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PatchSeason

Blizzard NUKES Arcane's Tier Set Before Season 2 Even Starts

August 18 class tuning guts Arcane and Subtlety set bonuses, slashes Disc damage 30%, nerfs Devourer 4pc — plus Resto Druid, Mistweaver, Holy Priest, and big PvP swings.

Linxy just dropped the full August 18 class tuning pass for Season 2 — and the headline is brutal: several Venomous Abyss tier sets were “greatly overperforming,” so Blizzard is cutting them hard while stuffing some power back into baseline kits.

Season 2 raid, Mythic+, and PvP open with these changes. Highlights below; full notes on the EU forums.

The big PvE shocks

Arcane Mage — the set everyone was eyeing gets slammed. 2pc Arcane Missiles bonus 20% → 5%, 4pc Cumulative Power 5% → 3% per stack. Consolation prize: all ability damage +3%.

Discipline Priest — all damage −30% (PvE), Atonement transfer 32% → 46% so healing holds, Entropic Rift +20% so Voidweaver keys don’t completely die.

Devourer Demon Hunter — 4pc soul fragments 8 → 2, Reap bonus 20% → 10%. Baseline all damage +14%; Reap/Cull/Eradicate −12%, Eradicate AoE share up slightly.

Subtlety Rogue — 4pc effectiveness 100% → 60%, offset by +6% all damage.

Frost Death Knight — all damage +9%, but Venomous Abyss 2pc attack speed and Icy Death Torrent values halved.

Blood / San’layn — Visceral Strength 10% → 6% Strength; Transfusion DRW bonus 10% → 5%.

Who actually got fed

  • Restoration Druid — healing +4%, damage +20% (PvE)
  • Mistweaver — healing +8%; 4pc activation rate +33%
  • Holy Priest (Oracle) — big Oracle talent healing bumps; Enlightenment mana regen 10% → 25% faster
  • Beast Mastery — 4pc Cobra Shot / Beast Cleave values up
  • Demonology — 2pc Wild Imp implode effectiveness up hard
  • Assassination +4%, Enhancement +5%, Fury +6% (with a softer 4pc Recklessness ramp)

Fury’s note also calls out a recent Executioner double-value bugfix that pulled Arms down into intended range.

PvP: faster games, spicy Ret, sad locks

Non-healer PvP trinket set primary stat 15% → 20% to speed up matches.

Also in the pass: Devourer Surrender to the Void Fury gen nerfed; Resto Druid / Holy Paladin healing −5%; Fire Mage Pyroblast up, Meteor/Comet Storm down; Retribution damage up with less Sac CDR; Resto Shaman / Farseer healing help; Destruction Soul Fire −30%.

Bottom line

If your Season 2 plan was “Arcane set go brrr,” “Disc DPS carry,” or “Devourer 4pc printer,” August 18 rewrites the spreadsheet. Everyone else: read your class block before you craft.

Source: Class Tuning Incoming – 18 August (Linxy).