TBC Raid (and possibly other) Bosses Nerfed - WoTLK Patch

[Rin]

Looks like Blizz finally nerfed the HPS (30% hp reduction, ?? melee damage reduction) of ALL current TBC end-game boss encounters. http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=10532281654&sid=1
This ought to make things fun. ;)

UPDATE:
On the PTR all instance encounters (Heroics included) NPC's (not just bosses) have had their health reduced by about 30%. We'll see if Blizzard will give a confirmation on this too. My guess is that Blizzard is implementing these changes as their first step to allow people to progress through TBC and speed up leveling before WOTLK arrives. The current scheduled patch day is October 14. I'd assume that in a later patch, Blizzard will speed up the leveling between 60-70, as they have already stated they plan on doing this, but have provided no ETA. Thoughts?

[Ughmahedhurtz]

Should change the title to include "raid" in it somewhere. this has zip to do with normal 5-man, heroic or Karazhan content.

[Rin]

Yeah, you're right Ughm. I haven't been on the PTR yet, but people are reporting (through mmo-champion.com) that instance bosses have been nerfed too. It's all hearsay for now (unless someone else can confirm), but I've changed the title to reflect this.

[Rin]

Also, it seems as if Nightbane's health has been reduced (Kara):

http://www.mmo-champion.com/index.php?topic=18788.0

[Dunst]

And judging by the blue post I would say that this does affect kara bosses, kara is considered to be a raid instance ;)

[Souca]

Unless it has changed since a couple days ago, the XP requirements for levels is already lower on the PTR than live. I got a couple of my mid 60s on the PTR and noticed that the XP to level went from something in the 700k neighborhood to just over 500k. I have a 60 I can drop on the PTR later and see if I can't get a better idea on the new XP curves.

- Souca -

[elsegundo]

i wonder if they'll rename Heroics to something else... like Free BoJ mode.

[suprafro]

Just based on that blue post it sounds like 10/25 man content only

Wonder if 5 shaman can take on kara now :)

[Tehtsuo]

I was already thinking about taking Attumen on with my paladin and 4 shaman, seeing as my paladin takes such trivial damage in that fight. Now I don't know that it would be so extraordinary.

Keep in mind though, I don't think this change was designed to help people see the content and get gear for levelling. Progression raids won't see a whole lot of improvement because of the effects of the downranking, heroism/bloodlust, leatherworking drum, and shadow priest nerfs. From that perspective, this change may have been designed more to ensure that guilds who are farming Sunwell don't start wiping on content they've been farming because of longevity issues.

[Rin]

I would agree with you Tehtsuo, although I would think that this change would make things easier for those of us who are interested in progression. In another 8 weeks, TBC will be a ghost land, and early blue dungeon drops (pre level 76) will replace even the best T6 gear now. I think that Blizzard may be using this as a caveat to appease their large consumer base who may have always wanted to "try" things and NPCs like Illidan, but have been unable to either due to their inability to progress, or inability to deal with some of his mechanics (e.g. shear). I would say that overall, this is a positive move for Blizzard, although some may see it as Blizzard dumbing down encounters en masse. Again, even if they made the bosses only have 30% of their current health (instead of a 30% reduction), I don't think it will matter much in another 8 weeks.

[TheBigBB]

Your DPS and longevity will decrease if no stacking effects persist, so it's actually only fair to counter that with something. 30% may be a little overkill, though.

[Tehtsuo]

I would agree with you Tehtsuo, although I would think that this change would make things easier for those of us who are interested in progression. In another 8 weeks, TBC will be a ghost land, and early blue dungeon drops (pre level 76) will replace even the best T6 gear now. I think that Blizzard may be using this as a caveat to appease their large consumer base who may have always wanted to "try" things and NPCs like Illidan, but have been unable to either due to their inability to progress, or inability to deal with some of his mechanics (e.g. shear). I would say that overall, this is a positive move for Blizzard, although some may see it as Blizzard dumbing down encounters en masse. Again, even if they made the bosses only have 30% of their current health (instead of a 30% reduction), I don't think it will matter much in another 8 weeks.

I do agree with you that this change will make things easier - because many won't worry about my previous statement about downgrading nerfs and such. I believe the real positive side of this boss nerf is the effect it might have on raid attendance for those guilds who are struggling against pre-xpac stagnation.

[suineg]

I know that my guild (Sunwell farmed) will be redoing all the old stuff nonstop and gearing up alts just for fun and acheivements. I like the change.

[Tasty]

"To coincide with the upcoming new talents and mechanic changes for classes in the next patch, we are making some adjustments in existing raid content to provide a smooth transition when the upcoming patch is released. The creatures and bosses in raid dungeons that were introduced in The Burning Crusade will have their health reduced, and most will have their standard melee damage output reduced as well, but their spell and ability damage are not being changed. These changes are being made in all raid dungeons from Karazhan to Sunwell Plateau as well as the outdoor encounters of Doom Lord Kazzak and Doomwalker. On top of this Illidan is also doing his part and will stop casting Shear on players."