connected-realms-update
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US connected realms update for January 17
Blizzard Community Representative Nethaera has posted the next set of US realm connections, set to be put in place on January 17th between 5am Pacific until approximately 1pm. The list of realms to be connected is as follows: January 17th Antonidas and Uldum Blade's Edge and Thunderhorn Bonechewer and Aegwynn/Daggerspine/Gurubashi/Hakkar Destromath and Azgalor/Azshara Jaedenar and Agamaggan And there's another set of realms listed for future connection, with no date set at this point. This includes the delayed Shu'halo and Eitrigg connection: Alleria and Khadgar Altar of Storms and Anetheron/Magtheridon/Ysondre Misha and Rexxar Ner'zhul and Frostmane/Tortheldrin Shu'halo and Eitrigg (Delayed) The Underbog and Agamaggan/Jaedenar If your realm is not on this list, and has not already been connected, don't worry. Unless you're on a high population or a full realm, chances are Blizzard will get around to you. But, as Neth says in her post, don't necessarily trust public population sites' data without question. A full list of realms connected so far can be found on the official site.
EU Connected Realms and FCMs for January 15th
Blizzard EU Community Manager Takralus has updated the Connected Realms info with the mixed successes of the last set of connections, as well as informing the EU community of the next gaggle of realms being grouped together. For whatever reason, the connection of Bloodfeather with Kor'gall/Burning Steppes/Executus has been delayed until a later date, but the new connections coming in are as follows: (PvP) Balnazzar and Shattered Halls/Ahn'Qiraj/Trollbane/Talnivarr/Chromaggus/ Boulderfist/Daggerspine (RP PvP) Ravenholdt and Scarshield Legion/The Venture Co/Sporeggar (PvE) Shattrath and Garrosh/Nozdormu Takralus' post has a good Q&A in which she clarifies that all low and some medium-population realms will be connected in order to ensure that all realms have a healthy population when they're done. As she also mentions, the order in which realms are connected depends on several technical factors, so don't panic if, for whatever reason, your realms aren't appearing on the list. All in good time. What's more, there are several Free Character Migrations in place until January 21: Draenor and Silvermoon (PvE) to Magtheridon, Wildhammer and Kilrogg. Kazzak, Outland, Ragnaros, Stormscale, Sylvanas and Twisting Nether (all PvP) to The Maelstrom and Grim Batol. All of these FCMs are open to both factions.
US and EU Connected Realms update
Blizzard has announced new batches of connected realms for both US and EU servers. If your low or medium population realm isn't on this list yet, it will be soon as Blizzard has stated they plan on connecting all of these realms eventually. Starting with US realms, the next set of connections will happen on Thursday, January 9 during a maintenance from approximately 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. PST. Bladefist and Kul Tiras Nazgrel and Nesingwary/Vek'nilash Nazjatar and Blood Furnace/ Mannoroth Norgannon and Kargath Stormscale and Drak'Tharon/Firetree/Malorne/Rivendare/Spirestone Uldaman and Ravencrest The following set of US realms currently have no date set, but should be soon afterward: Antonidas and Uldum Blade's Edge and Thunderhorn Bonechewer and Aegwynn/Daggerspine/Gurubashi/Hakkar Destromath and Azgalor Jaedenar and Agamaggan Shu'halo and Eitrigg Hit the break for a list of upcoming EU realm connections.
EU Connected Realms update released
An update to the EU realm connections has been released with the successful completion of patch 5.4.2. Several new realms are now slated for connection, and although no official date has been released for the connections, they should begin next week according to the post. Players on the realms listed should expect a little downtime in the near future, and a bunch of new players to hit the scene shortly after for raiding, guilds, and a heftier auction house. While the list is somewhat short, it includes English, French, Spanish and German realms. Read on for the full list -- and if you have any questions regarding the Connected Realms process, Blizzard has an official blog post that explains the process in full.
New set of US Connected Realms Announced
A new set of US realms have been announced by CM Nethaera as slated for the Connected Realm service next week. Players on the following realms will have a scheduled maintenance on Monday, November 25, from 6am PST through 11am PST, during which the realm connections will be made. Keep in mind that the ending time listed is an approximate one -- if you're on the list below, be prepared for maintenance extensions if the connection process warrants it. Azshara and Azgalor Arygos and Llane Cairne and Perenolde Nathrezim and Anub'arak/Chromaggus/Garithos/Smolderthorn Zangarmarsh and Hellscream In addition to the November 25 connections, a list of realms have also been slated for connection on Monday, December 2. For a full list of those realms, as well as a list of future realms slated for connection, read on after the break.
More EU Connected Realms coming soon
Still waiting for your low population EU realm to be connected? Blizzard has just announced a new batch of realm connections coming soon. There have been 10 successful connections to date in the EU, with another dozen on the way. If you see your realm on this list, and don't know what a connected realm is, it essentially connects two or more realms together so they behave as one. You can join guilds, enjoy a fuller auction house, and run raids with each other. The below realms will be connected shortly, but Blizzard has not provided an exact time: Uldum and Shen'dralar/Zul'jin Boulderfist and Chromaggus/Shattered Halls Rajaxx and Anetheron Agamaggan and Emeriss/Hakkar/Crushridge Terrodar and Dethecus/Mug'thol/Theradras Alexstrasza and Nethersturm
More Connected Realms announced for EU
The rollout of connected realms has been a little slower in the EU with only 3 connections made so far, but Blizzard has just announced a new batch of 13 connections. If you see your realm on this list and don't know what a connected realm is, it essentially connects two or more realms together so they behave as one. You can join guilds, enjoy a fuller auction house, and run raids with each other. If you have the same character name or guild name as someone from your connected realm, you will both be able to keep using your names. I recently went through a realm connection myself and it completed without a hiccup. The problems some players on US realms Nesingway and Vek'nilash have experienced seem to be isolated incidents. View the full list of realms after the break. Keep in mind there is currently no ETA for these connections.
More US Connected Realms on the way
Blizzard has just announced another two batches of US connected realms, and has provided a time table for the previously announced connected realms. If you see your realm on this list and don't know what a connected realm is, it essentially connects two realms so they behave as one. You can join guilds, enjoy a fuller auction house, and run raids with each other. If you have the same character name or guild name as someone from your connected realm, you will both be able to keep using your names. The realms below are scheduled to be connected on Monday, November 4: Haomarush and Detheroc/Dethecus/Blackwing Lair Stonemaul and Bloodscalp/Maiev/Boulderfist/Dunemaul Daggerspine and Aegwynn/Hakkar Tortheldrin and Frostmane Dentarg and Whisperwind Check after the break for the next two batches of connected realms.
Updates about US Connected Realms
The list of successfully connected US realms is growing and it's getting to be an impressive size. Blizzard's most recent update includes a complete list of existing connected realms, plus a list of the next few realms up for connection. The connections announced earlier as being scheduled for October 28th have successfully been completed. There is as of yet no concrete schedule for the other batch of known connections, but Blizzard assures us that they will announce them as their dates are finalized. The complete list of existing connected realms is after the cut:
Updates on US Connected Realms
By now, several US realms have been successfully connected with Blizzard's new Connected Realms feature. In case you've been out of the loop, Blizzard released an update in regards to the new feature, which seamlessly connects two realms so that they'll behave as one. That means players on realms that are connected can join the same guilds, use one Auction House, and run raids and dungeons with each other -- a pretty big bonus for realms that have been suffering from lower populations. The list of successfully connected realms is as follows: Auchindoun and Laughing Skull Black Dragonflight and Skullcrusher Aegwynn and Gurubashi Balnazzar and Warsong Burning Blade and Onyxia Chromaggus and Garithos Dalvengyr and Dark Iron Dethecus and Detheroc Dunemaul, Maiev, Boulderfist and Bloodscalp Hakkar and Aegwynn Rivendare and Firetree It's a sizeable list -- but if your realm wasn't on the list, not to worry. Blizzard is revving up for more realm connections, and soon. Two new batches of realm connections are on the way, and the first batch of connections will be taking place on Monday, October 28.
Connected realms arrive in the EU
Connected Realms have been slowly creeping across the NA servers, linking communities as they went, and now Blizzard has begun to cautiously extend their reach into the EU. Following the latest announcement of US Connected Realms, Blizzard Community Manager Takralus has posted the following update for the EU: Takralus We're kicking off the Connected Realms implementation here in Europe, and below you can see a list of the first realms to be connected. We don't yet have a specific date for when these connections will occur, but we'll provide another update once we do. Realm Connections: Hakkar and Emeriss Taerar and Echsenkessel Burning Steppes and Kor'gall Theradras and Dethecus We'll provide updates on the next batch of realm connections as they're available. For more information on Connected Realms, please read the preview blog post here. source If you don't see your realm on that list, fear not, it could still be coming. As Blizzard has said in the past, they are being extremely cautious with this new feature, rolling it out in small chunks, trying to cause a minimum of disruption. But we're doubling the links every time, one server to two to four, so who knows how fast it might ramp up.
More connected realms on the way for WoW
Blizzard has plans to connect more World of Warcraft realms, according to a post on the Battle.net forums. Five pairs of servers are due to be linked, though the company doesn't yet "have a specific date on which these connections will occur." What's a realm connection? It's basically Blizzard-speak for cross-server tech wherein two or more standard realms have been permanently and seamlessly linked. "These linked realms will behave as if they were one cohesive realm, meaning you'll be able to join the same guilds, access a single auction house, run the same raids and dungeons, and join other adventurers to complete quests," the company explained previously.
Next wave of Connected Realms announced
Following Monday's successful connections, the next wave of realms to be added to the Connected Realms feature have just been announced. While Community Manager Nethaera had the names of the realms available for players, as of yet there still isn't a fixed date for the realm connections to take place. However, given the faster turnaround that we've been experiencing, players may see these connections happen sooner than one would think. Nethaera As a part of our ongoing Connected Realms implementation, we will be connecting additional realms as listed below. We don't have a specific date yet on when these connections will occur, but we'll provide another update once we do. Please be aware that as a part of the connection process realm times may change to match each other. Next Realm Connections: Dethecus and Detheroc Auchindoun and Laughing Skull Hakkar and Aegwynn Rivendare and Firetree Dunemaul and Bloodscalp/ Maiev/Boulderfist We're currently evaluating further realm connections and will provide updates as they're available. For more information on Connected Realms, please read the preview blog post here. source It looks like the Maiev/Bloodscalp/Boulderfist triad can expect another addition to their happy little family with Dunemaul. In addition, Hakkar will join Aegwynn, which was connected to Gurubashi last week. If you're a player on one of the realms slated for connection, you might want to keep an eye on the official thread for future updates.
Latest round of Connected Realms coming Monday
The latest sizable batch of realms slated for the Connected Realms feature will be going under maintenance on Monday, October 21 from 5:00 a.m. PDT until approximately 11:00 a.m. PDT, according to the official thread on the feature. Community Manager Bashiok also added that once these realms return from maintenance, the realm connections should be complete. The realms scheduled for this round of connection are as follows. Balnazzar and Warsong Gurubashi and Aegwynn Dalvengyr and Dark Iron Garithos and Chromaggus Onyxia and Burning Blade Maiev and Bloodscalp/Boulderfist If you happen to be calling any of these realms home, be prepared for a brief bout of maintenance come Monday. However, Tuesday's regular maintenance should simply be a set of rolling restarts for everyone, so realms that are in the process of being connected should be hit with double downtime. This seems to be a pretty quick turnaround -- will we be seeing more realm connection announcements next week? For more information and updates on the process, keep an eye on the official forum thread.
New wave of Connected Realms announced
After the connection of the Skullcrusher and Black Dragonflight realms earlier this week, Blizzard has announced the next set of realms to be connected -- and this time, there's quite a list of them. Twelve realms total are slated to be connected, although a specific date for the connection has yet to be announced. However, Community Manager Bashiok provided the full list, noting that these are all US realms -- no EU realms have been slated for connection at this time. Bashiok As a part of our ongoing Connected Realms implementation, we will be connecting additional pairs of realms as listed below. We don't have a specific date yet on when these connections will occur, but we'll provide another update once we do. Please be aware that as a part of the connection process realm times may change to match each other. Next Realm Connection Pairs: Balnazzar and Warsong Gurubashi and Aegwynn Dalvengyr and Dark Iron Garithos and Chromaggus Onyxia and Burning Blade Maiev and Bloodscalp/Boulderfist We're currently evaluating further realm connections and will provide updates as they're available. For more information on Connected Realms, please read the preview blog post here. source Note that the Maiev realm will be connected with the Bloodscalp/Boulderfist connection that was the first to be made in this process. Although an exact date for the connection has not been set, given the connection that took place during this week's maintenance, we can hope that these connections will also take place during regularly scheduled downtime. Players on these realms should continue to check back with the official thread on the forums for more updates as they become available.
Black Dragonflight, Skullcrusher realms to be connected tomorrow
Black Dragonflight and Skullcrusher, the two latest realms to be announced as slated for the Connected Realms feature will be connected tomorrow, October 15, during standard maintenance. The two realms were next in line after the success of the Bloodscalp and Boulderfist realm connection. Given that the realm connection will take place during regular server maintenance, one would hope that this means that the wrinkles have been ironed out of implementation -- but just in case, Blizzard will be providing updates on any potential delays. The rollout for Connected Realms has been considerably slower than most players were expecting. However, it's nice to see that Blizzard is taking its time with this one, making sure that everything is functioning correctly and all potential issues have been addressed. Of course the question on everyone's minds now is which realms will be slated for connection next, and when will it occur? Are you hoping for the connected realm feature on your server?
Black Dragonflight, Skullcrusher realms to be connected
After the successful integration of the Bloodscalp and Boulderfist realms, Blizzard is continuing with the slow rollout of connected realms. Although no date has been finalized, CM Nethaera has announced that Black Dragonflight and Skullcrusher will be the next two realms to be connected. Nethaera As a part of our ongoing Connected Realms implementation, we will be working toward connecting our next pair of realms, Black Dragonflight and Skullcrusher – we'll provide another update once we've finalized the date. We will also update this thread with any additional information that becomes available. Please be aware that as a part of the process, realm times may change to align better with each other. We are currently evaluating additional realm connections and plan to provide a more complete schedule at a future point in time. For more information on Connected Realms, please read the preview blog post here. source CM Bashiok stepped in later in the thread to clarify some details on the connected realms process. While many are eager to see this new feature give a boost to realms with lower than optimal populations, the process is far more complicated than you'd think. Blizzard is taking its time with each connection in order to evaluate possible issues with the process -- and the choice of realms was specifically to help identify potential issues. In other words, at this point in the process it's not so much a matter of how much a realm would benefit from a connection, as it is how much that connection will help clarify any potential issues with the process itself. Check out the full forum thread for more information and updates on the process as it continues.
Connected realms start September 25
Blizzard Community Manager Nethaera has updated the world today, as we wait anxiously for Connected Realms to revitalize our low population homes. We've known for a while that Boulderfist and Bloodscalp would be the guinea pigs, but we now have a timeframe, and Blizzard are sticking to the redefinition of Soon(tm). The connected realms will launch tomorrow, as Nethaera clarifies: Nethaera Update: In order to implement our first Connected Realms, Boulderfist and Bloodscalp will be taken down for an extended maintenance beginning Wednesday, September 25, at 3:00 a.m. PDT until approximately 11:00 a.m. PDT. During this time these realms will be unavailable for play. Additional realm connections are planned for the near future, and we'll be posting a full list at WorldofWarcraft.com as soon as we've finalized the details. source So, if you're on either of those realms, be aware of the additional downtime, and do keep an eye out for the folk from the other realm. If you are on Boulderfist or Bloodscalp, let us know how the Connected Realms are working out! As Neth mentions, there are more Connected Realms planned for the future, probably depending on how this works out, so keep an eye on the official site for that list, and of course we'll keep you up to speed as best we can.
Nethaera fills in the blanks on Connected Realms
With patch 5.4 up and running, many players have been wondering about the status of the new Connected Realms feature. Questions have run the gamut from wanting to know the exact criteria of putting two realms together, to wanting a list of the realms that are scheduled to be connected. Most importantly, players have been wondering if the Connected Realms feature has actually been enabled, or if we have yet to see if the process has taken place. Community Manager Nethaera filled in some of those blanks in a series of updates posted on the official forums. The first two realms that have been scheduled for connection are Boulderfist and Bloodscalp. The system will be rolled out over time, much like what we saw with the Cross-Realm Zones feature -- players won't suddenly see all realms introduced to the Connected Realms feature all at once. Blizzard intends to keep realm types together as much as it possibly can -- for those on RP realms, this means if your realm is connected to another, it will likely be another RP realm. Nethaera went on to note that faction balance, something that has caused many players to struggle on incredibly lopsided realms, may not be the ultimate reason for a connection. But perhaps most importantly -- as of Friday, no realms have been connected. Any server restarts or messages about Connected Realm restarts in game are absolutely not an indicator that your realm has been connected to another -- it's simply some of the work that needs to be done in order to enable the connecting process, should it need to be utilized. For now, it seems that players are still isolated on their own realms -- but there should be further updates to the thread if that changes. For more information on the implementation of this new feature, check out the thread on the official forums.
