Level 90 Talent Animations Preview, Peak of Serenity, Jade Forest Going Offline

[chaud]

Diablo 3 - Act III Inferno Farming, Treasure Creatures Drop Rates, RMAH ToS Update - Authenticator Required, Commodity Auctions, Blue Posts

Peak of Serenity
Monks get a new spell called Zen Pilgrimage at level 30, which teleports them to the Peak of Serenity, a part of Kun-Lai Summit. This area is likely to function similar to the Death Knight starting area.

Currently it isn't very populated, just a few monk trainers and some students, but that is likely to change in a future patch. When a Monk wants to return, they can cast Zen Pilgrimage: Return, which should return them to a safe location that is near from where they left.

Level 90 Talent Animations Preview
The video we posted yesterday did not show spell effects at maximum particle density due to a change in the Mists of Pandaria client that we were not aware of. When other players cast a spell, you will see the low quality version, no matter how high your game settings are set. This made some of the effects look weak, like in this example.

We also looked at the effects in a more neutral colored zone and made some easier to see. Give your class another look if you had effects that depended on spell effects being turned up!

Jade Forest Going Offline in Next Beta Patch

With the next patch to the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria beta, we will be temporarily removing the Jade Forest zone. We’re going to be making improvements to the zone, and want to put the focus of testing on other areas during this time.

As a result, starting with this next beta patch (which is coming soon™), you will find that you are no longer able to enter Jade Forest. If you have any characters that are hanging out in Jade Forest when the zone is disabled, they will be automatically ported out to the following locations:

• Valley of the Four Winds (for Horde characters)
• Krasarang Wilds (for Alliance characters)

Characters that need experience to continue testing can visit either Orgrimmar or Stormwind. In each faction city, there will be an NPC that provides a quest which will reward enough XP to boost your characters from 85 to 86, as well as send you to Valley of the Four Winds to continue questing from there.

We expect Jade Forest to be offline for an extended period of time; we’ll provide further details as we progress with our updates to the zone. Thank you for testing Mists of Pandaria!

Diablo III Real-Money Auction House ToS Update
You now need an authenticator to use Battle.net balance and the RMAH.

In preparation for the upcoming launch of the real-money auction house, we will be updating the Diablo® III Auction House Terms of Use and Battle.net Terms of Use to cover some key changes related to the account-security measures required to use Battle.net Balance. Later today, the following updates will be made to the Terms of Use available on our website, and when the real-money auction house goes live, all players will be asked to re-read and accept these changes the next time they play Diablo III.

Battle.net Balance and Authenticator Update
With the introduction of the real-money auction house, account security will become more important than ever. To help ensure that players have a positive experience when using the real-money auction house, we’ve made some adjustments to how players can use and access their Battle.net Balance.

Starting today, in order to use Battle.net Balance, players will be required to have a Battle.net Authenticator or Battle.net Mobile Authenticator attached to their Battle.net account. For clarity, this means you’ll need to have an Authenticator to add to your balance via Battle.net Account Management or to send the proceeds of your real-money auction house sales to your Battle.net Balance.

Please note that players who previously added Battle.net Balance to their account prior to this change will be able to use it to make eligible purchases on Battle.net and in the auction house without attaching an Authenticator. However, an Authenticator will be required to add to your balance in the future, as explained above.

While we understand that this may be an inconvenience for some players, we want to ensure that players feel confident when using Battle.net Balance to make auction house transactions.

You can learn more about the Battle.net Authenticator, Battle.net Mobile Authenticator, and other account security information by clicking here.

Diablo in Starcraft II
One of the entries in the SC2 arcade contest is Diablo in Starcraft II using some WoW art assets.

[xicoia]

great good news

[coolman298]

I like the ToS update for once...

[Xanwryn]

The ToS update is a massive inconvenience but definitely something I endorse completely.

My understanding is anyone will be able to use the RMAH with or without access to your Battle.net Balance but since you can't add funds to your balance (for auction fees) or withdraw/use any of the money you get, it'd be largely pointless.

[Clockwork Pinkie]

Well, looks like I won't be using the real-currency auction house then.

[Dekwul]

How to RP as a Tibetan monk.

[Tarx]

I wake up every day just for see the mmo-champion news then sleeping again.

[Myzou]

Random curiosity, the spell states you send your spirit to the summit, leaving your body behind...

Does it actually leave your body behind, or no?

[Deleted]

No real auction house for me either

[chaud]

Random curiosity, the spell states you send your spirit to the summit, leaving your body behind...

Does it actually leave your body behind, or no?

Nope, it may leave a ghost of you behind like one of the other monk spells, but I had no one there to check.

[the9tail]

Diablo in Starcraft 2 mod is indeed awesome

[regoran]

Master Ox = Brewmaster
Master Serpent = Mistweaver
Mater Tiger = Windwalker
Master Crane = ????
Do you guys think that it is a hint for an upcoming fourth spec?

[Deleted]

What's the point of having a monk area, if it's not a hero class and starts at level 1? But maybe they can now do that with every class. Feels like now only DKs, Druids and Monks have that, but you could give every class some faction and area to hearth to, like Paladins and the Argent Crusade or Rogues and Ravenholdt.

[Sensa]

"We expect Jade Forest to be offline for an extended period of time; we’ll provide further details as we progress with our updates to the zone. Thank you for testing Mists of Pandaria!"

And with that Blue pronouncement you can kiss an August launch goodbye and a September launch is now not a certainty either.

[Myzou]

"We expect Jade Forest to be offline for an extended period of time; we’ll provide further details as we progress with our updates to the zone. Thank you for testing Mists of Pandaria!"

And with that Blue pronouncement you can kiss an August launch goodbye and a September launch is now not a certainty either.

Or you know, they could be implementing the spoiler-y quests they have avoided implementing.

[Sensa]

Or you know, they could be implementing the spoiler-y quests they have avoided implementing.

gotta love people who can remain optomistic in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary - if they release MoP in August there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow and unicorns exists

[Deleted]

gotta love people who can remain optomistic in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary - if they release MoP in August there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow and unicorns exists

They might not release the game in August or September, but just because they apply changes to Jade Forest does not mean the game will be delayed. I don't see the logic in that. It's weird that you see that as "irrefutable evidence to the contrary".

[gibborim]

The ToS update is a massive inconvenience but definitely something I endorse completely.

An Authenticator is not even a minor inconvenience unless you are a total monkey. What I don't understand is why you can take off the authentication token and spend from your Blizzard Fun Money balance. Although, anyone who gets a token just to add funds for the RMAH and then removes it deserves to get pounded.

[Sensa]

They might not release the game in August or September, but just because they apply changes to Jade Forest does not mean the game will be delayed. I don't see the logic in that. It's weird that you see that as "irrefutable evidence to the contrary".

seriously?

you don't see the logic in the fact that taking the entire starting zone offline for an extended period of time to revamp it and re-test it in beta will affect the release date?

and it's irrefutable evidence in that when you combine this info with the fact that major content such as Raids haven't even been implemented on beta yet and the known fact that it takes 2 months from the date they press the gold master CD, at the conclusion of beta, to the day they release the game (Diablo III latest example - March announcement - May release) then anyone with an iota of knowledge about how this process works would know the absolute earliest and most optomistic date for release is now september

you know you are a fanboy when 2 + 2 no longer equals 4

[Deleted]

seriously?

you don't see the logic in the fact that taking the entire starting zone offline for an extended period of time to revamp it and re-test it in beta will affect the release date?

and it's irrefutable evidence in that when you combine this info with the fact that major content such as Raids haven't even been implemented on beta yet and the known fact that it takes 2 months from the date they press the gold master CD, at the conclusion of beta, to the day they release the game (Diablo III latest example - March announcement - May release) then anyone with an iota of knowledge about how this process works would know the absolute earliest and most optomistic date for release is now september

you know you are a fanboy when 2 + 2 no longer equals 4

Oh no the fanboy card :/

For all we know this was planned. I've never argued for a release date in August or September, that seems unreasonably close. Personally I think a release date in October is more realistic. But let's just see what they actually do in that zone, before we jump to conclusions.