World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies RSS Feed

by Published on 2022-11-17 10:11 PM

Welcome Back Weekend - November 17-20
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Dragonflight is nearly here, and you and your allies can prepare to embark on a new adventure. This weekend, we're giving all players with inactive World of Warcraft accounts full access to the game* and all your characters without a subscription. You’ll be able to access all expansions, including Shadowlands, so that you can play the most recent content—including the Tempest Unleashed pre-expansion event— and get ready for Dragonflight when it launches on November 28, 2022, at 3 p.m. PST. Rejoin your guild, rally your comrades, and prepare to take flight.

During the Welcome Back Weekend, you can also prepare for all your adventures when you save up to 30% off Character Transfer, Faction Change, Race Change, and Name Change services.

Return to World of Warcraft FREE from November 17 to November 20, 2022.**



Get Back in Action

If you’ve been away for a while, you can play through the new starting experience starting at level 1 to learn the ropes.

You can also choose to opt out of the starting experience and begin instead at level 1 in the starting area for your race. Upon reaching level 10, you can either continue into Battle for Azeroth or speak with Chromie to choose a Timewalking Campaign. Choose an expansion and continue leveling until you're ready to enter the Dragon Isles at level 60 when Dragonflight goes live. Players with Allied race characters will begin at level 10. Non-Allied race Death Knights and Demon Hunters will automatically begin at level 8 and play through their own starting experience before moving on around level 10.

If you'd like to select a different Timewalking Campaign, simply speak to Chromie again. With phase 2 of the Dragonflight pre-expansion patch, Timewalking Campaigns scale to level 60 and include Shadowlands.



Need Help Logging Back In?




New to World of Warcraft?

Download the free trial experience here.

Learn more about the latest updates and support options in our previously published article — Finding Your Way to the Dragon Isles.



*Welcome Back Weekend not available in WoW Classic. Dracthyr Evokers only available with the Dragonflight expansion.
**Ability to return to WoW without a subscription ends on 21 November 2022, at 19:00 CET. Player is responsible for any online connection fees.
by Published on 2022-11-17 07:22 PM

New World of Warcraft: The Anniversary Mount and Pet Pack - On Sale Now
A new mount and pet pack was added to the Blizzard store. It contains a mix of collector's edition, digital edition, and 15th WoW Anniversary mounts. It's on sale for $80, which is 50% off. The price is automatically reduced if you already have some of the items.



Take a Trip Down Memory Lane with The Anniversary Pack
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
World of Warcraft® celebrates its 18th anniversary in November. We invite you to take a trip down memory lane and add to your collection four remarkable pets and six unforgettable mounts —including the returning otherworldly Viridian Phase-Hunter—at a festive 50% off. But hurry! The Anniversary Pack is only available until 28 November.

Get the Anniversary Pack



What's Inside?
The commemorative Anniversary Pack bundle includes mounts and pets for your World of Warcraft* characters from Burning Crusade Classic™ Deluxe Edition, Mists of Pandaria®, Warlords of Draenor®, Legion, and Battle for Azeroth digital editions, as well as 15th WoW® Anniversary mounts.

All mounts from The Anniversary Pack automatically scale to the fastest riding skill known by each character. All items will be available to all your World of Warcraft characters on your regional Battle.net account. If you already own one or more items from The Anniversary Pack, its price will automatically adjust.

Six Unique Mounts Per Faction


Ground Mounts

Embark on a new journey with confidence on theback of the ferocious Illidari Felstalker, the ravenous Gilded Ravasaur (for Horde characters), the fearless Seabraid Stallion (for Alliance characters), or the returning Viridian Phase-Hunter.

Flying Mounts
Spread your wings with the majestic 15th Anniversary Alabaster Stormwing (for Alliance characters) and Alabaster Thunderwing (for Horde characters), the striking Dread Raven, or the rock-solid Imperial Quilen.



Four Loyal Companions
Relive your best World of Warcraft memories with these four fierce (and adorable) pets! No matter where your adventures take you—from the serene meadows of Pandaria to the jagged shores of the Broken Isles—the Dread Hatchling, the Lucky Quilen Cub, Tottle, and Nibbles will faithfully stand by your side and eagerly join in pet battles all over Azeroth and beyond.


One for the Ages
The Anniversary Pack will be available until 28 November 2022, going away just as the in-game festivities come to a close. Adopt or gift these pets and mounts from the in-game shop or the Blizzard Shop today!



*Anniversary Pack items not available in World of Warcraft Classic titles.
by Published on 2022-11-17 01:18 PM

NetEase's Response to Suspending Game Services in China
In light of Activision Blizzard's announcement of suspending game services in China, NetEase have issued their own statement on this matter. Below is a rough google translation of the news.
Originally Posted by NetEase
Dear Blizzard Gamers:

Since Activision Blizzard's license agreement with NetEase will expire on January 23, 2023, based on contract restrictions, starting from 0:00 on January 24, Blizzard will suspend the license agreement in mainland China from Shanghai Netease Network Technology Development Co., Ltd. The game services operated (including "World of Warcraft", "Hearthstone", "Overwatch", "Diablo III", "StarCraft II", "Warcraft III: Remastered Edition", "Heroes of the Storm"), and "Diablo : Immortal service will not be affected.

In 2008, Netease and Blizzard cooperated for the first time. In the past 14 years, starting with "World of Warcraft", we have introduced Blizzard's high-quality games to China step by step, and even achieved global version synchronization. Every time a game is introduced, we are extremely excited, and it also carries our blood and youth.

Inside NetEase, there are also thousands of diehard fans of Blizzard games. Therefore, we have more empathy for the player's mood at the moment. Before today, we have been negotiating with Blizzard with our best efforts and sincerity to seek continued cooperation in mainland China.

But after a long period of negotiations, we are still unable to reach an agreement with Blizzard on some key cooperation terms involving sustainable operations, the Chinese market and the core interests of players. Today, Activision Blizzard announced that it will suspend cooperation with NetEase, and we have to accept this decision. After January 23, 2023, the company will lose its agency rights and will no longer be able to continue to manage and operate these games that carry the memories of players for 14 years.

Next, NetEase will fully perform its duties and serve players until the last moment. We promise that we will do our best to negotiate with Activision Blizzard on issues related to refunds, game data, virtual property, and game rights that everyone cares about, so as to protect the interests of Chinese players to the greatest extent.

At the same time, we will work with Activision Blizzard to achieve "commercial for business, game for games", pay attention to players' voices, cherish everything players have paid for the game, and properly protect everyone's game assets and memories. We strive for both parties to formulate plans as soon as possible, start related work such as refunds as soon as possible, and will continue to inform players about the progress of related work through official channels such as the "Blizzard Game Service Center" official account.

Thanks again to all players for their understanding and support. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. If possible, we hope that Blizzard's departure is only temporary. After stopping the service, we will continue to stick to it in our own way and will not give up easily. I believe that people who meet each other can always meet again.



Blizzard China Statement
NetEase have also posted an official announcement on the Blizzard China website, mentioning that the servers for World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch and other games will be available until January 23, 2023.
Originally Posted by Blizzard China/NetEase
Dear Blizzard Gamers:

Thank you for your support and love for Blizzard game products all the time. We are honored to work together with you for 14 years, creating and sharing an unforgettable game experience. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to you again!

As the term of our agreement with our partner Blizzard Entertainment is about to expire, in mainland China operated by Shanghai NetEase Network Technology Development Co., Ltd., "World of Warcraft", "Hearthstone", "Overwatch", "Diablo III" " StarCraft II, Warcraft III: Reforged, and Heroes of the Storm (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Blizzard game products") will cease operations at 0:00 on January 24, 2023. The relevant matters related to the termination of operations in mainland China are hereby notified as follows :

  • From November 23, 2022, the recharge service and user registration entrance of Blizzard game products on Battle.net and the client will be closed.
    • During the period from November 23, 2022 to January 23, 2023, the servers of Blizzard game products will be open normally, the content update of "World of Warcraft: Dragonflight", "Hearthstone", "Wrath of the Lich King" and "Overwatch" Season 2 content update will be launched as usual, and users can continue to log in and experience the game content. At the same time, the battle.net points and virtual currency retained in the user's account will still be consumed in the battle.net mall.
  • Starting at 00:00 on January 24, 2023, the operation of Blizzard game products will be officially stopped, the Battle.net login and all game servers will be closed, and the client download will be closed at the same time.
    • After the game server is closed, all account data and character data in each game (including but not limited to characters, remaining game time, game props, materials, recharge information, etc.) game data will be sealed. We will properly handle game data in accordance with the requirements of laws and regulations to protect the legitimate rights and interests of users.
    • For the online game virtual currency that the player has recharged but not consumed in the game and the game time (if any) that has been purchased and has not expired (if any), we will start to arrange refunds after the operation of Blizzard game products ceases. For details, please pay attention to and bind "Blizzard Game Service Center" public account.

Please be aware of the above and pass it on to each other . If you have any doubts, please feel free to contact NetEase Blizzard game customer service (online support: www.battlenet.com.cn/support/zh/).

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this termination! We are very grateful for your understanding and forgiveness, and sincerely look forward to your continued support and attention!

Shanghai NetEase Network Technology Development Co., Ltd.



Simon Zhu - President of NetEase Games Statement
Simon Zhu, the President, Global Investment and Partnership of NetEase Games, has also shared his thoughts on the termination on LinkedIn.
Originally Posted by Simon Zhu
As a gamer who spent ten thousand hours in the world of Azeroth, starcraft and overwatch, I feel so heartbroken as I will not longer have the access to my account and memories next year.

One day, when what has happened behind the scene could be told, developers and gamers will have a whole new level understanding of how much damage a jerk can make.

Feel terrible for players who lived in those worlds.
by Published on 2022-11-17 04:52 AM

World Boss Mounts Drop Chances Greatly Increased - WoW Hotfixes - November 16, 2022
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Achievements

  • New Dracthyr should no longer cause multiple chat messages about achievements.

Classes

  • Evoker
    • Fixed an issue causing newly created Evokers to be unable to enter Iron Docks and Grimrail Depot dungeons.
    • Fixed an issue where spells could be cast while in Soulshape.
    • Resolved an issue where Evokers were unable to purchase Eternal Aspirant or Eternal Gladiator Armor pieces.

Dungeons and Raids

  • Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr
    • The dungeon should now show up in the Dungeon Finder under World Events during the pre-expansion Tempest Unleashed event even if the player is low item level.

Items and Rewards


Quests

  • Fixed an issue that prevented opposite faction players from being able to earn a chance at loot for defeating Fire Revenant, Lava Elemental, Earth Revenant, Air Revenant, and Water Elemental.
  • Quaking Spikes during Earth Storms will no longer hit flying players.
  • Fixed an issue where the level requirements for heritage questlines were incorrectly scaled.
  • Fixed an issue where users on lower graphics settings were having difficulty locating Talon Kethahn during the “Awaken, Dracthyr” quest.
  • Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in the Forbidden Reach.
  • Fixed an issue where the objectives of the quest “To Be Prepared” were phased out once the pre-expansion quests were completed.
  • Dracthyr can now accept and complete the quest, "The Archon's Answer."


Wrath of the Lich King Classic

  • Classes
    • Warlock
      • Fixed an issue where pets were not properly benefiting from resilience.
  • Player versus Player
    • The PvP rating calculation has been adjusted to provide a continuous, modest increase of MMR for the rest of the season.
      • Developers' note: We've been monitoring players' rating distribution, and the percentage of players who have reached the rating requirements is much lower than we want it to be.
by Published on 2022-11-17 02:07 AM

Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase Suspending Game Services in China
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that it will be suspending most Blizzard game services in mainland China due to the expiration of the current licensing agreements with NetEase, Inc. on January 23, 2023. This includes World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Warcraft® III: Reforged, Overwatch®, the StarCraft® series, Diablo III®, and Heroes of the Storm®. Diablo Immortal® co-development and publishing is covered under a separate agreement between the two companies.

Blizzard Entertainment has had licensing agreements with NetEase since 2008, covering the publication of these Blizzard titles in China. The two parties have not reached a deal to renew the agreements that is consistent with Blizzard’s operating principles and commitments to players and employees, and the agreements are set to expire in January 2023.

We will suspend new sales in the coming days and Chinese players will be receiving details of how this will work soon. Upcoming releases for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Hearthstone: March of the Lich King, and season 2 of Overwatch 2 will proceed later this year.

“We’re immensely grateful for the passion our Chinese community has shown throughout the nearly 20 years we’ve been bringing our games to China through NetEase and other partners,” said Mike Ybarra, president, Blizzard Entertainment. “Their enthusiasm and creativity inspire us, and we are looking for alternatives to bring our games back to players in the future.”

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