Blizzard apparently was not finished.
With the next weekly tuning pass, the damage of Ret's Divine Arbiter Season 2 four-piece effect is increasing by 150% against its main target.
Its damage to secondary targets is also increasing by 75%.
Blizzard explains the unusually large adjustment in its August 25 class tuning announcement, saying the developers want to make sure the rotational requirement attached to Retribution's four-piece bonus is actually worth executing.
Apparently the answer was not another 5%.
The answer was 150%.
Divine Arbiter's Main-Target Damage Is Going Up 150%
The upcoming Retribution changes are remarkably simple:
- Divine Arbiter main-target damage increased by 150%.
- Divine Arbiter secondary-target damage increased by 75%.
That 150% increase means the main-target portion will deal 2.5 times its previous damage.
It does not mean Retribution Paladins suddenly deal 150% more total DPS.
Divine Arbiter is only one component of the Season 2 set and therefore one component of Ret's overall damage profile.
Still, Blizzard does not multiply part of a current tier bonus by 2.5 because everything is going perfectly.
The 4-Piece Is Built Around Divine Purpose
Retribution's Curse of Ula'tek class set revolves around Divine Purpose.
The two-piece increases Divine Purpose's chance to activate by another 10%, while consuming Divine Purpose grants Divine Power, increasing Holy damage by 10% for 12 seconds.
The four-piece adds the more complicated part.
Consuming Divine Purpose grants Divine Arbiter, which empowers another Holy Power spender to unleash additional Holy damage on its primary target and enemies within eight yards.
That sounds straightforward until you begin playing around Divine Purpose procs, Holy Power, spenders and the requirement not to waste Divine Arbiter while it is already active.
The Season 2 set went through several revisions during testing specifically because players were concerned about awkward rotational situations. We covered the broader argument when Midnight's Season 2 class sets turned into a major PTR feedback battle.
Retribution was one of the clearest examples of the problem.
A tier set can ask you to change your rotation.
But if it asks you to think harder for approximately the damage of an annoyed flashlight, players tend to notice.
Blizzard Says the Rotational Ask Was Not Worth It
Blizzard's explanation is unusually revealing.
The developers say they are increasing Divine Arbiter's damage significantly "to make sure its rotational ask is worth executing."
That is really the entire design problem in one sentence.
More complicated tier bonuses need a reason to exist.
If a four-piece changes which Holy Power spender you want to use, makes Divine Purpose procs more important and asks you to manage Divine Arbiter correctly, the reward needs to be noticeable when everything works.
Blizzard apparently looked at the live Season 2 version and decided it was not noticeable enough.
A 150% increase should help with that.
Ret Already Got a 6% Buff Before Season 2 Started
This is also not Retribution's first adjustment of the week.
Only hours before Season 2 began, Blizzard unexpectedly increased Retribution's overall damage by 6%.
We covered that last-minute change when Retribution Paladin received a surprise 6% buff immediately before Season 2.
Now the specialization is getting another boost, except this one is aimed directly at its new gear rather than the entire baseline kit.
That distinction matters.
The 6% aura buff helps Ret whether you own the Season 2 set or not.
The Divine Arbiter change only becomes relevant once you have assembled the four-piece.
Which suddenly makes completing that set considerably more interesting.
The Season 2 Tier Set Just Became Much More Important
Players are only beginning to assemble full Season 2 class sets from The Venomous Abyss, Great Vault rewards and other gearing paths.
That means this buff arrives at almost the perfect moment.
Most Retribution players have not spent weeks playing around the weaker version yet.
Instead, many will reach their four-piece around the same time Blizzard dramatically increases its payoff.
Season 2 tier bonuses have already been moving constantly. Before the raid even opened, we saw Blizzard nerf several class sets before players could properly collect them.
Now we are seeing the other half of that process.
If a set reaches live servers and does not deliver enough power for the gameplay it demands, Blizzard is willing to move the number sharply in the opposite direction.
This Is Why Week 1 Rankings Are Dangerous
The change also reinforces something Blizzard warned us about before Season 2 started.
The meta is not supposed to settle immediately.
Blizzard has already scheduled repeated class tuning passes during the opening weeks, something we broke down in our Season 2 class tuning roadmap.
The August 25 pass alone contains major buffs for Warlocks, Frost Death Knights, Restoration Druids, Hunters, Retribution Paladins and several other specializations.
That makes Week 1 tier lists exceptionally fragile.
Ret has already gained 6% overall damage.
Its four-piece is now getting a 150% main-target boost.
We are not even through the first full week.
Your screenshot of the launch-day rankings is becoming an archaeological artifact surprisingly quickly.
Ret Paladins Should Feel Much Better About Their Four-Piece
The important takeaway is not that Retribution suddenly becomes 150% stronger.
It does not.
The important takeaway is that one of the defining damage effects attached to its Season 2 four-piece is being dramatically increased.
Divine Arbiter's main-target damage goes up 150%.
Its cleave damage goes up 75%.
And Blizzard specifically says the goal is to make the rotational effort of using the set properly feel worthwhile.
That is probably good news for anyone currently staring at their Season 2 tier pieces and wondering whether the four-piece is actually exciting.
Next reset, the answer should become considerably louder.
Retribution asked whether Divine Arbiter was worth pressing buttons correctly for.
Blizzard responded by multiplying the answer by 2.5.
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