Shadowmourne now follows your Death Knight's talent tree: its +20% damage goes to Death Strike
and Blood Boil for Blood, Obliterate and Howling Blast for Frost, and Plague Strike and Death and
Decay for Unholy (the tree with the most points; Frost on a tie or with no points). The +4%
critical strike chance is unchanged.
Shadowmourne gains Chaos Bane: every kill gives the wielder a Soul Fragment, and the 10th
unleashes Chaos Bane, shadow damage to up to 12 enemies within 8 yards and +10% damage for 10
seconds; the fragments then start over (they do not carry over a server restart mid-run).
Warrior Shield Guard is halved, like Rogue Recovery before it: a front touch now deals 27.5%
less damage (was 55%) for the same 14 Guard. Warriors won almost every solo run in testing.
Warriors deal 25% less damage with everything they cast (spells, Bladestorm, talent effects
and procs); still won most solo runs with the guard halved. Other classes are unchanged; a Warrior's item procs and gear damage are cut with it.
Support and tank capstones now matter in a boss fight, solo and in a party alike:
Beacon of Light smites for 150% of every heal you cast while nobody else within 40 yards is
hurt (also in a party, and even at full health), aiming at the boss first; Avenger's Shield
deals 50% more to bosses and rares in any party; Wild Growth blights the boss first, and
every blight on a boss or rare (from Rejuvenation or from a Wrath or Moonfire hit) deals three
times as much, in any party. Party balance for these capstones has not been measured yet.
