Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsMajor Ulduar testing news: PTR soon, not all bosses available
by Adam Holisky 
Feb 17th 2009 at 3:40PM
Secondly, Ulduar will not be tested like a normal instance. The testing will be in phases and only happen according to the schedule Blizzard lays out. They'll announce times when certain bosses will be available for testing, and that means that only during those times will those bosses be open for play. This also means that Ulduar will initially be closed on the PTR.
But think for a moment about what this does – it means that we won't be seeing strategies and other guides immediately available upon release of the patch (or in most cases before the patch). It means that world firsts will actually mean something again, and it won't just be a rush to see who can log onto the server first.
That is quite big and exciting news. Daelo also lets us know a few other things.
Need more news about Ulduar? We've got updates, previews, speculation, and everything else you need to know about the next big raid coming in patch 3.1. If the Titans are hiding it up there, we'll tell you about it here.The first set of boss encounters that will be tested include:
- Freya
- Thorim
- Hodir
- The Iron Council
Even more exciting: bosses will be tested on the European and North American PTRs. Some bosses will be tested on both PTRs, and some will be tested on only one. That means that the EU PTR experience can, and most likely will be, markedly different than the US PTR experience.
We'll have more on this story as it develops, and will bring you the latest PTR news at it happens.
Filed under: News items, Raiding
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
d503 Feb 17th 2009 5:55PM
Archimonde, Kil'jaedon, C'thun, Ragnaros, Nefarian...I could go on...
There are plenty of intrinsically evil characters in this universe, just because the "good turned bad" ones stand out, it's more likely because they have a compelling storyline.
Also, how do you know that the Thorim encounter won't be similar to Vael - where you help the character in their struggle against the forces that are influencing them...
Ircasha Feb 17th 2009 5:55PM
I would like to see a fight where we actually rescue the captured Boss rather than kill them because they've been subverted to evil. That model for boss creation is getting a tad stale.
They could even set it up (via phasing) where after you have completed the encounter you could go visit the 'boss' you saved and perhaps initiate a new line of quests.
Cellwinn Feb 17th 2009 8:32PM
I'd hardly agree that Illidan was ever a 'Good Guy'. He was always a power-hungry ego-maniac. He was jealous of his brother and turned to demonic magic to gain influence.
Yes he has helped the good guys on occasion but that was for his own reasons not out of any altruistic intent.
I guess that blizz likes going with the corrupted good-guy story progression because they believe in nuture over nature. Even their ultimate bad-guy Sargeras was good once. Maybe Yogg-Saron will be the change.
DJTyrant Feb 17th 2009 4:33PM
How is this any different than SWP testing? Those bosses were only available for periods of time and even KJ never got tested publicly, so I don't see how this is any different. Strats will be up for all the bosses that get tested no matter what, maybe we won't be able to test the "tough" versions or whatever they have for achievements.
Laikia Feb 17th 2009 4:42PM
Ugh.. wish there had been a Spoiler Alert on this post... I haven't quested that far to see the corruption that obviously takes place....
gundamxzero Feb 17th 2009 5:25PM
Oh come on, anything containing "preview" "up coming patch" and "ulduar" should obviously con notate a potential "spoiler"
Aubrecia Feb 17th 2009 4:43PM
Oh, bah, more good turned evil. Why does Blizz always have to do this? Hell. It's not as bad as it was for Illidan and Kael'thas but I'm pre-emptively wincing at Ulduar just for the thought of these.
Really, there have to be better ways to come up with raid bosses.
Iwanttobeasleep Feb 17th 2009 4:47PM
Is it really so bad, to the average player, that some guild works really hard on the test realm to master the fights and gets the world/server firsts right away? Personally, I'd like to see as many people as possible doing the fights, so they come out balanced and my guild can have a good time with it when they go live. None of that nerfing two weeks after it goes live because it turns out it wasn't tuned at all.
DeathPaladin Feb 17th 2009 5:57PM
I don't know about other people, but my problem wasn't that hardcore raiding guilds cleared the raid content so quickly. My problem is that many of them cleared it quickly and then spent the next 3 months straight doing nothing but complaining about how quickly they cleared it.
Michael Feb 17th 2009 6:09PM
Actually, I don't think it was those hardcore raiders that were complaining about how fast it was cleared. I would put money on it that the ones complaining couldn't clear it that fast and were pissed that someone else did.
mike Feb 17th 2009 4:55PM
"Mimiron built the Flame Leviathan as part of the V0-L7R-0N weapons platform."
Nice.. they worked in a Voltron reference.
Saul Good Feb 17th 2009 5:04PM
So if I'm exhaulted with the Sons of Hodir, will they get pissed off at me if I kill their father?
SeanOr101 Feb 17th 2009 5:04PM
Good news everyone! They've decided to add more content!
(btw Adam, re-read the second sentence of the second paragraph, I think a word is missing in there)
Tizzy Feb 17th 2009 5:06PM
Nothing wrong with raiders getting it all planned out ahead of time before the patch hits, but man, I think we're all getting sick of hearing how there isn't enough end game content. From how much they whine, you'd think they all sit around doing nothing but play... Kinda hard for Blizz to keep enough engaging end game stuff coming when it's already been beaten and is old hat before it hits live. PTRs should be more restricted, as they are right now it's just a way for the hard core players to get bored with the content faster, and for the noobs to have an 80 for a few weeks (we've all seen it on there "zomg look at meh! I have all epix! I R so leet!")
Ircasha Feb 17th 2009 5:59PM
Its the same as when people play the beta, then complain when it goes live that they steamrolled through the content too fast.
People will always bitch, especially when they've caused the situation they are dissatisfied with.
Rollheiser Feb 17th 2009 5:13PM
Good point on the good to evil thing. It does seem to be getting a little tired. Even Sargeras was good once.
Are the Old Gods the only known source of true malevolence in Warcraft lore?
Aldheim Feb 17th 2009 5:22PM
I said this in the post about potential Uldular bosses, BUT... For serious, it bothers me a bit to be raiding bosses that are in some cases not even veiled copies of Norse Gods. I mean, they didn't even change Freya's name (though they did change her function.)
Again: we'd never consider running a raid against someone who was obviously a copy of Jesus. It's a little weird to me.
Attack Gypsy Feb 17th 2009 5:28PM
I would. In a heartbeat.
Heal the sick? That's easy. Raise the dead? Also easy. But can you throw a shield like I can?
Zanathos Feb 18th 2009 1:33AM
Yes well, Thor and Odin don't have too many followers today. Scandinavian countries today are predominately christian. Did you think it was odd Disney made a movie about Hercules? Or when Roman and Greek gods show up on pop culture? These are dead religions that has moved from theology to mythology.
Aldheim Feb 18th 2009 2:52AM
Depends on your meaning of dead. Polytheistic religions, many of which call on deities from earlier polytheistic religions like the Greeks or the Norse, have been a growing segment of the population for a couple of decades now.
Scandanavian countries are predominantly Christian, yes, but there are enough Asatruar (a term for people who worship the Norse gods) that they qualify for a percentage of the church tax in Iceland, for example. They are a non-trivial part of the population. And there are quite a few Asatruar in the United States (you are reading a comment written by one of them), and in my experiences many pagans of other stripes believe in those gods too in their own fashion.
Was I surprised by the Disney Hercules movie? Not at all. Was I offended that what they labeled "Hercules" bore no relationship whatsoever to the myths? Yes. I'm not objecting to references to mythology in pop culture- for somewhat obvious reasons I think that's kind of neat- but I do think that having them as raid bosses borders on the uncomfortable for me personally, given my own religious views.