Wintergrasp Information, Blue posts

[Boubouille]

Wintergrasp Information

We wanted to address some of the confusion we often see regarding the Battle for Wintergrasp. We will not provide exact details on how the system works to try and avoid abuse of the mechanics, but there is a system in place that can change how the battle plays out.

When one faction defends more than the other, the system will give advantages like the ability to use catapults or siege tanks faster to the faction that is on the offensive. On realms where one faction is often able to defend the fortress and the other faction rarely defends, the system tries to help this balance by providing bonuses to the faction that rarely succeeds at defending.

Blue posts

No Strength DPS Ring @ Ashen Verdict
The reason we haven't added one is actually a frustrating technical issue that prevents us from having more than 4 rewards on a quest like this. We do intend to fix this though and add a strength ring in the future, we just aren't sure this will be done for the Ashen Verdict line or if it will have to wait until the next time we use a system like this in a future patch.

[...] There are a lot of restrictions on these rings and we don't expect players to understand how tricky some technical issues can be.

We have done the four ring system in the past and while players may be a bit more selective about their stats these days, we don't want players to expect every source of loot to have perfect itemization for every class and every spec. There are other alternatives if you are unhappy with this option. (Source)

Need Before Greed in Cross-Realms Dungeons: Trinkets
There are some trinkets that are improperly classified in the Need Before Greed system. These are typically things that proc and the procs are hard to detect. We’re getting them fixed. (Source)

Cataclysm PvP
"Bring the player" refers to the way we shared more buffs and debuffs for PvE purposes so that building a raid isn't so restricted.

I'm not sure there's ever going to be a way you can just grab random people and expect to accomplish much in a competitive Arena. Part of our focus on BGs in Cataclysm is to let players PvP without having to worry so much about their comp. We're not necessarily trying to encourage any player with interest to step into Arenas in the same way we are with raiding in LK. (Source)

PvP rewards in Cataclysm
The answer is that we are changing the way we do that for Cataclysm and allow players to earn the same epic PvP gear for rated BGs. This does not mean you can grind your way through BGs. You'll have to win. It should feel roughly equivalent to those guilds capable of beating the most difficult encounters getting the best PvE gear. (Source)

Balancing classes for PvP
We think one of the problems is that we've spent too much effort balancing around specific specs instead of teams. But it's actually the comp that is super important. In the past we've given a spec with presumably low survivability more survivability or a class with marginal CC better CC. Increasingly though, we think that's a shotgun approach. What we are doing now is looking in terms of a, typically 3-player, team. What does a Balance druid bring to the table? Why would you want a warlock instead of a Frost mage? Those types of questions. We want to make sure there is at least one viable comp for each spec and then we can adjust those specs by answering the question: Okay, why is A being brought more than B?

The flip side of that is why you'd want to be spec A of your class when spec B is more attractive to the other players. Whenver you buff A, you risk B falling off though.

Too often the forum discussions (and not just our forums) rally around very specific questions, such as: how do I beat this guy? Or, why do I get blown up so fast? Those can be useful at identifying weaknesses, but ultimately it's the synergy with the other players on the team that is more important. (I'm only talking about Arenas here. Coordination in BGs is still important. It's just very different.)

P.S. Too often the forum discussions also focus too much on what the best players are capable of doing. Many players would get more information by looking at what the average Arena players are doing. The best players are where they are because they just really know what they're doing. PvP balance for them is going to be different than it is for the average player. (Not more or less important. Just different.)

Death Knight (Forums / Talent Calculator)
Chains of Ice Bugs
We are hotfixing some of the bugs related to using Chains of Ice on a snare-immune target. (Source)

Warlock (Forums / Talent Calculator)
Everlasting Affliction
Hotfix incoming. I can't give you a precise day or time. To be clear, when the dust settles for 3.3, both Shadow Bolt and Drain Soul will also count for Everlasting Affliction refreshing Corruption in addition to Haunt and Drain Life. (Source)

Warlocks AOE Spells
First thank you for posting, constructively. Our intent is for Seed of Corruption to be more attractive to Affliction, and Rain of Fire more attractive to Destruction. Before the flames begin, please note the word "intent". We realize that is not always the case, depending on numerous variables. (Source)

Warrior (Forums / Talent Calculator)
Sweeping Strikes / Bladestorm
We are working on a fix so that Sweeping Strikes can no longer trigger multiple times per second when used with Bladestorm. Each whirlwind caused by Bladestorm will only trigger one Sweeping Strike regardless of the number of targets in range - the current Whirlwind ability already works this way.

The goal of Sweeping Strikes is to hit extra targets, not to do more damage to existing targets to burst them down quickly. We’ll evaluate Bladestorm again once this change has gone live to see if any further changes are needed. (Source)

[...] Bladestorm should not be able to use Sweeping Strikes to transfer all that damage to a single target. As I said above, the purpose of Sweeping Strikes is to hit *additional* targets not just cause more damage to existing targets. I believe Whirlwind works with Sweeping Strikes correctly, so we'd like to get Bladestorm to work the same way.

This change will then let us see if any of the concern about Bladestorm in PvP is founded or if it's not an issue without Sweeping Strikes inflating the damage.

We don't think this will be a real nerf to PvE Arms warriors, but if it chills out their AE damage in those very specific situations where there are several closely grouped adds and Arms damage skyrockets, then I agree that's a good thing. (Source)

[Collix]

Good to hear that they are working to fix the rings and trinket issues.

[Doddilus]

No Strength DPS Ring @ Ashen Verdict
The reason we haven't added one is actually a frustrating technical issue that prevents us from having more than 4 rewards on a quest like this.

...thats very odd

[LavaDuck]

Maybe you can fix it for them?

[Asur]

Good to hear that they are working to fix the rings and trinket issues.

Don't hold your breath.

[Sonipal]

So looks like they forgot about death knights again...wtb Arena viability. Good thing on the ring...nice to be able to upgrade my 245 rings.

You're complaining about Death Knight viability in Arena? Have you even tried Retribution Paladin!? It's not even close how much control you have in arena. Your class is like a combination of a Warrior and a Mage. Hard attacks, and you have control/interrupts out the ass. You should be thankful of how viable you're class already is.

[Jediben]

So it was too hard to just have the armor vendors give you the quest instead of 1 single npc? Presumeably had they done that each could have provided 4 rings at most for each class and all would have been well...

[Silverbreeze]

Jediben hit the nail right on the head.

If more than 4 quest rewards for the rings is a problem, why not have the vendors of your T10 give you the quest?

Say you are a Warlock, the guy gives you the quest for Ashen Verdict friendly and the spell dps ring as a reward, and it continues so on.

If you are a Warrior, the guy gives you the quest for friendly and what would hopefully be a choice of the Plate DPS Ring (str/crit), the Physical DPS Ring, and the Tank ring.

If you are a Paladin the guy gives you the quest for friendly and a choice of the Plate DPS Ring, the Physical DPS Ring, the Tank Ring, and the Healing ring.

No class is going to have a use for all 4 rings, even druids would only use the physcial dps, healing, spell damage, and tank one (possibly). I don't see why they didn't go about it that way if their interface is so "frustratingly" hard to manage.

I just hope they add it in the future.

It's not about people wanting "perfect stats" on their gear, but Plate DPS lose so much AP when we use Agi rings. They don't want us to use Mail/Leather because it's not made for us, but they want us to use a ring that's not made for us? Right.

[Passionario]

The reason we haven't added one is actually a frustrating technical issue that prevents us from having more than 4 rewards on a quest like this. We do intend to fix this though and add a strength ring in the future, we just aren't sure this will be done for the Ashen Verdict line or if it will have to wait until the next time we use a system like this in a future patch.

[...] There are a lot of restrictions on these rings and we don't expect players to understand how tricky some technical issues can be

Translation:

"The programmer who wrote the code for AQ40 upgradable rings has resigned/moved to a different project, and our current guys can't figure it out without breaking something, so we just keep copy-pasting things all over again."

[ulrich]

Translation:

"The programmer who wrote the code for AQ40 upgradable rings has resigned/moved to a different project, and our current guys can't figure it out without breaking something, so we just keep copy-pasting things all over again."

Nailed it. :>

[Heppu]

Well hey now, lets be fair. As the man said, we cant even begin to understand how tricky adding one ring in the game can be.

Seriously? What the hell.

[ThiefMaster]

So.. why are more than 4 rewards so hard? I remember that one of the first Outland quests had six or even more rewards...

[Nekovivie]

Their programmers must be pretty poor if they can't figure out how to add more than 4 quest rewards.

[Deleted]

Need Before Greed in Cross-Realms Dungeons: Trinkets
There are some trinkets that are improperly classified in the Need Before Greed system. These are typically things that proc and the procs are hard to detect. We’re getting them fixed.

No Shit!... -.-

Yesterday a bear tank Need-ed the caster-dps-trinket that drops from Scourgelord Tyrannus and won it. Damn, it was the only reason I did that instance on my warlock.
People are a**holes... -.-

[Second]

Is that WG mechanism responsible for reported "after battle begins there is line of rolling sieges coming to fortress" ?
Or it is diff story, like adding stacks to tenacity ?

[DizRupT]

but they want us to use a ring that's not made for us? Right.

No, they clearly said there are other options out there

So in other words, you don't have to use the Ashen ring, noone is forcing you, gear isn't hard to get these days anyway.

[Deleted]

No, they clearly said there are other options out there

So in other words, you don't have to use the Ashen ring, noone is forcing you, gear isn't hard to get these days anyway.

That would make sense if there were rings of equal quality out there.

[telperion]

No Strength DPS Ring @ Ashen Verdict
The reason we haven't added one is actually a frustrating technical issue that prevents us from having more than 4 rewards on a quest like this.)

the most retarded thing i saw this month, gratz blizzard. This is a fucking joke....

[wildi]

Why would you want a warlock instead of a Frost mage?

class != spec
you mean, why would you want a demonology or affliction or destruction warlock instead of a frostmage in pvp.

[Panoramixe]

Need Before Greed in Cross-Realms Dungeons: Trinkets
There are some trinkets that are improperly classified in the Need Before Greed system. These are typically things that proc and the procs are hard to detect. We’re getting them fixed.

No Shit!... -.-

Yesterday a bear tank Need-ed the caster-dps-trinket that drops from Scourgelord Tyrannus and won it. Damn, it was the only reason I did that instance on my warlock.
People are a**holes... -.-

This won't change that at all.
A druid has a use for caster-dps trinkets (aka moonkin) so they're allowed to roll on it. (I'm not debating whether the teddy had a right to roll on it, just mentioning he'll still be able to roll on it.)

The problem as I understand it is:
There is a caster dps trinket, but it's marked as physical dps. So a rogue could need said trinket and the poor mage can't. Just an issue with some items.

Their programmers must be pretty poor if they can't figure out how to add more than 4 quest rewards.

Of course they can add more than 4 quest rewards. But this is quite a different case. There are dozens of conditions involved with upgradeable rings. If the current framework for quests doesn't support the coding needed to add a fifth ring, I can understand they're hesitant to change the entire code. You have to remember how many unintended actions can happen when you change something on a scale like this, every quest in WoW could potentially be affected.