20th Anniversary Update PTR Development Notes - September 18, 2024

[Lumy]

20th Anniversary Update PTR Development Notes - September 18, 2024

Here are this week’s 20th Anniversary Update PTR notes:

Classes

• Druid
  
  • Balance
    
    • Circle of Life and Death causes Moonfire, Sunfire, Stellar Flare, and Starfall to deal their damage in 15% less time (was 20%).
      
      • Developer’s note: We are keeping an eye on this talent. Our intent is that it’s an appealing option for players who enjoy it or for certain fights where it’s strong. We recognize that not all players enjoy updating DoTs more frequently, especially in sustained AOE, so we want to ensure there are other options of comparable power for those players.
• Hunter
  
  • Hero Talents
    
    • Dark Ranger
      
      • Extra Black Arrows from Withering Fire will now apply their periodic effect.
        
        • Developer’s note: For tuning reasons, Withering Fire’s extra arrows do not trigger most ancillary Black Arrow effects. The periodic damage effect is an exception to this rule to allow for deeper synergies with talents like Phantom Pain.
    • Beast Mastery
      
      • Frenzy’s Personal Resource Display aura has had its duration corrected.
    • Marksmanship
      
      • Wailing Arrow no longer consumes Trick Shots.
      • Fixed an issue that prevented Wailing Arrow from benefitting from Hydra’s Bite.
    • Survival
      
      • Bombardier’s aura is now removed at more reasonable times.
      • Spearhead’s cast animation now blends with other animations.
• Mage
  
  • Alter Time’s visuals have been updated.
  • Hero Talents
    
    • Frostfire
      
      • Frostfire Burst’s visuals have been updated.
    • Spellslinger
      
      • Splintering Orbs can now generate a maximum of 6 Splinters (was 4 Splinters).
    • Sunfury
      
      • Spellfire Spheres are now anchored relative to your chest’s position.
  • Arcane
    
    • Spellslinger
      
      • Developer’s note: Adjustments to Arcane’s talents and Frost’s updates to Splinterstorm have reduced the power of Spellslinger considerably. We’re aware of these issues and will continue to make changes as necessary.
      • Arcane Splinter damage increased by 30%.
      • Fixed an issue where Splinterstorm damage was not equal to Splinter damage.
      • Spellfrost Teachings chance to trigger increased to 5%.
    • Sunfury
      
      • Arcane Soul’s overlay has been updated.
  • Fire
    
    • Hyperthermia’s overlay has been updated.
  • Frost
    
    • Spellslinger
      
      • Developer’s note: Adjustments to Arcane’s talents and Frost’s updates to Splinterstorm have reduced the power of Spellslinger considerably. We’re aware of these issues and will continue to make changes as necessary.
      • Frost Splinter damage increased by 60%.
      • Spellfrost Teachings chance to trigger increased to 5%.
      • Spellfrost Teachings Orb damage bonus on proc increased to 30% (was 20%).
• Shaman
  
  • Enhancement
    
    • Flowing Spirits now correctly grants the Feral Spirit buff associated with their elements.
    • Molten Thunder chance to trigger increased by 60%.
    • Totemic
      
      • An issue causing Whirling Earth to not be consumed has been resolved.

Dungeons and Raids

• Timewalking dungeons will now scale enemies to your current level as opposed to scaling you to the level of the dungeon.
  
  • Developer’s note: Timewalking now uses the same scaling system as Chromie Time, allowing us to better maintain Timewalking dungeons and control their intended tuning.

User Interface and Accessibility

• Character Select Screen
  
  • New characters that are created are now placed into the campfire scene if there is room, and directly under the scene in the list if there is not.
• Warband Bank
  
  • Reagents stored in the Warband bank can now be used to fill all types of crafting orders.
• Accounts that fall under Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) will now have the “Block Guild Invites” setting turned on by default.
• When logged in to a character, the AddOn List dropdown will now default to that character rather than All.
• Lore objects map icons have been adjusted for better visibility.

[Aggressive]

Using reagents, for crafting orders, from the warbank without removing them is a great addition. About time.

[Puri]

Timewalking dungeons will now scale enemies to your current level as opposed to scaling you to the level of the dungeon.

Oh well, not looking forward to that change. If you want to level quickly the current TW is probably the last one while the ones after the patch are probably much slower and - and I dare not say it - might even make you play mechanics (which is mainly an issue for TW raids).

[Eurhetemec]

The Timewalking change is a pretty bad one, so I'm glad it's still on the PTR.

De facto it'll make Timewalking very, very bad for levelling up characters (which it's currently great for), because you just don't get even nearly enough gear whilst Timewalking (even buying gear at the TW merchant) to keep even close to level-appropriate ilvl. Whereas levelling via normal dungeons and/or quests it's basically never a major problem without major bad luck.

Maybe that's intended, but it's shitty if so. I suspect the stated desire to just make them easier to balance is true but they flatly need to give out more loot (at least to non-80s) in TW if they're going to do that (the levelling dungeon gear reward bag would probably be enough). I imagine the underlying motive re: easier to balance is because they're trying to add some Classic/Vanilla Timewalking, and don't want to try and decide a level for that and rebalance accordingly when they could just expand the current 1-70 system out to 1-80.

Currently the raids are trivial, and frankly, that feels largely right. I think that if make them, like, actually require playing, the only real result is going to be that less people do it. I think they'll need to selectively nerf them if they're not just going to make this pretty annoying/tedious.

[deplorable]

Using reagents, for crafting orders, from the warbank without removing them is a great addition. About time.

Still.didnt work properly.this.morning. I have reservations over this working. Warbands nice idea badly.implemented . Classic blizz.

[Jodrok]

Still.didnt work properly.this.morning. I have reservations over this working. Warbands nice idea badly.implemented . Classic blizz.

these are PTR notes... not hot fixes...

[Mazzic518]

Using reagents, for crafting orders, from the warbank without removing them is a great addition. About time.

This should be a god damned hotfix not make us wait until whenever this patch hits IMO

[JSoup]

these are PTR notes... not hot fixes...

It's not working as stated in the notes on the PTR either. But then, that's what the PTR is for.

[banur]

The timewalking change is just horrible. Yes, they want to streamline the system (remember it's built on WoD era dungeons) but the change isn't "now uses CT system" - there is no difference between CT and TW. There won't be a difference between running a dungeon in CT or TW. They could just add badges to CT dungeons.
Everything that makes TW unique (and maybe difficult or at least extra to maintain) will be gone. Your Thunderfuries and relics of times long forgotten can finally be shoved in the bin.

[SinR]

I can assure you 99% of the playerbase won't notice the difference in Timewalking Dungeons. Its the 1% that have their SUPER SPECIAL SPEEDRUN sets that will be affected.

[Alayea]

I'd say I will miss using some old gear like Val'anyr and the MoP cloaks, but they were stat squished into utter obsolescence (even for timewalking) years ago.

[Dracullus]

I'm all in for TW changes if this will apply to Mage Tower (with difficulty updated every season). I want my gear matter in all PVE content.

[OCoyne]

The Timewalking change is a pretty bad one, so I'm glad it's still on the PTR.

De facto it'll make Timewalking very, very bad for levelling up characters (which it's currently great for), because you just don't get even nearly enough gear whilst Timewalking (even buying gear at the TW merchant) to keep even close to level-appropriate ilvl. Whereas levelling via normal dungeons and/or quests it's basically never a major problem without major bad luck.

Maybe that's intended, but it's shitty if so. I suspect the stated desire to just make them easier to balance is true but they flatly need to give out more loot (at least to non-80s) in TW if they're going to do that (the levelling dungeon gear reward bag would probably be enough). I imagine the underlying motive re: easier to balance is because they're trying to add some Classic/Vanilla Timewalking, and don't want to try and decide a level for that and rebalance accordingly when they could just expand the current 1-70 system out to 1-80.

You've mis-read what the change means, ilvl drops is already behind the level you're currently at, which shouldn't be a thing anyways but that's a different topic nonetheless. It's the fact non-max level tanks are getting one shotted when they pull big packs because the dungeon thinks the tank is max level as the developer note stated and is wearing ilvl equivalent to what level he is.

It's basically an unintended change going into The War Within and they're simply reverting it back to how it was.

Make a level 10 character and try mass pull any of the Hellfire instances and you'll see exactly what's up. There's a few you can get away with which isn't so physical damage intensive like Magisters Terrace but the scaling is broken is the main point.

[rowaasr13]

> Timewalking dungeons will now scale enemies to your current level as opposed to scaling you to the level of the dungeon.

Previously: mostly one single level to maintain.
Now: 80 levels to mainain.

How exactly is that "allowing us to better maintain and control tuning"?

Also say "bye" to using appropriate legendries and "hello" to level 10 soloing entire dungeons alone.

- - - Updated - - -

I can assure you 99% of the playerbase won't notice the difference in Timewalking Dungeons. Its the 1% that have their SUPER SPECIAL SPEEDRUN sets that will be affected.

Oh, you WILL notice party of level 10s leaving your damage behind.

[Doffen]

Is it just me or is the PTR offline for very long the last days?

[Eurhetemec]

You've mis-read what the change means, ilvl drops is already behind the level you're currently at, which shouldn't be a thing anyways but that's a different topic nonetheless. It's the fact non-max level tanks are getting one shotted when they pull big packs because the dungeon thinks the tank is max level as the developer note stated and is wearing ilvl equivalent to what level he is.

It's basically an unintended change going into The War Within and they're simply reverting it back to how it was.

Make a level 10 character and try mass pull any of the Hellfire instances and you'll see exactly what's up. There's a few you can get away with which isn't so physical damage intensive like Magisters Terrace but the scaling is broken is the main point.

You don't know what you're talking about at all, and the reference to Hellfire instances and "simply reverting" proves it.

Also, this is about Timewalking - you can't even go into it at level 10. You have to be level 30! You seem to be confusing Timewalking with Chromie Time - they're two different things.

There is absolutely a reason why you will get super-murdered AT ANY LEVEL, whether it's 10 or 70, in the Chromie Time Hellfire instances.

The wolves and the mines.

In Ramps and SH, there are wolves. The wolves are bugged in Chromie Time. They will one-shot any character if they use their main attack, which they usually do. This is trivial to demonstrate - just queue for Ramps and watch.

In Blood Furnace, there are the orc engineers with their mines. Those won't one-shot you, but depending on your HP, spec, defenses, etc. they will 2-3 shot you (and 2 probably has even a tough character on like 20% health, tops). And most players are totally unaware they exist and run straight on to them. Pulling a whole bunch of engineers ensure there will be mines absolutely everywhere, and you will 100% die because you won't be able to see them, unless you're doing a conga-line pull. BF also has the demons at the end who hit hard enough to rapidly destroy anyone trying to pull them all, and IIRC, charge-stun if you aggro them from more than like 7 yards away (i.e. you can avoid it with Leap or Charge or the like, but not other approaches).

With current Timewalking (not Chromie Time), I levelled 48-80 as a Brewmaster Monk, and I wasn't dying any faster at 48 than, say, 78, because of the way scaling works.

I can assure you 99% of the playerbase won't notice the difference in Timewalking Dungeons. Its the 1% that have their SUPER SPECIAL SPEEDRUN sets that will be affected.

Nah, many people will notice because Timewalking will be significantly slower for levelling with the monsters better scaled to your level. The SUPER SPECIAL SPEEDRUN guys will just using their 80 ilvl 620+ characters and because it's now Chromie Time scaling, they'll outgear the instances so will still be much faster than others. Also they'll probably drop the minimum level req. for Timewalking so L10-25 characters will be in there doing mega-damage, which will be distinctive. Obsessive speedrunners will presumably just level-lock at like L10 and go with that instead. L10-15 Resto Shaman can probably kill a lot of packs before they can even reach him.

I'm all in for TW changes if this will apply to Mage Tower (with difficulty updated every season). I want my gear matter in all PVE content.

Yeah if they do rework the Mage Tower that could be the one good thing which comes out of this, because right now it's a huge mess, where people succeed primarily through knowing which poorly-scaled or Legion-era items to exploit.