Patch 4.1 and Shield Mastery

So I've just read the updated patch-notes for the 4.1 PTR and I came across the following

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Shield Mastery no longer affects the cooldown of Spell Reflection, however, it now allows Shield Block to reduce magic damage as well.

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Which Imo could potentially be one of the most interesting Prot-Warrior changes in the patch... It would be extremely interesting to hear if anyone on the PTR has any additional information about this... How much reduction are we talking about, is it guaranteed reduction etc etc...?

Will be interesting to see how much it is. It's a nice change.

Spell Reflect is being changed to a 25s cooldown, though, which makes it quite difficult to use now. But the Shield Block change seems like a better trade-off.

I'm not totally sure why it's being put on Shield Mastery though--that's already a required talent with its current effects. Should be a Protection spec passive. (Not that it really makes much difference, just a point of principle really. :P)

In PVE terms, I don't mind much, because yes you could get some fun results in instances, but its useless in raids. But in PVP terms the thing is, if every spec is getting hit by the SReflect change, why give the SBlock buff only to Protection? As I gather, is a survival trade off for Prot, and a survival nerf to Arms and Fury.

And feel free to correct me as I don't pvp much, but aren't we being devastating against casters except warlocks? Just asking.

It's a great change and I welcome it, I'm trying to get on the PTR to find out how much spell reduction we're talking about.

But I feel the talent should increase the cooldown of SR by 15 seconds and instead shield block grants a spell damage reduction, this way it leaves the PvP alone, but not being that much of an active PvPer I wouldn't know if it's necessary.

I'm worried the buff to Shield Block may end up being too much and get us nerfed in other ways. Warriors are fine as is.

The spell reflect change might be in the hopes of making it more practical? With a 5 second CD they have to make important abilities bypass it - but with a 25 second CD perhaps we'll be able to use it in raids for Nefarian Barrage-style abilities.

• Shield Mastery no longer reduces the cooldown of Spell Reflect. Now causes your Shield Block to also reduce magic damage taken by 8/16/25%.

http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/...Rs-Build-13698

25%, not too bad

That's pretty strong, for sure.

I have envied the druid talent to decrease spell damage and the DK anti-magic abilities, but I also used Spell Reflect as often as possible on bosses to gain rage that otherwise leave me starved. I will find a way around it, hopefully.

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Originally Posted by Crittable

I have envied the druid talent to decrease spell damage and the DK anti-magic abilities, but I also used Spell Reflect as often as possible on bosses to gain rage that otherwise leave me starved. I will find a way around it, hopefully.

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There are a few specific bosses that this worries me about too.

I like that change overall cause it gives Prot more survivability against magic damage in general since many boss abilities which deal magic damage could not be reflected. And it makes sense that Spell Reflect would have to be nerfed a bit to compensate a little for the PvP balance.

It does make me wonder if they are going to be looking at the spell damage reduction capabilities of the other tanking classes. Especially if the next tiers of content may involve a bit more magic damage that a spell damage reduction cooldown is useful.

Overall though I think most PvE protection warriors will likely be happy with this change. PvP it is a little bit of a trade off. While you can't spell reflect as often, at the same time it is possible you may reflect something you didn't mean to in the first place effectively wasting it (you hit spell reflect when you see a particular spell being cast, but that doesn't prevent an instant from being cast and reflected first). This change to Shield Block instead will improve your survival time regardless in PvE or PvP.

I don't really like this being tied into shield block because you will find yourself trying to save it for a magic burst when you aren't even taking physical damage, effectively reducing the usefullness of shield block on physical damage reduction. I would rather have it talented or glyphed that spell reflect gets the 8/16/25 magic damage reduction and not the reflect allowing you to use it in raiding situations.

You would save it for the most heavy dmg, or if the dmg is low enough anyway (or will be handled otherwise) just use it on CD for dmg. Most dmg spikes are on a multiple of 30s, anyway. At least at the moment I use it for the pull and than wait for the first important dmg spike and use it there. After that I can use it more or less on CD to cover spikes. Even know, while it does not have a magic reduction component, it's good to consider to use SB around magic dmg spikes. Because it reduces additional melee dmg around the spike.

I don't see a problem on the usage of SB with this change. Sure, it's not optimal to use it mindlessly on CD if you need it for survivel, but that's not the case at the moment, too. At the moment you try to use it at the most dangerous abilities. This does not change, too. It just let's it work better in some of this cases.

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Originally Posted by Bonegreed

I don't really like this being tied into shield block because you will find yourself trying to save it for a magic burst when you aren't even taking physical damage, effectively reducing the usefullness of shield block on physical damage reduction. I would rather have it talented or glyphed that spell reflect gets the 8/16/25 magic damage reduction and not the reflect allowing you to use it in raiding situations.

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It's actually funny you should mention that, cause I think that may be some of the reason why they made this change. So Shield Block wouldn't be a just push it when its off cooldown button. Blizzard wants you to think more about when you use your abilities rather than simply using them whenever they are off cooldown. Something else to consider as well is that 4.1 comes with a new tier of content and we will likely start to see tanks become passively unhittable and you may no longer require activation of Shield Block to reach that level of mitigation.

The issue that we run into is:
Barkskin - 20% / 1 minute
Divine Protection - 20% / 1 minute

With Shield Block exceeding 20% damage reduction on melee hits, and now including a 25% magic damage reduction - we're going to catch a nerf. Yes it doesn't work on bleeds/physical spells, but the vast majority of the time our 30 second CD trumps these other tank classes.

Of course that assumes the "all things equal" perspective, which they obviously aren't. But I don't think the "Spherical Chicken in a Vacuum" comparison is too off the mark when one CD is half the duration and better.

EDIT: changed the 40 to 20% to reflect the +25% (or doubling) crit block chance on the old shield block.

I am a little concerned that Port warriors minor CD, and main offensive CD , and only magic dmg rdx are all in the same ability, making it somewhat cumbersome. i can for see that where only one of the above 3 is needed on a specifi encounter we'd be OP, but wher you'd require all 3 but not at the same time, it becomes less than Ideal.

I just wish they would tie the ability to spell reflect and not Shield block.

It would make it a more valuable ability in PvE than it is now, and with it on the same cooldown length as Shield block it can let you use them together if you wanted, or use them at different times depending on the fight.

Giving us an OP spell reduction better then other tanks is going to get hit hard with a nerf eventually. The only way I could see us getting it is making the percentage ~10% on the 30s CD that way we aren't better the other tank CD's. If you were to tie it to SW and SB together it would be 65%or 85% reduction of damage even for a few sec's that is really OP for warriors. The only way that it will stay at 25% is if other tanks CD are reduced down to our time frame. We already have 2min SW verse there 3min CD and now we get 25% reduction to magic on 30s verse their 20% on 1mn. Is it me or are warriors getting half the time on all CD items?

Gotta remember that the duration of the magic damage reduction on Shield block is half that of barkskin (6 seconds and 12 seconds respectively), so they end up having equal uptime, and their's doesn't have a resource cost. And that while SW is only a 2 minute CD its 40% as opposed to the 50% reduction other tanks get.

EDIT: i agree this should have been tied to Spell Relflection rather than SB

Shield Block is less than 20% physical damage reduction in T11 gear. Just clearing up a common misconception.

The new Shield Block is only overpowered if you look at it in a vacuum.
WoG is still good and the equivalent of a small cooldown (thanks to its shield on overheal).
Deathknight no comment needed.
Druids do lack a little something, I agree. However they also have passive 18% magical damage reduction vs the warriors 10%. Current contents favors cooldowns over passive reduction so their strong point hardly comes into play. If anyone is an outlier then it's druids.
However they also take less physical damage than other classes at the moment to my knowledge.

Reading this thread makes me think that some of you of warriors have gotten used to being worst or second worst tanking class due to WotlK.