public-test-realms
Latest
Patch 1.11.2 to Be Released to the PTR Today
The test realms will be opened again at 10:00 AM PDT with a bug fix patch. While CM Ordinn describes it as a "small bug fix patch" the list of fixes is quite extensive. And even if you aren't interested in testing, the public test realms serve as a great place to experiment with new characters and builds - or, as with the last phase of the PTRs, PvP on a whole new level.
Public Test Realms Closed
Once again it's been a fun run on the PTRs, but they have, officially, closed. Of course, the real news here is that this means patch 1.11 has been mostly finalized, and that we should expect patch deployment soon - possibly as early as this week. On the matter of a release date, Tigole tells us, "No promises as to when the patch is going live, but if I were you, I'd start working on that Argent Dawn rep by tomorrow -- either that or pillage the guild bank while the pillaging is good." Of course, what that means is up in the air, but if you'll excuse me, I think I need to be getting a Scholomance run together about now...
Two Upcoming Raid Changes
Tigole has announced two changes to dungeons that we should see in patch 1.11. These aren't live on the test realms yet, but should be in a few days. The release timer is being removed for players in instances. This should come as welcome news for anyone who has ever died at the beginning of the Nefarian encounter. To prevent exploits, players will no longer be able to zone into an instance during certain encounters ("almost entirely raid bosses," explains Tigole).
PTR Naxxramas Changes
The test realms haven't been up for long, but Naxxramas bug fixes are already starting to show up. Also, to help testers, a vendor has been added to Naxxramas that will offer free repairs, free resurrection sickness removal, spell reagents, tome of tranquilizing shot, and rogue poisons. So if you're interested in checking out Naxxramas, it's been easier. However, character transfers to the test realm still seem to be down, so if you didn't copy a character when the PTRs were first brought online, you're going to have to wait a while.
Breakfast Topic: Testing!
The public test realms opened late Friday, and despite stability issues, are officially online. With lots of interesting changes, are you interested in checking them out? Perhaps exploring the new Naxxramas dungeon with a pick up group, or just enjoying playing a pre-made and pre-geared level 60 character. So let us know - will we be seeing you on the test realm?
Test Realms Come Up, Test Realms Go Down
As seems to be the usual pattern, after the public test realms were brought online they were immediately slammed with traffic, bringing them offline again. As of writing this, the only test realm that seems to be up is the RP-PVP realm. The character transfer system suffered a similar fate, and was officially taken down yesterday. There seems to be no news about when we can expect transfers or the test realms themselves to be back online, but as soon as I find out anything, I'll pass it on.
Now Online: Public Test Realms
The test realms have been brought up with the 1.11 content patch. Check out the patch notes here and copy a pre-made character (character transfers are usually not available on weekends) from here. So get copying!While the changes are mostly as we expected, there are a few pleasant surprises: The cost to respec one's talents will now decay over time, going down by 5 gold per month, to a minimum of 10 gold. Rogue's Detect Traps skill is now passive. Warlock's Shadow Ward has a new rank to be found as a drop. Warrior's Shield Slam functionality has been changed. To quote... "This ability now costs 20 rage to use and the damage it does is modified by attack power (normalized to 2.2 speed). However, the base damage has been reduced. It generates more threat per rage and more damage per rage than it did previously." Class quest sets in Zul'Gurub and Ahn'Qiraj have been upgraded from superior quality to epic quality. (By my reading, it sounds like this refers to all items, though perhaps it is only some of them.) PvP armor rewards for ranks 7, 8, 10, 12, and 13 have been improved. Light's Hope Chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands is now a full hub, with inn, mailbox, etc. Many new quests in Light's Hope. Class-specific armor sets from Zul'Gurub now no longer require bijous or coins - only a Primal Hakkari item and appropriate reputation. Class-specific enchantments from Zul'Gurub now no longer require librams from Dire Maul. The High Priests of Zul'Gurub now have an additional loot table. Several raid interface improvements, including defualt-UI ability to send messages to the middle of a player's screen and perform ready checks. There will now be a party interface option to reset an instance. Many new flight paths, as well as new flight hubs in Ratchet and Un'Goro Crater.
Testing Raid Content
When Blackwing Lair was released, way back in patch 1.6, it was ridden with bugs. In order to keep the content top secret and preserve fair competition between guilds seeking world firsts on the live realms, it was never released on the public test realms - and its lack of polish showed. For Ahn'Qiraj, Blizzard took the alternate approach, releasing it on the public test realms for all to try. Tigole has already announced plans for an "extended test period" of Naxxramas, but some question whether having the instance available for testing ruins the race for world firsts. What do you think - does testing make enough of a difference to be worth spoiling the surprises?
