Patch 4.1 - Druid thoughts

Patch day!  So, what's changed for resto druids?

• Lifebloom's bloom effect has been reduced by 20%.

Ok well that's gonna be crap for PvP.  Not so much for PvE.  I bet other teams are cheering...

• Druids now innately have 100% pushback protection from damage while channeling Tranquility.

Sounds good on paper but maybe I'm thinking in the PvP mindset.  Halfus Wyrmbreaker has a knockback, does that count as a pushback?  I'll have to throw a tranquility in there to see.  That might be kind of useful.

• Gift of Nature (passive) also reduces Tranquility's cooldown by 2.5/5 minutes.

• Malfurion's Gift now reduces the cooldown of Tranquility by 2.5/5 minutes.

Well that's pretty awesome.  With no nerf to Tranquility ouput looks like I'll be using it a bit more.  So basically it's saying that having Malfurion's Gift and being resto spec reduces Tranquility cd by 5mins? Sweet.

• Efflorescence has been redesigned. It creates a healing zone at the feet of a Swiftmend target, but this healing zone now restores health equal to 4/8/12% of the amount healed by Swiftmend to the three most injured targets within 8 yards, every 1 second for 7 seconds. This periodic effect now also benefits from spell haste, but the individual ticks cannot be critical effects. In addition, Living Seed is no longer a prerequisite talent for Efflorescence.

Now I have a good reason to dump efflorescence.  Only 3 targets??  That is gonna be crap for Chimaeron.  Looks like more tranquility for Chimaeron woot.  Though since you get 12% per tick and you can get 8 or 9 ticks off it (because of my haste) it might be good for some really low health peeps.  Anyway, for now I've dropped it.  See how that goes.

• Nature's Swiftness now also increases the healing done by the affected nature spell by 50%.

This is nice.  I was thinking of dropping NS for PvE but I think I'll keep it now.  Good for those "Oh Shit" moments.  But this will be a nice winner for PvP too.
 

• Dark Intent: The friendly target of this ability now receives 1% (stacking 3 times to 3%) periodic spell damage and healing bonus instead of 3% (stacking 3 times to 9%). The casting Warlock still receives 3% (stacking 3 times to 9%).

Ok that's a minor suck.  I don't really miss the bonus healing, it's the haste that I would miss.  Of course for 2s that's a different story, I might miss it more there.
 

• Soulstone can now be used in combat to resurrect a targeted dead player.

Yes but I wonder if it can be glyphed so that you come back with 100% health?  I think the druid BRez will still be the best option, so they can't replace us yet.
 

• A dead player can now be resurrected by targeting them using the Party or Raid Frame even if they have released. No more hunting for corpses.

 
Excellent.  Makes it a billion times easier to Battle Rez.
 
Now... who isn't excited about the return of Zul'Aman!!  Wait, you're not?  Go hit yourself in the head and then come back and read this blog then.

I wonder when I'll get a chance to try the new instance?  With raiding on every other night it may be a while.  And Zul'Gurub too.  I bet by the time I get home today lots of people will have done the instance.

Also I respecced today, removing Efflorescence, and putting all the points into Nature's Bounty which makes me more a tank healer than a raid healer.  We did BWD today and I was still top heals but I felt a little mana pushed.  I think might end up dropping NS and putting Efflorescence back in.  And maybe drop swift rejuvenation too.