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First Impressions of Augmentation Evoker - A DPS Perspective
PTR
由
Preheat
发表于
2023/05/13,20:53
The 3rd Evoker specialization Augmentation has finally arrived with the first build of the 10.1.5 PTR. We asked our Evoker guide writers for a hands-on first impression of Augmentation to really break down what this new support DPS class has to offer and how it differs from Devastation and Preservation.
First up, our Devastation guide writer Preheat examines what makes Augmentation unique while still mixing in familiar elements from the other Evoker specs.
Introduction
My name is Preheat, I'm the guide writer for Devastation Evoker and Fire Mage. Today we will be discussing
Augmentation
, the
3rd Evoker Specialization
coming in patch 10.1.5. This is not a typical damage dealer. To put it in Blizzard's own words:
Augmentation is a new Damage Dealer role with a twist: they use the essence of the Black and Bronze dragonflights to amplify the abilities of nearby allies. The playstyle for this new specialization involves empowering your allies with a variety of beneficial effects. Some can be cast directly on your allies, while others are tied to using your damage-dealing abilities effectively.
Augmentation Evokers deliver their damage in a wholly unique way. They act as force multipliers, increasing their group's capabilities (and damage output) significantly.
Like many Evokers, I was excited and intrigued at the idea of a new 3rd spec. After playing Augmentation for a few hours on test realms, I am ready to share my first impressions. The support role is not for everyone, so I'd like to ask that readers keep an open mind about Augmentation and the concept of a Support Damage Dealer. Also keep in mind that at the time I am writing this, the spec has only been confirmed for around 12 hours.
Augmentation Talent Specialization tab
Playstyle
If you like how Evoker handles, you will feel right at home with Augmentation. Some skills are still part of your kit, such as
悬空
,
火焰吐息
, and
活化烈焰
, and others are notably missing. Augmentation is all about applying an assortment of buffs to allies, extending
黑檀之力
, and cooking up enormous absorb shields for the group with
亘古吐息
and
时序结界
.
Normally maintaining buffs on your allies is a hassle and requires macros but for Augmentation they all happen automatically. This means you don't have to bother with targeting if you don't want to, but it's sometimes still an option. A few examples of buffs can be found below:
黑檀之力
is a short cooldown that buffs your allies based on your intelligence. This buff can be extended similar to
冰冷血脉
to be up most of the time if you are able to consistently cast spells. This buff is significantly harder to maintain with heavy movement, but the cooldown is short enough that letting it fall just forces you to spend a short time without it.
精通:时光旅行者
provides a versatility buff when you use empowered spells. This is fully automatic.
先知先觉
is a targeted critical strike buff that also repeats a portion of the damage a target deals thanks to
命运明镜
. It automatically prefers damage dealers and you can have multiple of them on different players simultaneously.
炽火龙鳞
is a buff for tanks that explodes when melee attacks are taken. The damage on this ability hits multiple enemies and can be greatly increased with talents like
爆反外皮
.
空间悖论
is a cast while moving buff for you and a healer.
超脱时间
is a buff to make Devastation Evoker playable in Mythic+ without AoE taunts or
误导
effects.
机遇微粒
are orbs you spawn that reduce the major cooldown of your allies. These seem to spawn around 2 per minute based on my findings. The value this talent has is completely dependent on which class you are shortening cooldowns for. Frost mage with
冰冷血脉
? Next to useless. Devastation Evoker with
狂龙之怒
? Yes, please!
巨龙协调
is a stance that provides additional speed or health. With
守护巨龙的青睐
, this gives you and allies 20% more health when you use
黑曜鳞片
.
Aside from buffs you primarily spend your time putting up your
黑檀之力
buff and fighting to keep it extended until the end of the pull by spending essence and using empowers.
Example Talent Build
Two Builders
Augmentation uses
活化烈焰
and
碧蓝打击
as its builders. These spells work the same as you have come to expect, but there are some new options to mix things up.
阿莱克丝塔萨的门徒
and
回响打击
are a choice node for these, but
阿莱克丝塔萨的门徒
seems like the far better option. This thing goes absolutely wild with
飞扑烈焰
, and I have to say I'm a big fan of it.
One spender
When trying out Augmentation you will immediately notice that
裂解
has been replaced with a cast called
喷发
. This is a universal spender that ramps in damage up to 5 targets and primarily functions as a way to get cooldown reduction for
地壳激变
, your new empower.
喷发
is a neat ability, but having to spam casts while planted doesn't really feel that great.
悬空
helps a bit but you really feel the lack of a spender like
葬火
, especially when on the move.
Cooldowns
Technically,
黑檀之力
is your cooldown but it can be maintained permanently with constant uptime.
先知先觉
is a short cooldown and your only instant cast in your rotation for you to
悬空
during. Having multiple charges of this would feel really nice and would allow you to feel less pressured to always use it exactly on cooldown.
亘古吐息
replaces
深呼吸
and is your
real
cooldown. This is essentially an AoE
大法师之触
that you and 4 allies build up. Once it's done, it explodes into a guaranteed crit that also gives you and your allies an absorb shield based on damage dealt with
时序结界
. Who needs healers, anyways?
地壳激变
, new empower for Augmentation.
Stats
精通:时光旅行者
extends your helpful effects and is likely a shoe-in. Haste and Critical Strike both help maintain uptime as well, since Haste gives you faster casting and
时间之沙
can Crit. From my playtesting it felt good to have Mastery as high as possible, then have a nice mix of Haste and Crit afterwards.
How Does Augmentation Evoker Fit into the Ranged DPS Meta?
As Blizzard themselves stated, Augmentation is a force multiplier. With the current tuning, I was doing about 40% of the damage I do as Devastation when playing this spec solo, which means that a lot of the damage will come from your allies. Following that logic, a lot of your damage is going to depend on how other classes are tuned and how they interact with Augmentation. This means that balancing the spec will prove to be difficult, since some classes will benefit moderately from Augmentation, while others might come to be defined by it.
Concerns
I have concerns about adding more buffs to stack on certain classes and how it will affect tuning, but am putting them aside for now. The possibilities for group play are exciting, but the rotation itself feels a bit dull. Having to turret as a support spec in order to keep your buff up feels a bit strange since it means Augmentation won't really handle having to run around and do mechanics well.
Another concern I have is that a lot of the spec abilities for Augmentation seem ripped directly from feedback about what is currently wrong with Devastation (Aggro problems, deaths during
深呼吸
, and lack of sturdiness are chief concerns). Talents like
时光延展
,
超脱时间
, and
驳斥命运
should be available to Devastation, too. Seeing this is very frustrating for us Devastation Evokers. Please consider moving these talents to the class tree (cheat death should probably be unavailable to Preservation, though).
Ending Thoughts
I am cautiously optimistic about Augmentation and excited for the new combat log hooks Blizzard is adding to the game to help track the impact of the spec. This will be essential to track performance on this class.
Augmentation Evokers offers a unique opportunity to delve into a playstyle never seen before in World of Warcraft. While we're still working on some aspects of this new paradigm (like introducing some new combat log hooks so that addons and community websites can effectively measure your performance, for example), we hope you've enjoyed this early look at it. We'll see you in the Dragon Isles!
It's really hard to say what the meta will evolve into with a support DPS spec, especially this early on. This sort of thing isn't a completely new concept (see:
能量灌注
) but it is certainly a departure from what we have come to expect. Based on the community reaction so far, one thing is for certain: Augmentation is exciting and controversial.
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