Adam Koebel
Articles by Adam Koebel
Scattered Shots: Let's just pretend Scatter Shot is still a thing
Every Thursday 11 months, WoW Insider brings you Scattered Shots for beast mastery, marksmanship and survival hunters. This week, your host Adam Koebel, aka Bendak will be leaving you with one final column dedicated to the best class in WoW. The beloved ability that this column was once named after, Scatter Shot, has been lost to time. It didn't feel right to change things up at this point. Scattered Shots will always be Scattered Shots. Besides, I wouldn't want to risk upsetting Grandpappy Frostheim. I hear he has a contingent of level 1 dwarven hunters who follow him around and do whatever he commands. Hogger didn't survive, and neither would I. Quite a bit has happened for hunters since I was last able to write this column 11 months ago. The Warlords beta and first few weeks of release was somewhat of a roller coaster, but things are settling down. Outside of high-end raiding progression, all 3 hunter specs are competitive with each other. Our major talents are getting buffed and re-balanced in the upcoming patch 6.1. Overall, I think hunters are in a pretty good place.
Patch 6.1: Crafting improvements
I think one of the more frequent complaints I've heard from people about professions in Warlords is the time gating. The latest patch 6.1 PTR build has some changes to help rectify this. You can now craft reagents like Hexweave Cloth as often as you want by using a combination of Primal Spirits and raw materials, e.g. Primal Weaving. Stat reroll items like Didi's Delicate Assembly no longer cost cooldown/work order reagents to craft and instead just cost raw materials. Some profession daily cooldowns have had their raw material cost increased, e.g. Gearspring Parts now costs 15 of each ore, up from 10. In general, it seems like Blizzard is trying to bring some value back to raw materials. I give a solid thumbs up to the change to reroll items. I don't want to disclose how much gold I had to spend rerolling my gun to the proper stats. Looking at these changes, maybe I'll actually have to dust off my mining pick. Wowhead has a full list of all the profession changes.
Blizzard teases new mount
It's a cat. It's very purple. It kind of gives me a Netherstorm vibe. Blizzard just teased this new mount on the official @Warcraft Twitter account without much of a hint. Here, Kitty Kitty... pic.twitter.com/fwxttQVY15 - World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) January 28, 2015 My initial thought was it would be another store mount, but now I think another possibility is a Heroes of the Storm promotional mount. Remember the Hearthsteed mount from Hearthstone? Same thing, except for Heroes. That's my guess anyway. Would you shell out $25 for this if it turns out to be a store mount? I think it looks pretty slick.
Patch 6.1: Shrink your bodyguard down to size
Thank the Light. If there's one thing that keeps me from using my bodyguards, it's how they get in the way of literally everything I want to click. The problem is even worse if you play a pet class because your bodyguard tends to stay right behind you instead of to your side. While exploring my garrison on the patch 6.1 PTR, I was happy to find a vendor in my Barracks that sold me a Bodyguard Miniaturization Device for the bargain price of 250 Garrison Resources (I would have paid 10,000). As you can see from the picture, it shrinks your bodyguard down to a more manageable size that should never get in your way (plus they look really cute mounted up at this size). The device lasts for 1 hour and has 1 hour cooldown. Best of all, it does work if you dismiss and summon a new bodyguard as the buff is placed on you. If you still haven't joined the bodyguard club, you really should.
Patch 6.1: Traveling the world in search of garrison music
The jukebox is one of the biggest new garrison features coming in patch 6.1. It allows you to change the default music in your garrison, which is a welcome feature considering how much time I spend in there. Upon completing the simple quest to build your jukebox, you are given a selection of 7 faction-specific music tracks (known as Music Rolls) to get you started. It's as simple as clicking your jukebox and picking a new track as your default garrison music. There are many more Music Rolls to collect. One of the first I collected on the PTR was Music Roll: Faerie Dragon, which I found all the way out in Tirisfal Glades. If you're a regular reader of Know Your Lore, you may remember the Tinfoil Hat Edition about the mysterious Whispering Forest event (pictured above). If you are present for this event -- which has been made less rare in patch 6.1 -- you can loot this music roll from a faerie dragon nest located in the center of the circle of mushrooms.
Official patch 6.1 PTR patch notes
Grab yourself a drink and get comfortable because these are some hefty patch notes. There are a lot of changes coming to almost every aspect of the game -- classes, garrisons, professions, items, you name it. Here are a few highlights. Collecting all heirloom items awards a special mount usable by level 1 characters. Tertiary Stats for Avoidance, Speed, and Leech now provide about four times as much benefit per stat point. Lumber Mill and the Trading Post no longer require Garrison Resources to build or upgrade. The Mage Tower now accepts Ogre Waystones as work orders awarding Apexis Crystals and a chance to receive an item that allows instant completion of a mission that's in-progress. Players may find an item while completing a Bounty, Relic, Dungeon, or Raid daily quest from the Garrison visitor that that allows them to summon one of six new raid or world boss in the Garrison (10-40 players). Characters can now accrue up to a maximum of 60,000 Apexis Crystals (up from 20,000). View the complete notes after the break for much more, including a ton of class changes.
New blood elf model gallery
At long last, the new blood elf models have finally appeared on the patch 6.1 PTR. These are still a work in progress according to Blizzard. All of the faces are still using similar geometry, but new faces are slated to be added in a future PTR build. In the meantime, you are encouraged to give Blizzard your feedback on the new models and animations on the forums (US feedback thread, EU feedback thread). Want a preview of how the models are shaping up? Check out our new gallery below!
Celestalon teases upcoming class changes [Updated]
Celestalon decided to tease us with this rather cryptic tweet regarding upcoming class changes on the patch 6.1 PTR. Class design is often 85% talking about what to do, 15% actually doing. Today was the 15%. Next PTR build should spur lots of discussion. - Celestalon (@Celestalon) January 22, 2015 Alright, Celestalon, you have my attention. He later followed it up with another tweet saying the changes will primarily be number tweaks, but there will be a few functionality changes. Overall class balance could definitely use some tweaks, at least for the top and bottom outliers. Recent hotfixes have helped, but I get the feeling they've been cautious with some of the changes. Patches are probably a better time to make significant adjustments since they can be thoroughly tested beforehand. What would you like to see changed for your class in patch 6.1? Update: Theses changes won't be going in today's upcoming build (January 22), but should make it into the next PTR build (source).
Patch 6.1: Trade Garrison Resources for extra daily quests
I find it amusing how Garrison Resources were so coveted at the beginning of the expansion, and now I simply can't spend them fast enough. Patch 6.1 is changing this with several new resource sinks. We've already talked about rush orders and follower reroll items which can be purchased with resources, and next on the list is Scouting Missives. You can buy Scouting Missives from your garrison quartermaster at a cost of 200 Garrison Resources each. Scouting Missives unlock one of the daily quests that reward 800 Apexis Crystals, e.g. Scouting Missive: Darktide Roost. These are separate from your regular daily quest, so you can do as many of them as you want as long as you have the resources to spend. You can see the full list of quests here. If you're using any of the Apexis Crystal gear this should help you fast track the latest upgrades (ilvl 670 in patch 6.1). I'll probably use them to complete the Securing Draenor achievement.
Patch 6.1: New follower traits and reroll items
Talonpriest Ishaal is finally going to have someone who wants to go on missions with him. Follower races which previously had no synergy traits, such as the arakkoa, will now have them available via special mission rewards. New/updated follower traits The Wildling trait increases success chance when on missions with beast followers. Taught by Winning with Wildlings. The Mechano Affictionado increases success chance when on missions with machine or construct followers. Taught by Grease Monkey Guide. The Bird Watcher trait increases success chance when on missions with arakkoa followers. Taught by Guide to Arakkoa Relations. The Ogre Buddy trait increases success chance when on missions with ogre followers. Taught by Ogre Buddy Handbook. The Speed of Light trait reduces mission duration, similar to Epic Mount. Taught by Sun-touched Feather of Rukhmar. The Treasure Hunter trait increases gold rewarded by missions by 100%. This trait appears to be unique to Harrison Jones. Scavenger now increases Garrison Resource rewards by 100% (down from 200%). Note that many of these missions have had their base rewards increased to compensate, e.g. Can't Go Home This Way was buffed from 175 base resources to 300. There will also be more opportunities to reroll traits and abilities on your followers with Follower Ability Retraining Guide and Follower Trait Retraining Guide. Both of these are rewarded from several new missions, and they can also be purchased for 1500 Garrison Resources each from your garrison quartermaster. As someone who has had awful luck acquiring Follower Retraining Certificates, I'm all for this new way to spend resources.
Blackrock Foundry raid preview
Blizzard has just posted a preview of the upcoming Blackrock Foundry raid. It will feature 10 total bosses across 4 wings. A new world boss, Rukhmar, will also make its debut when Blackrock Foundry opens on February 3. You can find the full unlock schedule for all difficulties right here. Blizzard Entertainment Blackrock Foundry was the ancestral home of the Blackrock orcs, wherein master smiths smelted and worked the impossibly hard ore that is the clan's namesake. Now, massive giants captured and broken by the Thunderlord heat the great forges, flamebenders of the Burning Blade imbue the ore with an inner fire, and engineers shape the slag according to otherworldly schematics. Warlord Blackhand's foundry is the center of the Iron Horde's military might, churning out the weaponry that will be used to raze Azeroth. source Check out the full preview for a rundown of all the bosses you'll be facing in as little as two weeks!
Patch 6.1: Stage 4 upgrades for crafted gear, new alchemy trinket
Good news for those of us who use crafted gear. The latest PTR build has added stage 4 upgrades for all Warlords crafted gear. Armor, rings, and trinkets can now be upgraded to 680 ilvl and weapons can be upgraded to 670 ilvl. The materials are similar to previous upgrades, only this time you need 30 Savage Bloods each. You'll also notice that the alchemy profession has access to a brand new trinket which can also be upgraded to 680 ilvl (requires alchemy to equip). Blacksmithing: Powerful Truesteel Essence, Powerful Steelforged Essence Leatherworking: Powerful Burnished Essence Tailoring: Powerful Hexweave Essence Inscription: Powerful Ensorcelled Tarot, Powerful Weapon Crystal Engineering: Oglethorpe's Octagonal Lenses, Precision Scope Tuning Kit Jewelcrafting: Powerful Taladite Amplifier Alchemy: Stone of Fire (also new are stages 1, 2, and 3)
Patch 6.1: Rush orders allow instant completion of work orders
Tired of waiting for your garrison work orders to finish? In patch 6.1, you'll be able to acquire rush orders which allow you to instantly complete 5 active work orders for that particular building, e.g. Rush Order: Engineering Works. There are a couple ways to acquire these rush orders. Firstly, there are new profession missions which become available based on the profession buildings you have in your garrison. If you have an Engineering Works, you should periodically get missions like You're Fired or The Wonder Gears which reward 2 or 3 of these rush orders. Followers with profession traits have an increased success chance on these missions as well. Secondly, you can buy rush orders with Garrison Resources for non-profession buildings like the Barn and Gladiator's Sanctum. Currently it costs 1000 Garrison Resources per rush order, with the exception of the mine and garden which cost 300 each. Keep in mind this is PTR and all subject to change. It sounds pretty pricey to me, but if you're overflowing with resources it will give you something to spend them on.
Patch 6.1: Request an early stop on flight paths
I can remember players asking for this feature ever since connected flight paths were introduced back in patch 1.10. Sometimes you click the wrong flight path, sometimes you fly over something interesting and just want to get off early. Whatever the reason, in patch 6.1 you can now request a stop at the next available flight point on your route. It's as simple as clicking the little vehicle eject button that you normally use to exit vehicles or multi-passenger mounts. Currently, once this is toggled on you cannot cancel your request to land early. Aside from that little quirk, it's a welcome feature. Now if only I could bail out of flight paths with a parachute.
Blackrock Foundry opens on February 3
Blizzard has just announced the unlock schedule for the Blackrock Foundry raid! Normal and heroic modes open on February 3, with Mythic opening the following week on February 10. Raid finder begins to unlock with wing 1 on February 17, and you'll have to wait all the way until March 24 to kill Blackhand in wing 4. LFR will require a minimum item level of 635. Keep in mind this doesn't mean patch 6.1 will be released on the same date. The @WarcraftDevs Twitter account has already told us that the two are not dependent. Check out the full unlock schedule after the break.
Maintenance extended until 1 p.m. PST
Today's maintenance has been extended for WoW, Diablo 3, and Hearthstone. Realms are now scheduled to be up at 1 p.m. PST. The PTR is still up if you really need your WoW fix. We'll update this post if it gets extended again. [Update - NA] Maintenance has been extended until 1pm PST for #Wow, #D3, and #Hearthstone. We'll update as soon as we know more. - BlizzardCS (@BlizzardCS) January 13, 2015
Patch 6.1 PTR realms are up
The patch 6.1 PTR realms are now live, but without any level 100 characters there isn't much to test yet. All PTR realms are still locked to Mists of Pandaria and there is currently no ETA for when they'll be upgraded to Warlords of Draenor. Character copy is disabled, but you can make pre-made level 90 toons. One of the few things available for testing is the new heirloom interface. Once you own a heirloom, it's a simple matter of clicking it in your heirloom tab to create a copy of the item in your bags. You can buy heirlooms and upgrade tokens from Estelle Gendry (Undercity) and Krom Stoutarm (Ironforge). Base level heirlooms scale from 1-60 and can be upgraded twice to level 85 and level 100. See here for a full list of the heirlooms available. For more details on the status of the PTR realms, check the blue post after the break.
Patch 6.1 PTR: Blackrock Foundry garrison missions are 660 ilvl
Our friends at Wowhead have datamined a new set of follower raid missions for Blackrock Foundry. Like the Highmaul missions that exist today, these will reward random non-weapon loot from the Blackrock Foundry raid. It's unclear at this point if tier 17 armor will be potential rewards or not. The important bit of information here is that these new missions require your followers to be 660 item level. The current cap on follower item level is 655, so you won't be able to upgrade them quite yet. In the meantime, you can continue to collect upgrades from the Dwarven Bunker/War Mill and Salvage Yard if you want to do these missions when the patch hits. If you want to learn more about raid missions, you can check out our post from last week.
New garrison NPC in patch 6.1 will sell you missed followers
Community Manager Crithto teased a new garrison NPC coming in patch 6.1 that will sell followers you may have missed because of quests, missions, buildings, or outpost choices. Remember that quest in Shadowmoon Valley that had you choose 1 of 3 followers? It looks like you'll now be able to get the other 2 -- for a price. This may address one of the concerns I posted yesterday (#5) regarding how easy it is to skip past potential followers on alts. Keep an eye out for more details once the 6.1 PTR launches. Crithto All of this feedback is great so thank you! We have some really cool changes coming to Garrisons in the future and a lot of them are based on what you've shared with us in recent weeks. Also, I've relayed many of the ideas you've posted here, too. One specific change I can share is in the next patch we're planning to add a new NPC to tier 3 Garrisons who will sell followers you might not have access to based upon which buildings and Outposts you've chosen. Definitely keep an eye out for that on the next PTR, test it out, and let us know what you think. Quote: Ohhh, what about for followers that came from quests that give you a choice of three but you can only choose 1. Gotta catch'em all you know =P. Yup! You'll be able to browse for followers you did not choose from quests and any you might have missed from failed missions. source
Flight path improvements coming in patch 6.1
Tired of taking the scenic route because you missed a flight path between you and your destination? In 6.1, the flight master will be able to send you on the most optimal route regardless of what flight paths you've discovered. EU Community Manager Takralus has the details. Takralus We are making some huge improvements to the way flight paths work in 6.1. There are hundreds of flight paths in Draenor. The way it works right now, if you don't know a flight point, the flight master won't use it as a connecting node when you're travelling from point A to point B. If you've missed a few flight points (which is very easy to do), this means certain flight paths are be much less efficient than they could be. In 6.1, flight masters will use flight points you haven't discovered as connecting points. This will make things much more efficient. source