The Queue: Roflstomping bosses in patch 4.0.2
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today.
I'm urban dictionarying you all today. Rofl.
Zalvi24 asked...
"Do you think that Blizzard is gonna do the same thing they did with all raids at the end of The Burning Crusade and nerf the bosses HP, therefore making the Ulduar proto drakes not obtainable like the Zul Aman mount?"
There were two major things that happened in patch 3.0.2, the infamous patch immediately before Wrath.
First, the boss HP and overall damage was nerfed a bit. As Rmschoir pointed out, this was so the new game mechanics wouldn't stop guilds from progressing. Blizzard couldn't be 100% sure that the massive class changes that came with Wrath wouldn't make things impossible for BC styled fights. So in order to correct this, the HP nerf came.
Secondly, the boss fights were made easier because the talent trees and abilities became so much more powerful and well tuned to their individual role. Take prot warriors -- prior to patch 3.0.2, AoE tanking was more of a learned skill than a given right. You had to spend your time learning to tab Sunder like a mad man, and had to integrate Cleave into your tanking rotation. After patch 3.0.2 was applied prot warriors had innate AoE abilities, making AoE tanking easy as sin (at least compared to what it once was).
What Blizzard didn't predict, however, was that the abilities would make everyone so over powered for the time between 3.0.2 and Wrath's release, that the HP nerf on the bosses were unnecessary. Guilds who previously had no business being in even Black Temple were suddenly sporting dual glaives and making their way to Kil'Jaden in the Sunwell. Many people consider this double-nerf of the content to be too much, and a rather pointed example of how it's possible to overcompensate in the area of game difficulty when introducing new abilities.
Will Blizzard make the same mistake again?
I don't think so.
There will likely be a small HP nerf, and certainly new abilities, but I wouldn't expect the facerolling that happened at the end BC raiding to happen in Wrath.
MoarHeroisms asked...
"Why are there no female iron dwarves? Oh sure, vrykul and mechagnomes, but no iron dwarves?"
Qot answered it best: "With dwarves, just because they're bearded doesn't mean they're male." But then Ametrine came in with the correct answer: "Both the Earthen and the Iron Dwarves are constructs, not living creatures. No flesh, no gender, no women."
I love it when you guys write The Queue for me!
SG HighCharity asked....
"I've been doing some thinking. Will Deathwing's return have any effect on the landscape in Northrend?"
At BlizzCon 2009 Blizzard said they won't be changing the landscape of Northrend. So I wouldn't expect it.
Can-o-war asked...
"There was recently a mobile authenticator app added to the android market place, is it real?"
We believe it is. We've had reports of people having success using it, and have contacted Blizzard for confirmation. Keep an eye out on the post for more information.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW.com crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column! Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!
I'm urban dictionarying you all today. Rofl.
Zalvi24 asked...
"Do you think that Blizzard is gonna do the same thing they did with all raids at the end of The Burning Crusade and nerf the bosses HP, therefore making the Ulduar proto drakes not obtainable like the Zul Aman mount?"
There were two major things that happened in patch 3.0.2, the infamous patch immediately before Wrath.
First, the boss HP and overall damage was nerfed a bit. As Rmschoir pointed out, this was so the new game mechanics wouldn't stop guilds from progressing. Blizzard couldn't be 100% sure that the massive class changes that came with Wrath wouldn't make things impossible for BC styled fights. So in order to correct this, the HP nerf came.
Secondly, the boss fights were made easier because the talent trees and abilities became so much more powerful and well tuned to their individual role. Take prot warriors -- prior to patch 3.0.2, AoE tanking was more of a learned skill than a given right. You had to spend your time learning to tab Sunder like a mad man, and had to integrate Cleave into your tanking rotation. After patch 3.0.2 was applied prot warriors had innate AoE abilities, making AoE tanking easy as sin (at least compared to what it once was).
What Blizzard didn't predict, however, was that the abilities would make everyone so over powered for the time between 3.0.2 and Wrath's release, that the HP nerf on the bosses were unnecessary. Guilds who previously had no business being in even Black Temple were suddenly sporting dual glaives and making their way to Kil'Jaden in the Sunwell. Many people consider this double-nerf of the content to be too much, and a rather pointed example of how it's possible to overcompensate in the area of game difficulty when introducing new abilities.
Will Blizzard make the same mistake again?
I don't think so.
There will likely be a small HP nerf, and certainly new abilities, but I wouldn't expect the facerolling that happened at the end BC raiding to happen in Wrath.
MoarHeroisms asked...
"Why are there no female iron dwarves? Oh sure, vrykul and mechagnomes, but no iron dwarves?"
Qot answered it best: "With dwarves, just because they're bearded doesn't mean they're male." But then Ametrine came in with the correct answer: "Both the Earthen and the Iron Dwarves are constructs, not living creatures. No flesh, no gender, no women."
I love it when you guys write The Queue for me!
SG HighCharity asked....
"I've been doing some thinking. Will Deathwing's return have any effect on the landscape in Northrend?"
At BlizzCon 2009 Blizzard said they won't be changing the landscape of Northrend. So I wouldn't expect it.
Can-o-war asked...
"There was recently a mobile authenticator app added to the android market place, is it real?"
We believe it is. We've had reports of people having success using it, and have contacted Blizzard for confirmation. Keep an eye out on the post for more information.







Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)
outlier Feb 10th 2010 4:07PM
Now that the Lich king is dead for all intents and purposes, what can Blizzard do to maintain players that feel they have closure on the story and are ready to move on?
Barinthos Feb 10th 2010 4:09PM
If you want to get all technical, the Lich King isn't dead. Arthas AS the Lich King is dead, but not the Lich King itself.
Heilig Feb 10th 2010 4:53PM
He didn't want to get technical.
jfofla Feb 10th 2010 5:07PM
But the point is, there is a new Lich King...who knows, we might have to take him down before Cata.
poggg Feb 10th 2010 5:22PM
Bolvar froze himself specifically to PREVENT us having to take him down. Besides, even if we did, then someone ELSE would have to take his place.
Rmschoir Feb 10th 2010 5:37PM
To Hoggersbud:
The Lich King couldn't hold a candle to Deathwing, though I like your logic.
To answer your question, Star Wars would win in a fight, and Star Trek would win in a debate.
Muse Feb 10th 2010 5:36PM
Gee poggg, way to warn for spoilers.
Rmschoir Feb 10th 2010 5:42PM
Shoot, wrong thread.
Gerik Feb 10th 2010 5:54PM
The hardcore raiders who've already beaten Arthas are going to be sinking their teeth into every hard-mode encounter ICC has to offer, which I'll assume will keep them occupied for a while.
People who watch YouTube and complain about the game being beaten have the attention span of gnats and there's nothing Blizzard can do for them.
Drakkenfyre Feb 10th 2010 6:06PM
Thanks poggo, thanks for the spoilers.
Aedilhild Feb 10th 2010 6:17PM
I saw Arthas -- he was alive, with Elvis, in a plane flown by Amelia Earhart!
Brakelbee Feb 10th 2010 6:25PM
Back for an encore performance...
Mel Torme as the Lich King!!!
Tickets on sale now!
Ringo Flinthammer Feb 10th 2010 6:36PM
Unless you've got your frostwyrm -- and you don't -- you're not done with Icecrown Citadel yet.
splodesondeath Feb 10th 2010 8:02PM
/passes gold David Bowie bust marked "One Internets" to Aedilhild
/salute
SamLowry Feb 10th 2010 10:53PM
If you didn't already know how the Lich King fight ended, then you only have yourself to blame. It's been all over wow.com for how many weeks now?
Babaloo Feb 10th 2010 4:07PM
Who would win in a fight? The Lich King or Deathwing? No fanboy comments, I'm talking about their powers and abilities in lore.
arcaneterror Feb 10th 2010 4:13PM
Deathwing, easily. The Lich King may command the Undead and wield a soul-eating sword, but Deathwing is a building-sized dragon with near-godlike powers over Azeoth itself.
Kriegle Feb 10th 2010 4:15PM
As much as I'd like to have in-depth conversations about this, taking into account relevant lore, ability, and environmental information... I just can't shake the image of Deathwing popping the Lich King into his mouth like a chicken nugget.
And then relaxing with a nice hookah bowl:
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/wowwiki/images/1/1d/Deathwing2.jpg
itsthebrent Feb 10th 2010 4:16PM
I would put money on Deathwing, I think. Definitely if he can use the Demon/Dragon Soul.
Angus Feb 10th 2010 4:29PM
Waves after waves of undead attack Deathwing's lair.
All get toasted by waves after waves of dragonkin.
The response is similar where the dragonkin are brought down by scourge.
So no advantage there.
Liche King Starts using diseases on a dragon who's only real defeats are at the hands of his equals (many at once) and because someone had a wrench handy and started lossening the armor he uses not to protect him, but to keep him from exploding because he is that powerful inside.
Arthas tries to use Frostmourne to kill him and make him go in the sword, he laughs and eats Frostmourne, melting the blade and effectively destroying it.
Arthas is now a really darn good Death Knight who uses Army of the dead a lot and Deathwing is a dragon who has cleave, tail swipe and a breath weapon. Arthas has no healer.
Ever see a DK without a healer fight Sarth 3D? Poof.