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Patch 5.0.5 hotfixes for September 14
Another day, another round of hotfixes for patch 5.0.5. Today's changes, posted by Kaivax on the official site, address some welcome quest and bug fixes. More importantly, a ton of class tweaks have been addressed, including a few fixes that ought to help out players dedicated to PvP. Shadow priests, your Shadow Word: Pain spell will now interrupt flag captures with its initial damage. Mages, your Pyroblast and Combustion should now combine to do the expected amount of damage and critical damage. New worgens, you can breath a sigh of relief. The Banshee Queen's health in the Gilneas starting area has been returned to normal. And if you're headed to Scholomance, Jandice Barov's Gravity Flux and Whirl of Illusion should now work with players' immunity abilities as expected. Read on for the full list of hotfixes!
Patch 5.0.5 hotfixes for September 12
Patch 5.0.5 was released primarily to do some minor adjustments and tweaks, as well as fix some system errors. Today we've got a small round of hotfixes for the patch, including a few class tweaks, as well as some much-needed adjustments to Cross-Realm Zones. Highlights include the following. Rogues, you can start feeling sneaky again -- Stealth has been made more effective. For those working on the Glory of the Cataclysm Hero achievement, it no longer requires a Mists of Pandaria dungeon achievement. The Chess encounter in Karazhan should now be behaving properly. There have been numerous fixes to the behavior of various systems in Cross-Realm Zones. A full list of hotfixes can be found after the break.
Blizzard explains Diablo 3 design change 'philosophy,' reveals gameplay stats
Despite Diablo 3 taking hold of multiple Joystiq staff members, Blizzard's latest game has had a shaky launch. Server issues, auction house difficulties, and more have thrown a wrench into what our review feels is a must-play adventure.In a blog post yesterday, Blizzard outlined its intentions with some of the game's upcoming fixes, and revealed a number of interesting statistics about the commercially explosive title.Blizzard notes that players have an average of three created characters, with 80% of those characters falling between levels 1 and 30. Only 1.9 percent of players have unlocked Diablo 3's Inferno difficulty mode. Blizzard also revealed that 35 percent of "Hardcore" deaths have occurred in Act I on Normal difficulty.%Gallery-137262%
Blizzard talks Diablo III hotfixes, delay of real-money auction house
In a post on the official Diablo III forums earlier today, Community Manager Nethaera addressed a few of the concerns that have been brought up in the game's momentous first week. Neth first linked to an up-to-date list of hotfixes that have been implemented thus far. For the spoiler-wary among you, be warned that if you haven't completed the game on Normal difficulty, some of the hotfixes might be spoilerific. Now that you're thoroughly warned that there may be spoilers, head on over to the list of hotfixes if you dare. Neth also advised players that additional server maintenance will be required in time and that there's a game patch inbound for sometime next week. She also took the time to address the real-money auction house. Although Neth states that the service is "coming soon," it's been delayed due to post-launch difficulties. The team apparently needs "a bit more time to iron out the existing general stability and gameplay issues" before the real-money auction house is ready for launch. Players shouldn't expect the auction house to be ready in May despite initial plans for it to go online on the 22nd, and there wasn't a solid date to look forward to. Neth went on to assure players that neither D3 nor Battle.net servers have been compromised, despite all the hubbub about security concerns that's been filling the air the last few days. In all of the individual Diablo III-related compromise cases we've investigated, none have occurred after a physical Battle.net Authenticator or Battle.net Mobile Authenticator app was attached to the player's account, and we have yet to find any situation where a Diablo III player's account was accessed outside of "traditional" compromise methods (i.e. someone logging using an account's login email and password). She reminded players to exercise constant vigilance by practicing smart password management, scanning for malware and viruses regularly, and generally being savvy.
Patch 4.3 hotfixes for April 17
Hot on the heels of patch 4.3.4 is a small set of hotfixes, none of which have anything to do with what was introduced in the latest patch. Included in the official notes are one class fix, one item fix, and one UI fix that is sure to have guild leaders breathing a small sigh of relief. Kaivax April 17 Classes Warlock Destruction Bane of Havoc no longer persists when the warlock changes to a spec that does not include the talent. Items Fras Siabi's Barely Bigger Beer is a now bit less big, and its effect no longer stacks. UI Inactive guild leader replacement now requires 90 days of absence, up from 30 days. Ascent to the rank of guild leader is now only available to guild members at Rank 2, 3, or 4. source The fix to Fras Siabi's Barely Bigger Beer was something that was actually implemented a few weeks ago. However, we now have an official announcement: Giant, tromping players on ridiculously huge mounts are no longer permitted. Sorry, everyone -- you'll just have to stick to Potions of Illusion for your wacky hijinks. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
Patch 4.3 hotfixes for March 26
While everyone may be up in arms over various Mists news, we are still playing through Cataclysm, of course. Today, we've got a few more hotfixes for patch 4.3 posted by Kaivax over at the official Warcraft blog. It's a pretty short list, but there are a few important changes and adjustments being made. Healers coming back via Scroll of Resurrection will no longer find strength on their starter sets. In Madness of Deathwing, Burning Blood will no longer prematurely spike to 100 stacks if you happen to damage the Arm and Wing Tentacles quickly. Follow after the break for the full list of hotfixes.
Should Blizzard leave heroic encounter difficulty alone?
When the Raid Finder was first introduced, I had high hopes for its impact on the game. While the main reason behind the implementation of this system was arguably to get as many players experiencing raid content as possible, at the time, I was more interested in the impact it would have on the progression races between all of the top guilds in the world. I have always had a great deal of admiration for players in these types of guilds and have watched intently during each new tier as they all vied for world firsts. I believed the Raid Finder could benefit this type of competition by preventing heroic encounters from being nerfed while the content was still current. Surely, I thought, if so many people are able to experience raiding like never before through this new tool, Blizzard would have no pressing reason to make heroic encounters any easier. Well, it seems I was wrong, for in the very next tier of content Blizzard released, we saw progressive nerfs to these difficult fights. Personally, I prefer to keep these encounters the way they are, at least until a new tier is released. Something just feels wrong to see the hardest fights available made easier through a series of hotfixes. Even with respect to my own guild's progression, having sweeping nerfs hit Firelands just as my guild was putting in some really good attempts on Ragnaros felt like Blizzard moved the finish line, taking what would have been a very gratifying kill and turning it into an accidental one-shot that contained none of the catharsis we had felt during previous boss kills. What do you think? With the Raid Finder now a reality and a new expansion looming on the horizon, do you think the difficulty of heroic raid encounters should be static, like those from tier 11, or should they be more flexible?
Patch 4.3 hotfixes for Feb. 7, 2012
A fresh round of hotfixes landed tonight, including a pair that will relieve the pain of many achievement hunters and event celebrants this week. The following fixes are included in this round: Players are now able to receive Lovely Charms while on the quest Test Your Strength, when the player's inventory has both the Darkmoon Adventurer's Guide and Lovely Charm Collector's Kit. Players now have the chance to receive both the Lovely Charm and Grisly Trophy from a single kill. Hit the break for the full list of tonight's hotfixes, including an Ultraxion trash nerf.
Retribution bug hotfixed, Vengeance temporarily returns to PvP
Zarhym has given us an update on the bug with Seal of Truth from yesterday, and it opens a fascinating window into the complexities of the code that ultimately is the World of Warcraft. Zarhym - Update on Retribution Paladin Bug The bug where paladin Seals could sometimes cause excessive damage has been fixed. This bug came as a result of a hotfix we put in to fix an issue where some attacks, such as Scatter Shot, were still causing Vengeance in PvP situations. While these things may seem totally unrelated, it has to do with our proc system, which is an extremely complicated mechanic under the hood. We reverted that hotfix, meaning you may sometimes see Vengeance in PvP. But we don't think that will present a major balance concern at this time. To be clear, we have no current plans to take action against players who experienced this bug last night unless we come across any extreme cases. The error was ours and we haven't seen any evidence -- so far -- of players excessively exploiting the bug. We reserve the right to take action if we do find evidence of players crossing the line to repeatedly exploit this bug for major in-game advantages. source I won't lie, I find this fascinating. The idea that the issue lies in a system that on the surface would seem totally unrelated gives me the shivers just imagining what it must be like to maintain and advance the design for code that's been around for years and years. I have to agree that letting Vengeance sometimes pop up in PvP is probably the better option. It's only going to happen in an extremely limited set of circumstances, anyway. I'm also glad only extreme edge cases will be seeing bans, as I had no idea the bug even existed while leveling my ret paladin last night and only figured it out afterwards. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
Retribution paladin DPS broken after realm restarts [Updated]
According to several reports, including the official forums, World of Logs, and several of our own staff, retribution paladins are experiencing a bug after tonight's rolling realm restarts. The bug has retribution paladins dealing several times their normal damage, with new records on World of Logs easily exceeding 100,000 DPS on any given Dragon Soul encounter. The bug appears to be related to Seal of Truth, as it's dealing over 60% of the affected ret paladins' damage, vastly dwarfing all other sources. The bug seems to be affecting PvP and PvE, as there are many reports of retribution paladins being nigh unstoppable in Battlegrounds tonight. One group of retribution paladins toppled Lord Rhyolith in under 15 seconds. There has been no official word from Blizzard just yet on these developments, although we can be sure that there will be a change deployed to fix this bug as early as possible. Reminder from the editors: Do keep in mind that abusing things like this is considered exploitation. Blizzard does have the right to ban you for abusing this if you're using it to bypass content à la our old friend Karatechop. Don't make Blizzard's job harder, and don't risk your account. Update 10:00 a.m. EST Blizzard is aware of the problem and is looking for a way to solve it. They also issue the same warning we did -- don't exploit this. Zarhym -- Ret Paladin DPS Bug We're aware of this issue and looking into it right now. It's likely we won't have further updates for you until we're back in the office in the morning PST. Just as a reminder from the Terms of Use: C. Rules Related to Game Play. (i) Using or exploiting errors in design, features which have not been documented, and/or "program bugs" to gain access that is otherwise not available, or to obtain a competitive advantage over other players. source
Patch 4.3 hotfixes for January 9, 2012
It's been a while since we've seen a hotfix announcement, but now that the holidays are over, the hotfixes are back in full swing. Today's list is a short one with no class changes, but it does include some much-needed Darkmoon Faire fixes as well as adjustments to instances and raids. Darkmoon items The Captured Journal and The Enemy's Insignia should now be able to be completed, even if they've been turned in in previous months. Darkmoon Tonks and Darkmoon Zeppelins will no longer become a Horde Balloon after faction-switching from Alliance to Horde. The proc damage from the Vial of Shadows trinket should now be increased by ranged attack power for hunters. Killing bosses in a guild group while using the Dungeon Finder should now award guild reputation and experience. Follow after the break for the full list of hotfixes.
Patch 4.3 hotfixes for Dec. 12, 2011
A big batch of new hotfixes has just been released for patch 4.3. Some of the more notable ones include: The Mass Regeneration effect from the druid tier 13 bonus now heals 25% of the healing received by the druid from Frenzied Regeneration, down from 50%. The tooltip will be updated in a later patch. Damage done by Forgotten Ones, Void Bolt AoE, and Searing Blood has been reduced on 25-person heroic difficulty. Yor'sahj's health has been reduced by 10% on 25 person heroic difficulty. The health pools for Burning Tendon, Corrupted Blood, Corruption, and Hideous Amalgamation have been reduced by 6% to 11% for 25-person raids on both normal and heroic difficulty. Damage done by Deathwing's Elementium Blast, Corrupted Blood, and Blistering Heat have been lowered on Raid Finder difficulty. Blizzard makes it clear on Twitter that several of the raid hotfixes will not be active until after tomorrow's realm maintenance. So don't expect to see them if you're currently engaged in the encounters. The full list after the break.
Patch 4.3 Hotfixes for Dec. 6, 2011
You want some hotfixes, you say? Well, you're in luck! Blizzard has released one heck of a large list of hotfixes this evening, dealing with everything form class abilities to very big pains like the Yor'sahj encounter in the Raid Finder. Some of the highlights include: Yor'sahj had its Raid Finder HP for slimes, mana voids, and forgotten ones nerfed by 20%. Ball damage is now splitting correctly on Zon'ozz in the Raid Finder. Echo of Baine trash is hitting for less. Deep Wounds is working better (more correctly) for warriors. Lots and lots of changes after the break.
Patch 4.3 hotfixes for Dec. 2
Hotfixes are in for Dec. 2, with the expected fix to the Raid Finder exploit that was causing incredibly fast gear-ups for players who queued over and over. Raid Finder loot should now work in its intended fashion. Dragon Soul and the three new 5-man dungeons also got some quick fixes for a few annoying bugs. Hit the jump for the full list of hotfixes.
Patch 4.3: Hotfix on the way for Dungeon Finder crashes
The launch of patch 4.3 has been smooth overall, but there's one major exception: The Dungeon Finder has developed a case of narcolepsy. If you've been in the queue for any of the new Hour of Twilight dungeons tonight, chances are good you've noticed the system suffering from crashes with extreme frequency. Good news: There's a fix in the works, and we're likely to see it tonight. Cross your fingers. Bashiok - LFD Tool Down? There's a known issue causing the LFG servers to crash, which is kicking people out of queue. A hotfix is already in production and we expect will be implemented this evening. There's also an issue that's causing long queue times, and again a hotfix is in progress. source Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Ol' Grumpy and the Goblet of Firelands adjustments
Hello. I'm Ol' Grumpy. You may remember me from such posts as Ol' Grumpy's first week with Patch 4.1, Ol' Grumpy's guide to player reeducation, or perhaps Ol' Grumpy's guide to outdated content and you. As my name suggests, I am a hilariously old and crotchety curmudgeon who probably has forgotten more about hating things than you've ever known. Seriously, I hate everything, especially the things I enjoy. It's why I'm called Ol' Grumpy and not Ol' Smiley. So, this time I've been called back into service to talk about the recent Firelands adjustments, or as I like to call them, significant nerfs. Quite frankly, my take on these is a bit more nuanced than the last time, so I sadly won't get to grump around as much as I prefer. Frankly, there are several key differences between this series of nerfs and the ones to T11 content that make the situation a little less cut-and-dried. This time, both normal and heroic content is being nerfed. Last time, normal mode fights were nerfed across the board, but heroic content was left unchanged so that people who wanted to experience it at the original challenge level could do so. This is a decision I lauded at the time, and I find the different implementation this time kind of baffling. We got half as much time with tier 12 as we did tier 11 before the changes. Now, to some degree this isn't an entirely fair comparison because we also had to level from 80 to 85 before we got a chance to do tier 11, and in addition there were 13 total fights in tier 11 content plus a bonus heroic only encounter. Tier 12 has eight, seven in Firelands and one in Baradin Hold that barely even counts. But it still seems very early to nerf this content. These are some serious nerfs to content that is still relevant. Unlike the T11 changes, which took place as T12 dropped, these fights are still the fights that we're all doing. There's nothing to replace them, no place for the players who have done it before the nerfs to go if they want to stay on the cutting edge of content. This is the cutting edge, and it's now between 15% and 25% less sharp. All of this adds up to my being not exactly angry or disappointed but very much confused by the reasoning for these changes. And it makes me wonder: Did fewer people clear Firelands than Blizzard was expecting? What's happening with this raid tier, and just how close are we to patch 4.3? Probably closer than I expected a week ago.
Patch 4.2 hotfixes for Sept. 14
Another day, another round of hotfixes for patch 4.2. Today's list is just a series of small tweaks to various mobs, quests and creatures scattered around Azeroth, as well as an adjustment to wine distribution. Wait ... what? Bottle of Dalaran Red, Bottle of Aged Dalaran Red, Cask of Dalaran Red, and Cask of Aged Dalaran Red should no longer award the player the next tier of Dalaran Red when placed on the ground. Alliance and Horde players are able to teleport to Anachronos as many times as they wish even after abandoning and re-accepting the quest A Legendary Engagement. Players will no longer go invisible in Uldum during the quest Premature Explosionation. If players log out or disconnect during the cutscene, they will return to Khartut's Tomb instead of being ported to a nearby graveyard. Follow after the break for the full list of hotfixes.
Retribution paladin buff and other hotfixes incoming tonight
A number of hotfixes have been (or will be) applied to live realms today. One is a particularly noteworthy PVE retribution paladin fix intended to bring ret DPS up to match the competition in the Firelands, as paladin DPS has fallen a bit behind in this raid tier. Paladins will be receiving a +40% damage boost to Censure, the stacking DOT associated with Seal of Truth. The other hotfixes are aimed at quest-related bugs that may have been interfering with players' solo progression. The explanation for the retribution buff and the details of these quest hotfixes can both be found after the break below.
Patch 4.2 hotfixes for Sept. 8
Blizzard has just updated patch 4.2 with some new hotfixes, including confirmation of the dreaded Smouldering Essence-gate that is plaguing the community at this very moment. In case you have been out of the loop, Blizzard is drastically lowering the number of Smouldering Essences that drop off Firelands bosses for the Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest quest line in order to complete the legendary staff. Guilds in 25-man raiding groups were completing the staff too quickly, making it easy for each guild to obtain many of the legendaries. Having multiple legendaries per guild, especially when moving into the next tier of content, is going to be a pain to balance, so Blizzard has put the kibosh on being able to reasonably get multiple staffs per raiding group. Such is the way of things. Hit the jump for all of the new hotfixes.
Patch 4.2 hotfixes for August 16
Blizzard's Zarhym released a new set of hotfix notes tonight. While many of these should be live as we speak, remember that some of these fixes may require a server restart to take hold. Among some of the highlights: Threat generation for all tanks has been increased to 500%, up from 300%. This is in line with today's Dev Watercooler. Occu'thar has come into a larger supply of PVE gear than he previously possessed. The full list of hotfixes is as follows after the break.
