Tseric actually is useful form time to time. He brought us the new rage formula from the devs:

Ok, so the old rage formula averaged a Warrior’s rage with 2.5 times weapon speed.

• Main hand hit: 2.5*speed
• Off hand hit: 1.25*speed
• Main hand crit: 5*speed
• Off hand crit: 2.5*speed

The change that occurred in the 2.0.10 patch increased the multiplier to 3.5 times weapon speed.

• Main hand hit: 3.5*speed
• Off hand hit: 1.75*speed
• Main hand crit: 7*speed
• Off hand crit: 3.5*speed

That is what was changed.

Rage Gained from dealing damage = ((Damage Dealt) / (Rage Conversion at Your Level) * 7.5 + (Weapon Speed * Factor))/2

So yea, they buffed the “normalized” part of our rage income quite nice :).

Terhix

Not so long ago I wondered where are the paladin tanks, seems Blizzard also noticed the problem. Tseric’s post:

The devs actually mentioned today that Paladin tanking wasn’t exactly where they wanted it to be and there would be attention paid towards that end of things. Overall, they do expect Paladins, Druids and Warriors to fill tanking roles in end-game, whatever they may be. While there may be a flavor distinction between tanks, we don’t want to (or want the players to) find some rigid hierarchy by which classes are measured in their tanking potential to the third decimal point.

So, they don’t want us to make a hierarchy? Well, if tanks should be equal but distinct to each other, that would mean we have to take 3 main tanks to a raid, and change them for different encounters that would favor different way of tanking. For me it means that either Blizzard have no idea where and how they want hybrids to become a viable tanks yet not exceed prot warriors OR it’s all just PR crap, since they can’t just go to the Paladin forums and say “lololo u can spec prot but u can’t tank raidz noobz!”.

Terhix

So, the patch came and some people already tested how does the Thunderclap work. Lavina posted this over on eu forums:

(…)
- Thunder Clap is affected by the stance modifier (0,8 Battle; 1,3 Defensive)

- Thunder Clap threat has a 1.75 modifier from damage, meaning damage +75% total threat; assumption is that Improved Thunder Clap can double total Thunder Clap threat as previously, since it doubles damage and makes no notice of threat.

- Thunder Clap has no additional static innate threat value

- Multiple targets do not share a single Thunder Clap threat value, all threat to a target is handled individually. Thus Thunder Clap creates four times as much total threat per global cooldown on four targets, compared to single target use. This is the same as before the patch.

Discussion:
Assuming a talented Thunder Clap deals 150-200 damage, depending heavily on the target’s armor, the threat without stance modifier (to compare it with other listed values) becomes 262-350 per application per Sunder. Which makes it a very appealing replacement for Sunder Armor (301), especially combined with the multiple targets and superior attackspeed debuff. While talented, it is likely to be taken up in threat cycles.

I emphasize talented; it looks like Improved Thunder Clap is going to be a mandatory talent for any warrior that occasionally tanks, simply because the benefits are substantial and it’s so easily obtainable. The talent tree should be a specification your character with increasingly better skills the deeper you go in the tree. It should not offer a Thunder Clap rank 10 on the second tier, and offer a near useless alternative (Unimproved Thunder Clap) to those that don’t spend the points. It’s an easy choice for people that tank, in fact it’s not a choice at all.

I’m suggesting Improved Thunder Clap to be put higher up in the Arms tree, next to Impale, as a buff to the “baseline” Arms tank. It forces Protection to spec extreme and Fury to spec specifically in order to achieve a viable threat tool. Additionally it gives a higher desire to bring dps specced warriors in raids.

If not that, the effect between talented an untalented should become smaller, because the current form is a giveaway.

Bleh, this has become more of a rant than a research project :p Down is the raw data. I hope you all have fun with Improved Thunderclap while it lasts. Update on talent will follow later.

Yours truly,
Lavina Darkspark.
(…)

For more data and references go to original post.

Terhix

Druids were concerned about their threat generation now they got their damage nerfed (so they can’t tank and be #1 dps while doing it). There was a hotfix done to make up for that and it’s already live on the servers:

(…)
The Druid ability Mangle (Bear) now generates 50% bonus threat.

The Druid ability Lacerate now deals a small amount of instant damage, generating threat, against bleed immune creatures.
(…)

Good news for tanking druids. Also, Blizzard is planning to increase armor on end game raiding items for druids (so their green gear isn’t better tanking gear then raid epix), but that isn’t coming before 2.1.

Terhix

Interesting read:

Ciderhelm’s US guide states that Thunderclap threat is unaffected by stance bonus, but rather takes damage + 100% for each stance (though this statement was made before the discussion TC in Def-Stance was even started). Cider’s given formula and my own (damage +150%) * 0,8[Bat-Stance] both yield a similar result for battle stance (200% threat total)

If Thunderclap is affected by stance as in my own formula, Def-Stance+Defiance will yield (damage + 150%) * 1.49. A properly talented warrior for Imp. TC will give (160dam + 150%) 1.49 = 600 threat on each of the four targets , wheras a Sunder Armor would do 301 * 1.49 = 450 on one target. It would even make Thunderclap a priority on single targets, which reasons that above calculations are flawful; that my formula is flawful for Def-Stance.

Assuming Blizzard is not trying to destroy their own tanking mechanics and fun to play a warrior as a tank, follows the rules as described by Ciderhelm. Thunderclap deals threat equal to twice it’s damage, regardless of stance. This makes TC 10% less effective in defensive stance, yet removes the need to stancedance.

Disclaimer: This assumes that the innate threat rules for Thunderclap have not changed.

So, thunderclap will generate less threat in def stance then in battle stance. The good side of this is - if TC is not affected by defiance, then I don’t have to spec for defiance for (off)tanking packs of mobs, improved TC alone is enough.

Terhix