Update: Another screenshot with a wider angle and no text was released.

Patch 5.2 PTR Early January - The Thunder King is Risen
The Blizzard CM team just sent us this with the following message: Happy Holidays from the World of Warcraft team! Here’s a small present to tide you over until the new year.

This article was originally published in forum thread: Patch 5.2 PTR Early January - The Thunder King is Risen started by chaud View original post
Comments 254 Comments
  1. thewespie's Avatar
    looks epic, like the days of massive raids. Can't wait to see a real raid again.
  1. McNeil's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by fangless View Post
    Is this location currently in game? Looks pretty large and ominous, don't think I've ever noticed it before >_>
    Yes, it is on the large island north of Townlong Steppes. Take a look at this map to the north west:

    http://qqreporter.com/wp-content/upl...Map-Hi-Res.jpg
  1. Ascendant's Avatar
    Sooo, anyone know where this palace is located? Could it be the palace on the unaccessible (through conventional means) island north of townlong steppes?
  1. Kazlofski's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Ascendant View Post
    Sooo, anyone know where this palace is located? Could it be the palace on the unaccessible (through conventional means) island north of townlong steppes?
    Yes, it's been said like 20 times in this thread, read the comments please before asking.
  1. THoyt's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by thewespie View Post
    looks epic, like the days of massive raids. Can't wait to see a real raid again.
    How exactly do you get all that from a screenshot and a header?
  1. Idletime's Avatar
    Grubz: The screams from people who log in for 5.2 realizing there are no instant epics and they have to actually raid for raid gear is going to be deafening. Hmmm. Actually, that was release.

    Raid progression gear should always have been about linear progression and not about completely skipping tiers. The system they introduced from Wrath of handing almost full sets of catchup gear caused more problems than it was worth. All that did was tell people to unsub if they didn't like the new raid or when they got bored, come back at the patch and you'll be ready to go for the next tier within a few days and get your old raid spot back.

    I remember one of my hunters went all in one week on every piece that he could get (including the KT 25 gun) and then the following week told us to replace him with '2 minutes before raid notice'. Ulduar was announced, and he magically reappeared opening night asking me for his spot back. Of course he had been replaced by a 100% attending player and raged in guild about how I was a disloyal and unfair GM, and I had to eventually remove him because he would do this nightly. We saw this with several others over the course of the entire expansion. Some pieces to catch up are fine, but entire sets allowing you to come and go were just ridiculous.
  1. thatmikeguy's Avatar
    I just hope there is a good tie into the Lore, it should not be just a side note kind of thing. An eyebrow always raises when dealing with lightning because of Aman'Thul, even when it's unlikely. I just hope they start dropping some names, and tie some of the past things together well. I can't wait, the story of wow is such a great one. I hope to at least someday see a glimpse of the stronger names in the game. I really think some people have given up on these things. Many of the older players like myself, who started reading the books from the start, would love seeing something larger lore wise.
  1. Artus's Avatar
    Don't tell me we are going to have to kill Raiden...
  1. Moradim's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Durandro View Post
    Indeed. I've been slacking and I'm still exalted with everything bar Klaxxi (who I've not even really started with) and Augest Celestials.

    Of course, alts are another matter...
    there must always be a thunder king!
  1. Gurbz's Avatar
    @Idletime: I completely agree. Making it easier to catch up if you are a new or returning player is fine. Allowing people to skip entire tiers by spending an afternoon grinding heroics was dumb.
  1. Failmuffins's Avatar
    Ulduar 2.0? Yes please!!!
  1. Thelxi's Avatar
    Did Blizzard just give out an actual date? :O

    Very impressed!
  1. Kalcheus's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Azrile View Post
    Operation Shieldwall takes about 15 minutes per day, probably less if you have raid gear. For horde, there is one set that takes me literally 5 minutes to do. (shoot down 6 helicopters, kill 8 soldiers, destroy 6 crates, kill 2 captians and blow up 2 ships). I have timed it.. 5 minutes.
    I have no idea the relevance of this comment. Time is a closed system (at least for me), and whether it takes 15 minutes or 5 hours, that's time from another task. I've prioritized prof leveling time, so Operation: Shieldwall must wait.

    ---------- Post added 2012-12-21 at 11:43 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Idletime View Post
    Grubz: The screams from people who log in for 5.2 realizing there are no instant epics and they have to actually raid for raid gear is going to be deafening. Hmmm. Actually, that was release.
    Way more people complain about others getting instant epics than those who complain about not getting them.

    The reality is that the TBC raid model caused tons of problems. LFR fixes that problem, but as LFR didn't exist until DS, Blizz had to do something. I know it upsets those that care more about the color of the item border on the armory page, but the solution, while creating a ton of whining among the so-called "elitists", helped.
  1. Kaneiac's Avatar
    Awesome. Been wanting to encounter Lei Shen, was hoping he'd be a secret MSV boss, but this is pretty rad too.

    I hope it's diverse, though. More Mogu...blergh.
  1. Kalcheus's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kaneiac View Post
    I hope it's diverse, though. More Mogu...blergh.
    There will be Trolls. A Titan something-or-other. And maybe (maybe) there will be something like Gunship/Saurfang where it turns into an Alliance vs Horde battle (it'd be nice if the "Saurfang" boss would actually be based on faction encountering him).

    And, of course, the Heroic-only Virmen King.
  1. Kaneiac's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by chrth View Post
    And, of course, the Heroic-only Virmen King.
    W-with a carrot add?!
  1. OneSent's Avatar
    Meh, PTR just kills the entire mood of the whole thing.

    After we've watched all the top guilds farm the shit out of all the bosses and we've seen everything it has to offer, it won't be as epic as it should be.

    Raids were more interesting when we had no clue what they looked like before seeing them on the live servers and guilds didn't know any of the strats until the raid actually launched.
  1. IxilaFA's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Pilek01 View Post
    There will be no new 5 mans like it was in Cata and the old expansions where you did catch up with ur gear true new 5 mans. After t15 releases people will still be doing t14 (expecting it to be a bit nerfed thou) to get gear for t15. Instead of new 5 mans to catch up blizz introduced the upgrade system and wont allow t15 items to be upgraded till t16 comes out.
    I remember Blizzard mentioning wanting people to gear up through previous LFR, but I don't remember them mentioning never adding more dungeons in. It would be easy: 3 new 5-man Heroics that drop 470 gear. That would be like 9 new bosses with a potential for maybe 7 , 8 upgrades per class, so you wouldn't even be able to get into HoF LFR just grinding them.

    Meh, PTR just kills the entire mood of the whole thing.

    After we've watched all the top guilds farm the shit out of all the bosses and we've seen everything it has to offer, it won't be as epic as it should be.

    Raids were more interesting when we had no clue what they looked like before seeing them on the live servers and guilds didn't know any of the strats until the raid actually launched.
    If it bugs you so much, don't watch any news on it. When you're in a hardcore world-first guild you give up the ability to enjoy the surprises and lore because you're dedicated to being the best. But if you're not, you can easily just roll into the LFR week one without reading a strat and learning it the hard way.
  1. Mikehuntz's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by OneSent View Post
    Meh, PTR just kills the entire mood of the whole thing.

    After we've watched all the top guilds farm the shit out of all the bosses and we've seen everything it has to offer, it won't be as epic as it should be.

    Raids were more interesting when we had no clue what they looked like before seeing them on the live servers and guilds didn't know any of the strats until the raid actually launched.
    Then how will they get players to test it? Don't get me wrong I would love if they did that but can't have like a handle of players across the world test this raid then have it sent out when most likely other guilds saying its either too hard or too easy then posting on their forums or here complaining...you guys know the cycle lol

    OT: If they say it's going to be like an Ulduar type raid. I except Valynar(I chopped that up horribly) to make a re-appearance! or some legendary type thing :P lol
  1. fangless's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by OneSent View Post
    Meh, PTR just kills the entire mood of the whole thing.
    Cause going into LFR and facerolling everything without thought is so much cooler?

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