Background downloader active for Patch 3.1
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Mar 13th 2009 at 9:58PM
As to whether this means we should expect the whole shebang to go live on Tuesday, I still wouldn't bet on it. Not only have there been indications that the devs are willing to delay Noblegarden if they have to to keep testing the patch, It seems like class balancing work still has a bit to go.
With this in mind, it seems most likely that what we're getting now is mostly finalized art and zone files that won't change before the patch goes live. But whether we have one more week or one more month, the preparations are underway. We're one step closer to the Argent Tournament and Ulduar!
[Thanks to everyone who gave us a heads up on this!]
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: Patches, News items, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Hansbo Mar 13th 2009 10:03PM
I may be wrong, but hasn't the downloader been available for quite some time before patch day before?
Randy Mar 13th 2009 10:52PM
Wow it hasn't even been in testing a month and they are going to release it?
I expect lots of fail to follow this patch, in terms of glitches and bugs anyways. Uludar still looks awesome.
Hoggersbud Mar 13th 2009 11:14PM
Actually, there's several phases of testing, the only one we generally know about is the public one. Internal testing occurs both before and after the public testing.
Not to mention the initial release of a patch download is usually supplemented by further downloads before the patch is deployed.
This is really nothing more than preparation, to give folks time to download the patch in advance of the time where it will be needed.
You should commend instead of castigate.
acpirience Mar 13th 2009 10:26PM
Apparently, background downloader is not active yet in Europe (just checked).
Torminguar Mar 14th 2009 2:43PM
It is, to me atleast. I'm downloading on 2,5MB.
hasan Mar 19th 2009 8:24AM
guys it's active but download is too slow, it downloads peer - to - peer and my download rate is 2 kb/sec! sucks!
unholy Mar 13th 2009 10:28PM
background downloader is running for the EU realms now, just starting downloading now
Kemikalkadet Mar 13th 2009 10:32PM
Confirmed. Working for me in EU now.
Kemikalkadet Mar 13th 2009 10:35PM
Also, the enGB patch is 40mb bigger than the enUS one at 594mb. I guess it could be for localisation.
unholy Mar 13th 2009 10:37PM
Id give it 3-4 weeks before we see this go live, woop holy/prot dualspec for me
Avan Mar 13th 2009 11:01PM
Patch 3.0.1 was available for pre-downloading by Sept 12, but it wasn't actually released until Oct 14. I expect 3.1 to be very much the same, and would not get my hopes up that it'll be seen any time soon. The pre-patch data likely only contains updates for things that they are setting in stone, like the updated terrain for the Argent Tournament grounds. Other likely inclusions are new/updated graphics for spells, achievements, etc.
crsh Mar 14th 2009 9:06AM
I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet, big patches tend to come in several chunks; the first pack we're getting is prolly the models and textures for new content, not final "settings" (ie. balance/talents/etc).
They release some of the stuff for early download so we don't have to get a big 1 GB+ file on the official 3.1 launch day.
Zerstoerer Mar 17th 2009 3:15PM
Yeah, I'm glad I manually restarted mine, so on patch day I'll be ready to start up. There's gonna be lots of unhappy people as the background downloader seems to be glitching.. it starts when you first start wow, then stops on exit and never runs again. Everyone one on my friends list / guild said they saw it a few days ago, but never again and forgot about it. Unless you know how to manually run it out of the wow directory, you'll have a TON of stuff to d/l on patch day.
Jamus Mar 13th 2009 11:51PM
555MB listed for Mac Intel version.
Hendrata Mar 13th 2009 11:56PM
I can't wait to see you eat your hat again
Fletch Mar 14th 2009 12:24AM
I still expect at least at month before we see the patch. Personally, if they're happy with the data they've got from Ulduar, I'd like to see them shut it down entirely so legacy content can be tested properly with the new stuff. The vast majority of people I see on the PTR go there exclusively just to get a look at Ulduar. There's a furrow a mile deep at the entrance to Ulduar from all the people trampling through its doors, but the rest of the world is coated in a film of dust.
Amaxe Mar 14th 2009 12:53AM
Rather slow download. Admittedly I have a satellite connection right now, but leaving it running all evening, i have a grand total of 512 kb downloaded :(
Jacob Mar 14th 2009 1:00AM
I would agree with the slow download. I normally have a fast connection and would be finished with the 555mb download pretty quickly but it seems to be going very slowly. This could be due to 11 million people getting the download but who knows =D
mrluohua Mar 14th 2009 3:57PM
I just read this article, checked my background downloaded and found that I am already at 545mb! Yey for fast connections and fast seeds!
Rilandune Mar 16th 2009 12:55PM
I have a dedicated fiber optic broadband connection and I'm moving at about 1% per hour. I left it download over night last night, I'm very much hoping it picked up speed and when I get home 24 hours was enough.
A typical patch for me takes less than 2 minutes at the most.
Even 3.0.1 only took about 20 minutes if I remember correctly (which I may not).
~Ril