As a follow up to my sims at the end of 7.1, I updated Simcraft and am updating my simulations as of the start of Nighthold. I simulated using my current best gear. Single target used Starlord, Incarnation, Blessing of the Ancients, and Stellar Drift, and 3-target used Force of Nature, Soul of the Forest, Shooting Stars, and Stellar Drift.

Trinkets

The nerfs to AOE trinkets/buffs to stat-based trinkets going into Nighthold are remarkable. My 895 Whispers in the Dark (bonus roll first week, don’t hate me) and my 860 Unstable Arcanocrystal (I guess it’s OK to hate me a little) are my best trinkets in all situations. A 885 Erratic Metronome, which I do not yet have, might be slightly better than the Arcanocrystal at AOE, but it’s basically a wash. Swapping to Aran’s Relaxing Ruby and Unstable Horrorslime for AOE was a short-lived experience. My trinket results overall match up well with the Balance Druid Trinket Spreadsheet (Whispers is still best, though not quite as best since it was nerfed slightly this week).

Gear

I swapped around my rings, since AOE is a lot more prevalent in Nighthold and Haste is just bonkers on AOE fights. The buff to Prydaz makes it simulate only 0.5% worse than Cinidaria at DPS, and the survivability bonus of Prydaz argues for using it on high-damage progression fights over the belt. Gebuz’s recommended pawn string “(Pawn: v1: “Balance Druid”: Intellect=1, CritRating=0.8, HasteRating=1.2, MasteryRating=1, Versatility=0.8 )” is just about right for my character. I value Mastery at 1.05 since it is simulating a bit better than intellect, and Versatility at 0.85 since it offers survivability while Critical Strike doesn’t. Either way, those stat weights are solid. For pure AOE, haste is simulating as more than twice as good as intellect. However, pure AOE with no priority target is rare in a raid setting. For large packs in dungeons, you might value haste more highly than in a raid.

Comments:

Ammer - Jan 6, 2017

Hi, is the sheet already updated after the damage buff?

Raphael - Jan 6, 2017

Ammer, which buff are you referring to? I don’t believe the trinket spreadhseet had been updated yet since Nighthold’s release (including after the Nighthold-AOE-trinket damage buff). It is my understanding that Arcanocrystal, Whispers, and Metronome are still top three, however.

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