As the current top tank for Mythic+ dungeons, Vengeance Demon Hunters thrive due to their self healing and ability to kite away from attacking mobs. Additionally, they get 15-percent reduced damage from all sources thanks to their Demonic Wards passive. While this has contributed to Demon Hunter tanks surviving heavy hits that other classes cannot, one player has discovered the magic damage reduction has been working a little too well.
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On Wowhead, writer Itamae noted enemy abilities that their Vengeance Demon Hunter could normally shrug off were hitting alts such as Guardian Druid much harder at the same level. Digging into past runs, the Demon Hunter character was normally taking up to 40-percent reduced magic damage compared to 15 percent for other tanks. Breaking down the bonuses from passives, stats, and Covenant soulbinds, a best case scenario would normally be 23.5-percent magic damage reduction but it was a massive 36-percent instead.
Tracking down the earliest records, Itamae found a log in the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands beta where a Demon Hunter tank was already reducing magic damage by a similar amount. While the exact cause of this bug is still unknown, it is likely attributed to Demonic Wards being split into three ranks during the pre-patch, which somehow makes the magic damage component apply twice.
Ultimately, this unintentional double-dipping is the reason why Vengeance Demon Hunters have retained their Mythic+ ranking despite a series of nerfs brought on in-part by the bug itself. However, the class is still taking a normal amount of physical damage in most dungeons and Castle Nathria encounters compared to other tanks. While the bug getting fixed is an adjustment Demon Hunter players will need to make in the future, this isn’t necessarily a nerf that erases their viability considering the class playstyle remains intact.
In the end, Imatae recommends this bug gets addressed since it may lead to buffs or reverting previous nerfs rather than relying on an artificial crutch. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Blizzard pushes out a hotfix as soon as possible instead of waiting until the release of Patch 9.1. If this happens, the competitive tier list for tanks will be shaken up, especially with the rise of previously stigmatized classes like Protection Warrior.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available on PC.
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Source: Wowhead
