World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies RSS Feed

by Published on 2017-09-30 11:36 PM

PTR Patch 2.6.1 - v2.6.1.47517

The Mana Crystals are Super Awesome Card Design Competition

Patch 7.3 Hotfixes - September 29
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Argus
  • Characters who were unable to access the Netherlight Crucible after performing an account transfer can once again access it.
  • Shadowcaster Voruun on Mac'Aree should now respawn more often when he is up.

Classes

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Argus World Quests on Alts
We've been seeing the feedback on it for the other zones and I'll see if I can get some additional clarification on why just one zone's World Quests are unlocked. The current expectation is to unlock them all so you can complete the Emissary quests, but I get that's frustrating to go through the campaign multiple times.

We had previously talked about it before and it was due to a lot of the World Quests being locked behind the story quests that unlock each area and characters in that area.

And , to be blunt. what we are asking for is what was stated in the Q and A. Blizzard set the expectation, has not delivered on that expectation and as yet, we are still to receive any communication as to what the hell is going on.
I understand your frustration here. I get it from the having alts perspective, however spreading misinformation is not helpful. It was never actually said all of the world quests would be account wide. In the Q&A Ion elaborated on what would and what wouldn't and stated the intentions behind it. He specifically noted that World Quests may be account wide, however the vast majority would not be as it didn't make sense to have something account wide for a character that couldn't access the area or quests yet. He called out that characters still needed to go through the story to unlock those.

Luckily this doesn't take too much effort in Argus and its quite quick to unlock all of the World Quests. Compared to previous patches and expansions this is actually very doable on alts, much easier than previous campaigns.

That being said, I understand that doing it multiple times is still an issue. We'll see if we can get some more insight to this and pass along some more of the feedback we're seeing here. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Sim Accuracy
Sims are super useful to give you an idea of a perfect world scenario based on the proc percentages. However that perfect world just simply never happens no matter the class/spec.

What Midguard said is pretty true regarding how a player thinks versus a sim. Sims can only think in logical If-Or scenarios but players can be predictive and respond to scenarios more efficiently and know how to set themselves up more effectively. You see this especially with how sims use cooldowns. Most simply just use them on a time interval that is it's cooldown because it can't actively predict fight mechanics.

Fire is kind of the same way. I've simmed Fire I can't tell you how many times and it almost never lines up with what I actually do. Occasionally I fall slightly under (~1-2% ish) but the majority I blow it out of the water because I have more Hot Streaks than the sim predicted and a more efficient Combustion usage than just "everytime its up".

Sims aren't perfect, and they're certainly not meant to perfectly reflect raid encounters, but they're very useful for figuring out what you should be doing under static conditions, and applying those findings to dynamic encounters.
That's the point I was roughly making as well. Thanks for the informative clarification on simulation vs formulation.

*When games become more about math than having fun*
Figuring out the math and optimizations can be pretty fun if you're into the methodology. I totally recognize its not for everyone. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Game Developer Tweets
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
That’s interesting to hear, what were some things Kaplan taught you
Notice how he always takes the blame for anything that goes wrong, while deflecting any praise to the team? He never throws his title around. He’s just “Jeff from the Overwatch team.”

That behavior existed internally too. He’d always call out a team when they delivered something great. I think some leaders are worried about the perception of being too soft or they’re just uncomfortable lavishing praise, even when it’s earned. But a little of that goes a really long way. It makes a big difference. But it’s also weirdly rare. (Source)



Mythic Dungeon Invitational Group Stage Recap
The Mythic Dungeon Invitational is a three stage event organized to allow the top players from each region to face off against each other in a tournament format. In the first round, eight teams from each region qualified to compete in the Regional Group Stage. Over the past two weeks, these teams battled amongst themselves for a chance to compete at the Global Group Stage. The two best teams from each region will face off in a single elimination, best of three bracket to prove who the best team and region is.


The Story So Far
Over the last weekend we watched the EU and NA regions battle for their spots in the Global Group Stage. Raider.IO got a bye on their first round, however in the later games proved that they are the most dominant team of the European region. After sweeping Wheezing Harsies and Team Bigpull with a perfect record, they are looking like a top contender for the Grand Final. This group of players demonstrated very efficient strategies, and were able to execute difficult pulls effectively. Team Bigpull also put up a good show, with a few flex picks they were able to play for specific affix and dungeon combinations, such as the double Rogue or double Warrior, they were able to secure the second place in the Eurpean Grand Finals.

Premonition had a very exciting series against Team Deplete, where they narrowly lost the first game due to a bolstered mob wiping their group, after which they showed a dominant performance during the next two games securing their spot in the final. Friends With Affixes defeated Lethal in a reverse sweep, utilizing an interesting strategy to defeat the four kings of Halls of Valor. During the grand finals we saw another clever use of class abilities during Premonition’s fight against Dargrul in Neltharion’s Lair, winning them the Americas Grand Final.

The Global Group Stage
Teams were seeded into an eight team bracket based on their performance in their Regional Group Stage. The first place from each region will be playing against the second place seed from a different region. Same rules apply as in the previous Stage, the teams will be playing on special Blizzard Tournament realms, where their gear will be scaled to 935 ilvl, and their Artifact Weapons to 965. Blizzard will be selecting the affixes, and the first map, after which the losing team has a chance to select the second map. The last team standing will be taking home the Grand Prize of $50,000.

Schedule
The Global Group Stage started on Saturday, September 30 at 18:00 (CEST)/ 9:00 a.m. PDT. The Grand Final will be live on Sunday, October 1 at 18:00 (CEST)/ 9:00 a.m. PDT on the Warcraft Twitch.


Overwatch - Searching Comic
Another Overwatch comic has been released!

by Published on 2017-09-29 04:27 PM

Community Highlights: Rhykker's PTR Update, Diablo 3 Commercial, Necro Fan Art, & Curse Hiring

Oktoberbrawl, Countering Tempo Rogue, Power Creep - Value Town #139

Blizzard Groups Feature
A recent Battle.Net desktop application update added a few more group related strings. Keep in mind this feature isn't active yet.

These groups include channels, roles, invites, moderators, require Push to Talk option, message of the day, profiles, and more.







World of Warcraft - 2017 Year In Review
Blizzard posted a World of Warcraft year in review video! What's coming next? Where can we possibly go after this final climactic battle? We'll find out at BlizzCon!



Senior Client Engineer, Unannounced Project
Blizzard posted a new job listing this week and then removed it shortly after. It calls for an engineer to work on an unannounced mobile MMO RTS project. The most recent earnings call mentioned that there are multiple teams working on new games right now.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment is seeking an experienced Unity mobile client engineer to work on an unannounced MMO RTS project. The ideal applicant has an unwavering passion for mobile development and solving engineering problems unique to mobile app environments. If you thrive in an environment that values creativity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, then drop us a line!

Requirements
  • 5+ years of Game Development experience
  • iOS and/or Android development experience
  • Experience with Unity
  • Fluent in C#
  • Capable of working very closely with artists, designers, and engineers to understand and meet their client needs
  • Strong understanding of game assets and handling asset version changes
  • Excellent verbal and written communications skills
  • Experience with optimizations for mobile platforms

Pluses
  • Experience with code optimization
  • Fluency with C++
  • Avid mobile application user
  • Strong understanding of 3D graphics and shaders
  • CS or related degree
  • Strong data structures, logic, and algorithm skills
  • Strong debugging skills

BlizzCon 2017 - No New Diablo Announcements
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Hey everyone,

BlizzCon draws near, and we wanted to give you an update about Diablo’s presence at the show. Last year at BlizzCon, we kicked off Diablo’s 20th anniversary by announcing the old-school cathedral dungeon (if you missed that the first time around, it’s coming back in January) and unveiling Rise of the Necromancer. This year, we want to give you a heads-up that while Diablo will be on the show floor, we won’t be making any new Diablo announcements. There will be a time for that at some point in the future, but that time is not now.

However, in addition to the special BlizzCon Diablo III in-game reward, we’ll also have Diablo panels for attendees and Virtual Ticket holders, and, as always, we look forward to a weekend filled with fun and revelry with the heroes who call Sanctuary home.

Patch 2.6.1 is on the horizon. Looking beyond that, we’re hard at work on the future of Diablo and exploring what’s next for the franchise. Please be patient. Our passion for Sanctuary burns as bright as the High Heavens and as hot as the Burning Hells—and we’re excited to hunker down and get working!

Until next time,
The Diablo Development Team

In Remembrance: The Harvest Festival Has Arrived
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The yearly Harvest Festival is now underway in Azeroth. This is a solemn time when the Alliance honors Uther the Lightbringer by lighting a candle at his tomb in the Western Plaguelands, while members of the Horde show their respect to Grommash Hellscream by leaving a bottle of spirits at the base of the Hellscream Memorial in Demon Fall Canyon in Ashenvale.

To commemorate those who have sacrificed their lives to help friends and allies, feasts are also held outside Ironforge and Orgrimmar in honor of these fallen heroes.

When: September 29–October 6

Where: Outside of Ironforge and Orgrimmar

This year, worgen, goblin, and pandaren now have unique tributes available to them in the quest, “Honoring a Hero.” All Harvest Festival foods also provide 4% health per tick.

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Shadowcaster Voruun
Hey all,

I have some answers on this now - Shadowcaster Voruun will spawn like all other Argus rares - i.e. he has a chance of being a daily World Quest, and he can also spawn as a rare every time the Argus rares cycle (every four hours).

What we resolved with Voruun was an issue that was preventing him from spawning in general, and, now that that is resolved, he will definitely be making appearances in the future. Just to stress this - while he may not be up immediately, he should now be spawning much, much more often going forward.

Thanks for all of your patience while we got this sorted out today! (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Human and Blood Elf Shaman
I don't think it's about their culture not being "primitive", it's more that when you play a Human or a Blood Elf, or any other race for that matter, your character comes from a specific "faction" within that race. This lends them the ability to choose what they want to "be" when they grow up, but only insofar as what that particular society offers.

Playable Humans are always from the nation of Stormwind. Playable Blood Elves are always from Silvermoon. While it's possible for there to be "break aways" in the story and for members of those races to join "opposing factions" and learn new skills, that's not something that's on offer to player characters.

If those classes were ever added to those races, I would expect specific backstory to be created for how those races adopted those techniques and rituals, such as with gnome hunters "creating" and taming mechanical beasts. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

MMO-Champion Forums Moderator Recruitment
Good news everyone! We're recruiting moderators for the forums again! Please be sure to read the entire post before applying!

by Published on 2017-09-26 08:41 PM

Community Highlights: Rhykker's PTR Update, Diablo 3 Commercial, Necro Fan Art, & Curse Hiring

Hearthstone Players in China to Receive 8 Free Packs, The State of Hearthstone Events & Brawls

Blizzard Battle.net App
Blizzard has released an Android app (and iOS) that allows you to chat with your Battle.net friends!


Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Blizzard Battle.net - Stay connected with your friends wherever you are

The Blizzard Battle.net Mobile App lets you stay connected with your friends wherever you are. Chat with friends, see what game they're playing, and add new ones - right from your mobile device.

Chat with friends:
With mobile chat, it's easier to coordinate play time, discuss strategies, or just stay in touch. Even if your friends are unavailable or offline, chat history and notifications keep the conversation going.

See what your friends are playing:
You can see at a glance what all your friends are up to, so you know when to jump into a game – or when to get one going yourself. Never miss an opportunity to play together.

Add new friends on the go:
All the features for managing and adding friends on the Battle.net Desktop App are now on your phone. Send and receive friend requests, browse friend suggestions, or even scan a QR code to easily add friends in person.

Airtime or Wi-Fi connection required for use.

Patch 7.3 Hotfixes - September 26
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Argus
  • Account-wide access to World Quests and treasures in Antoran Wastes is now allowed once "The Assault Begins" chapter of the Argus campaign has been completed.
  • Account-wide access to Invasion Points and Greater Invasion Points is now allowed once the "Dark Awakenings" chapter of the Argus campaign has been completed.

Items
  • Zenk'aram, Iridi's Anadem now correctly increases Shadow damage in Voidform.

Netherlight Crucible

Player versus Player
Druid (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
  • Shred now deals an additional 25% damage while stealthed in PvP situations (was 50%).
  • Rake now deals an additional 50% damage while stealthed in PvP situations (was 100%).
  • Feral
    • Enraged Maim now costs 5 Combo Points.
    • Enraged Maim incapacitates the target for 5 seconds (was 6 seconds).
    • Enraged Maim now has a 10 second cooldown (was 6 seconds).
    • The damage of the Lunar Inspiration version of Moonfire is reduced by 20% in PvP situations.
    • Ferocious Wound reduces the maximum health of the target by 15% (was 25%).

Demon Hunter (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
  • Imprison's duration on players is now 3 seconds (was 4 seconds).
  • Detainment increases Imprison's cooldown to 45 seconds, up from 30 seconds.

Monk (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
  • Mistweaver
    • PvP Template Versatility increased by 5%
    • PvP Template Armor increased by 10%
    • Mana Regeneration increased by 5% in PvP situations.
    • Life Cocoon's absorb is increased by 10% in PvP situations.

Paladin (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
  • Holy
    • Avenging Crusader heals for 175% of damage dealt (was 200%).

Shaman (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
  • Restoration
    • Earth Shield reduces all damage the target takes by 10% (was 15%).

Warlock (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
  • Destruction
    • Chaos Bolt's damage is reduced by 10% in PvP situations.
    • Focused Chaos increases Chaos Bolt damage by 65% (was 75%).
    • Firestone increases critical strike chance by 65% (was 75%).
    • PvP Template Intellect increased by 6%.

World Boss - Flotsam
Flotsam is up this week, giving players a chance to win item level 860 loot and a Life Relic. Shaman also have a chance to get The Warmace of Shirvallah.



Greater Invasion Point - Inquisitor Meto
Inquisitor Meto is up this week, rewarding item level 930 gear.



Weekly Bonus Event - Battlegrounds
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
A new weekly quest and rewards are here—steel yourself for Battleground combat!

Seven Days on the Battlegrounds
All this week, heading to the Battlegrounds will net you some extra Honor along with bonus loot for completing this week’s quest. To enter the fray, open Group Finder (default hotkey: I) and then select the Player vs. Player tab. Next choose Casual, select Random Battlegrounds, and hit the Join Battle button—you’ll be matched up with other players and sent to one of the 11 battlegrounds.

Weekly Quest
Before you get started, Archmage Timear near Violet Hold in Dalaran has a quest for you. Win four random Battlegrounds, and you’ll be rewarded with 5 Marks of Honor, a Badge of Honor (1000 Honor), and a Glory of the Melee Artifact Power token (base 500 AP).

Battleground Buff
This week you gain 50% more Honor in Battlegrounds.

A New Event Every Week
The Bonus Events system consists of a rotating schedule of different activities, currently scheduled to run each week beginning on Tuesdays. Each Bonus Event grants a passive bonus to a particular game activity and offers a once-per-event quest with a noteworthy reward for accomplishing a related goal. The in-game calendar can serve as your one-stop reference for the event schedule. The Adventure Guide also offers a direct link to active Bonus Events, allowing you to easily accept any associated quests.
by Published on 2017-09-25 04:57 PM

Community Highlights: Rhykker's PTR Update, Diablo 3 Commercial, Necro Fan Art, & Curse Hiring

Popular HearthPwn Standard and Wild Decks of the Week for September 24

ArgusEliteTracker Addon
The ArgusEliteTracker addon helps you to search for Argus Elite groups. The addon allows you to search for all elites or just one for more accurate results.



Patch 7.3 Hotfixes - September 22
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Achievements
  • Fixed a bug that excluded certain repeatable Highmountain Clan chests from counting toward the Treasures of Highmountain Achievement.

Argus
  • Invasion Points
    • Crazed Corruptors’ Shadow Bolt spell now deals significantly less damage.

Classes

Event
  • Corin Direbrew
    • Healing should now scale properly with player level.

Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
If I have 2 relics both with the Torment of the weak passive, do I get 2 separate stacks or more uptime on 1?
When you have multiple relics with that trait, it's the damage that is increased. There should still only be one debuff on the target. (WarcraftDevs)

Game Developer Tweets
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
Do you think there is a direct correlation between power without gameplay and lowered satisfaction?
Absolutely, but it won’t manifest immediately. In the short term, being overpowered and hard to counter feels great. You’re winning a lot without having to work as hard at it. It’s a rush. But it’s a temporary sugar rush. Later you start to lose interest and aren’t sure why.

It’s the same feeling the first time you turn on god mode on any game. I ran through Contra once with invincibility on and sort of lost interest. When I first went to work on WoW, I poked around in all of the raid instances to see how the bosses were actually built (like how did Deep Breath actually work), but it wasn’t fun to go around and one-shot them all with dev tools. Wooo. I’m so powerful. Crickets.

I should also add that it’s possible to have abilities or mechanics that can still feel satisfying to use even if the champion overall has too much power without gameplay. Abilities that are responsive, that have good visuals and audio that match your expectations, and have good feedback, can be satisfying. That doesn’t mean the whole character package is though. (Source)



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  • Software Development Manager - You'll be responsible for supporting business growth, user engagement, and security through effective development team management and engineering practices
  • Front End Developer - Work with designers and developers to develop modern, intuitive user interfaces for our web properties.
  • Marketing Director - Develop and execute our go-to-market strategies for new and existing products and feature releases.
New York, NY
  • Sales Director, East Coast - Drive territory revenue in the non-endemic games marketplace and ensure the long-term success of your team


For more information on working at Curse, please head to our Careers page.



Mists of Pandaria Released Five Years Ago Today
It has been five years since Mists of Pandaria released!


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