Patch 3.3 PTR: Easing the curve for beginners

The patch 3.3 PTR notes are out, and the most interesting thing to me, after just a first look, is that Blizzard is making some serious tweaks to the level 1-10 experience, of all things. Dazed is getting changed a bit -- characters from levels 1-5 will be completely immune, while characters 6-10 will have a much lower chance of getting slowed down. Health and mana regeneration at the lower levels is being increased (mana costs on the lower levels of spells are also being decreased, though we're not sure yet which spells are being changed and what the difference is). The default equipment is being tweaked, and most notably, rogues will start out right away with dual wield and two daggers do it with.

So what's up with these changes? My guess is actually that Blizzard is streamlining the 1-10 experience, because in Cataclysm, it's about to get a little crazier. We heard about just how much is going on in the starting zones the other day, and without spoiling it, there's revolutions, wars, plagues, life, love, and death. That's a lot to be putting into 10 levels, and so these new changes seem like they're meant to keep new players (or new alts) from worry too much about having enough health or getting dazed or geared up. Once you hit level 11, then things can get underway, but it seems like, in patch 3.3, Blizzard is paving the way for lowbies to worry less about fighting, and more about what their character is doing for the storyline.