Realms Request for Reconsideration of Recent Change to Balance Druids

[Jengoftw]

Please, in this thread DO NOT discuss Original 3.3.5a vs 3.4.3 (WOTLK Classic) - this change is unrelated to that discussion.

This WAS indeed a bug fix. Despite being a bug fix, I want to argue that its existence was ultimately better for the game. I will try to provide as detailed an explanation as I can.

Recently, a VERY harsh adjustment was implemented to Balance Druids across all WOTLK Realms.
Omen of Clarity / Clearcasting procs have been halved for Balance Druids. As a result, the uptime of Omen of Doom (2-set Tier 10 proc, which grants +15% Arcane & Nature damage) has dropped by 30-50% during the course of a fight.
This effectively results in Balance Druids dealing 5-10% less damage overall. Here’s an example to illustrate:
If you do 15000 DPS, that would mean every % is 150 DPS loss - which means you're losing between 750 and 1500 DPS per fight.
I'm giving this example from the point of view of a Lordaeron player, the impact would be even larger on Icecrown.

It started from this report:
https://www.warmane.com/bugtracker/report/123856
Where I'll quote the developer comment:
"I did notice however that some abilities currently have a duplicate chance to proc omen of clarity when looking into this report. Will adjust that"
A totally fair and understandable comment. However, judging by the other comments, it's clear that no one seems pleased with this change.

Why would I like to see this change reverted, even if it was originally a bug?
1) Balance Druid was never an outlier, and it never posed a balance issue - whether in PVE or in PVP. Has anyone genuinely noticed Boomies doing too much damage?
2) Balance Druids had no mana issues before, now in longer fights it is possible to go out of mana, unless adjusted talents. They will also compete for Replenishment with classes that actually need it, causing others to OOM faster. I'm talking about BIS Balance Druids - it would be even worse for lower-geared ones. Especially on fights where AOE is required, OOM-ing is inevitable (Hurricane costs almost 3k mana).
3) It has worked like this on Warmane for many years. Players are used to it.
4) Class diversity in raids is already bad. This change would only make it worse. Before, you would see 2 Balance Druids in 25-man setups, now maybe just 1.
5) Some players might lose their raid spots or guild positions because of this.
6) Not everything about Original 3.3.5a WOTLK and/or WOTLK Classic was good. Blizzard themselves made custom changes to balance things. In my opinion, this should remain as it was because it created a healthier environment for both the game and the players.
7) Some things are simply better on Warmane than they ever were on 3.3.5a/Classic WOTLK - many players who have played all versions can confirm this.

Further, I want to provide some stats. My source is a third-party website - which I'm pretty sure has already reached you because it became quite popular over the years. Instead of linking directly, I've taken screenshots showing stats for each boss. If needed, you can verify for yourself - and if required, I am also open to providing more information or discussing privately.

Looking at the top 1% of the playerbase should provide a solid benchmark.

Those stats are from LORDAERON:
https://imgur.com/a/t734JU0

There are over 10000, up to 25000 entries on some bosses, from which 2000 are unique entries. Those stats are ONLY for Lordaeron. Data is solely from 25-man Heroic encounters.

Initially, I wasn't planning on sharing data or examples from Icecrown, but I feel it's necessary just to show the bigger picture.

Those stats are from ICECROWN.
https://imgur.com/a/Gi2UoYM

There are over 50000, up to 75000 entries on some bosses, from which over 10000 are unique entries. Those stats are ONLY for Icecrown. Data is solely from 25-man Heroic encounters.

8) Third-party logs might not be something you fully support, but it wouldn't be fair to deny their relevance either, considering how popular and widespread they have become. Competition is a huge motivating factor for many players to stay active on the server. It adds another layer of engagement after players have completed most available content. With this change, the competitive scene is essentially killed, because Balance Druids can no longer realistically compete.

Looking at the stats (going to use Lordaeron as an example again):
Even though this issue was originally a bug, do you really think it's worth fixing and nerfing Balance Druids by 5-10% when they barely reach 14-15k DPS in BIS gear on their best fights? And just around 12k on fights that don't favor them? They are already among the lowest-performing raid classes.

Please, ask the players themselves what they think about this change.
I personally cannot think of any positive outcomes resulting from it.

[WR3L3]

Wholeheartedly agree with this post I think Warmane devs should consider putting Boomies back on their feet! ^^

[senzon]

I fully agree with the original post.
While the adjustment was technically a bug fix, it’s important to also look at the practical impact of that fix.

From a logical standpoint:
- Balance Druids were never outperforming other DPS classes. There was no balance issue that needed fixing from a gameplay perspective.

- Class diversity is critical to healthy raid compositions. This change discourages bringing Balance Druids, making raid setups even more rigid and reducing overall class variety.

- Player experience should be prioritized. Long-standing server behavior creates expectations. After years of functioning one way, a sudden and major nerf without any corresponding buff or adjustment elsewhere only frustrates players and damages trust.

Lastly, the statistical data provided clearly shows Balance Druids were never dominating. Even at their absolute peak, they remain middle to lower-tier performers.
Fixing something that was never a problem only punishes players who were already working harder to remain competitive.


I respectfully ask that this change be reconsidered. Fixing a bug is good thing, but not when it harms the balance, community, and competitive health of the game.

[Kroejeren]

I could not agree more with the points mentioned in this post and in the comment from senzon. Balance druid have never been a top tier giga pumper on the damage meters before, they were always kinda middle of the pack on the dmg meters, even in the hands of the best of the best. Even before the nerf balance druids couldn't stand up to classes like mage, warrior or hunter and would hover around the 10th spot or so dmg wise. But now with this new change balance druid are legitimately hovering at the bottom of the dmg meters on all fights. I say this from personal experience having played my BiS boomie for a long time in a 12/12 HC guild before and after the changes. It feels incredibly demotivating to play balance druid right now and to at all try to push yourself to be high on dmg meters. As the post mentioned this might just end up resulting in fewer, maybe even zero, balance druids in competitive raid comps. Why bring a boomie that now does around 13k-14k max dps at BiS when you can bring more mages for 16k-17k dmg at BiS.
In conclusion, please revert these changes even if they are technically a bug fix. It does not make the game healthier or more competitive in any way, quite the opposite in my opinion.

Thanks in advance Warmane team

[CristiParosu]

I support reverting this change because, even though it originally fixed a "technical bug," the impact on game balance and the community is overwhelmingly negative. Balance Druids were never a power outlier in either PvE or PvP. On the contrary, this change turns them into an uncompetitive raid choice, reduces class diversity, and risks pushing players out of their raid spots — players who have invested significant time and resources into optimizing their characters.

Moreover, the fact that this "bugged" interaction has been a core part of the Warmane experience for years created a legitimate expectation among the player base. Abruptly changing it now, especially without any pressing balance issue to address, only harms the overall health and enjoyment of the server.

[Ezrage]

Honestly, 100% agree with you here. Even if it was technically a bug, it was a good bug, it gave Balance Druids a much-needed edge without making them broken or overpowered. The game felt better with it. Like you said, Boomkins were never topping meters left and right; they were performing well but still staying in line compared to other specs. Now with this "fix," it feels like we're punishing an already balanced spec for no real reason. The mana issues creeping back in are especially brutal, nobody was asking for Balance Druids to have to compete for Replenishment or constantly worry about going OOM mid-fight. That's just making raid comps even more restrictive, and let's be real, class diversity in WOTLK raids is already thin.

[realKLEXAR]

Completely agree with the request.

I never played balance druid, but I can see how unnecessary this change was. I see and hear around the frustration from the players. Balance druid plays an important role in the raids, not in terms of dealing damage, but in terms of utility one brings to the raid. Nerfing their damage even further only serves to leave a bad taste in mouth.

Please consider reverting this change.

[dosenbier0]

Dear warmane devs, if you dont fix that, i gonna reroll elemental shaman and no one wants that. Also give back Niebelung pls.

[semideia]

I suport this fully. The whole reason i keep playing is to improve my best damage on each fight, and a change like that is almost impossible to surpass

[Sixtyninee]

Apparently people become dependent on bugs and forget how to be good.

[soprotiv]

Agree, boomies were never doing any sort of OP damage and were always middle of the pack usually taken for their util. Why punish boomie players by pretty much reducing QOL by giving them mana issues and losing 1.5k dps. Not only are bommies gonna be demotivated to play but the raid suffers from lower damage too, and yea forget about ever beating your PBs on any boss now. Please revert

[Muus]

-- the spec has been working like that for many years, people just want to continue being on same level as always been (some for competitive purposes on pve, being equal to those before)
-- the former state does not have influence on pvp
-- druids are a really popular class
-- DPS wise, balance druid DPS has never been an overpower thing on pve. several mainstream classes are way stronger. no reason to hit it harder
-- this change, for as much as it is a fix, it attempts against class diversity
-- lack of omen of clarity punishes the low geared folk even harder than high geared ones (This is not exaggeration. Nowadays, if you happen to die as balance and get ressed, you have no tools other than taking an innervate to go back to the game)

I fully understand the community discomfort regarding this change, and I fully support their request. Please reconsider it

[Ilvax]

I said it in a previous post and I'll say it here again. I'm incredibly disheartened to see the change being made. I've been playing Boomie on Molten/Warmane for the past 13 years now and I can confidently say I've NEVER run into the problems that have after raiding with past week or so, EVEN when I was low-geared. If its a bug fix then its a bug fix I don't think there's anyone here who's arguing against that, it's about having the class you enjoyed playing so much getting slapped for what feels like no reason.

Balance already barely competed with people on the meters, there was nothing overpowered about it PvE or PvP and all this change does is make more people stop playing the spec or leave the server entirely. Just this past week, ally side only, I've seen groups missing their Balance in 2-3 core groups, and guild recruitment happening for Balance with Resto OS. I can also provide screenshot examples of this if anyone wants to call me out. People hate the change and are disgusted playing the class because it feels so bad now. The point is simply that you can't convince me this change won't have a lasting negative impact on the server and community.

To all the people thinking "oh wow u jst need to play better, ur busy relying on bugs just stahp", please consider the following. Balance spec was never about competing for number 1 on skada, it was always about self-improvement and playing the best you could. In other words, providing utility while also dealing the best damage you could. This is no longer possible. there is very little you can do to overcome a 1.5k dps loss when you're already pushing your class to the limits. Then what? Congrats on your 10 dps RNG personal best, the dopamine hit was sure worth it I bet...

Finally, to Warmane staff I hope you read over this comment and come to a decision your community will appreciate. Thank you.

[lobotomy1337]

Absolutely agree. Changes like that hurt the longevity of the game. We need classes to be viable. Let's revert.

[nooii123]

I completely agree with all you mentioned.

Boomie was really well-balanced before this change, it was a competitive ranged DPS spec, despite it wasn't shining much on top of DPS meteres like mages or warriors, even in the hands of the best players.

The nerf, even though it might have been a bug, wasn't absolutely needed. It has negative impact on the community by making Boomies less viable class for raid composition, in favor of another mage - people will lose their raid spot and nobody will want to play underperforming spec...