Patch 4.2 Hotfixes - August 29
Classes
Druid (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
- Starfall should no longer hit enemies with whom the player is not in combat in Grim Batol or the Firelands.
- The Feral druid 4-piece tier-12 set bonus should now interact properly with Primal Madness and Euphoria.
- The radius of effect of the Restoration druid 4-piece tier-12 set has been increased.
Mage (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
- Fireblast now properly triggers Impact on the primary Fireblast target, even if that target was not yet in combat.
Paladin (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
- The radius of effect of the Holy paladin 4-piece tier-12 set has been increased.
Dungeons & Raids
Firelands
- A few of the Molten Surger patrols in the entrance area of Firelands have gone on vacation.
- Shannox
- The number of enemies that must be killed before Shannox spawns has been reduced.
Battlegrounds
Isle of Conquest
- Players should no longer take large amounts of damage when being launched from catapults.
Twitter Q&A - LVL 71 to 80 XP decreased in Patch 4.3
Blizzard did a small Q&A session on Twitter and confirmed, among other things, that the XP required to level from level 71 to 80 would be reduced in Patch 4.3
Originally Posted by Blizzard EntertainmentQ: Are you considering making any changes to the time it will take to level to cap for newbie players after the next expansion?
A: We'll be decreasing the experience needed for levels 71-80 in patch 4.3. That's all I have for now.
Q: Will we see more "intro raids" like Naxx10 in Wrath?
A: Raid Finder is being designed to offer a similar experience.
Q: Any chance for a less steep learning curve in the game? I mean players hit a brick wall at 85, make previous content harder.
A: If anything, you'll see more variable endgame content in the future to allow players additional progression paths.
Q: Will any of the new Darkmoon Faire stuff be accessible at all times, or will it all be contained within that one week?
A: The updated 4.3 Darkmoon Faire is likely to be available the first week of every month for both factions.
Q: Will there be a "random raid" component to the Raid Finder letting us enter raids we've been previously saved to, like LFG & Trolls?
A: Raid locks will likely work like LFG under Raid Finder, though details of the system (coming soon) will better explain why.
Q: Any chance we'll possibly have a chance to get an old quest item or two restored for transmogrification once it comes out?
A: If there are really popular item looks, we'll consider adding new ways to obtain them.
Q: Will disc priests be getting their bubble graphic changed for DA "soon", is this still happening?
A: Last time we spoke with the class design team, they said the Divine Aegis effect will likely change in 4.3.
Q: Will the Raid Finder allow access to lower raids?
A: Probably not for 4.3, but it's something we'd like to do.
Q: Will the 4.3 Raid finder allow me to group with my cross-realm friends?
A: Hard to say at this stage in development.
Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard EntertainmentBattleground Win Ratios
Player feedback is an essential part of our development process, but this kind of thread helps illustrate the value and the pitfalls of anecdotal feedback.
What makes it useful? It's personal and emotional. It tells us about what it feels like to play World of Warcraft from an individual's perspective, where the big picture might seem pretty remote and unimportant.
The pitfall? It's personal and emotional, which is good, but very subjective. It's a tiny (though important) sample when compared against the whole of every battleground game happening everywhere. We have a duty to objectively look at the big picture. For example, our stats tell us that the ratios for various battlegrounds are pretty close to 50% win/loss for each faction, though that might not matter much to you when you're in the heat of the action.
So, when we're looking at what a quest feels like anecdotally, if it's too frustrating, then we can probably adjust that. When it comes to a system like the Battlegrounds, where the dynamic is almost exclusively player driven, but is working really well, it's not a good idea to mess with it because the big picture looks great.
Speaking personally, I've found that my mindset plays a huge role in how much fun I'm having. In the midst of a losing streak, I try to remember my winning streaks and landslide wins, or I adopt a philosophical approach and do what I can, where I can. If I get too frustrated, I do a different, more relaxing in-game activity for awhile or step away entirely. My bottom line is that how I think and feel about what I'm doing in-game can mean the difference between having a great time (even if I'm on a losing team), and table-flipping frustration.
As we've said elsewhere, battlegrounds require a ton of effort to create, and modifying them even slightly is extremely labor intensive. It will probably be more worthwhile to create new and better battlegrounds in the future, than go back to continually tweak and modify the old ones. (Official Forums)
New Character Models
Updating existing character models isn't something we've been "waffling on." It's something we'd love to do, but the fact is the art team has finite resources. Updating the current playable race models to be more in-line with worgen and goblins requires much more than just increasing the poly count. There are more bone structures on the frames of newer models which allow for more animation options. In order to update older models, the wire frames have to change, which means a large number of existing animations and customizations/hairstyles would have to change.
It's much more of a massive overhaul than many players are anticipating. That isn't to say we don't want to do it, but it's difficult to justify delaying the creation of new art, models, and animations indefinitely to revamp old ones. And we have to make sure to do it in a way that doesn't give some players a feeling of detachment from the look they've had for almost seven years. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Burning Crusade Art Gallery Update
The Burning Crusade game art gallery has been updated with three new pieces.