Posts with tag wow-patch-5.2

Blizzard updated the official 5.2 patch notes a few hours ago. Some of the updates are consolidated changes from the last few PTR builds, but many of them are new. You can see the full update at the official WoW community site, but we've compiled all the changes. Check out some of the highlights below.

• The continuation of the Wrathion questline will unlock a new legendary metagem, Crown of the Heavens.
• Three new spectral porcupine spirit beasts have appeared across Pandaria as tameable beasts.
• There is now an option to show absorb effects (such as Power Word: Shield) on player, target, party and raid frames. This feature is currently enabled if you turn on the predictive healing option. Unlike predictive healing, absorb effects will display for enemy targets.
• The Reputation panel on the character screen will now let players know which reputations they have purchased and used Grand Commendations for.

The ability to use (and not use) flying mounts in the leveling experience in Mists has been a ... topic of some debate amongst people. Some feel it's added the overall experience, while others are upset they don't have the ability to dive out of the sky anymore and quest super quickly.

Blizzard was pretty adamant that this design decision was necessary, and Bashiok indicates in his post that's how they still feel.

More importantly, however, is that Bashiok notes there will be no flying in the new zone coming in patch 5.2. It'll be very Isle of Quel'Danas-like, for those of you who've played there during The Burning Crusade.

Bashiok's full statement is as follows (bold added for emphasis):

Bashiok

We pretty firmly believe the questing experience is just wholly better when you can't lift off and set down wherever you like, frog leaping from quest objective to quest objective. Certainly we've supported that with no flying for the leveling content of Wrath and Mists, and only after you hit level cap can you obtain the ability to fly. The new zone coming in 5.2 is not unlike the Isle of Quel'Danas in a few ways, and one of them is that there's no flying. That helps us achieve that desire for progressive questing, it's good for supporting world PvP, as well as lets us make really difficult outdoor encounters, like Oondasta - who is OG Kazzak in difficulty - that you can't just drop on top of from the sky.

I can't imagine flying mounts ever going away, they're a big part of the game at this point, but certainly they can take a break when it makes sense and we can present content in a more intimate way from time to time.

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The patch 5.2 LFR item level requirement. It's been an extremely hot topic lately, and Blizzard has been listening. Today Taepsilum mentioned that the requirement has been reduced to 480, down from the previous high of 486.

This should make it much easier to get into the new LFR, as current LFR gear has an item level of 483. Keeping the new number just slightly below the current number should allow for those drops that just won't happen, and give players a bit more flexibility on off-spec sets as well.

Keep in mind this is all on the PTR, and as Neth reminded us earlier this week, things can and often do change. Taepsilum's statement is as follows:

Taepsilum

Just wanted to share some updated info we have with you guys: At this moment our intent is to change Thunder King's LFR ilvl requirement to 480, we also want to lower the Honor gear in patch 5.2 from 483 to 476, compensating with some bonus PvP stats, so that the gear remains as powerful for PvP but not allow players to use it as a quick shortcut into LFR.

Like always, everything is subject to change, we're still in PTR stage folks! And we all know that even on live things can still change, while we always [strive] to avoid doing that (and that's why we have a PTR), gameplay comes first, so if a change is urgently needed, we do our best to apply it as fast as possible.

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Blizzard has released a few small hotfixes that went in place this last Tuesday, January 8. And while we're just hearing about them now, indications are that they are active on the live servers at this time.

Notable is the Vengeance/Attack Power hotfix that counters the extreme level 80 soloing done by a resourceful paladin.

The full list is as follows:

Blizzard Entertainment

January 8

General

• Attack Power gained from Vengeance is now capped at the player's maximum health.

Quests

• Commander Oxheart in Townlong Steppes will now sell Crystallized Dread, Crystallized Terror, Crystallized Horror, and Eye of the Black Prince for gold to players that have completed the appropriate quest lines.
• Completing "Heart of the Alliance" or "A Gathering Storm" will no longer sometimes cause players to be phased incorrectly.

Dungeons, Raids & Scenarios

Mogu'shan Vaults

• Feng the Accursed now correctly has a chance to drop Fan of Fiery Winds and Feng's Ring of Dreams in the 10 player Heroic mode version of the encounter.

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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.

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In what could potentially be filed under the "duh" category, but still something that has to be mentioned just about every time any datamining news comes out, Ghostcrawler makes it crystal clear as to what to take away from the recent waves of datamined info:

@tweetsrdumb Players have also datamined a lot of stuff in 5.2 that isn't going to be in 5.2 either. Shrug.

- Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) January 6, 2013

Including things in the PTR and game files that are not present is an age old tradition at Blizzard. The Emerald Dream and Hellfire were in the game files in extremely early development form for ages. As were never released battlegrounds and crazy spells.

Patches tend to get things that don't make much sense to us when we're looking at them from the outside in. On Blizzard's end they must make some sense, although it does seem the amount of seemingly useless data (for lack of a better phrase) has decreased over the last few years. But then again, how do we know it's useless? We don't.

Bottom line, a good reminder from top to bottom that you shouldn't read into datamined stuff very much.

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One thing that we won't be seeing with patch 5.2 is the ability for the new gear to be upgraded via valor points. As Ghostcrawler explains in a tweet from this weekend:

@champlain1635 Our plan at this moment is upgrading only for patches without a new raid / PvP tier. That design could change.

- Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) January 5, 2013

This makes sense in many ways; the primary focus of the "grind" should be acquiring new gear across all slots, not making minor incremental changes to the gear that you've already seen dropped. Valor points also will continue to be useful in the mid-patches with this philosophy (5.1/5.3), versus just becoming something you've got and are never going to use, which often happens during the later end of a raiding tier.

We're assuming here that Ghostcrawler's note will just apply to patch 5.2 gear, and not the total system. It would seem quite odd to just switch off the entire upgrading mechanic all the sudden.

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When Blizzard said that the PTR for patch 5.2 would be available early January, they really meant early January! The PTR is now available, with character copies and level 90 premades ready to go. Patch 5.2 will bring the Thunder King raid and a number of other additions, including:

• A new daily quest hub: The Isle of the Thunder King -- the Kirin-Tor Offensive and the Sunreaver Onslaught face off to lay claim to Emperor Lei Shen's island stronghold and the treasures contained therein.
• Two new world bosses, Nalak the Storm Lord and Oondasta
• An option to purchase Sunsong Ranch to make it a resting point like an inn. Work orders will come in from various factions, and completing the work orders will grant you reputation with the issuing faction.
• All world bosses are now Tap to Faction. This new system offers every eligible player of the same faction that engages a boss the chance to earn loot.
• And more!

Check out all of our patch 5.2 coverage right here.

• The new raid, Throne of Thunder, which includes 12 new raid encounters and an additional 13th foe unlocked upon defeating Emperor Lei Shen in Heroic mode.
• New daily quest hub: The Isle of the Thunder King -- the Kirin-Tor Offensive and the Sunreaver Onslaught face off to lay claim to Emperor Lei Shen's island stronghold and the treasures contained therein.
• Two new world bosses, Nalak the Storm Lord and Oondasta
• An option to purchase Sunsong Ranch to make it a resting point like an inn. Work orders will come in from various factions, and completing the work orders will grant you reputation with the issuing faction.
• All world bosses are now Tap to Faction. This new system offers every eligible player of the same faction that engages a boss the chance to earn loot.

Stemming out of a relatively good post on PvP quality of life changes that could be implemented for the monk class, Daxxarri weighed in on some upcoming things that are possible for patch 5.2. Notably Renewing Mists being usable while mounted and Soothing Mists not being able to be purged.

This isn't the first time the blues have been dropping hints about upcoming patch 5.2 features. While there doesn't seem to be any pending release of a PTR, there's certainly a bit of chatter lately.

Daxxarri's full blue posts is as follows:

Daxxarri

The following changes are currently on the table for 5.2:

• Life Cocoon will be undispellable and won't interrupt the cast at the end of the effect (and players will also be able to jump as well).
• We're working to resolve the issues with Renewing Mist not being able to be used while mounted, though it will dismount the caster after it is cast.
• Soothing Mist will no longer be able to be Purged, so it will work in a manner similar to the Priest's Penance. It will still be considered a periodic heal.

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An interesting blue post appeared over the weekend, giving a look at what Blizzard is thinking for patch 5.2 down on the farm. Namely that those rather pesky birds might have a long term solution, and you'll finally be able to rest on your farm.

The farm is the one of the closest things WoW has to player housing; it's an adaptive environment based on your progress in the game (namely Tiller reputation), and it provides actual benefits that help (or are downright needed) to advance in the end game. Adding a way to rest on the farm would solidify this area as a central location in WoW. And while it's not a substitute for full scale player housing, it's certainly a step in some player-made persistent world (if only persistent to the player himself).

Personally, I hope we're able to fall asleep on a hammock. It's the ideal farm rest option.

Standard Disclaimer: None of this is for sure, and it's just the blues talking about what they're thinking about doing in patch 5.2.

Brennvin

There are some changes we're hoping to implement in Patch 5.2 regarding Sunsong Ranch. Things we're considering are ways to lure birds away, creating a resting zone, and perhaps a way to have your friends around (NPCs you've gained rep with) giving you tasks to do to gain nice perks. Nothing is guaranteed but those are just some of possibilities currently on the table.

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