Archive for May, 2009

Murkimus mailed out today

Posted on 21 of May 2009 Keep Reading...

Those who participated in this year’s official arena tournament have been not-so-patiently awaiting their reward for playing 200 arena matches in the preliminary rounds on the tournament realm. It’s been quite awhile since players expected to get their hands on Murkimus, but Blizzard representatives have been giving a mid-May estimate that proved true today.

Players who played their 200 matches should be logging into Murkimus in their mailbox today. You can stop panicking that Blizzard cheated you out of a pet. You can stop worrying that you missed some important detail. Enjoy your murloc, folks.

Filed under: Items, Arena

Unexpected crashes and downtime hit multiple servers

Posted on 19 of May 2009 Keep Reading...

A sudden wave of crashes has hit the North American WoW servers, with the Emberstorm and Whirlwind Battlegroups especially hard hit.

As of this writing, most of the affected servers are still down. Blizzard is aware of the issue and is looking into it, but has no further information to give at this time. We’ll update this post when we hear more.

UPDATE: According to Crygil, tonight’s issue was out of Blizzard’s control, but luckily things have resolved themselves. All realms should be up within the next half hour.

[Thanks to everyone who gave us a heads up!]

UPDATE: The 8 PM Pacific ETA has been removed from the original notice. This could be a long night.

UPDATE: 8 PM Pacific time is the current ETA for the return of the affected servers.

WRUP: Eldritch terror edition

Posted on 17 of May 2009 Keep Reading...

Well, it’s that time of year again — that special time of year when a young man’s thoughts of buying BlizzCon tickets turn to a creeping psychosis. When dark whispers echo from the cavernous depths of the serpentine tunnels beneath the earth’s crust, their walls emblazoned with pulsing eldritch symbols unknown to any living civilization. When dreamers with minds unguarded bear witness to the psychic rumblings of beings lost to time. If you listen closely you can hear it, sussurating even now…

Ïa! Ïa! BlizzCon tickets f’thagn!

Oh, and it’s also that time of week (Saturday) where we check in with our many writers (and one Peruvian pygmy mummy) and see what the heck they’re doing this weekend. The two may intersect in ways you probably anticipated.

So let’s see just what’s causing our writers’ sanity levels to drop dangerously low this weekend.

  • Adam “Holisky: Trying to pull off 75 daily quests from Friday through Sunday.
  • Alex Ziebart: I won’t be doing anything. I profaned an ancient tomb and now I’ve switched bodies with a Peruvian pygymy mummy! A primeval headhunter is running around in my body! If only I could alert an expert in mystical anthropology who could provide a tincture, or perhaps a talisman, to break the spell.
  • Allison Robert: Praying my connection holds through an Ulduar-25.

NO, THIS IS NOT A HORRIBLE DREAM, DEAR READERS. THIS IS REAL LIFE. AND THERE’S MORE, LURKING JUST BEYOND THE JUMP.

  • Daniel Whitcomb: It’s Road Trip time here. I’ll be headed to Portland in the morning to hang with friends. It may be possible, however, that I will drink enough alcoholic products such that I will believe I am in Azeroth. So maybe that’ll count!
  • Jennie Lees: Helping my mum l2p. Again. My “the ten things you need to know about enhancement shamans”, including gems like “this is the spec where you hit stuff in the face” and “spell power and attack power are different things” has apparently been mislaid under her knitting.
  • Matt Low: I too shall be playing the Blizzcon queue waiting game. Then it’ll be time for the… *gasp* alt Ulduar runs.
  • Matthew Rossi: I’m re-reading my Robert E. Howard collection – I’m up to Solomon Kane and will be digging into Kull and Bran Mak Morn after that, maybe some Fritz Lieber too (Fafhrd rules) and after that, some 10 man action in Ulduar on the shammy I hope.
  • Michael Gray: I’ll be playing the “Queue for BlizzCon” game! After that, hitting the Maryland Faerie Festival, then rocking out a ten man Ulduar. My life, you are jealous, I can tell.
  • Michael Sacco: Reading Lovecraft obsessively, looking for a copy of Edgar Rich Burrough’s “A Princess Of Mars” and eating Otter Pops until my stomach lining dissolves. Also, writing Alex Ziebart’s WRUP response since he never replied to the email.
  • Nick Whelan: My eighth level vasharan Warlock / Rogue gestalt character will be searching for another dagger shard, which will someday allow him to strike down the gods themselves! Bwuahaha!
  • Robin Torres: I will be making sacrifices to the Blizzard gods in the hopes that I do not meet my nemesis, Mr. Failoc, again. What do you think will work? If cookies work for Santa, will cupcakes work for Blizzard?
  • Amanda Dean: After getting a wee bit tired of struggling with Rasuvius 25, I made another RAF account with a buddy. When I’m not in Ulduar and Naxx, I’ll be taking baby steps and a priest and muttering something about “take the player not the class.”
  • Zach Yonzon: Staying up at ungodly hours in the hopes of scoring tickets to BlizzCon.

How about you, noneuclidean readers of ours? What cyclopean horrors will you bear witness to this weekend? Alternatively, are you playing any WoW?

Around Azeroth: Beam me up

Posted on 15 of May 2009 Keep Reading...

Salty Jecaa of <The Illuminati> on Lightbringer-EU sends us this picture from General Vezax’s room in Ulduar, taken while his guild was preparing to fight Yogg-Saron. Why all the smashed stained glass? Perhaps Vezax, a hideous Zoidberg-like lobster creature, chose to destroy the beautiful artwork surrounding him so it wouldn’t contrast so vividly with his own monstrous visage. Or maybe Jecaa was careless with his staff. It looks like it could do a number on anything breakable in the vicinity.

Do you have any unusual, beautiful or interesting World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We’d love to see them on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!

Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. Please include the word “Azeroth” in your post so it does not get swept into the spam bin. We strongly prefer full screen shots without the UI showing — use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more battleground scoreboards, double-mounts, or pictures of the Ninja Turtles in Dalaran.

WoW Patch 3.1 PTR Build 9626 Patch Notes Changes

Posted on 14 of May 2009 Keep Reading...

A new Patch 3.1 PTR build is out tonight, build #9626. This build adds some changes and brings a few undocumented changes into their proper documented status.

And with this new build, we’re going to try something new here at WoW Insider. Each time the patch notes change, we’ll bring you a listing of significant changes to them.

What’s a significant change?

  • Non-grammatical, there are grammar and spelling errors in the patch notes. While people might like to make fun of them, they’re not of any consequence.
  • Non-contextual, sometimes the context of a note changes but doesn’t really make any difference. Something like a Shield Bash change moved from the Arms tree (where it was mistakenly placed) to the Protection tree (where it belongs).
  • Non-formatting, often times the format of the patch notes will change. This includes things like using “:” or “-” in the appropriate places. These don’t concern us.
  • Sometimes the new changes to the patch notes will just be undocumented things becoming documented. But that’s important to know too.

So after the break you’ll see our first go at this. A complete list of the changes from the initial Patch 3.1 PTR build to PTR build #9626. You can also view the fully updated notes, and view an archive of previous iterations of the patch notes.

Enjoy!

Removed

Death Knight:

  • New talent: Improved Death Strike. Increases Death Strike damage by 10/20.
    Please note that while it is removed in the patch notes, it is reportedly still on the PTR.

Added:

Death Kngiht:

  • Outbreak: Increases the damage of Plague Strike by 15/30/45% and Scourge Strike by 10/20/30%.

Druid:

  • Maim: This ability is now considered a stun, and shares a diminish category with all other stuns. It no longer has a chance to break from the target taking damage.
  • Intensity: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.

Hunter:

  • Disengage: Cooldown increased by 5 sec.

Mage:

  • Mage Armor: Now grants 50% of mana regeneration while casting.
  • Talents
    • Arcane
      • Arcane Meditation: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.
    • Fire
      • Pyromaniac: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.

Paladin:

  • Improved Concentration Aura: The resistance to silence and interrupt granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Concentration Aura.
  • Improved Devotion Aura: The additional healing granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Devotion Aura.
  • Sanctified Retribution: The bonus to damage done granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Retribution Aura.

Priest:

  • Meditation and Improved Power: Word shield have changed locations with each other.
  • Meditation: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting
  • Improved Spirit Tap: Now grants 17/33% of mana regeneration while casting.
  • Spirit Tap: Now grants 83% of mana regeneration while casting.

Changed:

Druid

  • Savage Roar is now considered an Enrage effect and now increases physical damage done by 30% instead of increasing attack power.

Hunter:

  • T.N.T. re-designed: Increases the damage done by your Explosive Shot, Explosive Trap and Immolation Trap by 2/4/6%.

Priest:

  • Divine Aegis: Divine Aegis effects will now stack, however the amount absorbed cannot exceed 125*level (of the target). It will also now take into account total healing including overhealing.

Patch 3.1 PTR Patch Notes update

Posted on 13 of May 2009 Keep Reading...

The official patch notes have been updated for the Patch 3.1 PTR. You can see a complete list of changes after the break, or take a look at the fully updated notes.

This update is much more substantial than the one we posted a couple nights ago. Nonetheless, it has been added to our Patch 3.1 patch notes archive. Via the archive you can also view other iterations of the patch notes to see how things have changed.

As always, these notes should be considered incomplete (it’s in bold because we can’t say it enough). A number of things that are on the PTR are not reflected in the patch notes, and several things that will eventually be on the PTR aren’t in the notes either (many of the class changes, for example).

Check out WoW Insider’s Guide to Patch 3.1 for more information.

General

  • New high-resolution player textures for Northrend armor sets have been added. Players can enable this feature by setting Player Textures to High in the Effects Panel of the Video Options.
  • Players can now return items purchased with an alternate currency back to the original vendor within 2 hours of the purchase time for the original cost of the item. Stackable items (such as Frozen Orbs and gems) and charged items that can be purchased with an alternate currency are not eligible.
  • Confirmation boxes have been added to purchases over 150 gold.
  • Copied Test Realm characters will no longer be copied with their achievement history in order to better facilitate the character copy process.

Death Knight
Blood

  • Abomination’s Might: This effect can now also be caused by Death Strike.
  • Magic Suppression: Now has 3 ranks (down from 5) for 2/4/6% magic damage reduction.
  • New talent: Improved Death Strike. Increases Death Strike damage by 10/20.
  • Outbreak: Increases the damage of Plague Strike by 15/30/45% and Scourge Strike by 10/20/30%. Scourge Strike: Damage increased.

Druid

  • Lifebloom: Mana cost of all ranks doubled. When Lifebloom blooms or is dispelled, it now refunds half the base mana cost of the spell per application of Lifebloom, and the heal effect is multiplied by the number of applications.
  • Maim: This ability is now considered a stun, and shares a diminish category with all other stuns. It no longer has a chance to break from the target taking damage. Duration lowered to 1 sec. per combo point.
  • Heart of the Wild: Stamina bonus changed to 2/4/6/8/10%.
  • Intensity: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.

Hunters

  • Ammunition: All types of gun and bow ammunition now stack to 1000. All quivers and ammo pouches no longer provide haste. 15% ranged haste is now built in to Hunter Autoshot.
  • Call Stabled Pet: This new ability lets the hunter remotely access the stable. 30 min cooldown.
  • Cunning, Ferocity and Tenacity pets now all have +5% damage, +5% armor and +5% health bonuses. This should make more pet families feel viable, while additional talents have been added to distinguish a pet’s abilities based on its specializations.
  • Disengage: Cooldown increased by 5 sec.
  • Pets now inherit more spell hit from the hunter. Pets with magic attacks should not require a player to stack additional hit compared to pets with physical attacks.
  • Viper Sting re-designed: Stings the target, draining 4% of mana over 8 sec (up to a maximum of 8% of the caster’s maximum mana), and energizing the Hunter equal to 300% of the amount drained. Only one Sting per Hunter can be active on any one target.
  • Explosive Shot: Base damage lowered by 10%. Attack power scaling reduced by 12.5%.

Hunter Pets

  • Bullheaded now adds 20% damage reduction for 12 sec along with its current CC-removal effect.
  • Cornered: The crit reduction when this ability is active has been increased.
  • Feeding Frenzy increased to 8/16% damage up from 6/12%.
  • Furious Howl (wolf special ability) now stacks with Battle Shout and Blessing of Might, however, it only affects the wolf and hunter. Its effect and cooldown have been doubled so that it provides the same benefit but isn’t up 100% of the time.
  • Gorillas now have a new family ability, Pummel, which works like the warrior ability and has a single rank.
  • Grace of the Mantis and Roar of Sacrifice are now also available to Cunning pets.
  • New Talent: Shark Attack: This new two-rank talent is available to Ferocity pets. It increases pet damage.
  • New Talent: Silverback: This new two-rank talent is available to Tenacity pets. It heals the pet when Growl is used.
  • New Talent: Wild Hunt: This new two-rank talent is available to all 3 pet trees. It increases the stamina and attack power inherited from the hunter.
  • Roar of Recovery cooldown decreased to 3 min, down from 6 min.
  • Thunderstomp is no longer a gorilla-specific family ability and is now available to all Tenacity pets. It has been reduced to one rank.

Mage

  • Mage Armor: Now grants 50% of mana regeneration while casting.
  • Arcane Meditation: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.
  • Pyromaniac: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.

Paladin

  • Improved Concentration Aura: The resistance to silence and interrupt granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Concentration Aura.
  • Improved Devotion Aura: The additional healing granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Devotion Aura.
  • Divine Protection: Cooldown reduced to 3 min.
  • Sanctified Retribution: The bonus to damage done granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Retribution Aura.

Priest

  • Meditation and Improved Power: Word shield have changed locations with each other.
  • Meditation: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting
  • Renewed Hope: This talent also now allows you to proc the Renewed Hope buff on all party/raid members every time you cast Power Word: Shield, reducing damage taken by 3%. Lasts 20 sec.
  • Psychic Horror: Has been redesigned and is now a 1-pt talent. You terrify the target, causing them to tremble in horror for 3 sec. and drop all weapons (disarm effect: including bows) for 10 sec. 1 minute cooldown. Instant cast. The horror effect can be dispelled, but the disarm cannot.
  • Improved Spirit Tap: Now grants 17/33% of mana regeneration while casting.
  • Spirit Tap: Now grants 83% of mana regeneration while casting.

Rogue

  • Shiv: This ability can no longer generate a critical strike, and the poisons it applies cannot be critical strikes either.

Shaman
Enhancement

  • Unleashed Rage: Reduced to 3 points, down from 5. Each point now also increases your total Expertise by 3/6/9%.

Warlock

  • Drain Soul: Each time Drain Soul deals damage to a target which can grant experience, it now has a chance to generate a Soul Shard.
  • Soul Shard: This item now has a maximum count of 32 in inventory.

Warrior

  • Charge: Duration of stun effect now lasts 1.5 sec. This effect no longer has diminishing returns.
  • Last Stand: Cooldown reduced to 3 min.

User Interface

  • Spell Effect Level setting has been split into Particle Density and Projected Textures. Previously, Spell Effect Level controlled both of these features.
  • Added new Video Mode Ultra (should only be used on the highest-end systems).

Items

  • Hearthstone: Cooldown has been reduced to 30 min. down from 60 min.

Glyphs

Death Knight

  • Glyph of Blood Boil: Now only applies a snare to diseased targets.
  • Glyph of Dancing Rune Weapon: Increases the duration of Dancing Rune Weapon by 10 sec.
  • Glyph of Death Coil: Reduces the cost of Death Coil by 8 runic power.
  • Glyph of Disease: Your Pestilence ability now refreshes disease durations on your primary target back to their maximum duration.
  • Glyph of Howling Blast: Your Howling Blast ability now infects your targets with Frost Fever.
  • Glyph of Hungering Cold: Reduces the cost of Hungering Cold by 10 runic power.
  • Glyph of Plague Strike: Bonus lowered to 20%.
  • Glyph of Unholy Blight: Increases the duration of Unholy Blight by 10 sec.

Druid

  • Glyph of Berserk: Increases the duration of Berserk by 5 sec
  • Monsoon Glyph: Reduces the cooldown of your Typhoon spell by 3 sec.
  • Glyph of Nourish: Your Nourish heals an additional 6% for each of your heal over time effects present on the target.
  • Glyph of Savage Roar: Your Savage Roar ability grants an additional 6% bonus damage done.
  • Glyph of Wild Growth: Wild Growth now affects up to 6 targets.
  • Glyph of Shred: Now increases remaining duration on Rip by 2 sec. each time it is used, up to a maximum of 6 sec.

Hunter

  • Glyph of Chimera Shot: Reduces the cooldown of Chimera Shot by 1 sec.
  • Glyph of Explosive Shot: Increases the critical strike chance of Explosive Shot by 4%.
  • Glyph of Explosive Trap: The periodic damage from your Explosive Trap can now be critical strikes.
  • Glyph of Kill Shot: Reduces the cooldown of Kill Shot by 6 sec.
  • Glyph of Raptor Strike: For 3 sec. after using Raptor Strike, you take 20% less damage.
  • Glyph of Scatter Shot: Increases the range of Scatter Shot by 3 yards.

Mage

  • Glyph of Arcane Barrage: Reduces the mana cost of Arcane Barrage by 20%.
  • Glyph of Deep Freeze: Increases the range of Deep Freeze by 10 yards.
  • Glyph of Ice Barrier: Increases the amount of damage absorbed by your Ice Barrier by 30%.
  • Glyph of Living Bomb: The periodic damage from your Living Bomb can now be critical strikes.
  • Glyph of Mirror Image: Your Mirror Images gain the Winter’s Chill talent, granting their Frostbolt spell a 100% chance to apply the Winter’s Chill effect, which increases the chance spells will critically hit the target by 1% for 15 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.

Paladin

  • Glyph of Beacon of Light: Increases the duration of Beacon of Light by 30 sec.
  • Glyph of Divine Plea: While Divine Plea is active, you take 3% reduced damage from all sources.
  • Glyph of Divine Storm: Your Divine Storm now heals for an additional 15% of the damage it causes.
  • Glyph of Hammer of the Righteous: Your Hammer of the Righteous hits 1 additional target.
  • Glyph of Hand of Salvation: When you cast Hand of Salvation on yourself, it also reduces damage taken by 20%.
  • Glyph of Holy Shock: Reduces the cooldown of Holy Shock by 1 sec.
  • Glyph of Shield of Righteousness: Reduces the mana cost of Shield of Righteousness by 80%.

Priest

  • Glyph of Dispersion: Reduces the cooldown on Dispersion by 45 sec.
  • Glyph of Fade: Now reduces cooldown by 9 sec.
  • Glyph of Guardian Spirit: If you Guardian Spirit lasts its entire duration without being triggered, your Guardian Spirit cooldown is reset to 60 sec.
  • Glyph of Holy Light: Can no longer crit and has had its range updated.
  • Glyph of Hymn of Hope: Your Hymn of hope provides 2 times the normal amount of mana per time, but its duration is 50% shorter.
  • Glyph of Mind Sear: Increases the radius of effect on Mind Sear by 5 yards.
  • Glyph of Pain Suppression: Allows Pain Suppression to be cast while stunned.
  • Glyph of Penance: Reduces the cooldown of Penance by 2 sec.

Rogue

  • Glyph of Backstab: Now increases remaining duration on Rupture by 2 sec. each time it is used, up to a maximum of 6 sec.
  • Glyph of Cloak of Shadows: While Cloak of Shadows is active, you take 40% less physical damage.
  • Glyph of Fan of Knives: Increases the damage done by Fan of Knives by 20%.
  • Glyph of Hunger for Blood: Increases the bonus damage from Hunger For Blood by 3%.
  • Glyph of Killing Spree: Reduces the cooldown on Killing Spree by 45 sec.
  • Glyph of Mutilate: Reduces the cost of Mutilate by 5 energy.
  • Glyph of Shadow Dance: Increases the duration of Shadow Dance by 4 sec.
  • Glyph of Sprint: No longer reduces the duration.
  • Glyph of Tricks of the Trade: Your Tricks of the Trade grants an additional 10% bonus damage to your target.

Shaman

  • Glyph of Earth Shield: Increases the amount healed by your Earth Shield by 20%.
  • Glyph of Feral Spirit: Your spirit wolves gain an additional 30% of your attack power.
  • Glyph of Hex: Increases the damage your Hex target can take before the Hex effect is removed by 20%.
  • Glyph of Riptide: Increases the duration of Riptide by 3 sec.
  • Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem: Your Stoneclaw Totem also places a damage absorb shield on you, equal to 4 times the strength of the shield it places on your totems.
  • Glyph of Thunder: Reduces the cooldown on Thunderstorm by 7 sec.
  • Glyph of Totem of Wrath: When you cast Totem of Wrath, you gain 30% of the totem’s bonus spell power for 5 min.

Warlock

  • Glyph of Chaos Bolt: Reduces the cooldown on Chaos Bolt by 2 sec.
  • Glyph of Demonic Circle: Reduces the cooldown on Demonic Circle by 4 sec.
  • Glyph of Haunt: The bonus damage granted by your Haunt spell is increased by an additional 3%.
  • Glyph of Life Tap: When you use Life Tap, you gain 20% of your spirit as spell power for 20 sec.
  • Glyph of Metamorphosis: Increases the duration of your Metamorphosis by 6 sec.
  • Glyph of Shadowflame: Your Shadowflame also applies a 70% movement speed slow on its victims.
  • Glyph of Soul Link: Increases the percentage of damage shared via your Soul Link by an additional 5%.

Warrior

  • Glyph of Bladestorm: Reduces the cooldown on Bladestorm by 15 sec.
  • Glyph of Enraged Regeneration: Your Enraged Regeneration ability heals for an additional 10% of your health over its duration.
  • Glyph of Last Stand: Now reduces the cooldown of Last Stand by 90 sec.
  • Glyph of Shield Wall: Reduces the cooldown on Shield Wall by 3 min, but Shield Wall now only reduces damage taken by 40%.
  • Glyph of Shockwave: Reduces the cooldown on Shockwave by 3 sec.
  • Glyph of Spell Reflection: Reduces the cooldown on Spell Reflection by 1 sec.
  • Glyph of Vigilance: Your Vigilance ability transfers an additional 5% of your target’s threat to you.

Bug Fixes

  • Leaving a group while in an instance will now port you to the nearest graveyard rather than your Hearthstone location.
  • Mace of Unending Life is correctly a 2H weapon.

Death Knight

  • Dancing Rune Weapon: Fixed a bug making it trigger an unusual number of effects from the weapon equipped by the Death Knight. In addition, it will now only echo Death Knight spells whose primary purpose is dealing damage. Also corrected a bug making the effect last 8 seconds longer than intended.

Hunter

  • Savage Rend (raptor special ability): Fixed a tooltip error to correctly note this ability boosts damage rather than attack power.