World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies

As part of our ongoing commitment to the tuning of both gameplay and rewards, we’ve some adjustments today, and we’re working on more coming soon.

Now Live

We’ve heard feedback around challenges in the new Keystone affix and scaling structure, as well as the difficulty some players are facing with making progress. With hotfixes that are now live:

• Runed Crests are now awarded up to Mythic Keystone +7.
• Gilded Crests are now awarded beginning at Mythic Keystone +8.

Coming later today

Mythic Keystone Affixes

• Increased the duration of the buffs granted by Xal’atath’s Bargain Affixes to 30 seconds (was 20 seconds).
  
  • Developers’ notes: We’ve been closely monitoring the impact of the bonuses provided by Xal’atath’s Bargain affixes, and we’re increasing their overall power level on players. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these buffs as well as the challenges these affixes present.
• Xal’atath’s Guile now increases enemy health and damage by 10% (was 20%).
  
  • Developers’ notes: With the increase to the buffs granted to players by Xal’atath’s Bargain we’re reducing the effectiveness of of Xal’atath’s Guile, to allow players to push deeper into the Keystone system with current item levels.

With Scheduled Weekly Maintenance – October 15

• The Necrotic Wake
  
  • Zolramus Gatekeeper’s Wrath of Zolramus periodic damage reduced by 25%.
  • Skeletal Monstrosity’s enemy forces contributions increased by 20%.
  • Kyrian Weapons
    
    • The effects of Bloody Javelins no longer stack.
  • Surgeon Stitchflesh
    
    • Surgeon Stitchflesh’s health reduced by 20%.
    • Stitchflesh’s Creation’s Festering Rot damage reduced by 30%.
• The Stonevault
  
  • Skarmorak
    
    • Skarmorak’s health reduced by 10%.
    • Skarmorak is now stunned for 4 seconds (was 2 seconds) after Fortified Shell is broken.
    • Skarmorak’s Crystalline Eruption damage reduced by 15%.
  • Void Speaker Eirich
    
    • Void Speaker Eirich’s health reduced by 10%.
    • Increased the cooldown of Entropic Reckoning.

We’ll confirm for you later today when the Affix hotfixes go live.

Calling defenders of Azeroth to brave the inferno and push back against Ragnaros and his wayward loyalists—the Rage of the Firelands update arrives on October 29, followed by the Firelands Raid on November 7.

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The Rage of the Firelands content update will burn an indelible mark in Azeroth's history. Take on the new Elemental Bonds questline, and increase the challenges for powerful rewards with the new Elemental Rune Dungeons: Protocol Inferno difficulty option available for all Heroic dungeons. Then, soon after the update, the legendary Firelands Raid arrives with its Raid tier armor and weapons, two new mounts, Achievements, and seven unique boss encounters.

This will also be the stop for Druid, Mage, Priest, Shaman, or Warlock in their quest to build the legendary staff Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest, a weapon of unsurpassed quality that requires a spectacular effort to construct. Like the Shadowmourne questline in Wrath of the Lich King Classic, adjustments have been made to make Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest, faster to acquire on both 10 and 25-player raid sizes.

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Arriving October 29: Kick Your Graphics Up a Notch

The Rage of the Firelands update includes a way for players to turn on High-Definition Textures as an option, providing enhanced visual fidelity to many textures in the game. This allows for a revitalized world while preserving its classic aesthetics.

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Arriving November 7: Feel the Burn in the Firelands Raid

• Normal: 378–384
• Heroic: 391–397

Without warning, Ragnaros's armies surged toward Mount Hyjal, intent on burning the World Tree of Nordrassil. In the ensuing conflict, many brave heroes perished. By their noble sacrifices, the impossible was achieved—the Guardians of Hyjal pushed Ragnaros's minions back into the Firelands.


The battle to protect Hyjal still rages inside Ragnaros's smoldering realm. As territory is gained and Azeroth's champions edge closer to the Firelands' inner sanctums, a monumental task lies ahead.

A Band of Bosses to Beat

Entrenched around Ragnaros's lair—Sulfuron Keep—are his most loyal servants, including the Druids of the Flame. Should Ragnaros succeed in destroying Nordrassil, Azeroth will suffer a blow from which it may never recover.

The Rage of the Firelands content update offers courageous champions an opportunity to storm into this Elemental Plane to turn the tide in the Firelands, where six unique bosses stand between you and the reinvigorated Ragnaros.


Beth'tilac, The Red Widow
Her fiery webs reach far overhead, daring her adversaries to face their fears of spiders and heights. Take hold of her webs, climb into her domain, and find a way to thwart her evil designs.



Lord Rhyolith
Heroes face a difficult challenge: attack this massive magma giant's bulk while forcing him to move against his will among volcanic eruptions that ultimately spell his doom. Or yours if you're not careful.



Alysrazor
Are you ready to fly the fiery skies? Take a leap of faith when you catch her singed feathers and use them to soar above the fiery inferno or become engulfed in fierce flames at the whim of this swift firehawk.



Shannox
The ferocious flamewakers of this Elemental Plane are terrifying enough, but Shannox has brought additional defense. Find a way to deal with this mighty hunter and his blazing pets before he burns you to a crisp.



Baleroc, The Gatekeeper
Baleroc stands before the gate to Sulfuron Keep amidst a river of combustion that serves as the Sulfuron moat. Bring down this towering elemental monstrosity and charge into Ragnaros's blistering domain.



Majordomo Staghelm, Archdruid of the Flame
Ragnaros's latest chief lieutenant stands before the door to his master's chamber in Sulfuron Keep. Majordomo Staghelm's treasonous efforts will all come to a head before the very seat of his new master.


Defeat his guardians, and a memorable battle with the enraged Ragnaros awaits you in his chamber. Ragnaros's Normal and Heroic modes offer two completely different encounters for raiders to conquer.


Fiery Loot for the Brave

Tantalizing rewards await those who brave the heat and defeat the lords of the Firelands, including:

• Alysrazor has a chance to drop Flametalon of Alysrazor.
• Ragnaros has a chance to drop Smoldering Egg of Millagazor on Normal and guaranteed on Heroic.

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Are you prepared to face the flames in Rage of the Firelands?

Profession reagents that drop in Delves have recently been in lower supply than intended. With hotfixes that are now live, we’ve made the following adjustments:

• Delver’s Pouch of Reagents sold by Sir Finley Mrrgglton at the Delver’s Headquarters in Dornogal now costs 500 Undercoin (was 1500) and contains 3 random Delve reagents (was 2).
• Profaned Tinderbox can now be purchased from Blacksmithing Supplies vendors Borgos and Sofee Batalsworn in exchange for 3 Ringing Deeps Ingots, or 3 Vial of Kaheti Oils, or 3 Viridian Charmcaps, or 3 Gloomfathom Hides.

Join us! Our next PTR test of the Firelands raid will begin at 1:00 p.m. PDT (4:00 p.m. EDT) on Tuesday, October 15.

We intend to keep the raid open for testing on the PTR until Friday, October 18.

The realm of fire will consume you!