Patch 9.0.2 Hotfixes - February 24, 2021, WoW Classic Boosts, Updated PTR Notes

[Stoy]

Patch 9.0.2 Hotfixes - February 24, 2021

Creatures and NPCs

• Fixed an issue where Tomb Burster in Revendreth was not resetting each day to give players another opportunity at her loot.

Dungeons and Raids

• Castle Nathria
  
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the door to Sire Denathrius' chamber to remain closed if Prince Renathal and General Draven began fighting loyalists prior to the door opening.
    
• Timewalking: Black Temple
  
  • Illidan
    
    • Fixed an issue where Parasitic Shadowfiends would sometimes not reset after the encounter ends.
      

Items and Rewards

• Renown weapon illusions can now be used in transmogrification after their appearance has been learned.

Blue Post - Blizzard On WoW Classic Era Realms and Paid Character Boosts

I think it might be helpful to note that what we’re now calling WoW Classic Era realms start at Level 1, and we feel the same as we did two years ago: no Boost would ever be needed (or appropriate) there. When we originally laid out our principles for WoW Classic, the 1-60 experience was the only thing to which we could refer.

Burning Crusade Classic begins at level 58, and we’re configuring this new Boost service to avoid minimizing the accomplishments of existing players or skipping any new content at launch. It’s for players who want a way to quickly join their friends in Outland.

Patch 9.0.5 PTR Patch Notes - Updates February 24th, 2021

Adventures

• Kyrian Covenant Companions
  
  • Kyrian Phalanx health increased by 16%.
    
    • Developers’ note: Phalanxes still feel underpowered relative to Halberdiers, so giving them some additional durability to allow them to fill the tank role before players have maxed out their roster.
• Necrolord Covenant Companions
  
  • Fixed an issue where Bonesmith Heirmir Serrated Shoulder Blades weren’t inflicting damage back to the enemy.
  • Maldraxxus Plaguesinger’s Plague Song has been redesigned – Plague Song now deals damage to ranged enemies every round.
  • Rencissa the Dynamo spell effectiveness increased by 40%.
  • Assembler Xertora spell effectiveness increased by 10%.
  • Rattlebag spell effectiveness increased by 20%.
    
    • Developers’ note: We fixed a few issues where some Necrolord Covenant Companions weren’t dealing damage reliably. Additionally, a few companions have received an improvement that fits with their purpose.
• Night Fae Covenant Companions
  
  • Qadarin spell effectiveness increased by 24%.
  • Blisswing’s damage reduction now correctly applies to enemies.
  • Yira’liya health increased by 16% and spell effectiveness increased by 50%.
  • Duskleaf health increased by 20% and spell effectiveness increased by 25%.
  • Lloth’wellyn health increased by 33% and ability damage increased by 25%.
    
    • Developers’ note: A few Night Fae Covenant Companions were not as well established in their different roles as we hoped, to address this we’ve improved many abilities and decreased some Companions’ overall fragility.
• Venthyr Covenant Companions
  
  • Venthyr Nightblade attack increased by 25%.
    
    • Developers’ note: We’re generally happy with how the changes to Venthyr in the 9.0.2 hotfix landed, but wanted to offer some additional help for players using Nightblades to fill out their compositions.

Classes

• Hunter
  
  • Beast Mastery
    
    • Spitting Cobra (Talent) damage is increased by 260%.
• Warlock
  
  • Curse of Tongues now lasts 1 minute (was 30 seconds) and lasts 20 seconds against enemy players (was 12 seconds).
  • Demonology
    
    • Call Dreadstalkers attack power increased by 10%, and Dreadbite and Dreadlash damage increased by 10%.

Covenants

• Necrolord
  
  • Fleshcraft has been redesigned – Form a shield of flesh and bone over 3 seconds (was 4 seconds) that absorbs damage equal to 40% of your maximum health for 2 minutes. While channeling, your damage taken is reduced by 20%. Passive effect – Moving near an enemy’s corpse consumes their essence to reduce Fleshcraft’s cooldown by 1 second.
• Classes
  
  • Paladin
    
    • Conduits
      
      • The extra spells from Ringing Clarity (Kyrian) now have a longer delay between hits. Additionally, area-of-effect Judgment hits from Divine Toll are no longer reduced by 25% in PvP, and Judgment triggered from Ringing Clarity is reduced by 25% in PvP.
      • Retribution
        
        • Virtuous Command no longer plays an attack animation when it triggers.

Items and Rewards

• Legendary Items
  
  • Druid
    
    • Cat-Eye Curio now restores 30% Energy (was 25%).
  • Hunter
    
    • Dire Command now has a 30% chance to trigger (was 20%).
    • Rylakstalker’s Piercing Fangs critical damage increased to 35% (was 20%).
  • Paladin
    
    • Holy
      
      • Shadowbreaker, Dawn of the Sun buff duration increased to 8 seconds (was 6 seconds).
      • Maraad’s Dying Breath’s healing bonus to Light of the Martyr no longer increases self-damage taken. Additionally, Maraad’s Dying Breath now causes all Light of the Martyr self-damage to be dealt over 5 seconds.
    • Protection
      
      • The Ardent Protector’s Sanctum has been redesigned – When Ardent Defender saves you from death, it restores 40% additional health. When Ardent Defender expires without saving you from death, its remaining cooldown is reduced by 40% (was 60 seconds).
    • Retribution
      
      • Final Verdict damage has been increased by 15%.
  • Shaman
    
    • Elemental
      
      • Echoes of Great Sundering now causes Earthquake to deal 120% additional damage (was 175%).

Player Vs Player

• Battlegrounds
  
  • Ashran
    
    • Maximum player count per faction is now 35 (was 30).
    • Starting reinforcements are now 175 (was 150).
    • To allow both factions to have easier access to Star Root Tubers and Song Flowers, both these tasty treats will now spawn alongside each other in the Dark Woods and Root Den.
    • Artifact Fragment cost to summon Kronus and Fangrall reduced to 1500 (was 3000).
    • Horde and Alliance tower mages are now worth 30 Reinforcements when slain (was 50).
    • Horde and Alliance tower mages have had their spells adjusted:
      
      • Rylai Crestfall – Alliance Tower Mage
        
        • Northrend Winds now deals 15% of the target’s maximum health in Frost damage.
        • Frostbolt now deals 8% of the target’s maximum health in Frost damage.
        • Frostbolt Volley now deals 15% of the target’s maximum health in Frost damage.
        • No longer casts Mass Polymorph.
      • Jeron Emberfall – Horde Tower Mage
        
        • Fireball now deals 8% of the target’s maximum health in Fire damage.
        • Combustion Nova now deals 15% of the target’s maximum health in Fire damage.
        • Ignite now deals 1% of the target’s maximum health in Fire damage.
        • Living Bomb initial spell now deals 5% of the target’s maximum health in Fire damage.
        • Living Bomb explosion now deals 15% of the target’s maximum health in Fire damage.
        • Living Bomb no longer causes a knockback when exploding.
        • Magma Blast cast by Jeron’s summoned Lava Fury now deals 5% of the target’s maximum health in Fire damage.
    • Isle of Conquest
      
      • Glaive Thrower health has been increased by 40%.
      • Alliance and Horde Commander health increased by 50%.
      • Demolisher health increased by 25%.
      • Catapult health increased by 100%.
      • The amount of siege damage required to break down keep walls has been increased by 20%.
    • Wintergrasp
      
      • Broken Temple and Sunken Ring Workshops are now controlled by the attacking team when the battle starts.
      • Wintergrasp Wall, Wintergrasp Fortress Wall, and Wintergrasp Fortress Gate health has been reduced by 20%.
      • Destroying Towers reduces match time by 8 minutes (was 5 minutes).
      • Siege Engine’s Steam Rush ability deals 20-35% of a player’s health (was 30-45%).
      • Demolisher’s Hurl Boulder ability deals 20-25% of a player’s health (was 36%).
      • Demolishers will now more consistently deal siege damage when striking fortress walls and towers.
      • After 5 minutes, all players in the battleground who do not have a rank (including players who join late) will now be granted the rank of Corporal.
• Classes
  
  • Death Knight
    
    • Removed the stun when summoning the temporary ghoul version of Raise Dead (Rank 1) in PvP.
  • Mage
    
    • Ice Form (PvP Talent) is no longer on the global cooldown to match Icy Veins, the ability it replaces.
  • Paladin
    
    • Holy
      
      • Ultimate Sacrifice (PvP Talent) now causes Blessing of Sacrifice to last 6 seconds in addition to its existing effects.
    • Protection
    • Steed of Glory (PvP Talent) will now grant immunity to roots and snares only (was all crowd controlling effects).

Torghast

• Anima Powers
  
  • Night Fae
    
    • New Anima Power: Frigid Wildseed (Epic) – Activating Soulshape stuns enemies within 12 yards of the departure and destination location for 6 seconds. Can be obtained 1 time.
  • Warrior
    
    • Smoldering Inertia damage bonus decreased to 100% (was 200%) and the duration increased to 6 seconds (was 4 seconds).

Covenants

• Venthyr
  
  • The Ember Court
    
    • Permanent RSVPs
      
      • Guests who you have reached Best Friend status with now give you a permanent RSVP.
      • The Permanent RSVP will allow all characters on your account to invite that guest to future Ember Courts without completing their RSVP quest again.
    • Temel in Sinfall now sells a Bind on Account book at Exalted with the Ember Court. The book will teach your Dredger Butler how to handle the Cleanup and Restocking quests that follow the Ember Courts.
    • One-time reputation items from Temel and Lady Ilinca will no longer appear once learned.
    • Droman Aliothe’s RSVP no longer requires players to venture to Bastion and Maldraxxus for items.

[SinR]

The Boost is only available once per account...

Right guys? Right Blizzard????

[javierdsv]

Lol at them trying to justify the existence of a paid boost in classic.

[RoKPaNda]

The Boost is only available once per account...

Right guys? Right Blizzard????

Supposedly.

Could have been more than once, it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The leveling is really just a time waster to prolong the play time and getting upset about a one off paid boost to level 58 is just pearl clutching for the sake of it. We learned with Classic that the whole purity of classic thing like the whole community thing was largely nonsense. A one off boost to 58 isn't hurting anyone.

[korijenkins]

Supposedly.

Could have been more than once, it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The leveling is really just a time waster to prolong the play time and getting upset about a one off paid boost to level 58 is just pearl clutching for the sake of it. We learned with Classic that the whole purity of classic thing like the whole community thing was largely nonsense. A one off boost to 58 isn't hurting anyone.

What people don't get is that it's not a time waster. It's an investment. You build characters, you aren't given them for nothing.

[Twdft]

What people don't get is that it's not a time waster. It's an investment. You build characters, you aren't given them for nothing.

The thing is, people want to build a Burning Crusade character. Why make them go through the agonizing long slog of leveling classic content when all they are interested in is walking through the Dark Portal and go to Outland?

[Grimalkin of Old]

Why make them go through the agonizing long slog of leveling classic content when all they are interested in is walking through the Dark Portal and go to Outland?

For the relatively similar reason why people go on dates instead of booking hookers.

[cateran100]

"Spitting Cobra (Talent) damage is increased by 260%."

Fine tuning....

[rrayy]

For the relatively similar reason why people go on dates instead of booking hookers.

Well, you can still start at 1. Nobody is forcing you to use the boost.

[tru]

"Spitting Cobra (Talent) damage is increased by 260%."

Fine tuning....

If you actually ever tried it you'd see it was probably the weakest output talent in the game.

[chiddie]

For the relatively similar reason why people go on dates instead of booking hookers.

I bet that when you move you usually only walk/swim/run instead of using a p2w car, bus, train, boat or airplane, right?

Because this is the level of your answer.

[Blayze]

For the relatively similar reason why people go on dates instead of booking hookers.

The whole point of playing TBC is to, y'know, play TBC.

[Nerovar]

It's very curious to me. Not only did they abandon the no-changes thing but they also added in something that was only introduced three expansions later. But they can monetize it so I guess there's the answer.

Really sad to see they can't even get Classic right.

[Teph]

if you want to play with your friends in bc then there is a prepatch where you can level your char. This reasoning is just pr bs.

[Prag]

The boost makes sense, especially for those that didn’t play Classic but want to re-play TBC.

I just don’t believe they’ll stick to one per account.

[cateran100]

If you actually ever tried it you'd see it was probably the weakest output talent in the game.

Definition of irony
1a: the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning

[crusadernero]

This is great. They got retail boost. Soon BC boost. Then WotLK Boost. They can just keep giving these boosts and rake in the money!

BTW - this probably fits the idea of relaunching xpacs. The whole idea of these relaunches is to experience X xpac.

[Echocho]

I think the boost is a good thing. I've already suffered through the Classic leveling twice, I know how tedious it is. If I had to go through that crap again if I wanted to reroll to a different class for TBC I'd probably just unsub and play something else. Leveling is just a really long and boring tutorial for the real game which is end game, and it's not even a particularly good tutorial since things work completely differently when you're in a raid.

[Argorwal]

I love how much it bothers people that some players may not be interested in the 1-58 drudgery and want a re-release of TBC to...ply TBC content.

[Greyvax]

IDK what the problem with boosts is.

Classic will be dead when TBC comes out.