Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsHearthstones down to 30 minute cooldown in patch 3.1
by Zach Yonzon 
Feb 26th 2009 at 9:20PM
Eyonix was quick to shut down these arguments in a long thread but eventually capitulated to the will of the masses, announcing that Hearthstones would be usable every 30 minutes when Patch 3.1 goes live. Eyonix still doesn't quite understand what the fuss is all about, though, and points to mage portals, Dalaran portals, and good old mount riding as acceptable means of getting from point A to point B. He even dismisses the complaints as QQ at one point. That said, it looks like some QQ has won the day for now. Enjoy your 30 minute hearthstones, everyone.
Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.Filed under: Blizzard, News items, Forums
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 9)
rurrik Feb 26th 2009 10:38PM
Wow Bliz doing what their paying customers are asking for... bunch of jerks ruining the game for us HARDCORZ player! /end sarcasm.
If you think it makes the game for you get an egg timer / stop watch and set it for an hour and don't use your hearthstone for any reason until it goes off. I bet Bliz could make a killing with officially liscensed 1 hour timers. They could even make them look like hearthstones.
THANK YOU BLIZ for taking some of the tediousness out of the game, god knows there is enough of it.
Plastic Rat Feb 26th 2009 10:41PM
Yes, I know a 30 minute cooldown on hearthstones isn't going to lead to the downfall of this game.
But you know what will? A whole bunch of tiny little changes giving in to the QQ.
THAT'S what's screwing this game up right now. They're listening to the goddamned QQers more and more. Players are not game designers. Players as Raph Koster puts it 'Optimize the fun out of a game'.
So yeah, enjoy your 30 minute hearths, your 'ammo-less' guns, your homogenized classes, your AOE tank and spank instances and your over-powered hero classes.
This is becoming less and less of an MMO and a game and more just a self help /ego boost for people who are too lazy/trite to invest themselves in anything.
fanficbug Feb 27th 2009 10:18AM
I'm happy about this change. In fact, I'm happy about a lot of changes that have happened to this game, and I'm a successful artist who shows in a gallery. I've been doing my art day in, day out for over six years (running on seven!). I even recently placed in the top ten of my category in a national contest run by NVIDIA. http://fanficbug.deviantart.com/
So shut up about this being about people who can't invest themselves in anything. You either like the changes, or you don't, but don't try to make this about personal merit, because you're dead wrong there.
swampsquatch Feb 26th 2009 10:45PM
I cannot stand people that need everything to be instant. "OMG I HAVE TO GET BACK TO THE GAME NOW! MY TIME IS MORE VALUABLE THAN EVERYONE ELSE'S!" So that person ghetto-hearths and then Blizz takes it out. Then they QQ. Then Blizz shortens the cooldown of hearthstones. Is Blizzard really losing that much money that anyone can QQ these days and they think they will lose customers? Are they even losing money or customers? Are people still quitting because of the Will of the Forsaken nerf and preliminary patch notes? Who wants to QQ with me about the down time on Tuesdays until they make server maintenance once every two weeks. Or maybe once every month? I just can't see how Blizzard is caving to the people... What else will Blizzard change just because people don't like it?
swampsquatch Feb 26th 2009 10:50PM
My main point is that Blizzard is changing too many things that made WoW what it was, and what it is, the best MMO out there today. Speeding up corpse runs, mounts don't dismount in water, homogenizing classes, nerfing everything, buffing everything, and just changing something that wa sbeen the way it has forever because of QQ is over the top.
Plastic Rat Feb 27th 2009 3:54AM
I'm amazed by the people downmodding these comments. The guy isn't insulting anyone personally. He's not using bad language or trolling.
It's a well written comment stating his issues with the game. Yet for some reason there are enough feeble minded little fanboys on here that will clicky-clicky that down arrow because they don't agree.
I guess majority rules, and 'the majority' likes the computer game equivalent of watching reality TV while stuffing junkfood into their mouths.
Jizzle Feb 27th 2009 9:36AM
We are not downrating his comment because of his language or how he is saying it. We are downrating it because what is he saying is stupid. When people complain about something that actually affects the playability of the game, then I can sometimes (read: rarely) understand, but when it's something that is a game improvement like this (or the mounts in water, etc), where it makes the game more convenient and makes our time in game more fun, then I just want to reach through my monitor and punch that whiny bitch right in their stupid face.
Everyone who makes the comment "Way to give into the QQ Blizz! Why can't they just take the FP like everyone else!? I always did it and I didn't complain," is just like grandpa saying "Back in my day we had to walk to school, now all you whiny kids get your busses and cars!" Seriously, get the fuck over it grandpa, cars exist and life is easier because of it.
There are only a certain amount of hours in a day (approximately 24, in case you didn't know) and saving a few minutes here and there can make your time spent much more worthwhile. If they changed the HS to 10 min CD, I would rejoice.
Taxidermy Feb 26th 2009 10:46PM
I think reducing the cost of epic flying skill is a lot more relevant than a hearthstone cd.
5k gold is NOT casual friendly no matter how easy the rest of the game has become.
Kolo Feb 26th 2009 10:49PM
Tbh if you don't have enough time to earn 5k, you probably don't have enough time to make full use of an epic mount.
You probably have not completed quests in Wrath, and you can easily make 500gold in an hour or two from quest money (upto 25g per quest), the quest reward (upto 13g), random junk you loot, not to mention nodes/herbs/skins you can pick up.
Taxidermy Feb 26th 2009 11:03PM
Its not a matter of time. Its a matter of boredom and frustration.
I hear people talk about making 500g an hour from quests. I have never made that much in an hour of questing. I have come to the opinion that those are people who either have epic flying to help them along with gathering and travel or are full of bs.
Anyways, why are you acting so aggressive towards anyone who isn't an instant fan of this change? I usually used my cd as an excuse to farm or explore or hang out with friends in orgrimmar.
Not telling you Feb 27th 2009 1:24AM
I don't understand why people are complaining about getting a shorter heart. I don't understand it. This is a benifit. I guess some people just complain about everything...
Ghetto hearthing in tBC was great because a lot of things were in Outlands and Azeroth. So going from Azeroth to Outlands was a pain without a hearth.
Atleast all you have to do is take a boat then a flight. Instead of a boat to a flight to a portal to Outlands to another flight.
Plastic Rat Feb 27th 2009 1:39AM
The complaints are more due to the fact that Blizzard caved to a bunch of enraged QQers on the forums. A 30 minute reduction on hearthstone cooldown is not going to have that big an effect on the game.
Getting into the habit of listening every time the kiddies throw a tempter tantrum is very bad.
Additionally, a lot of the changes are making the game 'less' like an MMO. Think about it.. how much of the game is actually completely necessary to gameplay? How about flight paths? You've seen it once, you've seen it a million times. Why have to sit through that rollercoaster every time you want to go somewhere? Why not just make it so you can click and teleport to any FP on the map?
Note: If this is seeming like a great idea to you, you're missing the point... bigtime.
Tryx Feb 27th 2009 2:56AM
It's called "listening to feedback" and good customer service. If you had any idea what that meant, you'll understand why Blizz has 11 million subscribers. I challenge you to make a game, then completely ignore all feedback from the playerbase, dismissing it as QQ. I'd like to see how far your game gets. SOE did it with Star Wars, look where that went.
Plastic Rat Feb 27th 2009 3:58AM
Tryx, go read 'Theory of Fun' by Raph Koster. Arguably one of the most important game designers ever. Players will always attempt to optimize the fun out of games. It's the natural progression. As a designer, it's your job to stop that from happening.
Second off, I do work in the games industry and lastly, I'm willing to bet that we're going to see a steady drop in WoW subscribers over the next year as this trend continues. The behemoth isn't going to come to a dead halt all at once and they won't be switching off the servers next week, but I'm betting my career this whole thing is going to bite them in the ass.
Kunun Feb 26th 2009 11:00PM
First of all, this is good.
Way more reliable and versatile than instance trick.
And on my matter, this is exactly why WOW is so surrounded in QQ.
Developers pandering to it makes people do it more.
Like a kit that cries and gets candy he is just going to cry more.
I dont see why blizzard couldnt just anounce that they got tired of the ghetto heart and that its getting removed but in turn HS CD reduced.
At the same time.
Instead we get the bad news first and then after all the QQ the fix.
I dont know if QQ really wont or blizzard was going to do it anyway.
That doesnt matter.
What matters is that it looks like it, people will do it more and more.
Pre BC there was less QQ and this is one of the reasons, blizzard did less changes and changes were final, they were more though out and surgical.
Now its bandaid after band aid after quick fix all shortsighet changes.
ShamanGuy Feb 26th 2009 11:19PM
Awesome, another shaman skill made useless. Astral recall was so useful to raids that had a loc in them. Suppose that talent that cuts the time in half is a waste now.
but we still got that level 9 water totem that restores 25 health every 2 seconds...whoopie
Eldren Feb 26th 2009 11:36PM
Just suck it up. I'm ashamed that Blizzard has caved to the whining. That is such B.S. Ghetto hearth was an abuse that Blizzard has finally fixed. It was long overdue. The one thing they did that could finally make having a mage in your group more attractive has now been yanked out from under them. BS!
Riley Feb 26th 2009 11:23PM
I was fine with them taking away ghetto hearthing, and I can easily see why they do it (because it was probably putting abuse on the instance servers)
But this is nice as well, and I'm not complaining
Lily Feb 26th 2009 11:37PM
In your eyes, what's the purpose of a cooldown?
RogueJedi86 Feb 26th 2009 11:45PM
Apparently to piss players off and make them find exploits to get around them(ie ghetto hearthing).