Tuesday Morning Post: Patch 3.3 downtime edition
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Dec 8th 2009 at 4:00AM
But before I go into fanboy mode, we'd best move on. There is, of course, a huge downtime coming up in order to facilitate the patch installation, and because of that, you probably have some time to catch up on your reading. I'd definitely recommend you look through our recently and constantly updated Guide to Patch 3.3, which provides a pretty handy roadmap to what's coming. Beyond that, we have our usual roundup of news from the past few days below the cut. Happy reading and Happy Patch 3.3!
Hot News and Features
- One of the most anticipated features of Patch 3.3 is the Dungeon Finder tool. We have a mini-FAQ to help you master this new system.
- WoW, Casually takes a casual look at Patch 3.3.
- It's not easy being fabulous. Just ask this faction leader.
- The WoW magazine needs a new Editor-in-chief.
- Check out what some other news outlets are saying aboutWoW's 5th anniversary.
- Here's some pretty sweet news from Jeff Kaplan: We'll be seeing more Wrathgate-style cut scenes in the future.
- Ghostcrawler talks healing in Cataclysm.
- Wow.com is still looking for Priest and Hunter columnists. Find out how to submit your application at the link.
- Arcane Brilliance offers a Patch 3.3 guide for mages.
- Shifting Perspectives takes a peek at Patch 3.3 balance gear
- Spiritual Guidance has a guide to Patch 3.3 for priests.
- Spiritual Guidance also helps new priests make the transition from leveling to healing.
- Encrypted Text is keeping it subtle this week.
- The Light And How To Swing It has some advice for low level paladin tanks.
- Totem Talk is still wandering through the deep dark forest of shaman itemization.
- Rossi looks at prot warrior PvP.
- Scattered Shots is picking through WotLK Hunter loot.
- Raid Rx has a few cheap tricks for healing the heroic mode Valkyr Twins.
- Scrolls of Lore has leaked a nice little preview of the Worgen starting zone.
- Fishing Pools will always grant successful casts in Patch 3.3. What does that mean for the fish market?
- The Overachiever looks at grabbing Hail to the Chef.
- So you took advantage of Pilgrim's Bounty to power level your cooking to 350, but where do you go from there?
- Inside Bounty discusses profession bonuses.
- WoW Rookie looks at leveling PvP style.
- Min-maxing isn't just for 80s.
- Ready Check discusses dealing with raid group breakups.
- The Art of War(craft) helps you get started in Strand of the Ancients.
- December's Guild of the Month contest is on. Get your submissions in!
- Speaking of Swag Dog, they have a guild now.
- He is (or was, depending on who you ask) part of the Lich King too, so it's a good idea to get caught up his lore. Check out Know Your Lore: Ner'zhul.
- Blizzard now has Facebook pages up for its major franchises.
Filed under: Realm Status, Odds and ends, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Janaa Dec 8th 2009 4:02AM
Finally! My hunter can start weasling it's way into PUGs. :D
greenbag Dec 8th 2009 4:05AM
right on the money. server just shutdown on the dot of 4pm in my time in indonesia
see you guys after the patch tonight. ima gonna camp the login screen...
Nick Dec 8th 2009 4:04AM
With this patch I have to say: Good Luck all and have fun with a new wave of content and lag! lol
Sitha Sok Dec 8th 2009 4:05AM
there's gonna be a whole bunch of farming tmrw in the 5man runs for those 232s
Odiee Dec 8th 2009 4:06AM
Lucky Americans getting your patch today.
Also. Any word on trailer while we wait?
Also First. Europe FTW!
Odiee Dec 8th 2009 4:06AM
damnit!
Neuropox Dec 8th 2009 4:06AM
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=21626504633&sid=1
Official Patch notes
Janaa Dec 8th 2009 4:08AM
This.
Bossy Dec 8th 2009 4:08AM
After this patch ... WOW will never be the same again....
Awesome dungeon mechanics. Revolution (and note the historical date).
It's the same revolution as with the clustered BG's back then, but now even more important as it concerns the real heart of WOW: PVE group based play.
Janaa Dec 8th 2009 4:29AM
The only thing I don't like about the new dungeon system is that it gives 4 other people the power to remove you from ALL dungeons for the next 15 minutes.
The way the new LFG tool works is thus: You sign up for a random dungeon, and join. Anyone can initiate a VOTEKICK to remove you from the dungeon. If you are removed thusly, you have a 15 minute debuff before you can use the tool to join another dungeon.
You can join the tool as a group or as a single player. So, four kids who decide they want to ruin peoples day can group up, sign up for a hot dungeon (like, the daily heroic) and use the tool to start "looking" for a 5th player (say, dps). As soon as any player joins, the four can then vote them out, and wait for the next player to join. They can keep doing this indefinitely, and rapidly, locking out dozens of people from dunegons in only a few minutes.
That one should have been thought through a little better. Like for instance, making players only able to votekick once per dungeon.
oniryuujin Dec 8th 2009 4:35AM
that would be a pretty unlikely situation, yeah ur right people could do that, but I'd assume they'd rather get stuff done, not too mention if blizz looks at the logs and sees lets say 5 people vote kicked within a short span of time along with reports on them, the little smartasses will have a nice ban vacation.
Janaa Dec 8th 2009 4:47AM
While it's an unlikely example, here's a much more likely one that will be abused from day one:
A group of friends signs up for a dungeon, with one saying something like "OK, whatever happens I don't want another plate wearer to roll on MY ". A plate wearer faithfully queues up, looking for a group, and promptly gets votekicked out because of some ass's presumption of loot ownership. Hapless victim is now banned from all dungeons for 15 minutes. GG.
Janaa Dec 8th 2009 4:48AM
And srsly, how are you going to get time to report or ignore them (so you don't get queued with them again) if you're kicked out as soon as you join? Every time a feature is added giving power to the players to harm others, it's abused to that end.
Bossy Dec 8th 2009 4:50AM
I am quite sure the system will not be perfect from the start.
And it will take a while before people will start using them for leveling dungeons I think.
But once the ball will start to roll ... the leveling game will never be the same again (as the end game dungeons btw).
If all things are straigthened out, imagine how a newbee will see the tremendous choices of on line play in Cataclysm: do solo quests, do dungeon quests, do Battlegrounds anytime anywhere.
I remember the very long waiting times for BG's to pop up back in 2005-06. Now these days people complain they have to wait 5 minutes ... lol
In one year time we will moan if we have to wait for 5 minutes to form a group for Uldaman....
:)) But you made good points: Blizzard has still to fine tune the mechanics, but the mechanics are there...
Grtz to the guy who came up with the idea.
Janaa Dec 8th 2009 5:05AM
I agree, and I'm delighted with the new system and can't wait to use it. It's been such a pain to find groups what with all the LFGs like "LF1M DPS H DTK. Must have 7000+ DPS, 25-MAN ULD ACHV and 5000+ Gear score". It's getting ludicrous, and I love almost everything Blizz has introduced with this patch.
I just think the votekick system would be better implemented similar to report spam. Eg, if you votekick someone, then they don't get back into YOUR group, and if they get to many votekicks to their name, a GM investiages. That'll take care of the ninjas/griefers without punishing those who are removed from groups for vindictive or malicious reasons. :)
Oh and Blizz, WHERE'S MAI DANCE STUDIO? You guys promised.. ;)
dracoamericanus9 Dec 8th 2009 6:20AM
blizz could have removed the debuff from vote kicked people but that can start problems if people were kicked for a legitimate reason.
RetPallyJil Dec 8th 2009 4:11AM
Well ... it's the end of the story as far as I'm concerned. Blizzard is just making shit up as they go now.
Outis Dec 8th 2009 4:16AM
Right, because Arthas was central to the original plot of Warcraft and the arch-villain who set everything in motion.
Oh, wait.
oniryuujin Dec 8th 2009 4:17AM
making shit up? umm they're the ones who created the WoW universe/lore, and sorry they can't take everything they do from 3 old rts games.
Janaa Dec 8th 2009 4:23AM
You do know that Warcraft is fiction, right? We're not re-enacting historical events here. Blizzard made ALL OF IT up. You think they're just making it up NOW? They've been "making it up" for 15 years...