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The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsPatch 4.0.6 patch notes update for Jan. 14
by Alex Ziebart 
Jan 15th 2011 at 1:00AM
Here are some highlights from today's updates:
- Warlocks: Fel Armor has been redesigned. It now surrounds the caster with fel energy, increasing spell power and causing the warlock to be healed for 3% of any single-target spell damage he or she deals.
- Items: The Honor Commodities and Justice Commodities Vendors now sell raw tradeskill materials. These are not intended to be a cost-effective source of these materials, but an option for players with lots of Justice or Honor Points who have already purchased all of the gear that interests them.
- Rogues: Blade Flurry is now a toggle that can be turned off by pressing the button again. In addition, this ability no longer has a fixed duration, but will go on cooldown for 10 seconds after being canceled (similar to Stealth).
Guilds
- Once a guild hits level 23, the daily cap on experience gained is removed.
- The gnomish racial trait Escape Artist now has a 1.5-minute cooldown, down from 1.75. In addition, it is now possible to use and waste this ability when not snared or rooted. This is consistent with other dispels.
- Fungal growth duration has been increased to 20 seconds, up from 10. In addition, it should now be much more responsive when detonating Wild Mushrooms.
- Moonkin Form now grants 15% damage reduction instead of increased armor.
- Starfall will no longer strike targets that are not in combat and will now drop stars at a slightly faster rate.
- Wild Mushroom is now instant cast, down from 0.5 seconds. In addition, the radius of detonation has been increased to 6 yards, up from 3, and damage done increased by 30%.
- Restoration: Disentanglement (new specialization): Causes shapeshifting to remove roots in addition to snares.
- Casting Trap Launcher, Distracting Shot, and Scare Beast now cancel Auto Shot when cast. This is to make it easier to crowd control creatures with Auto Shot while moving enabled.
- Divine Storm weapon damage percent increased from 80% to 100%.
- Hand of Light (Mastery): A percentage of the damage done by Templar's Verdict, Crusader Strike, and Divine Storm is done as additional Holy damage. This Mastery now grants a 2.1% increase to Holy damage per mastery, down from 2.5%.
- Mind Blast damage has been significantly increased. It should be roughly 50% greater than Mind Spike.
- Grace is no longer limited to one target at a time.
- Penance mana cost has been increased by 7%, but healing has been increased by 20%.
- Vampiric Embrace now lasts until canceled.
- Blade Flurry is now a toggle that can be turned off by pressing the button again. In addition, this ability no longer has a fixed duration, but will go on cooldown for 10 seconds after being canceled (similar to Stealth).
- Spiritwalker's Grace duration has been increased to 15 seconds, up from 10.
- Fel Armor has been redesigned. It now surrounds the caster with fel energy, increasing spell power and causing the warlock to be healed for 3% of any single-target spell damage he or she deals.
- Demonic Aegis now increases the healing effect of Fel Armor by 50/100%.
- Slam weapon damage percent (at level 80+) has been increased from 125% to 145%.
- In addition to its current effects, Bloodsurge now also causes the next Slam to deal 20% more damage.
- Raging Blow weapon damage percent (at level 80+) has been increased from 110% to 120%.
- Archaeology: The sell value of all common artifacts has been doubled, while a small subset of common artifacts have had their sell value increased far beyond that.
- Engineering: Mystic Cogwheel is a new Engineering Cogwheel gem which provides resilience rating and can be purchased from the Engineering vendor for 55 Honor Points.
- Engineering: Synapse Springs now increase Agility, Strength, or Intellect (whichever is highest for the character). In addition, the effect now lasts 10 seconds, down from 12.
- The Honor Commodities and Justice Commodities Vendors now sell raw tradeskill materials. These are not intended to be a cost-effective source of these materials, but an option for players with lots of Justice or Honor Points who have already purchased all of the gear that interests them.
- Lich King trinkets with bonus armor values have been adjusted using the new Cataclysm formula, reducing their armor values substantially.
- The PvE hunter 4-piece set bonus has been redesigned. It now reduces the cast time of Steady Shot and Cobra Shot by .2 seconds.
- All PvP 4-piece bonuses have had their flat stat values cut in half. Primary stats are very powerful in Cataclysm, so much so that players were considering using PvP gear in PvE just because of these primary stat bonuses.
- PvP enchants are properly valued and attached to Honor Quartermasters and Tol Barad/Baradin Hold Quartermasters.
- Chief Engineer Scooty, formally of Booty Bay, has packed up his Gnomeregan teleporter and lugged it up to Grom'gol in Northern Stranglethorn to better accommodate his Horde customers.
Filed under: News items
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 4)
Manadar Jan 15th 2011 2:50AM
Guess were going back to TBC with one viable PvP spec; resto.
Continuous Jan 15th 2011 8:25AM
@Xesar, I completely agree, that oomkins need a buff in mobility and mana management (euphoria isn't that great in PvP because of the eclipse mechanic) as far as PvP is concered but in PvE they really arent as bad as some say. While I am not some amazingly geared oomkin (its my OS, MS resto) and not skilled for sure, I have seen oomkins in heroic gear pulling #1 dps in heroics - Granted, that could be simply because everyone else sucked but I dont think they are THAT bad off.
@Manadar
This is not TBC at all, feral druids can tear their opponents to shreds easily and while resto druids are strong they are not at all as they were in TBC. Pallies are still top dog and I have heard too that shamans are significantly stronger then druids too. Balance is the only bad spec right now and really, that isnt new.
Leorad Jan 15th 2011 8:56AM
Uprating for the sheer win of your profile pic. That was a GREAT game.
kev_tan99 Jan 15th 2011 9:15AM
Manadar... Just because you can't get out of roots, the other specs aren't viable?
Jenks Jan 15th 2011 11:31AM
Take heart, my owlbear friends
With all the changes to wild mushroom, you're getting an instant cast aoe snare. You better get it hotkeyed soon because if you're not using it after 4.0.6, you're doing it wrong.
chainsawcharlie Jan 15th 2011 1:19AM
Blade Flurry change is ridiculous. Rogues are going to be doing roughly double the damage they already are, for as long as they have the ability toggled?
It's like they're the only class ALLOWED to be melee dps.
Metalupis Jan 15th 2011 1:28AM
Except that our energy generation is heavily gimped while blade flurry is up and how many boss fights really call for multi target dps
FaultBat Jan 15th 2011 1:36AM
Significantly less than double with the hit to energy regen, and it's not a haste buff any more like it used to be, so it's useless against single targets. It already cooled down fast enough to make it easy to use in most fights against multiple mobs, too so it's not going to be much different except that rogues won't have to remember to keep turning it back on.
Scartian Jan 15th 2011 1:37AM
Blade Flurry is only used for multi-target. I honestly see this as a stupid move on blizzards part because you can only use it with killing spree so whats the point of being able to turn it on and off like stealth?
Jadedmlt Jan 15th 2011 3:08PM
@Scartian
How do you figure it can 'only' be used with killing spree...you can use it whever you want...but would want to only with mult targets. Sure coupling BF with KS is nice, but isnt mandatory.
Sonalita Jan 15th 2011 5:57AM
@scartian
"only use it with killing spree" say what?? whachutalkinboutwullis???
Yesiamzack Jan 15th 2011 1:27AM
where's the mage love? :'(
zweitblom Jan 15th 2011 2:37AM
Good call on reading the complete patch notes which include a host of mage buffs.... But yeas, you keep complaining.
Yesiamzack Jan 15th 2011 2:50AM
Oh I have! I'm excited about the arcane changes, hopefully it'll make it a bit more exciting.
I'm stuck on the warlocks not having to spend mana on armor... but mages do. And I'm jealous of the extra interesting changes, (instead of just buffs)
Not complaining.
Jealous.
Big difference XD
Drakkenfyre Jan 15th 2011 3:14AM
Mana cost for all Mage armor was removed last update.
Cetha Jan 15th 2011 1:28AM
It is now safe to use Starfall in instances again, Hooray!
Saeadame Jan 15th 2011 3:00AM
This. Although it will kind of kill my old world farming method which was to pop starfall and then loot...
Bapo Jan 15th 2011 3:28AM
I was just about to ask if that change means what I think it means. My druid is only 75, but I have never used that ability in a dungeon, except for AN and OK. World farming though, this slightly saddens me :(
Hob Jan 15th 2011 10:05AM
As long as you were smart about it (which applies to pretty much every ability for every class), you could always use Starfall in instances. I can't speak for most Cataclysm dungeons, but just about every other dungeon I can think of has rooms with just a few mobs, where you won't accidentally pull anything.
Aside from the farming issue...
PvP applications are truly gimped. No more breaking stealth/shadowmeld on rogues/night elves. No more softening an incoming enemy when you're capping a tower. It seems like it is now best applied when there's a clusterf--- on the road...
Sure wish they'd put it in a glyph instead.
DirtyFilthyHippy Jan 15th 2011 1:31AM
What? no they're not! Blade Flurry is like an AOE, rogues will be slightly more OP on trash mobs and not bosses =\ get your facts straight