patch notes
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AoC grinds out the fixes
By Mitra, is it Thursday already? That should mean a new patch for Age of Conan - and true to their word, FunCom are keeping up the relentless assault on AoC's bugs. Mounts come in for some more attention, Necromancers get a round of buffs, a host of quests are fixed or revamped, some of the sluggish female animations are addressed, and in short, we're impressed. AoC has had its teething troubles, but nobody can say FunCom aren't putting in the hours to get them sorted out.Also true to emerging tradition, the players are compiling their own set of unofficial patch notes, one in the EU and one in the US, collating everything they've found that wasn't documented. Good news for all players: it looks like the promised alteration of outdoor bosses' loot tables has made it in, along with an overall increase in blue loot drops. The not so good news is an apparent nerf to the Bear Shaman's Untamed Regeneration feat. According to the unofficial player-created patch notes, 'The stamina, mana and health regeneration on the ability "Untamed Regeneration" has been reduced by approximately 40%. Additional damage received has been increased from 10% to 15%.' Nerf or bug? We're waiting to find out.
Adrian Bott06.12.2008
New AoC patch brings important fixes
Continuing with their policy of frequent medium-sized patches instead of intermittent colossal ones, FunCom are bringing a welcome new patch to the AoC servers today. As well as the all-important 'more client and server crashes resolved' and a host of alterations such as a sound effect for levelling up (what's a ding without a ding?) and fixes to quests, there are significant changes to Demonologists that should make the class more balanced. Many spells have had their damage buffed, their casting time reduced, or their splash damage increased. The hated cooldown for wide-scale Area of Effect damage spells, Inferno of Amher and Shockblast, has even been shaved back down.
Adrian Bott06.09.2008
Empyrean Age launch schedule: 24-hour downtime for deployment
CCP has announced that EVE Online's Empyrean Age expansion will be playable on Wednesday, the 11th of June, at 2:00 AM GMT. Tranquility will be brought down the preceding day (Tuesday the 10th) at 2:00 AM GMT and will be offline for 24 hours as CCP readies the new content.That's a very long long downtime, to be sure, but it's arguably worth it, given all the additions Empyrean Age makes to the game. The specifics are outlined in the patch notes and the expansion's features page at the official site, but most of the changes are related to the factional warfare system that we've heard so much about. Admittedly, it's not an expansion for the carebears. Their day will come when Ambulation arrives.Those of us here at Massively who play EVE are looking forward to podkilling your sorry asses in all the battles to come! Just kidding; we're not that mean! Or are we?
Samuel Axon06.06.2008
Hellgate: London giveths and takeths away
Flagship Studios announced some changes to Hellgate: London in the form of Patch 1.3b, which should resolve issues with the ill-fated Patch 1.3a. Indeed, the month of May has turned out to be HellPatch: London for Flagship and HG: L fans, with the patches even being patched. Some players who logged into the Test Server recently found that their characters were gone and, fearing the worst, assumed (incorrectly) that a character wipe had taken place. This was not the case at all; a Test Center database crash was the culprit, and a restore from backup solved the issue. Now that the updated patch has been rolled out, nightly restarts of the live servers have ceased, as of May 20th. The reboots were a precaution to prevent server instability while issues were being resolved. A notable change in Patch 1.3b is that HG: L now blocks non-subscribers from party portaling into subscriber-only areas. Although this change will likely disappoint the gamers who play for free, a quest NPC previously available only to paying players is now available to non-subs. Whether or not this balances the scales for the non-subs remains to be seen, but portaling into restricted areas would seem to be an exploit. The other changes and fixes in Patch 1.3b are numerous, and affect non-subscribers and subscribers alike. The complete breakdown is found after the jump:
James Egan05.24.2008
Psst...want some WotLK alpha talent info?
As you may have noticed, Blizzard sent us a request that we remove unreleased information relating to spells and talents in Wrath of the Lich King, and we have chosen to comply with that request. However, obviously that cat is out of the bag (and was before we got there), and if you want to find that information, one good place to look for it is the Wotlk leaks wiki.From flight paths to pictures to spells and talents (including those for Death Knights) to profession information, that wiki is a great resource for unreleased information. Obviously this is stll alpha information, and everything is unfinished and changeable -- if any of you were playing WoW in alpha or beta, you know how much things changed before release (and after). Still, it's nice to get a glimpse of what's in store.
Eliah Hecht05.20.2008
WoTLK Friends and Family Alpha Patch Notes leaked
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Wrath_of_the_Lich_King_Alpha_patch_notes_leaked'; MMO-Champion has just posted what appears to be the patch notes for the WoTLK Friends and Family Alpha. This is an unconfirmed leak, but everything on them would appear to check out as legitimate. They're pretty barebones, but there's some intriguing information to be found: Death Knights are playable, although the starting quests and talents are not complete. Spells and Talents past 70 are available for the Druid, Mage, Priest, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior classes You can head to Northrend via Menethil Harbor and Theramore for the Alliance, or Undercity and Ogrimmar for the Horde The Howling Fjord, Borean Tundra, Grizzly Hills, and Dragonblight are the zones currently open for testing. Utgarde Keep, Utgarde Pinnacle, The Nexus, and Drak'tharon Keep are currently available for testing. If they already have talents for quite a few classes past 70, it would seem to suggest that they are further along on the expansion then we think. Hopefully, if these patch notes ring true, we'll hear about those talents soon. You can read the full Patch notes behind the jump.
Daniel Whitcomb05.17.2008
Tuesday Morning: Maintenance time
Good Morning Azeroth! It's Tuesday, May 13, 2008, and that means maintenance. As we mentioned earlier, it's an extended maintenance, from 3 AM to 11 AM PST (That means you have about a half an hour of play time left), and it's looking rather likely that 2.4.2's going to drop. Exciting news, but that still means that you'll have at least 8 hours in which it is impossible to play World of Warcraft. Of course, this means the perfect thing to do is browse WoW Insider. Since 2.4.2's probably on it's way, why not browse all our 2.4.2 news? The original patch notes are posted here. We break down the Undocumented changes here -- including pictures of the new mounts added to the game files. You can find the latest test realm page notes here. MMO-Champion points out two new changes: Prince Kael'thas will now drop Primal Nethers in Heroic Magisters Terrace, and the Darkmoon Card: Madness' buffs will now last 60 seconds. Check out our reports on all the Hunter class changes, Including Growl and Scare Beast, the math problems and controversy surrounding the Growl change among the Hunter community, and getting your own flight-formed Druid pet. Good News for Weaponsmiths, with the epic one-handers becoming non-unique. But enough about 2.4.2, what about the big news? First, of course, is the fact that Blizzcon 08 was announced. Check out the details and look back on some old Blizzcon 07 memories in our announcement post. You may also recall all the Wrath of the Lich King news that dropped this week. Of course, you know we have it all for you on WoW Insider. Check it out after the break.
Daniel Whitcomb05.13.2008
All things Wrath of the Lich King
Over the past week, particularly in the last few days, the crisp Internet air has been abuzz with news from the upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Fear you're out of the loop? Here's a quick round-up of all the information being released, along with analysis and opinion. Don't forget to keep checking back, as this page will be updated as information becomes available:Dungeons and raids An analysis on Arthas as a ten-manned event, including its impact on the 25-man raiding structure, as well an exploration of its consistency with the lore. Did you know that all expansion raids will have a 10-man setting, as well as a 25-man? Read through some of our initial impressions on the 10-man raiding set-up. We also wrote up a concise overview of the ins and outs of dungeons post-expansion, including a new token system, similar to [Badge of Justice]. The Nexus has been announced on the official site as one of the new dungeons. The WoW Insider Show discusses 10-manning Arthas. Zones, factions, and relevant lore Alex has written an excellent overview of the Grizzly Hills, a soon-to-be zone for low to mid-seventies. With old factions reappearing, along with other surprises, it's definitely something to look forward to! If news of the Dragonblight has intrigued you, you'll be pleased to know that more information has been made available. While we're brushing up on our lore and learning about new areas and factions, Alex thought it fitting to illuminate the lore behind Azjol-Nerub, as the Nerubians will have their own role in the expansion. Alex asks us about lore figures we'd like to see in the expansion. %Gallery-20386%
Amanda Miller05.11.2008
2.4.2 patch notes updated
The Official 2.4.2 Patch notes have been updated with a variety of new class and item changes that should be live on the PTR right now. For the most part, the class changes are just bug fixes, some of which were already listed, but have been moved from the bug fix section to their proper class section. However, Paladins and Hunters have recieved some very interesting changes. Boar pets have recieved what looks like a massive hit to their aggro potential with a general nerf to Growl, but in return, there's been a slight buff to Aspect of the Viper and a major buff to Scare Beast. Raiding Hunters have also been buffed in that Elixir of Demonslaying now works for ranged attacks. Retribution Paladins may now actually end up using Seal of the Crusader, as it now gives a 40% damage increase to their Crusader Strike. The changes are listed after the jump, courtesy of World of Raids.
Daniel Whitcomb04.25.2008
Official patch notes for LOTRO Book 13: Doom of the Last King
It seems like just yesterday Lord of the Rings Online Book 12 was being pushed out to the live servers. In reality it was more like two months, and here we are again on patch day. That means it's time for one of my favorite parts of being an MMO player: patch notes! The official patch notes are now available, and they're Massive. Here are just a few of the highlights: The epic quest continues with an 11 quest arc. An entirely new region to explore, the icy realm of Forochel. It's got 100 quests and a brand new faction to ally yourself with. Monster play fans gain an entirely new class, the Orc Defiler. The first PC hobby has been added, the Fishing hobby. Massive changes to the Annúminas area, tweaking CTF play and adding repeatable side quests. A number of changes to monster trophies, including the phase-out of many of the currently available ones. Much more, including enemies that now disarm, longer lasting diseases, tweaks to a number of player classes, and numerous improvements to PvMP. Be sure to check out the full notes to get all the data you need, and don't let the frostbite get you!%Gallery-18168%
Michael Zenke04.24.2008
Undocumented changes in 2.4.2
Before 2.4.2 is even up on PTRs, MMO-Champion and World of Raids have undocumented changes listed on their sites. That's dedication! Of course, given that none of this can be verified, you should take it with a grain of salt, but most of the time changes found in the game files end up going live. Here's what's been noticed so far: Most mount-speed-increasing trinkets (Carrot on a Stick, Skybreaker Whip, Riding Crop) have been changed to enchantments, which can be permanently applied to a single mount in your inventory and cause it to become soulbound. Furthermore, Charm of Swift Flight (which will stay a trinket) now also reduces the mana cost of Flight Form and Swift Flight Form by 115 mana, and Carrot on a Stick is now craftable (1x Simple Wood, 1x Fine Thread, 1x Golden Sansam). I imagine it would be an engineering recipe. This seems like a good change for the most part, since we won't have to use add-ons to swap in our riding speed trinket all the time (and we'll save an inventory space). However, it does have the major drawback that you'll need to get a new one for each of your mounts, which could get expensive if you're a mount collector. More business for the leatherworkers, I suppose. Continuing on the mount theme, a sort of horned Swift Zebra mount appears to have been added to the game, as well as a Headless Horseman's Mount (both pictured). Aspect of the Viper has been buffed. Previously, it generated mana equal to up to 55% of the hunter's Intellect every five seconds; now, it generates up to 55% of the hunter's Int plus 35% of his or her level. This means a boost of up to 24.5 mp5 at level 70. There are also some changes to various items and recipes; check MMO-Champion for those. What do you think of this mount trinket change? Oh, and if you haven't seen the official patch notes yet, check Adam's post from early this morning.Update: I just signed on to the PTR, and was unable to verify the change to Riding Crop. So this might well not end up happening after all.
Eliah Hecht04.23.2008
Patch 2.4.2 notes released
Blizzard has released tonight the patch notes for patch 2.4.2, which means the PTR will probably be up and running sometime soon. Patch 2.4 will likely be the last major patch before Wrath of the Lich King, and we expect to see a couple more of these minor patches before WotLK comes out.Highlights of 2.4.2 include: Changes to the way arena points are calculated - essentially what Drysc talked about earlier. Void Shatter no longer has a cooldown, and other cooldowns have been reduced. Illidan will no longer despawn if a raid wipes during his death speech. If you are sheeped / polymorphed by a mob, you will no longer gain back health (ie: the mass sheep in Aran, which regens your health before he fire blasts the raid). This is a potentially large change. Many main hand weapons are now one hand weapons. A good list of bug fixes, including several problems associated with sounds. Full patch notes for your convenience after the break!
Adam Holisky04.23.2008
Picking apart the patch for Tabula Rasa 1.6
Ever since patch 1.6 dropped, we've been diving back into Tabula Rasa, milking that sweet sweet experience modifier for everything it's worth. Scanning the air-waves though, we've been hearing about a few wonky things from the patch. Nothing big, mind you, and nothing serious. Just a few things that have stuck out to players that any enterprising player would probably be keen on knowing. Blades now do physical damage with their alt attack. - Players in general chat have been emphatic about this one, noting how the Spy's alt attack (hitting F while wielding a blade) still does type damage, and not physical damage as promised. Evidently, this is already being looked at. Powerful Kael can now leap long distances in pursuit of their target. They do not utilize this at close range, but will do so to prevent their enemies from escaping. - Be prepared to be a little frightened by this one. Kael have gotten a fairly substantial buff. Kael used to be big brutes who you could kite around and destroy with a pistol, but with this and the addition of a new stun attack, they will close distance in a blink and make quick work of you. The only circumstance where you cannot interrupt a reload is when you manually reload a weapon that still has some ammo left in it. - With this thread as our witness, this is not true. You can still interrupt a manual reload. For our money, this seems like a good bug to keep in - who wants to die while reloading? All in all, a pretty good patch with some neat new tricks and no game breaking unfun.
Chris Chester03.30.2008
Breakfast Topic: AV Fixed?
Alterac Valley has long been a battlefield for contention, not just between Drek'Thar and Vanndar Stormpike. There have always been complaints that the battleground has favored one side or another. Blizzard has modified the battleground several times to balance it out, and thus far they have been unsuccessful. The following changes were made to Alterac Valley: Captain Balinda Stonehearth Stonehearth can no longer be interrupted, silenced, or have her spells slowed. In addition, her water elemental cannot be banished, and does increased damage. Vanndar Stormpike and Captain Balinda Stonehearth have had their health totals reduced to match the health totals of Drek'Thar and Captain Galvangar. Warmasters/marshals in Alterac Valley now increase each other's maximum health and damage by 25%. This is a stacking effect. Horde players will now start the battle closer to Drek'Thar and Frostwolf Keep. There is now a Join as Party option.
Amanda Dean03.27.2008
Tabula Rasa patch 1.6 going live "soon"
Happy news from the Tabula Rasa development crew. Patch 1.6, which has been sitting on the hotplate for a good long while, ostensibly as penance for the bungles surrounding patch 1.5, is officially in the queue to hit the live servers either late tonight or sometime early tomorrow. The update also mentions that they're hard at work on a last-minute hotfix to cure some minor bugs with Wargame results and schematic drops. No hard deadline on when we can expect to see that hotfix, though signs point to the next couple days.For those who have been out of the loop, or who have only just returned to the game courtesy of the Amazon deal earlier this week, there have been a number of big changes to come along in patch 1.6. Torqueshell rifles got a new look, and then another new look, in an attempt to increase their effectiveness. They've also reworked the utility behind capturing and defending capture points, adding new goodies like respecs to the list of rewards that players can get after redeeming tokens. It's an exciting group of changes, and we'll be keeping our eye on the live servers.Complete patch notes, taken from the test server, are available after the jump.
Chris Chester03.26.2008
Breakfast topic: The best parts of patch 2.4
Good morning, and welcome to the second day of the rest of your life. For better or for worse, patch 2.4 has gone live. I must say that progressive testing has made it a pretty wild ride. I look forward to the weekend when I'll have more time to explore the changes. We've all had time to read the notes and tinker around with the new changes. My plan for the day was to check out the notes and then head on in the battlegrounds. I must admit that I didn't get a chance to try out the new Warsong Gulch. I'm sure I'll get to it soon once the queue settles down. I did get a chance to arena, and that queue was popping incredibly fast.Apparently Bornakk spoke the truth about queue relief.
Amanda Dean03.26.2008
Patch 2.4 notes - live version
Take a look after the break for a mirrored copy of the live version of the 2.4 patch notes. This comes directly from the downloader, which is now working. The normal patch note site located at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/ is not updated yet. However, I'm sure it will be soon.One of the big changes from the PTR to the live realms is that CC non-breaking effects have been removed. You cannot Multi-shot with CC targets up and get a way with it (or a number of other abilities). This has been confirmed by Hortus, and thanks to reader Meph for pointing this out. However it should be noted that in the patch notes, Avenger's Shield will still not break CC. This is interesting and will be explored more once the game comes up.You should be seeing the downloader finish about 10 megs worth of content, and then update the game. Everything went smoothly for me on both my Mac and PC clients.WoW Insider will continue our extensive coverage of patch 2.4 today!
Adam Holisky03.25.2008
Breakfast Topic: First Things First
We know that patch 2.4 is on its way, sometime soon. The World of Warcraft page has been updated and the background downloader has appeared. Many of us are itching to experience the Fury of the Sunwell. Tomorrow was the second most frequently projected date in our "Guess the release day" contest. As always, Blizzard says it'll go live when it's ready, but tomorrow seems likely to me. The first thing I'm going to do when the patch goes live is check out the patch notes and see which changes were actually included, what's been rolled back, and what's been replaced. After that I'll be heading into Warsong Gulch to see if the developers have found a way to make the battleground experience a little better. I hope they did better than the promised debuff after five minutes of flag-carrying time. What's the first thing you're going to do once the patch drops?
Amanda Dean03.24.2008
Breakfast Topic: Patch 2.4, for better or for worse?
Patch 2.4 draws closer every day. Many players were speculating that it was going to be released yesterday (March 18, 2008). Blizzard has promised that the patch is coming soon and the background downloader has appeared. My best guest is that we'll be visiting Sunwell Isle on March 25, 2008. The day that patch 2.3 was released I attempted to rush home from work to check out the new changes, but was thwarted by cross-town traffic. There are some things that I'm excited about for in the newest patch, but I'm not nearly as stoked as I was for the last major update. I try to keep in mind that what we've seen so far on the Public Test Realm is not the final product for the patch, but it gives us a pretty good indication of what's coming.
Amanda Dean03.19.2008
Cleavage buffed on PTR
The PTR has changed once more. Sure, the star changes are rollbacks on the Life Tap nerf and Flametongue buff, but there is at least one other change that I think is highly significant. Expect a Patch Note Watch soon exhaustively detailing every change that made it into the patch notes. Until then, however, enjoy the following:Cleave, Multi-Shot, Swipe, Chain Lightning, and Avenger's Shield will no longer hit targets that are under the effect of CC spells that break on damage, such as Polymorph or Sap. This includes Felguard Cleave and the Chain Lightning effects caused by various items. As far as I can make out, this is all spells that hit multiple targets, but are not AoE; Thunder Clap, for instance, will still break sheep. Edit: Whirlwind, Sweeping Strikes, and Blade Flurry do not seem to be included. Overall this change is, frankly, awesome. The implications for tanking alone are highly pleasant, as well as for Hunter and Elemental Shaman DPS. I'm starting to get excited about patch 2.4 all over again.
Eliah Hecht03.05.2008