Arena Season 9, Cataclysm Hotfixes, War Games, Cataclysm Sales, The Daily Blink

Here you will find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to the release of patch 4.0.3a and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. While many have already been deployed on all realms, some may not be implemented until the next time your realm is restarted. We will continue to update this thread in the days ahead as additional hotfixes are applied.

December 13
General

• Guild experience caps were being hit faster than expected. As a result, guild experience gained through questing has been reduced.
• After hitting the weekly guild reputation cap, players will no longer receive the message that they're at the cap every time a quest is turned in.
• It is no longer possible to activate Running Wild from a transform or shapeshift form (including Metamorphosis). When leaving a shapeshift form, worgen players will always be in worgen form and cannot toggle Two Forms while shapeshifted.
• Players should no longer be unable to chat, or join or leave private chat channels after a realm is restarted for any reason.

Classes
Druid (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)

• Both Bear and Cat Form versions of Skull Bash are no longer able to be used to get to a target when there is no valid path available.

Hunter (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)

• It is no longer possible for hunters to tame pets in a way that allows them to keep any buffs the creatures had on them prior to being tamed.

Warlock (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)

• Dark Intent no longer causes the warlock to stand up while eating or drinking when a critical hit occurs.
• If Empowered Imp procs while casting Soul fire, the buff is no longer consumed.
• Searing Pain can still be cast if it misses while Soul Burn is active and does not consume Soul Burn until it lands.

Dungeons & Raids

• The droprates on all Bind-on-Equip items in Cataclysm dungeons have been reduced.
• Chaos Orbs now drop properly from Vanessa VanCleef in Heroic: Deadmines.
• It should no longer be possible for Vanessa VanCleef's note to spawn in Deadmines instances where groups have not killed Ripsnarl and Cookie.
• Admiral Ripsnarl's vapors no longer award reputation in Heroic: Deadmines.
• Summoned non-elite Twisted Visages no longer provide reputation in Grim Batol.
• Siamat in Lost City of the Tol'vir could sometimes fail to cast Deflecting Winds on time, rendering him unkillable. This has been corrected.
• NPCs which spawn during the Baron Silverlaine encounter in Shadowfang Keep no longer reward reputation when killed.
• All players should now correctly be rewarded with the Straw that Broke the Camel's Back achievement in Halls of Origination.

Items

• Some Cataclysm world rare drops improperly had faction requirements which have been removed.
• The one-handed mace Torturer's Mercy had incorrect stats. It now has 136 Stamina, 91 Intellect, 61 Spirit, 61 mastery, and 1216 spell power.
• The one-handed Mace of Apotheosis had incorrect stats. It now has 160 Stamina, 107 Intellect, 54 Spirit, 81 mastery, and 1427 spell power.
• Fine-Toothed Comb, Fetish of Azrajar, Wil'hai's Extraneous Tooth, and Azralon's Twisted Rune are now correctly item level 285 and will accept Cataclysm-level gems in their prismatic sockets.
• Phantom Armor from Shadowfang Keep is now classified as plate armor to match its stats and itemization.
• The Vashj'ir quest reward Staff of Post-Facto Preparation now has spell power on it, 'cause it should.
• The Vashj'ir quest rewards Darkspear Ritual Blade and Gnomeregan Mindslicer now have spell power on them, 'cause they should.
• Several items in Cataclysm starting zones have been increased from item level 279 to 308, with relative stat increases.

Professions

• Completing Archaeology projects no longer progresses the guild achievement Making History. This is a temporary fix until an issue with this achievement can be addressed in an upcoming patch.
• Corpses of Scalding Rock Elementals can now be mined. It's possible to gain both Volatile Earth and Shimmering Shards from the corpses.
• Several Jewelcrafting designs were incorrectly tagged as Bind-on-Pickup and have been changed to Bind-on-Equip.
• The Alchemy skill Transmute: Living Elements now functions correctly in Deepholm and Uldum.
• Disenchanted green items are now giving more materials as the item levels increase. This change also ensures armor items give dust more often than essence, and that weapons give more essence than dust.
• Fishing in open water areas around Sulfuron Spire no longer yields Volatile Fire.
• Lifebound Alchemist Stones should now always be properly created when the necessary materials are consumed and skill-ups are awarded.
• The speed of the Blacksmithing mace Forged Elementium Mindcrusher was too fast compared to related items. Its speed is now 3.60.
• The Overpowered Chicken Splitter Engineering bow is now superior quality and no longer epic.
• The droprate on Volatile Life from herbs has been increased.
• Bario Matalli and Shazdar now properly sell Cocoa Beans, Noble Hops and Dry Yeast in unlimited quantities. Additionally, Innkeeper Allison no longer sells Fresh Goat's Milk and now carries Fresh Water instead.
• Drained Venomblood Scorpids can now be skinned.

Quests & Creatures
Cataclysm Zones
Deepholm

• It is now possible to complete the quest achievement Deep into Deepholm.
• Aggra's voice-overs can no longer be heard or read by other players during the Deepholm introduction at the Maelstrom.
• Living Bloods at Deathwing's Fall now spawn more quickly.
• Mercurial Oozes at the Upper Silvermarsh now spawn more quickly.
• Quest NPCs in the Temple of Earth should now appear during the final zone phases to guarantee players can still turn in quests regardless of progress.
• Players should no longer be repeatedly consumed by the very mean Colossal Gyreworm.
• Twilight Defilers, Twilight Heretics, and Twilight Desecrators can no longer be pickpocketed.
• Players are able to obtain the Bottle of Whiskey and the Spool of Rope for the quest "Without a Captain or Crew".
• If Earthmender Norsala despawns during the scripted event for "Wrath of the Fungalmancer", players can now still continue with the event.
• The Ruby Crystal Cluster is now multi-drop for players in a party and are respawning at a decent rate.
• Phased Armor cast by Twilight Dragonspawn and Seeping Quicksilver cast by Mercuiral Ooze were doing trivial amounts of damage. The damage of these abilities has been increased.

Gilneas

• War Machines now spawn more quickly in the Headlands for the quest "They Have Allies, But So Do We".

Lost Isles

• Quest NPCs for "The Heads Of The SI:7" were doing too much damage. Their damage has been reduced and are within the appropriate level range.

Mount Hyjal

• "An Offering for Aviana" is correctly being offered in all cases of prerequisite completion for both Horde and Alliance characters.
• Matoclaw in the Grove of Aessina now offers the quest "Last Stand at Whistling Grove".
• Cindermaul's Chest can now be looted by any player that currently has the quest "Cindermaul, the Portal Master" in their quest log.
• Windspeaker Tamila no longer joins combat when hostile creatures are brought near her.

Twilight Highlands

• Bosses can no longer be pulled far out of the Crucible of Carnage arena.
• During the quest "Aiming High" the Flintlocke's Explosives can now be used anywhere on the Skyshredder.

Uldum

• Sheep packs no longer instantly respawn.
• Player are now able to stay in the proper phase and accept "Field Work" after leaving the area, porting to other zones, or relogging.

Vashj'ir

• It is now possible to complete the quest achievement Sinking into Vashj'ir.
• Scourgut Remoras are now spawning closer to the ground.
• Players should always be properly granted credit for completing the "Defending the Rift" quest event.
• The range on the phase transitions of the Battlemaiden event has been extended to catch players who've pushed too far away from the NPCs around the bridge.
• Gnash is now balanced for any type of party make-up to engage. He also grants more experience when he dies than he used to.
• NPCs on The Verne and the Pincer X2 will no longer despawn or behave oddly while players are completing the quest "Full Circle".
• Nespirah's entrance membrane should always be open.
• Slithering Slime applied by eels in the Kepl'thar Forest now does significantly more damage, as it was not scaling appropriately with level.
• Toxic Bite applied by eels in the Shimmering Expanse now does significantly more damage, as it was not scaling appropriately with level.
• Brinescale Serpent's Brinescale Venom now has a 10-second duration, down from 20.

Eastern Kingdoms
Dun Morogh

• General Grimaxe should now always respawn properly after being killed.

Eastern Plaguelands

• The Argent Lightwell Charm can no longer be used outside of the designated questing area.

Stormwind

• Major Samuelson grants kill credit to everyone on the quest that is nearby when he is unmasked. He also grants players who hit him during the fight quest credit for his kill, regardless of tap rights.

Western Plaguelands

• Lang's Hand Grenades are not usable outside of the designated questing area.

Kalimdor
Azshara

• Talrendis Marksmen no longer grant experience upon death.

Felwood

• The Blood Red Key, which started the now-deprecated quest "A Strange Redy Key", is now removed from players' inventories upon logging out or zoning.
• Darla's Box of Megaflares cannot be used when not in Felwood. They can be used anywhere within Felwood.

Beginning with Arena Season 9, we're giving Arena and Battleground teams the option to challenge each other to War Games, a new kind of skirmish that allows teams to practice, set up matches against friends or rivals, or even try out potential recruits. We've prepared a handy FAQ to explain how it works.

Q: What's a War Game?
A: A War Game is an unranked match in which one group of players challenges another group to an Arena or Battleground skirmish in a setting of their choosing. You will be able to initiate a War Game by using the /wargame or /wg command, as explained below.

Q: When will War Games be available?
A: War Games will become available with the start of Arena Season 9. After that point, you'll be able to play a War Game at any time, regardless of whether a season is underway.

Q: How does it work?
A: After you've formed your group, use the /wargame or /wg command to challenge another group leader to a War Game match, like so:

/wg groupleadername mapname

If mapname is left blank, a random Arena or Battleground will be chosen automatically based on the initiating team's size.

For example: JohnnyRaider wants to challenge TommyPvP to a 2v2 Arena skirmish in the Nagrand Arena. After each forms a separate group with his respective Arena partner, JohnnyRaider uses the following command to start the War Game:

/wg tommypvp nagrand arena

TommyPvP will receive a pop-up notice stating "JohnnyRaider has challenged you to a War Game in the Nagrand Arena."

TommyPvP then has a little over a minute to accept the challenge. Once he accepts, each group will be placed in the queue and will receive a pop-up window prompting them to enter the skirmish once it's ready.

Q: Can I play War Game skirmishes against members of my own faction?
A: Yes! The War Game skirmish system allows you to challenge players in your same faction to Arena and Battleground matches. You can also challenge those of the opposite faction.

Q: Do I have to type the whole map name, or can I just type "/wg tommypvp warsong" to enter Warsong Gulch?
A: You can type only part of the Arena or Battleground name, and the system will select the closest match. If you want to be safe, you can use the entire name (as below) to launch a War Game skirmish.

Arenas: Blade's Edge Arena, Dalaran Sewers, Nagrand Arena, The Ring of Valor, Ruins of Lordaeron

Battlegrounds: Alterac Valley, Arathi Basin, The Battle for Gilneas, Eye of the Storm, Isle of Conquest, Strand of the Ancients, Twin Peaks, Warsong Gulch

Random map options: Random Battleground, All Arenas

Q: Can I challenge a team from another realm to a skirmish?
A: No, you can only challenge opponents on your own realm.

Q: Can I start a game if one team has fewer group members than the other?
A: You are able to create a Battleground War Game with uneven team sizes, but you are not able to create an Arena War Game with uneven team sizes. For example, an 8v5 Warsong Gulch War Game is possible, but launching an Arena War Game with uneven team sizes won't work.

Q: What's the largest possible size for a War Game?
A: Arena War Games can support up to 5v5 matches. Battleground group sizes are limited to the maximum number of participants each map normally allows.

Q: Are any statistics recorded from War Game skirmishes?
A: No, they work similarly to the old Arena skirmish system. Kills, damage, and healing are tracked and displayed at the end of the match, but wins and losses are not.

Q: How long does it take for a War Game match to start?
A: Once the challenge has been accepted, you will generally be through the queue in less than 30 seconds. War Games offer you a quick way to get into practice matches with other teams, test out potential recruits, or just have fun with your friends.

Q: Can I receive achievements or guild experience in a War Game?
A: Because you can pick who you play against, nothing is awarded for playing in these skirmishes -- except for the rush that comes with a hard-won victory, of course.

Q: Do I get honor for killing players in a War Game Battleground?
A: No. These are skirmish matches, so no honor is awarded for objectives or kills.

Q: What’s the difference between the /wg command and the War Game button in the PvP interface?
A: The War Game button is used only for launching Battleground matches. The /wg command covers both Battleground and Arena skirmishes. We plan to further integrate the War Game feature into the PvP interface in a future patch.

Q: Why have you added this feature?
A: Players have long been asking for a way to challenge specific teams, guildmates, friends, and rivals to skirmish matches in Arenas and Battlegrounds of their choosing. We hope you enjoy this new feature, and we look forward to seeing you on the battlefield!

IRVINE, Calif. -- December 13, 2010 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Cataclysm™, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), sold through more than 3.3 million copies as of its first 24 hours of release, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time.* This milestone eclipses the previous record of more than 2.8 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in November 2008 by Blizzard's second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King®.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7, and became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9. More than 10,000 stores throughout the world opened their doors at midnight to welcome players who wanted to be among the first to obtain a copy of the expansion. In addition, more than 15,000 players attended official launch events hosted by Blizzard and key retail partners in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the region of Taiwan.

"We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content."

"World of Warcraft: Cataclysm delivered even bigger day-one sales than we experienced with StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ in July," said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop, "making this a record year for Blizzard Entertainment at GameStop."

Prior to the launch of Cataclysm, World of Warcraft's subscriber population had grown to more than 12 million players globally, further strengthening the game's position as the world's most popular subscription-based MMORPG. More information about the new expansion can be found at the official Cataclysm website: http://www.blizzard.com/games/cataclysm/.

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment® games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on career opportunities available at Blizzard Entertainment can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs.

Dalaran/Shattrath Portals
We have no plans to return the portals to Shattrath and Dalaran. Please refrain from creating further such threads on this topic. (Source)

Healing in Cataclysm
It's definitely challenging to heal in Cataclysm and that's by design. We want players to pick and choose what spells to use and when. Those in your group will also need to be conscious of whether or not they're putting out enough DPS, taking too much damage, and more. You'll probably be pulling out more "tricks" from your bag than you've been doing in awhile. You're also going to miss a time or two, run out of mana at a bad time and find yourself trying to figure out just what went wrong. Even experienced healers are going to have to dig their heels in a bit.

That said, we're keeping an eye out for how healing is going and should we feel there need to be adjustments, we'll make them. As many have noticed, we're starting to get a larger population of level 85 players who will be running through the content and getting better gear to compliment their spells and abilities. That should help some. (Source)