Explainer · Druid
Shred dropped from 225% to 155% weapon damage. Your weapon decides if it hits harder.
Blizzard says Shred's damage went up a lot. In build 70245 its multiplier went down on every rank. The difference is the swing underneath it, which in Forever follows your equipped weapon's DPS.
ShredRank 5
60 EnergyMelee Range
Instant
Shred the target, causing 155% damage plus 180 to the target. Must be behind the target. Awards 1 combo point.
Blizzard’s Sep 30 Druid deep dive says Shred’s damage “increased significantly”. In build 70245 every rank of 
Shred deals 155% weapon damage plus a flat bonus. Classic’s dealt 225%. The flat bonus didn’t change (180 at rank 5). Game files · build 70245
-
Shred weapon damage
225%now 155%
Both statements can be true, because “weapon damage” in Cat Form means something different in Forever.
The swing under the multiplier
In Classic, a Cat Form swing came from the cat’s claws. Its damage was set by your level and attack power, and the weapon in your hands only counted for its stats.
The same deep dive says that in Forever, your melee DPS in Cat Form, Bear Form and Dire Bear Form equals the DPS of your equipped weapon. Cat Form swings every 1.0 sec, so a swing hits for about your weapon’s DPS plus your attack power bonus. Shred deals 155% of that swing plus 180. Blizzard · Sep 30
| Weapon DPS | Swing (before attack power) | Shred rank 5 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 30 | 227 |
| 45 | 45 | 250 |
| 60 | 60 | 273 |
Attack power adds to the swing the same way for every weapon (1 damage per 14 attack power at 1.0 sec), and Shred multiplies that part by 155% too. For Ferals that turns weapon DPS into a stat they never cared about in Classic.
The talents around it
Savage Fury moved from row 5 to row 3 and now covers Shred, at 5/10% instead of Classic’s 10/20%.- Shredding Attacks (Classic’s Improved Shred) takes 6/12/18 Energy off Shred instead of 6/12, and 1/2/3 Rage off Lacerate.