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by Published on 2014-07-17 09:08 PM

Warlords of Draenor Zone Preview: Talador

Warlords of Draenor Zone Preview: Gorgrond
The official preview didn't include any screenshots, but we have already taken a look at the zone:


Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Our perilous journey through Draenor now takes us into the treacherous jungles and unforgiving canyons of Gorgrond, where opposing primeval forces are locked in an eternal battle. We sat down with Senior Game Designer Steve Burke, Associate Game Designer Zachariah Owens, and Game Designer Ryan Shwayder to find out more of what this savage land has in store.


Located in northern Draenor, Gorgrond is where heroes either rise up and persevere or fall and become carrion for rylaks. After your initial confrontation with the Iron Horde (in Shadowmoon Valley for the Alliance or Frostfire Ridge for the Horde), this brutal, beautiful land divided by ancient hostilities is your next destination.


At this point in our journey, players have survived the rigors of Tanaan Jungle and journeyed through either the majestic forests of Shadowmoon Valley or the icy expanse of Frostfire Ridge. What brings them to Gorgrond, and what’s the story waiting for them to discover there?

Steve Burke: After withstanding the Iron Horde’s initial assault, you’ll make your way into Gorgrond with a handful of allies to try to discover the Blackrock orcs’ intentions and find a way to thwart any plans the Iron Horde may have. It’s a perilous recon mission. Gorgrond is a land of giants embroiled in an epic struggle between creation and destruction. It’s the kind of place you avoid unless you have a death wish.

Gorgrond is a land of giants embroiled in an epic struggle between creation and destruction.

If you’re an Alliance player, you’ll enter the zone from the eastern coast, where you’ll get your first taste of things to come. You’ll immediately encounter an elite group of draenei known as the Rangari holed up in a hidden encampment, fighting for their lives against vicious plant-like creatures. When the dust settles, your group will join the Rangari survivors and make a retreat to a clearing deeper in the zone.

Horde players will enter the zone from the west, where you’ll encounter the Laughing Skull clan. These maniacal orcs are volatile and bloodthirsty, capable of extreme brutality—and as you experience Gorgrond for yourself, you’ll begin to understand why. The Laughing Skull orcs are struggling to maintain their ancestral territory, but the brutality of being constantly assaulted by the warring factions of the zone has forged them into bloodthirsty savages.

How would you describe the zone’s ambience? What’s it like?

Steve Burke: Gorgrond consists of two distinct regions, each reflecting the nature of its inhabitants. The eastern portion of the zone is filled with lush plant life and shimmering pools. It seems idyllic until you realize looks aren’t everything. The northwest region couldn’t be more different. It’s a dry, barren wasteland, but with a beauty of its own. Fantastic rock formations mixed with geysers and sulphur pools create an unconventionally vibrant environment.

Zachariah Owens: The forested region definitely isn’t what it seems. The creatures here are merciless in seeking out anyone who enters their territory. They will capture them, kill them, and then infest their corpses with plant life or mulch them into fertilizer. Basically, everything in this zone wants to kill or eat you—in that order, if you’re lucky.

Basically, everything in this zone wants to kill and/or eat you —in that order, if you’re lucky.

Which locations would you say are some of your favorites?

Steve Burke: Personally, I love the steam pools and geysers. They remind me of my visits to Yellowstone as a kid. I really like the level design of the whole zone. It does a great job at setting the scene for the events that take place.

Zachariah Owens: For me, it’s Evermorn Springs. The rainbow, the pristine lake, and the botani homes are a beautiful contrast to the decaying bones and corpses the grove rests upon. The majestic botani move here and there tending to the grove while their infested denizens patrol like mindless guards ready to attack anyone who would threaten the bloom.

Ryan Shwayder: Most of the zone has a really expansive feel to it, but two places in particular always grab my attention. The first is Gronn Canyon. It is filled with dangerous monsters and is a barren wasteland, but it’s also somehow incredibly beautiful. And the name is a pun, which automatically makes me like a place more. The second is Tangleheart, a lush jungle where botani are working to raise new ancients for their armies. The ancients here have fiercely embraced their susceptibility to fire . . . but you'll have to delve into the jungle see how.

What outposts will players be able to build in Gorgrond, and how do they impact the Garrison?

Steve Burke: The outposts you build shortly after arriving in Gorgrond will provide a preview of a building you might want to include in your own Garrison. In this zone, you’ll make a meaningful choice between building a Lumber Mill and a Sparring Arena.

The Lumber Mill will grant access to the shredder, a vehicle you can summon throughout the zone. The shredder will grant powerful abilities and allow you to cut your way to otherwise inaccessible treasures and areas.

The Sparring Arena will provide a gladiator who will fight alongside you and bestow a buff that will increase in power based on your prowess. If you do the entire quest line, you will free up to five gladiators, each with their own distinct buffs.

Your choice of outpost will also determine which region of the zone you’re directed to quest through and have an impact on how you’ll assault the Iron Horde.

There’s lots left to discover on our journey through Draenor—be sure to check back for more zone previews soon.
by Published on 2014-07-17 07:14 PM

Warlords of Draenor Zone Preview: Talador
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Our journey into the wilds of Draenor takes us next into Talador. We unabashedly absconded with a little of Associate Quest Designer Johnny Cash’s* time to learn what’s waiting for players here.


Located in the heart of Draenor, Talador offers significant strategic value to the Iron Horde should they complete their quest to gain control. The city of Shattrath, a shining jewel of draenei civilization, now lies in the Iron Horde’s clutches, and the situation is looking grim..

Zone Music Piece: Last Night by Neal Acree


What can you tell us about the path that leads players into the events taking place in Talador? How does the story evolve within this zone?

Johnny Cash: After coming out of a major confrontation against the Iron Horde in Gorgrond and leaving one of their bases in ruin, you and your forces have begun erecting an outpost just north of the draenei city of Tuurem in a bid to push back the invading fleet. Under the command of the ruthless Warlord Blackhand the Destroyer, the Iron Horde has already made landfall on the Orunai Coast and have taken most of northern Talador—including the sprawling city of Shattrath, the trade capital for all of draenei civilization. If they aren’t stopped soon, all of Talador will fall into Grommash Hellscream’s grip, and the rest of Draenor is sure to follow. Talador’s strategic location at the heart of Draenor would give the Iron Horde the perfect launching point for their amassing forces in Tanaan Jungle.


Pushing the Iron Horde back will be no simple feat, however. They have greater numbers, a stronger foothold, and one of the most brilliant military generals to ever live backing its mission. A confrontation of epic proportions between Warlord Blackhand and Orgrim Doomhammer within Shattrath will shake the city’s foundations, and not every hero who enters may make it out alive.

Even once the Iron Horde is routed out of Shattrath, the city will not remain safe for long, as new foes are waiting to emerge and lay claim to the city. The Sargerai are a sect of draenei who have aligned themselves with the Shadow Council to usher Gul’dan’s twisted schemes into fruition. With most draenei cities razed and sacked by the Iron Horde, allies are few and far between . . . but they do exist. Pockets of draenei resistance dot Talador’s forests, eager to retake their homes and enact vengeance on their assailants. In an ancient caldera to the east at a major ley line nexus, Archmage Khadgar and the Kirin Tor have taken up residence. Perhaps most curiously, there have been several sightings near the city of Aruuna of arakkoa outcasts—flightless bird-men powerful in the ways of shadow magic. Some say their existence is little more than a legend, but players will have to find out for themselves if the rumors are true—and if they are, what brings the arakkoa outside of their ancestral home in Spires of Arak . . . or, more importantly, who.


On top of all of the very real threats players face in their first foray into Talador, a darker, more sinister threat lurks to the south. Teron’gor, right hand of Gul’dan, leads a massive assault on the holy mausoleum of Auchindoun, resting place for all draenei souls. Demons pour in at the Burning Front from the remains of a ruined world somewhere in the Twisting Nether. The Shadow Council eyes the city of Telmor. Exarch Maladaar leads the Auchenai, ancient defenders of Auchindoun, in a desperate effort to hold off the seemingly endless waves of death. If their lines falter, Teron’gor will have unhindered access to innumerable draenei souls . . . and plans to consume them to gain a terrible power not meant for mortal hands. But the Auchenai have an ally that Teron’gor did not expect. Lady Liadrin and her Sunsworn felt the demonic presence and have flocked to Auchindoun’s aid, and will call upon players to help turn the tide—but will they be enough?

How would you describe the zone’s ambience and the creatures that can be found in it?

Johnny Cash: Talador is home to the heart of draenei civilization. It is stunningly beautiful, and the zone has a palette of oranges, golds, and greens that make it incredibly vibrant.

It is stunning beautiful, and the zone has a pallete of oranges, golds, and greens that make it incredibly vibrant.

It’s particularly lovely at dusk and into the evening, where its gentle orange sky fades into a dazzling starry night. The zone really showcases the breadth of draenei life: the sprawling trade hub of Shattrath, the massive mausoleum that is Auchindoun, the iconic city of Tuurem, the mythical Telmor (it does exist!), and so many others. Talador is more than a pretty place, though, and there is a prevailing sense of urgency that you feel everywhere you go. The Iron Horde and the Shadow Council threaten to unravel all that you’ve done in one fell swoop. Talador also boasts these great contrasts everywhere: old versus new, tranquil versus literally on fire.

Of course, while you’re in Talador you’ll have run-ins with the many creatures that call this great forest home, many of whom have adapted unique hunting techniques to survive. The devious stalker is able to change its skin coloration to camouflage it, allowing it to ambush prey or escape predators unseen. Mighty teroclaws, flying beasts that use their strong beaks to sever both flesh and bone, rule the skies here rather than the rylaks found in many of Draenor’s other locales. Moths are drawn to the plentiful water sources, and have developed the ability to channel the abundant magic energy in the air around them into condensed blasts. Those same water sources are home to all sorts of electric eels, poison frogs, and even mighty riverbeasts. Some caves are home to ferocious territorial spiders that few dare disturb—their venom is said to be able to alter both the body and mind. Tigers prowl the lower mountain ridges, hungry for their next kill. Talador looks like a welcoming place . . . but every forest has its dark side.


Which locations are some of your favorites? Any highlights players should make sure to see and experience?

Johnny Cash: Talador offers some truly diverse locations that are all worth a visit. You’re seeing these places that you may be familiar with from The Burning Crusade in a totally different light. You know more or less where everything is in Talador already if you braved the Terokkar Forest, but nothing in those locations is quite as you remember it. That’s what makes it so exciting to explore. I would say there are three main areas and their surroundings that really define Talador: Shattrath, Auchindoun, and the northeastern forest.

Shattrath is initially occupied by the Iron Horde and is exponentially larger than the Shattrath players know from The Burning Crusade. Carefully manicured trees and hedges lines its walkways, and numerous rises, canals, and bridges connect several large, unique sections of the city. One section is protected and cordoned off by an ornate, magically enhanced shell structure. Nearby, Shattrath’s docks offer ample room for traders from all across Draenor to come peddle their wares—or for an Iron Horde war fleet to bring their ships. Those who prefer to live a quieter lifestyle outside of the hustle and bustle of the big city may find themselves in Tuurem or a village along the Orunai Coast.

Auchindoun has not yet been sullied by the Shadow Council, and players will have a chance to see it in all its glory. Draenei from all around make pilgrimages there to pay their respects to their ancestors and the recently deceased. The northeastern forest may not have an enormous city dominating its horizon, but it is far from short on sights worth seeing. Your Garrison outpost stands tall in an ideal position for accessing the whole of Talador, wherever your presence is needed.


What outpost bulidings are available, and what will players be able to earn for their Garrison?

Johnny Cash: Talador will offer some really cool choices that will affect your Garrison. You’ll have the opportunity to build an Arcane Sanctum or an Arsenal in the last available spot in the outpost. Which building you choose will offer you a different questing experience, a blueprint to construct a Mage Tower or Armory at your Garrison, and a special follower.Each building also unlocks a special zone ability to use anytime you’re in Talador. You can call in an artillery strike from the cannon mounted on the Arsenal, or summon a guardian orb from the Arcane Sanctum that will follow you around for a time and fry any enemies that dare to get too close.

Talador is full of enemies to slay and problems to solve, and I hope you enjoy playing it as much as we did making it. Good luck; have fun!

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Talador, and we look forward to continuing the journey through Draenor in our next zone preview.

*Not to be confused with the original “man in black,” though Johnny—like most game designers—does own a healthy collection of black T-shirts. He does not, however, take song requests.
by Published on 2014-07-17 08:30 AM

Legendary Gem changes coming to PTR

Deck Spotlight: apDrop's Aggressive Rogue, IEM Shenzhen Day 1 VoDs, Funny & Lucky Moments #54

New Battleground: Garden of Terror, Master Skins Coming Soon

Warlords of Draenor - Level 100 Warrior and Paladin Talents
Today we are taking a look at some of the visuals used for Level 100 talents. You can find the Warlords of Draenor Talent Calculator for Warrior and Paladin on the beta WoWDB site.

Talents Displayed










Warlords of Draenor - Face Variation
It looks like fixes for "same face" are in progress!



Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
Don't understand devs' love for players standing still. Movement is fun.
So is caring about the specialness of movement, and the gameplay value of it. (Celestalon)

Death Knight (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
What's the intent with new blood 4pc? Blood shield can't deplete, so immune to physical damage for 10sec?
Your Shield can't drop below X% of your health; ie, every hit on you, Blood Shield will at least absorb that much. (Celestalon)

Druid (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
SI really gone for balance? Barkskin is so weak in comparison even with a 30second cd
Barkskin is generally regarded as stronger, especially in PvP. (Celestalon)
I get killed with barkskin up almost every time I queue. And SI would help a lot more in raids since druids have no immunity
With the Barkskin glyph? It's extremely strong in PvP. (Celestalon)

Hunter (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Are you even considering changing the new MM mastery? .. I would like to PVP as MM .. dont ruin my spec please
I'm not sure how that ruins your spec. It's valuable for PvP, situationally (and is optional anyway). (Celestalon)
stand still in PVP, hunters need to kite all the time, or else we get instat wrecked. It never goes off in PVP
You should try harder to get some stand-still time in. It is absolutely possible. You only have to stop for 3 sec. (Celestalon)
only hunter def is roar of sacri, and one talent row. That is no where near other classes. You cannot face tank melee or casters
And Deterrence, and Disengage, and the other defensive talent row, and traps... (Celestalon)

Mage (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
yes, thanks for reply. Speaking about heating up fade on none crit hit. The grace delay was a good fix 1/2
We feel like the grace delay worked well. It may need some slight retuning after the responsiveness fix, though. (Celestalon)

Priest (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
And in the category of nearly mandatory talents: Spirit Shell at Level 75. http://t.co/s5xP9BnOGs
We think that's an interesting choice because Spirit Shell is not necessarily a throughput gain, whereas the others are. (Celestalon)

Rogue (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
MM, ele and arms masteries changed for being too similar to MS. Why not combat?
Combat's Mastery we changed to offhand dmg; has interaction with your other abilities. We decided it was different enough. (Celestalon)

Shaman (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Is the Echo of the Elements ui notification final? Looks like it's hard to see and not as flashy as Lava Surge & Fulmination.
No. (Celestalon)

I know it's MOLTEN earth, but sounds like it should be nature damage.
Nature is heavily overloaded, unfortunately. Rocks/Earth doing damage are typical physical, and we didn't want this to be ... (Celestalon)
...affected by armor, or weirdly bypass armor."Nature" damage is crazy. Poison, Solar, Plants, Lightning, Earth, Wind, Chi, etc. (Celestalon)

Minor Glyph to make Molten Earth for Shamans summon Pandaria Earth Spirits.
It doesn't summon anything. Heard that misconception several times now, perhaps there's a better way to word the tooltip. (Celestalon)
"incite the earth around to come to their aid" Since shamans call Elementals for aid, "incite" sounds like the earth comes alive
In a way, it does, but they're not units, they're missiles. (Celestalon)
is this the same stone missiles the ogre shamans use in frost fire ridge?
Very similar, but more polished for players. (Celestalon)

about new Ele mastery, will CL last target be the one you cast or the random one hit by the last chain?
First target. (Celestalon)

Did the cool lightning from sky visual effect got scrapped for ele shammies? ;(
I reckon that that was not the last you'll see of that visual. (Celestalon)

Any chance LB for EnhShaman will be revisited? Or is hardcasting LB as melee (to avoid MW overcapping) part of our skillcap?
Part of your skillcap. (Celestalon)

Warrior (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Any chance you'll ever take WS off the GCD? Fury still feels terrible as is.
It'd feel worse with WS off the GCD. You'd have a *ton* of rotational deadtime. Would feel extremely slow. (Celestalon)

"Tanks now take 25% additional damage while engaged in PvP combat." Does this count Protection warriors in Glad stance too.
Currently, no. It's something we could do if needbe, but don't think it's needed currently. (Celestalon)

...2 RB, bloodsurge proc, and full rage, no matter what we do feels wrong. Rage capping, wasting RBs and letting enrage fall...
In that case, you should be doing WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-BR-RB-RB-BT. No lost rage, or RBs. (Celestalon)
Did BT get a massive nerf/change in your build? You really prioritize it last? Dump to 0 rage / 0 RB before you BT...
During a CS? Absolutely. It's the lowest DPCT. (Celestalon)

does Sudden Death's Execute proc increase based on rage or will it be as if we had minimum rage?
Currently, yes. Strongly suspicious that that's too strong, though. (Celestalon)

Prot Warriors can continue to avoid/block while in Bladestorm dispite the tooltip removing that description. intended?
Yes. That wording was removed from several tooltips to make them more understandable. No functional change. (Celestalon)

Art
Will Yrel have a custom, unique model like Jaina,Vol'jin etc or will she use a heavily modified version of new Draenei female?
Yrel's model has a couple custom elements, but isn't a whole unique model like Velen or Khadgar. (DaveKosak)

Character / Items
color variation artists have made whenever you want, for a fee
I love the idea of dying armor like Diablo did. I get a little worried with user-made content, because we're internet people. (Muffinus)

PvP
so you're fixing small details to the flag points that no one looks at when you could fix mmr and stop 0 point games
The artist that made this flag post does not work on the MMR system (holinka)

Could we get any information regarding the Tournament realm when it's coming up and so on or is it top secret?
We're finalizing details to share. Sorry for the delay. (holinka)

Does the damage against Tanks stack higher if they are carrying a flag In a Normal or Rated BG?.
The damage debuff for flag carrying remains the same so they'll stack (holinka)

Garrisons
Do Garrisons have specific music? Would be awesome; for example variation of vanilla Orgrimmar music.
They have their own music, but you can get a boom box that lets you change the music (Muffinus)

Heroes of the Storm - New Map and Master Skins
Blizzard announced a new map and previewed some Master Skins today! Garden Of Terror is a new three lane map with darker nights that reduce visibility. Players can collect seeds until they reach 100 and control the limited duration Garden Terror.



by Published on 2014-07-16 06:11 AM

Life on Hit on PTR Explained, Transmog Adjustments, Chinese Diablo 3 Graphics, Diablo Cosplay at Japan Expo

No Naxxramas This Week, Deck Spotlight: Black and Blue Warrior, Naxxramas Blues

Hero Rotation for Week of July 15th, Developer Q&A #6 Livestream - July 22nd

Warlords of Draenor - Upcoming Beta Additions
It looks like upcoming beta builds (next week) will give us Gorgrond, Talador, and Ashran!



Warlords of Draenor - 7/15 Beta Invite Wave
A sizable invite wave went out tonight, allowing many more people to join the beta testing for Warlords of Draenor. Bashiok also explained a little bit more about how invite targeting works.


Originally Posted by Bashiok (Blue Tracker)
Targeting was at subscription length + recent activity of accounts who are (of course) opted in to beta test on the website. So account creation date wasn't necessarily a factor, although of course those with a lot of sub time also have old accounts. Also it was a target and not a guarantee, and so certainly not everyone who has been playing a long time got one.

But more are going out to opt-ins every week, and there are fansite and gaming news site giveaways. Plenty of additional opportunities every week.

Warlords of Draenor - Holiday Updates
Muffinus hinted that holidays may see some changes or updates in Warlords of Draenor.



US Connected Realms - Update 7/15
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
As previously announced, we’ve been working toward connecting realms to increase the number of players on low-population realms. Here's a continuously updated list that contains currently planned connections, future plans, and completed realm connections, all in one convenient location.
*Please note this list does not encompass all potential future connections. Please check back for further updates.

Next Connections
We will be connecting the realms listed below on Thursday, July 17 during a scheduled maintenance beginning at 5 a.m. PDT through approximately 1:00 p.m. PDT. Once maintenance is finished, these realm connections will be complete.
  • Dawnbringer and Madoran
  • Zuluhed and Andorhal, Scilla, and Ursin

We will be connecting the realms listed below on Thursday, July 24 during a scheduled maintenance beginning at 5 a.m. PDT through approximately 1:00 p.m. PDT. Once maintenance is finished, these realm connections will be complete.
  • Deathwing and Executus, Kalecgos, and Shattered Halls
  • Gilneas and Elune

Future Connections
We do not have a date for the following realm connections, but will update this post when we do.
  • Malfurion and Trollbane
  • The Venture Co and Maelstrom

*Plans for these connections may change at any time, but we’ll provide additional updates on specific dates for future connections here as we can. Please note that as a part of the connection process realm times may change to match each other.

EU Connected Realms Update - 15/07
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The following realms are due to be connected on 16 July:

English Realms
  • (PvE) Saurfang and Darkspear/Terokkar

German Realms
  • (PvE) Teldrassil and Perenolde
  • (PvE) Durotan and Tirion
  • (PvE) Lothar and Baelgun

The following realms are due to be connected after the realms above:

English Realms
  • (PvE) Lightbringer and Mazrigos
  • (PvP) Dentarg and Tarren Mill

German Realms
  • (PvE) Norgannon and Dun Morogh
  • (PvP) Nefarian and Nera'thor

Russian Realms
  • (PvP) Пиратская бухта and Ткач смерти

Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
does everyone get a base multistrike %? Don't have beta yet so can't test
No, no global base amount. A few specs have passives which some though. (Celestalon)
...which *grant* some. (Celestalon)

Mage (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
also also about mirror images. Giving mages an ability we've had for years as a lvl90 talent isn't fun or exciting gameplay.
It does like 3000% more damage now though! (Muffinus)

Warrior (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Will a warrior have to commit to glad stance before a bg starts?
In its current implementation, yes. (holinka)

Warlords of Draenor Stats
Is Rating -> % conv. going to be the same for Crit and Multistrike? If so, it feels like Crit will always be numerically better.
Nope. (Celestalon)
Good to know. Are we going to see Multistrike Damage bonuses (> 30%) the way we do with Crit? (> 100/50%)
Yes, but they're very rare. (Celestalon)

PvE
Is it realistic to expect we will frequently switch gemming and enchanting, esp given stat attunements?
The average player? Maybe not. A top 10 guild tank doing progression? Wouldn't surprise me at all. (WatcherDev)

With most ench/gem/reforg gone, how do we promote build diversity aside for drop RnG. It's fairly important during progression.
But enchanting and gemming aren't gone? Also flask/food is a good chunk of secondary stats - you can make large stat adjustments. (WatcherDev)
I was under the (misguided maybe?) impression that available enchants and gem slots are severely reduced in WoD?
They're consolidated into fewer slots, so you can wear more gear instantly, but each enchant you do have is more impactful. (WatcherDev)

In other words, will heroic dungeon gear be powerful enough for normal mode Highmaul?
Absolutely. Normal Highmaul is tuned for Heroic dungeon blues, and Normal Highmaul will be open before LFR. (WatcherDev)
Question, is that Normal which is "Flex" now, or "Normal" right now?
If I ever talk about Warlords raids, I'm using the 6.0 difficulty names. So, the former. (WatcherDev)
Follow-up inquiry, what is Heroic Highmaul tuned for?
"Tuned for" can be misleading. Tuned to be done in Normal Highmaul gear by the audience for which Heroic is the likely endpoint. (WatcherDev)
But Mythic-caliber raiders should be quite able to do Heroic Highmaul without much/any Normal gear. (WatcherDev)

PvP
Any chance at getting a few more bgs for low levels, random bgs xp <3
Actually yes! We are going to redistribute when battlegrounds come available. More at lower level. Also Random BG at level 20. (holinka)

I don't play much. I did however start at release and saw the game wither away since Cata.
Arena participation grew 50% over the course if the expansion. Not dead, growing. (holinka)

constant new rewards take resources. motivation at top end is a recognition issue, maybe in game ladder UI to show off?
Definitely thinking about ways to improve rewards and progression in PvP. Any change would need to be clearly better. (holinka)

we going to see an different version of nagrand arena in WoD? Maybe more #savage
One of our longterm goals is to improve the visuals of the arenas while preserving their layouts. More to come on that. (holinka)
awesome, looking forward to see what is to come. Cant wait testing out Ashran when its on beta, druid ready to explore n kill!
We're working to get Ashran playable in Beta very soon. (holinka)

then what about shooting through a hill in a bg map? Is that latency to?
No terrain does not break LoS in WoW. (holinka)

so do you think they will ever make an arena that is wide open? Nowhere to hide type arena
No, line of sight and positioning are a critical part of arena PvP (holinka)
of unless you are a caster or hunter who can shoot through solid objects. Which has been a problem for years
In arena? Barring latency, the objects in arena do block line of sight. (holinka)
so all the complaints about shooting through solid objects is being blamed on latency.
do you have any specific examples? Generally, objects in arena break LoS. But for moving targets, latency matters. (holinka)
for instance, on my client, I may see myself behind the pillar, but on your client I haven't made it there yet. (holinka)
is that something that is trying to be fixed in WOD?
No because it's the nature of online multiplayers games. Synchronization is often sacrificed for responsiveness. (holinka)

I remember you asking how to increase arena participation a while back. *hint*hint*
We are creating new Vicious mounts of the Combatant achievements. It was very effective for increasing participation. (holinka)

I remember seeing something about the window for getting the vicious saddle being extended. True or am I just imagining things?
The vicious saddle will be available each season. (holinka)
The same one available for s14 is still obtainable now then? Just trying to be sure to clear up confusion between friends and I
You can obtain one Vicious Saddle per character each season. (holinka)

Well you can't really blame people. I don't give a crap about store mounts, but your answer was kinda poor and now deleted
The irony is that we're already making more PvP mounts. I know people are upset, but we are doing what they want. (holinka)
1 Ground mount per expansion isn't what people want. Again you presume to thin you know what we want.
who said one per expac was the plan? I think you are making assumptions. (holinka)
Sorry, it's actually two. For each faction. That's what we got for MoP. Did the plan change for WoD?
We hope to do 2 per season as long as we can. (holinka)

Lore
So Dave, outside Pandaria are there any beings to compare the celestials to? Or are they unique?
The ancients (Goldrinn, Aviana, etc) are just like Celestials. (DaveKosak)

WHOA! The elements on Draenor want balance? They aren't fighting with early h other or mortals for supremacy?
Unlike Azeroth, they don't seek the end to all, but the balance of all elements. The Breakers have other plans... (Muffinus)

Garrisons
are there any negative ramifications for bulldozing your plots?
There is a cost in garrison supplies, but there are also a ton of ways to obtain them (mostly through adventuring!) (Muffinus)

Why the cut to only 3 small garrison plots? Forces picks for the player now, Storehouse or Salvage only choice.
What would you have done with 4, specifically? (Muffinus)
I'm afraid of losing that impressive base feel, that houses a true army. Less complete base now.
It's still REALLY big, and full of stuff. Looking forward to feedback when t3 unlocks for sure. (Muffinus)

Yep, more alts with Garrisons...
Fine line to walk, rewards per alt. Didn't work out well on the farm. Check out garrison capacity system. (Muffinus)

What type of armor will non-human and orcs have? People are nervous around Worgen in Stormwind plate.
They come in the armor of their origins, Night Elf sentinels will look like sentinels, etc. (Muffinus)

Can we have a variety of racial guards? Not just one race, but a combination of orcs, trolls, etc?
There are some plans to allow you to customize where your guards come from (e.g. what main city) (Muffinus)
You mean faction right? Cause there are races without cities.
Yes. You can have all worgen guards and call it Dogfort. (Muffinus)
Please say Pandaren will be included in this.
Yup! Even some Shado-pan may choose to show up... (Muffinus)

UI / Addons
you said earlier no "new stuff for arena frames" - not even letting us scale/move them? Or do we have to rely on scripts?
Those frames are reusing the boss frames. We'd prefer to do a more comprehensive overhaul. (holinka)
Is it actually on the list, or something you'd simply like to do?
On the list of things we'd like to do... (holinka)

Warlords of Draenor - Mage Frost Mastery Visual Update
Along with the new mage spell visuals, some older spells are getting updated visuals as well. Mastery: Icicles is one example.



Dark Legacy Comics - #448
This week DLC takes on "same face"!

by Published on 2014-07-15 07:31 AM

Depth Diggers Changes Explained, Fetish Counters, Tempest Rush Changes, Paragon Levels on UEE, Play Your Way Thursdays

Naxxramas Not Releasing on July 15th, Heroic Card Back to be Shown Before Naxxramas

Into the Nexus #12, Authentication Maintenance - July 16th

Warlords of Draenor - Darker Nights
The darker nights that Mumper mentioned recently appeared in a few locations in Beta. Below we have a few examples of day time from beta, nighttime from live, and night time from beta. The video also shows a complete day/night cycle for each location.








Chris Hardwick Hosting Blizzcon 2014 Contests
Jay Mohr has been hosting the contests at Blizzcon for several years now, but according to him Chris Hardwick will be giving it a shot this year. Hardwick has recently been hosting the Talking Dead and The Nerdist Podcast.



The Gaze of the Black Prince Returns
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Beginning Tuesday, July 15 at 9:00 a.m. PDT, through Tuesday, July 29 at 9:00 a.m. PDT, we’ll be applying the Gaze of the Black Prince buff which will increase the reputation gained with the Black Prince by 100%. It will also increase the chance of obtaining items from his foes needed as a part of the Legendary Cloak quest line including: the Secrets of the Empire, Sigil of Wisdom, Sigil of Power, or Titan Runestone.

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Warlords of Draenor Theorycraft Discussion
It's me or Crackling Jade Lightning in Stance of the Wise Serpent with Jade Serpent Statue don't proc Eminence (Statue) ? Is it intentional?
Yes, Eminence only works for the Monk in Crane Stance. (Xuen still causes Eminence regardless of the Monk's stance)

1. For stat calculating purposes, how does the Night Elf racial Touch of Elune determine whether its currently night or day?
Server time.

Possible to get current proc rates/data on the various new weapon enchants?
They're extremely untuned still. Once we get them at least ballpark tuned, I'll provide that data. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
Any chance Combo Points can update a bit faster than they currently do?
Yes! (Celestalon)

Hunter (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
still looking for Hunter changes. 3 BA's on premade 100 and only 1 single proc of LnL.
Of course, because you're not Multistrike geared yet. (Celestalon)

Monk (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Have BrM monks received all the ability pruning they are gonna get...they still seem to have a lot of buttons&redundant skills?
No more major changes planned there, no. (Celestalon)

Priest (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Healing beta. Priest. Should I start treating flash heal as greater heal, not flash heal? In usage amounts, comparing early Cata
Kind of. It's similar in that it's your high-throughput heal. (Celestalon)

Shaman (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Can multistrike proc Lightning Strike & Eruption too? 1 Lava Beam w/ 2 multistrikes gen 15 charges = 5 eruptions from 1 cast?
Nope. (Celestalon)
Shame, could've looked pretty awesome to see a few go off at the same time
Oh you definitely can see a couple go off at the same time, just on different targets. (Celestalon)
That's great, it looks very aesthetically pleasing. Was secretly hoping to see it rather frequently
Get a bunch of Mastery and spam Chain Lightning; it'll be frequent. (Celestalon)

Now that Elemental has no overload will our spell damage be increased to compensate?
Elemental did not lose Overload; it got merged with Multistrike. (Celestalon)
But everybody has Multistrike will all classes be balanced around the possibility to "overload"?
Elemental's Multistrikes are different; much stronger. (Celestalon)
(But yes, all classes will be balanced around the existence of Multistrike.) (Celestalon)

Earth Shield does not seem to have an internal CD on procs in the WoD beta. Sometimes gone in a couple of GCDs. Intended?
I believe we're trying it out as such. Much more effective as a heal this way. However, may be too strong, or annoying. (Celestalon)

Warlock (Forums / Skills / WoD Talent Calculator)
Average? It's literally within the bottom 4 overall for 25HM SoO and bottom 3 for 10HM. It's underperforming overall
Looking at rankings for Demo is entirely deceptive, because most of the top Warlocks are Aff/Destro. (Celestalon)

Any demo buffs? Literally no demos on ladder. Feels bad, man.
That's a tuning issue. (And to be fair, it's a tuning issue with Aff/Destr, not Demo).We haven't done tuning yet. (Celestalon)
It is a tuning issue with demo, actually. Demo has little ability to kill and little pressure against other players.
Oh, apologies, I was talking PvE. (Celestalon)
So does this mean demo is going to stay same and des/aff is going to be slightly nerfed?
It should come as no shock to hear that Aff/Destro are overpowered on live. (Celestalon)
It's HIGHLY underrepresented in medium to top end guilds, that isn't a coincidence
Demo is underrepresented because the Warlocks up there strongly favor Aff/Destro, not because it's weak (Celestalon)
lolwut. It's underrepresented because it underperforms compared to Destro/Aff.
That's... exactly what I just said? (Celestalon)
You can re-read your last post, if you'd like, to see where you're wrong.
Yeah, I don't get it. Demo is not UP; Aff/Destro are OP (in PvE). Thus, top guilds' Warlocks are mostly Aff/Destro. (Celestalon)
While they are OP, Demo is underpowered compared to almost every other single spec in the game. Again, bottom 4 25HM/bottom 3 10
And again, those rankings are useless. (Celestalon)

Art
Can taurens get around 2 feet back? watching beta streams I noticed they lost a lot of height. They should look taller imo.
That's strange man - we matched skeletons one to one on all new PC's. It might be illusion w/ movement. We'll take a look (artofcgrobinson)

Any chance of the old models of shaman totens being updated to match the new char models? great work on those models btw
I'd love to, it's on my radar. Totems are so cool, we could do a lot with updating them. No ETA, but I agree they need it (artofcgrobinson)

Will we possibly see white skin color for Worgen in WoD? It's becoming a bit depressing being black, grey, grey or grey.
its now on the list. This would be something we might add after PC update. (artofcgrobinson)

Will there be new faces added for each race or even the accessories you were looking into, like panda highlights?
Not at this stage. This is only an update of existing options in game. Would like to do so at some point, no eta (artofcgrobinson)

Please tell me female draenei are getting longer tails that have animation. I'm so tired of of sausage tail!
This would be something we might add in the future after we update existing features. (artofcgrobinson)

loving chars in beta, playing the chars is better then seeing in artcrafts, sad feather option for tauren horns is gone.
We might bring the feather back (artofcgrobinson)

Knowing that nothing is yet final, are there any plans for an brighter orange dwarf hair color like the old one?
Been thinking about that, I agree we missed the value on that color. I'll look into it (artofcgrobinson)

Thank you for taking a second look. We just want some feeling of diversity in the faces.
I hear ya, that's definitely our desire and goal at this stage. (artofcgrobinson)

Is the new human female model definitive or is it subject to change? Can't see my old char reflected http://t.co/ycgWabMIef
Definitely subject to change, we're now fine tuning each face, altering base pose to more closely match original structure/emotion (artofcgrobinson)
in this case we will be adjusting eyebrows, as well as looking at eye color, lip color, mouth shape, etc. (artofcgrobinson)
This is all part of our plan to address "same face". I had hoped to get out an Artcraft for this but tendon in finger detached - (artofcgrobinson)

What about the undead empty eye socket faces? Any chance we'll get those back?
When we're finished - you should have everything you started with. We don't want to cut/lose any features. (artofcgrobinson)

Male or female trolls next maybe? Pretty please? I think it's high time they've gotten an artcraft or at least*some* reveal
They'll be coming up soon. Had to model mouth in flat line, then use animation posing to form lips around tusks. Showing them (artofcgrobinson)
without that posing would have been disastrous. Hence the wait They look great now - we'll get something out asap (artofcgrobinson)

PvE
Chance we could have Beta Shatt Target Dummies on Live servers? Maybe a special room that is phased? Able to learn a lot there
It's something we're considering, but we'd want to kit them up a lot more. (Celestalon)

PvP
will lower level skirmishes give XP? Would be a nice change from questing/dungeon leveling. Maybe like as much XP as a quest?
We're planning on granting some XP from skirmishes. (holinka)

Will Ashran have solid trees, for LoS cover?
Trees have never had LoS in WoW for technical reasons. We're avoiding putting them in contested gameplay spaces. (holinka)

Are there any plans to bring back mana burns/drains? From what I see, a lot of healers not getting punished for standing in los.
There are no plans to bring back mana burns/drains. (holinka)

UI / Addons
will the limit of 50 mails be raised with wod?
No plans to change that - you can have far more than 50, but only 50 get displayed at once. (WatcherDev)

Garrisons
How big will our garrisons grow eventually? Won't fit all of the buildings, I fear? Pick & choose the best ones? Can we rebuild?
Pretty large, but not large enough to have everything. You can bulldoze and change buildings as much as you want, though! (Muffinus)

I thought there were 4 small plots has that changed now to 3? Also is the current design of requiring Alch to progress just for beta
On plots, current plan is 3 smalls at Tier 3 now. (mumper)
So the fourth small is scrapped?
No tier 4, the Garrison upgrades from 1 to 3. Lots of iteration still in progress, hence "current plan" (mumper)

how many large plots at the max teir and is that barracks, alchemy lab, town hall teir considered tier 1 for garisons?
Tier 1 currently has a small and a large plot for buildings. (mumper)

No previously made statements imply that having a gathering prof improves the overall yield from your mine/garden/barn.
Both the Mine and Herb Garden will let folks without the matching gathering skill create work orders for mats. (mumper)
Having the matching gathering skill will let you harvest the local garrison nodes in the mine/garden. (mumper)
so will we get enough mats out of our garrison & should drop gathering or it will must supplement miserable ground based gathering
Will still be valuable to have gathering skills, don't want to lose that. (mumper)

World
Is the return of darker night going into places like Elwynn Forest etc as well?
The plan is to get it in as many places as possible. (mumper)

Warlords of Draenor - Like Father, Like Son
Garrosh and Grommash meet up in Draenor and have some fun in this video.


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