From Ghostcrawler: (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=12065281479&pageNo=1&sid=1#0)
I'm attempting to post this early since the Ret community felt totally surprised last time.
We are looking at some way of making Avenging Wrath and Divine Shield mutually exclusive. This may be through Forbearance, if we can reduce the Forbearance duration through a hotfix. The bubble is intended as a defensive measure. Yet bubble+wings currently is used a lot in BGs and Arenas and helps contribute to the feeling of being destroyed by a Retribution paladin while you are unable to respond.
My apologies to the Ret paladins who already feel picked on. We are really trying hard to not overdo anything but even the last round of pretty severe nerfs didn't seem to do enough to Ret's dominance of PvP.
We are also sympathetic to the notion that if Ret can't do insane burst damage, that the spec might need other tools to be viable in PvP. We're exploring this now, possibly though the missing 11-point Prot talent, possibly through other avenues. We'll let you know when we've made a decision here.
I don't know exactly when this change will go live, but I didn't want you to return from trick-or-treating and be shocked that we didn't announce it, since that seemed to cause a lot of damage with the last nerf.
I'll leave this post unlocked for now, assuming the responses stay intelligent and we don't get too much flaming or trolling.
Retribution Paladins are the one class with no true snare, no HoT counter, and no spell interrupt. Divine Shield (http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=642) as of today increases the time between swings by 100% for the duration (12s) of the spell with a 3 minute cooldown. Avenging Wrath (http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=31884) increases damage by 20% for 20 seconds. Any idiot we face in PVP should be smart enough to run from the glowing Paladin with wings. If he pops wings and bubbles, any player with his salt knows that Paladin is on cooldown for a while.
For three seasons of Arenas we saw Cyclone and Mortal Strike pummel anyone that stood in the way of a 2 man Druid and Warrior team. When you have one of the most respected Paladin players (http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Bonechewer&n=Slayton) questioning the cumulative nerfs to the class despite his earlier defense of the changes, there may well be something wrong. I realize that stance is based on an appeal to authority, but as we've seen that with Blizzard, it's not always reliable to assume that they are infallible. Retribution Paladins are still extremely susceptible to being kited and disemboweled - a stun or a silence, and we're toast.
I have never popped wings and a bubble in PVP at the same time. I have done so in PVE since our damage is so bursty, it's easy for me to pull a mob right off a tank. I doubt this nerf will affect me directly, but if you have some of the top arena rogues and druids complaining about this nerf to their partners and opponents, you have to wonder....
That's what happens when ya make too sweeping changes towards the side of powerful, rather than erring on the side of caution and increasing things steadily. Blizzard brought this on themselves.
The change is live now. Avenging Wrath causes Forebearance once again, but damage stays at 20%, not the previous 30%.
Not announced: Sanctified Wrath talent in Retribution no longer allows 50% of damage to bypass absorption effects - it does not allow any bypass. Double nerf.
TO THE GROUND, BABY!
They really are not letting lolret up are they? They are beating that horse still.... ouch.
What annoys a lot of paladins is that this is not just Retribution-affecting.
What annoys me is that I really think it's from a lot of QQing by Druids and Rogues. I quote straight from WoWWiki that Avenging Wrath
QuoteIs dispellable and easily recognized by enemy players due to the giant golden wings protruding from the Paladin's back, and thus should be used with caution around Shamans (Purge), Priests (Dispel Magic or even Mass Dispel), Warlock's Felhunters (Devour Magic), Warriors (Shield Slam - in the off chance they manage to pull out a shield within the duration and even happen to carry one in their bag), Hunters Tranquilizing Shot, and worst of all, Mages (whose spellsteal can give them the great benefits of this spell, making them even more powerful). Therefore, think before you use this spell, and time it correctly. If you are fighting a Shaman, Mage or Priest one-on-one, make sure you cast it the right time (could be when the target is affected by Hammer of Justice. Make sure the target has used any stunbreaking cooldowns or trinkets etc. The result, when timed right, can be deadly).
I go racing toward a Druid with wings, I get a Cyclone cast on me. Guess what? I can't bubble out of it. Bam, Forebearance and dead. Purged, Slammed, or Spell Steal, and bam! Forebearance still kicks in.
When I see a Shaman with Earth Shield or an Arms Warrior spinning like a dervish, guess what? I avoid them. You don't change a mechanic to fix stupidity and lack of awareness.
Yes, we needed some corrections. Yes, we were pounding out too much damage (which was admittedly quite a lot of fun). Yes, Blizzard still has no idea how to deal with the Paladin class.