World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies

The War Within Season 2 dungeon testing begins on PTR today. The test period starts on Wednesday February 12th at 10:00 PDT (13:00 EDT, 20:00 CEST), and ends Tuesday February 11th at 10:00 PDT (13:00 EDT, 20:00 CEST). Please note that the test period may be adjusted in the event of technical difficulties.

All Season 2 dungeons are available for testing for the remainder of the 11.1 PTR.

This week includes a global health tuning adjustment, as well as encounter specific health tuning targeting summoned adds. We are also reviewing the duration of timers in legacy dungeons to account for updates made to the total runtime of the dungeons and to align these timers with the rest of the dungeon pool.

General

• The health of all creatures has been reduced by 10% in Mythic and Mythic Keystone Dungeons.

Priory of the Sacred Flame

• Blessing of the Eternal Flame now has a 3 second cooldown, hits all targets within 10 yards, and this effect now properly scales with player attack and spell power instead of keystone level.
• Prioress Murrpray
  
  • The failure effect of Prioress Murrpray’s Blinding Light has been reduced by 95%.
  • Arathi Neophyte melee damage reduced by 33%.
  • Arathi Neophyte’s Power Overwhelming area of effect damage reduced by 70%.
  • Prioress Murrpray now cancels Inner Fire on herself when she applies Embrace the Light at the start of the intermission.
• Devout Priest no longer casts Inner Fire.
• Replaced a Devout Priest with Risen Footman in the final chamber of the Priory.
• Replaced a Risen Mage with Risen Footman in the final chamber of the Priory.
• Updated the visual effects of Baron Braunpyke’s Sacrificial Pyre to better communicate the number of charges remaining.

The Rookery

• Kyrioss’s health reduced by 12.5%.
• Stormrider’s Vengeance is no applied to players while fighting the trash before the Voidstone Monstrosity.
• Voidstone Monstrosity
  
  • The number of Void Fragments summoned by Null Upheaval has been reduced to 3.
  • Stormrider’s Charge increases movement speed by 100%. (was 50%)
  • Unleash Corruption periodic rate adjusted from every 0.5 sec to every 1 sec.
  • Null Upheaval now spawns Void Fragments more evenly in the arena.
  • Voidstone Awakened health reduced by 20%.

Cinderbrew Meadery

• Removed a patrol of Hired Muscles in the Tasting Room.
• Brew Master Aldryr’s Happy Hour now occurs at 66% and 33% health remaining instead of at 100 energy.
• Benk Buzzbee
  
  • Benk Buzzbee’s Honey Marinade now grows into its full size over 4 seconds.
  • Benk Buzzbee’s Ravenous Cinderbee health reduced by 40%.

Darkflame Cleft

• Ol’Waxbeard
  
  • Reduced the health of the Dynamite Cart by 25%
  • “Kol”-To-Arms now summons Menial Labors less often.
  • Reckless Charge damage reduced by 37.5%
• Candle King
  
  • Eerie Mold periodic damage has been reduced by 16% and no longer despawn when touched a player.
  • Cursed Wax stun duration reduced by 75%
  • Throw Darkflame’s damage reduced by 25% and now targets 3 players.
• Minecart Event
  
  • Increased the total number of candles available during the minecart event from 8 to 17.
  • Minecart base speed increased by 15%.
• The Darkness
  
  • Darkness no longer covers the trash area before the boss spawns.
  • Candle’s light radius increased by 20%.
  • Candle’s degeneration rate reduced by 50%.
  • Minimum light radius increased by 33%.
  • Corridor Creeper and Shuffling Horror’s enemy force value reduced.
  • Wandering Candle’s enemy force value increased.

Operation: Mechagon - Workshop

• Bomb Tonk’s health reduced by 20%.
• Rocket Tonk’s Rocket Barrage now targets 1 player instead of 2.
• Tussle Tonks
  
  • Movement speed increased by 40%.
  • Platinum Pummel’s radius reduced from 10 yards to 6 yards.
  • Platinum Pummler can now move while channeling Ground Pound.
• Metal Gunk’s Sticky Sludge has been removed.
• K.U.-J.0.
  
  • Venting Flames’s channel duration reduced from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Explosive Leap now always target 3 players.
• Improved the precast visual of Sonic Pulse.
• Mechagon Mechanic’s Overlock haste buff reduced from 100% to 20% and now stacks up to 5 times.
• Machinist Garden
  
  • Health reduced by 10%.
• Defense Bot Mk I’s Arcing Zap’s initial cool-up increased and cooldown increased.

THE MOTHERLODE!!

• Timer reduced from 39 minutes to 33 minutes
• Venture Co. Mastermind’s Mind Lash now targets a single player instead of multiple random players.
• Rixxa Fluxflame now casts Propellant Blast 3 times during the encounter, increased from 2.
• Crawler Mine’s no longer explode when defeated or when players other than their fixate target move within range.
  
  • Crawler Mine health increased.
• Mogul Razdunk
  
  • Homing Missile’s target will now be notified while the spell is casting.

Theater of Pain

• Timer reduced from 38 minutes to 35 minutes.
• An Affront of Challengers
  
  • Dessia the Decapitator
    
    • Melee attack speed increased from 1.5 seconds to 3 seconds.
    • Mortal Strike duration reduced by 50% and healing reduction increased from 30% to 50%.
    • Mighty Smash’s cast time increased from 2.5 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Paceran The Virulent
    
    • Melee damage reduced by 55%.
    • No longer casts Plague Bolt.
    • Noxious Spores now targets players every 3 seconds instead of 2 seconds, and missile travel time increased to 3 seconds from 1.5 seconds.
  • Sathel the Accursed
    
    • Withering Touch now targets 2 players, reduced from 5 players.
    • Searing Death’s duration reduced from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Kul’tharok
    
    • Adjusted ability pacing.
    • Well of Darkness duration reduced from 8 seconds to 6 seconds.
    • Death Spiral’s movement speed reduced by 40%.

Operation: Floodgate

• Big M.O.M.M.A.
  
  • Kill-o-Barrier periodic damage reduced by 28%.
  • Electrocrush’s impact damage reduced by 10% and periodic damage reduced by 22%.
• Swampface
  
  • Razorchoke Vines periodic damage reduced by 15%.
  • Awaken the Swamp periodic damage increased by 15%.
• Mechadrone Sniper’s Snipe damage reduced by 25%.
• Bubble’s Backwash duration of to 6 seconds. (was 10 seconds)

During the test period you’ll be able to acquire and customize Mythic Keystones by talking to the Keystone Vendor in Stormwind or Orgrimmar, and the nearby Dungeon Teleports NPC will assist you with transportation.

We look forward to hearing your feedback!

Love is in the Air

• Vendors at the Gala of Gifts now allow their Earthen customers to complete "Loving Yourself, Your Way" by snacking on Rock Candy Packages.

Season of Discovery

• Reduced the cost of World Buff consumables and reputation items purchased with Commendation Signets by 50%. World Buff consumable items now stack up to 20.
• Fixed an issue that caused Scourge invasions to respawn slower based on number of layers on a realm. Scourge invasions now respawn regardless of the number of layers.
• The spawn rate of Blood of Heroes in both Eastern Plaguelands and Western Plaguelands has been adjusted to accommodate the additional vendor cost of Tier 3 set rings.
• Enriched Manna Biscuits from Argent Dawn reputation now restore a percentage of your health per second while inside Naxxramas, to allow players who have large health pools with the Seal of the Dawn active to get back on their feet faster.
• The Violet Satchel quest now correctly requires the Violet Satchel and consumes it on turn in. Once the Violet Satchel quest has been completed, the Violet Satchel and Scrap of Parchment no longer drops. If you have completed this quest previously and have any of these in your inventory now, you can safely delete these items.
• Karazhan Crypts
  
  • Fixed an issue that was causing the Dark Rider to despawn during the Torment's Illusion mechanic.
  • The Frostbolt Volley from Sairuh Maryla in the Karazhan Crypts now has the correct tooltip on its debuff, and now slows players whenever it hits them, regardless of how far away they were.
  • Kharon: The Red Death can no longer hit mind-controlled targets.
• Naxxramas
  
  • Instructor Razuvious' Disrupting Shout will now correctly be reduced by pet Avoidance.
  • Heigan's Mana Burn will now correctly be reduced by pet Avoidance.
  • Kel'Thuzad's Void Fissures will no longer hit pets.
    
    • Developers’ notes: We’ve reduced the requirement to micromanage your pet's movement in cases where it doesn’t result in practical gameplay. We’ve retained mechanics such as Detonate Mana striking pets, or Sapphiron's Drain Life and Heigan's Disease hitting pets, as these provide gameplay moments beyond merely avoiding damage through movement.
  • Gothik the Harvester
    
    • Reduced the health of Gothik and his summons.
  • The Four Horsemen
    
    • Spirits of the Horsemen should no longer persist through resets.
  • Sapphiron
    
    • Avoidance now correctly works on Sapphiron's Frost Aura.
    • Sapphiron's Frost Breath will no longer hit pets that have an Avoidance aura on them.
• Druid
  
  • The Restoration Druid Tier 3 2-piece set bonus will now correctly proc once every few seconds (was a proc on every instance of damage).
• Hunter
  
  • Changed the Melee Hunter Set so that the 6-piece effect falls off if you perform a ranged attack. Players can speak to Huntsman Leopold to exchange their Melee Tier 3 Hunter pieces, one way, for the Ranged Tier 3 Hunter pieces. This is a one-way trade, and the exchange will be removed on February 13.
  • A previously deleted Infernal Lasso can now be recovered from the Lost and Found vendor in Booty Bay.
• Mage
  
  • The Healing Mage Tier 3 2-piece bonus will now correctly scale with Sanctified gear while inside of Naxxramas.
  • Fixed a problem where Mass Regeneration was replacing longer duration Temporal Beacons with shorter duration ones. It will no longer overwrite longer duration ones with shorter duration ones.
• Paladin
  
  • Seal of Martyrdom will now restore the correct amount of Mana while outside of Naxxramas if you have a Seal of the Dawn buff active.
  • The Retribution Tier 3 4-piece set bonus will no longer reset your swing timer when Holy Wrath is cast.
  • The Holy Paladin Tier 3 2-piece bonus will now correctly restore mana to the Paladin instead of their target when Lay on Hands is cast.
  • The Protection Paladin Tier 3 4-piece bonus applies correctly to the Malleable Protection version of Divine Protection.
• Rogue
  
  • The Rogue Tier 3 2-piece set bonus now increases the damage of Backstab by 10% (was 5%).
• Shaman
  
  • The Restoration Shaman Tier 3 helm now correctly has Spell Haste.
  • The Restoration Shaman Tier 3 2-piece bonus will no longer erroneously remove the internal cooldown of Earth Shield.
  • Reduced the Tank Shaman Tier 3 4-piece bonus additional damage reduction to 10% (was 15%).
• Warlock
  
  • The Tank Warlock Tier 2.5 4-piece bonus will now correctly remove the effects of Demonic Sacrifice if you summon an Incubus or Succubus when the other one was the target of Demonic Sacrifice.
  • Reduced the Warlock Tank Tier 3 4-piece bonus cooldown reduction on Demonic Grace reduced to 3 seconds (was 10 seconds).
  • Reduced the Warlock Tank Tier 3 4-piece bonus cooldown reduction on Infernal Armor to 10 seconds (was 30 seconds).

With a new build that is now live on the Cataclysm Classic PTR, we’ve begun testing of updated items coming in 4.4.2.

Look for the Dragon Soultar NPC in Stormwind or Orgrimmar, to purchase Dragon Soul Tier gear, trinkets, and the Fangs of the Father legendary daggers.

The vendor also has the items needed to create the Fangs of the Father if you want to test out the quest line. Please try it all out, submit bug reports if you find bugs, and let us know if you have any questions in this forum.

Thank you!