Posts with tag rolling-restarts

Last Week in WoW: Barrelling toward patch 5.3 edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Apr 23rd 2013 at 9:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. Patch 5.3 continues to be on the PTR, and the changes keep coming. We still have no actual ETA for when the patch will hit live servers, but it's certainly not slowing down. On the other hand, the live servers are hopping too, with Raid Finder finally opening its doors to all comers, allowing us all to take down the notorious Lei Shen. As always, our intrepid team has been out covering it all.

Downtime today is just a series of rolling restarts at 7 a.m. PDT. The process is expected to take about an hour, which is more than enough time to skim our usual roundup of the last week of news. Read on to see what you may have missed.

Hot news and features

The World of Warcraft community team will be hosting a live Q&A with the developers on April 25.
Aiming for a BlizzCon ticket? We have a few tips to help you nab yours.
Check out the latest patch 5.2 hotfixes for April 16 and April 18.
The Answers to the recent PvP themed Ask the Devs are now up.
Throne of Thunder Raid Finder is now completely open. We have a quick 5-second guide to each of the new bosses.
We preview the new patch 5.3 battleground Deepwind Gorge.
Engineers will be able to make a Bad Robot pet in a future patch.
Fs, the original world first level 90 who was later rolled back to 87, has had his world first achievement reinstated.
As of patch 5.3, carrying a flag in battlegrounds will cause a tank to take more damage.
Legendary metagems are restricted to Throne of Thunder helms only.
The Shado-Pan Assault trinkets have been hotfixed to be a bit less effective in PvP.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: Trolling for patch news edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Apr 9th 2013 at 9:00AM

Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone. The news keeps on coming fast and hard from the patch 5.3 PTR, and while there's no sign of the patch coming to live servers quite yet, there's plenty of stuff to keep us all salivating.

Downtime is limited to a series of rolling restarts at 7 a.m. Pacific time, but you have time to take a break and read up. You'll want to know what's happening so you can start patch 5.3 off on the right foot.

Hot news and features

BlizzCon tickets will go on sale April 24 and 27.
Check out the latest patch 5.3 PTR patch note updates and datamined info for April 2.
Read up on the latest patch 5.2 hotfixes for April 2 and April 4.
The developers are taking questions on the upcoming patch 5.3 PvP changes.
We have data-mined pictures of some new patch 5.3 mounts.
The new scenarios will be available for testing soon on the PTR.
Patch 5.3 will let you transmogrify gear straight from your bank or void storage.
Garrosh's goons are putting the pressure on the trolls in patch 5.3.
Pet battles are getting some damage and accuracy adjustments in patch 5.3.
The Halls of Flesh-Shaping are open, and we have a 5 second guide to its bosses in Raid Finder.
Someone's downed Ra-den, but there's a slight catch.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: Springing some news on you edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Apr 2nd 2013 at 9:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. It's a busy week in WoW. Not only has Noblegarden begun, but the patch 5.3 news keeps rolling out. Don't worry though. It may April, but we are not fools. We're keeping up with it all and reporting it to you. Downtime this morning is limited to a series of rolling restarts at 7 a.m. PDT, but there's a lot of news to catch up on. Read on for the usual roundup.

Hot news and features

You still have a week left to win The Art of Blizzard Entertainment from our contest.
The Overachiever has a guide to Noblegarden 2013.
Check out the latest patch 5.2 hotfixes for March 27 and March 29.
There's some new scenarios and some new content with Lorewalker Cho coming in patch 5.3, and we have a rundown for you.
We have a look at the new Shado-Pan Arena coming in patch 5.3.
The Barrens and Durotar are undergoing major changes in patch 5.3 as Garrosh's troops take over.
Even more battle pets have been found on the PTR.
We take a look at some of the new mount models and achievements in the PTR files.
We've run some the Heroic Scenarios on the patch 5.3 PTR, and have a report for you.
These epic cloaks could be part of Wrathion's patch 5.3 legendary storyline.
Ghostcrawler clarified the meaning of that tri-spec achievement discovery in the patch 5.3 PTR files.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: We fell for Blizzard's trap card edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Mar 26th 2013 at 5:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. The past week or so has been one of unexpected announcements, to say the least. First, we heard about Hearthstone, the Warcraft-based online CCG, then we had the first patch notes and build for the patch 5.3 PTR, right before the first guild downed heroic Lei Shen. I am pretty sure Alex is clairvoyant now, because he picked the perfect week to go on vacation.

Downtime today is limited to rolling restarts at 7 a.m. PDT, but trust me, a lot of stuff went down this week and you'll want to read about it all. Our usual roundup awaits you below.

Hot news and features

Check out the official announcement cinematic for the new Hearthstone online CCG.
Read the first set of PTR patch notes for patch 5.3.
Dawn got a chance to play Hearthstone at PAX East, and has some impressions. She also got a chance to sit down with the developers and ask some burning questions about the game.
We have roundup of all we know so far about Hearthstone.
Item upgrades will return for PvE gear in patch 5.3, but not for PvP gear.
Patch 5.3 will have some major PvP gear changes, but don't panic.
Patch 5.3 features new battle pets and a new pet battle hit rating system.
A possible third talent spec option has been datamined in the latest PTR files.
Want some patch 5.3 lore spoilers? Check out the latest datamined sound files.
Check out the latest patch 5.2 hotfixes for March 19 and March 21.
Oondasta's health pool has been nerfed by 50%.
Raiding the Forgotten Depths in the Raid Finder? We have a 5-second guide to the bosses therein.

Last Week in WoW: Speedy edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Oct 30th 2012 at 9:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. While patch 5.1 looks like it will remain on the PTR at least another week, that's probably a good thing. We haven't even cleared all the patch 5.0 raids yet. In fact, Blizzard is delaying the release of the last raid even more. But heck, forget the next patch, Blizzard's already working on the next expansion.

With this breakneck pace, it's no wonder downtime this week is nothing but rolling restarts starting at 10 a.m. PDT. If you want to get off the roller coasting for a few minutes, we're here with some nice, soothing WoW news to calm you down -- or, you know, just get you all excited about patch 5.1 again. Read on for the usual roundup.

Hot news and features

Check out the patch 5.1 PTR note updates for October 23.
Blizzard has previewed a new mount, the Swift Windsteed.
12 new battle pets will drop in vanilla raids in patch 5.1.
We preview the Brawler's Guild, a new feature in patch 5.1.
Patch 5.1 will bring new achievements.
Grand Commendations will boost reputation for your alts in patch 5.1.
Check out some new audio files and new mounts from the patch 5.1 PTR files. We also have pictures of some new pets and new Darkmoon Faire items.
In my favorite piece of patch 5.1 news so far, Lesser Charms of Good Fortune will move to your currency tab.
Patch 5.1 is adding some amazing new music. I can't wait to hear Jaina's music in context, personally.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: Keep on farming edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Oct 23rd 2012 at 7:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. This week has felt a little quieter than the past few, possibly because everyone's finally digging in and pushing to get those last few Pandaria factions to exalted. That said, there's still been plenty of patch 5.1 coming in from the PTR, and we've been writing lots of excellent guides and short tip posts to give you an edge in whatever you're doing in Mists.

Downtime this morning is limited to rolling restarts at 5 a.m. PDT, so there's no time like the present to arm yourself with knowledge before you plunge back into the game. Read on for our usual roundup.

Hot news and features

Check out the latest live server hotfixes for October 16.
Check out the latest updates to the patch 5.1 PTR notes.
Patch 5.1 will feature a lot of new hunter pet spawns.
Patch 5.1 will include PvP sound announcements.
Patch 5.1 allows you to upgrade your battle pets.
Wowhead has dug up new details on the patch 5.1 Karasang Wilds quests.
Heading into heroic dungeons? Check our 5 second guide to level 90 heroic bosses.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Blizzard working to repair ongoing login issues [Updated]

by Olivia Grace Oct 7th 2012 at 2:28PM

Nethaera has posted on the US forums that Blizzard are working to rectify the login issues currently preventing players from connecting to certain realms. Following today's rolling restarts that may or may not be related to some strange events, many players have had issues gaining access to the game.

Nethaera

We are currently experiencing an issue after the performed rolling restarts that is affecting the authentication servers. We are currently investigating this issue and will provide further updates within an hour.

Updates:

12:17 p.m. PDT - We are continuing to work to resolve the connection issues that many players are experiencing while attempting to log in to the game. We do not have an ETA for when this will be resolved but will provide an additional update at approximately 1:15 p.m. PDT.

1:17 p.m. PDT- Thank you for your patience. The log in issues are being slowly resolved and players are able to log in once more. We will provide updates should any additional issues occur.

source

[Thanks for the tips!]

Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.

Filed under: News items

Last Week in WoW: Finding your way in patch 5.0.4 edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Sep 4th 2012 at 8:00AM

The big news of the week, of course, is patch 5.0.4, which now on live servers. We, of course, have been offering all the news and guides you'll need to stay informed on how the patch works and how your class has changed. One of the most pleasant changes for me, personally has been the increased leveling speed. Suddenly, it's sort of fun to level again, and I already have a new level 85 warrior as a result, thanks in part to Rossi's excellent warrior guides.

There's non-patch news too, as well. My favorite tidbit is the news that they're working on new Orc and Human models. As someone who plays a human male main, I'm definitely looking forward to possibly not looking like a shaved gorilla, I won't lie.

You can read all this and more in our usual news roundup below. Downtime is limited to rolling restarts at 5 a.m. PDT, but why not take a breather and catch up?

Hot news and features

We have a roundup of class resources and guides for Mists of Pandaria. If your spec isn't cover yet, check back. Chances are it will be in the days leading up to Mists.
Check out the official release patch notes for patch 5.0.4.
Glyphs saw a lot of changes in the patch. We have a class by class breakdown of what changed.
Confused about the new account-wide pets, mounts, and achievements? We'll let you know what's up.
Sometimes, it's the pleasant little surprises that get you with each new patch. 5.0.4 was no exception.
The Queue has been answering a lot of your patch 5.0.4 questions. Check out their back issues and see if yours got answered.

Filed under: News items

Last Week in WoW: Keep exploring edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Aug 14th 2012 at 9:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. Probably the biggest news this week is that Blizzard's security was breached, and passwords and other information were stolen. On the plus side, much of the information was encrypted. That said, it's probably a good idea for you to change your password and get an authenticator, if you haven't already. In other news, we continue to explore the Mists of Pandaria beta, and almost as exciting, the Curiosity Rover continues to explore Mars. That picture up there? It's a color picture of another planet. How exciting is that, I ask you?

Downtime today is a series of rolling restarts starting at 5 a.m. PDT, with a handful of servers staying down until 1 p.m. PDT. Check the link to see if your server's on the list. Whether your server's down for 15 minutes or eight hours, we're here to keep you busy. Read on for a roundup of the latest news.

Hot news and features

Planning to level a monk? We have a guide for you.
The background downloader is active, heralding the arrival of patch 5.0.4.
Ghostcrawler recently commented about the rate of valor point gain in Mists of Pandaria.
Ghostcrawler also confirmed and explained the lack of reputation gaining tabards in Mists.
With Theramore about to fall on hard times, we take a look back at its history.
Alas, the new Theramore scenario will not be tested on the PTR.
Blizzard will be hosting a series of community round tables at gamescom 2012.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: Digital love edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Jul 24th 2012 at 9:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. The patch 5.0.4 PTR is live now, complete with patch notes. While it's not Mists itself, it's another milestone on the road and another sign that a release date might just be coming our way soon. The big news for me this week though is the possibility of a Digital Deluxe version of the expansion. As someone who makes almost all of his media purchases in digital form these days, including his computer games, I love that I may finally have that choice in Mists. On the other hand, I've been buying those big old Collector's Edition boxes for years now. Do I really want to break that tradition?

While I sit here and agonize over my answer, why don't you check out our usual roundup of the past seven days' news? Downtime this week is just another set of rolling restarts -- but hey, why not give the servers a few more minutes to calm down?

Hot news and features

The Mists of Pandaria opening cinematic will debut at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Aug. 16. In the meantime, you can watch the pandaren introduction video instead.
Do you like daily quests? There will be 48 per day available in Mists of Pandaria. Olivia's not too sure she'll be doing them.
Still, you may want to get used to doing dailies if you want reputation. Mists faction tabards won't grant reputation in dungeons.
In order to promote pet hunting, wild battle pets will not be tradable.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: Jaina is my hero edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Jun 5th 2012 at 7:00AM

Jaina Proudmoore casting a cone of fire spell from her hand.

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! I would like to make a confession. I've been sort of in a huge fanboy mood lately. Legend of Korra has become sort of an obsession with me. I'm really getting into the whole Rory is the Master theory in Doctor Who. But honestly, what's got my little fanboy heart going the most is the new Jaina dialogue in the latest Mists of Pandaria beta build.

As a an Alliance diehard, I admit that I'm not really on board with the whole destroying Theramore thing, but Jaina's new dialogue still makes me pretty happy. I love that we finally have another leader that's speaking truth to power. Watch out, orcs. Jaina's coming for you, and this time it won't be Varian she puts on ice.

If you're not into the Alliance, don't worry -- there's plenty more faction neutral Mists of Pandaria news. Downtime this morning is just a series of rolling restarts at 5 a.m. PDT, but there's a lot of juicy stuff to catch up on, so why not take a few minutes and read on?

Hot news and features

Head enchants are gone in Mists of Pandaria, and you'll buy your shoulder enchantments from player scribes.
In Mists of Pandaria, you'll be able to blacklist your least favorite Battlegrounds when you queue for a random Battleground.
The new core abilities tab in Mists will help you learn how to play your class.
Forsaken now have a new racial ability that lets them drain health from the enemy.
Level 90 flight is now available in the beta, and we'll tell you where to get it and how much it costs.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: More than a feeling edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Apr 10th 2012 at 5:00AM

Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone. As the week gets in full gear, we here at WoW insider are mostly still basking in the post-PAX afterglow. Alas, I was not among the attendees, but my coworkers who did make the trip to Boston had a blast, and the panel went well. If you missed it, why not use this week's downtime as an excuse to listen to the panel? We even have footage of the first 10 minutes.

If you can't make time to listen right now, don't worry. We still have plenty of news for you to catch up on. In addition to all the juicy stuff from the Mists of Pandaria beta, we have some pretty big site news. Yes, that is a new comment system you're seeing. Luckily, the world hasn't ended, as some were predicting, so you should still be able to use it. Downtime today is limited to a series of rolling restarts at 5 a.m. PDT, but with all this good stuff to read or listen to, you may want to stick around anyway. Read on for more.

Mists of Pandaria news and features

We have a spoiler-free overview of the Mists of Pandaria beta.
We take a first look at monk leveling in the beta.
Raid Rx has a basic guide to the mistweaver healing monk.

Last Week in WoW: Pandas everywhere

by Daniel Whitcomb Mar 20th 2012 at 10:30AM

I'm sure by now, everyone's heard the biggest news of the week. With the NDA expired on the press tour, we've been hit with a glut of information the new Mists of Pandaria expansion. I'm not sure what my favorite part is. Is it the identity of Mists of Pandaria's final boss? Is it the fact that I'll get to play some Team Fortress? It's hard to choose, really.

But don't let me decide for you. After the break, we'll have our usual roundup, including a section devoted to all the new expansion news you can handle. You'll only have to deal with rolling restarts this morning at 5:00 a.m. PDT, but expansion news is worth a few extra minutes, right? Keep on reading for the full rundown.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week In WoW: The cruelest month edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Feb 7th 2012 at 7:00AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. This week, we were treated to an update about an update about an update, as Zarhym first tweeted about the announcement of an upcoming press event for Mists of Pandaria and Nethaera posted about it the next day. The gist of it all, though, is that we have to wait a whole month for any major amount of expansion news. However, once that goes down, the floodgates should open. Still, because of this, I am officially declaring February the new cruelest month.

Don't worry about the meantime, though -- we here at WoW Insider will continue to keep you informed and entertained as we wait for the next big thing. Right now, we've got all the news about the recently released patch 4.3.2, as well as end of Cataclysm retrospectives, guides to avoiding the most common mistakes your class makes, and much more. In addition, there are three world events going on right now, and we have guides to them all. Downtime today is a quick series of rolling restarts at 10 a.m. PST, so while you wait for server to stabilize, why not see what we have to offer?

Tuesday Morning Post: Raids with friends edition

by Daniel Whitcomb Jan 10th 2012 at 10:30AM

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. The big news of this week is probably patch 4.3.2, which is on the PTR. For the most part, it's bringing us minor balance changes and bug fixes, but there are a few big things in there, including a 64-bit client and the advent of raiding with your cross-realm friends. You still can't raid Dragon Soul with your friends from that PvP server you refuse to roll on, but you can at least do Raid Finder runs, as well as any classic raid your heart desires. Now you can sucker even more people into those legendary farming runs!

With a new patch on test the servers and the last of the post-holiday doldrums more or less shaken off, you better believe there's plenty of good news and interesting stuff to read from the past week. Downtime this week is a series of rolling restarts at 10 a.m. PST, which of course gives you time for a nice mid-morning or early afternoon break to catch up on the news. Read on for the usual run-down.

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

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