Update #2 Beta Raid Testing for Oct. 19 - ON AGAIN!
Originally Posted by Daelo (Blue Tracker)
Beta update happened and instance servers seem to be up again. I'm opening Blackwing Descent to test Maloriak and Atramedes. I'll leave these two encounters up for an extrended period overnight, including in the morning tomorrow so our non-US regions can try the encounters out.

As always, these plans can change at a moment's notice based on bugs or other issues.

Cataclysm Beta - Build 13202 (Codename Pumpkin)
A wild beta build appears! It might or might not be deployed on beta servers soon depending on Blizzard's mood and raid testing.

Achievements Changes
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Guild Achievements
  • Profit Sharing now requires 100,000 gold, up from 50,000 gold. Now rewards the Guild Herald companion pet.
  • Saving For A Rainy Day now requires 200,000 gold, up from 100,000 gold. No longer rewards the Guild Herald companion pet.

Dungeons & Raids

Player vs. Player
Spell Changes
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Guild Perks
  • Bartering now reduces the price of items from all vendors by 10%, up from 5%.

Companion Pets

Enchanting

Engineering

Druid (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Feral
  • Rip now scales from 18/37/55/74/92% of Attack Power depending on combo points, up from 8/16/24/32/40%.
  • Ferocious Bite now scales from 10.9/21.8/32.7/43.6/54.5% of Attack Power depending on combo points, up from 7/14/21/28/35%.
  • Rake now causes scales from 2% of Attack Power for bleed damage, up from 1%. Now scales from 42% of AP for additional bleed damage over 9 sec, up from 18% of AP.
  • Mangle additional damage has been increased from 726 to 1136.
  • Vengeance - Entering Cat Form will cancel this effect.

Mage (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Arcane

Fire

Frost

Paladin (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Holy

Protection

Retribution

Priest (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Holy

Shadow
  • Mind Soothe now also affects Dragonkin. Does not cause threat.
  • Shadow Word: Death now deals three times as much damage to targets below 25% health.

Warlock (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Affliction
  • Seed of Corruption now deals 567 to 660 to all enemies within 15 yards, down from 1186 to 1379.

Demonology
  • Summon Infernal now deals 438 to 494 fire damage when it lands, up from 29.

Destruction
  • Incinerate now deals 579 to 673 Fire Damage and an additional 96 to 112 Fire damage if the target is affected by Immolate. Changed from 540 to 627 with an additional 135 to 156.
  • Rain of Fire now deals 2455 Fire damage over 8 sec, up from 1890.

Warrior (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Arms
  • Taste for Blood will not occur more than once every 5 sec, down from 6 sec.

Cataclysm Raid Loot Update
Last night's testing revealed more loot on beta servers!

ilvlTypeSpecSlotItem
359AxePhys.DPSOff-HandMaimgor's Bite
359CrossbowPhys.DPSRangedDragonheart Piercer
359DaggerSpell DPSMain HandIncineratus
359DaggerSpell DPSMain HandBlade of the Witching Hour
359FingerMeleeFingerRing of Rivalry
359Fist Weap.MeleeOff-HandBlackwing Descent Trash Loot Strength Fist Weapon - Set
359Fist Weap.Phys.DPSMain HandBlackwing Descent Trash Loot Agility Fist Weapon - Set
359MaceMeleeTwo-HandAkirus the Worm-Breaker
359SwordMeleeOne-HandLava Spine
359SwordPhys.DPSOne-HandFang of Twilight
359SwordSpell DPSMain HandMaldo's Sword Cane
359PlateHealChestBreastplate of Avenging Flame
359PlateMeleeFeetTreads of Savage Beatings
359PlateTankFeetMolten Tantrum Boots
359PlateTankHeadDaybreaker Helm
359PlateTankShoulderHeaving Plates of Protection
359MailSpellLegsPhase-Twister Leggings
359MailSpellWaistLifecycle Waistguard
359MailSpellWaistWaistguard of Hatred
359MailPhys.DPSLegsLeggings of Lethal Force
359LeatherSpellChestScorched Wormling Vest
359LeatherPhys.DPSHeadTsanga's Helm
359LeatherPhys.DPSWristParasitic Bands
359ClothHealHeadHelm of Eldritch Authority
359ClothSpell DPSLegsFlame Pillar Leggings
359ClothSpell DPSWristBracers of the Dark Pool
359CloakTankBackIronstar's Impenetrable Cover
359CloakSpell SpiritBackDrape of the Twins
359NeckPhys.DPSNeckNecklace of Strife
359NeckSpell DPSNeckValiona's Medallion
359TrinketTankTrinketVial of Stolen Memories
359TrinketSpell DPSTrinketTheralion's Mirror
359TrinketTankTrinketSymbiotic Worm



Class balance as of Oct 18, 2010
Originally Posted by Ghostcrawler (Blue Tracker)
We are going to take the resilience buff down a little.

It should end up as a 25% buff from where it stood originally, not a 50% buff. For point of comparison, maxing out resilience before our first hotfix reduced damage by ~50%. After out hotfix, the damage reduction with max resilience was 80%. With this most recent change, damage reduction with max resilience will go down to 60%.

Part of what is going on here is that we don't want newly leveled characters to explode in PvP, while still making sure that well-geared characters aren't invulnerable. The current resilience curve makes that a tricky thing to balance. Perhaps in the future resilience needs diminishing returns so that it doesn't keep getting better and better the more you have.

While we don't have any additional announcements to make at this time, there are some additional balance tweaks we're working on. Some of our adjustments at level 80 ended up causing certain classes to be overpowered or underpowered at level 85.

Beta Raid Testing Schedule for Oct. 19
Originally Posted by Daelo (Blue Tracker)
Yet more raid testing!

There will be two sessions, an EU session starting at 11AM server time (PDT), and a US timed session at 4PM server time (PDT). We'll open the zones on all Beta realms (including KR!) for both sessions, and possibly longer.

The following encounters will be tested:

Maloriak in Blackwing Descent
Atramedes in Blackwing Descent

Blackwing Descent is a raid zone with an entrance located along the side of Blackrock Mountain.

Since these are the beta realms, this schedule is subject to change at a moment's notice due to bugs and server issues. More raid tests will be occurring over the next few weeks.

BlizzCon 2010 Begins This Week
BlizzCon is indeed this week and you can expect a full coverage of the event on MMO-Champion!
Originally Posted by Lylirra (Blue Tracker)
Are you ready for BlizzCon 2010? Blizzard Entertainment's two-day gaming festival begins this Friday, October 22, at the Anaheim Convention Center. The sold-out show features developer discussion panels, top-tier tournament competition, the popular costume and dance contests hosted by Jay Mohr, an epic closing concert starring Tenacious D, and much more.

You can still join us from home by purchasing a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket (http://blizzcon.rayv.com), featuring more than 50 hours of live HD coverage as well as the exclusive BlizzCon 2010 World of Warcraft pet and StarCraft II in-game items. The Virtual Ticket is available globally via Internet stream and also through DIRECTV in the U.S. For more information, read our recent press release (http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/news/?d=2010-10#180800) or visit BlizzCon.com (http://blizzcon.com).

Cataclysm System Requirements
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker)
In preparation for the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, we have updated our recommended minimum system requirements. These new requirements correspond with patch 4.0.1. We suggest players check out our related support article for all of the details to ensure your gameplay experience is as ideal as possible.

http://us.blizzard.com/support/artic...rticleId=21054

Cataclysm Preview: The Stonecore
Originally Posted by Lylirra (Blue Tracker)
What mysteries await within the Temple of Earth? Journey to the heart of Deepholm in our latest dungeon preview featuring the Stonecore. Considered sacred by the Twilight’s Hammer followers and acting as a haven to the elements of earth, this level 82-84 dungeon will not relinquish its secrets easily.

Learn more on our new preview page: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/catac...stonecore.html

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been 310% Hotfix
The hotfix is scheduled to go live tonight. (Source)

Missing Glyphs in 4.0.1
The missing glyphs we know of are Mage Armor, Long Word and possibly Vanish. The others have been found through discovery as far as we know. (Source)

Druid (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Unshifting clears Vengeance
We could make shifting to Cat clear Vengeance but let it stay on in caster form. We're only paranoid about Cat AP for obvious reasons. (Source)


Paladin (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Holy Paladins on Beta
After looking at more of the raid attempts on beta, we are worried that Holy paladins are doing too much area healing and not enough single target healing.

While we definitely want to scoot paladins away from their Lich King monopoly on tank healing and towards raid healing, we don't want to go too far. We're thinking about nerfing Holy Radiance and buffing single target healing. Again, the goal is not that Holy paladins only ever heal the tank, but we want them to actually be able to heal the tank as well.

On Holy Radiance, we think the 20 yard range shifted the spell from one where position was relevant to just blowing it on cooldown. We'll probably keep the 20 yard radius, but have a falloff to where the healing is highest within 8-10 yards of the paladin. This will also help the spell stay relevant in 5-player dungeons without being overpowered in larger raids. The cap for Holy Radiance (and Healing Rain for that matter) also aren't working correctly at the moment.

If we decide to buff single target healing, it would probably just be points on the 5 direct heals. We think Beacon is in a good place and aren't looking to overhaul the overall Holy mechanics. It's just a numbers issue.

Judging Seal of Insight (a change I alluded to earlier) will help with mana problems, especially when Divine Plea is on cooldown or you're nervous about using it. (Source)

Beacon of Light Nerf
We thought Beacon was overpowered when the paladin could literally heal two targets to 100% at once. In that era, there was never a reason to heal the Beaconed target. Not only was it powerful, it was really easy and required little action or decision on the part of the paladin. Having the Beacon splash some healing onto a target who may or may not need it feels balance-able to us. It means the paladin still needs to decide when to heal the Beaconed target indirectly (i.e. use Beacon) or when to heal them directly. It means there is the risk of doing the wrong thing, which could mean switching Beacon when you shouldn't have or healing the Beacon when you should have healed someone else. (Source)
This article was originally published in forum thread: Beta Build 13202, Raid Loot, Blizzcon, Class Changes, Blue Posts started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 111 Comments
  1. korrable's Avatar
    Heck yes to reverse mage nerf.

    That seriously suckeeedd.
  1. Thistlefur's Avatar
    Anyone know if the hotix for the What a long strange trip it's been is up and working?
  1. errazib's Avatar
    We have pushed a hotfix to improve hunter damage.

    Specifically, we increased the damage of the signature abilities (Chimera Shot, Explosive Shot and Kill Command) by 15-25%. This will both improve overall damage-dealing and make sure that these abilities are prioritized higher than other shots. We think this will bring hunters to a good enough state until they hit 85. Aspect of the Fox and Cobra Shot solve some specific issues at higher levels. Marksman hunters may still trump Survival and Beastmaster hunters until they’re 85, since their rotations rely a little on Cobra Shot.
  1. Sidone's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Liinx View Post
    MOONKIN PET how awesome XD I wanttt. I can't wait to see what it looks like! ^_^
    Probably like a moonkin ^_^
  1. Tychus's Avatar
    Treads of Savage Beatings... EPIC
  1. valiorik's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ganodorf View Post
    the system requirements are lower the i thought....You guys think that 2 GB are really enough to play cata at ultra? I need an advice because i meet all requirements but i was kinda sure to have to upgrade my ram to 4 gb!!!! Suggestion needed guys!!
    It's not.. Recommended is about "Medium" settings actually.
    Personally experiencing low frame rate (15-20) on ultra with x9100 4gb ddr3 GF 9800 GT. However if shadows are turned off, FPS jumps from 20 to 60 instantly event in City / raid. Looks like shadows rendering is buggy.
  1. Sidone's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by valiorik View Post
    It's not.. Recommended is about "Medium" settings actually.
    Personally experiencing low frame rate (15-20) on ultra with x9100 4gb ddr3 GF 9800 GT. However if shadows are turned off, FPS jumps from 20 to 60 instantly event in City / raid. Looks like shadows rendering is buggy.
    9800GT is ur problem. 2008 card. Maybe lower settings. Then again, whats ur HDD and CPU?
  1. valiorik's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sidone View Post
    9800GT is ur problem. 2008 card. Maybe lower settings. Then again, whats ur HDD and CPU?
    Year not so important. It just mean that cheap 2010' GF GTS 360 would perform as 2007' hi-end video card. Anyway G9800GT is in Class1 at Notebookcheck and similar ratings. And GTA4, Civ5 running smooth at highest settings and Crysis in medium.
    CPU as stated above is x9100, more info: http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=35431
    As for HDD (isn't it only for loading? swamp should not be used then game takes only 600-800 MB of RAM) it's RAID0/1 2x7200 rpm sata drives.

    That's why I assume shadows rendering is buggy !
  1. lunaspike's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Hayro1 View Post
    Holy Paladins in Beta are ridiculously OP in 25 mans due to their AoE healing capability. Have you seen PoV's of Holy Paladins in 25 mans with recount?
    I just asked for a link to one of the videos. I would very much like to see one from a holy pov. Healer vids are the best in my opinion. You get to see much more of what's going on. THEY don't, they are too busy having to watch little bars.
  1. mmocd689e38951's Avatar
    You can buy most of Arena gear even if you do not have the proper rating, requirements seems to be gone from all items. ilvl 277 weapons are the only items left with a rating requirement.
    False,at least in Neptulon,EU.Everything still has the proper arena requirements.
  1. Hayro1's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by lunaspike View Post
    I just asked for a link to one of the videos. I would very much like to see one from a holy pov. Healer vids are the best in my opinion. You get to see much more of what's going on. THEY don't, they are too busy having to watch little bars.
    Go search the new bosses on Youtube, there's at least 2 Holy Paladin PoV's.

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