9.1 Healer PTR Compendium – 2 June

Holy Paladin

Covenant Legendaries

• Divine Resonance (Kyrian): After casting Divine Toll, you cast a free Holy Shock every 5 seconds for 30 seconds.
  • The bonus Holy Shock casts are now on yourself which drastically increases it’s overhealing. It also doesn’t proc Glimmer anymore.
  • Doesn’t really compete with Shock Barrier in it’s new form.
• Radiant Embers (Venthyr): Ashen Hallow duration increased by 15 seconds. Leaving the area will end the effect and reduce it’s cooldown by up to 50%, proportional to it’s remaining duration.
  • You could previously get Ashen Hallow down to about a ~2:10 cooldown if you moved out of it when Wings ended. This is no longer possible, and doing so instead gives you close to a 2:40 cooldown – significantly worse than before.
• Duty-Bound Gavel (Necrolord): Vanquisher’s Hammer gains an extra charge. An additional cast of Word of Glory is empowered.
  • Just not strong enough to compete in it’s current form.
• Seasons of Plenty (Night Fae): Blessing of Seasons effectiveness is increased by 10 seconds after 10 seconds of being active.
  • This is not yet available to test but Night Fae is quite far behind the pack.

Spell Changes

• Change: Infusion of Light now causes your next Holy Light to generate 1 Holy Power (healing bonus removed).
• Nerf: Crusader’s Might now reduces the cooldown of Holy Shock by 1 second (was 1.5).
• Nerf: All damage reduced by 8%.
• Nerf: Ashen Hallow, Judgment and Hammer of Wrath damage reduced by 10%, in addition to the flat aura nerf above.
• Nerf: Crusader Strike mana cost increased to 1100 (was 900).
• Nerf: Hallowed Discernment no longer double dips with Versatility.
• Nerf: Holy Prism healing reduced by 8%. This is potentially unintentional since it wasn’t mentioned in the blizzard notes.
• Buff: Flash of Light healing increased by 20%.
• Change: Inflorescence of the Sunwell (legendary) now gives Holy Light a 30% chance to generate an additional Holy Power when consuming Infusion of Light.

Best Covenant in 9.1

Kyrian & Venthyr will remain the dominant covenants. Necrolord and Night Fae are not competitive at this time.

Analysis

Effect on DPS

This represents a 13-15% DPS nerf for Venthyr Paladin (half that for Kyrian) which while significant is still kind of small compared to how hard Holy is pumping right now. These are smaller nerfs than what was expected and the spec is still insane.

Healing & Crusader’s Might

The Crusader’s Might talent row was pretty competitive already, and when combined with the mana cost increase we might definitely explore other choices. It should be made clear though that the cooldown reduction nerf is not as big a change as it seems. In most cases you will just be waiting a fragment of a second for Holy Shock to come back up. Some of the previous 1.5 seconds were already wasted at decent haste levels. Healing wise this is a very small nerf.

Playstyle

Playstyle wise nothing will necessarily change much. You could play just as you did in 9.0.5 and still do very well. The buffed infusions will need some play testing to work out if they fit into the rotation. Holy Light in particular has some really strong potential. If they do see play then it’s very likely you actually end up healing for more than you did in 9.0.5, but with a larger DPS tax.

Discipline Priest

Covenant Legendaries

• Bwonsamdi’s Pact (Night Fae): Enter a pact with the Death Loa, calling forth a mask that lingers on a target until Fae Guardians ends. The Haunted Mask copies the benefit of the current Faerie on the target.
• Shadow Word: Manipulation (Venthyr): The Mindgames debuff lasts an extra 3 seconds and reverses an extra 10% damage and healing. When Mindgames can no longer reverse healing or damage, gain 3% crit for each second remaining on the debuff for 10 seconds.
  • This is not at all good and by the time you get the crit buff your key spells will have already been cast.
• Sphere’s Harmony (Kyrian): Boon of the Ascended’s cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds, up to 60 sec, for each stack of Boon of the Ascended consumed by Ascended Eruption.
  • A two minute cooldown Boon is barely any better than a three minute cooldown Boon, and it will rely on potential synergy with Mikanikos new cooldown reduction soulbind on an AoE fight to see any play at all.
• Pallid Command (Necrolord): Casting Unholy Nova summons a Cackling Chemist  that gains 2% additional damage and healing each time an enemy affected by Unholy Transfusion is damaged by an ally, up to 100%. The Cackling Chemist serves you for 20 sec, damaging an enemy for 40% spell power  and healing an ally for 40% of Spell Power every X seconds..

Spell Changes

• Spirit Shell cooldown increased to 90 seconds (was 60).

Best Covenant in 9.1

Highly likely to be Venthyr or Kyrian.

Mistweaver Monk

Covenant Legendaries

• Legendary (Kyrian): Weapons of Order calls forth Yu’lon / Chi-ji to assist you for 12 seconds.
• Legendary (Night Fae): Your abilities chance to reset Faeline Stomp is doubled. Enemies and allies hit by Faeline Stomp are affected by Fae Exposure, increasing your damage and healing against them by 8% for 10 seconds.
• Legendary (Venthyr): Fallen Order summons an additional adept for 24 seconds. While you have an active adept your abilities that critically hit reduce the cooldown of Fallen Order by 3 seconds.
• Legendary (Necrolord): Your abilities have a low chance to cast Bonedust Brew at your targets location.

Spell Changes

• Buff: Revival now causes a Gust of Mists on all targets, but base healing reduced by 10%.
  • This is a net buff in all circumstances.
• Buff: Blackout Kick, Tiger Palm and Rising Sun Kick damage buffed by about 10%. Spinning Crane Kick buffed by ~20%. This is also a 10% buff to Ancient Teachings of the Monastery.
  • This is a net 7-8% DPS increase total.
• Buff: Enveloping Mist mana cost reduced by nearly 7%.

Best Covenant in 9.1

We’ll hold off on a prediction this early, but Mistweaver covenants are likely to remain close in strength unless one of the covenant legendaries is up to the task of dethroning Ancient Teachings as our dominant raid legendary.

Resto Shaman

Covenant Legendaries

• Splintered Elements (Necrolord): Each additional Healing Wave generated by Primordial Wave increases your Haste by 5% for 10 seconds.
• Possible Legendary (Kyrian): When all charges of Vesper Totem are consumed, Vesper Totem will radiate one final burst of X Arcane damage and Y healing.

Spell Changes

None currently.

Holy Priest

Covenant Legendaries

• Bwonsamdi’s Pact (Night Fae): Enter a pact with the Death Loa, calling forth a mask that lingers on a target until Fae Guardians ends. The Haunted Mask copies the benefit of the current Faerie on the target.
• Shadow Word: Manipulation (Venthyr): The Mindgames debuff lasts an extra 3 seconds and reverses an extra 10% damage and healing. When Mindgames can no longer reverse healing or damage, gain 3% crit for each second remaining on the debuff for 10 seconds.
• Sphere’s Harmony (Kyrian): Boon of the Ascended’s cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds, up to 60 sec, for each stack of Boon of the Ascended consumed by Ascended Eruption.
• Pallid Command (Necrolord):
  • They haven’t added any numbers to this yet and it isn’t testable, so TBA.
• Holy: Casting Unholy Nova summons a Brooding Cleric that gains 2% additional damage and healing each time an enemy affected by Unholy Transfusion is damaged by an ally, up to 100%. The Brooding Cleric serves you for 20 sec, healing an ally for 40% Spell Power every X seconds.
  • This is a further iteration on the previous legendary design, and not one that will see play in it’s current form.

Spell Changes

• Symbol of Hope now also reduces the cooldown of each raid or party members short defensive cooldown, and the mana restore has been buffed by 50%.
  • The full list is: Divine Protection, Shield Wall, Desperate Prayer, Barkskin, Ardent Defender, Icebound Fortitude, Mirror Image, Unending Resolve, Astral Shift, Exhilaration, Fortifying Brew, Die by the Sword, Enraged Regeneration, Shield of Vengeance, Blur and Fiery Brand.