Posts with tag twin-peaks

It's tough carrying the flag in Warsong Gulch or Twin Peaks, primarily due to the Focused Assault debuff which increases the damage you take when you pick up the flag -- but it's about to get a little tougher for tanks playing these rated battlegrounds. According to CM Lore, in rated battlegrounds tanks who carry the flag should be getting a bigger debuff -- 50% additional damage compared to the 20% others get. However, a bug is currently treating tanks just like everyone else, so expect a hotfix soon (no restarts required).

In addition to fixing debuff damage, there are plans to add the same kind of debuff system to orb carriers in rated Temple of Kotmogu and cart carriers in rated Deepwind Gorge. These changes will take effect next maintenance cycle.

All of these changes are for rated battlegrounds only, where they should make it a bit easier to take out enemy flag carriers -- and tougher to keep your own alive.

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Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? That's why Blood Sport is here!

The Twin Peaks battleground was introduced with Cataclysm. While it's a new battleground with a brand new map, Twin Peaks borrows a lot of elements from an old, favorite PVP location, Warsong Gulch.

In Twin Peaks, the two teams face off to play a rousing game of capture-the-flag. The rules are essentially the same as Warsong Gulch. To win, you run up to the enemy flag, right-click it, grab it, and run it back to your own base. If your flag is in your base, then you score a point. If your flag is not in your base, you have to hang out while you wait for it to get returned. Like I said, it's essentially the same thing as Warsong Gulch.

There are quite a few changes to PvP in Cataclysm. Let's have a look at how the changes in the past few patches will affect the other aspect of World of Warcraft gameplay ...

Resilience is different

Resilience no longer reduces critical strike chance but instead only reduces damage across the board. As resilience is the premier PvP stat, this impacts gameplay in a major way. First, critical strikes are back on the table. This means that talents contributing to crit are valuable in PvP again. Burst damage from crits will happen more often, and players can opt to stack crit for PvP without it being devalued ... much.

The in-game calendar has been updated with battleground information in preparation for Cataclysm. The following events have been added:

• Rated battlegrounds The 10v10 rated battleground will be switching weeks with the 15v15 rated battleground on a Tuesday-to-Monday schedule.
• Call to Arms All Call to Arms weekends have been moved around to accommodate the two new battlegrounds.
• The Battle for Gilneas The first Call to Arms weekend for this 10v10 BG begins on Dec. 17.
• Twin Peaks The Call to Arms begins Dec. 24 for this capture the flag 10v10 BG.

We've updated our calendar on the right sidebar to reflect the new schedule.

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.

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Zach loves all things PvP, which is why Fight Quest is the only thing he watches on television. Well, that and Glee, which contains absolutely no PvP whatsoever. Except maybe if you consider Rachel Berry and newcomer Sunshine Corazon's rivalry some form of The Art of WarCraft. I mean, it could be.

I was supposed to go into detail with keybindings using an addon this week, but we'll put that on hold for now. We can always revisit keybindings another time, but so much has happened on the beta that it would just be wrong not to take a look at what's going on. By now, many of the abilities are pretty set, and with a rumored November release on the horizon -- an idea that's got some meat behind it now that the background downloader is working on a hefty 4 GB worth of 4.0.1 goodness -- it looks like what we see is what we'll get. The numbers will probably be tweaked up or down on some spells and talents, but for the most part, I think we've got a pretty solid feel for how the game will play.

The new game mechanics will take some getting used to for some classes such as warlocks, who become a cooldown class, and paladins, who now manage a secondary resource. Players have all of the pre-Cataclysm and the grind to level 85 to get a good feel for things, and that should be plenty of time. But never mind the new abilities -- those are fun, for sure -- but there's an entire support system for World of Warcraft PvP that raises the bar in a way we've never experienced. New battlegrounds, a standardized currency on par with the PvE system, guild support ... Cataclysm PvP is going to be fun as hell.

I was writing about something else completely, but now that the NDA has been lifted and closed beta has begun for Cataclysm, I think it's just proper that we turn our attention to the Twin Peaks, the new capture-the-flag type battleground debuting in the next expansion. The floodgates have been (officially) opened, so us battleground freaks can join in on the fun ... You can soak in all the screenshot goodness over at MMO Champion. The coolest thing about Twin Peaks is that it's a fresh take on a familiar concept. Any player who has ventured into battleground PvP understands Warsong Gulch, as it's the first and most basic battleground, virtually eliminating any learning curve of the game's mechanics. The new, asymmetrical map rejuvenates the CTF concept and necessitates a new approach to the game.

Because of the geographical asymmetry, the Horde will have different strategies from the Alliance. The deep river adds a new dimension to the map in a way that hasn't been fully utilized in any other battleground except for Arathi Basin -- and even then only to a minor degree. That the river essentially cuts the map in half makes it a critical element in gameplay. Because there's a sewage-pipe-style opening on the Western side of the Horde base leading into the water, it isn't merely decorative; it's strategic, too. On the Northern end of the map, the Alliance stronghold utilizes multiple levels, making abilities that minimize or eliminate falling damage a nice bonus. Three ways in and out for each of the nearly identically laid out bases, two graveyards per faction, and a bothersome intersecting river make for an exciting new twist on an old premise.

PvP fans can rejoice -- Blizzard released information today regarding the new Twin Peaks battleground today, located inside the Eastern Kingdoms' new Twilight Highlands zone. Twin Peaks is described as a "10 vs. 10, capture-the-flag style battleground" reminiscent of Warsong Gulch.

Alliance players will be called to the defense of the Wildhammer Dwarves, who are fighting to regain control of their home territory of Grim Batol. The Horde will be forging a new coalition with the Dragonmaw Clan, who seek to take hold on the territory as well.

More details are beyond the break.

Zarhym - Re: Captured Gronns in Grim Batol!

Grim Batol was founded by the Wildhammers. The Wildhammers abandoned their new home after the war with the Dark Irons left the place tainted. The Dragonmaw clan later moved in and attempted to harvest the eggs of Alextrasza for sinister purposes, though they failed to fully satisfy Deathwing. With the four Dragon Aspects confronting both Deathwing and the Dragonmaws, Grim Batol was abandoned. Members of the Red Dragonflight stayed behind to guard its corridors in the Twilight Highlands. ...

That I can't say, but there will be a Twilight Highlands Battleground called Twin Peaks. The Alliance will be working with the Wildhammers in a struggle for land against the Dragonmaws backed by the Horde.

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The reason this goes into "Did you just say what I think you just said?" territory is apparent to anyone who did the Netherwing dailies in BC or read the novel Day of the Dragon (or our KYL feature on the Red Dragonflight). The Dragonmaw Clan are bad news. As Golluck Rockfist, the Horde Ambassador to the Wyrmrest Accord, so clearly put it, "In years past, the warlock Nekros Skullcrusher abused a powerful artifact to enslave Alexstrasza and much of the red dragonflight. Zuluhed and Nekros are dead, but the debt we owe to the reds is far from repaid."

Zuluhed and Nekros? Dragonmaw. The orcs hanging around in the Wetlands attacking people randomly? Dragonmaw. The toothy fellow above? An adventurer disguised as one of the Dragonmaw in the service of Illidan Stormrage himself. The same Dragonmaw clan that made a deal with Deathwing's consort thinking it was Deathwing himself they were working for, mind you. The news that the Dragonmaw are now pledging their allegiance to Garrosh's Horde is very, very interesting, to say the least.