Patch 7.3 PTR - Build 24853, Dressing Room Update, Blue Posts, DLC #594

[Simca]

Patch 2.6.1 PTR Notes - New Items and Significant Item Changes

New Fireside Gathering Features Now Live - Fireside Brawls & Tavern Signs

Patch 7.3 PTR - Build 24853
Build 24853 will be deployed to the PTR realms soon.

Spell Changes

Death Knight (Forums, Talent Calculator, PvP Talent Calculator, Artifact Calculator)
Frost

• Frost Death Knight Increases damage/healing of Avalanche, Breath of Sindragosa, Death Strike, Frost Breath, Frost Fever, Frost Strike, Frost Strike Off-Hand, Frostscythe, Frozen Pulse, Howling Blast, Obliterate, Obliterate Off-Hand, Remorseless Winter by 30% 23%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Avalanche, Breath of Sindragosa, Death Strike, Frost Breath, Frost Fever, Frost Strike, Frost Strike Off-Hand, Frostscythe, Frozen Pulse, Howling Blast, Obliterate, Obliterate Off-Hand, Remorseless Winter by 30% 23%. Death Knight - Frost Spec.

Unholy

• Unholy Death Knight Increases damage/healing of Apocalypse, Clawing Shadows, Death and Decay, Death Strike, Festering Strike, Outbreak, Scourge Strike, Soul Reaper by 8% 5%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Apocalypse, Clawing Shadows, Death and Decay, Death Strike, Festering Strike, Outbreak, Scourge Strike, Soul Reaper by 8% 5%. Death Knight - Unholy Spec.

Hunter (Forums, Talent Calculator, PvP Talent Calculator, Artifact Calculator)
Beast Mastery

• Beast Mastery Hunter Increases damage/healing of Barrage, Chimaera Shot, Cobra Shot, Kill Command, Multi-Shot, Stomp, Volley by 10% 6%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Barrage, Chimaera Shot, Cobra Shot, Kill Command, Multi-Shot, Stomp, Volley by 10% 6%. Increases damage/healing of Bestial Wrath by 10 6. Hunter - Beast Mastery Spec.

Survival

• Survival Hunter Increases damage/healing of Butchery, Carve, Flanking Strike, Fury of the Eagle, Hatchet Toss, Lacerate, Mongoose Bite, Raptor Strike by 10% 7%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Butchery, Carve, Flanking Strike, Fury of the Eagle, Hatchet Toss, Lacerate, Mongoose Bite, Raptor Strike by 10% 7%. Hunter - Survival Spec.

Monk (Forums, Talent Calculator, PvP Talent Calculator, Artifact Calculator)
Windwalker

• Windwalker Monk Increases damage/healing of Blackout Kick, Chi Wave, Crackling Jade Lightning, Crosswinds, Eye of the Tiger, Fists of Fury, Flying Serpent Kick, Rising Sun Kick, Rushing Jade Wind, Spinning Crane Kick, Strike of the Windlord, Tiger Palm by 5% 0%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Blackout Kick, Chi Wave, Crackling Jade Lightning, Crosswinds, Eye of the Tiger, Fists of Fury, Flying Serpent Kick, Rising Sun Kick, Rushing Jade Wind, Spinning Crane Kick, Strike of the Windlord, Tiger Palm by 5% 0%. Monk - Windwalker Spec.

Rogue (Forums, Talent Calculator, PvP Talent Calculator, Artifact Calculator)
PvP Talents

• Thief's Bargain The cooldown of your Vanish spell is reduced by 60 45 sec. Your damage is increased by 10%, but your maximum health is reduced by 15%. Subtlety Rogue - Tier 5 PvP Talent.

Assassination

• Assassination Rogue Increases damage/healing of Deadly Poison, Death from Above, Envenom, Fan of Knives, Garrote, Hemorrhage, Kingsbane, Mutilate, Mutilate Off-Hand, Neurotoxin, Poisoned Knife, Rupture, Shiv, Sinister Strike, Toxic Blade, Wound Poison by 28% 22%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Deadly Poison, Death from Above, Envenom, Fan of Knives, Garrote, Hemorrhage, Kingsbane, Mutilate, Mutilate Off-Hand, Neurotoxin, Poisoned Knife, Rupture, Shiv, Sinister Strike, Toxic Blade, Wound Poison by 28% 22%. Rogue - Assassination Spec.

Outlaw

• Outlaw Rogue Increases damage/healing of Ambush, Between the Eyes, Death from Above, Ghostly Strike, Main Gauche, Pistol Shot, Riposte, Run Through, Saber Slash by 4% 0%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Ambush, Between the Eyes, Death from Above, Ghostly Strike, Main Gauche, Pistol Shot, Riposte, Run Through, Saber Slash by 4% 0%. Increases damage/healing of Death from Above by 30%. Rogue - Outlaw Spec.

Shaman (Forums, Talent Calculator, PvP Talent Calculator, Artifact Calculator)
Elemental

• Earth Shock Instantly shocks the target with concussive force, causing up to [*1,300% [*1,230% of Spell Power*] Nature damage based on Maelstrom spent. Shaman - Elemental Spec. 10 Maelstrom. 40 yd range. Instant.

Enhancement

• Enhancement Shaman Increases damage/healing of Crash Lightning, Earthen Spike, Flametongue, Flametongue Attack, Frostbrand, Fury of Air, Lava Lash, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Shield, Rockbiter, Stormstrike, Stormstrike Off-Hand, Sundering, Windfury Attack, Windsong, Windstrike, Windstrike Off-Hand by 13% 10%. Increases periodic damage/healing of Crash Lightning, Earthen Spike, Flametongue, Flametongue Attack, Frostbrand, Fury of Air, Lava Lash, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Shield, Rockbiter, Stormstrike, Stormstrike Off-Hand, Sundering, Windfury Attack, Windsong, Windstrike, Windstrike Off-Hand by 13% 10%. Increases damage/healing of Crash Lightning, Earthen Spike, Flametongue, Flametongue Attack, Frostbrand, Fury of Air, Lava Lash, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Shield, Rockbiter, Stormstrike, Stormstrike Off-Hand, Sundering, Windfury Attack, Windsong, Windstrike, Windstrike Off-Hand by 13 10. Shaman - Enhancement Spec.

Raid & Dungeon Abilities

• Swing The caster swings their weapon in a devastating arc, inflicting 1,070,500 538,000 Fire damage to all enemies caught in the weapon's path. Melee range. 2 sec cast. 5 sec cooldown.

Item Effects

• Attuning Attune the crystal with the spirit's essence. Results may be unpredictable. Melee range. Instant. 7 yd range. 3 sec cast (Channeled).

Some New Blue Faces

Over the coming weeks, you’ll be seeing some new Blue accounts posting here in the forums. These fine folks are joining on to help us be more present and active in discussions with you all.

Our new additions will be labeled “Forum Engagement.” While these people are Blizzard employees, they aren’t game designers and won’t be able to answer those deeper questions about topics like game balance. And no worries; you’ll still see the same names you recognize.

Thanks for giving them a warm welcome!

Patch 7.3 - Dressing Room Update
Patch 7.3 enlarges the dressing room window and adds class specific backgrounds.

Blue Posts

Draenor Pathfinder
While at this point in time we don't have any plans to remove the Draenor Pathfinder requirement for flying in Draenor, I just wanted to add that there's a lot of great feedback on both sides of the fence here, thanks everyone for remaining mostly constructive. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

PvP Like a Pro - Practicing Effectively

Two weeks ago, we kicked off the PvP like a Pro series, where we talk to some of the best Arena players in the world and gain their insights.

Part 3 - Practicing Effectively

Minpojke of team Northern Gaming Blue has achieved rank one in Arena every season since 2011. His current squad has been playing together for more than two years, and came third in the Global Finals at BlizzCon 2016. With his help, we’ve built a five-step guide to help you practice like a pro!

Synergy - Align Your Team
Before setting out on your quest to the top, make sure you’re “aligned as a team,” says Minpojke. Like in any group activity, “it’s very important that everyone has the same goals and the same drive to do what it takes to win.” Make sure your team shares similar ambitions, and is aligned on how much effort will be required to achieve them. And of course, make sure you have similar gaming schedules so you can play and practice together!

Atmosphere - Stay Positive
It’s important to have a good atmosphere while playing. Minpojke says, “If you and your group get along and even become friends, you’ll like playing and actually learn more as well.” Be sure that the mood stays positive so that you can enjoy competing and improving together. It’s much easier to keep a team motivated if you’re all having fun—it’s a game after all!

Stated more simply, Minpojke says, “It’s easy to win as a team—in the sense that it’s easy to be happy and celebrate—but if you’re capable of losing together, then you’ll be a great team.”

Strategy - Know the Meta
When it comes to making practice effective, Minpojke feels it’s a priority to stay up to date with the current meta. He told us that the best way to do this is to follow tournaments, high-level Arena streams, and the PvP Leaderboards to see which classes are on top.

“It’s quite easy to keep up with the meta. Watch streams to see what the pros are playing, and track the ladder to see which classes and compositions are at the top. And don’t forget to follow tournaments to see the best comps shine.” Once you’re confident in what you want to play, it’s time to queue up! As FabsS discussed in our previous interview, Minpojke says that it’s important to set your win condition before the gates open. “Ask what you want to achieve as a team; will you focus on a lot of CC or try to draw out the game longer?” Since you know what matchup you’ll be playing against, you can start to ask these questions and develop your strategy.

Analysis - Review Your Games
If your setup supports it, Minpojke recommends recording as many sessions as you can—they’re much more valuable then looking at a damage meter. He says that the first objective is to see if you followed your game plan. Did you stick to it? Did it work? If the answer to either of these questions is no, you need to work on executing the plan better in future or possibly changing it up all together.

Watching your own recordings is also a chance to highlight individual mistakes. As Minpojke says, “Always stay self-critical, and always look for ways to improve—you’ll notice pretty quickly your most crucial and common mistakes.” While Minpojke emphasizes that “losing is arguably the best way of learning,” he also reminded us that “it’s very important to recognize when you do well.” Think positively here: no one can play the perfect game, but there are often good takeaways to be emulated going forward.

Reviewing recordings of his gameplay is a regular part of Minpojke’s routine, as well as discussing previous matches with his team between games while queueing. You can learn from a win as well as a loss!

Execute - Implement Your Analysis
After watching the replays, it’s time to set your goals. Decide what you want to focus on, and “make plans before you queue for a session.” If there was a specific matchup you were struggling with, you can discuss plans for how you’ll react to it next time.

In some instances, it could be worth writing some notes, especially if you have many things to focus on versus many compositions. Minpojke equated it to studying for a test, “Practice it, and read it over and over until it sticks in your head.”

Minpojke attended his first BlizzCon with current teammate Zunniyaki in 2013, finishing in second place. Northern Gaming Blue are the defending European Champions, and with nine BlizzCon appearances between their players, they’re one of the most experienced rosters in the field.

You can watch Minpojke and Northern Gaming Blue compete live at gamescom from August 23-26. For the full details on when and where you can watch, head on over to our European Championship Finals blog.

Dark Legacy Comics #594
DLC #594 has been released!

[Eleccybubb]

Wait whut. A PTR build that Chaud didn't post? :O

[Simca]

Wait whut. A PTR build that Chaud didn't post? :O

He was getting lunch. Blizzard planned this build as a calculated anti-lunch attack against chaud.

[kevincuomo]

wait wut.. enhance nerfs? is this april fools or something

[Venziir]

wait wut.. enhance nerfs? is this april fools or something

Elemental is getting nerfed too.... Reasonable of course, can't have that OP spec running around!

[Deleted]

Enhance gets nerfed because they are pretty good, not the best but pretty good.
Elemental is for the upcomming changes in 7.3 overall so it doesnt go completly ham

[netherflame]

Cant let shaman be good, that wouldnt be acceptable........rofl bad all expansion...

[Lady Velvet]

Really hate how Blizzard is slowly killing race identity with class identity. I want the race I chose to have its own dressing room, not the class.

[A Dark Knight]

how is that warlock dressing room related to the warlock class order hall or demons ?

why is blizzard killing race and focusing on class?

[gcsmith]

Of course no changes to DH... why bother actually tuning DH's at all when they're near bottom of barrel.

[Deleted]

how is that warlock dressing room related to the warlock class order hall or demons ?

why is blizzard killing race and focusing on class?

Because they are racists!

[Rainart]

Sad nerfs all around but one, Sub Rogues 30 second Vanish mania is over, praise the void lords!!!

[kevincuomo]

So nerf Earth Shock because it can hit for upwards of 4million or more but the hunter in my guild gets like 9 mill crits on his abilities. ES should hit hard its not like you can spam it i dont get Blizztards thinking

[Deleted]

It's a good thing they nerfed outlaw. We were having way too much fun anyway being unstoppable...

[Appelgren]

When is the most important pvp part coming? "Picking a fotm faceroll comp"

[Spl4sh3r]

Black Rook Hold for Rogue Dressing Room....where did that come from?

[Lady Velvet]

Black Rook Hold for Rogue Dressing Room....where did that come from?

I really really really hope they don't go with the whole "class dressing room" I like my race's dressing room very much, thank you.

[Deleted]

Monk nerfs? dafuq

[huldu]

PvP in wow is such a joke, it's embarrassing and they've literally done nothing at all to make it more fun/balanced since the launch of the expansion. Don't even get me started on "world" pvp, that's the most unbalanced junk I've seen in a game for many years. It's like they don't even care any more.

[Somarlane]

I really really really hope they don't go with the whole "class dressing room" I like my race's dressing room very much, thank you.

For the most part, I agree with your sentiment. I am fond of the troll background that was introduced with Cataclysm. I have to admit, though, that the 7.3 backgrounds overall are better as a backdrop for viewing items in the foreground. I think Blizz should start with just the larger window size, then look at feedback for that. Changing just the size of the Dressing Room may be enough.