September 30 Hotfixes - HFC Changes, In-Game Shop Expands, This Month in WoW

[chaud]

Blizzard Games on Sale, New ATI Drivers for D3, How to Cow Level

October Card Back - Highmaulin' and Brawlin' Ogres

No Medic Changes Planned, All Fountains Shall Burn, C9 Skin Sales, Rotation and More!

Patch 6.2.2a Hotfixes - Sep 30

Brewfest

• Added the ability to sell a number of Brewfest items back to the Brewfest vendor that could not be sold back previously.

Raids and Dungeons
Hellfire Citadel

• Note that the following tuning changes to Hellfire Citadel are currently live for the EU and Asia regions. Other regions will require a realm restart for the changes to take effect.
• Kilrogg Deadeye
  
  • Kilrogg Deadeye's Heart Seeker now deals damage and spawns globules only against the target of the ability on Normal Difficulty.
  • Significantly reduced the health of Blood Globule and Fel Blood Globule on Normal Difficulty.
• Hellfire High Council
  
  • Reduced the damage of Dia Darkwhisper's Wailing Horrors by 30% on Normal difficulty.
• Gorefiend
  
  • Gorefiend no longer uses Shared Fate on Normal or Raid Finder difficulty.
  • Gorebound Construct's Hunger for Life now only affects the fixated target on Normal difficulty.
• Tyrant Velhari
  
  • Aura of Oppression in stage one and Aura of Contempt in stage two of the encounter now increases its effect over time more slowly on Normal difficulty.
• Xhul'horac
  
  • Wild Pyromaniac's Fel Orb no longer creates patches of Chaotic Felblaze if it fails to impact a player on Normal and Raid Finder difficulty.
  • Unstable Voidfiend's Volatile Voidstep no longer spreads Creeping Void if the explosion contacts any players on Normal and Raid Finder difficulty.
• Archimonde
  
  • Archimonde no longer uses Wrought Chaos on Normal or Raid Finder difficulty.
  • Nether Portals created by Nether Banish no longer summon Living Shadows on Normal or Raid Finder difficulty.

PvP
Ashran

• Ancient Artifact now increases maximum health by 25% (down from 100%).

Mercenary Mode

• Fixed an issue where Druids could incorrectly retain shapeshifted visuals for the opposite faction upon leaving a Battleground match.

Items

• Fragment of the Dark Star should now only trigger its effects in combat.

Hellfire Citadel Changes

Seems fine really, target audience for Normal will appreciate the changes and the world keeps turning. It's probably a fine line between tweaking numbers so that the mechanics don't feel threatening and then wondering "well, if no one cares about them anyway - why have them". Difficult problem.
We certainly haven't consistently been successful in doing this, but as we reflect on how Normal difficulty has turned out, we'd rather remove mechanics from Normal difficulty entirely than leave them in but make them so non-threatening that they can be ignored entirely. The latter approach hurts clarity, because you look at an encounter and see 3 or 4 mechanics, but there may actually only be 1 or 2 that you truly need to worry about.

Removing mechanics from Normal also means that, in effect, going from Normal to Heroic now introduces some additional mechanics, just as going from Heroic to Mythic always has. That adds some additional depth to the experience of learning a boss on a higher difficulty, rather than just having the same encounter with larger numbers.

It might be better if the difficulty and complexity gap between Normal and Heroic were comparable to the gap between Heroic and Mythic, and that hasn't been the case.

Who is the target audience for Normal? I thought it was friends and family groups? Has it now changed to pugs with minimal co ordination and no voice comms?
It's been a while now, but when we first elaborated on the Warlords raiding structure last year, we tried to spell out the target audiences. Raiding Azeroth: Part 2 and the associated blogs go into a ton of depth if you have too much time on your hands and want to read thousands of words rambling about raid design. But the most relevant part was this:

• In broad strokes, there are three distinct types of groups that participate in organized raiding:
• Friends and Family groups: These are social groups that exist for reasons besides raiding, but whose players would like to venture into raid content together. This type of group is inherently inclusive, and will not organize its roster according to specific class needs, nor is the group likely to criticize or remove players based on performance. Members of this type of group prioritize playing together.
• Raiding guilds: These are groups that have formed for the purpose of raiding. These are the majority of guilds that you’ll see recruiting in Trade chat or on realm forums. These groups will generally look for specific classes based on roster needs, and will expect a certain level of attendance or performance. Members of this type of group prioritize experiencing and learning the content.
• Hardcore raiding guilds: An extreme subset of the previous category, these are the guilds of players whose ethos drives them to be the best at games they play, and who are willing to dedicate time and energy to maximize their results. Guilds of this type will recruit and maintain a roster based primarily on performance, and will expect raiders to optimize their characters. Members of this type of group prioritize competition and success.

I'd say that those three categories largely match with Normal, Heroic, and Mythic raiding respectively. In a lot of ways, many pickup groups trend closer to the Heroic sphere of content, simply because they are selective, and generally will not hesitate to replace someone whose throughput is significantly below par or who is screwing up mechanics. A friends-and-family group will generally not kick out their friend or family member because they stand in the fire a lot. That's sort of the point.

In-Game Shop Expands - Appearance, Faction, Name, and Race Changes

The in-game Shop has expanded to provide access to select paid character services, including Appearance, Faction, Name, and Race Changes*—all right from the comfort of the character-selection screen. Now you can change your allegiance, alter your identity, or make your character over to transform them into a better . . . them.

• Appearance Change—Change your character’s appearance, including their gender, face, skin color, hair color, hair style, and name as desired. Learn more about eligibility and restrictions for this service here.
• Faction Change—Switch your allegiance from Horde to Alliance or Alliance to Horde. Learn more about eligibility and restrictions for this service https://us.battle.net/support/en/art...nd-limitations.
• Name Change—Change your character’s name to something a bit more them (or you). Learn more about eligibility and restrictions for this service here.
• Race Change—Change your race to one within your same faction. Learn more about eligibility and restrictions for this service here.

*Please note that these services are not available for purchase within the Shop while logged in to a character in the game. To access them, you’ll need to log out to the character-selection screen.

This Month in WoW – October 2015

October is the month of festivals! This year, we’re spending the month celebrating brew, tricky treats, and PvP as we zero in on BlizzCon 2015. Make your October plans now. It’ll be over before you know it!

In-Game Events

Brewfest [September 20-October 6]
Brewfest is a time to enjoy the fermented fruits of the harvest: pretzels, cheese, and brew! The competing breweries Thunderbrew, Barleybrew, and the Ogres, all come together outside of all the major cities in a bid to outdo each other with their special ales, meads, and beers. Brave adventurers are invited to sit back, take a pull, and sample the finest wares these brewers have to offer!

Brewfest is your only chance to acquire the Swift Brewfest Ram and Great Brewfest Kodo mounts, as well as the Wolpertinger and Pint-Sized Pink Pachyderm pets. It’s also your chance to get your brew-covered mitts on a few new items: the Stout Alemental pet, the Steamworks Sausage Grill, and Brewfest Banner toys!

Darkmoon Faire Returns [October 4-11]

The wondrous and mystical Darkmoon Faire returns to Azeroth on October 4, and if you haven’t completed all of Silas Darkmoon’s new Darkmoon Races, now’s the time! Test your speed and agility on a variety of racing mounts as you dodge electrifying obstacles and zip all over Darkmoon Island for rewards and achievements. You may also want to take a few moments to be a kid again by going for a ride on the new Darkmoon Seesaw.

The faire continues to be one of the best ways to acquire heirloom gear, and don’t forget all of the toys, mounts, and pets that can only be gotten here. Bash some gnolls!

Hallow’s End [October 18 – November 1]
Hallow's End is a celebration of the break between the Forsaken and the Scourge. Many tricks and treats await adventurers seeking holiday fun, including defeating the Headless Horseman, visiting inns and cities for fun items such as masks and costumes, and eating way too much candy in one sitting.

You’ll find a special Hallow’s End Wickerman set up and ready to burn in Stormwind and near the Undercity in the Ruins of Lordaeron. Every four hours, Genn Greymane and Lady Sylvanas will arrive to light each faction’s respective Wickerman in celebration of Hallow’s End. Of course, it wouldn’t be Hallow’s End without a little mischief.

Upcoming World of Warcraft Tournaments

Road to BlizzCon: WoW European Championship
BlizzCon is only a few weeks away and teams are vying for a chance to make it to the finals. Don’t miss the WoW European Championship, taking place at the 2015 European Road to BlizzCon in Prague’s O2 Arena on October 3-4. Don’t worry if you can’t be there in person—we’ll be bringing the adrenaline-charged action to you via live stream throughout the weekend.

For event and stream details, including the schedule, be sure to check out the official 2015 European Road to BlizzCon website at www.euRTB2015.com.

ESL WoW (EU)
The Electronic Sports League continues to bring the weekend WoW action on:

• Saturday, October 17 at 18:00 CEST (9:00 a.m. PDT)

For more information, head over to the ESL news site, and don’t forget to follow ESL on Twitch and Twitter.

Bonus Events

• September 30 – October 5: Burning Crusade Timewalking Dungeon Bonus Event
• October 7 – October 12: Apexis Bonus Event
• October 14 – October 19: Arena Skirmish Bonus Event
• October 21 – October 26: Northrend Timewalking Dungeons Bonus Event
• October 28 – November 2: Battlegrounds Bonus Event

[AwkwardSquirtle]

...so you can do all the stuff you could do before but from the Character Select Screen. Yay?

[Schmilblick]

I thought they will announce the possibility to buy those existent with tokens :/

[CosmicGuitars]

I thought they will announce the possibility to buy those existent with tokens :/

They've said they want to do that, someday. I hope it's sooner rather than later.

[elvor0]

These nerfs seem like overkill. Especially the adds on Xhul'horac, they don't actually attack people, they just create fire/void patches, so their only purpose in normal is now as a dps pad.

Shared Fate is easy to deal with, Kilroggs Heartseeker has an obnoxiously large arrow and if you get hit by that it's your own fault given its so easy to avoid, same with the wailing horrors on Council. Stuff like Kilrogg nerf just breeds the notion that its okay for people to stand in mechanics and Xhul'horac that it's okay to tunnel vision the boss. It doesn't even line up with the blue post. You can't ignore Shared Fate or people die to Hunger for Life or the Wild Pyromaniacs/Void Fiends otherwise explosions go off left right and center.

[Shudder]

"We value and appreciate your feedback" "We're listening to you guys"

*Disables comments on upgrade to cash shop blog

Yeah the fuck you do. But hey, at least we finally got new content.

[elvor0]

"We value and appreciate your feedback" "We're listening to you guys"

*Disables comments on upgrade to cash shop blog

Yeah the fuck you do. But hey, at least we finally got new content.

What is there to give feedback about? It's exactly the same as what we have before but now it's finally doable in game. Any problems with the shop go beyond them making it available to do so in game.

[Zabatakis]

Hmm so you think in the future normal raids will be mechanically easier than hard? Always felt that should be the case anyhow.

[MCitra]

If they are going to keep removing abilitys in LFR, cant they just remove the whole raidmode and give players free loot in their mailboxes every wed? Because that is pretty much what is left anyway soon

[thilicen]

Wow.. I get that some nerfs may have been in order but to downright remove mechanics like that? Too much. I never went for the "catering to casuals" arguments but holy shit. Normal is now literally LFR with a HP boost...

[Wishblade]

I don't mind if Normal ends up being mechanically easier in the future. Seems like the way it should be, each difficulty getting some new mechanics.

But doesn't mean I have to like the nerfs... After having been as difficult as it was for so long, I don't like how Normal is getting that easy...

At least now I'll definitely get my Archimonde kill in the guild...

[cface]

Those normal nerfs are really bad. The gap from normal to hc will just be silly. We need players to know their shit in hc, this will just create an even more elititist playerbase, cause I do NOT want to go over basic mechanics in hc.

Blizzard can really go fuck themself, they don't know jack shit what they do

[furydeath]

Now you can stay in came to pay them $5 for a name change.

[Philomene]

Really looking for the normal HFC raid changes this evening. I mainly raid in PuGs and I never felt the raid in this mode had some difficult mechanics both in comprehension and damage taken if you don't stick to them. I didn't kill Archimonde yet, I hope I will this week so I can easily find groups that now require the curve achievement. I don't really mind doing Heroic or not, I just raid sometimes without caring of my progress I just enjoy raiding and progressing through the raid.

[kamuimac]

oh look blizzard admits that they completly fucked up normal tuning - this should be like this from very begining its poitnless to make those nerfs now. their sub numebrs must be really terrible if they take actions like that

[Vynx]

Wow.. I get that some nerfs may have been in order but to downright remove mechanics like that? Too much. I never went for the "catering to casuals" arguments but holy shit. Normal is now literally LFR with a HP boost...

There are 4 difficulties, if normal seems to easy for you, work your ass on mythic, and show the filthy casuals how great of a player you are.

[Spotnick]

If they are going to keep removing abilitys in LFR, cant they just remove the whole raidmode and give players free loot in their mailboxes every wed? Because that is pretty much what is left anyway soon

They have been doing this since the beginning of the xpac as far as I know.. I'm getting loot every 2 weeks on my alts for doing nothing but clicking my mission table.

[Alltat]

Good changes. LFR and to some extent normal have been suffering from having an excessive number of mechanics that are there but don't really do anything. It's just distracting and messy, and makes it much harder for new players to learn how to raid by doing LFR, as it's impossible to tell which mechanics are actually important and which mechanics are just watered down versions of things that only matter on heroic/mythic. They should have done this when they introduced flex back in MoP. But better late than never.

As long as they don't touch heroic, it's all good.

[Shudder]

What is there to give feedback about? It's exactly the same as what we have before but now it's finally doable in game. Any problems with the shop go beyond them making it available to do so in game.

Then why bother disabling comments? They've never done that before. They're ashamed and trying to silence complaints that the only content for the next year is an update to the cash shop so we can more easily give them money.

[Rioo]

I enjoyed having pretty much every mechanics from heroic in normal. Made it easier to do heroic since I knew the mechanics.