Build of the Month
Recent Blue Posts
The Cataclysm Classic Pre-Expansion Patch is Now Live
Realm Restarts Scheduled — Wednesday May 1
Recent Forum Posts
Rest in Peace Joana (from Joana's Leveling Guides)
New gaming PC doesnt look right
Rank the Dragonflight Dungeons (beyond knee-jerk reactions)
Live Hotfixes List Update Soon
A lot of people have been contacting me to get more information on the latest hotfixes deployed on live servers, sadly this isn't really something I can help with because ... well, these changes are serverside and surprisingly, I don't have access to Blizzard's servers.
However, Zarhym posted on the official forums and mentioned that a new update to the hotfixes list should be available very soon.
Basic Raiding Tactics (by Aear @ EU-Bloodhoof)
A few days ago a very nice picture describing basic raiding tactics appeared on Reddit, I didn't really have time to post it because of all the 4.0.6 crazyness lately but it's definitely worth a look if you tend to just smash buttons and hope that everything will be ok when you're in raid. (We all do that anyway)
Patch 4.0.6 Cinematics Menu
The Cinematics menu on the login screen has been updated with Patch 4.0.6, I'm sure you never noticed this option in the first place and you should use it more often because WoW cinematics are even more awesome than bunnies.
Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Normal Dungeons / LFD Changes in 4.0.6
In 4.0.6, we've made a few adjustments so that players will be able to queue for the normal versions of Throne of the Tides and Blackrock Caverns after hitting level 85. While these dungeons will not be added to your Random Dungeon pool, you'll still have the option to queue for them individually.
[...] As Throne of the Tides and Blackrock Caverns are not max-level dungeons, it's true that they won't provide reputation from faction tabards or drop the highest iLevel gear. Even so, many level 85 players have politely requested that we add these normal dungeons back into their "Specific Dungeons" queue. Maybe they missed the opportunity to run the dungeons while leveling, or maybe they're having a hard time with the Heroic versions and would like some added practice. Either way, the request was sound and a relatively small change overall, so we were happy to implement it.
Edit: Also, just to reiterate, if you're level 85 and choose Random Dungeon, you will not be placed into a Throne of the Tides or Blackrock Caverns group. These normal dungeons can only be queued for by level 85 players using the "Specific Dungeon" list. So, if you'd prefer not to run either once you're max level, you definitely have that option. (Source)
Guild XP in 5-Man Instance changes in 4.0.6
A group that has 4 guild members in it will earn 100% the normal rate; therefore, a group that has only 3 guild members in it will earn 50% -- or half -- of what the group of 4 earns. This is, of course, based on a five-man group.
How will this work for raids? Will it still be @ an 80% threshold as it is now?
Raids will continue to require 80% guild participation in order for guild experience and achievements to apply (excluding 40-man raids, which currently only require 40% guild participation).
Sounds good to me, but doesn't this really cripple guildless players that rely solely on the LFD tool?
Hm. I wouldn't think so, but it is something we'll be keeping an eye on. In fact, it's possible these changes may actually encourage guilds to use LFD more since the required number of guild members is being lowered from 4 to 3 (in order to be eligible for experience and achievements).
In my guild, for example, we'll sometimes only have 10 members on at once. Of those 10 members, only 4 to 5 may be level 85. And of those level 85s, only 3 may want to run a Heroic dungeon. Right now, those 3 guild members may decide it's not worthwhile to organize a run and go on to do other activities -- but, if they had the added bonus of guild achievements and experience, it just might be the incentive they need to queue up through LFD. Similarly, by queuing up with only 3 guild members (instead of waiting for a 4th), that leaves 2 spots open for LFD, up from only 1. (Source)
Priest (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
4.0.6 Changes (Continued)
Also, I think I muddled things a little bit when I was pointing out the DA buff. What I was trying to say (and poorly at the time) was that currently, Disc has a pretty strong Prayer of Healing because of DA and Inner Focus. Granted, it will be slightly less strong with the PoH change, but there is a Grace buff to 4.0.6 will make you better when healing multiple targets with normal heals as well. (No longer applies to just a single target.)
We believe that Discipline is looking solid in the PTR, and again, would welcome those who want to test it and provide constructive feedback on it.
As for the comment about having other healers around in Raids- Of course you'll have additional healing help for those big AoE damage fights. It's a Raid which has more players in it and thus more room for additional healers. I don't think any healer could expect to solo heal a Raid and be successful and if they can, then it's something we would have to look at.
[...] We're keeping an eye on things and I'll be spending some time on the PTR as well (for what that's worth). I believe that Discipline won't be bad off once these changes are in and people have the appropriate gear and stats (don't forget to reforge, enchant, and gem). We'll keep watching for constructive feedback and keep working toward finding that sweet spot between difficulty and fun. (Source)
In 4.0.6, we've made a few adjustments so that players will be able to queue for the normal versions of Throne of the Tides and Blackrock Caverns after hitting level 85. While these dungeons will not be added to your Random Dungeon pool, you'll still have the option to queue for them individually.
[...] As Throne of the Tides and Blackrock Caverns are not max-level dungeons, it's true that they won't provide reputation from faction tabards or drop the highest iLevel gear. Even so, many level 85 players have politely requested that we add these normal dungeons back into their "Specific Dungeons" queue. Maybe they missed the opportunity to run the dungeons while leveling, or maybe they're having a hard time with the Heroic versions and would like some added practice. Either way, the request was sound and a relatively small change overall, so we were happy to implement it.
Edit: Also, just to reiterate, if you're level 85 and choose Random Dungeon, you will not be placed into a Throne of the Tides or Blackrock Caverns group. These normal dungeons can only be queued for by level 85 players using the "Specific Dungeon" list. So, if you'd prefer not to run either once you're max level, you definitely have that option. (Source)
Guild XP in 5-Man Instance changes in 4.0.6
A group that has 4 guild members in it will earn 100% the normal rate; therefore, a group that has only 3 guild members in it will earn 50% -- or half -- of what the group of 4 earns. This is, of course, based on a five-man group.
How will this work for raids? Will it still be @ an 80% threshold as it is now?
Raids will continue to require 80% guild participation in order for guild experience and achievements to apply (excluding 40-man raids, which currently only require 40% guild participation).
Sounds good to me, but doesn't this really cripple guildless players that rely solely on the LFD tool?
Hm. I wouldn't think so, but it is something we'll be keeping an eye on. In fact, it's possible these changes may actually encourage guilds to use LFD more since the required number of guild members is being lowered from 4 to 3 (in order to be eligible for experience and achievements).
In my guild, for example, we'll sometimes only have 10 members on at once. Of those 10 members, only 4 to 5 may be level 85. And of those level 85s, only 3 may want to run a Heroic dungeon. Right now, those 3 guild members may decide it's not worthwhile to organize a run and go on to do other activities -- but, if they had the added bonus of guild achievements and experience, it just might be the incentive they need to queue up through LFD. Similarly, by queuing up with only 3 guild members (instead of waiting for a 4th), that leaves 2 spots open for LFD, up from only 1. (Source)
Priest (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)4.0.6 Changes (Continued)
Also, I think I muddled things a little bit when I was pointing out the DA buff. What I was trying to say (and poorly at the time) was that currently, Disc has a pretty strong Prayer of Healing because of DA and Inner Focus. Granted, it will be slightly less strong with the PoH change, but there is a Grace buff to 4.0.6 will make you better when healing multiple targets with normal heals as well. (No longer applies to just a single target.)
We believe that Discipline is looking solid in the PTR, and again, would welcome those who want to test it and provide constructive feedback on it.
As for the comment about having other healers around in Raids- Of course you'll have additional healing help for those big AoE damage fights. It's a Raid which has more players in it and thus more room for additional healers. I don't think any healer could expect to solo heal a Raid and be successful and if they can, then it's something we would have to look at.
[...] We're keeping an eye on things and I'll be spending some time on the PTR as well (for what that's worth). I believe that Discipline won't be bad off once these changes are in and people have the appropriate gear and stats (don't forget to reforge, enchant, and gem). We'll keep watching for constructive feedback and keep working toward finding that sweet spot between difficulty and fun. (Source)
Fan Arts
The Blizzard Fan Art Section has been updated with 4 new artwork.
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