WoW Shadowlands has had plenty of class balance changes since release, with buffs and nerfs to nearly every class at some point.
A new Weekly Reset has pushed out a new Shadowlands update with some class balance changes amidst a ton of nerfs to Castle Nathria and Mythic Dungeons.
Let's go over these recent Mage, Druid, and Paladin nerfs and guess at which class might get the next Shadowlands nerfs.
Latest - WoW Shadowlands Update Nerfs Mage, Druid, and Paladin
The Shadowlands Weekly Reset is a wonderful time where lockouts reset, the Great Vault opens once more, and a new World Boss arrives. More importantly, however, a new patch usually comes with it.
The most recent Shadowlands Weekly Reset came on 26 January, and pushed out a massive patch that has nerfed Mage, Druid, and Paladin in PVP settings.
Here are the latest WoW Shadowlands Update's patch notes on class balance:
Player versus Player
- [With regional restarts] In 2v2 Arenas, Dampening will begin at 20% when both teams have either a tank or healer.
- [With regional restarts] Players now deal 20% less damage to Death Knight, Hunter, and Warlock pets.
- [With regional restarts] Fleshcraft (Necrolord Ability) can now be used while in the starting area for battlegrounds and arenas.
- The Mine Carts in the Silvershard Mines battleground no longer take damage from any spells or abilities.
- Druid
- Balance
- [With regional restarts] Convoke the Spirits (Night Fae Ability) no longer casts Full Moon when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- Feral
- [With regional restarts] Convoke the Spirits (Night Fae Ability) no longer casts Feral Frenzy when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- Balance
- Paladin
- Holy
- [With regional restarts] Divine Favor (PvP Talent) cooldown increased to 30 seconds (was 25 seconds) and now increases cast speed by 30% (was 60%).
- Protection, Retribution
- [With regional restarts] Word of Glory’s healing has been reduced by 20% when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- Holy
- Mage
- [With regional restarts] Infernal Cascade (Conduit) has its effectiveness reduced by 33% when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- [With regional restarts] Triune Ward (Legendary Effect) now provides 50% barrier effectiveness when engaged in combat with enemy players (was 65%).
You can read over the complete Shadowlands update patch notes here.
Shadowlands Class Balance
WoW Shadowlands has gone through many different class balance changes to try to keep things competitive between specs and classes.
click to enlarge
+ 3Some balance changes were massive hits, like the early nerfs to Marksmanship Hunter with massive Aimed Shot damage reductions in and out of PVP.
But despite these individual wins, there are some still some huge general class balance issues, and players are getting restless waiting for them.
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These include changes for classes clearly a mark above others in PVE settings, but more directly, some classes have absolutely taken over in PVP - and it's been weeks without a single balance change to deal with them.
So which Shadowlands class will be the next to get nerfed?
Shadowlands Nerfs
When watching videos like the montage below, it's hard to say that Fire Mage is in a reasonable spot in PVP settings - regularly one-shotting players of all skill levels and ending games before they begin.
But Fire Mage isn't the only burst damage DPS class and spec combo players are complaining about.
Others include Subtlety Rogues and Retribution Paladins.
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While these classes aren't terribly powerful in PVE settings, their PVP presence will certainly nudge Blizzard toward future nerfs.
click to enlarge + 3On the PVE side, at the very top end, there are classes that are dominant in Castle Nathria or Mythic+ Keystones - which could also invite nerfs.
These include Fire Mage, Outlaw Rogue, and Balance Druid for Mythic+ Dungeons, and Balance Druid, Windwalker Monk, and Affliction Warlock in Castle Nathria.
Which Class is Getting the Next Nerf?
Taking all of the data into account, it's very possible that the next class/spec combo to get a nerf across the board is Fire Mage.
click to enlarge + 3Fire Mage are showing up well in PVE settings, but more importantly are absolute machines in PVP settings - and RMP is becoming more deadly than ever in 3v3 Arena.
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If Mages evade the next nerf, our predictions are either Retribution Paladin (for their dominance in 2v2 Arena) or Balance Druid (for their dominance in PVE settings).