Season of Discovery Spec Detection and Rules
Spec Detection Overview
This article goes through some of the decisions made for determining the players' specializations in Season of Discovery.
Spec detection in Vanilla has historically been based on spell usage and healing/damage contributions. This is because talent point distribution information has not been in the combat log. Currently, this is only in the COMBATANT_INFO event at the start of a boss encounter, and this has not been reliable to use.
We are using a mix of new rules for SoD, and some rules from Vanilla Era to try to determine specs and roles. Please note that a majority of specs are created to distinguish between roles (tank/healer/dps) instead of trying to determine the actual in-game specialization used.
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Druid
Balance
Getting Balance requires doing more damage than healing (including overhealing), and less than 20% Melee/Shred/Mangle(Cat)/Ferocious Bite damage.
Feral
Feral requires at least 20% of your pre-normalization damage coming from: Melee attacks, Shred, Mangle(Cat), and Ferocious Bite.
Tank
Please view the Tank requirements further down in this article for full tank requirements.
Healer
Healer Druid requires doing more healing (including overhealing) than damage.
Hunter
Ranged
Requires more Auto-Shot casts than Melee casts. Note: Pet melees do not contribute to this counter.
Melee
Requires more Melee casts than Auto-Shot casts. Note: Pet melees do not contribute to this counter.
Mage
We are trying something new with the mage specs to check actual talent distribution.
With combatant_info:
Healer: Temporal Beacon (Buff), Chronomantic Healing (Healing), Regeneration (Cast or Healing), Chronostatic Preservation (Cast or Healing), Mass Regeneration (Cast)
Fire/Frost/Arcane: most talent points in the corresponding tree (minimum 20 while we test).
Fallback
These are used when there is no combatant_info, or when too few points are invested in any one tree. The first seen spell assigns your spec. Example: if you cast Arcane Blast and then Pyroblast, you will be assigned Arcane. If you cast Pyroblast and then Arcane Blast, you will be assigned Fire.
Healer: Temporal Beacon (Buff), Chronomantic Healing (Healing), Regeneration (Cast or Healing), Chronostatic Preservation (Cast or Healing), Mass Regeneration (Cast)
Fire: Pyroblast (Cast or Damage), Combustion (Buff)
Frost: Winter's Chill (Debuff)
Arcane: Arcane Blast (Cast or Damage)
Default Spec: Fire (only used if nothing else matches)
Paladin
Healer
Healer Paladin requires you to do more healing (including overhealing) than damage.
Tank
Please view the Tank requirements further down in this article for full tank requirements.
DPS
DPS Paladin requires you to do more damage than healing (including overhealing).
Priest
Healer
Healer Priest requires you to do more healing (including overhealing) than damage. Vampiric Embrace healing is excluded.
DPS
DPS Priest requires you to do more damage than healing (including overhealing). Vampiric Embrace healing is excluded.
Rogue
DPS
You get assigned DPS Rogue by not meeting the tank requirements.
Tank
Please view the Tank requirements further down in this article for full tank requirements.
Shaman
Elemental
Requires doing more damage than healing (including overhealing), and not fulfilling the Enhancement or Tank requirements.
Enhancement
Enhancement requires at least 20% Melee/Lava Lash/Stormstrike/Flametongue Weapon damage. (10% on Ghamoo-ra)
Healer
Requires doing more healing (including overhealing) than damage.
Tank
Please view the Tank requirements further down in this article for full tank requirements.
Warlock
DPS
You get assigned DPS Warlock by not meeting the tank requirements.
Tank
Please view the Tank requirements further down in this article for full tank requirements.
Warrior
DPS
You get assigned DPS Warrior by not meeting the tank requirements.
Tank
Please view the Tank requirements further down in this article for full tank requirements.
Tank Detection
This is for:
- Druid Tank
- Paladin Tank
- Rogue Tank
- Shaman Tank
- Warlock Tank
- Warrior Tank
Default Requirement
- Intention to Tank: You must spend at least 10s in your threat stance, or use specific tank runes (See below).
- Actually Tanking: You must take the most basic attacks from bosses (melee attacks, or spam spells like Aquanis' Frostbolts), or at least 70% of the most anyone takes. You must take a minimum of 5 for it to count.
Tank Runes
Using Abilities granted by the Rune counts for detecting the rune, even if it isn't present in combatant_info.
- Rogue: Just a Flesh Wound
- Shaman: Way of the Earth or Spirit of the Alpha (Self casted ONLY, minimum 10s uptime)
Specific Boss Requirements
Sunken Temple
All bosses in Sunken Temple now use the "50% of the most basic attacks that anyone takes" cutoff, due to the shift to 20 players.
- Dreamscythe and Weaver: Tanking at least 70% of melees from either boss now also marks you as a tank.
- Jammal'an and Ogom: Tanking at least 70% of basic attacks (incl. Smite) from either boss now also marks you as a tank.
Atal'ai Defenders: The default basic attack check excludes Gasher. Tanking at least 70% of basic attacks from Gasher now also marks you as a tank.
Avatar of Hakkar: Bloodkeeper of Hakkar counts as a boss for the purposes of basic attack counts.
Special Cases
Protection Paladin promotion can happen without RF if you take the most basic attacks from bosses of any player. This is allowed because base Righteous Fury is supported but does not log reliably, and there is no reason to cheese RF uptime.
Threat Stances
Each tank spec has a different threat stance. The requirements are:
- Warrior: Defensive Stance
- Paladin: Righteous Fury
- Druid: Bear Form
- Rogue: Blade Dance or Just a Flesh Wound
- Shaman: Way of Earth or self-casted Spirit of the Alpha
- Warlock: Metamorphosis
Join us on Discord to discuss or propose changes.
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