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Blizzard to break the AVR mod in Patch 3.3.5
Suffer, mortals, as your pathetic mod betrays you! Come patch 3.3.5, Blizzard is disabling the functionality of the ultra-useful Augmented Virtual Reality (AVR) addon. The popular mod allows three-dimensional images to be shared between party members in real time to aid in raid strategy and positioning. It is perhaps best known for making the Sindragosa encounter a snap during the ice blocking phase (and, of course, for sharing crudely drawn pictures of genitalia). Blizzard poster Bashiok broke the news of AVR's impending demise, citing its invasive nature and the fact that it takes away from the need for on-the-spot decision making: Bashiok -- AVR Mod Broken in 3.3.5 This is a notice that we're making changes in 3.3.5 in attempts to break the ability for the AVR (Augmented Virtual Reality) mod to continue functioning. For those unaware, this mod allows players to draw in the 3D space of the game world, which can then be shared with others who are also using the mod. In some cases this manifests itself through drawing/tagging/defacing the game world, but more popularly is used to give visual guides for dungeon and raid encounters. source The full announcement after the break.
Patch 3.3.5 PTR: Ruby Sanctum testing on Thursday
Daelo (lead encounter designer for WoW) updated his post in the dungeons and raids forum last night announcing that the upcoming Ruby Sanctum raid would be back up for testing on Thursday the 20th. This is after a small update to the Public Test Realm client, which should hopefully fix some of the small stability issues and crippling lag. With premade characters able to be copied now and the Lua errors gone from the new Real ID friends list, it appears some kinks have been worked out of the system. If you haven't done so already, be sure to copy over a character and try out the new features and the newest raid under Wyrmrest Temple. Daelo Now that the 3.3.5 patch is available for PTR testing, we wanted to have a round of focus testing for Ruby Sanctum. Only normal mode will be available, with Heroic testing to occur at a later date. Everything related to this zone is implemented for this test, please note any issues with the trash creatures and sub-bosses, loot, achievements, and quests. US Testing Schedule: Thursday, May 20 starting at 19:00 EDT. We plan to allow testing for an extended period. However since this is the Test Realm, unforeseen issues could delay or cancel testing at any time. source
Patch 3.3.5 PTR: Unfinished Doomsday quest line removed
Sure, Patch 3.3.5 is shaping up to be interesting with the implementation of the Battle.net Real ID system, and new Ruby Sanctum raid dungeon -- but early players on the PTR got a sneak peek at a quest line that has since disappeared from the PTR servers. This quest chain was originally datamined back in the Patch 3.3.3 PTR along with various Cataclysm doodads and items, but the quests hadn't surfaced until now. Its removal suggests that it wasn't meant to be implemented in the first place -- luckily, we've got screenshots of the entire chain. These are spoilers for pre-Cataclysm content, so if you don't want to be spoiled, don't check out the gallery. More info on the chain after the break.
Patch 3.3.5 PTR: Battle.net Real ID system
After several tries at character copies, extended-extended downtime and Battle.net issues, we've been able to hop onto the public test realm and play around with the new Real ID features. We were able to grab a lot of screenshots of the new chat features. Now, if you're not familiar with the Real ID system, I'll give you a quick summation. If you have a real-life person you know who also plays Blizzard games and you would like to keep in touch with them despite realm, faction or even game (Diablo III, StarCraft II or World of Warcraft), then you can now add them in a social media-type format with announcement, statuses and cross-realm/faction/game whispers. This is not something you want to do with someone you've only ever known in game. The reason you don't want to do this with just anybody is that you will be using your Battle.net email login. If you happen to try out this feature on the PTR, please note that we're still in an early test realm build and there are still a lot of bugs in the system. This means you're going to get Lua errors off of the default interface, and the Battle.net server managing your friends list is often down as they're tweaking things behind the scenes. It's the test realm; it's meant to test things. So don't take its stability as a sign of what the functionality will be like when the patch hits the live realms. %Gallery-92839%
Ruby Sanctum raid testing this Thursday
Daelo hit the Dungeons & Raids forum this afternoon to announce some upcoming focus testing for Ruby Sanctum this Thursday. The blue post with scheduling is quoted below. Unfortunately, copying characters over to the PTR doesn't seem to be functional quite yet, only throwing a "Sorry, but there has been an error with your request" error. If you were planning on preparing for this in advance, no such luck. There's no reason to panic yet considering we have two full days before the testing is set to begin, but the closer we get to Thursday evening without the character copy system coming up, the dicier it's going to be as far as actually getting a character transferred. Here's hoping that little orcish peon on the World of Warcraft website gets to work. Where's my booterang when I need it? Daelo Everything related to this zone is implemented for this test, please note any issues with the trash creatures and sub-bosses, loot, achievements, and quests. US Testing Schedule: Thursday, May 13 starting at 19:00 EDT. EU Testing Schedule: Thursday, May 13 starting at 19:30 CEST. We plan to allow testing for an extended period on Thursday. However since this is the Test Realm, unforeseen issues could delay or cancel testing at any time. source
Patch 3.3.5 PTR Patch Notes
Zarhym has just released the Patch 3.3.5 PTR Patch Notes. Patch 3.3.5 will introduce the Ruby Sanctum, an all new level 80 raid dungeon located below the Wrymrest Temple in Dragonblight. Other major features of 3.3.5 include: The new Real ID system / Cross-server, cross-game, cross-faction friend chat / Battle.net 2.0 is active for testing on the PTR. There is a new "pop out" option for chat channels, placing them in their own tab of the chat window. The new "pop out" option can also apply for whisper conversations with an individual player. Remember, these patch notes are only for the PTR, and they often change. Don't expect them to be exactly like this when 3.3.5 is released to the live servers. The full notes after the break.
Icecrown Citadel raid buff to 15%
The Icecrown Citadel raid buffs, Hellscream's Warsong and Strength of Wrynn, have increased from 10% to 15% today. This is great news for those guilds just on the cusp of downing a boss -- expect to see quite a few new Lich King kills and some more progression in the next day or so. The buff is going to keep increasing, so expect it to go to 20% in about four weeks. Enjoy!
Icecrown Citadel raid buff has been buffed to 10%
Raiders rejoice (or despair depending on how you feel about it)! The Icecrown raid wide buff has been increased by an additional 5% to 10%. Anyway, if your raid has been on the brink of taking down some bosses but could not muster enough firepower, then the improved Strength of Wrynn or Hellscream's Warsong could be that extra push you need! For more information and resources, check out WoW.com's Icecrown Citadel raid strategy and information page!
In-game fixes for March 26th, 2010
This evening we have another round of in-game hotfixes that were applied separate from the minor patch this morning. Bornakk posted them in the official forums as follows: Bornakk - In-game fixes The Endless Healing Potion is no longer usable in arenas as intended. Warlocks using a lower rank of Life Tap will receive a reduced benefit from their shadow spell power. The damage done by the cannons in the gunship encounter in Icecrown Citadel has been increased and the rate at which their heat decays has been reduced. In Alterac Valley, the buffs that the Generals get from the Warmasters and Marshals now grant them negative enemy dodge. This means they will now ignore some of their target's total dodge percentage. The base health of the Generals has been increased and the buff also grants a slightly increased amount of damage and health. The cheese items in Dalaran as well as the Kvaldir Berserkers in Icecrown will once again respawn at a faster rate. The window that comes up when talking to an NPC should no longer close on its own. Some changes to the battleground queuing system have been made to improve performance and group queuing. The timer for when the next battle in Wintergrasp will occur should no long disappear source There are a lot of other problems still with addons and the "loading screen boss." When those will be resolved fully is anybody's guess. The entire list of hotfixes for this patch so far after the break.
Patch 3.3.3a should fix issues for some Mac users
A heads-up for our Mac users, although there's a good chance you've already been painfully aware of this if you play on one of the affected systems -- patch 3.3.3 has been causing major issues for some PowerPC and Tiger users, which have (hopefully) been fixed by the mini-patch 3.3.3a. S4d1K -- 3.3.3 Known Issues for Mac players We are aware of 2 critical bugs that are affecting users with specific configurations. #1 PowerPC G4/G5 users get disconnected after login. #2 Users with a MacBook Pro GeForce 8600M and 10.4.11 crashes after entering the world. We are very sorry and we are working on these issues and hope to fix them as soon as possible. UPDATE 5:10pm: We have a fix for both issues but it will require a client patch. We don't have an ETA for now. UPDATE 3/24 12:15pm: We are currently testing a patch. We want to make sure that we do not break the game for another group of people. We are doing everything to release this patch as soon as possible. source The patch in question is (we think) 3.3.3a. With the patch, many of the affected users are now reporting that WoW is playable again, but while monitoring the official thread on the issue, it's apparent that a lot of players are still having problems. We had several people drop comments on Adam's earlier post on the mini-patch -- did 3.3.3a work for you?
Patch 3.3.3: Bugs with old gear, missing gems reported
As of patch 3.3.3, some people have noticed that some of their level 70 gear is now missing gems and enchants -- they've simply up and disappeared. It only appears to be affecting gear and equipment acquired prior to Wrath, so level 80's shouldn't have too much to worry about -- but for leveling alts, or mains that are taking their time, it's definitely a concern. This has been reported, and there is a blue response on the issue: Bornakk There is currently an issue that we are aware of where gems and enchantments are missing from items that had them before we released patch 3.3.3 this week. This appears to be affecting some equipment that was acquired before the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. We are planning to resolve this during the next maintenance on Tuesday, March 30th, and recommend that you do not try to gem or re-gem any of this gear until after that time. We will provide further updates if this situation changes. source So for now, if you've noticed your gear has significantly less sparkle than it did prior to Tuesday, sit tight and don't do anything to it -- it should be fixed next Tuesday with the regular weekly maintenance. If there's any changes to this information, we'll let you know.
The Daily Quest: Post-patch 3.3.3
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. Wednesday morning the staff went through their usual routine at WoW.com HQ. Which is to say we staggered, zombie-like, to the coffee machine, browsed our RSS feeds, had a nerf gun fight, polished a few articles... and then we realized we hadn't received any reader tips all morning. Was our mail server down? Was the mailing list broken? Had the world come to an end and no one had told us yet? None of the above -- but the day after a patch is very much akin to the turkey-coma that you lapse into after Thanksgiving. All was quiet and peaceful. Today's another story, but in the meanwhile, let's have some thoughts on the latest patch from the blogging community: Blessing of Kings and Hunters Rhok are both excited by a tiny change to the login screen for hunters. Armageddon's Coming wasn't expecting 3.3.3. Warriors seem to be excited about Revenge. Achtung Panzercow, TankingTips.com, and Tank like a Girl chime in. Slice and Dice does the math for Hemo and daggers in the latest patch. Cynwise's Battleground Manual talks battlegrounds in 3.3.3. Cow and Bones wishes more people would read the patch notes. Totemz talks about what the patch means for the elemental shaman.
Milling cast time reduced to one second
There have been reports in the blogosphere that there was an undocumented reduction to the milling cast time in patch 3.3.3. It used to be two very long, agonizing seconds for a scribe to turn herbs into pigments, and is reportedly going twice as fast: a blazing speed of one mill per second. This is a huge deal to anyone who uses inscription to make money. Milling herbs into ink is one of those tasks that limits your production capabilities, and can't legally be done while afk. In fact, the milling grind time (four clicks, and until now, eight seconds per stack of herbs) is one of the reasons I rarely advocate new auctioneers getting into selling glyphs. In addition to generally overcrowded marketplaces and auction house campers, it's a business that requires almost super-human patience. This will probably make the glyph market even more crowded, as the amount of unhealthy AH camping you can do with a finite amount of playtime just went up by a fair bit. [Thanks to Wolfgang Staudt on flickr for the image] Patch 3.3.3 brings about small but noteworthy changes to the World of Warcraft. From a faster CoT, to putting those old Frozen Orbs to better use, to changes to the auction house -- there's several things all WoW players need to know. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3.3 will keep you up to date!
Breakfast topic: Your favourite patch 3.3.3 change?
You psyched about the latest 3.3.3 changes? In case you need a download mirror, check out our sister site over at Big Download. I'm not looking forward to fixing my addons but I know there will be a few issues with it. For me, there are good number of updates that I'm extremely happy about: The changes with the Frozen Orbs being greed only and the new uses for it? Excellent. Auction house updates and cooldown removals? Nice. I'm a tailor myself. Free raid buffs just by being able to manufacture the specialty cloths anywhere, right? Changes to the way raid buffs function? Score! I haven't tried out the new Random Battleground system yet, but I think I'll be sold on it as well. I'm a little disappointed about: The changes to the healing priest tier 10 4 piece bonus. (Redesigned. This bonus now increases the effectiveness of the caster's Power Word: Shield by 5% and Circle of Healing by 10%.) But my favourite change of all? The ability to skip the Culling of Stratholme introduction dialog. In my dungeon runs, I'd always see players who drop group upon finding out that was the instance we were in. Truly awesome! So what's been your favourite change so far in the latest patch?
Patch 3.3.3 known issues for March 23rd, 2010
Not surprisingly we already have a list of known issues for the just released patch 3.3.3. None of the issues on the list deal with the servers, and people have been reporting several issues with loading their character past the character select screen. Don't be shocked to see some short downtime or at least a rolling restart Wednesday morning. Some of the big known issues on the current list: Players are unable to access the auction house through Reginald Arcfire/Brassbolt Mechawrench in Dalaran. Pets are receiving Hellscream's Warsong and Strength of Wrynn outside of Icecrown Citadel on servers with the buffs active. While in Spirit of Redemption Form, certain [priest] spells will cause the form to cancel prematurely. The entire list after the break.
Patch 3.3.3: New pet bug on live realms
Patch 3.3.3 is live, and players all over are checking out all the new features -- I myself was busily exchanging battleground marks for honor points on all my various characters when I noticed something... odd. My level 70 pet had a new buff. Not just any buff -- Hellscream's Warsong, the buff from Icecrown Citadel. Upon further investigation, it appears that all player pets are currently running around with this buff -- demons, hunter pets and ghouls are all currently affected, although I didn't get a chance to peek at a mage water elemental. Alliance players are seeing the Alliance counterpart, Strength of Wrynn, also on all pets. While only the 5% version of the buff, players of every level are being affected -- I'm sure the level 42 hunter I saw running around with it was pleased. This is most assuredly a bug that will be fixed at some point in the near future, but pet classes? Enjoy it while you can. I know I will!
Patch 3.3.3 Download Mirror
Our sister site Big Download has provided us with a patch mirror for you all today. These patch files made available off of Aol servers, so they're pretty fast and stable. If you're having issues downloading the patch via the Blizzard downloader, I suggest you grab them from us -- they don't go through and P2P services, so the issues that arise with that are not a problem here. Additional platforms and international patches will be added throughout the day: Patch 3.3.2 to Patch 3.3.3 PC N.A./U.S. Comments are disabled on this post for your safety -- we can only link to files we can verify the absolutely authenticity of. Patch 3.3.3 brings about small but noteworthy changes to the World of Warcraft. From a faster CoT, to putting those old Frozen Orbs to better use, to changes to the auction house -- there's several things all WoW players need to know. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3.3 will keep you up to date!
Server Status: Up
People are anxiously awaiting the servers to come back up today, fresh with all their patch 3.3.3 goodness. However as luck (tradition) would have it, the servers are not back up yet. This shouldn't really shock anyone, but so many people get angry over it we had to whip out the baby. While you're waiting for the servers to come up, make sure you know everything you need about patch 3.3.3: Patch 3.3.3 Guide Patch Notes (Live) "Super Kewl" Celestial Steed Really, all you need to know about this patch is that somewhere out there, now or in a later patch, you can get a Celestial Steed. We'll update this post as we know more about the extended-extended downtime. Only the latest update will be displayed on the front of the post, all older updates will be behind the cut. Update 4:00 p.m. EDT: Servers are mostly up now, there are some reported issues, but nothing from Blizzard. Enjoy patch 3.3.3!
Patch 3.3.3 addon survival guide
In a perfect world, patch day would be a day when we all get to sit around and do nothing as perfect new content is added to our already expansive world. The reality of the situation is that we live in a harsh, untamed and annoying world filled with Lua errors and user interface masochism. Here are a few quick tips for surviving patch day when it comes to your addons and user interface. Step 0 - See if any of your addons have a "day of" update. Mod and addon creators have been working with PTR code to, hopefully, make sure their addons come ready to roll with Patch 3.3.3. Step 1 - Enable out of date addons. For minor content patches, most of the code should still be perfectly usable. Many addons will have updates available day one, but to hit the ground running, you'll want to load your out of date addons if an update isn't available. Step 2 - Disable any addons giving you Lua errors and make note of those disabled. If addons are still giving you Lua errors that are affecting your gameplay, disable those addons so they do not interact poorly with other code. Check for updates when you can, and remember to re-enable any previously disabled addons. Step 3 - Update DBM/BigWigs/DeusVox. Your raid leaders will thank you. This is especially important for raids that run on Tuesday, so update your raid warning addons early. Don't be that guy. You know who that guy is. Step 4 - /framestack. An incredibly powerful diagnostic tool is the /framestack command. Typing in this command will bring up an interface window that will display information on any addon or user interface module that the mouse pointer is hovering over. Use /framestack to diagnose user interface problems or to figure out what addon is controlling what portion of your UI. You will save yourself a lot of headaches remembering what the name of the addon was that you use to track your buffs, or what addons are hovering over other, possibly hidden, modules. There you have it. A quick and easy checklist to, hopefully, get you going on patch day without too much hassle. Remember to keep your most important addons up to date, and keep your profiles saved. Happy patch day!
World of Warcraft Patch 3.3.3 Release Patch Notes
Straight from Zarhym are the updated patch 3.3.3 release patch notes. The notes are the full and final version that are released with this "minor" patch. Some of the major highlights of this patch include: Gallery of datamining finds (including the Celestial Steed) Frozen Orbs to be greed only in patch 3.3.3 New uses for Frozen Orbs Profession changes Changes to the auction house and game economy Battleground and honor changes Raid buff changes Check out the full patch notes after break. For additional patch 3.3.3 information, please see our compiled listing in WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3.3.
