Battle for Azeroth Alpha Live
Battle for Azeroth alpha servers are live! Only a very small number of people have been invited so far. Be sure to opt in if you want a chance to get an invite.


UI Updates
This build contains UI updates that were in the BlizzCon build.

  • The bottom right actionbar is now twelve buttons in two rows of six rather than two rows of ten.
  • The micromenu and bags have all been moved to the bottom right.



Alpha Development Notes - February 6
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Welcome to the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth alpha test!

Please note that this test provides a very early look at the next expansion, so your feedback and understanding are very much appreciated at this stage. As with any test environment, none of your progress here applies to your live character, and anything you see here is subject to change before the final version. You’re welcome to publicly share your experiences and adventures in the alpha , so feel free to stream, record video, and post articles and screenshots.

Here's a quick summary of what’s available in this phase of the alpha test:

Two Zones: Drustvar (Alliance) and Nazmir (Horde)

Drustvar: The harsh lands of Drustvar are ruled by House Waycrest, who conquered these lands after vanquishing the ancient, evil Drust. The edifices of the Drust still stand in ruin across the land, but that’s not all that remains of this accursed people. Recently, their evil leader has been awakened—and if left unchecked, his dark power will spread throughout all of Kul Tiras.

Upon arriving in Drustvar, you will be met with a request to visit Mayor Cyril White of Fallhaven in eastern Drustvar.

Nazmir: Once the shining heart of troll civilization, Nazmir is now a swamp riddled with bleak, ruined reminders of its greatness. Its inhabitants are the vile blood trolls, dedicated to the worship of the Blood God G’huun and to a single-minded purpose: the destruction of the last functioning titan disc within the city of Zuldazar. Should the trolls shatter this seal, G’huun will be freed from its eons-long confinement to rule the world.

Upon arriving in Nazmir, you will meet Princess Talanji, who will ask you to escort her as you look for signs of blood troll activity in the area.

Two Dungeons: Atal’Dazar and Freehold

Atal’Dazar: For millennia, the Zandalari kings were laid to rest within the tombs of Atal’Dazar, secluded high atop the mountain Mugamba. These pyramids grew more elaborate with each passing ruler, as new rooms were constructed to house the deceased’s vast wealth. Now, these once pristine halls have been corrupted by the Prophet Zul and his trusted lieutenant, Yazma, who seek to twist the power of these ancient kings for their own dark machinations.

Freehold: Freehold has traditionally served as a haven for pirates, scoundrels, and those who wish to live free of Kul Tiran control. Now, the Irontide Raiders have brought the city under their harsh rule and are coercing the various pirate crews under their banner. While the pirates gather, a small group of heroes must infiltrate the town and eliminate their leadership to dissolve this growing alliance of cutthroats.

Dungeons
You can access dungeons via the Dungeon Finder system (hotkey “I”). Select Random Battle for Azeroth Dungeon or specify which one of the dungeons you’d like to explore, then select Find Group.

General Known Issues:
  • Not all class talents will work as intended.
  • Boss mechanics may not work as intended.
  • Not all areas of the zones are active.
  • Players may receive UI errors.
  • Terrain and NPCs may clip.
  • Work-in-progress art assets will be present.
  • Limited voiceover, audio, and music is present.

Please feel free to report unexpected bugs in the Battle for Azeroth Alpha Bug Report forum.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Battle for Azeroth Alpha Live started by chaud View original post
Comments 87 Comments
  1. maccajoe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Cloudmaker View Post
    No this action bar is looking weird. Maybe put some better border on it.
    Just use bartender or any other addon to change it.
  1. elvor0's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by majesta View Post
    I see they are doing the streamers get invites first thing again. Didn't this cause issues last time around? I remember there being some spicey drama over it.
    Only because some people feel they're entitled to alpha access. Not actual drama.
  1. Duridi's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sliske View Post
    That new UI will absolutely make bar addons mandatory for a lot of dps classes, healers and pvp in general. Sucks. Used the default bars just fine for 13 years. Hope theres an option to get the 10 slot bars back.
    What do you mean?

    Though I agree that I like it the way it is atm, seeing where they've moved the menu buttons and the bags makes me cringe. It looks like bad placement by someone with an addon. I use keybinds for my main spells, so where they are placed on the screen don't matter, but I'd like to look somewhat aestethic, which I don't think this does.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by maccajoe View Post
    Just use bartender or any other addon to change it.
    Well... in this case I like the current default better, and I'd like to avoid as many addons as possible. I got fed up with updating and sorting settings in TBC already. Does Barrtender even offer borders around the keys? I haven't used it in 10 years or so.
  1. maccajoe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Duridi View Post
    What do you mean?

    Though I agree that I like it the way it is atm, seeing where they've moved the menu buttons and the bags makes me cringe. It looks like bad placement by someone with an addon. I use keybinds for my main spells, so where they are placed on the screen don't matter, but I'd like to look somewhat aestethic, which I don't think this does.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Well... in this case I like the current default better, and I'd like to avoid as many addons as possible. I got fed up with updating and sorting settings in TBC already. Does Barrtender even offer borders around the keys? I haven't used it in 10 years or so.
    Bartender has millions of options that you can customize to exactly how you want. Im sure you could make it look the old way. There will prolly be an option for in in BFA. Personally i have no idea how you play on the default UI its horrible imo. Also addons are insanly easy to manage now no more putting them into folders yourself download the curse app ( now twich app) and it all does it automatically for you.
  1. mmoc5a8509744a's Avatar
    There are so many ways you can customize your UI, dont like this? Then change it yourself.
  1. Tarx's Avatar
    I want to play the alpha version too
  1. mmocd4da16d7d3's Avatar
    anyone in eu got a invite? maybe only streamers for eu?

    i like the fact there is no feedback on any of the alpha us forums after 10 hours
  1. Rafoel's Avatar
    Why.... just why would you change the ui after so many years? I want it back!
  1. Tatakau's Avatar
    Only thing I like is where they have put the menu buttons on the new UI, it's where I've been putting them, along with my bags since the first custom button addon came out.
  1. Arvandor's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sliske View Post
    That new UI will absolutely make bar addons mandatory for a lot of dps classes, healers and pvp in general. Sucks. Used the default bars just fine for 13 years. Hope theres an option to get the 10 slot bars back.
    ^this

    with the new ui bar, this is not wow anymore!

    first the classes in legion and now in bfa my standard ui??

    you fu.ckers learned nothing!
  1. valax's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Tatakau View Post
    Only thing I like is where they have put the menu buttons on the new UI, it's where I've been putting them, along with my bags since the first custom button addon came out.
    same , they should get rid of that griphon UI too

    the standard should be something close to this https://imgur.com/a/tYtT0 IMO
  1. Onikaroshi's Avatar
    Functionally the default ui is the same, so don't know how people can complain about that. Aesthetically sure though, definitely looks different
  1. Explicit Teemo Nudes's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by rhode312 View Post
    anyone in eu got a invite? maybe only streamers for eu?

    i like the fact there is no feedback on any of the alpha us forums after 10 hours
    I know of atleast 1 EU player that got an invite and s/he is not a streamer; just a random player.
  1. MarkTheMadMad's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by maccajoe View Post
    Just use bartender or any other addon to change it.

    If they have reduced the number of buttons within the code, even bartender will only allow the set number of buttons the API will allow. The game currently allows you to create 10 action bars (using addons) with 12 buttons each, so that is 120 buttons in total if you wish to have that many. If they have reduced it to 6 per bar, that will be 60 buttons, which is a loss of almost half the amount of buttons in legion. That is seriously going to piss a lot of people off.

    PS no addons allowed in alpha
  1. Abillioncats's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Scroolooseuk View Post
    If they have reduced the number of buttons within the code, even bartender will only allow the set number of buttons the API will allow. The game currently allows you to create 10 action bars (using addons) with 12 buttons each, so that is 120 buttons in total if you wish to have that many. If they have reduced it to 6 per bar, that will be 60 buttons, which is a loss of almost half the amount of buttons in legion. That is seriously going to piss a lot of people off.

    PS no addons allowed in alpha
    From what I could tell the amount of buttons is still the same? They just moved them around.
  1. nicode's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by valax View Post
    same , they should get rid of that griphon UI too

    the standard should be something close to this https://imgur.com/a/tYtT0 IMO
    I know lots of people do it, but I DESPISE the huge grid of buttons at the bottom of the screen. Not only does it cover up a bunch of screen space and hides things under them, but nothing says "clicker" more than that.

    The new UI isn't horrible I guess, but just shoving the menu bar and bag buttons into the far bottom right corner (which is what many people do with addons) just screams "LAZY".
  1. Cæli's Avatar
    I love the current UI. The new UI looks rather bad. Addons will have to be used. There is no valid reason to change current Ui into what is shown. Good point is it keeps the spirit, it could have been far worse.
  1. Parach's Avatar
    As far as I am aware number of action bars and their size is still the same. The only thing they changed was split bottom right action bar in two six button bars and placed it where micro menu used to be. I asked one of BfA streamers to check if there is option to display two right side action bars and it was.
  1. maccajoe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Scroolooseuk View Post
    If they have reduced the number of buttons within the code, even bartender will only allow the set number of buttons the API will allow. The game currently allows you to create 10 action bars (using addons) with 12 buttons each, so that is 120 buttons in total if you wish to have that many. If they have reduced it to 6 per bar, that will be 60 buttons, which is a loss of almost half the amount of buttons in legion. That is seriously going to piss a lot of people off.

    PS no addons allowed in alpha
    Ill copy and paste this from another comment because it applies here.
    "As far as I am aware number of action bars and their size is still the same. The only thing they changed was split bottom right action bar in two six button bars and placed it where micro menu used to be. I asked one of BfA streamers to check if there is option to display two right side action bars and it was."

    Well obviously im not concerned nor talking about that.
  1. Goldielocks's Avatar
    Streamers being allowed in first is a good thing. It allows many more people to see the content.

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