Mike Morhaime on D3 China, Deadset UE Lightning DH

New Heroes are Coming! Magni Bronzebeard Confirmed, New Card Back

Ranked Play Changes, Chris Sigaty and Alan Dabiri Interview, Lan Bonuses for Heroes

Patch 6.2 - Deathtusk Felboar
This week's PTR build added the Deathtusk Felboar mount to the Alliance / Horde Patch 6.2 factions. It requires Exalted and costs 2500 gold.






Patch 6.2 - PvP Gear
WarcraftDevs shared how some PvP gear will be obtained in Patch 6.2.



Developer Q&A Delayed - Now Saturday June 13
If you are looking for something to watch this Saturday, there is a Heroes of the Storm event going on!
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The Q&A is being moved to Saturday, June 13, at 2:00 PM Pacific time (5:00 PM Eastern, 11:00 PM Central Europe), and I’ve updated the original post with the new schedule. The window of time to submit questions will be extended as well.

Look forward to seeing you then!

Patch 6.2 Raid Preview - Hellfire Citadel
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
When Garrosh encouraged Grommash to begin construction of this massive stronghold at the heart of Tanaan Jungle, to serve as a staging ground for the assault of Azeroth, he even suggested the name Hellfire, pulled from a different time and a different land. He dreamed of seeing mighty orcish iron towering over an unblighted landscape, so very different from the wasteland he had known in Outland. But even as times change, so too do they stay the same.

Located within the dark heart of Tanaan Jungle, Hellfire Citadel looms over the landscape and can be seen from nearly anywhere within the area. Having braved the dangers of Highmaul and Blackrock Foundry, the heroes of Azeroth and Draenor now must assault this fel-twisted bastion—the horrors within pose an unrelenting threat to everyone on Azeroth.

In Hellfire Citadel, players will be able to earn items ranging in power from item level 675–685 in Raid Finder up to item level 735 in Mythic difficulty. You’ll also have a chance to add a new Rare quality companion, the Corrupted Nest Guardian, to your pet collection. You’ll need an item level of at least 650 to enter Raid Finder.

The Iron Bulwark (exterior area)


Hellfire Assault
With the aid of the mercenary Blackfuse company, the Iron Horde constructed devastating siege machinery in the shadow of Hellfire Citadel, to be used in the eventual assault upon Azeroth’s capitals. With the tanks now retrofitted to use fel energy, Siegemaster Mar’tak awaits Gul’dan’s command to begin the assault.


Designer notes: Like Spoils of Pandaria in Siege of Orgrimmar, this is a raid “boss” without a single named boss that must be defeated. Players must withstand waves of attackers, salvaging ammunition from their fallen vehicles, and using that ammunition to power the massive Hellfire Cannons that stand in the courtyard. Victory is achieved by breaching the gates of the Citadel.

Iron Reaver
The schematics for the Iron Reaver were found in the workshop of Blackfuse himself after the fall of Orgrimmar, drawing inspiration from the mighty constructs of the Legion and designed to be the nefarious goblin’s masterwork. The project was completed after his death, and represents the pinnacle of the Iron Horde’s military might.


Designer notes: We started out thinking of the traditional Outland Fel Reaver here, but the more mechanized side of the Legion is only present in an all-out invasion, and that didn’t really feel appropriate given the nature of their involvement here. So instead we went with an interpretation of the Fel Reaver that reflects the apex of the goblin-influenced siege vehicle that Garrosh brought to the Iron Horde: an evolved version of the Iron Juggernaut that once defended Orgrimmar, retrofitted to use fel power.

Pits of Mannoroth


Kormrok
As ancient as Draenor itself, Kormrok once ruled Gorgrond, the creatures of the land slinking away from the giant magnaron’s destructive fury. But then the Iron Horde came, trapping the behemoth and attempting to break his will. They were entirely unsuccessful . . . that is, until the rise of Gul’dan, and the fel power that Kormrok could not resist.


Designer notes: In general, the lower floor of Hellfire Citadel reflects the Iron Horde as it was before the influence of Gul’dan, whereas the upper reaches reflect the Shadow Council and the Legion more directly. Alongside siege machinery, the massive beasts of Gorgrond were the other lynchpin of the Iron Horde’s invasion force, so it should come as little surprise that Gul’dan would seek to corrupt and empower them with fel energies.


Court of Blood

Hellfire High Council
Thousands of Iron Horde orcs accepted the blood of Mannoroth, but none grew as powerful as the three that stand before you. Dia Darkwhisper, master of void magic and an outcast of the Shadowmoon, rose quickly to power—the left hand of Gul’dan. Gurtogg, with his insatiable hunger for blood, emerged the victor in hundreds of trials by combat. He has met his match only once, fighting Blademaster Jubei’thos to a draw. Tainted with fel sickness, they serve Gul’dan as both Highguard and Council of War.


Designer notes: We couldn’t in good conscience make a fel orc raid set in Draenor without a throwback to Gurtogg Bloodboil, the brutish Black Temple boss whose signature Bloodboil ability makes a return in this encounter. Accompanying Gurtogg are champions of other allied orc clans, expressing the core of each clan’s power with a fel twist.

Kilrogg Deadeye
Kilrogg Deadeye, Warlord of the Bleeding Hollow, seized control of his clan after performing a ritual to learn of his death. With this knowledge, he led his clan fearlessly on countless campaigns, marching toward the glorious end he desires. Now, with demon blood coursing through his veins, Kilrogg awaits you in Hellfire Citadel, awaiting the moment of his death—or yours.


Designer notes: Ever since the Lords of War shorts highlighted the gory ritual that lies at the heart of the Bleeding Hollow clan’s traditions, we knew that visions of death would have to feature prominently in the encounter. It’s unclear whether these visions are immutable, or whether knowing one’s destiny gives one the power to alter it....

Hellfire Antechamber

Gorefiend
Falling into the heart of the mausoleum Auchindoun, the Shadow Council lieutenant Teron’gor gorged upon hundreds of draenei souls, becoming a bloated abomination in the process. More than just an orc now, Teron’gor gave up his old name and has taken a new one: Gorefiend.


Designer notes: We laid the groundwork for this encounter in Auchindoun, further reinforcing the rule that if you don’t actually see a boss die, it’s quite possible that you haven’t seen the last of them. Of course, the inverse of that rule isn’t necessarily true—Kael’thas says “hello.” In any case, Gorefiend hearkens back to encounters like C’Thun and Yogg-Saron, where players are devoured and must overcome spirits inside the stomach of the bloated monstrosity to prevent them from escaping to attack the raid.

Grommash’s Torment

Shadow-Lord Iskar
After Iskar’s efforts to resurrect Terokk and return to power ended in frustration, he was approached by Gul’dan with an offer and a promise to break the ancient curse of Sethe. No longer flightless, elevated from the shadows yet still a master of illusion and deception, Iskar’s hour of vengeance is at hand.

Designer notes: If something seemed suspicious about Shadow-Seer Iskar as you quested through the Spires of Arak, you weren’t mistaken. This was a fun encounter for the group to brainstorm, beginning with the premise of illusions and an artifact that let a single player see through those illusions, and weaving that concept through multiple abilities and interactions.

Fel Lord Zakuun
Speculated by some scholars of the Legion to be an evolved version of the common felguard, Fel Lords serve as enforcers in the direct service of Archimonde. Their cruelty is matched only by their brute force. Zakuun was set to a task that called upon both of these traits in equal measure: breaking the iron will of a stubborn and defiant orc chieftain of the Warsong Clan....


Designer notes: This Fel Lord represents a type of demon never before seen by players. We approached this encounter with the intent that it be the “Patchwerk” of the zone—that is to say, a heavy melee bruiser without companions—but of course he has a few tricks up his sleeve that will keep players on their toes.

The Felborne Breach

Xhul’horac
Summoned by Gul’dan from the depths of the Twisting Nether, Xhul’horac is one of the most powerful of the Void Revenants—a race of parasitic void-beings that tear holes through the planes of reality, consuming and absorbing the energies and beings within. Gul’dan has twisted Xhul’horac by feeding him overwhelming fel energy, and using his powers to tear open the portals through which he plans to rally the forces of the Burning Legion.


Designer notes: A lot of our boss concepts for Hellfire Citadel began by imagining what would happen if we added fel energy to different parts of the Draenor ecology. What would a fel variant of one of the void revenants we saw a glimpse of in Shadowmoon Burial Grounds look like? Xhul’horac answers that question, and the mechanics of the encounter play off the different polarities of fiery fel energy and the shadowy void, which players must manage as they fight a creature with one foot (or tendril, as the case may be) in each realm.

Halls of the Sargerei


Socrethar the Eternal
The greatest warriors of the draenei have their souls imbued into gleaming constructs serving as eternal Vigilants in defense of their people. Originally a member of the Council of Exarchs before his descent into darkness, Socrethar has perverted this holiest of rituals, and used a warped fel construct to preserve his soul after his defeat in Talador.


Designer note: Another familiar name, Socrethar represents one of the leaders of the Sargerei with whom players contended in Talador. His soul is ensconced in a construct, a twisted version of the first boss of Auchindoun, giving us a chance to play with a boss design idea that we haven’t really seen since Razorgore all the way back in Blackwing Lair: What if you let the player control a raid boss and use all its abilities for a period of time?

Tyrant Velhari
When Gul’dan brought his gift to the Sargerei, Velhari had already made her ambitions clear and risen through the ranks with brutal ferocity. Known to her enemies as the Tyrant, Velhari was one of the first to accept the fel touch, further enhancing her combat prowess. Velhari now bears a mockery of the holy symbol of the Naaru, signifying her conviction to the new order.


Designer note: The concept for this boss began with a simple idea: anti-paladin, or “dark vindicator.” What would a corrupted version of a draenei vindicator fight like? Many of Velhari’s abilities are a play on core Paladin mechanics such as (Un)holy Power builders and spenders, auras, and Guardians of Ancient Kings, with each of the three phases having a theme that parallels one of the Paladin class specializations.

Destructor’s Rise


Mannoroth
Bloodthirsty and brutal, Mannoroth was Archimonde’s most feared enforcer, until he was felled by a mighty blow from Grommash’s blade. Even in death, his blood was used by Gul’dan to fuel a dark bargain with the Iron Horde and their allies. Gul’dan and his minions now seek to reanimate the shattered remains of Mannoroth so that he may continue to serve the Legion.


Designer note: Taking place atop the Citadel, looking out over the corrupted expanse of Tanaan Jungle below, this encounter features a parallel and opposing ebb and flow: initially, fel spires act as conduits for minions of the Legion, but as they are destroyed, Mannoroth gains more and more power as he is more fully reconstituted. The battle begins against a set of channelers and their minions as Mannoroth is nothing more than a heap of bones on the ground, and concludes with a final battle against the fully empowered Mannoroth.

The Black Gate

Archimonde
One of the original eredar who betrayed the draenei of Argus to take his place as the sinister hand of the dark titan Sargeras, Archimonde the Defiler commands the military might of the Burning Legion. He arrives in Draenor, reaching across space and time, to ensure that the invasion of Azeroth proceeds as planned, and that Gul’dan does not fail his Legion masters.


Designer note: We planted some seeds that this confrontation might be coming in the level-up quest experience. In the original timeline, Kil’jaeden was the broker behind Gul’dan’s dark deal with the Horde, but here—thanks to Garrosh’s interference—he failed, and so Archimonde was entrusted with the task of finishing the job. There are a couple of nods to the old Battle of Mount Hyjal encounter (Doomfire was mandatory), but Archimonde has learned a number of nasty new tricks since then. Although you have the greatest heroes of Azeroth and Draenor standing beside you in this battle, even they cannot aid you within the Twisting Nether itself. . . .

Now that you’ve seen the faces of the enemy, we hope you’ll be ready when it’s time to crash the gates of this fel fortress. The fate of Azeroth depends on it.

Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
Druid (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
Now even demons get their update, any chance to FINALLY see an updated moonkin someday?
This is something we'd very much like to do. No news yet, but it’s on the list. (WarcraftDevs)

Warlock (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)
Will there be a Glyph or an option to use the old models for the new designed warlock demons?
No. The replaced demons should be virtually identical to the old ones, except with higher-res textures. (WarcraftDevs)

Art
Frostwolf helm (from the new rep) isn't in the current build for transmog, I imagine WIP?
The helm is deliberately excluded from the set. (WarcraftDevs)
Mind telling why?
The helm literally only fits orc heads & thus can't be given out, but we'll keep players' desire for that wolf-head look in mind. (WarcraftDevs)

PvE
Will the new Mythic level dungeons be on the LFD system? I seemed to have missed that info. Cheers.
They require a premade group, like Challenge dungeons, given the raid-style nature of the lockout and loot. (WarcraftDevs)

Will the improved personal loot changes apply to legacy MoP and Cata raids? Any plans to scale Legacy LFR like 10/25?
Not at this time. We are looking at ways to make legacy LFR more solo-transmog-friendly in the future. (WarcraftDevs)

Garrisons
Any plans to fix the garrison jukebox in 6.2 for horde? My music selection always resets back to the original garrison music.
Yes! The jukebox will now:- Play in buildings- Play repeatedly instead of only once- Play every time you come back (WarcraftDevs)

Are you going to increase the follower cap for 6.2? #warcraft we need more with the new traits available.
No plans to increase the follower cap. They are intended more for alts or returning players than existing ones. (WarcraftDevs)

so what will be the main source of Oil?
Your daily command table choice in Tanaan is intended to be your primary source of Oil. (WarcraftDevs)

Misc
what do you think about neutral capital cities? i feel like they are way more important than you guys think.
I love them, Shatt and Dal were my favorite hubs of all time. (Muffinus)

But why didn't you just add actual world content to 6.1. instead of minor updates?
What the answer is NOT: We decided to sit back and chill for a while. (CM_Zarhym)

Ghostcrawler Tweets
While the developers have been pretty quiet since @WarcraftDevs appeared, Ghostcrawler still occasionally talks about WoW. Remember that he no longer works for or speaks for Blizzard.
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
Classes
If I recall correctly, wasn't WoW class design more independent than team based at one point?
The old philosophy was that you got more internal consistency having a class owner, which is probably true overall. (OccupyGStreet)
But most of the time I was there, we worked collaboratively. It avoided arms races and led to better agreement. (OccupyGStreet)
To use a LoL example, you don't want "No, I designed that champ and making his attack weaker won't meet my vision." (OccupyGStreet)
Interesting. Were there ever a base series of guidelines such as "Every Tank/Healer spec must have X type of cooldown"?
Not in BC for sure. I think later every tank had a "Shield Wall" but maybe those became too homogenized. (OccupyGStreet)

And jokes aside, the theme/flavour behind the original DK trees was truly to be commended.
It delivered on thematics more than mechanics. As a systems designer that is probably my strength and weakness. (OccupyGStreet)
I think Blood was fashioned into a Tanking spec quite well going forward, but neither Frost nor Unholy ever felt as special.
The tank from any tree design was at odds with dual spec (which I have openly second guessed frequently). (OccupyGStreet)

In WoW, did you ever feel X was broken in PVP, but didn't re-tune for concern of raiding guild progression? If so, how often?
Usually we tried to find a solution to both. Our main concern was to not overhaul someone in the middle of an expansion. (OccupyGStreet)

How did / do you react to people like myself who say stuff like "WoTLK arms and fury were the best" and want that back?
It's all subjective. There are players who liked using one downranked healing spell in Sunwell. (OccupyGStreet)

People didn't like Pallies because you made them simple, like a Fisher Price™ My First DPS Class
They were pretty simple in vanilla and BC.... (OccupyGStreet)



World of Warcraft in the World Video Game Hall of Fame
World of Warcraft joins Pong, Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., and DOOM in the first set of games added to the World Video Game Hall of Fame.



Hearthstone - New Heroes
Hearthstone is getting new heroes for $9.99 USD each. This gives you new hero art, emotes, animations, and a card back. Check out the full details on Hearthpwn.



Overwatch - Reaper Gameplay
We got another look at Overwatch gameplay with the release of some Reaper footage.

This article was originally published in forum thread: Deathtusk Felboar, Dev Q&A Delayed, Hellfire Citadel Preview, Tweets, Reaper Gameplay started by chaud View original post
Comments 47 Comments
  1. moveth's Avatar
    I want the evil fel bacon mount.
  1. Nozuka's Avatar
    i'm a bit confused as to why GC keeps answering questions about WoW this much
  1. Kauko's Avatar
    Hellfire Citadel Raid looks incredible.
  1. xalenthas's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nozuka View Post
    i'm a bit confused as to why GC keeps answering questions about WoW this much
    Probably because people keep asking him questions.

    Better question might be: Why do people continue to ask him about WoW?
  1. Lil's Avatar
    That Paladin tweet cracked me up.
  1. Frolk's Avatar
    ugh, why did they have to RUIN another boar by putting that UGLYASS mask on it >_>
  1. Nyres's Avatar
    That preview is the pinnacle of Blizzard's now lazy game design approach. You will never do anything good in questing anymore, if you kill an opponent they'll escape at 0 percent health to come back, if you see them die they'll still come back. If they're death was the major booyah moment of the cinematic at the start they'll still come back. Ontop of that there are so many very lazily edited models from 5mans and questing in this raid that are supposed to be 'bosses' at least Seige gave us actually new people to fight most of the time and didn't result in undoing successes of leveling. The only one I won't consider lazy in there is Velhari and the Archimonde fight since Archimonde is a given, Velhari is a neat idea though at the same time she's just an eradar wearing our own armor set.
  1. tristannarutofan's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by moveth View Post
    I want the evil fel bacon mount.
    This bacon tastes SO good, it can only be evil!

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by aastarius View Post
    Probably because people keep asking him questions.

    Better question might be: Why do people continue to ask him about WoW?
    I'm sure there is an obscure word for it. Similar to how people in MoP said "yea next expansion or two suddenly people will claim they liked Cata"

    Basically The lead game designer, someone people accused as being a jerk, having a vendetta against their class, and who people harrassed so much he actually stopped replying on twitter and the forum for ...I think 36 hours? ish Has left Blizzard. And so anything that people dont like about the current state of the game gets bounced off him like he's our best friend. "Oh man they are terrible. look at how crass and rude they are. They dont listen to use. Not like when you were there bra. So what do you think of how they are acting and what they are doing".

    It honestly pisses me off. Greg Street had to learn how to deal with dozens of people calling him a jerk, or w/e and he did it because at blizz they thought they needed to be as open (as possible) as they could, and he saw the value in it. And now people are acting like we havent been calling him crap for years.
  1. rogueMatthias's Avatar
    I know that they're deliberately making store mounts better than ingame mounts (their words, not mine) but for the love of god, if they're going to KEEP using that pig mount could they at least give it a proper damned running animation.

    It's bad enough that they just keep reskinning it rather than adding more new mounts but its embarrassing that they can't even take the time to make it actually run. The awkward sped up walk animation looks objectively shit.

    I actually like the pig model (though this one looked far better without the mask) but please fix the animation.
  1. Rioo's Avatar
    Teron’gor really let himself go.
  1. Aelric70's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyres View Post
    That preview is the pinnacle of Blizzard's now lazy game design approach. You will never do anything good in questing anymore, if you kill an opponent they'll escape at 0 percent health to come back, if you see them die they'll still come back. If they're death was the major booyah moment of the cinematic at the start they'll still come back. Ontop of that there are so many very lazily edited models from 5mans and questing in this raid that are supposed to be 'bosses' at least Seige gave us actually new people to fight most of the time and didn't result in undoing successes of leveling. The only one I won't consider lazy in there is Velhari and the Archimonde fight since Archimonde is a given, Velhari is a neat idea though at the same time she's just an eradar wearing our own armor set.
    You keep using this word (lazy). I do not think it means what you think it means. ($1 to Inigo Montoya)
  1. Nevcairiel's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyres View Post
    That preview is the pinnacle of Blizzard's now lazy game design approach. You will never do anything good in questing anymore, if you kill an opponent they'll escape at 0 percent health to come back, if you see them die they'll still come back. If they're death was the major booyah moment of the cinematic at the start they'll still come back. Ontop of that there are so many very lazily edited models from 5mans and questing in this raid that are supposed to be 'bosses' at least Seige gave us actually new people to fight most of the time and didn't result in undoing successes of leveling. The only one I won't consider lazy in there is Velhari and the Archimonde fight since Archimonde is a given, Velhari is a neat idea though at the same time she's just an eradar wearing our own armor set.
    Did it ever occur to you that it was intended to be this way?
    Meet evil dude in the world, but he escapes, so you get a second chance to beat the crap out of him in a dedicated fight. Introducing villains like this is IMHO better than randomly cooking up every boss with no ties to the questing/dungeons before.

    A proper world should evolve, which implies that villains will appear more than once. Kormrok was free'ed in the garrison campaign already, how lazy is that of Blizzard to re-use him now?!? </sarcasm>
  1. Tartys's Avatar
    Tyrant Velhari Many of Velhari’s abilities are a play on core Paladin mechanics

    So, and the end of the fight she use Bubble and run away?

    Tyrant Velhari /castsequence Divine Shield, Hearthstone ;P
  1. thorvath's Avatar
    It does look like a cool raid. Might even come back for it after the mandatory 3 month wait for all the LFR wings to open.

    Lol @ the q&a postponement. Maybe they hope they can keep kicking the can all the way to Blizzcon.
  1. prwraith's Avatar
    the dev Q&A delay is cracking me up
  1. mmocb7ffffd4a7's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nevcairiel View Post
    Did it ever occur to you that it was intended to be this way?
    Meet evil dude in the world, but he escapes, so you get a second chance to beat the crap out of him in a dedicated fight. Introducing villains like this is IMHO better than randomly cooking up every boss with no ties to the questing/dungeons before.

    A proper world should evolve, which implies that villains will appear more than once. Kormrok was free'ed in the garrison campaign already, how lazy is that of Blizzard to re-use him now?!? </sarcasm>
    I could be wrong but didn't we awaken Gorgorek in the garrison campaign?
  1. Redwyrm's Avatar
    Hellfire Citadel Raid

    aka

    Hope You Like Green
  1. grexly75's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by prwraith View Post
    the dev Q&A delay is cracking me up
    Really not surprised by the delay I bet they know of the ****storm that is coming their way and they want to prepare themselves. lol
  1. Lazy Gecko's Avatar

  1. mmocfd328e0b6e's Avatar
    One of my friends sent me this (6.2).

    Flying improvments:
    https://twitter.com/ElmyraWoW/status/606808268556484608

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