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Patch 5.2 - PTR Build 16467

Patch 5.2 PTR Official Notes Update

Interesting Notes
  • The new legendary item is a meta gem, not head enchant.
  • Heroic Pandaria dungeons now award 100 Justice points per boss and gold drops scale based on number of players.
  • Mists of Pandaria Season 2 Malevolent Gladiator’s PvP gear can now be purchased with Honor Points instead of Conquest Points, including weapons, but newly purchased Season 2 Malevolent Gladiator’s armor, offhands, and shields will have an item level of 476 (was 483). Existing Malevolent items are unaffected.
  • Balance, Feral, Windwalker, Retribution, Shadow, Enhancement and Elemental now gain 25% of the bonus healing provided by PvP Power (was 0%).
  • Players in low level battlegrounds will have their effective level raised to the maximum level allowed in that battleground bracket.
  • Rated Battlegrounds now award conquest to the losing team based on their final score. The losing team can earn up to 200 Conquest Points from a very close match.
  • Staves and polearms can be transmogrified to each other.
  • Patch 5.0 Valor gear costs 50% less, and Patch 5.1 Valor Gear now costs 25% less.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
General
  • The Legendary Quest Continues:
    • Wrathion must know the origin and source of Mogu power, and Azeroth's mightiest heroes will aid the Black Prince in finding out what it is. The search for information will take players into the depths of the Thunder King's Palace, and pit them against trials of perseverance and skill. Along the way, they'll unlock the secrets to a new legendary metagem, Crown of the Heavens.

Classes
  • Death Knight (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)

  • Druid (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • Cyclone range has been increased to 30 yards (was 20), and it now has a 30-second cooldown for Feral Druids. In addition, it will now share diminishing returns with Banish, Seduction, Bind Elemental, Hex, Freezing Trap, Wyvern Sting, Gouge, Sap, Hibernate, Paralysis, Polymorph, Ring of Frost, Repentance, and Quaking Palm.
    • Balance
      • Starfall will no longer strike targets that are affected by crowd control effects.
    • Restoration
      • Naturalist: This new passive learned at level 10 by Restoration Druids increases all healing done by the Druid by 10%.
      • Wild Mushroom will now gain 75% of the overhealing performed by the Druid’s Rejuvenation effects, up to a maximum of 100% of the Druid’s health in bonus healing, and growing larger as they do so. When Wild Mushroom: Bloom is cast, this bonus healing will be divided evenly amongst targets in the area of effect.
    • Balance/Restoration Druid PvP Gloves: Bonus now increases Cyclone duration by 2 seconds (previously increased Cyclone range by 5 yards).

  • Hunter (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • Aimed Shot cast time has been been reduced to 2.5 seconds (was 2.9 seconds).

  • Mage (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)

  • Monk (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • Windwalker
      • New Level-75 Ability: Storm, Earth and Fire
        • The Windwalker can summon up to 2 elemental duplicates that mirror damaging abilities that the Monk uses while they are active. For each spirit summoned, the Monk's damage is reduced: 1 spirit causes the Monk and the spirit to deal 60% of the Monk's normal damage, while 2 spirits will cause the Monk and both active spirits to deal 40% of the Monk's normal damage. Each spirit lasts until the ability is canceled, that spirit's target dies or otherwise becomes unavailable, or they're killed (they can be targeted and have 10% of the Monk's health).
          • When using Fist of Fury, the stun effect will only apply from the Monk (not the spirits).
      • Spinning Fire Blossom’ damage has been adjusted to scale from weapon damage rather than attack power.
      • Tigereye Brew now gains 1 charge after spending 3 Chi (was 4 Chi).
    • Brewmaster
      • Black Ox Statue
        • The damage requirement to activate Sanctuary of the Ox has been increased by 100%. The spell tooltip has been updated to reflect the change.

  • Paladin (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)

  • Priest (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • Angelic Bulwark Spirit Shell can no longer be dispelled.
    • For Shadow, this ability causes Mind Flay to gain the Insanity effect when it's cast on a target with 3 Shadow damage-over-time spells on them. Insanity causes Mind Flay to deal double damage for the duration.
    • Devouring Plague now deals its damage evenly through its duration.
    • Focused Will is now a passive for Holy priests as well as Discipline priests.
    • Flash Heal healing has been reduced by 30%. A new passive (available at level 10) increases Flash Heal healing by 43% for Holy and Discipline Priests.
    • Power Word: Solace has been replace with a new talent: Solace & Insanity.
      • For Holy and Discpline, Power Word: Solace replaces Holy Fire. It deals the same damage, and interacts with other spells and abilities in the same manner, but is instant, costs no mana, and restores 1% of maximum mana on each cast.
    • Glyph of Desperation has been replaced with Glyph of Binding Heal. Pain Suppression and Guardian Spirit can now always be cast while stunned.
    • New Glyph: Glyph of Binding Heal applies Binding Heal a third nearby friendly target, but costs 35% more mana.
    • Glyph of Inner Focus has been replaced with Glyph of Weakened Soul. Casting Inner Focus now always grants 5 seconds of immunity to Silence, Interrupts, and Dispels.
    • New Glyph: Glyph of Weakened Soul reduces the duration of Weakened Soul by 2 seconds.
    • Discipline
      • Penance damage and healing has been increased by 20%.
      • Rapture now reduces the cost of Power Word: Shield by 25% 50% and provides mana equal to 150% 250% (was 200%) of the Priest's Spirit, but no longer benefits from Spirit provided by short-duration bonuses.
      • Divine Aegis is no longer guaranteed when Prayer of Healing is cast. The effect now procs when the spell crits.
    • The 2-piece Holy/Discipline PvP set bonus is now the previous Holy Spark 4-piece bonus, instead of Diamond Soul.
    • The 4-piece Holy/Discipline PvP set bonus has been redesigned. It now reduces the cooldown of Chakra by 25 seconds. When Spirit Shell is active the mana cost of Flash Heal is reduced by 50%.

  • Rogue (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • Shuriken Toss now causes the Rogue to throw shuriken instead of auto-attacking for 10 seconds after Shuriken Toss is used. Auto-attack damage from Shuriken Toss has been lowered to 75% (was 80%), and the new shuriken auto-attack override is canceled when the Rogue enters melee range of the target.
    • Smoke Bomb now reduces damage taken by allies in the area of effect by 20% in addition to current effects.
    • Nerve Strike now reduces the effectiveness of healing provided by the target by 10% (was 25%).
    • PvP set bonuses have been changed:
      • Vigor is now the 4-piece set bonus and increases maximum energy by 30 (was 10).
    • Combat
      • Blade Flurry has been changed. It now strikes up to 4 additional nearby targets for 40% of normal damage.

  • Shaman (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • Chain Lightning will now deal the same damage to subsequent targets as it does to the first.
    • Lava Beam's damage now increases with jumps. Each jump increases the damage by 10%.
    • Elemental Mastery now has a 90-second cooldown (was 2 minutes).
    • Enhancement
      • Mental Quickness now lowers the cost of shocks by 90% (still lowers the cost of other “beneficial, instant, damaging and totem spells” by 75%).
      • The tier-14 2-piece set bonus now grants 2 charges of Maelstrom Weapon every time the Shaman uses Stormstrike.

  • Warlock (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • Fel Armor now reduces damage taken by 10%, instead of increasing the Warlock’s armor.
    • Blood Fear has a new visual and sound effect, and has a visual and sound effect when the proc occurs.
    • Burning Rush now also prevents movement impairing effects from reducing the Warlock’s movement speed below 100% of normal, in addition to its other effects.
    • The Imp pet ability Blood Pact has been removed.
    • Dark Intent now increases Stamina in addition to Spell Power.
    • New Glyph: Glyph of Ember Tap. This glyph increases the healing gained from Ember Tap by 33%, but the health is restored over 10 seconds.
    • Glyph of Unstable Affliction changed. This ability now reduces the cast time of Unstable Affliction by 25%.
    • Affliction
      • Unstable Affliction’s Backlash effect is now always a critical hit, and deals approximately 15% more damage.
      • The tier-14 2-piece set bonus now causes Dark Soul to incresae the duraton of Haunt by 4 seconds (instead of the previous Nightfall modifier).
    • Demonology
      • Chaos Wave now have a new visual.

  • Warrior (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
    • The benefit of Haste from items and consumables has been increased by 100% for all Warriors.
    • Bladestorm can no longer be disarmed.
    • Defensive Stance now reduces damage by 15% (was 25%).
    • Unwavering Sentinel now improves the damage reduction of Defensive Stance by 10% for Protection Warriors.
    • Second Wind now causes a Warrior that has been reduced to 35% health or lower to regenerate 2% of their health per second (was 3%), and now generates 15 Rage over 10 seconds (was 20 Rage).
    • Second Wind will no longer regenerate health while the Warrior is stunned.
    • Warbringer now reduces the target's movement by 50% for 15 seconds (8 seconds in PvP) in addition to its other effects. The 3-second stun/knockdown is now in the diminishing returns category for stuns (same as Shockwave and Storm Bolt), and not the proc stun diminishing returns category.
    • Impending Victory will now heal the Warrior for 15% of maximum health when they have not slain an enemy (was 10%).
    • Arms
    • Fury
      • Bloodsurge now reduces the Rage cost of Wild Strike by 30 (was 20) and its duration has been increased to 15 seconds (was 10 seconds).

Creatures
  • Fite spectral porcupine fite! Three new spectral porcupine spirit beasts have appeared across Pandaria as tameable beasts, though taming them may provide quite a challenge.

Pet Battles
  • Prowl now lasts for 2 rounds.
  • Crystal Overload now lasts for 2 rounds.
  • Focus Chi now lasts for 1 round.
  • Elite Battle Pets have been added to the game world. These rare pets will spawn alone against an entire team. The Beasts of Fable taming quest will now become available from Gentle San or Sara Finkleswitch once Aki the Chosen has been defeated. Defeating all of the fabled beasts will award the new Red Panda pet, while completing the associated daily quest has a chance to award the rare brown, white, and orange variants.

Raids, Dungeons and Scenarios
  • Heroic Pandaria dungeons now award 100 Justice points per boss. Gold drops for those bosses have also been changed from a static 50 gold to a 40-60 gold range. Less gold will drop in groups consisting of less than 5 players.

PvP
  • Mists of Pandaria Season 2 Malevolent Gladiator’s PvP gear can now be purchased with Honor Points instead of Conquest Points, including weapons.
  • All newly purchased Season 2 Malevolent Gladiator’s armor, offhands, and shields will have an item level of 476 (was 483). Existing Malevolent items are unaffected.
  • Balance, Feral, Windwalker, Retribution, Shadow, Enhancement and Elemental now gain 25% of the bonus healing provided by PvP Power (was 0%). Dedicated healers will continue to gain 50% of the bonus healing provided by PvP Power and 0% damage from PvP Power.
  • For casters and healers, PVP Power is now split evenly between main-hand and off-hand in a manner similar to a dual-wield melee class. This change is retroactive, affecting Season 12 Malevolent and Malevolent Elite items. There should be no net change for any character already using a main-hand/off-hand combination.
  • PVP Caster weapons in Season 13 cost 2250 Conquest Points (down from 2500) and shields/off-hands cost 1250 (up from 1000), to reflect the increased value of the off-hand slot for classes that use it in this manner. This change is not retroactive and applies only to Season 13 items.

Battlegrounds
  • Players in low level battlegrounds will have their effective level raised to the maximum level allowed in that battleground bracket. Players' base stats and spells are scaled accordingly and are treated as the same level when determining hits, misses, and critical effect chance.
  • Rated Battlegrounds now award conquest to the losing team based on their final score. The losing team can earn up to 200 Conquest Points from a very close match.

Items
  • Transmogrification rules have been broadened for several weapon types.
    • Two-handed axes, maces, and swords can be Transmogrified to each other.
    • One-handed axes, maces, and swords can be Transmogrified to each other.
    • Staves and polearms can be transmogrified to each other.
  • The ethereals that offered to upgrade items using Valor or Justice points have departed Azeroth for the moment. They may yet return in a future patch.
  • The cost of Valor Point gear introduced in patch 5.0 has been reduced by 50%.
  • The cost of Valor Point gear introduced in patch 5.1 has been reduced by 25%.

UI
  • The Reputation panel on the character screen will now let players know which reputations they have purchased and used Grand Commendations for.
  • There is now an option to show absorb effects (such as Power Word: Shield) on player, target, party and raid frames. This feature is currently enabled if you turn on the predictive healing option. Unlike predictive healing, absorb effects will display for enemy targets.

Bug Fixes
  • Classes
  • Mac
    • Fixed an issue that would cause command-left-click to occur as right-click while using trackpad functionality.
    • The Logitech LCD applet for G19/G15 keyboards will now launch with the 64-bit client.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Patch 5.2 PTR Official Notes Update started by chaud View original post
Comments 111 Comments
  1. Lemons's Avatar
    Wow smoke bomb...is there anything you can't do?
  1. mmoc31ca91b23a's Avatar
    Smoke Bomb will actually be a pretty welcome change for PvE. For 'stack and heal' phases it will really shine (like Unseen Strike or Elegon's final phase).
  1. jayinjersey's Avatar
    •Transmogrification rules have been broadened for several weapon types
    Does anyone know if "Main hand" weapons can be transmoged to "One handed" weapons?
  1. mmoc65ba707d63's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kruncholyo View Post
    And I don't think this talent will be taken by shadow priests even after this change. Maybe disc will like it - or Holy who theorycraft that the gcd is good to spend to get 1% mana back?
    Solace is extremely good for holy right now, not for disci that are still going with mindbender and casting smite on their pause instead of solace... because avarage damage+free heals is just plain better than low damage+mana-back
    With this change disc are probably going with solace too, if it stacks evangelism and heals like holy fire does... Not sure for hpriests: that 10sec cd is terrible.
  1. mmoc5be919a5f0's Avatar
    Thank you Blizzard for being morons again. I'm playing Warrior since the Beta of WoW (yes it's over 8 years already). But this time your tiny brains created the biggest bullshit and all other kind of shit you can imagine. Why the fuck you left Arms warriors with only 1 rage generator ability and 4 rage spending abilities? What is the point of that? To fully remove Warriors from PvP because some whining swines can't play even with OP classes? First TFB was with 5 stacks and then the whiners came: "Oooo it's too powerful i can't manage damage like that. I'm being 2 shotted" And then TFB was nerfed to 3 stakcs. But crybabies didn't stop. Then TFB was nerfed to 1 stack, but obviously it's still toooooo damn powerful for most of the noobs. That's why you decided to change the kind of stacks and put a rage cost. So now warriors are allowed to get 5 stacks of Overpower, but not allowed to use them because it costs 10 rage. I'm just wondering from where we should get rage to use these abilities? Just from a Mortal Strike and an autoattacks? In that case 2 of 3 rage spender abilities will be just forgotten. No one will spend rage for Heroic strike or Slam if we must keep rage for Overpower as well. I hate to believe that, but obviously arms warriors will be a class with only 2 abilities with average amount of damage and no chances of beating any other class.
    P.S. No wonder that every quarter year you get less and less players in WoW. Because more and more people are getting annoyed of your shit ideas for "balance"
  1. Baracuda's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jayinjersey View Post
    Does anyone know if "Main hand" weapons can be transmoged to "One handed" weapons?
    Yes, the VAST majority of main hand weapons have been changed into one-handed weapons.
  1. jayinjersey's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Baracuda View Post
    Yes, the VAST majority of main hand weapons have been changed into one-handed weapons.
    Sweet...I still have several MH weapons sitting in my bank I'd love to re-up
  1. Self Inflicted Wounds's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Lizzards1320 View Post
    Thank you Blizzard for being morons again. I'm playing Warrior since the Beta of WoW (yes it's over 8 years already). But this time your tiny brains created the biggest bullshit and all other kind of shit you can imagine. Why the fuck you left Arms warriors with only 1 rage generator ability and 4 rage spending abilities? What is the point of that? To fully remove Warriors from PvP because some whining swines can't play even with OP classes? First TFB was with 5 stacks and then the whiners came: "Oooo it's too powerful i can't manage damage like that. I'm being 2 shotted" And then TFB was nerfed to 3 stakcs. But crybabies didn't stop. Then TFB was nerfed to 1 stack, but obviously it's still toooooo damn powerful for most of the noobs. That's why you decided to change the kind of stacks and put a rage cost. So now warriors are allowed to get 5 stacks of Overpower, but not allowed to use them because it costs 10 rage. I'm just wondering from where we should get rage to use these abilities? Just from a Mortal Strike and an autoattacks? In that case 2 of 3 rage spender abilities will be just forgotten. No one will spend rage for Heroic strike or Slam if we must keep rage for Overpower as well. I hate to believe that, but obviously arms warriors will be a class with only 2 abilities with average amount of damage and no chances of beating any other class.
    P.S. No wonder that every quarter year you get less and less players in WoW. Because more and more people are getting annoyed of your shit ideas for "balance"
    Its not even patched in yet. Chill.
  1. mmoc0d096f98da's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Zstr View Post
    WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?
    developers really gone nuts..I'm really dissapointed, I always use to twink some level brackets when lvling my chars,now they gonna remove it cause of some whining noobs that can't afford atleast few herilooms?!
    damn whiners go do dungeons...ffs
    some bgs already giving like whole lvl in low lvl brackets, so scrubs now get it even more easy, gg blizzard... gg! finally put twinking to the grave!
    How is heirlooms related to being scaled to the max level for the bracket if i may ask?
  1. fangless's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Mang View Post
    DK T14 nerf... how nice................. /sarcasm
    Because T15 will be out, and they want people to not do the T14/T15 split, like we most likely would?
  1. marthsk's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Clonzoo View Post
    So you are saying that the 70 twinks are locked out and only battle against other who have locked they're experiene? Then tell it to blizz, if this is how it works out for 70's blizz should listen. But I haven't heard anything like people in level 70 with exp lock are banned for the other bgs where they actually have exp lock of. If this is true, I take back what I said to him, if not go buy a new life!
    When a character chooses to lock his experience, he is not going in the same BGs as those with their experience unlocked. They are competing against others who have their XP off, therefore choosing to fight against others who chose the exact same terms as he did.

    Before you go off on people, do a bit of research. Just because you're not aware of something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
  1. pizzapies's Avatar
    The obvious fix to the BG problem is to keep the xp off brackets how they are making all of the twinkers happy, and going through with the change to xp on brackets. All of you saying the twinking requires no skill and its just running around with maxxed out gear have no idea what you are talking about. When you twink a character you are but into a separate bracket with other twinks, otherwise you would level out of being a twink in a few bg's. Twinking is an important part of the wow community reserved for those who love pvp but can't stand/or have time for a constant gear grind. i really think they should rethink this and in all honesty it probably will get changed before going live.
  1. Saear's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by fangless View Post
    Because T15 will be out, and they want people to not do the T14/T15 split, like we most likely would?
    This is true but it hurts our DPS during the transition between having 2 piece tier 14 and getting upgrade from 5.2
  1. Ranaas's Avatar
    I just lol at that guy raged about the warriors get the first nerf of 5 stacks of heroic strike and accused ppl who wanted that to nerfed as "noobs"
  1. THEHHH's Avatar
    Second Wind now causes a Warrior that has been reduced to 35% health or lower to regenerate 2% of their health per second (was 3%), and now generates 15 Rage over 10 seconds (was 20 Rage).
    Second Wind will no longer regenerate health while the Warrior is stunned.
    Rofl........ So you just cancelled the Nerf for SW but telling ppl Just to stun us at 35% so we can't benefit from it at all so whiners can be happy and kill us with NO SW AT ALL :SSSSS OMG blizzard Well Done ... Really no comment on that..
  1. mmocb47e9d5b09's Avatar
    Mists of Pandaria Season 2 Malevolent Gladiator’s PvP gear can now be purchased with Honor Points instead of Conquest Points, including weapons, but newly purchased Season 2 Malevolent Gladiator’s armor, offhands, and shields will have an item level of 476 (was 483). Existing Malevolent items are unaffected.
    Please tell me that im misunderstanding this whole thing. Are they actually going to do this thing AGAIN?

    People with full s12-malevolent will have ALOT more stats than people with full s13-malevolent? Why the fuck do they insist on doing this?

    My fully upgraded s12 t2malevolent char will eat everyone with full non-upgradeable malevolent s13. Nice work, blizz
  1. mmocffc62feb06's Avatar
    So instead of fixing the shitty dk t15 set bonus they nerf the t14 set bonus , sigh.
  1. echopally's Avatar
    "Divine Aegis is no longer guaranteed when Prayer of Healing is cast. The effect now procs when the spell crits."

    This is the single biggest nerf to Disc priests since I have played one over the years.
  1. Zokten's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ultimar235 View Post
    I'm pretty sure with enough feedback Blizz will exempt locked xp BG's from the rule as normal levelers have no business in there.
    I never put anything past blizzard.

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-17 at 08:35 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Clonzoo View Post
    I mean, wth is so fun with being an overpowered twink oneshotting everyone else? No skills, no tactics no nothing, whats so brilliant about that? I don't get it??
    whats so fun about doing 90 bgs?

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-17 at 08:36 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Clonzoo View Post
    What is so fun ganking low levels bad geared people in bgs? What fun am I missing out on. No skills not tacts no nothing. You sir need a life if this is the goodbye letter to the fun... And don't go around giving bullshit about being a 70 twink or whatever. When your a twink you are one, you outgear everyone else trying to level by bg. Go on the trade chat and whine there, then "WTB NEW LIFE" Or find a private server with only twink or convice blizzard to make a realm for twink and twinks only, they ruin the game for everyone else really. So stop whining and acuire some actualy skills.
    Did you not even read his post? or you just going on your personal history twink rage?

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-17 at 08:38 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Keristrasza View Post
    Learn to play the game and max where at least some skill is required.
    Didn't know you don't learn to play the game till max level.....or that 1-89 takes no skill.
  1. Alayea's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Darksoldierr View Post
    So, execuse me for this stupid question, does this mean, as shaman i can transmorf swords upon axes? Like Illidian's blades?
    No. The same rule still applies in that you have to be able to equip the item (both transmog-ee and transmog-er).

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