Petition for Strength Improvements Part 2; Tanks

Does anyone remember the old BoS? It used to provide a flat damage reduction of x every time you were hit (this includes blocked hits). There were several ranks and each added more damage reduction. Though as I describe it now, it sounds somewhat like a cool talent, you can see just how useless it actually was if you don’t remember.

Back in WotLK beta, it was changed, and subsequently went live with 3.0 to what we know and love today. The 3.2 patch notes have it getting a major buff so that it will also increase stamina by 10% but the stamina buff will not stack with BoK.

The major change is it reduced all damage taken by a flat 3%. On trash this could or could not have been a nerf, but on bosses it was all out buff. Now every block would reduce damage taken by 3% for a pally that was block capped. All other attacks would either miss, be dodged, or parried. It would also reduce all incoming damage to others who were blessed, but we aren’t really worried about them at the moment.

The sanctuary change was a move in the right direction, and it if implemented correctly is the change block needs.

Currently BV is a raw number, but instead of making it a value make and calling it block value, turn it into a rating system and call it BVR, or block value rating. Paladins (and warriors too I guess) will still have block rating, but they could use BVR instead of block value.

BVR could work off strength the way BV does, but it could provide a percentage damage reduction based on the rating. The rating could also be added to the block on shields and as an additional stat on gear. It doesn’t change the itemization we have now; it only allows block to be more valuable. Health pool could remain unique. Any pally tank who has been around can tell you they have had at one time or another had to defend their HP pool. That won’t happen anymore and in the process you could allow a break from all tanks having to look the same. The great druid health nerf could have been avoided, the incoming DK health nerf could have been avoided, and all you had to do was change block to do what it was supposed to do.

Imagine a pally tank with 5k less health than a DK, but who is going to take 5-25% less damage based on his BVR. Warriors would still need to remain higher than paladins because they can’t reach the block cap anymore (or I have not seen one anyway). Druids and DKs would still have to fight it out over who gets the most health, and I am sure that savage defense would have to see some changes, but taking less damage should be the purpose of block.

While we are changing block, can we all admit that block can reduce magic damage? If a mage sends a frost bolt headed my way and I throw up my shield and the bolt hits my shield and not my head, then my arm is going to probably be really fucking cold from the transfer of cold from the bolt, to the shield (probably made of metal and has a low specific heat), to my arm (that is holding the shield), but it is going to reduce the damage that I would take. If I am standing and get caught in a cone of shadow damage and it moves around my shield and into my personal space, I will have taken much less damage than had I not used the shield to, well, shield me. What fantasy world is Azeroth in that shields cannot block magic? I don’t expect shields to block the kind of magical damage that they do for physical attacks, but I do expect it to block some of it, and I expect it to do it when I need it most, when some big billy bad ass in end game wants to put me on my back and send me home in a body bag.

Think this is such a ridiculous claim? Why in the world is a warrior in his 4 piece T8 set allowed to eat some of the magic damage? Hello, because shields can eat some of the magic damage!

If GC and company do have plans for changing block, my only hope is they do so while still allowing paladins to reach the block cap.

-Rhab