Blizzard targets Augmentation and Guardian in WoW Dragonflight Mythic+ meta shake-up

Finally!

Dracthyr Evoker flying and holding flame
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Ever since Augmentation Evoker released with World of Warcraft Dragonflight Patch 10.1.5, players have been putting it on a pedestal and showering it with roses, as long as they get their precious buffs. Blizzard Entertainment has had enough of the Augmentation Evoker and Guardian Druid meta in Mythic+ dungeons though, and are slashing these two specs with heavy nerfs this weekly reset.

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On July 22, WoW devs announced a detailed list of changes for the weekly reset happening on July 25. The weekly hotfix will surely shake up the stale Mythic+ meta which has been revolving around Augmentation Evokers, Guardian Druids, Mages, Holy Paladins, and Shadow Priests. Out of these five specs, the hotfix is nerfing three specs with Holy Paladins and Mages missing this week from balancing changes.

While the Guardian Druid nerf will reduce Ursoc’s Fury absorb shield to 50 percent of damage instead of 60 percent, Augmentation Evoker’s kit is getting hit with three direct nerfs to the ally buffing spells. Blizzard wants to see the latest Evoker spec dealing more direct damage, and being less about their allies’ damage. So, Eruption and Ebon Might will now deal a bit more damage and make DPSing more satisfying.

Related: Dragonflight is catering too much to seasonal players—here’s why it’s an issue

But that’s not all for this weekly reset—all three Hunter specs will be blessed this week with generous buffs, Windwalker Monks, Protection Paladins, Protection Warriors, and Restoration Shamans are in line for buffs too, as Blizzard hopes to entirely shake up the meta in time for the MDI 2023 heating up.

Shadow Priests are also getting major changes on July 25 that will drastically increase the raw damage output and tune down off-healing, and hopefully incentivize players to pick up other specs for Mythic+ dungeons.

Generally speaking, these changes will leave a great mark on the Mythic+ meta which has been exclusive and stale ever since Patch 10.1.5 rolled out. But, only time will tell if Blizzard needs to ship even more nerfs to these specs to make the meta more exciting and versatile.

Author
Image of Izabela Tomakic
Izabela Tomakic
Staff Writer & World of Warcraft lead. Izabela has a long history with writing and games like World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Fortnite, and The Sims. Before finding her home at Dot Esports in 2021, Izabela was an English teacher and a freelancer at Hotspawn, GGRecon, and Gameranx. In her free time, you’ll find her writing novels, wandering Azeroth, or inting on Summoner’s Rift.