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Live
Icecrown Raid Difficulty Functionality
In the upcoming 3.3 content patch, as some of you already know, Icecrown will be home of the updated instance difficulty setting which can be changed on a boss
per boss
basis. It will be able to be switched at any time during a raid without leaving and reentering the instance.
Some restrictions on when you cannot change it will be in place. Such as, you cannot change the difficulty in combat or during certain scripted events. To enable it you will have first have to have defeated the Lich King on normal mode, and heroic mode
will not affect trash
in anyway and will only change the bosses.
You can read more after the jump.
Live
Icecrown Citadel Debuff Will Lower Players' Dodge Chance by 20%
Daelo just
announced
on the official forums that a spell called
Chill of the Throne
will be in effect for
all players in Icecrown Citadel
that "will allow mobs to ignore 20% of the dodge chance of their melee targets."
Why would Blizzard do this? It looks like tank avoidance has grown so high that a hard-hitting melee boss can take down a raid tank in a few hits if the blows aren't avoided. Chill of the Throne will give the dev team "a bit of breathing room" while they look at ways to keep tank avoidance from growing so high in the future. Presumably, the overall damage will be reduced to compensate—meaning the damage will be similar overall, but less spiky.
Just to be clear about what the spell does, I'll use Daelo's example: "if a raid's main tank had 30% dodge normally, in Icecrown Citadel they will effectively have 10%." Chill of the Throne should be up on the PTR soon so you can check out the effects. What are your preliminary thoughts on the spell?
Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street [url=
http://forums.worldofwarc
Live
3.3 PTR Patch Notes Updated! New LFD/LFR Details!
Fresh in the light of the new
Paid Race Change
feature on live servers, Blizzard have updated their PTR patch notes (which included the inevitable nerf to
Will of the Forsaken
). This just in - human racials still overpowered! :D
The
3.3 Patch Notes
have been updated, this time with some
major
changes to the Looking For Dungeon / Looking For Raid system along wth a few minor changes (oh, did I mention a
Will of the Forsaken
nerf?). Also, we'll finally be able to get that
Perky Pug
pet! Check out the changes in the new PTR build after the break!
Live
[Spoilers] Shadowmourne
Do not read this blog if you do not wish to learn about spoilers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPQR_BkDDM0
Ladies and gentlemen, more spoilers!
So, apparently the first quest in the Shadowmourne quest-line was obtainable by players upon zoning into the Icecrown Citadel Raid instance on the PTR, and one of the objectives was completable. The first objective of the quest is to obtain Arthas' old mace, Light's Vengeance, from Frostmourne Cavern in Dragonblight. Seems like an easy task, but there's a surprising setback that you
need a few friends to help you out with
can overcome solo if you're an overpowered class. I am excited to see the progress of the Shadowmourne quest-line as it progresses on the PTR, even though I don't play an axe wielding class. This patch just seems to be oozing with lore, and I can't seem to get enough!
Live
New Dungeon/Raid Maps on the PTR!
Hey there, folks! Our crafty cartographers have uncovered some new and updated dungeon/raid maps from the latest PTR build—and of course, we wouldn't dream of unearthing such a discovery without sharing it with you all!
We've made a convenient list of maps, in full detail, here in this post. Come and check them out after the break—including not only the
Icecrown Citadel
dungeons and raid maps, but also the new wing in
Vault of Archavon
, and the expanded
Utgarde Pinnacle
!
Come check them out after the break!
Live
Forge of Souls Impressions
So it took me a good few days to find some time to test the new 5-man introduced in the latest PTR build. Yep, I am talking about the Forge of Souls, the first wing of the Frozen Halls, which is the composite name of all 3 5-mans in the Icecrown Citadel. Story-wise it is the first section of the Frozen Halls you are going to enter, so I am going to spend a little time talking about the story behind those three dungeons.
Yep, after the break :D
Oh, and let me tell you something. Instance full of creepy flying skulls that seem to be laughing at you while floating around playfully is one of the creepiest things I have ever seen in the game.
Live
Blizzard Releases Tier 10 Set Bonuses on PTR (Updated 10-10!)
Update!
Blizzard has been taking user feedback into consideration and has made changes to some set bonuses. We will stay on top of these updates as they are posted! :)
I'm sure many of you guys noticed Blizzard's
Tier 10 Sneak Peek
that we
blogged about
earlier this afternoon, in which Blizzard showed off some of the new class tier armor designs and proved to us, yet again, that the person responsible for designing leather helms is a nutjob (just kidding!).
They have since elaborated on this information by releasing the Tier 10 set bonuses, which have been released for each class' respective item sets. Blizzard is requesting that users (especially those currently testing on the PTR) provide them with any feedback, as these items will soon be available on the PTR for additional testing. Theorycrafters, hardcore raiders, and casuals alike are all given their chance to get their ideas thrown out there!
Live
Tier 10 Armor Preview!
Man, you look away for a second, and Blizzard releases a T10 armor preview on the official site!
Only Death Knights, Druids, Hunters and Warriors so far, but still...looking very good. Be sure to check the high resolution images, because they often show them from different angles.
As the threats within Icecrown Citadel continue to take shape, so do the rewards for the brave souls who seek to face them. We’ve just released a first look at some of
the new tier-10 armor sets
that will be available to intrepid adventurers upon the release of the Icecrown Citadel raid dungeon. The preview contains all of the sets that we’ve completed so far, and you can click an image to see each set from different angles. We’ll add more classes’ sets as we continue to develop and polish them, so be sure to check back for updates.
Source:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/3p3/tier10sneak.html
Live
Icecrown Details Revealed!
Some of you may have noticed, but after launching a brand new EU site, Blizzard decided to pop another surprise at us - in the "Under Dev" section there, about the Icecrown Citadel. Back during BlizzCon, we were told that Icecrown will be composed of two major parts - a huge 5-man dungeon, and a 10/25-man raid. Well, here is the information about the 5-man instance part of it...
Disclaimer
: The information below does not mean, nor imply that the Icecrown Citadel is going to be a 5-man dungeon. It doesn't mean that the Lich King is going to be a 5-man boss either. There is a separate raid, information for which has not been released after BlizzCon.
We may end up fighting some form of the Lich King in the 5-man however - a memory, a vision, an illusion...
Live
Strategist: Trial of the Grand Crusader
So this is the last one of the Trial of the Crusader Strategists. Really. This time.
I am going to use this introductory paragraph to explain why the Grand Crusader is different - in general - and then dive into the specific details of each fight.
First, you start Trial of the Grand Crusader with 50 "unsuccessful attempts". Every time you wipe - or every time a boss resets, you lose 1 attempt. When you lose all 50, all bosses despawn and you can't do anything until the next reset. There are two reward systems, to promote better performance. The items that drop off bosses of higher level than the normal version of the raid - they are essentially the same items, with buffed stats. And then there is the Tribute Chest. As I understand it, the Tribute Chest will always contain 2 Trophies/Regalias (for 10/25 respectively) and a number of items. If you reach it with 25-44 attempts left, you get an extra Trophy/Regalia and an extra item. For 45-49 attempts left, you gain another one. And for a perfect run (50 attempts left), you get one unique mount and a very high level cloak.
Now that you are all familiar with the basic idea behind the Heroic raid mode, let's
Live
Strategist: Onyxia 3.2.2
Why, hello there! You take your eyes away from the game for a little while and there it is - 5 years pass by. As
Elling Trias
would say: "
5 years, you say? Well, you're certainly the bearer of wonderful news, aren't you? Next you're going to tell me that Onyxia is still alive and attacking the city.
" Well, what do you know - old Elling has a big surprise brewing up for him.
Onyxia
is in fact alive (kind of, but we don't mind) and back, ready to wreck raids once more!
And as you very well know, every time a new raid boss pops up, a new Strategist is spawned as well. Buckle up, break the piggy-bank with money for extra repair bills, stock up with flasks, and get ready for even MOAR DOTZ!
Live
Strategist: Anub'arak
Here it is! Azjol-Nerub was merely a setback, spider power >8< forever, and
RAID
won't save you this time. Well, in a way it will. But not the one I linked. The one you will create. Get it, get it? Hmm?
Okay, the lame joke is out of the way. I had to make it. This is going to be the last of Trial of the Crusader (Normal) Strategists. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal to you - the raid was small, and the bosses weren't all that hard - but I think it's a good milestone for me. It's the first raid instance I've completed. Like, completely completed. I've written every single boss page, I've written a guide for every one of the bosses, I've modified the design a little so it fits. In other words - I feel accomplished.
Well, technically I have one more Strategist that should be posted before I am done - the one about the Trial of the Grand Crusader, i.e. the Heroic version of the raid. I decided that since I've written an extensive blog about each one of the fights, I don't need
Live
Strategist: Faction Champions
I think I've avoided this one long enough. The fight is chaotic and random, and different group compositions (for both the raid and the bosses) require different prioritizing. In other words - waiting more won't make the "strategy" any easier to write.
This being said, the term "strategy" is used very loosely. I won't give you a strategy - instead I will offer a short description of the strong and weak sides of each possible opponent, some way you can negate his or her weaknesses, and hopefully a tip as to how dangerous the specific miniboss is.
Read and find out what the
Faction Champions
have in store!
Live
Strategist: Twin Val'kyr
Long time no see! I know you haven't seen the Faction Champions guide yet - and frankly, I am not looking forward to it. My guild did fairly well this week (not a single wipe until Anub'arak, and even then only a few), but I am still not feeling confident enough to provide detailed description of that third encounter. Probably because it's so chaotic, you can't really grab a strategy and execute it every time by the letter, and expect it to work. So expect Anub'arak, and maybe even some Heroic notions before the Faction Champions. I also accept suggestions on my email (found in my profile) as to how to deal with them.
So for now, I give you the Twin Val'kyr -
Eydis Darkbane
and
Fjola Lightbane
.
Live
Strategist: Lord Jaraxxus
With BlizzCon around, school (re)starting and twice as much raiding as before (now I lead my own group, and that eats my time a little), I haven't had a whole lot of time for guides. I try though. I've had most of this done a little while ago, but I got a chance to finish it just now. This may be bad news for some, others might be indifferent, but I personally dislike being behind on schedule, even if it's as flexible as mine. It doesn't help to say that you probably will see the Twin Val'kyr Strategist before the Faction Champions one - the latter is just too chaotic, and I doubt there will be a viable strategy anywhere for a long time.
Anyway, enough of my woes. This time it's
Lord Jaraxxus
- an eredar lord summoned by
Wilfred Fizzlebang
(master summoner). Thank or curse the little gnome for cheating you and summoning a mighty demon instead of a measly Doomguard. Whichever one you choose, it matters not - it's eredar you get. Read on, heroes, and find out how to defeat
not one but two
Jaraxxus!
Live
Strategist: Northrend Beasts
Ha! Not Ulduar. Surprised, aren't you? You better not be...
Ulduar's Strategist was kind of a filler. Many of you had already done it, and a new patch was coming. However this new patch is here now, and it makes sense to start writing more
contemporary
guides. You know, stuff people might actually get to use. Worry not, Ulduar won't be forgotten - just pushed down the list for a while.
So here I give you the first Strategist in Patch 3.2. The raid is Crusaders' Coliseum,
Trial of the Crusader
. The encounter:
Northrend Beasts
.
Live
The Return of Onyxia—Patch 3.2.2
That's right—
Onyxia
will be making her return in Patch 3.2.2, scheduled to be released in honor of World of Warcraft's fifth anniversary!
To give you a basic rundown, Blizzard's plans are
Converting
Onyxia's Lair
into a level 80 raid, with both 10 and 25 man modes.
Changing the current loot to par with its level 60 version to a level 80 version. Presumably, there will be a loot table for both 10 and 25 man modes.
Adding a flying mount with 310% flying speed named
Reins of the Onyxian Drake
to the loot table. Modeled after Onyxia itself, the mount is expected to have a low drop rate.
Changing to the level of difficulty so that it scales from its difficulty at level 60 to level 80. This means those who enjoyed Onyxia's challenge should not see a change in difficulty—essentially, it just scales up to level 80!
But that's not all! Once the fifth anniversary of WoW begins, players who log on during this time will receive a limited edition pet named , similar to how players who logged on during the fourth anniversary received a
Baby Blizzard Bear
!
The official
Live
Q&A Crusaders' Coliseum + Isle of Conquest
Looks like the class Q&A were popular enough to make Blizzard create non-class Q&A as well :) I don't know about you, but I feel better seeing that all those questions we ask on the forums are being read, and some of them - even answered. Publicly.
This time it's a combined Q&A about the
Crusaders' Coliseum
(the new 5-, 10-, and 25-man dungeons) and the
Isle of Conquest
(the new Battleground).
I myself didn't find a terrible lot of new information in this Q&A, but it helps to see all those thing put together by somebody from Blizzard. Follow the link to the WoW-Europe forums, or read on to find out what
Ancilorn
has to tell us:
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=10222324845&sid=1
Live
Strategist: Auriaya
The
Archivist of Ulduar, Auriaya
unfortunately bears no resemblance to the
Archivist
in Diablo III.
Actually, scratch that. Sonic Screech looks like
Lorenado
,
Quest Bolt
makes me think of Sentinel Blast, and
Shush
is kind of like Terrifying Screech. But
ANYWAY
...
I have found myself with some time in my hands, and nothing in particular to do, so I thought I'd put another Strategist together. Hoping that somebody actually reads and uses these... ;)
Also, before I actually start writing, I will have you know that this boss is actually rather hard for my guild. I think we might be doing something wrong - it's not that the strategy doesn't work, it's just messy.
Live
Strategist: Kologarn
*mutters darkly*
Slow internet, sitting out of raids this week, poor weather for going out... Which means more Strategists this week!
A little known fact about
Kologarn
- Brann Bronzebeard wiped on him. So you better read carefully and not repeat the dwarven explorer's mistake. In addition to this, Kologarn is a mandatory boss, whom you need to kill in order to reach the Keepers' sanctums. And then Yogg-Saron. His dead body will become the bridge to the Observation Ring, and Ulduar's archivist - Auriaya. Body crafted personally by Ignis the Furnace Master, who hopefully lies dead by his forge by the time you get to Kologarn. You are quite a decimating group of raiders, aren't you? :)
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