Gnome Eureka! becomes an eight-second window

Gnome’s racial Eureka! changed three times during the beta. The last version, in Blizzard’s 16 October development notes, turns it from a set of charges into a short window.

The 16 October version

• Eureka! is now an eight-second buff with no charges.
• It has the same effect on damage and ability costs as before.
• It now also benefits Power Word: Shield.

Charges versus a window

Charges count uses. A timed window counts seconds. With the eight-second version, what matters is how much you can cast before it ends. Fast, cheap abilities fit the window well; a long cast that starts late might not.

The notes describe the change, not a rotation, and they do not say what triggers Eureka!.

How it got here

Earlier notes in the same thread change Eureka! to a 10% discount on Mana, Rage or Energy abilities for every class. The 1 October notes then stopped it from benefiting periodic effects at all, while noting that channeled spells do not count as periodic. The 16 October change keeps its effect but alters how long you have to use it.

Shields

The Power Word: Shield addition matters for Gnome Priests. A shield cast inside the window now gets Eureka!’s benefit too, which makes it an obvious spell to fit into those eight seconds.