wow-live
Latest
Maintenance continues to be extended, no time frame given
Today's epic maintenance to apply patch 3.1, which has stretched from 1 AM for some realms and 3 AM for others, has been additionally extended. Originally, the realms were supposed to go live at 11 AM PDT; that time has come and gone, and been pushed back a few times. The latest update, posted to the Breaking News box a few minutes ago, is that they do not currently have an ETA on when the realms will be up, and they'll give us some more information at about 2 PM PDT, which is in 45 minutes or so. Update 5:15 p.m. EDT: The realms continue to be down, with the in-game message now telling us that there will be an announcement at 6:00 p.m. EDT letting us all know more information. Update 6:15 p.m. EDT: Maintenance is continuing on all realms. There is no time frame given as to when the realms will be back up, however there will be an additional announcement at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Stay tuned to WoW Insider for more information. Additionally, the official forums and account management appear to be intermittently down now as well. Patch 3.1 is live and it takes us into Ulduar, delivers us dual specs, and brings significant changes to all the classes! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1 and the official patch notes!
Classy dual-spec guides
Servers are still down for maintenance due to Patch 3.1, so now would be a great time think of the list of things you'll have to do once you log in. Let's see ... you've bought all the gems enchants you need; you've got your talent calculator all ready to go; you've parked yourself in an old-world capital city to buy dual-spec as soon as you log in. You're ready to go!But the question may remain -- what exactly are you going to pick for your offspec? Don't worry, we've got you covered! We've compiled dual-spec guides for each of your classes. Death Knight • Druid • Hunter • Mage • Paladin • Priest • Rogue • Shaman • Warlock • Warrior Get crackin' and be ready to raid (or whatever it is you'll be doing) when servers come up. Remember: being prepared takes class! Patch 3.1 is live and it takes us into Ulduar, delivers us dual specs, and brings significant changes to all the classes! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1 and the official patch notes!
Patch 3.1 Download Mirror [Updated]
Our sister site Big Download has mirrored the files necessary to update your game client to patch 3.1. Only the PC version is up at this time, however they're working on getting the Mac version.Many users are reporting inability to finish the download via the Blizzard downloader or are generally having problems get their own copy of the patch.All you need to do is go and download this file, install, and you'll be set to enjoy all the patch 3.1 goodness.Update: You can now download the Mac patch files as well. Enjoy!Update: You can now download all the international patch files.Comments have been disabled for this post.
Patch 3.1 achievements round up
Everybody loves achievements, right? ...no, I guess not. Some people like achievements, right? Yes! Patch 3.1 brings a lot of cool stuff for you guys to do as well, so here's all of it in a nice little package for you to pick through. Have fun! There's already a few people ready to pick up the Insane title, but we'd like to assume most of you are slightly less insane. Only slightly. For you guys, we have a get to completing Insane in the Membrane. As of today, the Black and Plagued Proto-Drakes are gone for good. A batch of brand new achievements have been added to the Noblegarden event, which has been extended to a week and will begin on April 26th. Note that you will need these for What a Long, Strange Trip Its Been. We've posted an early version of Ulduar's achievements, too! Chef de Cuisine is getting a bit easier for Alliance players. They can get their hands on Dig Rat Stew on their own now! In exchange, Lil' Game Hunter is becoming easier for the Horde. Enjoy your Sprite Darters and Westfall Chickens! The Argent Tournament has a load of its own achievements as well. If you enjoyed this stuff, keep an eye on our achievements column, The Overachiever. We'll probably be going over a lot of this, especially the Noblegarden and Argent Tournament achievements, in the coming weeks. Patch 3.1 is live and it takes us into Ulduar, delivers us dual specs, and brings significant changes to all the classes! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1 and the official patch notes!
Patch notes incorrect: Equipment Manager will not be part of patch 3.1
The official 3.1 patch notes for the live realms states that the equipment manager is now active. The patch preview website that went live says it isn't, and a blue post from a couple weeks ago was the first announcement that it won't be going live in patch 3.1 yet.So then why is the equipment manager in the patch notes?The patch notes are wrong in this instance.Zarhym/Floating-Red-Skull confirmed as much last night, and it's important to note that there might be a few other posts like this one throughout the day. In some cases patch notes can be incorrect in the finer points of the patch. This is one of those cases. Patch 3.1 is live and it takes us into Ulduar, delivers us dual specs, and brings significant changes to all the classes! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1 and the official patch notes!
WoW Insider's Guide to Patch 3.1 Updated
WoW Insider has been on fire the past few months with patch 3.1 information. We've published nearly 400 articles on various aspects of the patch, more than any other patch we've covered.To help organize things, we've made a nice guide for all you folks. WoW Insider's Guide to Patch 3.1 bring you our entire library of patch information in one concise and convenient place. Check it out for a categorized and indexed listing of everything we've done. We'll be updating it throughout the day as well; you can check there to make sure you haven't missed anything important on this patch release day. Read the Patch 3.1 Guide
WoW Patch 3.1: Class changes round-up
It's official! Patch 3.1 is coming to the live realms today and if you're one of many left dizzy after weeks of changes, bug fixes, nerfs, buffs, stealth nerfs, re-buffs, undocumented changes, and redocumented changes -- WoW Insider is here to help. Obviously things like dual specs and 30 minute hearthstone cooldowns will help us all, but chances are you want to know exactly what's going to be different with your class when you log on after today's maintenance. Here's everything that's been happening for every class, in a single place for your reading convenience...
Patch 3.1 Secrets of Ulduar round up
We've talked a whole lot about Ulduar in the last few months, and a lot of great Ulduar-related resources have cropped up. So you don't need to dig through our entire site to find what you're looking for this fine Tuesday morning, I've tried to collect the most useful pieces of our current Ulduar content into one nice list for you. Enjoy! Ulduar Mania kicked off with this preview of Ulduar from the official EU community site. And then this video! You can listen to this song by Summergale and Cranius titled 'Ulduar' while you read this insanely long list! To be sure you'll never be lost in Ulduar, we've covered a few sites with maps of the zone. Check out an early iteration of the Ulduar achievements. Most of them have remained the same, but note that some of the numbers in the post were placeholders and have since been updated.
The awesome weapons of the Argent Tournament
It's kind of sad and funny that the best-designed weapons in Patch 3.1 aren't going to come from Ulduar but from the cool but overshadowed Argent Tournament. As great as the Tier 8 armor designs are, most of the Ulduar weapons just aren't on par, with the awesomely-named Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion looking like something you'd stick into an hors d'oeuvre sooner than you would stick it into an opponent. Remember Ashkandi, Greatsword of the Brotherhood? Or Zin'rokh, Destroyer of Worlds? The new 2-handed sword from Ulduar follows that great naming tradition but minus the visual badassery.On the other hand, the iLevel 200 weapons from the Argent Tournament are some of the best-looking weapons in Wrath of the Lich King. The best thing about them is that aside from being cool, they're thematically designed to fit specific races. As the Argent Tournament highlights being able to 'champion' a particular major or racial city, it's highly appropriate that the rewards fit the theme. Unfortunately for many players who raid, these weapons won't be upgrades. However, the Argent Tournament was specifically designed for the solo player, a wonderful concession to a sizeable portion of the game's customers. Those players should find that the Argent Tournament weapons are excellent upgrades from quest rewards or even heroics. %Gallery-50027%
Dual speccing in three easy steps
One of the biggest new features in today's patch 3.1 is dual spec capabilities. It's been through many iterations on the PTR, and there's a lot of information floating around (check out our full guide to dual specs), but here's the abbreviated version. Go see your class trainer. Bring 1,000g and be at least level 40. Make sure the glyphs you have on right now are the ones you want to be associated with your primary talent spec. Ask your trainer nicely for dual-spec capabilities, and pay that 1,000g. All your talents are now reset, and you now have access to a second set of them. Set up your talents as you wish, buy new skills as required, and add glyphs to your second spec. Congratulations! You may now switch specs any time you're out of combat (except in arenas). The video above shows the process of switching specs; doing so also switches your action bars and your glyphs (you store a separate set of glyphs for each spec). Switching specs does not require a Lexicon of Power. In fact, Lexicons of Power are not required for anything any more, not even glyphing. Each of your two sets of talents can be reset just like you're used to resetting talents; resetting one does not disturb the other. Happy talenting! %Gallery-45780% Patch 3.1 is live and it takes us into Ulduar, delivers us dual specs, and brings significant changes to all the classes! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1 and the official patch notes!
Breakfast Topic: Your most anticipated Patch 3.1 feature
It's been a long time coming, but Patch 3.1 Secrets of Ulduar has arrived and with it comes a long list of shiny, shiny features. Ready for new content? It's got Ulduar, the prison for Yogg-Saron and his floating brain of death, plus more epic loot than all of The Burning Crusade raids. It comes in both 10-man and 25-man versions, and each boss has a Hard Mode for you crazy kids trying to get your hands on the new Legendary healing mace. Oh, and did I mention the new related Ulduar Achievements? Revamped Noblegarden with its own meta-Achievement? Dual specs? The Argent Tournament? Swimming mounts?! The list goes on and on.So tell us, which of the new features are you most looking forward to today.%Poll-29100% Patch 3.1 is live and it takes us into Ulduar, delivers us dual specs, and brings significant changes to all the classes! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1 and the official patch notes!
Patch 3.1 Secrets of Ulduar told in pictures
We've been churning out reams of text on Secrets of Ulduar going live later today, but who doesn't love some shiny pictures to go with it. Just pick your favorite one and pretend you're there until the servers come back up. You can even get on the phone with your guildmate and pretend you're on Vent arguing about how the Hunter just ninja'd the new legendary healing mace. Gallery: WoW 3.1 PTR: Ulduar Gallery: Tier 8 Armor Gallery: Patch 3.1 Dual Spec walkthrough Gallery: Patch 3.1: The Argent Tournament %Gallery-50027%
Changes in the 3.1 live patch notes
Now that we have official patch notes for patch 3.1, I thought I'd take a look and see what changed between the last PTR notes and today. And the answer is: not much. Only eight new/changed lines, and nothing that I'd call major. But you may disagree, dear reader, and so I'll list everything I found right here. [Hunter] Roar of Sacrifice can be used on the hunter only [Shaman] Unleashed Rage: Reduced to 3 points, down from 5. No longer increases agility, but instead increases your total expertise by 3/6/9. [was 3/6/9%, though that was probably a typo] [Warlock] Drain Soul: Each time Drain Soul deals damage to a target which can grant experience, it now has a chance to generate a Soul Shard
Patch 3.1 confirmed for tomorrow
The blues have confirmed that patch 3.1 will be released tomorrow. Zarhym said as much in a post a few moments ago.You can check out the full and final patch notes (Part I and Part II), and also take a look at WoW Insider's Guide to Patch 3.1 for all the latest information.The realms will be down for extended maintenance tomorrow, and we're all hopeful that won't turn into some disaster like we've seen on previous patch days... but no one is betting any money on the success of the process right now.Stay tuned to WoW Insider throughout the evening and tomorrow for the latest!
Extended maintenance for Tuesday April 14th
The server alert tonight is letting us know that there will be extended maintenance for all realms from 3:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 a.m. EDT to 11:00 a.m. PDT / 2:00 p.m. EDT. However, there are several realms listed after the break that will be down starting at 1:00 a.m. PDT / 4:00 a.m. PDT instead.There is no official announcement yet of patch 3.1 dropping tomorrow, but as we said before (and as is being confirmed by the recent flurry of new information), many folks both publicly and privately are telling us it's dropping tomorrow.Stay tuned tonight as the WoW Insider staff will be staying up all night to bring you the very latest, and don't forget to check out the WoW Insider Guide to Patch 3.1 for all the patch information.
Official Ulduar cinematic revealed
Patch 3.1 is looking more and more likely to be dropping tomorrow, now heralded by the official Ulduar trailer. No, not the preview trailer from awhile back, but the official cinematic, complete with story-progressing goodness. Go give it a watch, then come on back. Did you see it? Good!The first thing that struck me is the new face on Jaina. It looks... unpleasant. That's just me, though! It might just take some time to get used to it. Beyond that, the trailer is very very cool, and keeps the Alliance/Horde conflict in the forefront despite the departure from it for the raid zone. It reinforces my thoughts that Varian's hatred of the Horde is never going to be repaired until Garrosh is out of the picture. It also displays that the war on Ulduar isn't being supported by either the Horde or the Alliance: We're in this thing on our own. I also seem to hate Rhonin much less when Blizzard is writing his dialogue.Thanks to everyone who wrote in about this!
Patch 3.1 Battleground queue updates
Out of the blue tonight, the blustering Blizzard Blue bard Eyonix, came out and let us know about a few things that'll be happening with the Patch 3.1 battleground queue (see what queuing will be like now): Players will not be able to queue while dead. If you queue and accept to enter a battleground while in flight, you'll be returned to a designated destination. Now the first point is clearly to prevent dodging of corpse runs or mess around with corpse camping. As far as the second point, this is interesting and pretty much provides another way of ghetto hearthing in some circumstances (remember, ghetto hearthing is being removed in patch 3.1). Not that you should take advantage of this or anything, and chances are it'll be hotfixed relatively quickly upon release of patch 3.1.
Magic Eight Ball Says: Outlook good for Patch 3.1 tomorrow
The World of Warcraft is waiting with bated breath tonight for the official announcement of Patch 3.1 going live tomorrow, and it appears that announcement will be coming soon.WoW Insider has a few sources that are all pointing towards tomorrow as the release date, save some major internal mess up at Blizzard HQ. MMO-Champion also has some (Are our sources the same? The world may never know.), and Bibi is running a similar announcement over there. While these are, by definition, just rumors, they are taken quite credibly by many of us.What does this mean for you?It means you'll want to become familiar quickly with all the patch 3.1 changes if you haven't already. The best place to find out everything is via WoW Insider's Guide to Patch 3.1. Be sure to check back on it throughout this evening as we get more information in and tomorrow as the floodgates open.Should be a fun few days!
