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Relics of Ulduar and Iron Boot Flask changed in patch 3.0.8
One of the cooler vanity items you can get in Wrath of the Lich King is the Iron Boot Flask, which turns you into an Iron Dwarf for 10 minutes every hour. Currently it only costs 10 Relics of Ulduar (an item that has a chance to drop off of anything in Storm Peaks), but that's going to change in patch 3.0.8. The Relics themselves are losing their current Soulbound status, but the Boot Flask will cost a jarring 250 Relics of Ulduar.That price makes a whole lot of sense for an item like this, to be honest. Similar items, the Orb of the Sin'dorei and the Orb of Deception are both pretty rare. It's unusual that this one was so cheap, but it's probably a side effect of the item originally only having one charge in earlier incarnations of the item. Nowadays it has infinite uses but with a cooldown, so that higher price is deserved. You still have a chance to get it before the price change, and I really recommend you do. Especially when you consider the other change coming to the Relics and the Sons of Hodir.
PTR Download is up, even though you probably don't realize it
For those looking to get on the 3.0.8 PTR you'll notice that the download links for the client at https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/charcopy/downloads.html point to a 3.0.1 version of WoW. This version is several months old.However once you download the version above, run the installer, and then run the game you'll be presented with the requirement to download another patch. This patch will bring you up to the latest 3.0.8 version of PTR client.To put it another way: the version you get from the official download page will be updated upon installation. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's wrong.This took Alex Ziebart and I a bit to realize, and we wanted to be sure that we shared this with you right away. Enjoy your PTRing!We should note that the server names are a bit odd right now, but Alex is on the 3.0.8 PTR with his character he copied over earlier.Edit: Pukka clears up the situation a bit more for us nicely: "Unless you were in the beta, you will not be able to access any WotLK content (or characters above 70 for that matter). Also, on the copy page, PvE lands you on a Spanish PvP server, and PvP lands you on a US English PvE server."
PTR character copy is up...for now
If you want to copy your characters over to the 3.0.8 PTR I would do it soon, as in the next few minutes. The copy is currently up and working via the account management page at worldofwarcraft.com (go there yourself and navigate to account management as to ensure there's no trickery involved in links, etc...)The PTR client is not available to be downloaded yet, but we'll let you know when we hear that it is. Expect that to be anytime, probably before the end of the business day on the west coast.There's a good bit of changes to check out over at the PTR 3.0.8 patch notes. Be sure you do so and stay tuned to WoW Insider for more analysis of specific class changes.
Warrior changes in PTR Patch 3.0.8: Dead parrot edition
Warriors are now the most powerful class in the game. Please delete all other characters and switch to your level 13 Warrior alt you haven't played in three years. Also, please be sure to level bandaging up quickly as 24 other warriors bandaging the main tank is all you'll need to defeat most Wrath raiding content.Okay, now that I've got that out of my system... let's take a look at the three changes they've made to the Warrior class for PTR Patch 3.0.8.First and foremost, the one you'll hear around the campfire the most – Titan's Grip has had the hit penalty removed. Completely gone. It is no more. The Titan's Grip hit penalty ceases to be. It is an ex-hit penalty!'Ello hit penalty? Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o'clock alarm call!/thumps-the-hit-penalty-on-the-counterNow that's what I call a dead hit penalty.
World of Warcraft PTR 3.0.8 Patch notes
While the PTR isn't up and active yet, we're very likely to see it within the next couple of days given the information that Ghostcrawler has been handing out lately, or even later today. The full patch notes have seemingly already leaked, so we have them for you here as well. It seems that we're getting patch 3.0.8, not 3.0.4 like we've all been saying. Not a big deal in the end, but interesting nonetheless.Reading through these notes, keep in mind that they're probably not complete and we'll see updates to them when the PTR itself goes live. The test realm always has quite a few undocumented changes as well to keep an eye out for. Again, when we know more, we'll let you know.Edit: Updated to reflect the official patch notes.
Champion of the Frozen Wastes bugged
Many people are starting to notice that as they're completing 10-man raiding they're not getting the achievement "Champion of the Frozen Wastes." This is a known bug and will be fixed in an upcoming patch.The achievement calls for you to kill all of the 10-man bosses and all heroic bosses present in Wrath of the Lich King at launch. The bug is in the fact that while Malygos isn't listed as a required boss kill, it really is. If you kill Maylgos, along with having killed every other 10-man and 5-man boss, you'll get the achievement.Tigole originally announced this bug back on November 3rd, but it really hasn't been coming into play until now. We've received a few tips and complaints about it, and thought it worthy to bring to your attention.We're expecting this to be fixed in patch 3.0.4. While no official announcement has been made, with the numerous announcements of 3.0.4 changes last week we're expecting the PTR for patch 3.0.4 to drop soon – if not this week.
PTR 3.0.3 Patch Notes
Looking for the Patch Notes that are being pushed to the live servers? We've got that, too.Blizzard has released the notes for the Patch 3.0.3 on PTR (Public Test Realm). With the PTRs going to patch 3.0.3, I wouldn't be surprised to see 3.0.3 hit the live servers next week. Also, please note that these patch notes appear to be in flux and are being updated. We'll keep you posted with any changes.While patch 3.0.2 has a lot of great new content, there have been a fair share of bugs in the game. This patch will fix some of those, and change around a few other things. Remember, there will be an ongoing series of changes – the game itself won't seem normal until Wrath of the Lich King.Some highlights of this patch include: Druid talent points are refunded (only Druids) Hunter aspects are off the global cooldown Vampiric Touch has had its spell power coefficient doubled Warlocks can now use an Infernal indoors Bloodthirst cooldown is now 5 seconds No more level requirement to train gathering skills Read on after the break for the full PTR patch notes.
PTR closed with a thank you from the blues
Bornakk and Maaven posted a thank you note to everyone in the Public Test Realm (PTR) forums this afternoon. The PTRs are now closed since patch 3.0.2 is coming out tomorrow. It was an interesting note in that it made sure to mention all of the feedback that they've gotten. The feedback for this patch (and Wrath of the Lich King in general) has been different from previous times. There has been a ton of constructive, well thought out posts on the official forums about all the changes. Often times they've attracted the attention of Lead Class Designer, Greg Street (aka Ghostcrawler), and the discussion that results from such series of posting are quite enlightening and entertaining.So no more PTR, a nice little thank you from Blizzard, and a whole lotta patch to look forward to tomorrow.
Do the developers' personal preferences affect class balance issues?
Reader Paul wrote in this afternoon because he was curious about the WoW community's views regarding class balance issues and how they are handled by developers. He feels that people become very emotional about the topic, and points out that developers are people too, and proposes that their feelings play a major role in how the classes are balanced. Considering how many developers there are, I highly doubt that changes are implemented that don't support the vision of the entire group. Of course people have preferences and feelings, and that can never be fully separated from anything we do, but it is important to keep in mind that the developers are paid professionals working together, not alone. Their jobs depend on balancing the classes as much as possible, and I doubt any one of them is going to risk their (awesome) job just to try to give their class a boost. In addition, even if one or two developers favor Boomkin, the rest have other favorites and are not about to let any one class get out of hand. Personally, I think it is the players who become too sensitive or worked up about class balance issues in testing phases. Changes are made just so the developers can see the effects on a broader scale to give them a better idea of where and how things need to be tweaked. How do you feel about this issue? Do you think that a developer's personal preferences and feelings have a strong impact on class balance issues? If so, how? I'm interested to hear the opinions of the community, and I know Paul is too.
PTR 3.0.2 Patch mirrors
Everyone seems to be having problems downloading the Public Test Realm (PTR) client still. This can be a real problem for some, especially if you don't have access to a high speed internet connection all the time. You can read the PTR patch notes multiple times over and still not be finished with the download.WoWWiki has a great list of a few mirrors, and I've linked to the most trusted ones I use all the time after the break.Please keep in mind that it is always possible, although highly unlikely, that one of these files might contain a virus. You should be running something to scan for viruses on all incoming files, like the free AVG.See below after the break for the mirrors list.
Patching behavior and another download
The PTR patch that is applied when you download and install the PTR Patch 3.0.2 files will create a completely new copy of WoW for itself, taking up approximately 7.46 Gigabytes of space. For those of us running Windows Vista, the files are stored in the location C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft Public Test. This follows Vista style guidelines set by Microsoft. We saw this same "new" behavior with the 2.4 patch files, when they saved themselves into a directory outside of the World of Warcraft program files.This PTR patching process has other odd behavior right now. When you start to patch the actual game, you'll be able to watch your system resources shoot up. I'm running a very nice laptop where I typically get between 50 and 65 frames a second in raids. The patching ground my computer to a virtual stand-still. This behavior has been reported by others. The patching program decided to use nearly every ounce of CPU power it could. This might be "working as intended" – but it is certainly something that could work better.
PTR 3.0.2 Patch Notes
Patch 3.0.2 will bring with it major changes to the way the game is played, all in preparation for Wrath of the Lich King. Mechanics for virtually all aspects of game-play will change somewhat, and all classes will get new talent trees and spells. The patch notes are long and extensive, and they're not even done.The notes give a clear warning "The current patch notes are incomplete, but will be progressively more comprehensive in each patch." Things are not done. Indeed, these notes even go on to mention that Blizzard is still modifying and balancing the classes.Read below after the break for the complete PTR 3.0.2 patch notes. Sit back with a drink and read over them all, it's going to be an interesting patch!(Psst! Looking for the short version? Check out the TLDR version here.) Patch 3.0.2 "Echoes of Doom" has landed and WoW Insider has you covered. From patch notes to talent guides for every class to fixing your addons to 5 easy achievements you can snag right now. Make sure to check out the latest news.
Blizzard seeks PTR feedback
If you're testing on the PTR to try and determine what changes patch 3.0.2 have on your character, take some time and give some feedback on these specific issues. Blizzard is specifically asking folks to note if they've lost any abilities they should have or gained ones they shouldn't, if the new token panel is functioning correctly, if mounts and pets are being properly learned from their respective items, if all of your bags and bank slots are working properly, and if you're gaining all of the Achievements you should have.So, please help our blue overlords determine that everything is working smootly for the launch of 3.0.2 so that we don't all end up with abilities we shouldn't have or tokens lost in the ether. I would, but beta testers aren't able to.
Bug prevents beta testers from participating in the PTR
Blue poster Tyren made an announcement on the PTR forums this afternoon that those of us who have an account in the Wrath of the Lich King beta cannot participate in the 3.0.2 PTR. This is most unfortunate news for the numerous people in that situation.If you have more than one account, your second account could probably work with the PTR (assuming it is not enrolled in the beta). I haven't been able to test this yet with my other accounts, but will update this post when I get the chance to.Tyren does say that they are working to resolve the issue, and that it should be fixed early next week. In my opinion, it can't be resolved fast enough.
PTR 3.0.2 client is available for download
You can now begin downloading the PTR (Public Test Realm) client for patch 3.0.2. We reported earlier today that character copies have been made active, and those are going along nicely as far as we can tell (my Warrior copied across with no problem). To download the client and copy your characters over to the PTR, login to your account administration at worldofwarcraft.com.We are expecting a lot of out of this patch. From new talent trees, to class and raid mechanics changes, to the removal of the Amani War Bear. We'll have a lot more on this as we get more information in. Patch notes are not available yet – though we expect to get our hands on them soon. Stay tuned!
3.0 PTR Character Copy open
In a sign that the 3.0 patch may be nearly upon us, the US PTR Character Copy utility is now up and running. There are no sign of premade characters yet, but it does allow you to transfer 4 of your existing characters to the US PvE or PvP Test realms. As usual, you must have an active Burning Crusade enabled account to participate. The 3.0 patch, as you may recall, is the harbinger of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and will include many of Wrath's new features, including the new class talents and spells, barber shops, and even the Inscription trade skill. This is a huge step toward the release of the expansion itself, and we'll keep you updated on any further news we receive on the 3.0 PTR and everything beyond it. [Thanks to Shawn for the heads up!]
PTR forums up, more beta invites going out
As a few of our readers have noted (thanks Nicholas!), the Public Test Realm Forum is back up and running, apparently in anticipation for the impending test cycle of patch 3.0.2, the pre-Wrath content patch set to release in the next few weeks or months. As of this writing, Blizzard hasn't posted anything in there yet, but considering Blizzard apparently likes to break open servers right before the weekend, we could have access to 3.0.2 as soon as tomorrow evening.And more folks are getting into the Wrath beta as well -- we've heard from quite a few people on our tips line, and there's been lots of murmuring on the forums that new beta invites are going out. Looks like Blizzard is ratcheting up testing of the new content in a big way. That doesn't mean that we'll move our expectation of the release date up, as there's still a lot of work to be done on what we've seen in the beta. But if you've been waiting patiently for your chance to check out some of the new content, it could be right around the corner.
3.0.2 PTR imminent
We haven't seen much PTR action in a little while (although I guess the beta realms are really a PTR for Wrath). That may change soon, though: the European PTR forums were just wiped, and Tigole recently said "3.0 will be on the PTR's soon." Disregarding his apostrophe abuse, and Blizzard's colorful history with the word "soon," this does conspire with the forum wipe to indicate that the PTRs will probably be up with this pre-Wrath patch within, I'd say, a week or so. What does this say about the Wrath release date? Well, I'd say nothing, really. In the same post, Tigole mentions that some patches were on the PTR for over two months (which is good because a lot of the new talents are really half-baked right now). Additionally, 3.0.2 could come any amount of time before LK. 2.0.1, the pre-Burning Crusade patch, came a bit over a month before BC was released. There is one notable advantage to bringing 3.0.2 to the PTR as soon as possible: more testing. While a fair number of people are in the LK beta by now, everyone who wants to (and had an active account the last time the PTR authentication server was updated) can access the PTR. As I mentioned above (and as Tigole agreed in his post) none of the classes is done yet, and the more people we get play-testing them, the better.
Premade characters now available for copy on the PTR
Blizzard forum poster Hortus has announced that premade characters are now available for copy to the PTR for patch 2.4.3. The Character Copy page says that the average wait time for copying is five days, but I've never waited as long as the estimates for my copied toons. I copied mine to the PTR tonight and will let you know how long the transfer takes. The eighteen premades are all Level 70s, two of each class (one Horde, one Alliance). Undead comprise the largest race (5), followed by Dwarves (4), Gnomes (3), and Orcs (2). There is one character each for Tauren (Druid), Night Elves (Druid), Blood Elves (Paladin), and Draenei (Shaman). They are all specced with gear made for PvP, judging by the character names. So what are you waiting for? Maintenance starts soon! Get out there and copy a premade character -- or four -- for yourself.[Thanks, Josh and Philip Stetson.]
Patch 2.4.3 patch notes
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/WoW_Patch_2_4_3_notes_are_now_live_with_a_few_surprises'; Patch notes for patch 2.4.3 are up. Click below for the full patch notes, and stay tuned to WoW Insider for more analysis of the effects these changes will have. Additionally, the PTR client for 2.4.3 is now available to be downloaded. However, the PTR server is not up yet.Highlights of this patch include: Mounts at level 30 Changes to non-combat pets Curse of Shadow and Curse of Elements have been combined Hunter pet changes Magisters' Terrace nerf Changes to Rogue's Cheat Death ability
