I don't like Perseverance

#0 - June 10, 2010, 9:04 p.m.

Tier 2, Resto tree:
Perseverance (5 points) - Reduces all spell damage taken by 2/4/6/8/10%.

Something about this talent just doesn't feel right in my gut... The more I think about it, the more I end up rationalising potential reasons as to why I'm feeling this... But nothing so far has nailed the wrongness vibe I'm getting from the talent.

One one hand, I have yet to see a viable endgame druid spec that does not put points into the resto tree. Having this talent so early in a tree that every druid uses means that every single druid in the game will have access to it regardless of their spec or role. I haven't looked into whether or not every potential spec is going to be able to afford it, but on first read this talent feels like "All druids take 10% less spell damage".

It takes a niggly little problem I had with Improved Mark of the Wild and amplifies it: If every druid is going to take a talent regardless of spec, then what is the point of having it as a talent in the first place?

On the other hand, it's so very.... Passive. This isn't a cooldown, this isn't a proc... Heck, this isn't even something like "You take 10% less spell damage while barkskin is on cooldown", which would pretty much would make it equivalent to a passive anyway. It's just... There... 10% off.... No hassle, no fuss... No interaction.

And yet... All that being said... I don't really feel like I've really figured out why I don't like the talent... So now I'm throwing the floor to you guys... Hopefully somebody here will be able to give me a different perspective on this talent.

Ghostcrawler

#7 - June 11, 2010, 5:19 a.m.

We think talents like this are good, even in PvE. First, they aren't strictly mandatory. If you think you can get by with taking a little more damage, go for it. Second, you don't have to spend all 5 points for them to be useful. They are good sinks if you need to spend just an extra point or two somewhere. Third, taking less damage probably will be a bigger deal in Cataclysm. If healer mana becomes a factor in some wipes, as we expect, then it wouldn't surprise as all to see raid leaders start linking damage *taken* meters as ways to get everyone to contribute to keeping the group alive. The attitude that nobody takes damage besides the tank or that damage to anyone besides the tank is trivial is outdated even for current content, let alone Cataclysm.