World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies RSS Feed

by Published on 2010-09-13 08:11 AM

So, when is the release of Cataclysm?
Now that Patch 4.0.1 is on PTR, I get a lot of mails asking for a release date and I guess I can answer that without too much risk now.

Keep in mind that Blizzard didn't announce it because the release can still be postponed, but as far as I know the target release date for Cataclysm is the first week of November (that would be November 2, if you like numbers). The first part of the Cataclysm prologue started exactly 8 weeks before that and the next part of the pre-Cataclysm event will probably happen in 2 or 4 weeks depending on their schedule.

You got your answer, and hopefully people won't yell at me if something goes wrong.


Gathering professions now give XP
Originally Posted by Daeleht (Blue Tracker)
This is an intentional change, however the values may not be final. Tradeskill nodes are intended to give you experience when you loot them.

Bastion of Twilight - Twilight Ascendant Council
The last member of the Twilight Ascendant Council had its model updated in the latest build. This encounter definitely looks promising.



Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Mimiron's Head/Invincible in 4.0
Ghostcrawler's stated idea to make such things really low drop rates is still a real possibility. Whether or not this change will take effect with patch 4.0.1 is to be determined. (Source)

Flying in Azeroth
Flying in Azeroth will not be possible until your account is upgraded to Cataclysm. Patch 4.0.1 is slated to be released prior to Cataclysm and will not include the changes to the old world or any content exclusive to Cataclysm. This patch will apply many systems, class, and user interface changes. It's very similar in nature to the major patches which preceded the releases of The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. (Source)

Raid/Dungeons Content Difficulty
You are correct that a lot of players moan about things being too easy without having seen the content personally. We definitely place less emphasis on their feedback than on people who have actually tried those encounters.

The hardest encounters of LK were harder than anything we've offered before. And honestly, that point isn't often in contention. I think what surprised players is say how far they got in Naxxramas on their very first night, without a lot of planning or gearing, or how they managed to kill 2-3 heroic bosses on their first night of a new heroic wing being opened in Icecrown (though to be honest, fighting a boss for weeks on normal mode first definitely exacerbates that phenomenon).

We'll continue to offer some content for the cutting-edge progression raider. There is an encounter in Bastion of Twilight for them. But we also think true pugs shouldn't be stumbling their way through encounters they've never seen before, at least without a very strong or experienced leader.

To use my own guild as an example, in say the Serpentshrine days, we'd take a few weeks to master a new boss. I could probably count the number of time we got two new bosses on one night. I think a progression rate like that feels better to a lot of players. You spend time in between raid nights discussing what you could do differently on a tough boss, but then celebrate each victory.

A heroic dungeon doesn't need to be quite so brutal, but it still doesn't seem bad if you wipe on a new boss 2-3 times before you figure out a solid stragegy and everything falls into place. A lot of players love that puzzle-solving aspect of the encounters. It lets them exercise their mind, creativity and knowledge of game mechanics. When you can just overpower the boss and ignore the encounter mechanics, then a lot of that is lost. (Source)

Class balance on PTRs
Most likely not. We'll be evaluating the way players are performing in content on the 4.0.1 test realms, but keep in mind the class changes are balanced around level 85 gameplay. It's almost more likely we'd end up taking away the Icecrown Citadel buff (I'm only saying this is a possibility), as in many cases healing, tanking, and damage dealing may stand to benefit a lot from these changes at level 80.

Things will be a little bit interesting since these changes are being applied while players are still actively working through the current Wrath of the Lich King content. Bear with us and provide as much feedback as you can about your experiences with these changes under the current content, but keep in perspective that the new class design is meant to be balanced around the upcoming Cataclysm content. We're more interested in ironing out bugs and polishing the systems than attempting to balance them intricately for level 80 gameplay. (Source)

Using all your healing spells
This is a very common line of argument we see from players, especially healers. It runs something like "I use all my heals. I seem to be a pretty good healer. Therefore only using a few heals makes you a bad healer." It should make you a bad healer (if our numbers are appropriate) but often it does not. Often those 1-2 spells can take you 90% of the way there and the additional heals used my more savvy players only adds 10% or so optimization on top of that. You might have been a better paladin for using all of your toolbox, but the fact is that even very mediocre paladins could heal just fine using only those two buttons. That's not what we are going for. If you're used to using a variety of spells, then this change won't affect you much. (Source)

Making healing more challenging
We see the sentiment expressed often that making healing more challenging might drive players away. That is a risk, but the flip side is that making healing more engaging might attract some players who find it boring today.

While it has always been a goal to make World of Warcraft approachable to a lot of different kinds of players, including those who found traditional MMOs too hardcore, we'd rather retain players because the gameplay is fun than because the gameplay is easy.

Taking your argument to a probably illogical conclusion, if we made healing even easier, we might get even more players to heal. Is that really good for the game as a whole though? (Source)

Lack of healers in the Dungeon Finder in Cataclysm?
Players played WoW for six years without Dungeon Finder though. Dungeon Finder is awesome, don't get me wrong, and I spent a lot of time personally working on it. But the intent is not to be able farm dungeons as fast as you possibly can.

Healing (and tanking as well) isn't for everyone. It takes the right kind of mindset. I know there are players who want to make healing and tanking super easy in an attempt to adjust the ratios of dps to tanking and healing. There are also some who just want to get rid of the healing role completely.

None of those are our goals though. We want to make healing fun for healers, not make healing so easy that anyone can jump in without any fear of failure.

I remember looking for Scholomance or Shadow Labs pugs for literally 2-3 hours. There is almost no chance of that ever happening again now that we have Dungeon Finder, even if tanking and healing require a little more finesse.

So to answer your question, I think having more healers available at any cost is bad for the game. We want healing to be fun for people who like healing. If that means the mages and rouges have to wait 15 minutes for Dungeon Finder instead of 5 minutes, I think we can live with that. If nothing else, fast Dungeon Finder queues (or ease in finding a raid slot, etc.) remain attractive benefits of tanking and healing. (Source)

Paladin (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
70% spell pushback
Hopefully they just make the 70% baseline for everyone with no pushback with earth shield or concentration aura type spells. Spell pushback is one of those things that can really drive you crazy in both PvP and PvE.
We did. We just changed the base pushback resistance so that we didn't have to duplicate the same passive bonus in every tree.

Tanking / Crusader Strike
If CS and HotR are meant to be single/multi-target counterparts, then they should both hit as the same type of damage. Since CS is stuck as physical due to Ret using it, HotR should probably be switched to physical as well. Mana cost of HotR seems lower than it should be, compared to CS.
We want Prot paladins to be able to swap between Shield of the Righteous and Inquisition when going from single-target to AE tanking. One of the mechanics that lets that work is Hammer of the Righteous being improved by Holy damage.

Crusader Strike should win handily against single targets. If it's not doing that yet it's just a numbers adjustment, so you'd be better off testing as if it were the case rather than trying to build a rotation based around something that you know we're likely to change. (Source)

MMO Report
It's time for your monday's MMO Report, Casey is back!



Comics
Teh Gladiators #166 + #167 and Dark Legacy Comics #255 is out. Sometimes a nice smile goes a long way.

by Published on 2010-09-12 04:01 AM

Patch 4.0.1 now on Test Realms
Patch 4.0.1 is now available on test realms (=not beta, the regular test realms). People who aren't in the Cataclysm beta yet can now test most of the Cataclysm features, aside from anything requiring leveling.



This is basically the exact same build as Cataclysm Beta, just without all the Cataclysm-only stuff. Old world changes, new quests, etc ... are NOT AVAILABLE, but will be available on live realms for people without the expansion after it's deployed.

Basically, on the test realms:


  • Classes changes are up, new talent builds, new glyphs (not fully implemented yet), etc ...
  • Revamped old zones are NOT available
  • New graphics (textures, water effects) are NOT available
  • Archaeology is NOT available
  • Guild leveling is NOT available
  • Flying in Azeroth is NOT available
  • New content is NOT available

I think that's enough to answer 95% of the questions about this.


PTR 4.0.1 Patch Notes
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker)
World of Warcraft PTR Patch 4.0.1

The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/
The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patch...atchnotes.html

General
  • Copied Test Realm characters are not copied with their achievement history in order to better facilitate the character copy process.

Classes: General
  • Many class talents, spells, and abilities have been overhauled, added, or removed.
  • All spell and ability tooltips will now display damage averages rather than minimum and maximum damage potential. This feature is on by default but can be changed via the Display settings under User Interface options.
  • Ammo has been removed from the game.
  • The character levels at which classes gain new spells and abilities have changed.
  • Many item and class stats have been changed or removed.
  • Rage has been normalized.
  • Spells and abilities no longer have multiple ranks and now scale with character level.
  • Talent trees have been altered. All player talent specializations have been reset, allowing for free re-specialization.
    • Each specialization has been reduced to a 31-point talent tree.
    • Players will now get a total of 41 talent points to spend.
    • Players will be asked to choose a specialization at level 10. Doing so will result in the unlocking of a spell or ability unique to that specialization, as well as one or more passive bonuses.
    • Once a talent specialization has been chosen, players may only place points in the primary tree until at least 31 points have been spent there.
    • The initial announcement regarding these talent tree changes can be found on our Cataclysm forum: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...26290449&sid=1



Death Knight (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • A dedicated tanking tree (Blood) has been implemented.
  • The effects of Blood Presence and Frost Presence have been exchanged.
  • The way in which runes recharge has changed.

Druid (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • A new Eclipse mechanic has been added for druids.

Hunter (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • Five pets can now be stored with the hunter at all times. Any one of these five pets can be summoned via the Call Pet ability.
  • Focus has replaced mana as a new resource.
  • Hunters now start with a pet at level 1.
  • The Stable will now store 20 pets. If a pet is moved into the Stable, its talents are wiped.

Mage (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • There is now a new spell fly-out UI feature for mage portals. Clicking on the Teleport or Portal buttons will expand the list of choices available.

Paladin (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • Paladins now have a new resource bar.

Warlock (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • There is now a new spell fly-out UI feature for warlock pets. Clicking on this single button will open up the list of available pets to summon.
  • Soul Shards have been removed from the game as items. Instead, they now exist as a resource system necessary for using, or altering the mechanics of certain spells.

Items
  • Resilience no longer reduces the chance a player will be critically hit by an opponent.
  • Durability: cloth, leather, and mail now have as many points of durability as plate, making the repair cost on death much closer to equal for all classes.

Professions
  • The glyph system has been updated to now feature three different types of glyphs. Many class glyphs have been added, altered, or moved to different glyph types.

User Interface
  • Spell Alerts have been added to notify players when procs on select spells and abilities occur. A visual notification will display around the character and the activated ability will be highlighted on the action bar.
  • The Arena Teams pane has been improved.
  • The Character pane has been redesigned. Character stats can now be shown or hidden via the Show All Details/Hide All Details button on the bottom left. When shown, all character stats will be visible in a window to the right of the pane. Stat sections can be reorganized by clicking and dragging them up or down the pane.
  • The Professions panes now have more filtering and search functionality, as well as buttons to easily link recipes in the chat frame.
  • A Professions screen has been added to the Spellbook to better display the details of a character’s primary and secondary professions.
  • Many of the yellow System Messages that would display in the chat frame when leveling up have been removed.
  • New text animations now alert players as they level up, also providing information on when new talents, spells and abilities are available.
  • Professions and Class Trainers windows have been altered to more clearly display available and upcoming purchases.
  • New Raid frames are now. They can also be used in place of the standard 5-player party interface via the User Interface options.
  • The Spellbook interface has been improved for greater ease-of-use and visual appeal.
  • For additional notes on Lua and XML changes please visit the UI & Macros Forum: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/bo...&forumId=11114
by Published on 2010-09-11 08:51 AM

Cataclysm Beta - Build 12942 Hunter Pet Changes
This build revamped most of the pets abilities with a very simple goal, make pets useful. The result is a more active pet for Death Knight, and an insane amount of possible raid buffs for hunters depending on what pet they have. Yes, they also have Heroism/Bloodlust if they're specced in Beast Mastery.

If you ever dreamed about your pet having tons of possible abilities, your dream probably looked a lot like this list.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Hunter (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Utility Abilities
(Pets with a - E are exotic pets tameable only by Beast Mastery Hunters)

Bloodlust / Heroism
  • Ancient Hysteria (Core Hound - E) - Increases melee, ranged, and spell casting speed by 30% for all party and raid members. Lasts 40 sec.
    Allies receiving this effect will become Sated and be unable to benefit from Bloodlust or Time Warp again for 10 min. / Instant, 6 min cooldown

Healing
  • Spirit Mend (Spirit Beast - E) - The Spirit Beast heals the currently friendly target for {1237.75+((RAP*0.35)*0.5)} plus an additional {475.97+((RAP*0.35)*0.335)} over 10 sec. / 25 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown

Stat Boost (BoK)
  • Embrace of the Shale Spider - Fills all friendly party and raid members with the Shale Spider's embrace, increasing Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intellect by %. / Instant

Stamina Buff

Critical Strike Buff
  • Furious Howl (Wolf / Dog) - The wolf lets out a furious howl, increasing the critical strike chance of all party and raid members by 5%. / Instant, 45 sec cooldown
  • Terrifying Roar (Devilsaur - E) - The devilsaur lets out a terrifying roar, increasing the critical strike chance of all party and raid members by 5%. / Instant, 45 sec cooldown

Casting Speed Reduction
  • Lava Breath (Core Hound - E) - Your pet breathes a double gout of molten lava at the target, reducing the target's casting speed by 25% for 10 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 8 sec cooldown (No longer deals damage)
  • Spore Cloud (Sporebat) - Dusts nearby enemies with spores, reducing all enemy targets within 6 yards casting speed by 25% for 9 sec. / 6 yd range, Instant, 12 sec cooldown

Attack Speed Reduction
  • Dust Cloud (Tallstrider) - Your tallstrider kicks up an obscuring cloud of dust, causing all enemies within 10 yards to have their melee and ranged attack speed reduced by 20% for 8 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown
  • Tailspin - Your fox twirls its tail around, kicking up an obscuring cloud of dust, causing all enemies within 10 yards to have their melee and ranged attack speed reduced by 20% for 8 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown

Movement Speed Reduction
  • Ankle Crack (Crocolisk) - Snap at the target's feet, reducing movement speed by 50% for 6 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown (Replaces Bad Attitude)
  • Frost Breath (Chimaera - E) - Your pet simultaneously breathes frost and lightning at an enemy target, slowing the target for 5 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown (No longer deals damage)
  • Time Warp (Warp Stalker) - Slows time around the enemy, reducing their movement speed by 50% for 6 sec. / 25 yd range, Instant, 15 sec cooldown

Healing Debuff
  • Monstrous Bite (Devilsaur - E) - Your devilsaur ferociously bites the enemy, reducing the effectiveness of any healing received by 25% for 8 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 8 sec cooldown

Root
  • Venom Web Spray (Silithid - E) - Sprays toxic webs at the target, preventing movement for 5 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown (Up from 4 sec, no longer deals damage)
  • Web (Spider) - Encases the target in sticky webs, preventing movement for 5 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown

Silence / Interrupt
  • Serenity Dust (Moth) - The moth's wings produce a cloud of dust that interrupts the enemies spellcasting and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 2 sec. / 25 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown

Armor Reduction (Sunder Armor)
  • Tear Armor (Raptor) - Tears at the enemies armor with the raptor's talons, reducing it by 4%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
  • Corrosive Spit (Serpent) - Spits poison at an enemy, corroding their armor, reducing it by 4%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown

Increased Bleed Damage
  • Gore (Boar) - Your boar gores the enemy, causing it to take 30% additional damage from bleed effects for 15 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown
  • Tendon Rip (Hyena) - Tears at an enemy's legs, increasing damage taken from bleed effects by 30% for 15 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown

Increased Magic Damage
  • Fire Breath (Dragonhawk) - Breathes Fire on the target, increasing magic damage taken by 8% for 45 sec. / 40 yd range, Channeled, 30 sec cooldown
  • Lightning Breath (Wind Serpent) - Breathes lightning, increasing magic damage taken by 8% for 45 sec. / 40 yd range, Channeled, 30 sec cooldown

Increased Physical Damage
  • Acid Spit (Worm - E) - Your worm spits acid, causing the enemy target to take an increased 4% physical damage for 25 sec. / 20 Focus, 30 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown
  • Ravage (Ravager) - Violently attacks an enemy, causing the enemy target to take 4% increased physical damage for 25 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 15 sec cooldown

Stun
  • Sonic Blast - Emits a piercing shriek, stunning the target for 2 sec. / 20 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown (No longer deals damage)
  • Sting (Wasp) - Your wasp stings the target, stunning them for 2 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 45 sec cooldown

Physical Damage Reduction
  • Demoralizing Roar (Bear) - The bear roars, reducing the physical damage caused by all enemies within yards by 10% for 15 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown

Disarm
  • Clench (Scorpid) - The scorpid clenches the enemy's weapon with its talons, and disarming their main hand and ranged weapons for 10 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown

DPS Abilities
  • Bite - Bite the enemy, causing {187.74+((RAP*0.35)*0.40)} damage. / 25 Focus, 5 yd range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
  • Claw - Claw the enemy, causing {187.74+((RAP*0.35)*0.40)} damage. / 25 Focus, 5 yd range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
  • Smack - Smack the enemy, causing {187.74+((RAP*0.35)*0.40)} damage. / 25 Focus, 5 yd range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown

Cataclysm Beta - Build 12942 Death Knight Pet Changes
I already mentioned that the Death Knight's ghoul is already getting an overhaul in this patch. Unholy Death Knights can pick the Shadow Infusion and Dark Transformation talents.

If the Death Knight uses Death Coil 5 times and activates Dark Transformation, the ghoul gains a 100% damage buff and a new set of skills for 30 seconds.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
  • Gnaw becomes - Strike an enemy with a smashing attack, dealing 125% of normal melee damage and stunning for 4 sec.
  • Huddle becomes - Unleash a fortifying roar, reducing all damage taken by 50% for 10 sec.
  • Claw becomes - Rakes an enemy with deformed claws, dealing 150% of normal damage to the target and up to 2 additional targets.
  • Leap becomes - Charge an enemy, interrupting spellcasting and immobilizing them for 2 sec.




Golden King Video Preview
Kody released a short video preview of the Golden King, the Alliance lion guild mount. It currently costs 200 gold and require your guild to have the Dungeon Diplomat achievement. The blank spot on the lion is supposed to display your guild tabard but it is currently bugged on beta realms.



How Archaeology works
Ghostcrawler explained how Archaeology works on official forums, there is also a very nice post from MortalWombat on our forums with a couple of extra information and tons of screenshots.

Originally Posted by Ghostcrawler (Blue Tracker)
Archaeology just went in this build for the first time and we don't yet have any of the support around it to teach players what to do. It has been informative to watch players learn to swim by drowning, but we thought it was time to offer a little more direction.

Digsites
Once you train archaeology, you can see digsites on your map (not your minimap - your map). There are always 4 digsites per continent. These will not change until you dig one out. Most of the time, you're probably only going to be concerned with the 4 sites on your current continent, but at higher character and archaeology skill levels, there will be 16 sites active at one time (4 each in Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, Outland and Northrend.)

You will only find sites in zones of your level or lower. A level 25 player will have all 4 sites per continent in level 25 zones. (This means Outland and Northrend will have no sites at this time.) A level 80 player will have all 4 sites in any zone. A low level Kalimdor player might have sites in Ashenvale and Stonetalon, while a level 82 might have Uldum, Ashenvale, Stonetalon and Silithus.

Sites are race specific. You can usually guess the race by the location. Kalimdor tends to have a lot of night elf ruins. Eastern Kingdoms tends to have a lot of dwarf ruins.

Some races are only available on some continents (such as orc and draenei on Outland). You need to have a minimum character level and a minimum archaeology level to use these. Currently you can see them if you are a certain character level but can't gather from them until your archaeology skill is higher. For Outland, the skill is 300. While somewhat consistent with other gathering skills, we think this is confusing and we will change it so that you don't even see the digsites until your archaeology skill is sufficiently high. Tol'vir artifacts are the most rewarding, but also require near max archaeology skill to recover.

Some players are reporting some issues with digsites not showing up correctly. We'll look into these bugs.

Unlike other gathering skills, digsites are player-specific. Other players will be searching in different locations. There is no competition for digsites.

Fragments
Each digsite can be searched 3 times before it despawns and a new site spawns. If there is a digsite somewhere too far away from you or otherwise inconvenient, just ignore it and hit the closer ones. You won't run out.

To search a digsite, use the Survey ability. The survey tool will spawn and point in the approximate direction of the artifact. Red means you're far away. Yellow means you're close. Green means you may be within 40 yards or so. When you discover your find, you'll get fragments specific to a particular race.

There are two main strategies to surveying. You can attempt to triangulate by moving around the outer edge of a digsite. (Like quest blobs, the digsites are not necessarily circular.) Other players just keep surveying, heading in the direction the tool points until they strike paydirt.

Remember, the thing you uncover is yours. There is no competition with other players and nobody can gank your node.

Artifacts
Whenever you get a new fragment for a race, you'll start a research project. You can only work on one artifact per race at a time. When you have enough fragments, click Solve to complete that artifact. You won't waste excess fragments -- they will just start the next project. You can be working on one project for each race at a time.

Most artifacts are common. These give you a little bit of lore or flavor text and an item you can sell for a small profit (presumably to a museum!) The profit increases as the value of the artifact increases. You can estimate this by the number of fragments needed to finish the artifact. You will only find cheaper artifacts at low level, but you can find cheap and valuable artifacts at higher level (the reason for this is we want players to be able to find all the artifacts if they want to). You won't find a second copy of a common object until you have found all the artifacts of that race. If you get stuck at a certain skill level of archaeology or character level, you may find an artifact more than once until you reach the next tier.

Some artifacts are rare. These always make a blue or purple item. Many of these have no in-game power and are toys or for flavor. Some of them are actual weapons and armor. The latter items are all bound to account. They aren't heirlooms in that they don't scale, but you can pass them around. So if you are level 80 and you find a level 60 axe, you can always have another character use it when they are level 60. You will never get a rare artifact more than once.

The future
We designed archaeology to be easily expandable, so we plan to add much more content in future patches, including new races to research (though to be fair, there's a sizable amount of content already). We also have a feature that is not available on beta yet, that allows you to use your archaeology skill for a slight (think Fish Feast-level) bonus in the Cataclysm dungeons.
Random Character Services Buttons
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker)
In the latest build players will notice paid character services buttons appear next to characters at random on the Character Selection screen. These are the buttons you would normally see after purchasing any service, such as race, realm, or faction changes, or character customization. If a character service button shows up next to one of your characters, you can click it to make use of a free race change or character customization (faction change coming soon). You can make use of these buttons as often as you like, but the services for which you’re selected are randomly chosen for you and will update every hour. So, say if you don’t want to change your race but would like to customize your appearance on a specific character, you will need to wait for the right button to appear.

Please note that these buttons are only for beta testing purposes and are not intended to be released for free on live realms. We want beta testers to stress test our paid services so we can ensure they are operating smoothly when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released.

New Flight Skill
Just in case you missed it.
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker)
We’ve added a new flying skill called Flight Master's License. When World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released, players who purchase the expansion will see this skill available from flight trainers for 250 gold once they reach level 60. This new skill is required for flying around all Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms zones, including the new level 80-85 zones.

Battleground Titles and Achievements
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker)
Honor titles have been added into World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. These titles are earned when specific Battleground Achievements are completed, and are triggered when specific Battleground rating milestones are met. The titles remain the same as the original PvP titles, however, players who obtained these titles from the original Battleground ranking system will not lose them. The Feats of Strength associated with the original titles have been altered slightly to denote that they were earned under the old system, although the titles themselves remain the same.

As of now, the first ranks -- Private for Alliance and Scout for Horde -- are earned when a player reaches a Battleground rating of 1100. The ranks increase every 100 rating points, up to Grand Marshal/High Warlord at 2400 rating. Titles earned through the new system are yours to keep and will not be wiped with each season.

In addition, all-new titles and Achievements will be added for top performers. Hero of the Alliance and Hero of the Horde will be awarded to players who finish a season in the top .5% of the rated Battleground ladder. These titles will be wiped at the end of each new season, however, a new Achievement will be awarded to players who earn this title each season. Let’s see how many seasons in a row you can stay in the top .5%!

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Player vs. Player
Rated Battlegrounds Min Level
It's limited to 85's. (Source)

"Old" Battleground Titles back in Cataclysm
As you noted in your edit, the original titles are not going to be taken away from players who already have them. The Feats of Strength associated with the old titles will be changed slightly to more clearly distinguish them from the Achievements associated with the returning titles.

Here's a brief rundown of how the rated Battleground titles will function in Cataclysm, and how the original titles can be earned by players who did not have a chance to participate in the original ranking system:

As of now, the first ranks -- Private for Alliance and Scout for Horde -- are earned when a player reaches a Battleground rating of 1100. The ranks increase every 100 rating points, up to Grand Marshal/High Warlord at 2400 rating. Titles earned through the new system are yours to keep and will not be wiped with each season.

In addition, all-new titles and Achievements will be added for top performers. Hero of the Alliance and Hero of the Horde will be awarded to players who finish a season in the top .5% of the rated Battleground ladder. These titles will be wiped at the end of each new season, however, a new Achievement will be awarded to players who earn this title each season.

Let’s see how many seasons in a row you can stay in the top .5%! (Source)

Guild Leveling / Perks
Guild Perks on Beta
All guild perks should be working as of today's build except for Happy Hour and Chug-A-Lug. These will both be active in our next build. (Source)

Mobile Guild Bank requirements
You need Friendly guild faction to use the mobile guild bank. That is updated in the tooltip for the next build. There is currently a bug where it is set to friendly. (Source)

Guild Raids & Dungeons Achievements
In general we require 80% of the group to be comprised of guild members. There are exceptions to this case though like 40 man raids and arenas. All the gritty details below are below.
4/5 - dungeons
8/10 - 10 player raid, 10 player BG
20/25 - 25 player raid, 25 player BG
10/40 - 40 player raid
12/15 - 15 player BG
2/2, 3/3, 5/5 - Arenas (Source)

Guild leveling on beta
This feedback is extremely useful guys, please keep it coming. A few things to note:

-XP is currently not being earned for all the dungeons, only Throne of the Tides, Blackrock Caverns and The Stonecore are giving XP. In our next build, ALL dungeons going back to classic will give guild XP. Guild XP gained from bosses is based on the bosses level and is modified by things like the number of players in your party/raid and if the encounter is heroic or not.

-XP is currently not being given out for rated BG's. (obviously, since they are not on beta)

-XP is currently not being given out for Achievements. This will also be implemented in our next build. Note that guild achievements give large amounts of XP at a time and for this reason, they will not respect the daily cap.

-XP for quests if working correctly and most of your leveling has been based off of this alone so far.

-As far as rep gain goes, you need to remember that rep gain is based on your guild xp contribution. As you can see from my notes above, you currently only have one way to contribute, quests. Once our next build goes live and you can earn guild XP from boss kills, this rate should increase. You can expect a similar increase from rated BGs. Before you ask, guild achievements do not grant guild rep since they are earned by the entire guild.

Hope this helps and keep that feedback coming! (Source)

Mage (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Arcane Blast changes in Build 12942
It goes a little beyond that, as the arcane blast debuff only affects arcane blast. Essentially, arcane blast is the highest sustained dps (but unsustainable in terms of mana), followed by arcane barrage, followed by arcane missiles (which is very close to arc barrage in dps, and free of course).

So, from the standpoint of a boss fight arcane is less about a constant rotation, and more about optimizing your mana bar to the fight you're involved in (with a little rng in the mix). (Source)

Combustion
In the next beta build combustion's instant damage is guaranteed to crit. Not only does this mean ignite is guaranteed to be instantly re-applied but also that you have a shot at a hot streak to re-apply pyro. (Source)

Paladin (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Selfless Healer
The damage buff to Selfless Healer is intended to make using Word of Glory less of a dps loss. It's just giving you back some change. It isn't intended to be a mandatory talent, and it would be hard to keep the buff duration up all the time time anyway. (Source)

[...] If you had read a little more before running to the forums (armed with only data-mined information I might add), you would have seen that using Selfless Healer will still be a dps loss. That is the intent. The change is just to make it less of a dps loss than it was previously. Giving up a Templar's Verdict is a lot for a paladin. (Source)

Inquisition
You should use Inquisition when you need to AE tank, since it will boost the damage on Consecrate and the Holy portion of Hammer of the Righteous. You should use Shield of the Righteous on single targets. If you get a proc, you might decide to use Shield of the Righteous even on larger groups. (Source)

Holy Paladin "nerf"
What you call nerfs (and buffs) I call class balancing that is being done during beta. End result will be a working class that can fulfill it's role.
Yeah, pretty much this. Since you don't really have anything to compare it to (in that you aren't seeing your character on live suddenly healing for less than she did the day before), it's hard to get too upset over seeing numbers go down. Some of the numbers are just too high right now. It will all even out before we're done. (Source)

[...] We wanted going to melee to benefit from Seal of Insight to be an option you might consider on some fights. With the previous numbers, you would be stupid to play any other way, which was not our intent.

We were seeing too many paladins use nothing but Holy Shock -> Word of Glory and be effective at doing so. The intent was to give paladins more healing spells to use in Cataclysm, and this mechanic was dominating too much. It will still be quite effective.

The other concerns seem to be about mana and throughput number changes. It's too early to worry about those yet. It will be some time before we feel like the numbers are stable enough. We'll make sure paladins have about the same mana regen as the other healers. (Source)

Does Haste affects Judgement of the Wise/Bold?
Yes. (Source)

Sanctified Wrath (Yep, I screwed up. Rank 3 didn't change = didn't show up on my side. You can call me stupid)
* Sanctified Wrath is now a Tier 4 talent, down from Tier 5. Now increases the critical chance of Hammer of Wrath by 20/40%, down from 25/50% and reduces the cooldown of Avenging Wrath by 20/40 secs, down from 30/60 secs.
I *think* this is a data-mining error. This implies we removed rank 3, which we have not done. It's still 60% / 60 sec at max ranks. (Source)

Seal of Command
It improves the damage of these 3 Seals. The cleave only applies to Righteousness. (Source)

Art of War Change
The overall damage is lower than TV now, which was the goal. (Source)

Retribution Mana management
Ret doesn't need a lot of mana to do the basic rotation. They were getting so much mana that they were doing things like casting Exorcism a lot, using Consecrate on cooldown and using expensive heals. A little of that is okay, but it should be a bonus when you get a lot of mana, not something you do all the time. (Source)

Warrior (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Shield Slam Damage
We need to shift some of the damage from Shield Slam to Devastate and Revenge. It's fine that it hits like a monster, but it shouldn't totally dwarf everything else. (Source)

Heroic Strike in SMF on Beta = Bug
Heroic Strike doesn't interact with either Bloodsurge or Single Minded Fury.

Bloodsurge can only be proc'd by Bloodthirst. SMF only affects Slam (and damage). The latter just has some goofy tooltip bug in your build. (Source)

Haste scaling
Not everything needs to scale with haste (or crit for that matter). They just need to scale well enough that A) the stat isn't viewed as garbage on gear, or B) that Fury (in this case) doesn't blow past Arms at high gear levels.

[...] Haste does not affect Rend ticks. Our general philosophy is that melee dots do not need to be sped up. Melee benefits from haste by generating more resources. Thus, there should be no Taste for Blood losses with haste. Rend can crit however.

Since I can probably guess the question that will get asked next, Slam also won't scale with haste. However, we have changed Blood Frenzy from being passive haste to a chance that your autoattacks will generate extra rage. This should help Arms scale with haste a little better, as well as give Arms a slightly less predictable rage income (in the way that crit used to deliver, but without the crit scaling problems).

We're not worried about Heroic Strike ever beating Slam. If that happens, it's just a tuning problem easily solved.

[...] We want haste to apply to as close to 100% of your damage as possible. For casters it always applied to cast time spells. Now it also applies to dots. For melee, it improves your auto attack damage but also grants you more resources, therefore improving your special attacks as well. (Source)

Cataclysm Zone Q&A: Ashenvale
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)

Q. What was the original concept for the zone?
A. The concept for Ashenvale was to show the effects of the Cataclysm while taking the opportunity to streamline the zone's level design. There were areas of Ashenvale that were pretty unfriendly in terms of accessibility and quest flow. The level designers and quest designers worked together to alleviate the problem areas and highlight the big changes.

Q. Who will be using this zone (what levels/factions)?
A. Both Horde and Alliance players, roughly from levels 20–25. We anticipate that this will be a well-traveled zone in terms of general player flow.

Q. Without giving up any spoilers, what's the general storyline for this zone? How has it changed from the original design?
A. Among other catastrophes, an enormous volcano has erupted in central Ashenvale. As the night elves struggle to deal with the chaos caused by the Cataclysm, the Horde is seizing what it perceives to be a golden opportunity. Garrosh Hellscream's forces are now bearing down upon the night elves and have overtaken several key positions that once served as Alliance strongholds. There is a definite feeling that the balance of power in this region now teeters on a goblin tripwire….

These changes also mean that Horde players will have much more to do in Ashenvale.

Q. What do you think is the most exciting new feature of the zone?
A. Visually, it has to be the volcano. It's stunning, and it provides a great landmark in a place otherwise known for its dense forest. Thematically, the tension present in the zone gives it a whole new feel. The Horde is barricaded inside the walls of Splintertree Post under a massive assault by the night elves and their allies. Meanwhile, Astranaar is desperately fighting off waves of Hellscream's forces. Practically everywhere you go in Ashenvale, it's impossible to escape the fact that it has become a warzone.

Q.What goes into redesigning a zone like this?
A. A bit more than meets the eye, we think. Ashenvale is deceptively large, and previously there were many issues in terms of quest flow and Horde/Alliance content balance. Soon after we rolled up our sleeves and broke ground, we realized that our work was cut out for us. There were numerous quests we wanted to keep, but there were also a great many that no longer fit or didn't play out efficiently. We also needed to create a variety of new quests, especially ones "For the Horde"™.

Q. What was the most challenging aspect about implementing these changes?
A. It can actually be a bit tougher to come in and "do surgery" to an existing zone than it is to completely gut it and start from scratch. Given our ambitious time constraints, trying to determine what stays, what goes, and what other changes to make is certainly a challenge.

Q. What should players do or go see first?
A. Horde players should visit the Mor'shan Rampart first. There's a new Horde contingent there who is fighting hard to make sure that no night elves escape Hellscream's onslaught -- not that they'd make it far into the Northern Barrens! Alliance players who come down from Darkshore will want to help defend Maestra's Post and Astranaar as both settlements struggle to keep from falling under Hellscream's control.

Q. Who seems to have the upper hand in the zone: the Horde, the Alliance, or the elementals?
A. The Horde and the Alliance are throwing themselves at each other on many fronts; neither has a clear upper hand here. The elementals in Ashenvale are a minor nuisance in comparison to the faction struggle.

Q. Should we expect any changes within Blackfathom Deeps?
A. There are no significant changes planned for Blackfathom Deeps at this time.

Q.What has happened to Silverwind Refuge?
A. The Horde has happened!

Q. What has changed the most: the storyline or the terrain?
A. The amount of change has been pretty equal between storyline and terrain. The terrain is much less frustrating than before, and the visual results of the Cataclysm tell the story as much as the quests do. Story-wise, the theme hasn't changed so much as its intensity has.
by Published on 2010-09-09 10:28 PM

Updates
03:00AM PST - You're all going to ask anyway. Alliance Guild Mount, blank spot is for the guild tabard.


07:40PM PST - The Azerothian Navigation skill will cost 250 gold.
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker)
We’ve added a new flying skill called Azerothian Navigation. When World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released, players who purchase the expansion will see this skill available from flight trainers once they reach level 60. This new skill is required for flying around all Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms zones, including the new level 80-85 zones.

The cost for this is 250 gold. The name has also changed. I've updated my original post with the new information.
03:35PM PST - Reins of the Spectral Steed, Reins of the Spectral Wolf should give you a good reason to go to Tol Barad. Scepter of Az'Aqir will also be a good reason to level Archaeology. (More on those later)


Cataclysm Beta - Build 12942 (Codename Fluffy)
A new build has been ... well, discovered, and just like the previous one I have no idea if it will be ever pushed on beta realms. That's not a reason to not work on the changes and give it a stupid codename, stay tuned for more updates!


WoWTal.com - Build 12942
The Cataclysm Talent Calculator has been updated to the latest beta build.



New Titles
A couple of new titles have been added to the game with this build.


  • Assistant Professor (#189)
  • Associate Professor (#190)
  • Professor (#191)
  • Ishmael (#192)
  • , Veteran of the Alliance (#193)
  • , Veteran of the Horde (#194)
  • , Hero of the Alliance (#223)
  • , Hero of the Horde (#224)
  • Also, all the old PvP titles have been brought back to the game as part of the rated bg system.


Guild Achievements
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Guild - General

Guilds - PvP

Guilds - Professions

Player Achievements
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

General

Raids & Dungeons - Raids
  • Keeping it in the Family - Start [phase 3] with Nefarian below 50% health and then defeat Nefarian in Blackwing Descent.
  • Double Dragon - Killl 2 Twilight Fiends in the Twilight Realm and then defeat Valiona and Theralion in the Bastion of Twilight.
  • Glory of the Cataclysm Raider - Complete the Cataclysm raid achievements listed below.
  • Argaloth - Defeat Argaloth in Baradin Hold.
  • Heroic: Argaloth - Defeat Argaloth in Baradin Hold on Heroic difficulty.
  • Parasite Evening - Defeat Magmaw in Blackwing Descent without anyone in the raid becoming infected with a parasite.
  • Achieve-a-tron - Defeat the Tron Council in Blackwing Descent without being hit by the following attacks.
  • Silence is Golden - Defeat Atramedes in Blackwing Descent without any raid member's sound bar going over 11.
  • Full of Sound and Fury - Defeat Chimaron in Blackwing Descent with only 2 raid member deaths.
  • Abberant Behavior - Kill 12 Aberrations within 12 seconds on the Maloriak encounter in Blackwing Descent and then defeat Maloriak.
  • The Only Escape - Defeat Halfus Wyrmbreaker after defeating two drakes within 10 seconds of each other. The Emerald Whelp pack counts as one drake for this purpose.
  • Elementary - Defeat the Elementium Monstrosity in the Twilight Ascended Council encounter in Blackwing Descent with only one Liquid Ice patch.
  • The Abyss Will Gaze Back Into You - Defeat Cho'gall in the Bastion of Twilight before any raid member earns more than 30% Corrupted Blood.
  • I Can't Hear You Over the Sound of How Awesome I Am - Defeat Sinestra in the Bastion of Twilight on Heroic difficulty on the first attempt without letting any raid members die.
  • Stay Chill - Defeat the Council of the Four Winds in the Throne of the Four Winds while everyone in the raid has at least 7 stacks of Freezing Wind.
  • Four Play - Defeat Al'Akir in the Throne of the Four Winds while under the effects of 7 or more stacks of Feedback.

Raids & Dungeons - Dungeons
  • Crushing Bones and Cracking Skulls - Get Rom'ogg Bonecrusher to kill 1000 of his adds with his Skullcracker ability in Blackrock Caverns on Heroic difficulty.
  • Arrested Development - Defeat Corla, Herald of Twilight before any Zealots become Evolved Twilight Zealots in Blackrock Caverns on Heroic difficulty.
  • Too Hot to Handle - Defeat Karsh Steelbender after he has reached 10 stacks of Heated Armor in Blackrock Caverns on Heroic difficulty.
  • Ascendant Descending - Defeat Ascendant Lord Obsidius before he gets 4 stacks of Mortal Strike in Blackrock Caverns on Heroic difficulty.
  • Old Faithful - Get Lady Naz'jar to kill 1000 of her adds with her Geyser ability in Throne of the Tides on Heroic difficulty.
  • Prince of Tides - Defeat an Unyielding Behemoth while you have the Tidal Surge effect during the Ozumat encounter in Throne of the Tides on Heroic difficulty.
  • Rotten to the Core - Defeat 60 Disciples within 2 seconds during the High Priestess Magneto encounter in the Stone Core on Heroic Difficulty.
  • No Static at All - Completely avoid the Static Cling effect during the Asaad encounter in the Vortex Pinnacle on Heroic Difficulty.
  • Extra Credit Bonus Stage - Collect 5 Red Coins in a single visit to the Vortex Pinnacle on Heroic difficulty.
  • Kill It With Fire! - Defeat 3 Burning Souls during the High Prophet Barim encounter in Lost City of the Tol'vir on Heroic difficulty.
  • Acrocalpyse Now - Defeat 20 Frenzied Crocolisks within 5 seconds during the Lockmaw encounter in the Lost City of the Tol'vir on Heroic difficulty.
  • Headed South - Defeat Siamat, Lord of the South Wind, with 3 stacks of Lightning Charge in Lost City of the Tol'vir on Heroic difficulty.
  • I Hate That Song - Interrupt Temple Guardian Anhuur within 3 seconds of his casting Reverberating Hymn in the Halls of Origination on Heroic difficulty.
  • Straw That Broke the Camel's Back - Defeat Earthrager Ptah while mounted on a camel in the Halls of Origination on Heroic difficulty.
  • Sun of a.... - Defat Rajh before he casts Blessing of the Sun in the Halls of Origination on Heroic difficulty.
  • Faster Than the Speed of Light - Complete the Vault of Lights within 5 minutes of entering in the Halls of Origination on Heroic difficulty.
  • Umbrage for Umbriss (NNF) - Defeat General Umbriss while he is cursed in Grim Batol on Heroic difficulty.
  • Don't Need to Break Eggs to Make an Omelet - Defeat Erudax before any eggs hatch in Grim Batol on Heroic difficulty.

Exploration

Professions

Feats of Strength

Quests


Player vs. Player

Battleground - Battle for Gilneas

Battleground - Twin Peaks
  • Twin Peaking - Win 2 Twin Peaks battles.
  • Twin Peaks Veteran - Complete 100 victories in Twin Peaks.
  • Two-Timer - Personally carry and capture the flag 2 times in Twin Peaks.
  • Top Defender - Return 50 flags as a defender in Twin Peaks.
  • Soaring Spirits - Kill 100 flag carriers in Twin Peaks.
  • Soaring Spirits - Kill 100 flag carriers in Twin Peaks.
  • Twin Peaks Perfection - Win Twin Peaks with a score of 3 to 0 without dying while also getting at least 1 killing blow.
  • Peak Speed - Win Twin Peaks in under 7 minutes.
  • Cloud Nine - In a single Twin Peaks battle, capture and return a total of 9 flags.
  • Cloud Nine - In a single Twin Peaks battle, capture and return a total of 9 flags.
  • Drag a Maw** - Kill 3 different Orcs in a single Twin Peaks battle.
  • Wild Hammering** - Kill 3 different Dwarves in a single Twin Peaks battle.
  • Altitude Sickness - In a single Twin Peaks battle, kill 2 flag carriers before they leave the Wildhammer Stronghold.
  • The Dragon's Maw - In a single Twin Peaks battle, kill 2 flag carriers before they leave the Dragonmaw Flag Room.
  • Endurance Training - Grab the flag and capture it in under 75 seconds.
  • Endurance Training - Grab the flag and capture it in under 75 seconds.
  • Twin Peaks Mountaineer** - Perform a roar emote while sailing through the air with the flag while under the effect of a speed power up and either slow fall or levitation.
  • Double Jeopardy - Win a Twin Peaks battle after being behind by a score of 0 to 2.
  • Master of Twin Peaks - Complete the Twin Peaks achievements listed below.

Rated Battlegrounds

Rated Battlegrounds - Horde Titles
  • Scout - Earn a battleground rating of 1000. Title Reward: Scout
  • Grunt - Earn a battleground rating of 1100. Title Reward: Grunt
  • Sergeant - Earn a battleground rating of 1200. Title Reward: Sergeant
  • Senior Sergeant - Earn a battleground rating of 1300. Title Reward: Senior Sergeant
  • First Sergeant - Earn a battleground rating of 1400. Title Reward: First Sergeant
  • Stone Guard - Earn a battleground rating of 1500. Title Reward: Stone
  • Blood Guard - Earn a battleground rating of 1600. Title Reward: Blood
  • Legionnaire - Earn a battleground rating of 1700. Title Reward: Legionnaire
  • Centurion - Earn a battleground rating of 1800. Title Reward: Centurion
  • Champion - Earn a battleground rating of 1900. Title Reward: Champion
  • Lieutenant General - Earn a battleground rating of 2000. Title Reward: Lieutenant General
  • General - Earn a battleground rating of 2100. Title Reward: General
  • Warlord - Earn a battleground rating of 2200. Title Reward: Warlord
  • High Warlord - Earn a battleground rating of 2300. Title Reward: High Warlord
  • Hero of the Horde: Vicious - End PvP season 9 in the top .5% of of the rated battleground ladder. Title Reward: Hero of the Horde

Rated Battlegrounds - Alliance Titles
  • Private - Earn a battleground rating of 1000. Title Reward: Private
  • Corporal - Earn a battleground rating of 1100. Title Reward: Corporal
  • Sergeant - Earn a battleground rating of 1200. Title Reward: Sergeant
  • Master Sergeant - Earn a battleground rating of 1300. Title Reward: Master Sergeant
  • Sergeant Major - Earn a battleground rating of 1400. Title Reward: Sergeant
  • Knight - Earn a battleground rating of 1500. Title Reward: Knight
  • Knight-Lieutenant - Earn a battleground rating of 1600. Title Reward: Knight-Lieutenant
  • Knight-Captain - Earn a battleground rating of 1700. Title Reward: Knight-Captain
  • Knight-Champion - Earn a battleground rating of 1800. Title Reward: Knight-Champion
  • Lieutenant Commander - Earn a battleground rating of 1900. Title Reward: Lieutenant Commander
  • Commander - Earn a battleground rating of 2000. Title Reward: Commander
  • Marshal - Earn a battleground rating of 2100. Title Reward: Marshal
  • Field Marshal - Earn a battleground rating of 2200. Title Reward: Field Marshal
  • Grand Marshal - Earn a battleground rating of 2300. Title Reward: Grand Marshal
  • Hero of the Alliance: Vicious - End PvP season 9 in the top .5% of of the rated battleground ladder. Title Reward: Hero of the Alliance

Tier 11 Set Bonuses
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Death Knight (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)


Druid (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)


Hunter (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • Item - Hunter T11 2P Bonus - Increases the critical strike chance of your Serpent Sting ability by 5%. / Instant
  • Item - Hunter T11 4P Bonus - Your Focus Fire ability grants 1% additional haste per application of Frenzy, your Chimera Shot ability has a 10% chance to immediately refund half its focus cost, and your Black Arrow also deals instant damage to your target. / Instant


Mage (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • Item - Mage T11 2P Bonus - Increases the critical strike chance of Arcane Missiles, Ice Lance, and Pyroblast by 5%. / Instant
  • Item - Mage T11 4P Bonus - Reduces the cast time of Arcane Blast, Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, and Frostbolt by 10%. / Instant


Paladin (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)


Priest (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)


Rogue (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • Item - Rogue T11 2P Bonus - Increases the critical strike chance of your Backstab Mutilate, and Sinister Strike abilities by 5%. / Instant
  • Item - Rogue T11 4P Bonus - Each of your melee autoattacks has a 1% chance to activate Deadly Scheme for 15 sec, increasing the critical strike chance on your next Eviscerate or Envenom by 100%. / Instant


Shaman (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)


Warlock (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
  • Item - Warlock T11 2P Bonus - Reduces the cast time of your Chaos Bolt, Hand of Gul'dan, and Haunt spells by 10%. / Instant
  • Item - Warlock T11 4P Bonus - Periodic damage from your Immolate and Unstable Affliction spells has a 2% chance to cause your next Fel Flame spell to have a 100% increased critical strike chance. / Instant


Warrior (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)

World Map
The Maelstrom got a shiny new world map.



Spell Diffs
These changes are from the comparison of game files, they are not official changes and nothing is final until it's confirmed by Blizzard AND on live servers. It could be a simple test change, or me being stupid and not doing things properly.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Mounts
  • Golden King - Summons and dismisses the Golden King. This is a very fast mount. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Tan Riding Camel - Summons and dismisses a rideable Tan Riding Camel. This is a very fast mount. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Grey Riding Camel - Summons and dismisses a rideable Grey Riding Camel. This is a very fast mount. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Brown Riding Camel - Summons and dismisses a rideable Brown Riding Camel. This is a very fast mount. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Drake of the South Wind - Summons and dismisses a rideable Drake of the South Wind. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Drake of the North Wind - Summons and dismisses a rideable Drake of the North Wind. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Drake of the West Wind - Summons and dismisses a rideable Drake of the West Wind. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Vitreous Stone Drake - Summons and dismisses a rideable Vitreous Stone Drake. / 1.5 sec cast
  • Phosphorescent Stone Drake - Summons and dismisses a rideable Phosphorescent Stone Drake. / 1.5 sec cast


Companion Pets
  • Rumbling Rockling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Rumbling Rockling. / Instant
  • Swirling Stormling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Swirling Stormling. / Instant
  • Whirling Waveling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Whirling Waveling. / Instant
  • Fox Kit - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Fox Kit. / Instant
  • Clockwork Gnome - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Clockwork Gnome. / Instant
  • Crawling Claw - Right Click to summon and dismiss your crawling claw. / Instant


Death Knight (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Blood
  • Death Strike now heals you for 30% of the damage you have sustained during the preceding 5 sec (minimum of at least 5% of your maximum health).
  • Improved Death Strike now also increases the healing granted by Death Strike by 25/50/75%.
  • Will of the Necropolis now cannot occur more than once every 45 seconds.
  • Rune Tap now heals you for 15% of your maximum health, down from 20%.
  • Vampiric Blood now increases the amount of health generated through spells and effects by 25% for 10 sec, down from 35%.

Frost

Unholy
  • Ebon Plaguebringer now also affects Outbreak.
  • Ghoul Frenzy is now Dark Transformation - Consume 5 charges of Shadow Infusion on your Ghoul to transform it into a powerful undead monstrosity for 30 sec. The Ghoul's abilities are empowered and take on new functions while the transformation is active. / 1 Unholy, 60 yd range, Instant
  • Unholy Blight is now a Tier 5 talent, up from Tier 4.
  • Ravenous Dead has been replaced with Shadow Infusion - When you cast Death Coil, you have a 33/66/100% chance to empower your active Ghoul, increasing its damage dealt by 10% for 30 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.
  • Resilient Infection implemented - When your diseases are dispelled by an enemy, you have a 50/100% chance to activate a Frost rune if Frost Fever was removed, or an Unholy rune if Blood Plague was removed.
  • Unholy Command is now a Tier 1 talent, down from Tier 2.
  • Vicious Strikes renamed Rage of Rivendare no longer increases critical strike chance and critical strike damage bonus. Now Increases the damage of your Plague Strike, Scourge Strike, and Festering Strike abilities by 15/30/45%.
  • Virulence tooltip clarification - Spells are all Death Knight abilities that are not direct weapon strikes.
  • Contagion *New* - Increases the damage of your diseases spread via Pestilence by 50/100%.

Unholy - Dark Transformation
As far as I understand, ghouls now gets charge of Shadow Infusion over the fight and can morph into a powerful undead monstrosity for 30 secs.
  • Gnaw becomes - Strike an enemy with a smashing attack, dealing 125% of normal melee damage and stunning for 4 sec.
  • Huddle becomes - Unleash a fortifying roar, reducing all damage taken by 50% for 10 sec.
  • Claw becomes - Rakes an enemy with deformed claws, dealing 150% of normal damage to the target and up to 2 additional targets.
  • Leap becomes - Charge an enemy, interrupting spellcasting and immobilizing them for 2 sec.


Druid (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Balance
  • Lunar Shower now increases the direct damage done by Moonfire by 15/30/45%. (Old - Increased all damage dealt by Moonfire)
  • Balance of Power no longer increases your chance to hit with spells, increases your nature and arcane spell damage by 1/2% instead.
  • Nature's Grace revamped - Increases your spell haste by 1/2/3%.

Feral


Hunter (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Beast Mastery
  • Aspect of the Fox now procs from melee attacks you receive instead of whenever you take damage.
  • Kill Command now requires your pet to be in combat.
  • Tame Beast no longer reduces your armor by 100%.
  • Envenomation renamed to Killing Streak and revamped - When you score two Kill Command critical hits in a row, your third will deal 15/30% more damage and have its cost reduced by 5/10 focus.
  • Cobra Strikes now has a 5/10/15% chance to proc from any Arcane Shot instead of a 20/40/60% chance to proc from a critical Arcane Shot or Kill Command.

Marksmanship
  • Multi-Shot now deals 55% of weapon damage to all enemies within 8 yards of the target.
  • Chimera Shot revamped - An instant shot that causes ranged weapon damage plus [ 24% of RAP + 401 ], refreshing the duration of your Serpent Sting and healing you for 5% of your total health.
  • Careful Aim now affects target above 80% health, up from 60%.

Survival
  • Traps had their description modified, apparently the restriction of "Only one trap can be active at a time." no longer exists.
  • Cobra Shot is now a Survival skill (Old - Beast Mastery) and now deals weapon damage plus [ 8.6% of RAP + 276.81 ] in the form of Nature damage.
  • Frost Trap is now Ice Trap
  • Black Arrow now only shares a cooldown with Explosive Trap and Immolation Trap.
  • Improved Tracking revamped - now Increases ranged haste by 1/2/3%.


Mage (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Arcane
  • Arcane Blast now has its damage increased by 20% each time you cast Arcane Blast. Up from 15%.
  • Arcane Missiles now deals its damage every 0.75 sec over 2.25 sec instead of every 1 sec over 3 sec. Base damage reduced accordingly.
  • Focus Magic is now a Tier 6 talent, up from Tier 4.
  • Missile Barrage is now a 2 Ranks talent, down from 3 Ranks. Now causes your Arcane Missiles spell to fire its missles every 0.5/0.6 sec. (Old - 0.5/0.65/0.8sec)
  • Improved Arcane Explosion *New* - Reduces the global cooldown of your Arcane Explosion spell by 0.25/0.50 sec and reduces the threat generated by 40/80%.

Fire
  • Flame Orb no longer has a cast time.
  • Living Bomb now only affect up to 3 enemies.
  • Pyromaniac is now a Tier 6 talent, up from Tier 4.
  • Combustion revamped - Instantly deals 954.57 to 1131.92 Fire damage and combines your Fire damage over time effects on the target into a single effect, burning for the same total damage for 10 sec. 40 yd range, Instant, 2 min cooldown
  • Hot Streak is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 4. Modified - Your spells no longer trigger Arcane Missiles. Instead, your critical strikes with Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Scorch, or Fire Blast have a chance to cause your next Pyroblast spell cast within 15 sec to be instant cast and cost no mana.
  • Improved Hot Streak Modified - Any time you score 2 non-periodic critical strikes in a row with your Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Scorch, or Fire Blast spells, you have a 50/100% chance to trigger your Hot Streak effect.
  • Molten Shields is now a Tier 4 talent, up from Tier 3.

Frost


Paladin (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Holy
  • Seal of Insight now restores 4% of the paladin's base mana instead of his/her maximum mana.
  • Exorcism now costs 30% of base mana, up from 20%. Deals [((96+110)/2)+(0.15*if (SP>AP) then SP else AP)] Holy damage.
  • Holy Shock base healing has been reduced by 30%.
  • Beacon of Light now has a 60 yards radius, up from 40 yards. Now affects all heals instead of just Holy Light and Holy Shock.
  • Tower of Radiance no longer affects Holy Shock.
  • Denounce now reduces the mana cost of Exorcism by 38/75%, up from 25/50%.

Protection
  • Vindication additional effect - In addition, your Hammer of Justice will interrupt creatures that are immune to stuns.

Retribution
  • Zealotry now lasts 20 sec, up from 15 sec.
  • Acts of Sacrifice now also affects Hand of Sacrifice.
  • Selfless Healer now also boosts your damage - When you heal others with your Word of Glory, it increases the effectiveness of the heal by 50/100% and increases your damage done by 2/4% per charge of Holy Power for 10 sec.
  • Sanctified Wrath is now a Tier 4 talent, down from Tier 5. Now increases the critical chance of Hammer of Wrath by 20/40%, down from 25/50% and reduces the cooldown of Avenging Wrath by 20/40 secs, down from 30/60 secs.
  • Seals of Command now affects Seal of Righteousness, Seal of Truth and Seal of Justice.
  • Divine Purpose is now a Tier 5 talent, up from Tier 4.
  • The Art of War now causes your next Exorcism to be instant, free, and cause 30% additional damage at all ranks.
  • Eternal Glory now has a 15/30% chance to proc, down from 20/40%.

Priest (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Discipline
  • Power Word: Barrier now absorbs [ 1.2% of Spell Power + 4245.032 ] damage, up from [ 0.75% of Spell Power + 1650 ] and lasts until it absorbs [ 6% of Spell Power + 21225.16 ] damage, up from [ 5% of Spell Power + 11000 ] damage.
  • Borrowed Time no longer increases the amount absorbed by your Power Word: Shield.
  • Renewed Hope now also affects targets blessed with your Grace effect.
  • Inner Focus no longer costs mana.
  • Improved Inner Fire renamed to Inner Sanctum - Your Inner Fire also reduces all spell damage taken by 5/10/15% while it is active, and the movement speed bonus of your Inner Will is increased by 2/4/6%.

Holy

Shadow


Rogue (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Subtlety
  • Sanguinary Vein is now a 2 Rank talent, down from 3 Ranks. Increases your damage dealt to targets with a Bleed effect on them by 5/10%. (Up from 2/4/6%)
  • Energetic Recovery is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 4.
  • Initiative is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 3.
  • Blood Spatter replaced with Find Weakness - Your Ambush, Garrote, and Cheap Shot abilities reveal a flaw in your target's defenses, causing all your attacks to bypass 25/50% of that enemy's armor for 10 sec.
  • Enveloping Shadows is now a Tier 4 talent, up from Tier 3.


Shaman (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Elemental
  • Stoneclaw Totem deal and absorb effect reduced by 50%.
  • Chain Lightning now has a 3 sec cooldown, down from 6 sec.
  • Earthquake base damage increased by 55%. Now has a 10% chance to knock down the targets (down from 20%). Lasts 8 sec, down from 10 sec. Mana cost changed to 60% of base mana, down from 86% of base mana. Cooldown removed.
  • Storm, Earth and Fire renamed to Earth's Grasp - Grants your Earthbind Totem a 50/100% chance to root nearby targets for 5 sec when cast.
  • Lava Flows now also increases the the periodic damage of your Flame Shock by 20/40/60%
  • Totemic Wrath is now a Tier 5 talent, up from Tier 4.
  • Elemental Precision now increases damage instead of your chance to hit.

Enhancement
  • Stormstrike now increases your chance to critical strike the enemy with Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Lightning Shield and Earth Shock spells by 25% for 15 sec instead of increasing nature damage by 20% on the target.
  • Windfury Weapon - Unleash Weapon now lasts 6 swings or until 12 sec, instead of a flat 12 sec.
  • Ghost Wolf speed reduced from 40% to 30%.
  • Maelstrom Weapon no longer affects Lava Burst.

Restoration


Warlock (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Affliction
  • Bane of Doom now has a 1 min cooldown.
  • Unstable Affliction - Only one Unstable Affliction or Immolate per Warlock can be active on any one target.
  • Pandemic now also reduces the global cooldown of your Bane and Curse spells by .25/0.5 sec.
  • Siphon Life now has a 25/50% chance to heal you for 1% of your total health.

Demonology
  • Soulshatter now reduces threat by 90%, up from 50%. Cooldown reduced from 3 min to 2 min.
  • Molten Core now has a 5/10/15% chance to proc, up from 4/8/12%. Now procs from Shadow Bolt instead of Corruption.
  • Impending Doom no longer procs from Demon Bolt. Now procs from Hand of Gul'dan.
  • Demonic Empowerment now instantly heals the Imp for 30% of its total health instead of increasing its spell critical strike chance. No longer increases Felguard's attack speed.
  • Mana Feed additional effect - When your summoned demon critically hits with its Basic Attack, you instantly gain 1% total mana.
  • Dark Arts now increases the damage done by your Fel Guard's Legion Strike by 5/10/15% instead of increasing the AP bonus of its Demonic Frenzy.

Destruction
  • Bane of Havoc - Only one target can have Bane of Havoc at a time, and only one Bane per Warlock can be active on any one target.
  • Nether Ward (Tier 4) *New* - Transforms your Shadow Ward into Nether Ward. You must be within Demon Armor or Fel Armor in order for the transformation effect to occur. Absorbs {3551.02+(SpellPower*0.807)} spell damage. Lasts 30 sec. 30 sec cooldown.
  • Nether Protection slightly revamped - After being hit with a spell while using Nether Ward, you gain Nether Protection, reducing all damage by that spell school by 15/30% for 8 sec. Nether Protection can only occur once per Nether Ward.


Warrior (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Arms
  • Heroic Strike is now trained at level 14. Up from level 12.
  • Sweeping Strikes now lasts 10 sec with a 1 min cooldown.
  • Improved Hamstring now immobilizes the target when you reapply Hamstring. Still cannot occur more than once every 30/60 sec.

Fury
  • Heroic Leap now has a 8-40 yards range, up from 8-25 yards.
  • Commanding Shout now gives 20 rage, up from 10 rage.
  • Battle Shout now gives 20 rage, up from 10 rage.
  • Execute is now trained at level 16. Up from level 14.
  • Single-Minded Fury now also let your Heroic Strike hit with both weapons.
  • Bloodsurge no longer procs from Raging Blow. Proc chance increased from 7/14/20% to 10/20/30%. Duration increased from 5 sec to 10 sec.
  • Meat Cleaver no longer increases the damage of Cleave and Whirlw" [ind by 10/20% at all time. Proc chance increased from 30/60% to 50/100%.
  • Booming Voice is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 5. Reduces the cooldown by 15/30 sec and increases the rage generated by 5/10 of your Battle Shout and Commanding Shout.
  • Improved Execute has been renamed to Executioner and revamped - Your Execute hits have a 50/100% chance to improve your melee attack speed by 5% for 9 sec. This effect stacks up to 5 times.
  • Intensify Rage is now a Tier 5 talent, up from Tier 2. No longer reduces the cooldown of Bloodrage.

Protection
  • Taunt is now trained at level 12. Up from level 10.
by Published on 2010-09-09 06:39 AM

Cataclysm Credits - Concept Arts and Tier 11
The concept arts included in the Cataclysm Credits have been added to the game files and a couple of interesting concept arts have been added, including the very first preview of Tier 11 Armor. Just keep in mind that they're early concepts, but it's better than nothing!


Tier 11 Hunter

Tier 11 Warrior



Concept Arts




Sneak Peek: Troll & Worgen Druid Forms
It looks like the models I posted a few months ago were the final version. See below the blue post.
Originally Posted by Nethaera (Blue Tracker)
We've applied some finishing touches to the new cat and bear forms available to troll and worgen druids in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. We’re excited to share them with you today. Have a look here. http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/...id-forms.shtml


The Fight for Gnomeregan & Echo Isles Q&A
Originally Posted by Lylirra (Blue Tracker)
It's great to see that so many of you are excited about these events! The battles for Gnomeregan and Echo Isles are important turning points for both the Gnomeregan Exiles and Darkspear trolls, and we're glad that players across all races and realms have answered the call to arms issued by your esteemed faction leaders, Geblin Mekkatorque and Vol'jin.

Now, onto your questions:

Q. What are the minimum level requirements for the Operation: Gnomeregan and Zalazane's Fall quest lines?
A. Your character will need to be at least level 75 to participate in the final battle. All previous quests in each faction's chain, though, should be open to character's level 5 and up.

Q. What would happen if a player were to complete one faction's quest line (say, Operation: Gnomeregan) on a character, receive the Feat of Strength, and then purchase a faction change? Would that character be able to complete the other faction's quest line and receive double the rewards?
A. Yes and no. To continue with the example provided above, if a character were to complete all the quests associated with Operation: Gnomeregan on an Alliance character, receive the corresponding quest reward and Feat of Strength, and then purchase a faction change, the quest reward and Feat of Strength would translate to their Horde equivalents, but the quests would not. This means that the character would have the opportunity to play through all the quests associated with Zalazane's Fall, if he or she wishes, but would not receive an additional Feat of Strength or be able to own both faction’s costume quest rewards * for doing so.

Faction changes affect characters in multiple ways, though, so be sure to review the full FAQ before getting started: http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/28825

* Due to the fact that the costume quest reward will translate during a faction change, it’s currently possible for a player to earn two of them. They’d both be same version of the item, though, and would share the same cooldown.

Q. Will these events be available forever?
A. Like other holiday events, Operation: Gnomeregan and Zalazane's Fall will only be available for a limited time, so it's best to complete the quest lines as soon as possible!

Q. Players are standing on top of key quest NPCs and I'm unable to reach them. What can I do?
A. If you're finding it difficult to click on a specific NPC, the best course of action is to enable name plates by pressing Ctrl-V or zoom in your character's camera all the way. This will give you a different in-game perspective and should allow you to click on the NPC's name plate or its model without other characters or their mounts completely blocking access: http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/24589

If you feel that any players are intentionally attempting to detract from the experience of others, then you may wish to contact in-game support.

Q. Why are these events so short in duration?
A. Both Operation: Gnomeregan and Zalazane's Fall are intended to be fun in-game events that allow players to experience the continuation of the Gnomeregan Exile and Darkspear troll storylines, and we think each quest line achieves just that. As several gnomes would argue, just because something is "short" doesn't mean it's not worthwhile!

[...] Alright, I've got a few more answers to your questions:

Q. Are Operation: Gnomeregan and Zalazane's Fall the only events that lead into the Cataclysm?
A. Not at all. It's only a taste of what's to come.

Q. I've encountered a few issues when completing these events. Are they being looked into?
A. Definitely. Our Quality Assurance department is aware of the reported issues and looking into them currently. In the meantime, our in-game support staff has created a post in the Customer Service forum about the matter (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...25724862&sid=1) and will be providing updates on the @BlizzardCS Twitter page.

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Racial changes in Cataclysm
We're not going to overhaul the racials to the degree that we overhauled the talent trees. We are going to make a pass at them, so if you have specific concerns for Cataclysm now is a fine time to bring them up. In this case, specific feedback is more useful than "I think the way racials should work is a totally different way" designs. (Source)

Zalazane's Fall / Operation Gnomeregan Overcloaks not implemented on live (See Cataclysm Prologue Preview)
It is true that the cloak rewards had overcloak functionality when these events were up on the public test realms some months back. In the end we decided that implementing the cloaks in such a way that players could aesthetically change the cloak they're wearing could set a bad precedent. We like customization and flavor items, but we don't want to start implementing aesthetic items in the game which allow players to look however they want while keeping all the stats they want. We felt the overcloaks were breaking that barrier a little too much.

Can I ask why not? People have been clamoring for this sort of thing for ages, and many thought that this was the first step to allowing that. Now you're telling us it was a first step that you don't want to take?
We've been tossing around some other ideas with regard to gear customization, but we still want to make sure there are appropriate limitations on a system like this. The limited buff timer on the overcloak just wasn't enough considering it would mask any cloak of any level. We'll continue to explore ideas for fun aesthetic gear customization, but we didn't feel this was the proper introduction of this kind of system. (Source)

Dungeons too easy in WotLK
This is fairly accurate. Spell costs were more expensive when LK was in beta but we later backed off of it. That isn't the entire reason that the heroic dungeons and raids ended up a little easier than we intended. It was a combination of a lot of things: we got better at designing talents (fewer wasted points), glyphs offered a lot of additional player power, little things like the gathering skill buffs, most raid buffs going raid wide, every spec had access to mana-efficient AE, more survivability tools, specs that historically didn't raid much suddenly out there contributing their unique abilities, etc. etc. (Source)

Avoidance penalty in Icecrown
We added an avoidance penalty to Icecrown so that we could lower boss spike damage. It was still quite spikey. Now imagine would it would have been without those avoidance penalties. Bosses would have had to hit that much harder in order to compensate for missing so often. I even said at the time that a better long-term solution would be to boost health pools across the board (even for PvP), but that was such a big change that we worried it would take too many patches to get right. (Source)

Blizzcon Soundalike contest
The Soundalike Contest will not be held this year, and potentially in no future years. We have some things planned for the stage show that take up some additional time, and just due to the lukewarm reception of this particular contest, it was removed from this year's lineup. (Source)

Paladin (Forums / 3.3.5 Talent Calculator / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Beta Skills/Talents)
Lack of AE Healing in WotLK
On the paladin issue, our LK model was that healers were still pretty specialized. You want a paladin for tank healing and you want a Holy priest or Resto druid for AE healing. We thought that paladins had enough tools to heal when they were the only healer (i.e. in 5 player dungeons), and that was generally true, though paladin players did have trouble with heroic Loken early on. Since paladins didn't need to solo heal raids and since we didn't want to encourage raids to bring 2 paladins for their 2 healers, we thought that was sufficient. In Cataclysm we are backing off of that even more and trying to make all the healers more well rounded. (Source)

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