it was brought up many many many times during the PTS, but was apparently intended, and never mentioned in the patch notes
not sure if the same thing happened to resto heavies too
Restoration staffs had 3 hits before, lightning staffs 4 - it was big difference between this 2 type of weapons. So they feels different in play. Sone HA users use restoration staffs too.
With U35 - lightning staffs get one more nerf.
It is bug or change of core gameplay mechanics.
If Developers do so huge change it have to be documented or fixed if it is a bug.
It is not some undocumented set change - it is change of FULL weapon core mechanic. That is important for work of different sets and skills based on it.
The even more problem is - that developers ignore this problem. For more than a month - players get no answer about this bug.
Bugs happens - but such attitude of ignoring the problems and players - do not look good at all.