Tuesday Morning Post: Flip a Coin for 3.0.8
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Jan 13th 2009 at 5:30AM
So last week at this time, a bunch of us were pretty sure we'd see 3.0.8 this week, but then we got a new build on the PTR with a whole bunch of changes that will probably need at least another week or two to simmer and gain feedback, which has pretty much caused us to throw our hands up. At this point, you might as well flip a coin every Monday evening. You'll get about as accurate a forecast to whether or not 3.0.8's finally going live as anything we can tell you.Okay, to be fair, there is extended downtime this morning, from 3 AM to 11 AM Pacific, but as of this writing, there's no other indication we're getting the patch, and a general feeling that the PTR was patched too recently for this to be a patch day.
As usual, we might as well just forget the patch day divinations and focus on the downtime. 8 hours of downtime equals plenty of time to read WoW Insider. So, here's a list of some of the best content from the past week:
Hot News and Features
- Anthropologists go into a lot of remote corners of the world to study human behavior, culture, and society. But what happens when one braves Azeroth?
- Hey Rookie, here's what you need to know about grouping in WoW.
- Our new Achievement column, The Overachiever, will focus on a how to gain a new achievement each week. This week: Touring the Fjord.
- Here's another possible addition to your spring courseload, college students: WoW Economics!
- Ready Check has a look at Naxxramas' Construct Quarter this week.
- In a somewhat subtle but major move, Blizzard has changed the way dispel resistance works.
- Has the Ghostcrawler experiment worked?
- Having trouble with ghost talents? 3.0.8 may bring some relief.
- Fresh level 80 Restoration Druids will want to read this gearing guide.
- What exactly is the deal with Honor Among Thieves?
- Is 3.0.8 the rise of the Shaman?
- Sudden Death is suddenly not so sudden for Warriors in 3.0.8.
- Death Knights got a whole new wave of changes in the latest build, including the removal of defensive 2-handed Blacksmithing Weapons and a nerf to Killing Machine. We broke those changes down for you in our latest installment of Lichborne.
- Hey Mages, looking to get into Naxxramas? Check our pre-Naxx gear guide.
- This week, Spiritual Guidance focuses on 3.0.8 for Priests.
- Here's a 3.0.8 profession change: Mining Nodes are one tap each.
- If you've been stocking on Relics of Ulduar to sell once 3.0.8 hits, you may want to brace yourself. They may stay soulbound after all.
- The Winds of the North achievement is getting a much needed change. Let's just hope this doesn't mean Blizzard's going to ignore the Sunreavers and the Silver Covenant, though.
- Think your questing days are over once you hit 80? You should think twice about that.
- Confused by Strand of the Ancients? We have a few tips for you.
- For better or worse, 10 hour Arena matches will be a thing of the past in 3.0.8.
- Insider Trader rounds up the latest 3.0.8 profession change news.
- Pet collectors can breathe a sigh of relief, as they now need only 75 non-combat pets for the new achievement in 3.0.8.
- Tanks and enchanters, don't get too angry just yet. Titanguard's probably still in game.
- Remember that one funny thing that happened in WoW that one night? Ding! wants to know about it.
- Logitech has some pretty drool-worthy gaming peripherals coming out.
- Still struggling with queues? You're not alone. Even as we leave the holidays behind, there's just no underpopulated PvE realms left.
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Realm Status, Blizzard, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Aimee Jan 13th 2009 5:44AM
Hmmm I am gonna take a mild guess here and say that we could be seeing maybe part of the patch. Not 100% sure on that so don't qoute me on it. But given that some stuff is already looking good.. could see a partial patch.
Then again I'm just hoping for the lvl 55 cap thing to be lifted so I can make a DK on the servers me friends transferred to. I miss playin with them and leveling 55-80 will be a breeze to party with em again :)
So here's hoping to a partial patch or something like that :)
The Claw Jan 13th 2009 7:26AM
They are NOT going to do a partial patch, it's perfectly clear that this patch is causing them enough hassles without doubling them by trying to tweezer half the changes apart from the other half.
sephirah Jan 13th 2009 5:48AM
This patch is taking waaaaay too long, and it doesn't even have new content, only tweaks to classes and professions.
kabshiel Jan 13th 2009 12:27PM
Yeah, since this "minor" non-content patch has taken more than two months, I wouldn't expect 3.1 until June at the earliest.
The problem is that Blizzard doesn't understand that their "Don't release it until it's finished" mentality just doesn't work with MMOs, which are by definition a work in progress. They keep adding little balance changes, which require even more little balance changes. Blizzard, for all the great games they've released, needs to learn the value of deadlines. It's not like this is the last patch ever; anything that they can't get into this patch can go in the next.
I feel really sorry for any elemental shamans or warlocks out there that are waiting on this minor patch to bring them somewhere near on par with the other classes.
comradesean Jan 13th 2009 1:36PM
Yeah, because tweaking and balancing is so much easier than just adding a new model and maybe a new attack. Yup.
lewisd35 Jan 13th 2009 6:21AM
Obviously a slow news day!
Malkeior Jan 13th 2009 6:42AM
Cause there's an absolute truck-load of news at 6 am.
lewisd35 Jan 13th 2009 7:35AM
Malkeior
So why post anything at all? Now beyond that, I know this may come as a huge shock to the system but are you aware it's not actually 6am across the globe?
Quickshiv Jan 13th 2009 8:30AM
If you want news you should check a news site this is a blog. They won't know if it's patch day until mmo-champion tells them.
Oneiroi Jan 13th 2009 12:36PM
Except:
1) They usually post on Tuesday Morning
2) They usually post summary/wrap up posts
If you're not used to it by now, you don't read wowinsider.
Dulock Jan 13th 2009 6:52AM
Dulock casually flips his Titanium Seal of Dalaran.
Dulock finds the coin face down for tails!
So all we need to do is decide what tails means. This coin flipping business isn't easy.
alyten Jan 13th 2009 7:06AM
2 months is WAYYYYYYYY too long to wait for a first patch to wrath... feels like were back at the first launch, we waiting some 5 months back then
blech
Nemesis Jan 13th 2009 5:52PM
Damn... 2 months, time moves fast.
Kajira Jan 13th 2009 7:20AM
/doom to the folks complaining about how loooooonnnnnggg it's taking for the next patch.
1) I would like for the patch to have as many things fixed in it as possible.
2) I would like for the patch to be polished enough that it does not break things.
3) I'm going to cling to my supposedly OP Saronite Shivs as long as my grubby, leather-clad hands can grip them.
obarthelemy Jan 17th 2009 8:38AM
Yes, i'd like for the patch to be... as good as the extension should have been.
Axolotl Jan 13th 2009 7:41AM
I'm guessing the patch will not be released yet, they may still have some fixing the do with clams ...
In an act of unusual cruelty they will also lower the price for epic flying skill by half (just bought it for my DK, and with my luck ...)
Kz Jan 13th 2009 7:48AM
The PTR is up this morning ==> meaning 3.08 is still being tested.
darian Jan 13th 2009 3:33PM
Seriously, I don't get why people keep expecting the patch to release when the PTR is still up. I can't recall at any point in the history of WoW a time where the PTR was up at the same time as its patch went live. In fact way back when there used to be *weeks* between when the PTR went down and the patch arrived.
Guintof Jan 13th 2009 7:52AM
Actually it's quite understandable. Put it this way, Blizzard probably wants to try and push 1 expansion per year this time around, they have already said that 3.3 will be the last patch meaning that's one less content patch than TBC, account for 1 small patch in between each content patch as it usually happens and you got a total of 6 patches in this expansion.
12 months and 6 patches gives us about 2 months per patch, whether they'll spread the time evenly only time will tell but due to the fact that we'll probably have less patches in this expansion, expect longer wait in between patches.
At least that's my opinion.
Kvothe Jan 13th 2009 8:24AM
Although I really, really want the patch today, my guess is it will hit next week.