Build of the Month
Recent Blue Posts
Now Live! Temple Ahn’Qiraj, Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj, and Nightmare Grove
WoW Weekly Wrap-Up: Season of Discovery Phase 6, and More!
Recent Forum Posts
New Zone in 11.2, Dev Interviews, WoW China Growth, Mountain Dew Event
Fewer Tanks was 100% Predictable
Gear Checker Cogstar
Witch Doctor Budget Guide - 5 Million Gold, Wizard Cosplay, Demon Hunter Fan ArtUpdate: Hotfixes for the Crow and Darkmoon Glowfly are in flight. Crow captureable, Glowfly at all qualities.
Patch 5.1 Darkmoon Faire Updates
The Darkmoon Faire has started and Patch 5.1 added a few new things. The biggest addition is the new Darkmoon Carousel, which takes the place of one of the large under construction tents. It uses the nice new music that was added in Patch 5.1. Riding it gives you the WHEE! buff, which increases reputation and experience gains by 10%. Unlike some of the other event buffs, it does work with quests as well, so it will be useful for leveling reputation. This buff will last for an hour if you ride long enough but does not persist through death, so be careful!
If you are working on pet battles, the new Darkmoon Pet Battle! daily quest will let you fight a new pet battle trainer, rewarding you with Darkmoon Pet Supplies. The bag has contents that are similar to the Sack of Pet Supplies, but has a rare chance of dropping the Darkmoon Eye battle pet. So far we haven't seen one drop out of our small sample, so it is likely the drop rate is similar to the .2% of Porcupette.
Even if you aren't ready to battle just yet, there are three other new pets at the Darkmoon Faire. The Darkmoon Glowfly can be captured during pet battles on Darkmoon Island. The Crow will also be captured from battles on Darkmoon Island, but is currently bugged and uncapturable. The Darkmoon Hatchling is sold by Lhara for 90 x
Darkmoon Prize Ticket.Lastly, "Dusty" Brandom is now waiting for you at the entrance to let you use one of his Darkmoon Striders on the way down. This is the same model that is used by the Swift Forest Strider, sold for 180 x
Darkmoon Prize Ticket.
Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
Any thoughts on boomkins in pve? no blue responses on forums or mentions in patches. feels like we are being ignored as a com
"Ignored" got so over-used that it stopped catching my eye expansions ago. (Source)
Paladin (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
Can't believe I spent all of last raid with Holy Avenger instead of Divine Purpose. Was testing to see if DL/FoL got the 30% bonus. Nope!
I could have told you that! No responses to my bug reports, tickets to tweets to @Ghostcrawler about how Holy Avenger is buggy.
Holy: Looks like HA works with ToR after all. I have concerns, but if it's already working and not abusive, we see no reason to remove it. (Source)
Warrior (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
I'm pretty impressed you guys aren't falling victim to all the people whining about warrior damage. They'll be fine in 5.1 imo
Hard for folks to imagine how 5.1 nerfs feel so people keep falling back to how it feels today. Still broken = nerf plz!
Character
Why a weekly valor cap? I have thought about it and can't come up with a good reason.
Without a cap, progression oriented players might feel the need to play every waking minute. That can lead to just quitting. (Source)
Regarding the alt unfriendliness of MoP. You created a huge requirement sink and refuse to address the elephant in the room
If an alt gets every accomplishment your main has then you have few reasons to play that alt. There has to be a better design.
I disagree Greg. I play dif chars because I want to play a dif class, not to get some achieves. Make them all .net bound.
But what are you going to do on that character if it has everything the main does. Just raid? (Source)
Sometimes I wish WoW had a class system like FFXI. Not saying it would work, but I did like that character devotion
Yeah that's the extreme, where you level the account once and then play any class. (Source)
From the alt discussion, sounds like many think X you only have to do once and Y you should do every character. X and Y vary of course. (Source)
Some view alts as new char to build from scratch. Others see as just playstyle change fr. main, so build = repetitive hassle.
Yep, I agree that is the basic issue. Just concerned that if we make alts too trivial to progress that we lose gameplay. (Source)
What things do you keep in mind when making the decision if something should be account bound?
Many same questions. Does BoA mean the alt has a leg up or the alt is "done?" Leveling alts with no bonuses worked for years. I'm thinking that the role of alts and which accomplishments (inc rep) should be on the character or on the account would make a good blog. (Source)
Isn't the reason most people roll alts is to play different class. Not for achievements
But with enough sharing and XP bonuses you're just getting every class if you max out one. (Source)
So its not OK to expect to be able to taste the content you just lauched?
We make content all the time that isn't available to every player ASAP. In this case, you'll get there at some point. (Source)
I'm a mage and my transmog is the 25m T8. Could we have matching belt/boots we don't have access to, used in game by Rhonin?
We're looking at ways to introduce popular t'mog items that aren't available anymore. (Source)
PvE
Why do nerf cleave on Garalon, it always worked the same, on Zon'ozz for example, why dont nerf it before?
If you get a 400% bonus, the intent is not that your cleaves get that bonus. Rogues etc should be desirable not mandatory. (Source)
PvP
I am getting 1 shotted by either a mage or warrior, when my life is at 180k (half).
That's not the conventional definition of one-shotted. Many abilities hit for 100k. It's when you get to 400k that no counter.
One shotted can also mean dying in one GCD, from full, or as near as as makes no difference. This DOES happen.
No, that's actually the definition we use (one GCD) but from full health and only vs one opponent. (Source)
Based on some of these tweets, I'm thinking some of you won't be happy until the only spell left in PvP is autoattack.
Nice hyperbole....I think most people will be content just not getting instantly globaled by TFB/Stampede type abilities.
Those at least mentioned by several players. If you look at my tweets there are demands to nerf Lava Burst, HoJ, Hellfire... (Source)
Thats akin to having a skill with 99.99% 1 damage and 0.01% 1M damage. Rare doesnt mean TfB is balanced or good design.
It's possible to step into Arena and be crit by every single attack, but we don't balance around what's possible, just reasonable. (Source)
If gladiator players who you always mention think tfb is op then how can you not?...300k in arena should not be possible. done
We don't let players, even expert ones, balance the game for us. We appreciate their feedback, as we do all feedback.
I respect you, Greg Street, but how obvious does it have to be? 1-shotting is not OK no matter how RNG it is. EoD.
I actually agree with that, but nobody is 1-shotting you with TfB (or CB). 5-stack TfB crit does what 250K? 2 or 3 shot maybe.
With everything up and tier 2 it can go over 300k; and heroic strikes not on the GCD so HS+MS = 1 shot
Do you get MS for > 100K for a lot? If it requires every cooldown + MS + mastery proc + 5 TfB then we're in the realm of videos. (Source)
Did you try the approach of Rock paper scissor for PvP ? Or increase it if you consider it live already.
I don't think RPS works for WoW Arena because you've already picked your comp. That does not mean strengths and weaknesses are bad.
RPS on the talent system can work though. Having to figure out which talent set to pick to best defeat a comp is great
I don't honestly think RPS is a great metaphor. Even in RTS, rock can beat paper in the right situations. (Source)
Future
Weren't they supposed to be implementing a "hide enchants" feature? Or is it delayed until Dance Studio?
Dance Studio is just a huge project. Enchants require new code, but not new art or design. Much easier. (Source)
Questing
Do you plan to do something with the daily-reputation system? Many players hate it, and want tabards back
Grinding a rep out in one night by running a dungeon over and over is probably never coming back. (Source)
Without tabard spam dungeons feels really unrewarding past 463. Used to do it all the time in Wrath, hate it now.
We don't think having dungeon rep replace daily rep is the answer, but maybe we can come up with a compromise.
Why not? Seriously greg, it worked well in the previous expansions. Gate it if you want to pace it, but it worked
Disagree that it worked. I get that it was convenient but queuing for instances doesn't feel like a persistent world MMO. (Source)
Misc
Do devs ever make changes to game based on their personal (Live) play xpr? Not to buff themselves, but just improve things.
Sure. We sometimes notice bugs that slipped through or just something that doesn't feel as fun as we thought. (Source)
Wouldn't this encourage people to buy from gold sellers?
We try to give gold value while the best rewards unrelated to gold. A fantasy world with no gold economy would be odd. (Source)
So I'm curious Greg, what other games besides Blizzard's are you playing at the moment, if any?
Borderlands 2, XCOM, a little Arkham City, a replay of ME3 and some dumb iOS games. AC3, Halo4 in the pipe. I play a lot of games.
Do other games affect your design philosophy? I was affected by the openness in skyrim. Changed the way i see games
We play a lot of game and always looking for neat ideas or features that become expected or industry standard. (Source)
Any thoughts on boomkins in pve? no blue responses on forums or mentions in patches. feels like we are being ignored as a com
"Ignored" got so over-used that it stopped catching my eye expansions ago. (Source)
Paladin (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)Can't believe I spent all of last raid with Holy Avenger instead of Divine Purpose. Was testing to see if DL/FoL got the 30% bonus. Nope!
I could have told you that! No responses to my bug reports, tickets to tweets to @Ghostcrawler about how Holy Avenger is buggy.
Holy: Looks like HA works with ToR after all. I have concerns, but if it's already working and not abusive, we see no reason to remove it. (Source)
Warrior (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)I'm pretty impressed you guys aren't falling victim to all the people whining about warrior damage. They'll be fine in 5.1 imo
Hard for folks to imagine how 5.1 nerfs feel so people keep falling back to how it feels today. Still broken = nerf plz!
Character
Why a weekly valor cap? I have thought about it and can't come up with a good reason.
Without a cap, progression oriented players might feel the need to play every waking minute. That can lead to just quitting. (Source)
Regarding the alt unfriendliness of MoP. You created a huge requirement sink and refuse to address the elephant in the room
If an alt gets every accomplishment your main has then you have few reasons to play that alt. There has to be a better design.
I disagree Greg. I play dif chars because I want to play a dif class, not to get some achieves. Make them all .net bound.
But what are you going to do on that character if it has everything the main does. Just raid? (Source)
Sometimes I wish WoW had a class system like FFXI. Not saying it would work, but I did like that character devotion
Yeah that's the extreme, where you level the account once and then play any class. (Source)
From the alt discussion, sounds like many think X you only have to do once and Y you should do every character. X and Y vary of course. (Source)
Some view alts as new char to build from scratch. Others see as just playstyle change fr. main, so build = repetitive hassle.
Yep, I agree that is the basic issue. Just concerned that if we make alts too trivial to progress that we lose gameplay. (Source)
What things do you keep in mind when making the decision if something should be account bound?
Many same questions. Does BoA mean the alt has a leg up or the alt is "done?" Leveling alts with no bonuses worked for years. I'm thinking that the role of alts and which accomplishments (inc rep) should be on the character or on the account would make a good blog. (Source)
Isn't the reason most people roll alts is to play different class. Not for achievements
But with enough sharing and XP bonuses you're just getting every class if you max out one. (Source)
So its not OK to expect to be able to taste the content you just lauched?
We make content all the time that isn't available to every player ASAP. In this case, you'll get there at some point. (Source)
I'm a mage and my transmog is the 25m T8. Could we have matching belt/boots we don't have access to, used in game by Rhonin?
We're looking at ways to introduce popular t'mog items that aren't available anymore. (Source)
PvE
Why do nerf cleave on Garalon, it always worked the same, on Zon'ozz for example, why dont nerf it before?
If you get a 400% bonus, the intent is not that your cleaves get that bonus. Rogues etc should be desirable not mandatory. (Source)
PvP
I am getting 1 shotted by either a mage or warrior, when my life is at 180k (half).
That's not the conventional definition of one-shotted. Many abilities hit for 100k. It's when you get to 400k that no counter.
One shotted can also mean dying in one GCD, from full, or as near as as makes no difference. This DOES happen.
No, that's actually the definition we use (one GCD) but from full health and only vs one opponent. (Source)
Based on some of these tweets, I'm thinking some of you won't be happy until the only spell left in PvP is autoattack.
Nice hyperbole....I think most people will be content just not getting instantly globaled by TFB/Stampede type abilities.
Those at least mentioned by several players. If you look at my tweets there are demands to nerf Lava Burst, HoJ, Hellfire... (Source)
Thats akin to having a skill with 99.99% 1 damage and 0.01% 1M damage. Rare doesnt mean TfB is balanced or good design.
It's possible to step into Arena and be crit by every single attack, but we don't balance around what's possible, just reasonable. (Source)
If gladiator players who you always mention think tfb is op then how can you not?...300k in arena should not be possible. done
We don't let players, even expert ones, balance the game for us. We appreciate their feedback, as we do all feedback.
I respect you, Greg Street, but how obvious does it have to be? 1-shotting is not OK no matter how RNG it is. EoD.
I actually agree with that, but nobody is 1-shotting you with TfB (or CB). 5-stack TfB crit does what 250K? 2 or 3 shot maybe.
With everything up and tier 2 it can go over 300k; and heroic strikes not on the GCD so HS+MS = 1 shot
Do you get MS for > 100K for a lot? If it requires every cooldown + MS + mastery proc + 5 TfB then we're in the realm of videos. (Source)
Did you try the approach of Rock paper scissor for PvP ? Or increase it if you consider it live already.
I don't think RPS works for WoW Arena because you've already picked your comp. That does not mean strengths and weaknesses are bad.
RPS on the talent system can work though. Having to figure out which talent set to pick to best defeat a comp is great
I don't honestly think RPS is a great metaphor. Even in RTS, rock can beat paper in the right situations. (Source)
Future
Weren't they supposed to be implementing a "hide enchants" feature? Or is it delayed until Dance Studio?
Dance Studio is just a huge project. Enchants require new code, but not new art or design. Much easier. (Source)
Questing
Do you plan to do something with the daily-reputation system? Many players hate it, and want tabards back
Grinding a rep out in one night by running a dungeon over and over is probably never coming back. (Source)
Without tabard spam dungeons feels really unrewarding past 463. Used to do it all the time in Wrath, hate it now.
We don't think having dungeon rep replace daily rep is the answer, but maybe we can come up with a compromise.
Why not? Seriously greg, it worked well in the previous expansions. Gate it if you want to pace it, but it worked
Disagree that it worked. I get that it was convenient but queuing for instances doesn't feel like a persistent world MMO. (Source)
Misc
Do devs ever make changes to game based on their personal (Live) play xpr? Not to buff themselves, but just improve things.
Sure. We sometimes notice bugs that slipped through or just something that doesn't feel as fun as we thought. (Source)
Wouldn't this encourage people to buy from gold sellers?
We try to give gold value while the best rewards unrelated to gold. A fantasy world with no gold economy would be odd. (Source)
So I'm curious Greg, what other games besides Blizzard's are you playing at the moment, if any?
Borderlands 2, XCOM, a little Arkham City, a replay of ME3 and some dumb iOS games. AC3, Halo4 in the pipe. I play a lot of games.
Do other games affect your design philosophy? I was affected by the openness in skyrim. Changed the way i see games
We play a lot of game and always looking for neat ideas or features that become expected or industry standard. (Source)
WoWDB Addon Data Collection
Finding the drop rate of things like Porcupette or adding new data like the Patch 5.1 Darkmoon Faire additions is done with the help of many players. The more people that contribute data, the more accurate and quickly we can update the database.
To help out, just install the WoWDB Profiler addon from Curse and check the box in the Curse Client options as seen below. When you are playing the addon will gather data and save it. When you are done playing, Curse Client will see the game close and upload the collected data from the addon.
Fan Art
Breathing2004 has added a new piece of art and made an updated version of an older one.
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