Patch 8.2 Hotfixes - July 9th, 2019, Punch Card Nerf, Season 3 Official Notes

[Stoy]

Battle for Azeroth Season 3, Azshara's Eternal Palace Raid, Mechagon Mega Dungeon

Patch 8.2 Hotfixes - July 9th, 2019

Achievements

• "Fighting on Two Fronts" no longer requires looting the Mechagon Fight Club chest.
  
  • Developers’ note: Especially as a requirement for Rank 2 of an Essence, this step was out of line in difficulty with the other parts of the achievement.

Creatures and NPCs

• Foul Manifestation now reliably spawns in Mechagon.
• Ignite Mana cast by the Baron Geddon Data Anomaly in Mechagon now lasts for 30 seconds (was 5 minutes).

Dungeons and Raids

• Azshara’s Eternal Palace
  
  • Queen Azshara
    
    • Corrected an issue that could prevent Queen Azshara from properly transitioning to the final phase of the encounter.

Items

• Pocket-Sized Computation Device
  
  • Fixed a bug where players could cast other spells while channeling the active ability on the Cyclotronic Blast Red Punchcard.
  • The power contribution of Red and Yellow Punchcards are now more comparable to one another.
  • Developers' note: Yellow Punchcards were too strong, and Red Punchcards were too weak. The overall effectiveness of a trinket with Red and Yellow Punchcards should be similar or better than previously.
• Heart of Azeroth
  
  • Memory of Lucid Dreams (Essence) no longer removes stealth when activated while Stealth or Prowl are active.
  • Purification Protocol (Essence) can no longer kill a quest objective enemy with its Rank 2 Purifying Blast.
  • Essence effects no longer unintentionally break players out of stealth.
  • Worldvein Resonance’s Lifeblood Shards no longer break stealth.
  • Vitality Conduit no longer breaks stealth when health is transferred to or from a stealthed unit.
  • Vitality Conduit no longer cleanses crowd-control that breaks on damage such as Blind and Polymorph.
  • Gaining Focused Energy from Essence of the Focusing Iris’ Minor Power no longer breaks stealth.
  • The Azerite Spike generated from Condensed Life-Force’s Minor Power no longer breaks stealth when striking an enemy unit.
  • Purification Protocol no longer breaks stealth when it heals the caster.
  • Ripple in Space’s Minor Power no longer breaks stealth.
  • Gaining Reckless Force from The Unbound Force’s Minor Power no longer breaks stealth.
  • Gaining Vision of Perfection or being healed by the Vision of Perfection’s Minor Power no longer breaks stealth.
  • Using Potion of Focused Resolve should no longer break stealth.
  • The Personal Time Displacer now teleports players to the future as intended.

Player versus Player

• Items
  
  • The following items have had their effects reduced in PvP combat:
    
    • Edict of the Faithless’ absorption effects reduced by 60%.
    • The maximum damage that can be transferred from Chain of Suffering reduced by 75%.
    • Bloodthirsty Urchin’s healing output has been reduced by 50%.
    • Ashvane’s Razor Coral’s effect only stacks to 20.
    • Dribbling Inkpod no longer stacks above 20 on player-controlled targets and deals 33% damage per stack.
    • Diamond Refracting Prism's effectiveness reduced by 50% (was 30%) for tank specializations, and 70% (was 60%) for non-tank specialization characters.
    • Mirror of Entwined Fate's effectiveness reduced by 30% for healer specializations, and 65% (was 50%) for non-healer specialization characters.
    • Ward of Envelopment's effectiveness in PvP is reduced by 30% for healer specializations, and 65% (was 50%) for non-healer specialization characters.
  • Heart of Azeroth
    
    • Undulating Tides’ absorption effect reduced by 75%.
• Warsong Gulch
  
  • Individual player Flag Capture and Flag Returns are now properly displayed on the scoreboard.

Quests

• The “Battle for Nazjatar” now properly resets each week.
• For the Brawler's Guild quest "Flaunt It If You Got It", the Amberseed bun should now hit your target regardless of their War Mode status.
• Wardruid Loti no longer yells at players not participating in “Underfoot”.

World Quests

• Players can again complete "Word on the Streets".
• “Spider Scorching” now appears on the World Map when it’s active.

Punch Card Nerf

I can confirm that the change to increase the output of Red and decrease the output of Yellow Punchcards is intended. We’ve got a hotfixes update coming in a few minutes that includes it.

The goal here is to better calibrate the power of Red and Yellow Punchcards to have greater synchronicity. While the numbers have changed, the overall output should be similar. Players wearing a Pocket-Sized Computation Device with Red and Yellow Punchcards of comparable item-levels should see either a similar output or increased output (from yesterday).

Rise of Azshara Season 3 Official Blizzard Notes

Dungeon and Raid Updates
New Raid: Azshara’s Eternal Palace
Battle against Nazjatar’s worthiest champions, face down unfathomable monstrosities from the deep, and confront the legendary Queen Azshara herself in this sprawling 8-boss raid.

Azshara’s Eternal Palace Normal and Heroic difficulties are now live, while the first wing of Raid Finder—The Grand Reception—and Mythic will open next week on July 16.

Season 3 Begins
Season 3 brings a wave of new dungeon content, including the new Mythic-only difficulty dungeon Operation: Mechagon, a new seasonal affix, and higher item-level Azerite armor to acquire in exchange for Residuum.

New Dungeon: Operation: Mechagon
Level 120 players will unite with Prince Erazmin and the Rustbolt Resistance to help overthrow his deranged father and destroy his Mechoriginator doomsday device in this new Mythic-only 8-boss “mega-dungeon.” Great rewards await you in Mechagon, but bear in mind that gnome-crafted loot might have some surprising properties. . .

New Mythic Dungeon Affix: Beguiling
Queen Azshara’s agents have infiltrated dungeons to strike Azeroth’s champions when they least suspect it. Three different emissaries will bolster enemy ranks and prove to be deadly adversaries, making them priority targets that must be defeated. Visiting emissaries can change by week and can even disrupt patrolling units who stop to praise them.

• Void-Touched Emissary: Upon engaging this enemy, the Void-Touched Emissary will cast an uninterruptible spell over several seconds that will let loose a powerful 60-yard area-of-effect bolt of energy. Smite this foe before it completes the ritual, or hide from it to survive.

• Enchanted Emissary: This powerful foe uses your own might against you by enchanting its nearby allies with an aura that reflects a large percent of damage back at the attacker.

• Emissary of the Tides: This enemy applies an aura to nearby nemeses that cleanses and makes them immune to crowd-control effects.

Mythic Keystone Dungeon Updates

• Item levels of rewards from level 120 Normal, Heroic, and Mythic dungeons have been increased by 30. Baseline rewards are now item-level 370 from Normal, 385 from Heroic, and 400 from non-Keystone Mythic dungeons.

• Mythic Keystone rewards have been increased by 30 item levels. During the first week of Season 3, rewards from end-of-run chests will be capped at item-level 415 for Mythic Keystone at +6 difficulty, and the weekly cache will be a Season 2 reward.

• 
  
  • Beginning the second week of Season 3, the weekly cache will not be affected by the cap and will reward Season 3 items at the higher item levels. Completing a Mythic Keystone at +10 difficulty during the first week will then provide the new highest item level in the weekly cache when it’s available in week 2.
    

• Enemy health and damage in Heroic dungeons increased by 25%.

• Health and damage of enemies in non-Keystone Mythic dungeons increased by 30%; Normal dungeons are unchanged.

• 
  
  • Mythic Keystones have been reduced by an additional 3 levels, to account for this difficulty increase.
    

• The enemy health and damage bonuses in Mythic Keystone dungeons now increase by 10% per difficulty level (up from 8%).

Titan Residuum

• Increased Titan Residuum rewards earned in the weekly chest and from scrapping eligible Azerite armor.

• Spend your hard-earned Titan Residuum on new item-level 430 and 445 Azerite armor.

Essences Updates

• Eight new Essences are now available to earn in Azshara’s Eternal Palace, Operation: Mechagon, PvP, and Mythic Keystone Dungeons.

Azshara’s Eternal Palace Essences

• Defeat the new raid bosses in Azshara’s Eternal Palace to earn the following Essences: Azeroth’s Undying Gift (tank), Condensed Life Force (damage-dealer), and Vitality Conduit (healer).

Operation: Mechagon Essence

• Vision of Perfection – Drops off the final boss, King Mechagon.

Player versus Player Essences

• Conflict and Strife – Earn 500 Conquest to unlock this Essence in your next weekly PvP War Chest.

Mythic Keystone Dungeon Essences

• Clear a Mythic Keystone dungeon at level 4 or greater to receive the following Essences: Essence of the Focusing Iris (damage-dealer), Anima of Life and Death (tank), and Life-Binder’s Invocation (healer).

Player versus Player Updates
Welcome to Season 3: Notorious
Season 3 brings a wave of new player-versus-player content. Participants can earn two new Vicious Basilisk mounts, and the highest-rated players will unlock new Notorious Gladiator mounts.

Reward Updates

• Item levels of rewards earned from War Chests from all PvP tiers (Unranked, Combatant, Challenger, Rival, Duelist, and Gladiator) increased by 30.

• Item levels of end-of-match rewards for all PvP tiers increased by 30.

• During the first week of Season 3, end-of-match rewards will be capped at item-level 415. This will require Challenger rank to earn. Beginning in week 2, Challenger rank rewards will be item-level 420.

New Heroic Warfront
Battle for Stromgarde
An ancient enemy has drawn the Alliance and Horde to the high seas, but the Battle for Azeroth still escalates on land with a Heroic Battle for Stromgarde. In the expansion’s first Heroic Warfront, the enemy commander takes a more active role on the battlefield, and it’s up to your team to bury him in the dirt.

With an army at his back, the enemy commander will join the first wave of forces in an attempt to destroy your fledging base. Grouping up is key to surviving the onslaught—tactics and strategy will be required to turn the tides. To win, you’ll need to coordinate with your premade group of 10 to 20 players to outmaneuver the enemy. Those who can survive and drive back the enemy will be amply rewarded with an item-level 430 equipment piece once per Assault phase.

Interact with the War Table in Boralus or in the Port of Zuldazar with your raid group to join the fight. Note that the option to queue for Heroic Battle for Stromgarde will become available when the next time a certain faction commences an assault on Arathi Highlands in a given region. Regions that are already partway through a Battle of Stormgarde attack cycle will be able to access Heroic difficulty the next time Arathi Highlands comes under attack during Season 3.

[Dystemper]

LOL so they stealth nerfed the Yellow punch card then only mentioned it when players got upset. Good lord Blizzard is really going down hill fast

[Nevcairiel]

LOL so they stealth nerfed the Yellow punch card then only mentioned it when players got upset. Good lord Blizzard is really going down hill fast

Its not a nerf if they compensate for the loss in another area, its just a re-balancing then.

And your conspirarcy theory holds no substance. Since its not actually an overall nerf, why would they even bother to hide it? Maybe it was meant to be mentioned in todays Hotfix notes all along?

[Dystemper]

Its not a nerf if they compensate for the loss in another area, its just a re-balancing then.

And your conspirarcy theory holds no substance. Since its not actually an overall nerf, why would they even bother to hide it? Maybe it was meant to be mentioned in todays Hotfix notes all along?

The red punch card doesn't have stats. And they "fixed" the red card so the cyclotron doesn't work like it did before. They yellow card had it's stats cut in half. It is a nerf . Blizzard fucked up like they always do. They stealth nerfed it then only said do etching when the forums blew up about it. But you get your blizzard defenseforce points for trying I guess

[js3915]

It will probably end up being a big nerf... Instead of a decent flat stats buff they base it on RNG so if you get shitty RNG it will be a horrible nerf whereas flat stats increase isnt as dependent on RNG. Game really is just turning into if you get lucky with rolls you win. If you have bad luck you will forever be in the gutter.

[Smeller]

Battle for Stromgarde was active for us about an hour after season 3 launched but we can't do it as heroic Warfront because we are Alliance. Typical Blizzard bias as always. We also made like 40% in 8 hours, somehow.

[Tiwack]

They finally shut Wardruid Loti up? About time...

[tangers58]

Battle for Stromgarde was active for us about an hour after season 3 launched but we can't do it as heroic Warfront because we are Alliance. Typical Blizzard bias as always. We also made like 40% in 8 hours, somehow.

Really reaching on the "bias" crap kiddo

[Tziva]

They must have hotfixed Kua'fon also, because he's flying at fullspeed now for the first time on the character he was previously bugged on (and flying 150% only).