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by Published on 2025-06-17 12:21 AM

Mists of Pandaria Classic Development Notes - June 16, 2025
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
We have made additional adjustments that are now live on the beta based on the data gathered during the raid testing weekend. Thank you so much for your participation, your feedback, and your assistance in gathering data during the testing period.

A reminder that these changes:

  • Are subject to change.
  • The changes only affect PvE and have zero impact on Arenas and Battlegrounds.
  • The changes under each Spec’s name are only active for that spec even if the ability is available to multiple specs.

We want to set expectations here: In order to let these changes rest - outside of extreme cases - we’re not going to do additional adjustments until after our next Raid test.

Death Knight
  • Blood
    • Outbreak’s base cooldown for Blood Death Knights has been decreased to 30 seconds (was 60 seconds). [New]
      • Developer’s note: Blood Death Knights are strong at the start of the expansion so a buff to them may seem a bit odd, but this has much less to do with raiding performance and more to do with smoothing over the feeling in dungeons where they go between pulls and a player may not be able to drag mobs from the previous pull with them.
  • Frost
    • Howling Blast’s damage to targets around the primary target has been increased to 65% of the damage dealt (was 50%). [5.2 Revert]

Druid
  • Balance
    • Force of Nature for Balance Druids has had its damage increased by 9.1% to match the Moonkin Form adjustment last week. [New]
  • Guardian:
    • Bear Form for Guardian Druids now increases all damage you deal by 5%. [New]

Hunter
  • Survival
    • Explosive Shot damage decreased by 7%. [5.4 Revert]
      • Developer’s Note: Survival Hunters saw multiple buffs to Explosive Shot in the final 5.4 patch and hotfixes afterward. We’re going to test a revert to the final increase to Explosive Shot and see the impact. We expect this to bring damage from Survival Hunters down slightly, but they’ll get a bit of it back when Stampede correctly spawns on the target instead of next to the Hunter.

Monk
  • Mistweaver:
    • Revival healing decreased by 15% (with our previous buff this takes it to being a 22% increase to its original state). [Partial 5.5.0 Revert]

Paladin
  • Holy:
    • Seal of Insight now correctly restores base mana (was total mana). [Bugfix]
    • Seal of Insight now correctly only restores base mana for Holy Paladins. [Bugfix]
    • Seal of Insight’s Base Mana restoration increased to 6% of base mana (was 4%). [New]
    • Crusader Strike’s cost for Holy Paladins has been decreased by 20%, bringing it to 12% of base mana (was 15% of base mana). [New]
      • Developer’s Note: The Seal of Insight change was restoring an incorrect amount of mana but we overall did like the effect it had on Holy Paladins. So we’re correcting it but also raising it to 6% of base mana, and on top of that we’re also reducing the cost of Crusader Strike for Holy Paladins.

Priest
  • Discipline
    • Divine Aegis’s healing conversion increased by 12.5% effectiveness, taking it to 90% (was 80%). [Partial 5.5.0 Revert]
  • Holy
    • Divine Hymn healing decreased by 35%. [New]
    • Chakra: Sanctuary’s increase to area of effect healing increased to 35% (was 25%). [New]
    • Chakra: Serenity’s increase to single-target healing increased to 35% (was 25%). [New]
    • Chakra’s cooldown decreased to 10 seconds (was 30 seconds). [New]
  • Shadow
    • Shadow Word: Pain’s damage over time increased by 18%. [5.4 Revert]

Warlock
  • Affliction
    • Corruption’s damage over time increased by 33%. [5.2 Revert]
    • Agony’s damage over time increased by 18%. [5.4 Revert]
    • Haunt’s damage increase to your damage over time effects increased to 40% (was 35%). [5.4 Revert]
  • Demonology
    • Doom’s damage over time increased by 33%. [5.2 Revert]
      • Developer’s note: Demonology is very close to Destruction now near the start of the game, and this should give it an extra push in the situations where it needs a little more help.

Warrior
  • Protection
    • Shield Barrier’s attack power modifier increased to 2.0 (was 1.8). [5.2 Revert]
by Published on 2025-06-16 10:30 PM

Mists of Pandaria Classic Beta Stress Test - June 18
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
We’ll be performing a stress test for Mists of Pandaria Classic on Wednesday, June 18, from 2:00pm - 4:00pm PDT. During this time, we ask players to jump in on the public test realm environment to help simulate the launch.

For the stress test, all races and classes will be available for creation along with level 85 templates and character copy. The starting quests will become active at 2:50pm PDT to allow players time to set-up and get ready.

Jump in, storm Pandaria, and help us make sure that people aren’t getting stuck on the ship. Players who do not have a beta invite are encouraged and welcomed to please help jump in and participate. And who knows, you might encounter some shenanigans along the way…

If you encounter any issues during the test, you can submit them through the bug reporting tool in-game. If there are any aspects you’d like to discuss, feel free to post in the Classic Discussion forum.
by Published on 2025-06-16 09:22 PM

World of Warcraft Classic Survey: New Features and What's Next?
Blizzard has sent surveys to select players asking for feedback on potential new features and the future of World of Warcraft Classic. While these features are not confirmed, the survey gives us a glimpse into the ideas Blizzard is exploring for the next WoW Classic project.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Survey
Feature - Description

  • Playable Shamans on the Alliance Side - The introduction of Shaman class to the Alliance
  • Collections - A UI-based storage system for pets, mounts, and toys to free up inventory space
  • Account-Wide Collections - Making all pets, mounts, and toys available to all characters on your account
  • 1v1 Duel Arenas - The ability to go into a special dueling area for 1v1 contests that are viewable by spectators
  • New Player Character Models - Character models similar to those used for player characters in modern World of Warcraft
  • In-game Events - New events that offer different small quests & casual gameplay around the world. These would release between large updates.
  • Pet Battles - Collect pets from the game world and have them compete head to head with other pets in turn-based battles
  • Leveling Professions Improvements - Ability to make more usable gear for yourself as you level and be able to craft it at level-appropriate tradeskill levels
  • New Class Abilities and Spells - Brand new class abilities and/or spells unique to this version of Classic
  • Honor Rewards Redesign - Move honor rewards away from the original WoW model and towards a more seasonal model where new honor rewards are added to coincide with new PvE raid tier updates
  • WoW Token - A secure and convenient way for players to exchange gold for game time or Battle.net Balance
  • Class Talent Adjustments - Streamlining and improving class talent trees to make weaker specializations and classes more viable while still maintaining the overall feel and flow of classic combat
  • Account-wide Perks and Progression System - A system to allow you to gather points and spend them on account-wide bonuses such as quality of life and convenience, encouraging playing alts or specializing in specific activities
  • Playable High Elves - Playable High-Elf-Like race for the horde and the alliance
  • Revisiting "Known" but unexplored zones - Visiting zones that were a part of Warcraft history but were never playable in Original World of Warcraft. (i.e. Mount Hyjal, Uldum, Gilneas, etc.)
  • Player Housing - Instanced personalized housing for players and guilds
  • Achievements - A system to track game milestones and accomplishments
  • Cross-Realm Play - Ability to group with friends from other realms for dungeons, battlegrounds, and other instanced activities
  • Honor System Redesign - A ground-up redesign of the honor system removing the hard honor cap, making the system more evergreen and continually engaging
  • War Mode - As an alternative to PvP servers, this mode would allow you to opt-in to PvP in the open world via a toggle in main faction cities
  • Brand New Zones - Completely new playable areas with unique lore added to Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor
  • 20 Player Raids - New 20-player focused raid dungeons
  • 40 Player Raids - New 40-player focused raid dungeons
  • Graphical Improvements to Lighting, Shadows, and Surface Reflections - Using modern technology to improve the lighting engine in the game for more realistic lights, shadows, and reflections on surfaces like water and glass
  • New Tradeskills - New primary and secondary professions
  • Graphical Texture Improvements and Resolution Upgrade - Using modern technology to improve the fidelity of textures used on classic art assets.
  • New Battleground - New objective-based PvP instance
  • New race and class combinations - New class race combinations, including those never before seen in Warcraft
  • New Class - Character classes that are completely new to any version of World of Warcraft (i.e. not Death Knights, Monks, Demon Hunters, Evokers)
  • 10 Player Raids - New 10-player focused raid dungeons
  • Cross-Realm Guilds - Ability to invite your friends from other realms to join your player guild
  • Transmogrification - The ability to change the appearance of your equipped items. Transmogs will only be visible in rested areas, dungeons, or raids (i.e., no open world PvP, no Battlegrounds)
  • Playable Paladins on the Horde Side - The introduction of Paladin class to the Horde



At the end of the survey, Blizzard has also asked players which version of WoW they see themselves playing after Mists of Pandaria ends. These choices may hint at Blizzard's internal discussions on future game modes for WoW Classic.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Survey
Regardless of which version of WoW is your current main version, what version of WoW do you think will become your main version in the future once Classic Mists of Pandaria ends?

  • A Classic Era (e.g., Vanilla-style servers) realm (with my Mists of Pandaria characters)
  • A different version of Classic (without my Mists of Pandaria characters)
  • Retail/Modern WoW (with my Mists of Pandaria characters)
  • Wrath of the Lich King Classic or another earlier Classic expansion (with my Mists of Pandaria characters)
  • Classic Warlords of Draenor, if it becomes available
  • A permanently frozen Mists of Pandaria Classic realm with no further updates
  • I do not plan to continue playing WoW after the end of Classic Mists of Pandaria
by Published on 2025-06-16 05:15 PM

WoW Classic 20th Anniversary Edition Phase 5 Launches July 10
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The War Effort begins July 10 at 3:00 pm PDT!

Aid your faction in opening the gates of Ahn'Qiraj—granting access to the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj and Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raids for your server. Be the first to ring the Scarab Gong to get the coveted Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal mount.



Join the War Effort

On July 10 at 3:00 pm PDT, the War Effort will begin, and each faction can turn in an immense amount of resources that, once completed, require five days to be transported to Silithus. Due to the raid requirements in the questline leading up to the "Bang a Gong!" quest, the earliest that the ringing can occur in Silithus on highly-motivated realms could be just over a week later.

Get Out There and Gather

It's up to every champion of the Horde and Alliance to pitch in to ensure their faction completes The War Effort requirements by delivering a multitude of supplies and materials. Head to this guide for a complete list of materials and supplies necessary, along with how much of everything you'll need.

What You Need and Where to Go

Visit Field Marshal Snowfall (Alliance) making the rounds through the Military Ward in Ironforge or Warlord Gorchuk (Horde) pacing the Valley of Spirits in Orgrimmar to turn in your Commendations! If you're curious about the overall progress of your faction, these War Effort Commanders also help keep a tally of the materials and supplies obtained and still needed.

Care to know the opposing faction's progress? Horde Ambassador General Zog in the Ironforge and Alliance Ambassador Commander Stronghammer in Orgrimmar for details.

So Many Supplies, So Little Time

The initial War Effort requires a great deal of supplies to be turned in by your faction on your realm. If this is not complete 15 days after the content is unlocked, small amounts of supplies will begin turning in automatically, as they did in version 1.12 of the original WoW. The gates still require somebody to "Bang a Gong!" but this will help ensure that all realms have the chance to unlock Ahn'Qiraj before Naxxramas is released.



Bang a Gong!

Once you complete the "The Scepter of the Shifting Sands" questline, be the first to complete the "Bang a Gong!" quest to open the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj for everyone on your server, earning you the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal mount.

Once the gong is rung on a realm, the Ten Hour War begins, giving players 10 hours to finish up their quests and earn their rare mount. Only the first player on a realm to ring the gong will be announced across the zone in Silithus. On realms that have multiple layers, once the gong is rung on one layer, the Ten-Hour War will begin on all layers.

Once the 10 hours have elapsed, "Bang a Gong!" can no longer be turned in, the two Ahn'Qiraj raids will open, and the "Treasures of the Timeless One" quest will become available.

The exact times for the ringing of the gong, and therefore the raids, will differ on every realm.

Ringing the gong can only be done by players who have completed all of the steps of the "Scepter of the Shifting Sands" questline before the end of the 10-hour window. In addition to raid requirements, players can use the Proxy of Nozdormu to deputize other players to help them amass Silithid Carapace Fragments.

All players who complete the questline and turn in "Bang a Gong!" before the 10 hours are up will receive the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal mount. Any player who completes the questline up through "The Might of Kalimdor" will be eligible for "Treasures of the Timeless One," which rewards an Epic weapon they can choose—Fang of Korialstrasz (MH Dagger), Shadowsong's Sorrow (1H Dagger), Runesword of the Red (MH Sword), or Ravencrest's Legacy (1H Sword)—regardless of whether they were able to complete "Bang a Gong!" in time.

For a more detailed breakdown of how you can prepare for the Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline and get the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal mount, read this guide.



Behind the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj

The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj enclose two massive raid dungeons—the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj (20-player) and the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj (40-player).

As you delve deeper into the mysteries of Ahn'Qiraj, discover revelations of the Silithid infestation and their shadowy masters, the Qiraji.

Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj: 20-player Raid Temple of Ahn'Qiraj: 40-player Raid
  • Level Requirement: 60
  • Reputation: Cenarion Circle
  • Where: Silithus
  • Bosses:
    • Kurinnaxx
    • General Rajaxx
    • Moam
    • Buru the Gorger
    • Ayamiss the Hunter
    • Ossirian the Unscarred
  • Level Requirement: 60
  • Reputation: Brood of Nozdormu
  • Where: Silithus
  • Bosses:
    • The Prophet Skeram
    • Silithid Royalty
    • Battleguard Sartura
    • Fankriss the Unyielding
    • Viscidus
    • Princess Huhuran
    • The Twin Emperors
    • Ouro
    • C'Thun



Two New Class Armor Sets

Earn two new class armor sets—from both the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj and the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj—by looting items from powerful bosses and gaining Reputation with the Cenarion Circle and Brood of Nozdormu.

Build your Tier 2.5 Raid Set by reaching specific Reputation levels with the Brood of Nozdormu and collecting Qiraji Tokens, class-specific Idols, and Scarabs from the raid instances.

Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj Temple of Ahn'Qiraj

Druid

Symbols of Unending Life
  • Band of Unending Life (Ring)
  • Cloak of Unending Life (Cloak)
  • Mace of Unending Life (1H Mace)
Genesis Raiment
  • Genesis Boots
  • Genesis Helm
  • Genesis Shoulderpads
  • Genesis Trousers
  • Genesis Vest

Hunter

Trappings of the Unseen Path
  • Signet of the Unseen Path (Ring)
  • Cloak of the Unseen Path (Cloak)
  • Scythe of the Unseen Path (1H Axe)
Striker's Guard
  • Striker's Diadem
  • Striker's Footguards
  • Striker's Hauberk
  • Striker's Leggings
  • Striker's Pauldrons

Mage

Trappings of Vaulted Secrets
  • Band of Vaulted Secrets (Ring)
  • Drape of Vaulted Secrets (Cloak)
  • Blade of Vaulted Secrets (1H Sword)
Enigma Vestments
  • Enigma Boots
  • Enigma Circlet
  • Enigma Leggings
  • Enigma Robes
  • Enigma Shoulderpads

Paladin

Battlegear of Eternal Justice
  • Ring of Eternal Justice (Ring)
  • Cape of Eternal Justice (Cloak)
  • Blade of Eternal Justice (1H Sword)
Avenger's Battlegear
  • Avenger's Breastplate
  • Avenger's Crown
  • Avenger's Greaves
  • Avenger's Legguards
  • Avenger's Pauldrons

Priest

Finery of Infinite Wisdom
  • Ring of Infinite Wisdom (Ring)
  • Shroud of Infinite Wisdom (Cloak)
  • Gavel of Infinite Wisdom (1H Mace)
Garments of the Oracle
  • Footwraps of the Oracle
  • Mantle of the Oracle
  • Tiara of the Oracle
  • Trousers of the Oracle
  • Vestments of the Oracle

Rogue

Emblems of Veiled Shadows
  • Band of Veiled Shadows (Ring)
  • Cloak of Veiled Shadows (Cloak)
  • Dagger of Veiled Shadows (Dagger)
Deathdealer's Embrace
  • Deathdealer's Boots
  • Deathdealer's Helm
  • Deathdealer's Spaulders
  • Deathdealer's Leggings
  • Deathdealer's Vest

Shaman

Gift of the Gathering Storm
  • Ring of the Gathering Storm (Ring)
  • Cloak of the Gathering Storm (Cloak)
  • Hammer of the Gathering Storm (1H Mace)
Stormcaller's Attire
  • Stormcaller's Diadem
  • Stormcaller's Footguards
  • Stormcaller's Hauberk
  • Stormcaller's Leggings
  • Stormcaller's Pauldrons

Warlock

Implements of Unspoken Names
  • Ring of Unspoken Names (Ring)
  • Shroud of Unspoken Names (Cloak)
  • Kris of Unspoken Names (Dagger)
Doomcaller's Attire
  • Doomcaller's Circlet
  • Doomcaller's Footwraps
  • Doomcaller's Mantle
  • Doomcaller's Robes
  • Doomcaller's Trousers

Warrior

Battlegear of Unyielding Strength
  • Signet of Unyielding Strength (Ring)
  • Drape of Unyielding Strength (Cloak)
  • Sickle of Unyielding Strength (1H Axe)
Conqueror's Battlegear
  • Conqueror's Breastplate
  • Conqueror's Crown
  • Conqueror's Greaves
  • Conqueror's Legguards
  • Conqueror's Spaulders



We look forward to following along as events unfold over the next several weeks as you battle your way through the forgotten horrors of Ahn’Qiraj.

Lok'tar Ogar!
by Published on 2025-06-14 02:36 PM

Patch 11.1.7 Extended Maintenance - June 17, 2025
Blizzard has announced an overcharged extended maintenance for the Patch 11.1.7 launch day in North America, lasting approximately 8 hours from 7:00 AM PT until 3:00 PM PT. European realms will also have an 8-hour maintenance on Wednesday, from 3:00 AM CET until 11:00 AM CET.


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