October 6 Class Tuning: PvP Talent Buffs for Every Class

What arrives with October 6 maintenance

Blizzard has published a class tuning batch that lands with weekly maintenance on October 6, and the Player versus Player half of it is the broadest PvP talent pass of Midnight Season 2 so far: every one of the thirteen classes has at least one PvP talent changed, and the six tank specializations share a four-part rework of Focused Assault. The stated aim is breadth rather than power, with Blizzard writing that it is "buffing several underperforming PvP Talents to increase your breadth of options as you play."

The class tuning half of the batch is almost entirely a Mythic+ and raid pass. Most of its damage increases carry an explicit "Does not affect PvP combat" tag, so Devourer, Subtlety and Enhancement gain nothing in rated play from it. Three entries carry no such tag and therefore do reach instanced PvP: the Blightfall reduction for Unholy, and both Brewmaster durability changes.

Full detail is in Blizzard's post, Incoming Class Tuning - October 6.

Player versus Player

Developers' notes: "With this pass, we're buffing several underperforming PvP Talents to increase your breadth of options as you play."

Tank specializations in PvP

• Increased the effectiveness of Tank specialization PvP talents that apply Focused Assault: Death Knight's Murderous Intent, Demon Hunter's Tormentor, Druid's Alpha Challenge, Monk's Admonishment, Paladin's Inquisition, and Warrior's Oppressor.
  • Focused Assault now stacks to 6 times (was 5).
  • Duration increased to 10 seconds (was 6 seconds).
  • Cooldown reduced to 15 seconds (was 20 seconds).
  • Range increased to 15 yards (was 10 yards).

Death Knight in PvP

• Dark Simulacrum (PvP Talent) cooldown reduced to 15 seconds (was 20 seconds).

Blood

• Death Chain (PvP Talent) now affects 4 targets (was 3).
• Death Chain (PvP Talent) initial damage increased by 500%.
• Price of Progress (PvP Talent) now causes the Death Knight to be unable to be slowed under 100% of normal speed (was 90%).
• Price of Progress (PvP Talent) now sacrifices 1% health every 1.5 seconds (was 1 second).

Frost

• Death's Cold Embrace (PvP Talent) now increases the damage of Remorseless Winter by 450% (was 400%).

Demon Hunter in PvP

• Cover of Darkness now increases Darkness duration by 4 seconds (was 2 seconds).

Havoc

• Illidan's Grasp damage increased by 50%.

Vengeance

• Illidan's Grasp damage increased by 50%.

Druid in PvP

Balance

• Moon and Stars radius increased by 60%.
• Moon and Stars now displays as important on player nameplates.
• Tireless Pursuit duration increased to 6 seconds (was 3 seconds).

Restoration

• Ancient of Lore: Mass Blooming is now affected by Wild Growth talents like Improved Wild Growth and Early Spring.
• Ancient of Lore: Mass Blooming healing increased by 30%.

Evoker in PvP

• Dreamwalker's Embrace damage increased by 140%.

Augmentation

• All spell and ability damage increased by 8% in PvP combat.
• Seismic Slam stuns enemies for 5 seconds (was 4 seconds).

Hunter in PvP

• Hunting Pack (PvP Talent) radius increased to 40 yards (was 30 yards).

Beast Mastery

• Dire Beast: Hawk (PvP Talent) damage increased by 200%.

Mage in PvP

Fire

• World in Flames now empowers Flamestrike to deal up to 75% more damage (was 50%).
• Glass Cannon now increases the damage of Fireball, Scorch, and Ignite by 25% (was 20%).

Frost

• Frost Bomb damage increased by 25%.
• Icy Feet now grants snare immunity for 4 seconds (was 3 seconds).

Monk in PvP

• Mighty Ox Kick (PvP Talent) cooldown reduced to 20 seconds (was 30 seconds).

Mistweaver

• Healing Sphere (PvP Talent) now allows maximum of 5 Healing Spheres to be active at a time (was 3).
• Healing Sphere (PvP Talent) healing increased by 100%.

Windwalker

• Perpetual Paralysis (PvP Talent) now spreads to 3 targets (was 2).
• Perpetual Paralysis (PvP Talent) now prefers player targets.
• Perpetual Paralysis (PvP Talent) spread range increased to 15 yards (was 10 yards).

Paladin in PvP

• Spellbreaker damage increased by 50%.

Retribution

• Ultimate Retribution's duration increased to 20 seconds (was 12 seconds).

Priest in PvP

• Absolute Faith absorption increased by 113%.
• Improved Mass Dispel reduces the cooldown of Mass Dispel by 75 seconds (was 60 seconds).

Rogue in PvP

• Thick as Thieves duration increased to 10 seconds (was 6 seconds).
• Death from Above now increases damage by 30% (was 15%).

Outlaw

• All damage increased by 5% in PvP combat.

Shaman in PvP

• Electrocute damage increased by 50% and is now a rolling periodic.

Restoration

Developers' notes: "We're increasing the effectiveness of Earth Shield as its importance has felt lackluster and we would like its placement and management to influence gameplay to a higher degree for both Restoration Shamans and their opposition."

• Call of Al'Akir now increases the cooldown of Nature's Swiftness by 20 seconds (was 30 seconds).
• Earth Shield healing increased by 15% in PvP combat.
• Earthen Harmony now causes Earth Shield to reduce damage taken by 8% in PvP combat (was 5%).
• Earthen Harmony now increases Earth Shield healing received by 200% based on its target's missing health (was 150%).

Warlock in PvP

• Bonds of Fel damage increased by 100%.
• Bloodstone duration increased to 18 seconds (was 12 seconds).
• Bloodstone now has a unique visual and updated sound effect.

Demonology

• Call Fel Lord's Fel Cleave damage increased by 150%.

Warrior in PvP

• Dragon Charge damage increased by 300%.

Class changes

Death Knight

Unholy

Developers' notes: "A recent bug fix resulted in Blightfall dealing significantly more damage than we expected. Alongside this tuning change, we're also making sure the damage is represented accurately when an Augmentation Evoker is present in the group."

• Blightfall now deals 100% of the remaining plague damage (was 200%).
• Resolved an issue causing Augmentation Evoker Reattribution damage from plague erupt effects to be attributed to the Death Knight.

Demon Hunter

Devourer

Developers' notes: "Many of Devourer's single target damage sources are receiving buffs that will match their output more closely with our expectations."

• Consume/Devour damage increased by 8%. Does not affect PvP combat.
• Reap/Cull damage increased by 8%. Does not affect PvP combat.
• Eradicate primary target damage increased by 8%. Does not affect PvP combat.
• Collapsing Star primary target damage increased by 8%. Does not affect PvP combat.
• The Hunt initial damage increased by 10%. Does not affect PvP combat.
• Voidblade damage increased by 10%. Does not affect PvP combat.

Monk

Brewmaster

Developers' notes: "We're finding Brewmasters' death rates in dungeons is higher than we'd like, so we're adjusting some rotational sources of damage reduction to help improve baseline durability."

• Quick Sip now purifies 8% of current Stagger amount each time you gain 3 seconds of Stagger duration (was 5%).
• Pretense of Instability grants 10% dodge for 8 seconds after drinking a Brew (was 5 seconds).

Mistweaver

Developers' notes: "We're making a few raid focused adjustments to Mistweaver with the aim of increasing their overall performance in that content."

• Invigorating Mists healing increased by 15%.
• Enveloping Mist healing increased by 15%. Does not apply in PvP combat.

Rogue

Subtlety

Trickster

Developers' notes: "We're buffing Trickster for Subtlety to reduce the performance gap between it and Deathstalker. We want Trickster to be a more viable alternative for players who prefer its gameplay and thematic identity."

• Fazed now causes enemies to take 7% more damage (was 5%). Does not affect PvP combat.
• Unseen Blade damage increased by 15%. Does not affect PvP combat.
• Coup de Grace damage increased by 10%. Does not affect PvP combat.

Shaman

Enhancement

Developers' notes: "We're aiming to increase Enhancement Shaman's throughput all around as they have been underperforming this season, while additionally increasing Lava Lash's contribution to its overall breakdown."

• All ability and auto-attack damage increased by 4%. Does not affect PvP combat.
• Lava Lash damage increased by 35%. Does not affect PvP combat.

How the PvP pass lands on Season 2

Three things in this batch change rated play more than the rest put together, and all three are easiest to read as uptime rather than as raw numbers.

The tank Focused Assault rework is the biggest single item. All four of its dimensions moved at once: one more stack, a duration that nearly doubles, a cooldown four seconds shorter than the new duration, and half again the range. A debuff lasting 10 seconds on a 15-second cooldown can be held on a target permanently, where 6 seconds on a 20-second cooldown could not, and the jump from 10 to 15 yards means a tank no longer has to stand on the target to re-apply it. That matters most where a tank is a standard part of the composition, so rated battlegrounds and Battleground Blitz feel it first, and the six specs that share the talent all gain the same thing.

Three healer specs get real throughput, and nothing in the pass takes any away. Restoration receives the heaviest package: Earth Shield healing up 15% in PvP combat, its Earthen Harmony damage reduction moving from 5% to 8%, the missing-health scaling from 150% to 200%, and the Call of Al'Akir cooldown penalty cut by a third. Mistweaver gains two more simultaneous Healing Spheres and double their healing. Restoration gets 30% more Mass Blooming healing and, more usefully, has it scale with Wild Growth talents it previously ignored. Solo Shuffle is where that concentration of healer buffs is felt hardest, because a single healer carries both halves of every round.

Where those three specs sat going into the pass is the baseline worth having, so the next week of games can be read against it rather than guessed at.

Snare and mobility protection keeps moving. Blood can no longer be slowed at all while Price of Progress is active, up from a 90% floor, at the cost of a slower health drain. Frost gains a fourth second of snare immunity from Icy Feet, and Hunting Pack now reaches 40 yards instead of 30. Those follow the movement-speed adjustments Blizzard made in late September rather than reversing any of them.

The damage side is narrower than the entry count suggests. Augmentation takes a flat 8% to all spell and ability damage in PvP combat plus a second on its Seismic Slam stun, and Outlaw a flat 5%. Everything else in the PvP section is a single talent rather than a spec-wide change, which is consistent with a pass aimed at widening talent choices instead of re-ranking specs.

In 3v3 the composition question is the one to watch: a tank debuff with near-permanent uptime and three healers with more sustain pull in opposite directions, and which of the two wins out shows up in the ladder before it shows up in a patch note.

The buffs that stop outside rated play

Almost every damage increase in the class tuning list is explicitly scoped away from rated play. Devourer's six entries, Subtlety's three Trickster entries and both Enhancement entries all carry "Does not affect PvP combat", and Enveloping Mist carries "Does not apply in PvP combat". A Devourer Demon Hunter queuing arena after maintenance has the same kit as before.

Three entries carry no such tag and therefore apply everywhere. Unholy's Blightfall now deals 100% of remaining plague damage instead of 200%, which is a real loss of burst in rated play as well as in dungeons. Brewmaster's Quick Sip and Pretense of Instability both improve, so a Brewmaster tanking in rated battlegrounds gains the same durability a Brewmaster tanking a dungeon does. Mistweaver's Invigorating Mists increase carries no such tag while the Enveloping Mist increase beside it does, so only the first reaches arena.

What to do before maintenance

If you play any of the six tank specializations in rated battlegrounds or Blitz, the Focused Assault talent is worth re-checking in your PvP talent rows before your first game, because a talent that was marginal at 6 seconds and 10 yards is a different proposition at 10 seconds and 15 yards. The same applies to the talents this pass lifts off the floor: Dire Beast: Hawk at triple damage, Dragon Charge at four times, and Bonds of Fel at double are all talents many players had stopped taking.

Healers on Restoration Shaman, Mistweaver and Restoration Druid should expect their own numbers to move without changing anything, and can compare where their spec sits against the rest of the field on the EU 3v3 meta page or the US 3v3 meta page once a few days of games have been played.

For context on what shipped in the week before this pass, see the October 1 hotfixes. The next scheduled content step is one week later: the 12.1.5 content update arrives with maintenance on October 13, and the rated-play background to all of it is covered in the Battleground Blitz guide and the Solo Shuffle guide.