World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies

Classes

• Paladin
  
  • Retribution
    
    • Fixed an issue with Divine Storm not hitting all nearby enemies if your primary target is affected with Judgment.

Creatures and NPCs

• Fixed an issue that was causing Observer Yorik to respawn too quickly.

Items and Rewards

• Temporarily removed the Conquest and Valor cap until the next season begins.
  
  • Developers’ note: Early in a season, it’s beneficial to pace gear acquisition by adding a maximum amount of Conquest and Valor that can be earned weekly to prevent having a dominant advantage by playing an excessive amount of hours in PvP and Mythic+. As the weeks go by and the cap increases, we reach a point where there’s no longer a dominant advantage in gear acquisition with grinding Conquest and Valor and it’s friendlier to simply remove the cap entirely for those who are catching up or gearing alts until the next season begins. We’ve reached that point and have removed the Conquest and Valor caps for the rest of Season 2. When the next season begins, all Conquest and Valor will be converted into gold and sent to the character’s mail.

Player versus Player

• Paladin
  
  • Protection
    
    • Righteous Might (Necrolord Conduit) damage and healing reduced by 50% in PvP combat.
      
      • Developers’ note: We initially tuned the Righteous Might conduit for Necrolord Paladins with both PvE and Retribution Paladins in mind, but due to a combination of synergies and Protection-specific multipliers, Protection Paladins were able to near-double the effect of an already-buffed Conduit to create a deadly round-start burst outlier in PvP matches. We’re cutting down its effectiveness in PvP while we keep an eye on the conduit’s impact in PvE to see if follow-up tuning is necessary over the coming days.

Quests

• Players who skipped the Maw intro while in a Timewalking Campaign should no longer be sent back to Stormwind or Orgrimmar when they reach level 50.
• Covenant Campaigns blocked behind the Callings tutorial quest should now be properly flagged to proceed the next time they visit Oribos or their Sanctum Hall.
• Fixed an issue where some characters who switched to the Necrolord covenant would not be able to see Emeni during the quest, “Never Had a Friend Like Me.”

User Interface and Accessibility

• Fixed an issue that caused Mythic+ Rating to display incorrectly in Group Finder.
• Fixed an issue where the tooltips for some Adventures companions were displaying with a gray background.

Burning Crusade Classic

• You can now report players from the /who menu.
• Fixed an issue where an extra confirmation pop-up would appear when entering a War Game.
• Fixed an issue where keybinds were not correctly loading for the War Game Commentator User Interface.

Early in a season, it’s beneficial to pace gear acquisition by adding a maximum amount of Conquest and Valor that can be earned weekly to prevent having a dominant advantage by playing an excessive amount of hours in PvP and Mythic+. As the weeks go by and the cap increases, we reach a point where there’s no longer a dominant advantage in gear acquisition with grinding Conquest and Valor and it’s friendlier to simply remove the cap entirely for those who are catching up or gearing alts until the next season begins. We’ve reached that point and have removed the Conquest and Valor caps for the rest of Season 2. When the next season begins, all Conquest and Valor will be converted into gold and sent to the character’s mail.

Safe travels, friends!

Tomorrow, November 4, we’re going to open Onyxia’s Lair for further raid testing at 2:00 p.m. PDT (5:00 p.m. EDT). We came out of last week’s test with the desire to make a few more tweaks to that encounter.

Please join us. We’ll leave the test open for 24 hours.

Thank you!

To the Blizzard community,

Over the last few months, many of us have been taking the time to ask ourselves how we can effect the most positive change in our workplace, in our games, and in our communities.

On a macro level, Mike Ybarra and I, along with the rest of Blizzard, have been navigating the important changes we must undertake in order to be known as the creative powerhouse that brought hundreds of millions of players into Azeroth, Sanctuary, and more, all while ensuring our workplace and game communities are truly inclusive, safe, and inviting to all.

On a micro level, as I’ve listened to the stories from people all over Blizzard and been inspired by their courage and conviction, I’ve been thinking about the potential of what I can do as an individual to create the most meaningful change. For the last 20 years of my career, I have loved developing games--they are my lifeblood. I also have been fortunate to find my passion and voice in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space along the way.

Those of you who have played our games will know that sometimes our adventures can keep you on the quest you set out on, but sometimes, a new quest beckons us.

I want you to hear from me personally that I have made the decision to step away from co-leading Blizzard Entertainment and will transition to a new position before departing ABK at the end of the year. Effective immediately, Mike Ybarra will lead Blizzard. I am doing this not because I am without hope for Blizzard, quite the opposite--I’m inspired by the passion of everyone here, working towards meaningful, lasting change with their whole hearts. This energy has inspired me to step out and explore how I can do more to have games and diversity intersect, and hopefully make a broader industry impact that will benefit Blizzard (and other studios) as well. While I am not totally sure what form that will take, I am excited to embark on a new journey to find out.

ABK’s leadership is graciously offering their support for my decision and has worked with me on a plan to invest in the future of other women in the gaming industry, by agreeing to make a US $1 million grant to Women in Games International--a fantastic non-profit organization, where I am a board member, that cultivates and advances equality and diversity in the global games industry. This money will be used to fund skill-building and mentorship programs.

With my remaining time here, I will be transferring my responsibilities to Mike, and transitioning into a new role working closely with Activision Blizzard and WIGI to determine the first steps around how the grant will be utilized, and its structure. The partnership is full of potential and is another step in a long-term commitment to create better support, resources, and guidance to women in the gaming industry.

Mike has been unbelievably supportive throughout my decision-making process around this move, and I have every confidence in him leading Blizzard. Mike and I have been working together to develop many of the actions we’ll be taking to continue making Blizzard a safer, stronger, and more inclusive workplace, and I know he plans on sharing some of those actions with you soon.

I wanted to tell the Blizzard community this personally because I want you to know I believe so strongly in Mike and the rest of Blizzard’s leadership both in terms of Blizzard’s culture and Blizzard’s games. Blizzard’s best days are ahead. I truly believe that. I also am hoping this letter helps you to think about what you can do to make everyone around you--no matter their gender, race, or identity--feel welcome, comfortable, and free to be themselves.

Thank you for the support you have shown our teams over the last few months. I know that your positive messages have helped our people tremendously during this time.

And to everyone at Blizzard, thank you--for your honesty, your belief in a better future, and your incredible work ethic, creativity, and passion. You inspired me to find my own path in championing the cause for equality and my hope is that you inspire our players to do the same.

Thank you again,

Jen Oneal

Items and Rewards

• The Unchained Equipment Chest does not provide PvP items that include sockets or tertiary stats.
  
  • Developers’ note: This was an oversight in how the item was set up on the 9.1.5 PTR. We don’t intend to create situations where the best way to play PvP is to funnel gear from your alts to your main character.
• Fixed an issue where the Well-Honed Instincts conduit was dropping for non-Druids.

Burning Crusade Classic

• Fixed an issue where players who accepted a battle resurrection into a raid boss encounter after releasing their spirit could be teleported to their Hearthstone location.