Patch 3.0.8

Time for an update. And what better time than when a new patch is released.

3.0.8 brings about quite a few tweaks and changes. Go read the patch notes if you haven't already. I tend to immediately look for Mage changes as well as profession changes that affect my mage. Even though I play most other classes and have every profession, everything else takes less importance.

That said, let's look at the mage changes:

* Arcane Blast: This ability has been significantly changed. Arcane Blast now increases the damage of the next Arcane spell by 15%. However, using Arcane Blast itself does not consume the charge itself. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, the damage of Arcane spells is increased by 15% and the mana cost of Arcane Blast is increased by 200%. This effect stacks up to 3 times and lasts 10 seconds or until any Arcane damage spell except Arcane Blast is cast.

Good new for Arcane mages, getting that extra damage for your Arcane Barrage or Arcane Missiles (on your Missile Barrage proc).

* Arcane Flows: Now also reduces the cooldown of Evocation by 1m/2m.

Much needed for Arcane mages who burn through mana like it was sugar-water.

* Elemental Precision: Renamed to Precision and now works on all spells.

Can't really comment on much here. I guess it's a good move -- except it pretty much forces Arcane mages to get points from the Frost tree.

* Evocation: Cooldown reduced to 4 min.

Nice. As a Frost mage it's not going to make a difference, but for Frostfire and Arcane mages, being able to recover their mana every four mins (every two mins for specced Arcane mages!) is a great option for mana management.

* Improved Blizzard: The snaring effect has been reduced to 25/40/50%.

Unless I was a farming spec, more than one point in this was pointless anyway. Still, 25% is better than not slowing mobs at all.

* Incanter’s Absorption: The amount of spell damage a Mage can gain from this ability is now capped at 5% of the mages health.

No more battleground cheating, imo.

* Mirror Image: The Mirror Image Polymorph ability now has a range of 8 yards. In addition, Mirror Images will no longer have excessive threat values assigned to them when they are created.

Not good that mobs will no longer think that your Mirror Images are you. The reduced polymorph range won't make too much of a difference if you are in the thick of things, but it won't be quite as cool when standing back and no longer seeing random sheep (or penguins) appear.

* Slow Fall is now castable on others.

Wow. I didn't see this one coming. I can imagine the organised air assaults on Blacksmith now. I see them nerfing this in the next patch or taking away its effectiveness while pvp flagged or in battlegrounds.

* Torment the Weak: Now works with Arcane Blast and does bonus damage against targets afflicted with any type of slow (such as the combat slow from Thunder Clap).

This is what I was waiting for. TtW will now give my Frostbolts 12% extra damage. How cool is that?

Now, for professions:

Enchanting
* Many high level enchantment recipes have had the amount of Infinite Dust and Greater Cosmic Essence requirements significantly reduced, but with Dream Shards being added to them.

This is good. It should make levelling Enchantment a little easier overall.

* Increased the Fire damage inflicted by the Icebreaker weapon enchantment.

Meh.

* Reduced the armor penalty granted by the Berserking weapon enchantment.

Great for melee peeps wanting this enchantment.

* Increased the amount of healing from the Lifeward enchantment.

Good, I guess.

* Increased the amount of damage caused by the Icebreaker enchantment.

Meh.

* Added a new recipe to enchant bracers with Stamina. You can buy this recipe from Vanessa Sellers in Dalaran.

Excellent. This should be in much demand!

Tailoring
* Reduced the cloth required to make a Bolt of Imbued Frostweave.

I was waiting for this to be implemented. I have a heap of bolts to imbue. XD

* Simplified the materials required for Shining Spellthread and Azure Spellthread.

Good change.

* Reduced the eternals required to make Brilliant Spellthread and Sapphire Spellthread, but increased the number of Iceweb Spider Silk.

Silk, schmilk. Good change.

* Greatly reduced the materials required to make the self-only tailoring leg enchants (Master's Spellthread and Sanctified Spellthread), but these recipes no longer grant any skill gains.

Skill gains, schmi- -- you get the picture. :p

* Reduced the training cost for the normal Flying Carpet.

o.O Seriously, who cares.

* Ebonweave now requires the tailor to be in the Maw of Neltharion in Dragonblight to creating it.

Good, but porting out of the old place was no problem for a mage. :p

* Spellweave now requires the tailor to be at the Azure Dragonshrine in Dragonblight when creating it.

Ya, having everything in Dragonblight is good. Now if only I had a use for creating these cloths...

I got my Tier 7.5 gloves the other night, from Archavon: Valorous Frostfire Gloves.

Have yet to make a dent into Storm Peaks but I will eventually get there. Too much else to do, it seems! For example, I finished exploring Azeroth, landing me the achievement World Explorer and the title, "the Explorer". I also killed Baron Rivendare a few more times in Stratholme. 24 kills and not a peep of his coveted horse. One day...!

I was also present for a Malygos kill. I won the roll for Necklace of the Glittering Chamber, but the loot master gave it to the wrong person. Reassignment is still being sorted out. :/

We will be clearing three wings of Naxxramas tonight, with the other wing and our Sartharion kill tomorrow night. One of our regular ten-man healers is away, so I guess we will see how it all goes. Achievements can wait.

Speaking of more achievements, I just have to do a heroic Oculus and I will be a Champion of the Frozen Wastes. 27 more heroic achievements for Glory of the Hero and my Red Proto-Drake. XD

Gaiwyn of Proudmoore