Ghostcrawler laterly talks some more on Retribution DPS. First we know that Razorscale testing is coming on the official site today. Update (12:00PM PDT): It looks like Razorscale is still a bit of a pushover; 10-player loot: Band of Draconic Guile (Physical DPS Ring), Bracers of the Smothering Inferno (Mail Physical DPS), Breastplate of the Afterlife (Plate Spell), Dragonsteel Faceplate (Plate DPS), Eye of the Broodmother (NYI Trinket), Ironscale Leggings (Mail Spell), Stormtempered Girdle (Plate Tank), Treads of the Invader (Leather Physical DPS).
Join us on IRC to discuss Razorscale, Ulduar, or anything about WoW. Back to Ghostcrawler now. He talked a little bit about Retribution DPS, explaining to players that Righteous Vengeance was bugged, causing to deal less damage than intended. He proceeds to explain that the damage can also get resisted, which accounts for some of the lowered output.
Of course, Ghostcrawler has also had a number of posts dedicated to the Spiritual Attunement change, which will make a baseline ability a deep Protection talent. The good news is that Blizzard realizes something that a lot of Retribution Paladins have always known: Judgements of the Wise in its current form isn't enough. In fights where we don't get healed, we're starved for mana. Naturally, the reverse is true, and Ghostcrawler mentions this in Blizzard's decision to yank SA from the Paladin trainers. It makes a lot of sense. While this leave Retribution sustainability in question, he mentions that Blizzard might buff the mana return on JotW as necessary. He also explains that it wasn't their goal to nerf Retribution's mana return but to make it more stable and independent of the nature of the encounter. We'll have to see how that turns out, but Blizzard realizing that mana returns might be too low is a good start.
