Patch 5.3 Release Next Week
Patch 5.3 will be released next week!



Patch 5.3 Mounts
Patch 5.3 adds several new mounts: Enchanted Fey Dragon, Hearthsteed, Armored Red Dragonhawk, Armored Blue Dragonhawk, Brawler's Burly Mushan Beast, and the Iron Hitching Post.







Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Patch 5.3 Experience Changes
So my question is this... What EXP and Level would you need to be at... (IE: Level 88 and 3/4) for when 5.3 comes out, to instantly hit 90? I completely hate Dread Wastes.

I know that I need gear, and Dread Wastes has good drops, but I hate leveling there.

So anyone able to do the math.. It seems that the WowWiki EXP Table isn't accurate.

Any excess experience over the amount needed to level will likely be lost. Overall though, the 33% reduction to XP needed to level is huge, and it's still a net gain. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Releasing During Boss Encounter
As a "non-hardcore" player, it seems odd to me that its thought to be OK to lock people out of playing (can't release, can't rez, can't do anything) in a LFR, or, for that matter, in any part of the game. Its a bad user experience. What am I supposed to do? AFK? I know you hardcore people don't care and will flame about it, but, seriously, this is why people go start investigating other MMORPGs... sitting in front of a game where you can't do anything is boring, and, in many games, the answer isn't "just suck it up". You don't have to, because it either doesn't happen, or there's some other option that's part of the game.
The reason you couldn't release while the boss encounter is active is so you remain eligible for loot/bonus rolls if the rest of the raid was able to successfully defeat the boss. You'd be singing a different tune if you were able to release to the graveyard resulting in lost loot eligibility. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
PvP
If you could say just one thing to help the community understand (frost) (mage) PvP balance, what would you say?
Brian may answer differently, but I would say mages are hard to counter for average players but easy for great players. (Source)
So historically a nerf to say Deep Freeze or poly risks making them dead at the high end. (Source)

Fixing the fact that melee is practically unusable in RBGs should be the priority before gutting a spec back down to nothing
We're not convinced it's melee. We think it's Gorefiend + Ursols + Solar Beam feels mandatory. (Source)

Have you taken the fact that people will just Role check as DPS then SWITCH specs ONCE in BG??
To what end? To have a bad team with no healers? (Source)
I think he's saying they'll queue as DPS then switch to a healing spec to have more than the other team.
Does that actually give you a stronger team? (Source)

"To facilitate jerks, hybrids will now need to click 'healer' to steal BG queues" Am I reading that right? Force spec swap!
Why would someone want a short BG queue just to get on a weakened team that loses their match? (Source)
In LFR, it's easier to "fake heal" and still beat the bosses. But in a BG, you'll feel it. (Source)

In the recent article on PVP it sounds like your fine with the fact that the BiS trink for PVP could very well be a PVE trink.
No, that's the opposite of what we were trying to say. (Source)

so removing flag carriers/making unwanted was a result of the new resilience system?Its a little bit stupid,dont you think?
Just want teams to have options for their carriers rather than having yet another part of the game dependent on finding a tank. (Source)

Why it you dont like multiboxers in bgs and yet allow premades. Flip Flops like this is why your loosing subs.
Some things are much easier to prevent than others. Still doing something even though we can't do everything isn't flip flopping. (Source)

if you're eliminating resil and nerfing pow rating by 50%, what exactly is the point of pvp gear? So much for incrementalism.
We want gear to matter in PvP, but skill needs to matter a lot too. This is consistent with feedback from many PvP players. (Source)

I find it amusing how a minigame with very little PvP support has better balance than the entire PvP metagame.
You find it odd that a turn-based game with no teams and no actor movement is easier to balance? (Source)

We are trying role checks for BGs in 5.3 to make sure there are enough healers on both sides. (Source)
Have you taken the fact that people will just Role check as DPS then SWITCH specs ONCE in BG??
To what end? To have a bad team with no healers? (Source)
I think he's saying they'll queue as DPS then switch to a healing spec to have more than the other team.
Does that actually give you a stronger team? (Source)
How will this system help over live?It won't figure an accurate # of heals due to heals queing as dps
The goal is just to make sure you don't get a team without some healers. (Source)

Why won't you nerf the burst in pvp and buff the sustain dmg? Have you tested it and it didn't work out or?
Yes. We don't think PvP is fun when nobody dies and Arenas last 45 min until mana dries up. (Source)

Drastic PVP changes mid-season? Devaluation of PVP gear vs. PVE gear? Loss of character progression for PVP-only players?
The first was because players essentially demanded it, and they were right to do so. The second we just disagree is a thing. (Source)

it seems that your reaction is to change the game to bring pve players to do pvp. (with changes favoring players pve)
The goal is to let PvE players use their PvE gear to get into PvP until they can earn better PvP gear. The flip side is true. (Source)
At the moment, both gearing paths are so long that it divides players and allows for little crossover. (Source)
But PvP players should ultimately want PvP gear. The PvE gear just gets them in the door. (Source)

It's weird how everyone knows where and how to get a battleground bot, yet you guys have no clue how to stop our misery.
Some of our moves are legal, and it doesn't work well if we tip our hand there. Not talking about it != nothing is happening. (Source)

World
Why aren't low pop/imba servers priority #1. Social games need the social aspect. I feel like I'm missing out a lot.
They are a high priority, but the solutions are complex. It's not a snap-fingers-to-solve problem. (Source)

Seems like this might be one of those "more interesting to the developer" situations. Players want less flying/tele?
A lot of players want less flying. They understand why it makes the world feel smaller, hurts world PvP and so on. (Source)
Teleporting is harder for me to explain via twitter, because it gets into the area of short term benefits with long term costs. (Source)
Honesty I jwish you embrace all their regressive ideas. Get rid of flying, lfr, lfr you name. Watch the game tank.
It is hard to move backwards for sure. (Source)

Why are you afraid to take resources away from end game to finish storylines/pretty up the game?
We did a lot of that in Cataclysm, but in retrospect aren't sure it was time well spent. (Source)
If it is kept relevant to the majority, it doesn't feel like wasted content. Reusing zones is not a bad idea
I don't want to portray anything as "wasted" content. There is usually a benefit to most of the things we do. (Source)
It's just a question of bang for the buck sometimes, which is frustrating, but a reality. (Source)
Was the issue based on reworking old zones or it was 1-60 content instead of 80+?
Redoing the art of the old zones and the quests was time we could have spent on more 80-85 content. (Source)
Some people love leveling, don't get me wrong. But even more players are focused on max level. (Source)

Knowing what you do now, how would've you done the 1-60 zones revamp from Cataclysm? Would you do it differently?
Not sure. Not 100% up to me of course, but I think focusing a lot more on 80-85 would have been on the table for sure. (Source)

Talk of needing a "world" in WoW but then when a request for a better one is made... this. expansion longevity pls
We're focused on Pandaria right now. Part of the reason the Cata world felt small is we spent so much effort on the old world. (Source)

What is the true reason behind the inequality of every capital city? Why is there only 'one' super capital for each expansion?
For BC, LK and MoP we thought it was cool to have a new place for high level characters to hang out. (Source)
For Cat, we thought it made more sense to revamp two existing cities in keeping with the theme. (Source)
Since orcs vs. humans is the heart of Horde vs. Alliance, we chose their cities. (Source)
What about the concept of an Evolving game world? Or will this game always be stationary?
We love the concept of an evolving game world. (Source)

TCG Art Update
Blizzard has updated the Trading Card Game art gallery to feature ten new pieces.

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