siege-of-orgrimmar
Latest
Patch 5.4 PTR: Raid testing for Friday, July 19
If you're looking for more fun on the PTR, how does some raid testing sound? Two more bosses will be available for raid testing tomorrow morning and afternoon -- the Spoils of Pandaria encounter, and Thok the Bloodthirsty. Please note that Thok may be removed or replaced with another encounter in the event of bugs -- last week, Thok was scheduled to be tested, but removed shortly after the schedule was posted. Keep in mind that PTR bosses are open for testing purposes, and leave your feedback in the appropriate threads when you're done beating them up! Also keep in mind that these are PTR bosses, so mechanics and the fights themselves may change as the PTR progresses. And if you're worried about finding a group, don't be! It's not at all uncommon to find a group just by sticking around in the chat channels and asking around. And don't worry about your gear, either -- gear is scaled in the raid zones for the purposes of testing. Follow after the break for all the details.
Tier 16 Armor Set videos: Shaman, Monk
Adriacraft is at it again with more tier set videos. The latest addition to the videos is the monk set shown above. I'm not so sure about the sleeveless robe, but I quite like the look of the helm -- a red bandana similar to the Shado-Pan helmet, minus the helmet of course! Still, it seems a little less flashy than other tier 16 contributions. What do you think? After the break you'll find the video for the tier 16 shaman set. I'm actually really fond of this set, largely for the shoulder graphics. They remind me of Ulduar and Algalon, although I'm sure that wasn't the intended purpose. I'm not sure what the spinning discs really have to do with the elements, but the lighting effects on the shoulder graphics are really pretty. If you're wondering how they hold up to the rest of the tier, be sure to take a look at the Warrior, Priest and Hunter, and the Paladin Druid, Rogue and Death Knight as well. And as always, keep an eye on Adriacraft on YouTube for all the latest patch videos.
Possible hint to the next patch?
Mists of Pandaria has brought about a ton of visual changes, and not just to Pandaria -- Orgrimmar has seen a lot of evolution over the course of the expansion, what with the abrupt shut down of the Valley of Spirits and the wild Gamon chase all throughout the city. However, it looks like the Siege of Orgrimmar might not be the last patch we'll see in Mists of Pandaria after all -- Lead Quest Designer Dave Kosak made an interesting comment on Twitter regarding the future of Orgrimmar. @Leviathonlx Most of Orgrimmar permanent changes will happen in a future patch, but before next expansion. - Dave Kosak (@DaveKosak) July 17, 2013 Whether this is pointing to the usual lead-in patch for the next expansion, or a patch 5.5 in the works is, of course, completely up in the air. But it's nice to see that Orgrimmar won't be in a state of perpetual lockdown for good. It would be even nicer, however, to see the Vale restored at least a little bit in some sort of resolution -- after all, its appearance in 5.4 is kind of a shock. And if we're dead set on cleaning up Pandaria, wouldn't it be lovely to see some kind of evidence that we're serious about it? For that matter, seeing the Jade Forest cleaned up would be nice, too. Sure, it might take another hundred years to build another statue for the Jade Serpent, but I miss the orange trees.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Patch notes update for July 12
A new set of updates to the patch 5.4 PTR patch notes has been posted on the official blog. Along with the usual class tweaks and adjustments, this time around we've got some changes to Pet Battles -- and an interesting change for both druids and death knights. Druids and Death Knights using spells that take them to training areas (Moonglade and the Ebon Hold) will now find that casting Teleport: Moonglade or Death Gate will return them to a location near their original departure point. Hunters -- Readiness has been removed, and Disengage and Deterrence both now have two charges. Battle Pet training cost and the price of pets sold by Battle Pet Trainers have both been greatly reduced! You can see the full list of patch notes at the official site, but if you'd just like a list of the new changes, follow after the break for a consolidated list.
Après Hellscream, le déluge: A Lore Projection
Spoilers for Patch 5.4 lurk within this post, like a hideous phalanx of grue. I can't shake this feeling of dread lately. Thinking about the Siege of Orgrimmar, about Garrosh Hellscream, about the Horde and what's to become of it, and of the Alliance. Thanks to the most recent sound files, we know a few things, but what we don't learn from those files is as interesting as what we do learn. And yet, I can't shake this feeling of dread. What am I dreading? The villain will be defeated, right? The heroes will be triumphant, the rebels and the Alliance will storm Orgrimmar and the 'True Horde' will be toppled from the fortresses it has made of a formerly vibrant, brawling town. All will be right with the world, yes? Maybe yes, but maybe no. I keep looking at Garrosh Hellscream -- the orc who successfully led a disorganized Horde rabble to Northrend and welded an army out of it -- and thinking about what comes after the siege. What happens when the son of Grom is defeated? What happens to the Horde? What happens to the Alliance? What happens to Azeroth? What happens to us?
Patch 5.4 PTR: Raid testing for Thursday, July 11
Blizzard released the raid testing schedule for tomorrow -- players planning on hitting the PTR can expect to find Norushen waiting for them in 10-man normal mode. Keep in mind that PTR bosses are open for testing purposes, and leave your feedback in the appropriate threads when you're done beating them up! Also keep in mind that these are PTR bosses, so mechanics and the fights themselves may change as the PTR progresses. If you're worried about finding a group, don't be! It's not at all uncommon to find a group just by sticking around in the chat channels and asking around. And don't worry about your gear, either -- gear is scaled in the raid zones for the purposes of testing.
Patch 5.4 PTR patch notes updated for July 8
A new set of updates to the patch 5.4 PTR patch notes has been posted on the official blog. Plenty of class changes have been integrated as well as some changes to battlegrounds and the accumulation of conquest points. Death Knights, Scent of Blood now also has a chance to activate when you dodge or parry a melee attack. Hunters, Counter Shot is now a baseline interrupt ability learned at level 22. Rogues, Burst of Speed's cost has been reduced to 15 energy, down from 30 energy. You can see the full list of patch notes at the official site, but if you'd just like a list of the new changes, follow after the break for a consolidated list.
Patch 5.4 Siege of Orgrimmar: July 1st testing schedule
Ready for more raid tests? Blizzard has announced that three additional bosses will be available for testing on Monday, July 1. These bosses will be in the new Siege of Ogrimmar raid instance slated for release with patch 5.4. If you haven't already, don't forget to get your characters copied over or create a new level 90 premade if you want to check this stuff out! Once you're transferred over, head to Niu-Zao temple and look for the giant Flaskataur NPC who will have tier 16 gear available for purchase. You c an find the Siege of Orgrimmar right below the foundations of Mogu'shan Palace. Monday July 1 Malkorok - 10 Player Normal 10:30 PDT (13:30 EDT, 19:30 CEST) Siegecrafter Blackfuse - 10 Player Normal 14:00 PDT (17:00 EDT, 23:00 CEST) Paragons of the Klaxxi - 10 Player Normal 16:00 PDT (19:00 EDT, 01:00 CEST) WoW Insider's Siege of Orgrimmar boss impressions Kor'kron Dark Shaman General Nazgrim Catch the blue post after the jump!
Siege of Orgrimmar Boss Preview: General Nazgrim
I'm not even going to sugar coat it. As a main Alliance player, I was delighted to get a chance to put the General in his place and strike down one of the Horde leaders. But as with the case of most PTR boss encounters, it was not to be. The General thoroughly kicked my behind all over the place. You'll find the General in the Ragefire Chasm area of Orgrimmar. He's expected to be the 8th encounter you'll find and he's surrounded by a large number of grunts. The General will call upon his Kor'kron legions to aid him periodically in battle. You'll be fending off waves of the Kor'kron while simultaneously battling through the different stances and rage abilities of the General. Read on for a little preview on what he does and my impressions of him!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Siege of Orgimmar raid testing schedule
Welcome to the first of many upcoming raid tests on the patch 5.4 PTR! The Siege of Orgrimmar is about to take place and both the Horde and the Alliance are invited! This is your chance to preview the upcoming encounters in a blank slate with no prior information. No strategies. No videos. No writeups. It's going to be you, your raid, and your brains as you figure out how to best these encounters (or break them). Blizzard will be starting with 10-player encounters before moving on to their Heroic and 25-player iterations. Testing starts Monday, June 24 and Tuesday, June 25. Like the previous Throne of Thunder tests for patch 5.2, the bosses will only be available for a limited window of time. Get your characters copied over or create a new level 90 premade if you wish to help! Monday, June 24 Fallen Protectors - 10 Player Normal - 10:30 PDT (13:30 EDT, 19:30 CEST) Kor'kron Dark Shaman (Who are the Dark Shaman?) - 10 Player Normal - 16:00 PDT (19:00 EDT, 01:00 CEST) Tuesday, June 25 Immerseus - 10 Player Normal - 10:30 PDT (13:30 EDT, 19:30 CEST) General Nazgrim - 10 Player Normal 16:00 PDT (19:00 EDT, 01:00 CEST) Catch the official blue post after the jump!
Patch 5.4 PTR patch notes updated for June 20
An update list of patch notes for the 5.4 PTR has just been released on the official blog. The notes include a mega list of changes for various classes, as well as tweaks and additions to battlegrounds, pet battles and more. Every taunt ability now increases all threat generated against the target by 200% while the taunt is active. Those who participate in PvP Pet Battles should happily note that round timers will get progressively shorter for a player who takes more than 15 seconds to issue a command during their turn. Any battle pet that could be rewarded from a Throne of Thunder boss in LFR will now be able to be won from a bonus roll as well. You can see the full list of patch notes at the official site, but if you'd just like a list of the new changes, follow after the break for a consolidated list.
Scheduling the Siege of Orgrimmar raid test
Testing for the big bad raid of the Mists of Pandaria expansion is not quite ready to begin, Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas tells us, but we're getting close. There will be a few more PTR patches to take care of some stability issues, and then Blizzard will be ready to open up the Siege of Orgrimmar to testing groups. Blizzard is going for two major schedules for SoO testing: one at 10:30 am Pacific time, aimed toward EU players, and one at 4:00 pm Pacific time, aimed toward North American players, though all regions will be open to testing during both scheduled windows. Normal and heroic 10-player modes will be tested first before proceeding to 25-player normal and heroic modes. LFR and flex raiding will be available for PTR testing as well, and will be unlocked once a raid wing has completed testing in normal mode, with a longer time frame for testing as well.
A first glimpse inside the Siege of Orgrimmar (Spoiler Alert!)
Because this video and post contains major spoilers for some people, we're just putting everything after the break.
Video: A first look at patch 5.4's environmental changes and raid
WoW Insider was able to get into the patch 5.4 late last night, through a slew of disconnects and other server issues, and we managed to capture some footage for you of the environmental changes to one of the areas. Now, this is spoiler-heavy, so if you don't want spoilers for patch 5.4 content, of any kind because while the video doesn't contain that much it could spoil something I never even thought of, please don't click the video. Also, don't click the break and read more of the post, and don't read the comments! Spoilers lurk within.
Patch 5.4 PTR news roundup
Patch 5.4 has hit the PTR and a flurry of information regarding the latest patch has already been released. Featuring a new raid, patch 5.4 will also include a variety of new features that are quickly shaping up to be game-changers. Curious about all the new stuff? Take a look at our coverage for more information on patch 5.4 and the upcoming content. Patch 5.4 PTR patch notes Virtual Realms announced Datamined NPC, mount and pet models Moonfang, a new dire wolf boss for the Darkmoon Faire Ilvl restrictions lifted for item enhancements Siege of Orgrimmar's dungeon journal entries New pets and a new pet battle tournament Stromgarde Keep as a new scenario New Challenge Mode titles Proposed initial ilvl changes for new raid difficulties Stay tuned for more patch 5.4 information, and keep your eyes peeled for the PTR.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Initial ilevel ideas for the new raid levels
Blizzard Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street has tweeted the developers' preliminary item levels for the next tier's raid gear. Patch 5.4 is bringing in flexible raiding, a fourth difficulty level, which sits between Raid Finder and Normal raids in terms of both item level and difficulty. 5.4 ilevels aren't finalized but we're thinking something like 528 LFR, 536 Flex, 553 Normal, 566 Heroic. - Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) June 12, 2013 Do note, first and foremost, that these numbers are not finalized. They should be taken with a very large pinch of salt, and are subject to considerable change. The PTR isn't even live at the time of writing this post, so let's not get ahead of ourselves and proclaim the end of days for raiding. So let's look at the current item levels. Raid finder drops 502, normal mode 522, normal thunderforged 528, heroic mode, 535, heroic thunderforged 541. So, the gap between normal mode and LFR has been widened, from 20 to 25, with Flex sitting 17 levels lower than normal mode. The gaps above that are the same, but there's been no mention of something like Thunderforged gear. For heroic geared raiders, Flex seems like a logical difficulty at these levels, but there will be some theorycrafting that needs to be done to ascertain whether the new tier's potentially lower-level drops will outdo their current gear thanks to set bonuses, trinkets and the like. What this ilvl distribution seems to be saying is that heroic-geared raiders shouldn't need to run LFR at all. But, this is all subject to change.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Dungeon Journal for Siege of Orgrimmar
I don't think this even needs to be said, but huge huge spoilers ahoy. With patch 5.4 going on the PTR with the quickness, we're starting to see just who, exactly, we're going to be fighting in the Siege of Orgrimmar raid, and it's definitely not as straightforward as we might have thought. With the folks at Wowhead having the zone page and Dungeon Journal information up, we can take a look at what's to come. Be warned, there are spoilers for the upcoming raid in plenty past this link. If you don't want to know what the bosses will be in this raid, then do not read past this point. Okay, now that they're gone, let's gorge on what we can discover.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Datamined NPC, mount, and pet models
Along with the recently released patch 5.4 patch notes, our friends at MMO-Champion have data-mined some new models including armor for tier 16 and season 14 gear. Garrosh Hellscream gets a new look and we get a sneak peek at the latest sha! Everything behind the cut contains spoilers for the upcoming patch 5.4. Click through and view at your own risk! Please note: This post contains spoilers for patch 5.4.
Patch 5.4 PTR Patch notes
The official patch notes for the 5.4 PTR have been posted on the official website. While the PTR is not available at this time, you can check over some of the changes, new additions, and updates. Keep in mind that the PTR patch notes are not a final version, they will likely change between now and when the patch itself goes live. In addition, not all content may be available for testing immediately. However, there are some pretty amazing things to be found so far! Flex raiding, which we've already been introduced to. Proving Grounds will finally be making its debut in patch 5.4 New Feature: Virtual Realms. Virtual realms are sets of realms that have been fused together and will behave exactly as if they were one cohesive realm. Say what? You heard me! Read on for the full PTR patch notes.
On raid lockouts, flexible raiding, and choice
With the introduction of flexible raiding a certain conversation is cropping up again. It's a conversation about raid lockouts. Back when LFR was first introduced during Dragon Soul, quite a few players began to argue that they felt forced to run LFR in addition to the raid itself. Then, as we moved into Mists of Pandaria raiding, this discussion intensified. I had my own opinion on the issue, which was basically that no, raid finder should not share a lockout with normal mode raiding. Luckily, Blizzard didn't do that, coming up with other ways to reduce LFR's desirability for people who run normal/heroic raids. Now, with flexible raiding, the argument that it should share a lockout with normal/heroic raids is being resurrected because again players are afraid they will be forced to run it. I'm opposed to this idea for a variety of reasons. Sharing the lockout between flexible raiding and normal/heroic raiding means that if you choose to step down to flex for a night because you were short people, you'll either be locked into flex or you'll need to be able to switch back and forth between them. Either players will be punished for going flex, or they'll be using it to bypass encounters that are 'too hard' on normal. This isn't meant to be a means to game raid difficulty. Sharing the lockout between 10 and 25 man raiding nearly killed 25 man raiding. A shared lockout between flexible raiding and normal raids would probably be enough to finish the job, because as 25 man guilds lost members and made use of the flexible raid to keep running, there would be very little incentive to recruit and less incentive for new players to join. Flex raiding is being rolled out to test the waters - we have no idea how the final implementation will shake out. Burdening it with a shared lockout adds a further complication which isn't needed at this time. For all we know, flexible raiding will be how all raids work in the next expansion. Even if it isn't, we need to give it time before we make it jump through more hoops. People need to stop begging Blizzard to keep them from playing the game. Number five is probably the most controversial point, and it's also the most important to my eyes. I don't know where certain players came up with this idea that Blizzard needs to save them from doing things but it needs to stop. If you're not in a guild that's pushing content in the first week or two of its existence, you will not need to run flexible raids for gear to push that content faster any more than you need to run LFR for that.
