Patch 5.4.8 - Mount Previews, Valor Changes, Official Notes, Blue Posts, Alpha Delay

Classes

• Paladin
  
  • Retribution
    
    • Sword of Light now increases healing done by Word of Glory by 60% (up from 30%).
• Warlock
  
  • Armor Set
    
    • Resolved an issue where Warlocks were able to incorrectly retain their Tier-14 4-piece set bonus when the armor is no longer equipped.

Patch 5.4.8 is now available for testing on the Public Test Realms (PTR). Participating on the Public Test Realms lets you test patches before it has been released on live realms. If you'd like to help test and provide feedback, you can start by copying your character and downloading the PTR client. Once you've had a chance to try things out, be sure to visit our PTR Discussion forum to discuss the patch, and the PTR Bug Report forum to report any issues or errors.

PTR Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the notes below are not final, and details may be subject to change before the release of Patch 5.4.8.

Items

• All upgradable epic quality items introduced in Patch 5.4 (items found in Siege of Orgrimmar and on the Timeless Isles) will now be eligible to be upgraded an additional 2 times for a total increase of 16 item levels. Please note, this change does not apply to PvP gear.
• Heirloom weapons awarded by Garrosh Hellscream have been increased by 8 item levels to keep them on parity with the additional 2 upgrade levels given to other items.
• Mistweaver Ai on the Timeless Isle next to the Celestial Court now sells a token called Deeds of Valor for 3000 Timeless Coin. When used, Deeds of Valor grants 100 Valor Points to the character, up to the 1000 Valor Point maximum per week.
• For additional details behind this change, please check out the forum thread titled: Gear Changes in Patch 5.4.8.

UI

• UI Add-Ons are no longer able to update a number of CVars while the player is in combat. A complete listing of CVars affected by this change can be found in the forum thread titled: 5.4.8 Changes to CVars While In-Combat.

Item Squish and Old Raids
Let me see if I got the question right, you want to know if a Level 90 soloing older Raid tiers will have as difficult a time post stat squish?

There will be special handling in place for players to retain the ability to solo older raid content. Players will deal bonus damage against and take reduced damage from lower-level creatures from past expansions.

I thought the question was about raiding old content at the level they were intended for? (BC at 70, WotLK at 80, etc.) This is something I'd like to know too, as my guild does this.

Will the squish have an affect on that? From what I understand, gear increases within old expansions will be taken out, which kind of removes all progression. But I understand why you're doing it. Will this buff only appear at max level or will all players get it whenever they enter the raid? I'd like to know just so I can help plan how my guild's progression will pan out as WoD gets closer to release.

I'd hate to have raiding old stuff at lower levels become impossible due to the item changes.
It's not a buff, more of a behind-the-scenes calculations type change. And running older raids with characters that are at the intended level ranges should still be possible post-squish.

it's rather disappointing that this is the only way of handling it. How do you reckon this will affect players who choose to twink at say level 60 or 70 or 80? If I at level 90 need a behind-the-scenes buff to be able to solo older content, how do you propose players will get achievements like Herald of the Titans?
Older raid content isn't intended to be soloable by characters at the appropriate level ranges. A level 70 character will not be able to solo Black Temple. But a level 90 character can do that currently, and will continue to be able to do so post stat squish. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Grand Expedition Yak
Blizzard is going to replace the Reforge Vendor on that thing with a different Vendor. Which Vendor, exactly, is unknown currently.
This is correct. Though a final decision hasn't been made yet (feedback welcome!), we won't forget about those of you who have invested in this mount. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Classes
Why is GCD capping a bad thing? I love playing WW monk exactly because it feels so button mashy. Fighting game-esque.
That's not necessarily tied to being GCD capped. GCD capping is bad because it makes energy not your primary resource. (Celestalon)
Thx! I like the chi/energy dance. Never have to stop mashing as long as I switch between those correctly. Will be preserved?
You can choose to play that way with strongly favoring haste and energy regen. (Celestalon)

Browsing forums, many think reduced movement for ranged will mean more Patchwerk (boring) fights. Please inform them otherwise!
We're doing our best to do so. Please help spread the word. (Celestalon)

I'm confused on movement speed debuffs, are they also additive? 50% debuff + 70% increase in speed = 120% speed or 85% speed?
70% Sprint + 50% Snare = 85% Speed. (Celestalon)

Death Knight (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Any chance you will scrap the 75 talent line for DK's. Such a boring line with minor effect on game play.
I think there are some people who would disagree with you. (Celestalon)

Reply to Having 2h frost super-focused on Obliterate is plain Boring.
If you find favoring Obliterate to be "boring", then there are other options for you: DW Frost, or Unholy. (Celestalon)

Blood Death knight's need empty GCD's to better react to gameplay? Why reduce player activity instead of allowing a skill gap?
Are those different things? (Celestalon)
Experienced Blood players understand incoming damage patterns, they should not need forced empty GCD's to save runes for burst.
But is the gameplay not better and more skillful if they have space to react? (Celestalon)
(ct) simply having nothing to do? Gameplay depth is not the issue, lack of activity is, players enjoy doing things!
Having a few small gaps here and there is not a "lack of activity". It's possible that you're imagining much more. (Celestalon)

Druid (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Will multistrike have added value for feral? Currently it looks like crit that does less damage and won't trigger primal fury
It does the same damage per rating. We may add an additional hook for it, if necessary. (Celestalon)

Could you talk more about bears? AoE "rotation", uncontrollable mastery, multistrike needs work, no lvl 87 talent, lost a perk..
We've got some tweaks to some of those coming, but aren't ready to share yet. Fear not, you're not being forgotten. (Celestalon)

Hunter (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
its a legit question. if u put things like "lone wolf" into talent trees the question follows logically, how far do u take that?
Similar to Grimoire of Sacrifice, we'll examine abilities that seem to require a pet and adjust accordingly. (holinka)
Given its a cooldown and not rotational, some of the clunk is gone,. But still awkward to use on some bosses (Magmaw)
Traps and how they trigger are done with newer technology now; works *much* more consistently. (Celestalon)
Won't Bear Trap force SV hunters to stand in melee. Dropping a trap is faster than launching -> dps increase
I don't think a <1sec offset to when your DoT takes effect is going to matter. (Celestalon)

Will Focusing Shot proc Piercing Shots and Marksman?
Yes. (Celestalon)

Mage (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Yours thoughts on Fire mage "rotation", being fairly bland and devoid of real decision making like Frost/Arcane has? Pre talents
A) We disagree. B) Post-talents is what matters, not pre-talents. (Celestalon)

I specifically mean blizzard, arcane explosion, and flamestrike
All should have useful, decent AoE. Having somewhat different/situational AoE strength is one part of spec differentiation. (Celestalon)
is it going to be harder than currently to switch spec for mages? from fire to arcane/frost the secondaries differ a lot
That's very intentional. (Celestalon)
but say, rogues/warlocks, secondaries are generally close enough that you can switch spec without nearly as much penalty
We want them to be closer, yes. But not exactly equal. And different specs favoring different stats is a good thing. (Celestalon)

Still worried about Rune of Power. Feel like we're not getting enough detail on it. Mage will still be more fun at 89 than 90+
It's fine for talents to be disliked to some people, since there are alternatives. (Celestalon)
...if you're not taking the best dps option, you're wasting everybody's time in the raid.
The best DPS option varies by player and by situation. Massively. (Celestalon)

Why would anybody take RoP if it's not the best dps option? Why would anybody take the others if RoP is the best option?...
Because to some people, it's fun gameplay. We fully realize that there is a vocal group that hates it, and are fine with it. (Celestalon)

Monk (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
just read that ww monks would have higher energy costs in WoD. does this mean we'll have to tunnel our bars and wait for energy?
No. The sky is not falling. (Celestalon)

I was thinking about this earlier, what would you guys consider MW's most "fun" button to push?
An interesting question. In 6.0, I think I'd say Surging (or perhaps Enveloping) on top of a Soothing. (Celestalon)
Enveloping is so boring, though. Will we see functionality changes \ buffs to it?
It's one of those spells that's interesting through power. It's just *SO* strong. (Celestalon)

Priest (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
I'm concerned about shadow priest defenses with the removal of Inner Fire and much less off healing, any insight/reassurance?
It's something we know we took away, and are ready to make adjustments based on testing. Likely will have to. Not forgotten. (Celestalon)

Rogue (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
I hate SnD for sub. it's not fun. there's no skill involved in buffing up attack speed.I Prefer finisher rotations
There absolutely is skill involved in maintaining SnD in concert with the rest of your rotation. (Celestalon)

Shaman (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Is anything changing with Elemental Blast? If not could you atleast change the buff to work with weak auras.
Maybe, but why? What benefit would you get? In a way, it's saving you from yourself by not having separate auras. (Celestalon)
Clarification: To my knowledge, there's never a decision that you should make differently based on which one you get. (Celestalon)
Any plans on making Elemental Blast viable for restoration?
We're toying with some ideas in that regard, but nothing to announce yet. (Celestalon)

Is ULE perk the only upcoming Shaman movement change, or are you possibly looking at revamping L45 talents to a movement tier?
No, we're happy with Shamans having a totem tier, and see it getting decent usage, despite loudness from a few people. (Celestalon)
Then can we expect to get some type of baseline movement speed ability added to bring us up to par?
What is 'par'? Should everyone be exactly equal in their movement capabilities? (Celestalon)

Warlock (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
is multistike going to effect demonic fury gen for locks
No current plans to, no. You already have a stat that does that, and Multistrike has enough inherent value for Demo, so far. (Celestalon)
Which stat effects fury gen
Haste. (Celestalon)

vert little lock WoD info imo. Plz talk about new infernal an doomguards moves with new talent.
We've got some new abilities for them planned, but haven't built or tried them out yet, so holding off on sharing info yet. (Celestalon)

Warrior (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
I don't get the "just." Don't tanks want to take less damage, especially with WoD healing?
Bonus Armor also increases damage through Bladed Armor. Relevant for Defensive and Gladiator. (Celestalon)
I should have left out some names. I'm wondering how Bonus Armor is subjective for tanking
I believe that was unaware that it provided any damage value, so questioned why a Gladiator would want it. (Celestalon)

..glad is easier to gear than arms/fury, due to access to armor gear, +relative low competition for shields?
Having "access" to armor gear also means that non-armor gear is suboptimal. It's not a gain. Shields are just one slot. (Celestalon)

Since armor is such a huge dps boost for Gladiator warriors (pvp tanks too) could you please add strengh offpieces with + armor
We're not adding Spirit of Bonus Armor to any armor slot equipment, only ring/trinket/cloak/neck. (Celestalon)
Since only tanks/glad stance warr will want bonus armor, will the accessories have both agi and str versions?
We're actually planning to have Bonus Armor gear have both Str and Agi. (Remember, you only benefit from the appropriate one.) (Celestalon)

Will Gladiator stance have a way of proccing Revenge?
No; just on cooldown. (Celestalon)

Please make fury PVE less gear dependent. It a fun spec but we are "forced" to play arms without proper critrate
Check out our patch notes; we've made changes specifically for this. (Celestalon)
THats not really true, Fury was palyed compettively in 496 gear in Tier 14.
Indeed; it's more a 'feel' thing than actual performance, but both are somewhat valid. (Celestalon)

Art
Beautiful! Do some of your team specialize in plants? They always feel like they were created by someone who loves them
We love every piece of art that goes into the game. Plants are no different but we do tend to look at them as characters. (artofcgrobinson)

Character / Items
Do you guys ever plan to fix the Haunted Memento bug that cancels eating to get your food buff? Been there way too long.
Yep, I believe I fixed that for 6.0. It was bugging the shit out of me, too. (Celestalon)

Warlords of Draenor Stats
when the 6.0 patch hits, how does it affect gear for the current spirit=hit classes? Should we scramble for non spirit gear?
You'll want to find non-spirit rings/necklace/cloak/trinkets. The rest will automatically become something useful to you. (Celestalon)

Strength, Agility and Intellect are virtually identical now and no one uses more than one, so why keep the distinction?
A worthy question to ask. It comes down to understandability, and fantasy. (Celestalon)

Proving Grounds
Are the current Proving grounds achieves/titles being removed in WoD for new ones.
Most likely they're going to turn into feats of strength, though we haven't decided yet. (Celestalon)
Thx hopefully you keep us up on it to let us know in advance.
Of course. (Celestalon)

PvE
What happens if we have someone die before the 4.5 min charge time on the battle res? What about two people?
Everyone starts with one charge, so you can res immediately if needed. If two die on the pull, you'd need to wait for the second. (WatcherDev)

In-combat resurrection spells still have cooldowns, right? Or you were just talking theoretically?
In raid encounters, the only cooldown is the raidwide charge system. Unchanged outside of boss encounters. (WatcherDev)

"The Immortal achievement only worked because Naxx was relatively easy." It didn't work. Other people screwed up my achievement.
Most raid achievements involve a group effort, not a personal one. Immortal was different because you had to wait a week to try again (WatcherDev)

Just remembered the old sha of fear Lei's Hope mechanic, any plans to reuse that mechanic for current or future tiers? Garrosh?
It was useful for that particular context, but for now, we'll try to focus on not making 20-minute-long encounters. (WatcherDev)

PvP
So PVE gear would be optimal for Gladiator warriors in PVP
We're still deciding the role of tanks in PvP. (Celestalon)

What protections would be necessary to keep 2-3 people from camping 2-3 people who rez at staggered times?
If people are getting graveyard camped in a Rated BG, they've just been outclassed. (holinka)
Definitely something to avoid in Normal BGs though. (holinka)

Do people routinely get graveyard camped in RATED battlegrounds? I have never witnessed this personally. (holinka)
No. Because they get rezzed in waves. Now lets have a look at the new picture and try to figure out what's different
Or the fact that teams are far more coordinated in Rated. I rarely see a fight approach a graveyard unless one team is overmatched. (holinka)

Strongly considering a fixed resurrection time for Rated Battlegrounds in Warlords (i.e. always 25 seconds) instead of wave spawning. (holinka)
It's in place to prevent spawn camping for uncoordinated groups in normal battlegrounds. (holinka)
In rated battlegrounds, it often means winning a team fight doesn't matter due to a short res timer. (holinka)
Dislike. If there's graveyard camping in RBGs: it's the MMR system, not the res timer system.
this isn't to fix graveyard camping (holinka)
Won’t that make graveyard camping easier? One popping up at a time instead of an entire group? Turns it into wack a mole no?
Usually people die but the team fight goes on. People are much less spread out in Rated BGs. (holinka)
.it almost guarantees when one or two people die from your team that it's a for sure wipe. Having people on the same Rez is good
Counterpoint is that if a team wins a team fight, they actually win versus sometimes the 4 people they killed instantly return (holinka)

Spawning in waves would remain in Normal Battlegrounds. (holinka)
That's cool, could the UI Map get a Timer on the gy rez? I've yet to find an addon that can track it. Maybe I need to look around.
It is intentionally not available to addons. (holinka)

why would normal bgs still happen in waves?
In normal bgs, where things are very uncoordinated, it helps to resurrect alongside teammates. In RBGs, that isn't necessary. (holinka)

I miss arena team names and arena team banners. Any plans to bring them back, maybe as a reward?
No plans but see the value (holinka)

Garrisons
Will there be a specific NPC that is the best blacksmith? Or will there be multiple blacksmiths that are all good?
Current plan is that follower level and quality will modify how much that blacksmith follower helps you out.
Some rare followers might have the coveted Level 2 mining trait, but they'll be difficult to find. (Muffinus)
what is the difference between lvl 1 and 2 miners
More stuff generated per time (note that this is all still in flux and will likely be simplified before ship) (Muffinus)