Seasons Available for Testing, Realm of Trials, 2-Handers Follow-Up, Unlocking Salvage All, Energy Twister Rework

Naxxramas Card Reveal: Loatheb, Deck Spotlight: Crispy's Kitty, IEM Shenzhen Videos

Incoming Progression System and Reward Changes

Warlords of Draenor - Death Knight Tier 17 Armor Sets
Today we are taking a look at the Death Knight Tier 17 sets, now complete with the Mythic set that was added in the latest alpha build.

Warlords of Draenor changes things up slightly by using one set of art for Raid Finder, one set of art for Normal and Heroic, and one set of art for Mythic difficulty. You can find the Raid Finder armor sets in our Raid Finder armor sets preview.






Warlords of Draenor - New Character Model Animations
Muffinus reminded everyone that animations on several of the new character models aren't final and still a work in progress, so don't worry if your favorite new model isn't perfect just yet!



Blue Post - Where is WoW Going?
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
It's an interesting question!

If we stay on a steady course we would be a game with ever increasing complexity. More and more abilities, more systems, and more and more choices, all layered on top of each other--to a point where it would be impossible to realistically develop the game. We have to be constantly mindful not only of what we're implementing that's new, but of allowing systems to grow increasingly complex over time. Expansions are always a good time to take stock of the systems we have, the complexity that exists, and be really critical of ourselves and the choices we've made that got us to where we are. Two of our big design philosophies as a company are "concentrated coolness", and creating compelling gameplay through interesting choices (vs. lots of choices for the sake of having lots of them). These tend to overlap a lot, especially in the case of ability bloat, which we're trying to reign in specifically in Warlords.

To your point about talent trees, they weren't concentrated or cool. There were a bunch of buttons, and most of them were things like 2% increases to stats. They definitely felt more "gamey", like you were smart for figuring out interesting builds, but at the end of the day there was effectively one or two right answers, and figuring out interesting builds for the most part meant you were actually just sub-optimal and didn't know it. Many dozens of insanely smart designers played/worked on/gave feedback on the old talent trees for years and years, and we went through a lot of changes and iterations, and we came to the long-time-coming conclusion that talent trees just don't work for us and the types of systems we present in our games. We keep that learning experience with us.

Anyway, back to the real topic, it's no ones fault but our own that systems become increasingly complex over time, and so it's our job to be mindful of when systems are becoming overly complex and bloated with choices that aren't interesting or fun. It's normal and healthy to stop, take a moment, take a close look at what you're doing, and if those are the right choices. Constantly charging ahead with no self introspection leads to a situation that is less and less manageable, and potentially dangerous or damaging.

Deep and engaging gameplay doesn't need lots of choices to be fun as long as the choices are interesting, and feel rewarding when you make one.

Beasts of the Savage Lands - Shadowmoon Valley
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The lush Shadowmoon Valley appears peaceful and idyllic, lulling many would-be adventurers into a false sense of security as they explore its rolling hills and violet forests. But countless hidden perils lie waiting behind the tranquil façade, and only those well-armed with knowledge can hope to survive. What dangers lurk in the shadows?

Riverbeasts
Adventurers are often misled by the seemingly docile riverbeasts. Though slow to anger, once disturbed, a charging riverbeast is a ferocious sight: 4,000 pounds of fat and muscle storming toward its target like a runaway tram. Roaming draenei rangari have long been astounded by how much damage a rampaging riverbeast can take before it’s brought down, and draenei children are taught to keep a wide berth of shallow waters. Riverbeasts are characterized by their rock-like skin, likely developed during the early days of Draenor’s prehistory, when creatures of stone dueled for supremacy against the chaotic flora. Those looking to take a riverbeast as a trophy should take note of their durable armored flesh and tendency to charge unexpectedly.



Podlings
A number of Draenor’s indigenous species blur the line between plant and animal, and the so-called podlings are the most vicious and chaotic of their ilk. Small and seemingly harmless, they work together to capture their prey, attacking only when they have numerical superiority. Explorers who pay attention to the color of podlings’ flowering buds can ascertain whether they favor poison, ensnaring, or physical attacks to incapacitate their victims. Once podlings have overwhelmed their quarry, they will drag the unlucky creature down into the weeds to fertilize a new generation. The clear lesson for adventurers: looks can be deceiving!


Elekk
The majestic elekk graze contentedly across the grassy plains of Draenor, relying on their huge size and the support of the herd to keep predators at bay. Draenei explorers have determined that the animals pose no threat, as long as their young aren’t endangered or their water supply jeopardized. With the endurance to cover great distances and the ability to defend themselves by ramming or stomping attackers, these beasts have emerged as the draenei transport of choice. Explorers should take note of persistent draenei rumors that the Thunderlord Clan orcs torment and twist terrified elekk into vicious weapons of war, covering them in armor plating and inciting them to rampage when turned loose on their foes. Beware!



Draenor Ancients
It was only very recently that draenei rangari managed to communicate with these enormous sentient trees, but wildly different ways of life—not to mention a completely different perception of time—have made further interaction difficult. The ancients get their name from their analogues on Azeroth; they are tied closely to a prehistoric plant lineage that unites much of Draenor’s flora and places them in opposition to the creatures of stone. These enigmatic ancients remain in the same area for hundreds of years and are reluctant to move unless their home is threatened. Adventurers should be cautious when harvesting the valley’s lumber, as they may find the forest fighting back.



Shadowmoon Valley is a dangerous place, but there are many deadly threats still to be discovered across the savage world of Draenor. Until next time, stay alive . . . if you can.

US Connected Realms - Update 7/18
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
As previously announced, we’ve been working toward connecting realms to increase the number of players on low-population realms. Here's a continuously updated list that contains currently planned connections, future plans, and completed realm connections, all in one convenient location.

*Please note this list does not encompass all potential future connections. Please check back for further updates.

Next Connections
We will be connecting the realms listed below on Thursday, July 24 during a scheduled maintenance beginning at 5 a.m. PDT through approximately 1:00 p.m. PDT. Once maintenance is finished, these realm connections will be complete.
  • Deathwing and Executus, Kalecgos, and Shattered Halls
  • Gilneas and Elune

We will be connecting the realms listed below on Thursday, July 31 during a scheduled maintenance beginning at 5 a.m. PDT through approximately 1:00 p.m. PDT. Once maintenance is finished, these realm connections will be complete.

  • Malfurion and Trollbane
  • Ravenholdt and Twisting Nether
  • The Venture Co and Maelstrom

Future Connections
We do not have a date for the following realm connections, but will update this post when we do.

  • Shadowmoon and Detheroc

*Plans for these connections may change at any time, but we’ll provide additional updates on specific dates for future connections here as we can. Please note that as a part of the connection process realm times may change to match each other.

EU Connected Realms Update - 18/07
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
The following realms are due to be connected on 23 July:

English Realms
  • (PvE) Lightbringer and Mazrigos
  • (PvP) Dentarg and Tarren Mill

German Realms
  • (PvE) Norgannon and Dun Morogh
  • (PvP) Nefarian and Nera'thor

Russian Realms
  • (PvP) Пиратская бухта and Ткач смерти

The following realms are due to be connected after the realms above:

English Realms
  • (PvE) Bronzebeard and Aerie Peak

German Realms
  • (PvP) Mannoroth and Nefarian/Nera'thor

Russian Realms
  • (PvP) Гром and Термоштепсель

Plans for these connections may change at any time. We’ll provide additional updates for future connections here as soon as we can.

Diminishing Returns in Warlords of Draenor
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The following is an updated list of diminishing returns categories for crowd control effects in the Warlords of Draenor expansion. For additional details on CC changes in Warlords of Draenor, check out the "Crowd Control and Diminishing Returns" section of the official patch notes.

Roots
Death Knight
  • Chains of Ice (with Chilblains)

Druid
  • Entangling Roots
  • Mass Entanglement

Hunter
  • Charge (Tenacity pet)
  • Entrapment
  • Narrow Escape

Mage
  • Freeze Water Elemental
  • Frost Nova
  • Ice Ward

Monk
  • Disable

Priest
  • Glyph of Mind Blast
  • Void Tendrils

Shaman
  • Earthgrab Totem
  • Frost Shock (with Frozen Power)

Warrior
  • Charge
  • Staggering Shout

Silences
Death Knight
  • Strangulate

Druid
  • Glyph of Fae Silence

Mage
  • Frostjaw

Paladin
  • Avenger's Shield

Priest
  • Silence

Rogue
  • Garrote

Racial
  • Arcane Torrent
Stuns
Death Knight
  • Asphyxiate
  • Gnaw (Ghoul)
  • Monstrous Blow (Ghoul w/ Dark Transformation active)
  • Remorseless Winter

Druid
  • Bear Hug
  • Maim
  • Mighty Bash
  • Pounce

Hunter
  • Binding Shot
  • Intimidation

Mage
  • Deep Freeze

Monk
  • Charging Ox Wave
  • Fists of Fury
  • Leg Sweep

Paladin
  • Fist of Justice
  • Hammer of Justice
  • Holy Wrath

Rogue
  • Cheap Shot
  • Kidney Shot

Shaman
  • Pulverize (Primal Earth Elemental)
  • Static Charge (Capacitor Totem)

Warlock
  • Axe Toss (Felguard)
  • Shadowfury
  • Summon Infernal

Warrior
  • Shockwave
  • Storm Bolt

Racial
  • War Stomp
Knockbacks
Death Knight
  • Gorefiend's Grasp

Druid
  • Typhoon
  • Ursol's Vortex

Hunter
  • Glyph of Explosive Trap

Shaman
  • Thunderstorm

Warlock
  • Fellash
  • Whiplash


Disorients
Druid
  • Cyclone

Paladin
  • Turn Evil

Priest
  • Psychic Scream

Rogue
  • Blind

Warlock
  • Fear
  • Howl of Terror
  • Mesmerize (Shivarra pet)
  • Seduction (Succubus pet)

Warrior
  • Intimidating Shout
Incapacitates
Druid
  • Incapacitating Roar

Hunter
  • Freezing Trap
  • Wyvern Sting

Mage
  • Dragon's Breath
  • Polymorph
  • Ring of Frost

Monk
  • Glyph of Breath of Fire
  • Paralysis
  • Ring of Peace

Paladin
  • Repentance

Priest
  • Dominate Mind
  • Holy Word: Chastise
  • Psychic Horror

Rogue
  • Gouge
  • Sap

Shaman
  • Hex

Warlock
  • Banish

Racial
  • Quaking Palm


Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
Hunter (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Dislike Sniper Training. Not fun imo. A class that has a dmg-on-the-move niche is now discouraged from moving.
Not "discouraged from moving", but rather "encouraged to move strategically." Big difference. (Celestalon)

Shaman (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
New Elemental mastery, procs on Multi-Strikes? Searing Totem? Fire/Earth/Air elemental attacks? (including melee) Thanks.
It's automatic when you've recently attacked something; doesn't "proc from" anything. (Celestalon)
ah so no proc, just auto applies on damage/100% uptime, so more mastery increases the damage? (sry if bad ?'s, not in beta )
Yes. (Celestalon)

PvP
Please make Conquest cap obtainable in Ashran (if slow). Plenty of us want high-end pvp in the world outside of 2v2-10v10.
There will be ways to get conquest in Ashran but no way to increase your cap. (holinka)

Any plans/intention to stop melee dominance on beta? Do you agree that their mobility and caster lockdown is too good?
Definitely an issue we continue to discuss. Solid feedback is starting to come through. Keep it coming. (holinka)

old pvp battlegrounds getting changed any? i still loathe warsong gulch. would love it as a single building ctf. close quarters.
We wouldn't make such a drastic change. But it could use a visual update and some graveyard fixes. (holinka)

Using seamless transfer tech to run/balance Ashran separately from rest of Draenor. People in your Ashran should be drawn from the same pool of players as your CRZ group. So no crossover between PvP, PvE, RP, and RP PvP realms. What's less clear is exactly how to balance it. Need to cap population per "instance" on some realms. Should say "realm groups". Sorry. What exactly this pop is, and what to do when we exceed is something we're testing on Beta. So play Ashran and give feedback. We'll be watch Ashran server perf to see how to balance pop vs. lag. (kurtismcc)
key takeaway is that the Ashran battle takes place in a completely different instance than the faction city (nite_moogle)
Yeah, I think the cities are just outside. Ashran is convenient, but not integrated. (kurtismcc)

Garrisons
Will Garrisons get holiday decorations like towns and cities do?
Would love to do this, takes a lot of time to set up, we'll see! (Muffinus)

Misc
In other news, today we successfully hotfixed two spawn changes on beta that previously would have required restarts
I am probably in the minority but I find all the tech changes in WoD absolutely fascinating.
You'd be surprised how much tech is refactored quietly in the background. We're constantly trying to improve even the oldest code (SeTec9)

Warlords of Draenor - Faction Hubs
Bashiok explained more of the reasoning behind the choice of the faction hub location today.

This article was originally published in forum thread: Death Knight Tier 17, Character Animations, Blue Posts, Connected Realms, Faction Hub started by chaud View original post
Comments 122 Comments
  1. mmoc9aa38bccdb's Avatar
    Druid
    Pounce

    I thought Pounce was being removed in WoD? Is this perhaps referring to the stealth-rake stun?
  1. Collected's Avatar
    That Bashiok twitter exchange is.. concerning. Those sound like the words of a dev team who are being pushed to hit a deadline they're struggling to hit. Perhaps every expansion is like that and they're always in a race against time but it's a bit worrying to see them openly admit they don't have time to do things they planned to do.
  1. Cronnix's Avatar
    How are Death Knights supposed to see anything through that second helmet?
  1. mmoca30aa625a8's Avatar
    Death Knight Tier 17 Armor Sets

    Finding it hard to be positive about these designs guys, the helm is alright I guess but the rest of it looks meh:/ where are the new robes for Death Knights? just get a new armour designer already!
    This stuff is boring, uninspired same old same old rubbish, we have been seeing these armour shapes for 3 expansions now, Pandaria is over so you can drop the "jade theme" and start making some new designs I know you guys can do better.
  1. kargar's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Collected View Post
    That Bashiok twitter exchange is.. concerning. Those sound like the words of a dev team who are being pushed to hit a deadline they're struggling to hit. Perhaps every expansion is like that and they're always in a race against time but it's a bit worrying to see them openly admit they don't have time to do things they planned to do.
    Well ya there are how many wow fans calling for blizz blood cause game wasn't out last December by how some fans expected blizz to release the game. Reality is Wod is awesome in beta and will be a awesome xpac just get off their back and let them make the awesome game that most wow fans dont deserve with their attitude.
  1. Tedstery's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Collected View Post
    That Bashiok twitter exchange is.. concerning. Those sound like the words of a dev team who are being pushed to hit a deadline they're struggling to hit. Perhaps every expansion is like that and they're always in a race against time but it's a bit worrying to see them openly admit they don't have time to do things they planned to do.
    Of course, there is always a deadline in corporate game studios. But players are making it such an issue to the devs for changing their precious faction cities I am sure they are just getting pissed off answering the same god damm question every single day.
  1. Spirthealer's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Collected View Post
    That Bashiok twitter exchange is.. concerning. Those sound like the words of a dev team who are being pushed to hit a deadline they're struggling to hit. Perhaps every expansion is like that and they're always in a race against time but it's a bit worrying to see them openly admit they don't have time to do things they planned to do.
    After they spent 6 months redoing quests about of silly reasons, they are leaking subs by the boat load
  1. Maelstrom51's Avatar
    Longest time between end tier and next expansion in the history of WoW, longest expansion to date, and still cutting corners like never before. Wonder what's happening at Blizzard?
  1. medievalman1's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Tedstery View Post
    Of course, there is always a deadline in corporate game studios. But players are making it such an issue to the devs for changing their precious faction cities I am sure they are just getting pissed off answering the same god damm question every single day.
    I'm getting pissed off by people whining as much as they are about their precious faction cities they never had and I'm far removed from being a dev.
  1. Sanguinerd's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by medievalman1 View Post
    I'm getting pissed off by people whining as much as they are about their precious faction cities they never had and I've far removed from being a dev.
    So when devs make a stupid change you think they prefer no feedback? Regardless if you consider it to be whining or not.

    We should whine about it.. especially considering we're going from a god damn Orc raid in MoP to even more Orc raids in WoD and we get to enjoy our slack time in either a quickly put together Orc centered faction hub OR our very own Orc garrison... I'd be less annoyed by this entire change if it wasn't yet another Orc camp but something from ANY of the other races. I can only imagine Alliance people getting fed up with human camps everywhere they go aswel.

    Karabor/Bladespire would've been a nice change of scenery and it's worth whining about tbh.
  1. mmoc58912c4cac's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Frakchaw View Post
    So when devs make a stupid change you think they prefer no feedback? Regardless if you consider it to be whining or not.
    "Stupid" is subjective. Player feedback gets boring when the same moot points are getting thrown at you over and over again. I feel bad for the devs and CM's, they should just stop responding to anything about the cities, its obvious that the only answer whiners will be happy with is "Okay, we'll spend some extra time modelling, texturing and populating new cities" - no winning for Blizzard, so they have to just stay quiet and wait for people to get bored of whining.
  1. Dead_MAX's Avatar
    Nibbler is displeased with this characteristic from Blizzard. He demads a sacrifice! (If someone doesnt know what I'm talking about - check Nobbel87)
    All fail the Nibbler!
  1. mmoc58912c4cac's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Konata View Post
    So Speed > Quality now, blizz?
    Pretty sure he mentioned twice that they're trying to make an exceptional game which will actually get released - I guess it's more about starting to work on a load of plans and art assets for X and then being pressured to drop all of that work and focus on something completely different which only has its exterior complete. I'm sure they have a timeline and its internally more complicated than what most people are saying.
  1. papajohn4's Avatar
    correction:

    "we are ok being the bad guys if it means we will not offer another empty quarter to the shareholders and investors."

    not only this is the longest patch in wow history, but also they are cutting lot of content (not only hubs, but from garrisons too). But at the end, it will still sell millions and top the meters, so why care to be a bad guy?
  1. Emzky's Avatar
    We don't want Draenei females to waggle. They look far better now!
  1. bayushisan's Avatar
    That whole exchange makes me think less and less of the community and much more of the developer's patience. I would've gone off on someone long ago.
  1. mmoc9aa38bccdb's Avatar
    Amazing patience shown by the people answering questions at blizzard.
    I would flip the fuck out on a daily basis reading these amont of mouth breathing butthurt from self-entitled brats all day everyday.
    Great work, you da real mvps!

    Queue the floods of QQing!
  1. DechCJC's Avatar
    I don't like how they're scrapping things just to get it out on time. If the expansion's not finished, it's not finished. I know money's an issue and all that and unlike other games, if we stop playing they're going to lose a lot of it. But still, as tired of MoP as I am, i'd rather wait longer for the expansion than needed if it means getting the game to as perfect a state as ever. Cutting massive things like an entire city to get it out faster is.. blegh

    I've been playing the WoD beta and the game is gorgeous, the zones are beautiful, it's an improvement on so many levels and I can't wait for everyone to play it - But this Ashran hub crap is so... eugh. I'm not as bothered about it now as I was before because Draenor is still exceptional and it looks like we'll have plenty of reason to continue to run around the zones regardless of whether or not our city is there; But it's still incredibly disappointing. Bladespire and Karabor could easily be the coolest looking cities to date, and we've just been massively cock blocked. I don't know about the rest of you, but i'd wait months for them no problem - We're already waiting ages. But then I guess it does just come back down to that sub count thing, I guess I don't blame them too much, but it's still disappointing.
  1. Astalnar's Avatar
    Damn, Death knights really did get the short end of this stick this time around. Meet Tier 17 Mythic, and its 2 retarded cousins Normal and Heroic. Dick jokes are their favourite. They make them giggle every time...
  1. ApeDosMil's Avatar
    I wish they'd just put a portal to SW/ORG in our garrison, and move on. This whole scandal with the faction hubs has been the biggest waste of time cry fest by disingenuous fans.

Site Navigation