slaughterhouse duration is no longer refreshed when adding stacks.

Protection

• Shield Charge damage reduced by 25 percent in PvP combat.
• Booming Voice now increases the damage you deal by 10 percent in PvP combat (was 20 percent).

Solo Shuffle

• With Season one’s start, the minimum PvP item level to queue for Rated Solo Shuffle is 408.

Profession changes

Jewelcrafting

• Stats granted by the Elemental Lariat’s equip effect reduced by five percent and it can no longer have multiple bonuses up simultaneously. This change does not negatively impact proc rates or buff uptime.