Katana-Eri's Monk Cosplay, JHow's God Mode Barbarian

Popular Decks of the Week, Dragon Priest has Evolved, November Ranked Season Ending Soon

Unable to Create Games, Rotation for Dec. 1, 2015, Papercraft Johanna, Weekly Sales

Beta Test Weekend Stats, Lorewatch: Genji, Closed Beta vs. Beta Test Weekend Clarified

Legion - Artifact Weapon Previews
Two more previews today, Frost Death Knight and Brewmaster Monk. Be sure to check out the new Monk idle animation in the video!












Patch 6.2.3 Hotfixes - November 30
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Shipyard Changes
Please note, the following Shipyard changes are still in testing.
Naval Missions
  • Rare naval missions should now appear more frequently.
  • Increasing the chance of success on a naval mission will now also decrease the chance a ship will be destroyed on failure. If the mission success chance is at or above 90%, no ships will be lost on the mission.
  • Naval blockade missions now have a shorter duration of 30 minutes (down from 4 hours), reduced Oil cost to 50 (down from 100), and increased the amount of time before a naval blockade returns to 7 days (up from 5 days).

Ships and Crews
  • Increased success chance bonus on missions provided by a Human Crew by 50%.
  • Increased success chance bonus on missions provided by a Pandaren Crew by 33% and the bonus will now apply to Missions that are 12 hours or longer (was 18 hours or longer).
  • Significantly increased the effectiveness and bonuses provided by Naval Equipment items by 100%.

PvP

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Cheating in PvP
Thanks for these reports. I've edited them out of the original post (we don't allow public callouts on the forums to avoid witch hunting), but passed them on to our hacks team for review.

For what it's worth, these sorts of things are exactly what we have the hacks@blizzard.com email address for. Emailing that address is significantly more likely to result in action being taken than simply posting them on the forums. Of course, if you also emailed this report to that address, then that's all set. Just thought it worth mentioning.

If you do feel the need to make a forum post about it, that's fine, but please remember that calling out specific players in a public post is against the forum rules. While it's certainly true that cheaters exist, there are also a lot of players who get accused of cheating wrongly, and we want to avoid having legit players' names dragged through the mud.

Note that we can see previous versions of a post, so if you want to include a link to a video or name of a player in a post, you can edit it out immediately after posting and we'll be able to find it easily.

We know, Lore. We just don't believe the hacks@blizzard results in meaningful action. Furthermore, we're so frustrated with the rampant cheating that calling out these inbred mongrels on the forum is a form of community catharsis and well worth the forum bans. But thanks for swinging by.
To your first point, I totally get where that perception comes from. Our policy has historically been to disclose as little information about actioned accounts as possible, but that's a conversation I'd like to revisit with the relevant people here at Blizzard. If we can find a way to be more open about when and what actions we take, I think that'd be pretty awesome. Can't make any promises though -- those are decisions I don't get to make.

To the second point, that's completely understandable as well. I'd just rather not see people banned from the forums who are only trying to help us catch more cheaters. That's why I recommended editing links out of posts after making them. We'll still see the links, but no forum rules are being broken. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Why do people who participate in Ashran events but die before it ends not get any credit for it at all?
They should. Did you not receive credit recently? This was bugged at one time but should be fixed. (holinka)

And this is why a legit rogue class hall got axed: Gnome Hunter dev time #Legion #RavenholdtOrRiot
I dont like blocking people but most of your tweets are negative, not feedback. You're not going to get good responses that way. (Muffinus)
We gave you feedback. You ignored it. So if my posts scare you then hide behind your digital shield. My opinions will not change.
I think you're just a person that likes playing a rogue and is passionate about it. Thats cool, not scary (Muffinus)
But we cant really talk if you consider us adversaries, lets be cool and hear about how you feel, ok? (Muffinus)

Ghostcrawler Tweets
Ghostcrawler still occasionally talks about WoW. Remember that he no longer works for or speaks for Blizzard.
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
Why are game designers so stubborn sometimes? Is it a "kill your darlings" issue? I won't get too specific, but I posted about a poor class design decision in WoW when it was first introduced during MoP beta. I don't play WoW anymore, but to this day the design is universally hated by the community.
It's rarely just begin stubborn. In my experience, game designers are very good at "killing their darlings." I say that, because you just can't be very successful at this job unless you can give up on ideas that you desperately love, but just aren't working. Stubborn associate designers churn out of the system quickly.

Practically speaking, what might appear to be stubborness is more likely caused by on or more of the following issues:

1) The designer doesn't like the design either, but hasn't come up with a workable solution yet. This is often the case when the designer's time is better spent on an even bigger problem. Resources, especially time, are not infinite.

2) The design seems unpopular to you, but is actually pretty popular overall. (This can be the most frustrating when the designer doesn't like the idea either!) "Universally hated"(or "univerally loved") really isn't a thing in game design. Our jobs would be easy if that was the case.

3) The designer knows the design isn't working, but knows if she removes the design that it will be nearly impossible to ever put it back in. It's easier to iterate on a design as is than to remove it and hope to restore it in the future.

4) The design is serving a greater purpose you may not realize. Maybe the implementation serves to keep server spam at a minimum or makes it harder to cheat. Ideally the team would eventually find a solution that is more elegant and still meets the technical requirements.

5) The designer wants to get feedback on the idea so he can iterate further. I admit this one is a little weak because it risks making players feel like guinea pigs. On the other hand, you don't want to leave players out of the discussion either.

6) The design isn't awesome, but it's good enough, and the cost of changing it is very high. By "cost" here I am not refering to a monatery amount but the risk of slipping the product. If the feature is core to the game, it may be worth the risk of last minute change or slipping. If it's a minor feature, there is more player value in not holding the game in the naive attempt to achieve absolute perfection.

7) The team already has a new design in testing but isn't ready to talk about it yet. This can be ongoing if the new design requires a lot of iteration before it can go live.

8) And finally, you may be right and the designer may be wrong, and just hasn't realized it yet.

why would a dev keep a mechanic in game that players absolutely hate, is it fun if only the dev thinks its fun? (rune of pow)
As a dev, you often run into systems with potential hat aren't there yet. Yanking them means they likely will never get there (OccupyGStreet)



This Month in WoW – December 2015
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The year is closing out with a bang! December is one of our favorite months each year for many reasons, but the biggest may be the fireworks over the cities of Azeroth on the last day of the month. Read on to get a look at all sorts of holiday cheer coming to you in WoW.

In-Game Events

Darkmoon Faire Returns [December 6-13]
The wondrous and mystical Darkmoon Faire returns to Azeroth on November 1, and if you haven’t completed all of Silas Darkmoon’s new Darkmoon Races, now’s the time! Test your speed and agility on a variety of racing mounts as you dodge electrifying obstacles and zip all over Darkmoon Island for rewards and achievements. You may also want to take a few moments to be a kid again by going for a ride on the new Darkmoon Seesaw.

The faire continues to be one of the best ways to acquire heirloom gear, and don’t forget all of the toys, mounts, and pets that can only be gotten here. Whack those gnolls!

Feast of Winter Veil [December 16 – January 2]
The Feast of Winter Veil is one of the most anticipated events of the year! While enjoying a freshly nutmegged cup of nog, and crunching on a crumbly cookie or two, be sure to visit Greatfather Winter in Ironforge if you’re Alliance, or Great-father Winter in Orgrimmar if you’re Horde. While there, you’ll find a few treats, and surely a few tasks to take on as well.

Winter Veil is the only time of the year you can acquire these pets: Clockwork Rocket Bot, Winter Reindeer, Tiny Snowman, Winter's Little Helpers, Lump of Coal.

Crafters of all stripes, rejoice! You can enhance your knowledge with these seasonal recipes: Elixir of Frost Power, Edge of Winter, Hot Apple Cider, Gingerbread Cookie, Egg Nog, Winter's Might, Snowmaster 9000, Gloves of the Greatfather, Winter Boots, Green Winter Clothes, Red Winter Clothes, Green Holiday Shirt.

New Year [December 31]
Happy New Year! Join the celebrations starting at 6:00 a.m. realm time, December 31, and check out the fireworks in the skies above the cities every hour on the hour. Sample the exotic brews and libations carted in from around the world of Azeroth, and /dance your way into the new year as a part of the celebration. For those looking to avoid trouble—or get into it—you may want to steer clear of—or head toward—Booty Bay as the guards there appear to be spending more time enjoying themselves than enforcing town rules (at least into the morning hours).

Bonus Events
  • December 2 – 7: Arena Skirmish Bonus Event
  • December 9 – 14: Outland Timewalking
  • December 16 – 21: Battleground Bonus Event
  • December 23 – 28: Draenor Dungeons
  • December 30 – January 4: Pet Battle Bonus Event
This article was originally published in forum thread: Artifact Weapon Previews, Nov 30 Hotfixes, Blue Posts, Tweets, This Month in WoW started by chaud View original post
Comments 33 Comments
  1. moveth's Avatar
    Cool. I might actually see some of the rare missions now lol
  1. Rixis's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by moveth View Post
    Cool. I might actually see some of the rare missions now lol
    Yeah, I think I have one of the five needed for the achievement. Hoping the Riverwallow one can spawn even if you have it, as I abandoned my rogues shipyard (and all by my mains).
  1. Baneleaf's Avatar
    I have 4 of the 5 for the achievement but one is on a different character so I am stuck at 3/5 on my main. This truly should have been account bound for progress.
  1. Adi91's Avatar
    It's a necessary change in the operation of Shipyard. Now I have 10 ships, and I start Naval mission very rarely because of the lack of good rewards, and the high chance of loosing my ships, even if the mission success rate is very high. For instance I started a rare Naval mission for a Heirloom ring, and I equipped both of the ships with the expensive (1000 Garrison Resources) Ghostly Spyglass.
    The succes rate was 98%, but the mission failed, and all of the ships delegated for the mission destroyed. After this case I haven't started a naval mission for weeks.leveling the ships are also slow and horrible.
  1. Mizzet's Avatar
    "I don't play WoW anymore, but to this day the design is universally hated by the community."

    It's Rune of Power, isn't it. Goddamn rune of power.
  1. Rixis's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Baneleaf View Post
    I have 4 of the 5 for the achievement but one is on a different character so I am stuck at 3/5 on my main. This truly should have been account bound for progress.
    I think I've done all of the required achievements, but on multiple characters. I didn't even realise it wasn't account bound at first, checked to see how many more I needed and it showed my progress as 1 of 5 >.>
  1. Arvandor's Avatar
    i hope and pray for the entire universe that this feature (artifact weapons) comes withh new transmog rules..

    an example.. dd monks can only play with fist weapons in legion..

    im not sure but this is totaly garbage for the entire game on all levels..
  1. Crystallyn's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Mizzet View Post
    "I don't play WoW anymore, but to this day the design is universally hated by the community."

    It's Rune of Power, isn't it. Goddamn rune of power.
    Yeah...I knew he was talking about Rune of Power from his question. That whole universally hated by the community definitely made it sound like Rune of Power.

    *sigh*

    Honestly I dunno what else we could do to get it through the dev's thick skulls that we hate RoP. You'd think complaining about it for 2 xpacs would've done something by now.
  1. thilicen's Avatar
    "And this is why a legit rogue class hall got axed: Gnome Hunter dev time #Legion #RavenholdtOrRiot"

    Seriously how fucking stupid can one single person actually get?
  1. mmoc3513717ba1's Avatar
    This last Artifacts for Brew monks looks almost like sharingan, too bad the color isnt black
  1. Wayne25uk's Avatar
    Why the hate for Rune of Power? You put it on the floor x2 stand on it and dps? How hard is that?
  1. satimy's Avatar
    6 months to get the shityard right
  1. HuxNeva's Avatar
    2) The design seems unpopular to you, but is actually pretty popular overall.
    I wonder how they measure 'popularity'. I sometimes feel they just look at participation or use, ignoring that people may hate a certain activity but just do it because the rewards are great (looking at you garrison as the most obvious).
  1. mmocb8ddf2b91b's Avatar
    imagine if intro quest for artifact weps reqiured a shipyard!
  1. Fritters154's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by HuxNeva View Post
    I wonder how they measure 'popularity'. I sometimes feel they just look at participation or use, ignoring that people may hate a certain activity but just do it because the rewards are great (looking at you garrison as the most obvious).
    Their metric of popularity is how many players have the talent selected. Blizz doesn't acknowledge that talent choices might be because of DPS superiority and seem to be at least partially under the assumption that players still pick talents for fun/flair instead of DPS advantage for PVE situations.
  1. Multibocks's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne25uk View Post
    Why the hate for Rune of Power? You put it on the floor x2 stand on it and dps? How hard is that?
    No one is saying it is hard. They are saying that it isn't fun, or engaging, in the slightest.
  1. Aelric70's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Fritters154 View Post
    Their metric of popularity is how many players have the talent selected. Blizz doesn't acknowledge that talent choices might be because of DPS superiority and seem to be at least partially under the assumption that players still pick talents for fun/flair instead of DPS advantage for PVE situations.
    I think they are keenly aware of that dps vs fun/flair trade-off. It totally explains why RoP remains. It keeps the class from becoming too OP (full mobility + boosted dps). If they made something non-limiting, the dps advantage it provided would have to be weaksauce. Do mages really want to have no option for maxxing dps or just a different way to limit movement?
  1. montygreen's Avatar
    Be sure to check out the new Monk idle animation in the video!
    Is it Monk specific or will all classes with 2H staves also get the idle? I'd love to see my mage walking with her 2H that way.
  1. Shockeye's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Arvandor View Post
    i hope and pray for the entire universe that this feature (artifact weapons) comes withh new transmog rules..

    an example.. dd monks can only play with fist weapons in legion..

    im not sure but this is totaly garbage for the entire game on all levels..
    Artefacts can be transmogged to look like something else, but other items cannot be transmogged to look like artefacts.
  1. mmoc8557fc1bf9's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne25uk View Post
    Why the hate for Rune of Power? You put it on the floor x2 stand on it and dps? How hard is that?
    For some people that is really confusing. You are told to get out of odd looking things, but the mage is allowed to do that.

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