World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies

“First celebrated by the dwarves, Brewfest now holds appeal among all the races of Azeroth!”

Get ready to crack open a cold one with friends new and old during our revamped Brewfest! Sample brews from Azeroth and beyond with representatives from many prominent playable races during the booziest time of year.

When - September 20–October 6
Where - Ironforge Entrance (Alliance), Orgrimmar Entrance (Horde)
Currency - Brewfest Prize Tokens

Completing quests and activities on the Brewfest grounds will generally reward you with Brewfest Prize Tokens. These are used to purchase most of the items you will find on sale at Brewfest.

Activities

Brewfest Chowdown
Slurp and burp your way through this eating contest to be crowned the Chowdown Champion. Compete with three other players in front of a panel of spectators to prove your prowess but try not to choke (literally)! The first to finish 10 plates of sausages takes home the prize. Manners optional. Speak with Etga (Horde) or Britta Steinhart (Alliance) to participate. Prize: 1 Brewfest Chowdown Champion Token.


Timed Events
Every half hour a group of alementals, hozen, or Dark Iron dwarves will show up to destroy the Brewfest grounds. Put a stop to their shenanigans for a reward once a day.

Chug ‘n Chuck Alementals
Throw nearby taster mugs at these destructive alementals to put a cork in their plans.

Shoo Pesky Hozen
Unruly hozen want to monkey around—restore order by driving away these pests.

Tip: Some of these buggers are winged, so saddle up on a flying mount to reach them!


Ceremonial Keg Tapping
Join the Draenor-famous Frostwolf brewery Warband Ales for a special toast during Brewfest at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. server time. Alliance players can do the same with the Thunderbrew and Barleybrew breweries.


Daily Quests
Complete special daily quests to obtain experience, gold, and Brewfest Prize Tokens to purchase holiday items.

Sample Fine Food and Brew
Stumble your way through the grounds while trying specialty food and brew from all over Azeroth and Draenor.

Holiday Items
Earn Brewfest souvenirs while gallivanting around Brewfest!

BREWFEST SOUVENIRS

• Garland of Grain: A festive crown adorned with a golden pretzel that you can wear during Brewfest.
• Tabard of Brew: Show off your love for Brewfest year-round with this tabard!
• Brewfest Chowdown Trophy: Proudly display your Brewfest Chowdown Trophy!
• Bottomless Brewfest Stein: Fill your Brewfest Stein at a Brewfest Festive Keg.
• Brewfest Reveler’s Hearthstone: Return home in the most jubilant way possible!

MOUNTS

• Great Brewfest Kodo: Coren Direbrew won this prize after drinking a Tauren druid under the table – and the druid was in bear form. It was one of Direbrew’s proudest moments.
• Swift Brewfest Ram: Dwarves attribute this breed’s even temperament to rigorous training, but other races argue that a daily diet of strong ale has something to do with it.

BREWFEST GOODS

• Blix’s Eyesight Enhancing Romance Goggles: Guaranteed by Blix Fixwidget to make EVERYONE look attractive!
• Brewfest Garb: Put together a full festive appearance by wearing three of the following cosmetic pieces: Blue Brewfest Hat, Green Brewfest Hat, Brown Brewfest Hat, Purple Brewfest Hat, Brewfest Dress, Brewfest Regalia, Brewfest Slippers, and Brewfest Boots.
• Brewhelm: Attach two tankards to your head or helmet.
• Synthebrew Goggles XL: Warning: Do not wear while mounted.
• “Brew of the Month” Club Membership Form: Sign up to join a monthly brew club!
• Angry Brewfest Letter: WARNING: Once an angry letter is sent, you will never be able to join the Club again!
• Feed your mount these hops to transform it into a Brewfest steed: Fresh Dwarven Brewfest HopsFresh Goblin Brewfest HopsFresh Brewfest Hops, or Preserved Brewfest Hops.

TOYS

• Brewfest Pony Keg: Tap a pony keg of delicious Brewfest Brew.
• Brewfest Keg Pony: Summon a beer-toting keg pony for 3 minutes.
• Brewfest Banner: Represent Brewfest!
• Steamworks Sausage Grill: Places a Steamworks Sausage Grill that increases the spirits of those nearby by 4 and allows cooking.
• Pandaren Brewpack: Carry a keg of brew on your back for 3 minutes. Drink brew or toss some to friends!
• Gravil Goldbraid’s Famous Sausage Hat: You never sausage a hat!

BATTLE PETS

• Pint-Sized Pink Pachyderm: A shy creature, the pink elekk will only make its presence known to those that have befriended it, or to anyone too intoxicated to harm it.
• Wolpertinger’s Tankard: Many a drunken Brewfest goer has told the tale of this mysterious creature, but few remember that tale in the morning.
• Stout Alemental: The Pandaren Brewmasters accidentally brought a barrel of Uncle Gao's last sentient batch of brew with them to Brewfest.

HEIRLOOM UPGRADES

• Ancient Heirloom Scabbard: Upgrade an heirloom weapon allowing it to increase in power up to level 35.
• Timeworn Heirloom Scabbard: Upgrade an heirloom weapon allowing it to increase in power up to level 40. Only works on heirlooms that scale to level 35.

Achievements

• BREWMASTER: Completing the achievements The Brewfest Diet, Brew of the Month, Direbrewfest, Does Your Wolpertinger Linger?, and Have Keg, Will Travel will reward the meta-achievement Brewmaster. Awards the title Brewmaster.
• THE BREWFEST DIET: Eat 8 of the following Brewfest foods—Dried Sausage, Pickled Sausage, Savory Sausage, Spiced Onion Cheese, Spicy Smoked Sausage, Succulent Sausage, The Essential Brewfest Pretzel, and The Golden Link.
• BREW OF THE MONTH: Join the Brew of the Month club.
• DIREBREWFEST: Kill Coren Direbrew.
• DOES YOUR WOLPERTINGER LINGER?: Obtain a Wolpertinger pet from the Brewfest quest line.
• HAVE KEG, WILL TRAVEL: Obtain a Brewfest mount, or transform yours into one using Brewfest Hops.
• BREW OF THE YEAR: Sample 12 beers featured in the Brew of the Month club. Requires a “Brew of the Month” Club Membership Form.
• ALMOST BLIND LUCK: Fall 65 yards without dying while wearing Synthebrew Goggles during the Brewfest Holiday.
• STRANGE BREW: Acquire the Brewfest beers listed below. Don’t drink them all at once!
• DISTURBING THE PEACE: While wearing 3 pieces of Brewfest clothing, get completely smashed and dance in Dalaran.
• A BREW-FAST MOUNT: Obtain an epic Brewfest mount.

Be sure to hop on over to the Brewfest staging areas at the gates of Orgrimmar and Ironforge September 20–October 6 to join the festivities.

Hello Rogues,

Last we spoke, we talked about some upcoming changes to the Rogue class tree, and one of the immediate and echoed points of feedback was comparison and concern regarding pathing and connectivity for the class tree as presented and also for current spec trees.

While the Rogue trees are not and will not be exactly like those of any one other class, we’d like to share how your feedback has helped continue to shape the Rogue trees up to current. We’ve added connections we believe help create more flexibility and creative opportunity within the trees, while avoiding undermining the intended costing of deeper tree sections. Please keep in mind that: 1) Changes happen iteratively, which means some of what you see will be present in this week’s PTR and Beta builds, while other changes will not be in a public build until next week, and 2) As always, anything and everything is subject to change - it is Beta, after all.

Okay, with that preamble out of the way, let’s take a look at the current structure of each Rogue tree:



Beyond the pathing changes and connections seen above, there are a few details I’d like to note:

• Leeching Poison now works with any Lethal poison
• Deeper Stratagem once again increases finisher damage by 5% in addition to its existing effect
• Shadow Dance base duration has been reduced to 6 seconds and no longer has a base flat damage increase (Subtlety will be compensated through a mix of baseline changes, talents, and tuning)
• Thistle Tea grants Mastery (example: 17% as Assassination) for 6 sec, in addition to its current effect

There are many new connections and pathing opportunities in the Assassination tree. While not many individual talents have significantly changed for Assassination, Cut to the Chase is now a 1-point talent and extends Slice and Dice by 3 sec per combo point spent, and Internal Bleeding is also now a 1-point talent for the same total effect.



Outlaw has quite a few connections created in the top and side portions of the tree. As an individual talent change, Heavy Hitter (previously NYI) design has changed, now granting 10% increased damage to all abilities that generate combo points.



Subtlety has seen perhaps the most significant total change to its talent tree structure (as displayed) and its individual talents.

Two skills have returned to Subtlety’s level-learned baseline: Shadow Dance and Symbols of Death. While a handful of talents have moved, new talents have taken their places: Improved Shadow Dance increases the duration of Shadow Dance by [2 sec/4 sec], and Swift Death reduces the cooldown of Symbols of Death by 5 sec.

Alongside the previous post’s Danse Macabre, we hope the total changes to the Subtlety tree (and other Rogue trees) will provide more flexible talent options, meaningful choices, and fun gameplay opportunities.

Thank you for your continued feedback. We look forward to hearing about more of your experiences on the PTR and Beta, especially across the next two week’s builds as more and more Rogue talents get fully implemented. Cheers.

At the 2022 Xbox Games Showcase we foretold Lilith, the Blessed Mother’s return. As we march forward toward releasing Diablo IV in 2023, we’ve reached a momentous milestone—allowing community members to participate in testing early versions of the game and provide feedback. Our Closed End Game Beta will be the first of a few opportunities for select players to experience some of what Diablo IV has to offer. Players will be invited to test Diablo IV’s robust end game offerings using specific gameplay data. Additional details explaining what types of players are being invited, and how invites will be sent out are communicated later in this blog.

This Closed Beta will be confidential, meaning players invited will be unable to publicly talk about or share their gameplay experience. Additionally, the Closed End Game Beta will be playable on PC and Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 consoles—cross-play and cross-progress for all platforms will also be supported.

For a quick look at what’s to come during the Diablo IV Closed End Game Beta, watch the video below from game director Joe Shely and franchise general manager Rod Fergusson.


We have decided to focus the Closed Beta on Diablo IV’s end-game offerings for a few reasons. The full story of Lilith’s return to Sanctuary is not something we would like to spoil prior to release—players will experience a post-campaign Sanctuary during the Closed End Game Beta. Also, for many, the end game is their favorite aspect of Diablo—we want to ensure it feels satisfying, and with no shortage of challenging variety to experience across many, many demon-slaying gaming sessions. To achieve this, we’re collecting community feedback early so that it may be integrated into Diablo IV prior to launch. Players who are selected to participate in the Closed End Game Beta will have the ability to provide feedback between bouts of cutting down demons through an in-game feedback tool.

Now, here’s a run-down of the end game offerings included in the Closed End Game Beta: Helltide, Nightmare Dungeons, Whispers of the Dead, Fields of Hatred, and Paragon Boards. Take stock of the skills and knowledge you cultivate from playing through these features, you’ll need every tool at your disposal to defeat the Closed End Game Beta’s boss!

Closed End Game Beta Offerings

Helltide

While roaming Sanctuary on foot or atop your trusty steed, be aware of your surroundings, for you might find yourself caught in a Helltide. This is a new region-wide event that becomes available to heroes only once they have reached World Tier Three: Nightmare difficulty. In a Helltide, the servants of Lilith are empowered, having their difficulty increased, but dropping loot worthy of the danger. Her mightiest minions are also out in greater force, and the very ground of Sanctuary as you know it has been morphed by the surge in demonic activity.

As you cull the monstrosities inhabiting a Helltide, they’ll potentially drop Cinders, a new currency that can be spent to open Helltide Chests scattered throughout the respective region. These chests boast bountiful boons exclusive to a singular item slot, such as Torso, Legs, or Two-Handed Weapon. But be wary in hoarding your Cinders—should you fall in battle, they’ll drop and must be reclaimed.

Nightmare Dungeons

We’ve crafted a difficulty of Diablo dungeons straight out of your nightmares. No, really! Nightmare-difficulty dungeons in Diablo IV unlock upon locating your first Nightmare Sigil. Each sigil corresponds to a specific dungeon somewhere within Sanctuary. These sigils will add special modifiers to their dungeon, increasing the ferocity of the hell-servants waiting for you inside and providing higher-rarity loot. Through completing Nightmare dungeons, you will recover even more powerful sigils, introducing increasingly death-defying modifications and challenges for you to overcome. As you progress into higher and more challenging World Tiers, new Nightmare Dungeons will become available for you to explore.

Whispers of the Dead

The Tree of Whispers has a few loose ends to tie and needs your help settling the score. Displayed on your map, players will see various Whispers scattered throughout Sanctuary. Complete the associated task and be met with experience, gold, and Grim Favors. The number of Grim Favors you receive from completing a Whisper varies, but once you’ve collected 10 Grim Favors from the dearly departed, they can be exchanged at the Tree of Whispers for a bevy of loot and experience to reward your heroics.

The types of Whispers a player sees on their map rotate frequently, with new ones becoming available throughout the day for you to track. Each Whisper will offer both a different set of rewards and experience for completing it.

Traditionally, the Whispers of the Dead system does not become available to players until after completing a specific chapter of the Main Questline. For the Closed Beta, players will be able to engage with this system right out the gate.

Fields of Hatred

Born from their contempt of mortals, Mephisto has cursed specific areas of Sanctuary, transforming them into deadly Fields of Hatred. These designated PvP zones are the proving grounds for players looking to bring renown to their name through blood and zeal. While inside the Fields of Hatred, players can dispatch demons to collect Seeds of Hatred. To make use of these seeds, you’ll need to bring them to the Altar of Extraction where they can be smashed into Red Dust. Be quick to convert your Seeds of Hatred to Red Dust—they are the desire of other players lurking in the zone, and if they are skilled enough to overtake you in combat, your Seeds of Hatred will be dropped.

Going through the trouble of transforming Seeds of Hatred into Red Dust does have its merits. Red Dust will not be lost if you are felled. It can also be spent at the PvP Cosmetic and Mount Vendors for ornamental rewards. Will you be able to forge a name for yourself in these tainted lands?

Paragon Boards

Upon reaching level 50, the Paragon Boards, an end-game character growth system designed to empower your hero, unlocks. As your hero earns experience, they will receive Paragon points. These points can be spent to unlock new tiles, Sockets, and even additional Paragon Boards to further customize your hero and ascend to new heights of power!

For a more in-depth look at the Paragon Boards system, check out our Diablo IV Quarterly Update—December 2021 blog.

Who Will Be Invited?

Ensuring that Diablo IV’s end game provides the type of thrilling, ever-evolving experience we have set out to create is paramount for the team, and something we cannot determine on our own. We need experts, perhaps even players such as yourself.

Specifically, we’ll be using gameplay data to invite a limited number of Diablo players who have recently spent significant amounts of time playing the end-game experiences of Diablo II: Resurrected and Diablo III. If you believe you fit the requirements to be one of the selected players, you can help ensure our invitation to the Closed End Game Beta reaches you by following the steps below**:

• Visit the Battle.net website or open the Battle.net launcher.
  
• Click your username that’s displayed in the top right-hand corner of the screen and click “Account Settings” or “View Account” depending on the platform.
  
• Click the “Privacy & Communication” menu option then scroll down to “Communication Preferences.”

• Click the “Update” button and make sure the “News and Special Offers from Battle.net” option is enabled*.

The steps detailed above must be completed by October 11.

*Please note that you may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time. Follow the directions above to uncheck the “News and Special Offers from Battle.net” box. Alternatively, you may click the “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of our emails.

Following the above steps will allow us to send an invite to your provided email if selected. In the event you are selected to participate in the Diablo IV Closed End Game Beta, you’ll receive an email invite from noreply@e.blizzard.com containing further instructions.

If you have not received an email invite to the Diablo IV Closed Beta by November 18, then you have not been selected to participate. But don’t fret, public testing phases will begin early next year. To stay up to date on the newest Diablo IV information, check out our news page and follow @Diablo on Twitter.

We’ll see you in Sanctuary,
-The Diablo IV Team