Patch 1.12: PTR and Patch Notes

The number of available character transfers to the test realm reset sometime Friday evening - usually a sign that the public test realms are coming online soon. The rumors flying around on the forums garnered an official response from Tseric, who said that efforts were made to get the PTR online Friday, but it was likely to be pushed back until Monday. However, a lucky group of people were, apparently, able to download the new patch and find patch notes for it. I know you're curious, so read on for all the details.

Cross-Realm Battlegrounds
- For the first time in the history of World of Warcraft, you will be
able to face off against players from other realms in the
Battlegrounds. PvP Battlegrounds link Alterac Valley, Warsong Gulch,
and Arathi Basin so that players from several realms will be
combined into one huge matchmaking pool. Replenish your mana,
sharpen your blades, and get ready for some brand-new challengers!

World PvP
- The stage is set for intense, objective-based land battles as Horde
and Alliance vie for control over important strategic positions and
resources around Azeroth. Head out for Silithus and Eastern
Plaguelands to engage the enemy on the field!

General
- Threat Reduction Effects
This system has been redesigned to eliminate inconsistency in how
the effects work. Previously, some were additive (for example: 30%
reduction + 20% reduction = 50% reduction) while others were
multiplicative (30% threat reduction multiplied by 20% threat
reduction equals 44% threat reduction). They are now all
multiplicative. This also prevents unpredictable behavior when the
total reduction percentage was equal to or greater than 100%.
- Haste and Slow effects
Previously Haste and Slow effects worked inconsistently, with spells
working differently from weapons, and hastes and slows not acting as
inverses of each other. We have revised the system so that all haste
and slow effects work the same way, and haste and slow percentages
perfectly cancel each other out (30% haste and 30% slow combine to
no change). As a result, we had to change the tooltip numbers on all
spell haste effects, and on all melee and range slow effects. The
numbers in the tooltips are different, but the game functionality
is unchanged (other than slight rounding errors). Those tooltips
that changed will now display larger numbers than they used to
display. Conceptually, haste values indicate how much more of that
activity you can perform in a given time. 30% melee haste means 30%
more swings in a given time. Slow values indicate how much longer an
activity takes to complete. 30% slow means an action takes 30%
longer to finish. For those interested, the new haste and slow
effects work mathematically in the following way. Each effect
separately multiplies the attack timer of your weapon or casting
time of your spell. They are multiplied in sequence (order doesn't
matter) and the final result is the attack timer or casting time.
The multipliers use the following equations:

Haste effects: multiplier=1/(1+percent/100)
Slow effects: multiplier=1*(1+percent/100)

As an example, a 50% haste generates a multiplier of 0.666; a 50%
slow generates a multiplier of 1.5. If they are multiplied together
the result is 1. A 50% haste on a 3.0 speed weapon makes it 2.0
speed, resulting in you getting 30 swings per minute instead of 20
swings per minute: 50% more swings. A 50% slow on a 3.0 casting time
spell generates a casting time of 4.5. It took you 50% longer to
finish casting the spell.
- The deserter debuff will now continue to expire even while you are
offline.

Druids
- Barkskin: The tooltip has been changed to 25% due to the haste
effect change.
- Ferocious Bite: The Book of Ferocious Bite (Rank 5) now drops
somewhere in the world.
- Furor: This talent now works correctly with Cat Form again.
- Improved Shred: The discounted cost for Shred will now be displayed
correctly even when you are not in Cat Form.
- Rip: Lesser potency Rips will no longer overwrite greater potency
ones.

Hunters
- Spirit Bond: This ability will now be correctly reapplied when you
resurrect in a battleground and your pet is polymorphed or otherwise
unable to act normally.

Mages
- Arcane Missiles: It is no longer possible to cast this spell on an
evading mob. In addition, the animation will now stop when the
target is dead.
- Arcane Power: It is no longer possible to gain the benefit of this
spell and Power Infusion at the same time by careful timing.
- Frost Armor Chilled effect: The tooltip has been changed to 100% due
to the haste effect change.
- Ice Armor Chilled effect: The tooltip has been changed to 100% due
to the haste effect change.
- Polymorph: This spell will now be removed when a player leaves a
battleground. This prevents some bugs involving polymorph from
occurring.
- Evocation will no longer be usable while silenced.

Paladins
- Divine Shield: The tooltip has been changed to 100% due to the haste
effect change.

Priests

- Mind Control: The tooltip has been changed to 25% due to the haste
effect change.
- Psychic Scream: This spell now uses the same resistance checks as
the Warlock spell Fear.

Rogues
- Due to significant talent changes, Rogues will have all talent
points refunded and can be respent. Training costs for all talent
spell replacements have been significantly reduced.
- Eviscerate: Manual of Eviscerate (Rank 9) now drops somewhere in the
world.
- Garrote: The damage from this ability has been increased
approximately 50%.
- Relentless Strikes: This ability will no longer trigger when your
finishing move does not hit your target.
- Sap: Enemy rogues will now always lose stealth when you Sap them.

Shaman
- Grounding Totem: This totem will no longer absorb multiple effects
from Entrapment in a 10 second period.
- Windfury Totem: The weapon enchantment from this totem will now only
trigger off normal melee swings. This means abilities such as
Sinister Strike, Mortal Strike, and Hamstring will no longer trigger
the Windfury Totem.
- Reincarnation should now display the cooldown timer when used.
- Chain Heal - After the initial target is healed, the healing effect
will jump to the most damaged target (by absolute health) within
range. In addition, if a raid member is the initial target it will
look for valid raid targets to jump to rather than non-raid targets
as a priority, making it consistent with group targeted Chain Heals.

Warlocks
- Cripple (Doomguard): The tooltip has been changed to 45% due to the
haste effect change.
- Enslave Demon: The tooltip has been changed to 40% due to the haste
effect change.
- Health Funnel: This spell will now work correctly on low-level
enslaved demons.
- Howl of Terror: This spell now uses the same resistance checks
as the Warlock spell Fear.
- Siphon Life will now properly gain a benefit from Shadow Mastery.

Warriors
- Flurry: The text on the tooltip has been corrected to indicate it
triggers on all types of attacks.
- Shield Slam: This ability will sometimes no longer remove more than
one beneficial effect from the target.
- Sword Specialization: This ability can no longer trigger off of
itself.

Items
- +30 Spell Damage Enchantment: Fixed a bug with this enchantment
which was preventing it from benefiting healing spells.
- Blade of Eternal Darkness: The triggered effect from this weapon
will no longer occur when the spell being cast has its effect broken
by causing damage.
- Blazefury Medallion: The triggered effect from this item will no
longer break Gouge.
- Bonescythe Armor: The Eviscerate bonus will no longer trigger when
your Eviscerate does not hit your target.
- Darkmoon Card- Twisting Nether: The dialog for this resurrection
will now always reappear after the Spirit of Redemption effect has
completed.
- Eye of the Dead: Holy Shock now interacts properly with this item.
- Ranged Elemental Damage: Our ranged combat system does not allow a
ranged weapon to do a mix of Elemental (Fire, Frost, Arcane, etc.)
and Physical damage. Many ranged weapons existed which were listed
as doing Elemental damage and did not function properly (the damage
was dealt, but was treated as Physical). All of those weapons have
been changed to deliver the Elemental damage as a chance on hit
effect. Hurricane was previously changed this way in 1.11. The
following ranged weapons are also fixed in 1.12: Bow of Searing
Arrows, Dwarven Hand Cannon, Heartseeking Crossbow, Dark Iron Rifle,
Galgann's Fireblaster, Quillshooter, Shell Launcher Shotgun,
Venomstrike, and Verdant Keeper's Aim.
- Talisman of Ascendence: This item will no longer trigger from
physical damage effects. In addition, if either of the buffs from
the item are cancelled, they will both be cancelled.
- Zandalarian Hero Charm: Item tooltip corrected to match the effect
tooltip.
- The Items that summon mounts have been changed in their color/
quality. Items that summon normal mounts are now blue(superior)items
and items that summon swift mounts are now purple(epic) items.
- Fixed a bug that allowed you to use items which restored health or
mana while you were already full health or mana.
- Fixed a bug with the Jom Gabbar trinket which was causing it to
trigger a category cooldown for a duration longer than intended.
- Fixed a bug that prevented Arcane Missiles from being able to
trigger the effect of Wrath of Cenarius.
- Clarified the tooltips for the Stormshroud armor and Kalimdor's
Revenge to explain that they deal Nature damage.
- Fixed a bug that caused the Blooddrenched Mask to hide a character's
hair.
- Warbear leather now stacks to 20.

Professions
- Engineering: The damage from sapper charges can now be resisted.
The overall DPS of the charges should not be significantly altered
from what it currently is.
- Engineering: Explosive sheep do fire damage instead of physical
damage.

Raids and Dungeons

- Uldaman
Reduced the number of Shadowforge Ambushers that attack after
looting the quest chest.
Shadowforge Ambushers are no longer elite.
The respawn of the Stone Stewards has been changed to 2 hours
(from 30 minutes).
- Zul'Farrak
The respawn of the 2 Troll/1 Basilisk patrollers should now be 2
hours.
Reduced the damage dealt by the Sul'lithuz Abomination and
Sul'lithuz Sandcrawler.
Dead Heroes are no longer elites.
Theka the Martyr will now only remain immune to physical damage for
30 seconds before reverting to normal.
Antu'sul's Sul'lithuz Broodlings now only hatch 4 at a time and are
significantly weaker.
Witch Doctor Zum'rah will no longer call as many dead heroes to his
aid when aggroed.
Weegli Blastfuse now has slightly more hit points.
Antu'sul's Warden no longer attempts to knock adventurers into
Antu'sul's lair.
Sandfury Cretins who engage the party during the pyramid event are
no longer able to cast shadow bolt.
- Mauradon
Noxxious Scions will no longer spawn when you cleanse Celebrian Vines.

User Interface
- V key functionality has been improved in several ways.
V key now shows summoned monsters (such as the gargoyles in
Stratholme.)
V key now shows both monsters and player enemies.
V now shows enemies only (no longer shows friendly targets.)
Shift-V now shows friendly targets only, not enemies (with a new
bindable hotkey.)
Control-V shows both friendly targets and enemy targets (with a new
bindable hotkey.)
- New floating combat text has been added to the game with a number
of options. You can see when you take damage, when you are healed
and how much, when you acquire and lose auras and much more. You can
turn on the new options in the newly revised options screen.
- The Need Before Greed and Group Loot countdown timers will now have
a 3 minute countdown when there is a bind on acquire item on the
corpse. This should allow a bit more time in making a decision to
roll for an item.
- Automatic Quest Tracking has been added to the game and is turned
on by default. Any time you advance a quest by advancing one of the
requirements, the quest information will appear on your screen for 5
minutes before fading. You can turn this option off from the options
screen.
- There is now a confirmation dialogue when you attempt to disband
your guild.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug that caused some non-combat pets to be referred to as
Minions instead of Pets. Mini Diablo however has escaped this fate
and will continue to be referred to as a Minion