Welcome back to another installment of Patch Note Watch, the show where we go through the PTR patch notes in meticulous detail and show you everything that's changed since the last version! Much of this has been covered already here on WoW Insider, including rollbacks on Life Tap and Flametongue, some multi-target effects no longer breaking CC, and a nice new recipe for jewelcrafters. But I am a completist. I must post every detail, so let's begin. As usual, any change that we haven't covered on the site that looks interesting will be bolded.

• Blizzard Entertainment would like to dedicate the patch in memory of Gary Gygax. His work on D&D was an inspiration to us in many ways and helped spark our passion for creating games of our own. As avid D&D players and fellow game developers, we were all saddened by the news of his passing; we feel we've lost a true adventuring companion. Thanks for everything and farewell, Gary. You will be missed.

• Players will now be able to create level-70 characters with epic equipment and compete on special tournament realms in a new global arena tournament. For more information, details and entry requirements, please visit the official tournament pages .
• [Druid] Swipe: This ability will no longer strike any secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• Hunter:
• Multi-Shot: This ability will no longer strike any secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• Track spells will now persist after death.
• [Mage] Icy Veins no longer increases the chance your chilling effects will Freeze the target, but now increases the chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while casting any spell by 100%.
• Paladin
• Avenger's Shield: This ability will no longer jump to secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. I.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• Crusader Strike: This ability will no longer refresh the Healing Way buff from the Shaman talent.
• Sense Undead- Now persists after death.
• [Rogue] The combat log will now almost always be accurate in displaying the amount of damage done to a rogue when under the effects of Cheat Death.
• Shaman
• Chain Lightning: This ability will no longer jump to secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• Removed: Flametongue Weapon damage effects for rank 3 and above now also reduce healing done to the target by 50%
• Flametongue Weapon: Having different ranks of this enchantment cast on two different weapons will no longer cause the enchantments to trigger multiple times per swing.
• Toughness's new effect phrasing changed: used to say that it reduced the duration of movement-impairing effects; now says it reduces the duration of movement-slowing effects to clarify that it does not apply to roots.
• Warlock
• Removed: The whole Life Tap nerf business. Current LT on the PTR is identical to how it is on the live realms.
• Felguard Cleave: This ability will no longer strike any secondary target which is under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• Sense Demons now persists after death
• Warrior
• Cleave: This ability will no longer strike any secondary target which is under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• Improved Hamstring (Arms) effect is now subject to diminishing returns when used in PvP.
• PvP
• Removed: Matchmaking: If a queued player has a personal rating higher than their team rating, the matchmaking system will now use the highest personal rating of a queued member of that team for matchmaking purposes, instead of the team rating. In addition, when making a calculation for rating gains and losses at the end of a match, the calculation will use the higher of the personal or team ratings on the opposing team.
• Personal Rating: The amount a player's personal rating can climb above his or her team's rating is now limited.
• Professions
• Removed the level requirement from the expert fishing book, The Bass and You.
• A new jewelcrafting recipe has been added to transform many green quality gems into a single random blue quality gem. This recipe is available from grandmaster jewelcrafting trainers.
• The daily quest Escape from Skettis has had its reward tuned down.
• Items
• Justicar Raiment: The 2 piece bonus will now always give the correct amount of bonus healing to the Judgement Light effect.
• Masterwork Stormhammer: The Chain Lightning cast by this item will no longer jump to secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• Thunderstrike: The Chain Lightning cast by this item will no longer jump to secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc.
• World Environment
• Critters: Ambient level 1 creatures will no longer be picked as subsequent targets by chaining spells and abilities.
• Doomwalker: This creature will no longer sometimes cause a player's Darkmoon Card: Vengeance to trigger and put the player in combat with the Doomwalker.
• Removed: Mobs no longer regenerate health during the stun effect from the Goblin Rocket Launcher.

Tags: patch-2.4, patch-note-watch, patchnotes, ptr, sunwell

Filed under: Patches, Odds and ends, News items