wintergrasp-balance
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The problems with Tol Barad (and how to fix them)
Tol Barad, the newest contestable PvP experience in Cataclysm, is great fun and provides the winning side with an awesome daily quest hub and a Vault of Archavon-style encounter, Argaloth, that drops the new tier legs and gloves. Using the same style of play as in Wintergrasp, the previous winners defend the island prison of Tol Barad against the invading faction. Tol Barad would be fun if it weren't so horribly broken in its goal and mechanics. The battleground of Tol Barad has only been active for about a week and a half, with most people only having experienced it for the first time within a few days. There are six distinct problems with Tol Barad at the moment: Defending Tol Barad is too easy. The cap mechanics to secure capture points make it too easy to switch. The towers in Tol Barad that grant extra time to the attackers have no reason to be defended by the defending faction. Tol Barad's victory condition for the attacking faction has created a frustrating environment in light of the mechanics at play in the battleground. The graveyards are skewed in favor of the defenders. The losing side in Tol Barad receives no Tol Barad commendation for participating in the battle, while the winning team receives three.
Upcoming changes to Wintergrasp, Tol Barad balancing details revealed
Zarhym was active on the forums last night detailing some of the new balancing mechanics in Tol Barad, the Wintergrasp-like zone that will be coming out in Cataclysm. In fact, it's so much like Wintergrasp that Wintergrasp itself will soon be updated with the new balancing mechanics. In brief, the new mechanics are: A minimum cap will be placed on the zone (which must be met by one faction, but not necessarily both). If that number is say, 25, then there might be a battle of 25 v. 5. Maximum cap will still exist. If there are only 50 Alliance players, the system will try to find only around 50 Horde players -- even if there are 200 Horde players queued. The full statements after the break, including helpful examples that should help eliminate a lot of confusion and QQ.
Wintergrasp's hidden balance mechanics revealed, minor changes coming soon
Not long after Zarhym officially announced the Assault on the Ruby Sanctum, he also posted a thread announcing some changes incoming for Wintergrasp. Far more interesting than that, however, is the glimpse into the hidden mechanics behind Wintergrasp that caused the various anomalies that have left players scratching their heads since Wrath's launch, such as the opposing faction gaining the ability to build siege tanks after only one kill. The changes are posted in full below, and keep this note from Zarhym in mind: "[...] although this information may feel very new to you, the actual changes being made in the patch to the current system are relatively minor."
