No New Raids Before Cataclysm

Blizzard poster Zarhym announced yesterday that Blizzard has no plans to release any new raid content before Cataclysm hits shelves.  Though there will be a final major content patch before Wrath of the Lich King bites the dust, no raid will be included.  Instead the patch will simply introduce some of Cataclysm's features to the live realms.  Feel free to read Zarhym's post to confirm the details for yourself.

Odds are, this announcement will only exacerbate the feelings of burnout sweeping across Azeroth.  With each passing day, more and more raiders are deciding to take a break from World of Warcraft until Cataclysm hifts.  At this point, Blizzard can only hope that Cataclysm packs enough punch to bring everyone back.

Unintended Consequences: Why Badges and Expansions Don't Mix

Many World of Warcraft players these days, especially those on the higher end of the raiding spectrum, have been taking vacations from Azeroth.  Claiming everything from burnout to boredom, there is a certain dissatisfaction amongst the harder-core adventurers that has lead large numbers of raiders to hang up their epic boots until Cataclysm.  This sort of migration is not at all uncommon in the summer, where real life events and trips hinder raid scheduling.  Further, a certain sense of player fatigue near the end of an expansion's shelf-life is to be expected.

This time, however, something seems different.  Rather than being limited to just a hand full of progression pushers, even middle tier raiders are feeling the need to spend some time without their spellbooks.  Some have speculated that this migration is simply a sign that the level of Warcraft participation has reached the top of its bell curve.  I, however, believe that certain design choices made in Wrath of the Lich King as well as changes planned for Cataclysm have contributed to the recent decline in player activity.  Find out what they are after the jump.

World of Warcraft Patch 3.3 Trailer

Since all the official World of Warcraft website have become barely accessible, I figured I would embed the 3.3 Trailer here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!



Here is hoping that the servers come back online sooner rather than later. I know I am eager to see what Icecrown Citadel has to offer.

Hot Video: Invincible Mount and Perky Pug

The good folks over at MMO Champion have just released a set of videos featuring content data-mined from the upcoming World of Warcraft Patch 3.3. In the first video, we can catch a glimpse of a new mount being added to the game, the flying horse Invincible. In life, Invincible was Arthas' loyal steed. In death, he is a crazy looking mount you can nab in Icecrown Citadel. Odds are Invincible will be the Mimiron's Head of Icecrown, but no details have been released as of yet. Enjoy the video:



The next video is of a new pet being introduced in 3.3, the Perky Pug. This pet will be available as a reward for participating in World of Warcraft Patch 3.3's random dungeon feature. Be sure to watch this one to the end as the little dog's funniest animation lies at the end of the clip.

World of Warcraft New Dungeon System Unveiled

Today, Blizzard lifted the curtain on several of the details for its new Looking For Group (LFG) Dungeon system. Be sure to check out the Official New Dungeon System Preview on the World of Warcraft website for details.

The most noteworthy feature, and one which has been the buzz around Blizzard for some time now, is cross realm instancing. Using the new interface, players can be placed in an instance group with players from their Battlegroup rather than being limited to the pool of players on their server. To accommodate these groups, the system will also port players directly into their instances similar to how the Battleground system currently functions.

Among the more minor, but positive changes being introduced are the elimination of the three instance que cap, more intelligent automatic group formation, and a vote driven player kick system. There is also some controversy built into the LFG interface in the form of a new mandatory Need vs. Greed loot system and automatic disenchanting. The new Need vs. Greed system has irked Paladins, Druids, and Shaman in that it restricts Need rolls to class ideal armor types meaning Paladins can only need on Plate, Druids on Leather, and Shaman on Mail. The automatic DE feature, which is active whenever you are grouped with an Enchanter, has been stoutly opposed by a segment of the Enchanting population as a hijacking of their trade skill.

Ultimately, the new system seems like much more good than bad. Unfortunately, the fear of change ingrained in all World of Warcraft players will cause many to be blind to the improvements the new Dungeon interface brings to the table. This, my friends, is progress, like it or lump it.

Warlock and Mage Tier 10 Videos

Earlier today, MMO Champion posted a Tier 10 Mage and Warlock Preview including both images and videos of the new armor sets. Check out the videos and commentary below:

Warlock



Once again, Warlocks have a great looking gear set on the way. Though the shoulders are a recycled model and not very "cloth looking," the helm is a grand slam. It has an awesome The Nightmare Before Christmas feel to it that makes it unfortunate that we likely will be unable to get our hands on it before Halloween. The particle effects are also interesting with dark black specs and a light cloud of darkness floating around the Warlock's head. Though it may lack the demonic wings of Tier 6, it is certainly one of the best looking sets Blizzard has put together.

Mage



Where the Warlock Tier 10 set is a unbridled success, the Mage set is more than a little disappointing. First and foremost, it looks nothing like a "Mage set." The color patterns seem almost tribal where the models look much more like leather, mail, or plate than cloth. The shoulders appear metallic and give off a faint green glow to match the green glowing gems which adorn the rigid looking robes. Why Blizzard elected green effects, which tend to indicate nature or fel magic, rather than white, blue, or even red is confusing at best. The helm is perhaps the biggest disaster and would seem more at home atop a Shaman, Druid, or even a Paladin than a Mage. I am not certain what kind of aesthetic Blizzard was shooting for with the Mage Tier 10 set, but I am pretty sure they have missed the mark.

Death Knight Tier 10 Video

MMO Champion has posted a Tier 10 Death Knight Preview. Since the original posting, it has been updated with a video. Check out the video and my thoughts on the set below:



The Death Knights are getting a pretty attractive set in World of Warcraft patch 3.3. Aside from the awkwardly large gem atop the helm, the set likens back to the intensity of the older Tier 3 Warrior set with the perfect amount of Lich King influence. The set will make players look like a Death Knight should, dark and powerful. It does not get much better than that.

World of Warcraft Tier 10 Armor Preview

Blizzard has created a page for unveiling the new Tier 10 armor sets to be released in World of Warcraft Patch 3.3. They intend to reveal them slowly, building up towards the patch. Feel free to click over to the World of Warcraft official website to check out the official tier 10 sneak previews.

Odds are all of the new models will be data-mined well before Blizzard roles them out officially, so if you are really interested in catching a first glimpse I would look to other websites like MMO Champion. Happy hunting.

Onyxia: Back in Black

Blizzard has announced that as part of the celebration of the fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft, the Onyxia encounter will be re-released as a level 80 raid instance. The encounter should be available on the Public Test Realms relatively soon and will ultimately drop as one of many "big plans" to be revealed in content Patch 3.2.2. Check out the official announcement here.

According to information released thus far, the encounter will come in both 10 and 25 man flavors. Though the loot tables will be reworked for level 80 itemization, Blizzard plans to recycle many of the textures from the encounter's classic drops. The Black Dragonflight Brood Mother will also now have a chance of dropping a 310% speed Onyxia Broodling flying mount. Even if you choose not to tackle the new raid, players who log on during the month of November will find an Onyxia Brood Whelpling in their mailboxes as a gift similar to the Baby Blizzard Bear from World of Warcraft's 4th Anniversary.

Though it will be sad to see the classic 40 man Onyxia permanently depart, I am excited about the opportunity to head back to the Wyrmbog for some reworked old school fun. I am also curious whether or not the attunement quests will be back as well. At the very least, here's hoping for a new and improved Ancient Cornerstone Grimgoire. I would love the chance to bring my Summoned Skeleton out of retirement.

Isn't he precious?

Twinks in 3.2

With the release of Warcraft patch 3.2, Blizzard introduced experience gains to the battlegrounds. To assuage players with Twinks, exceptionally well geared lower level characters who remain indefinitely at the highest level of a battleground's bracket, Blizzard also introduced a system whereby players could suspend all experience gains for the low price of 10 gold. This change was a boon to twinks as they could farm their gear and participate in battlegrounds without fear of leveling up into a new bracket.

Unfortunately for twinks, with the benefits of suspended experience gains came segregated battlegrounds. Since 3.2, all players looking to enter a battleground are separated into two pools: those with experience gains on and those with them off. This prevents twinks from dominating everyone in the battlegrounds, but at the cost of exceptionally long ques for twinks who must wait for an entire battleground full of other twinks to engage in PvP. This has led to many complaints from voracious twinkers.

In my observation, players with twinks have offered two reasons that the 3.2 battlegrounds changes are unfair. First, their twinks can no longer roll over a battleground full of non-twinks. Second, they must now wait hours to join a battleground. As for the first complaint, I have no sympathy. Twinks completely ruin the battleground experience for anyone but other twinks. Even where levels are equal, a twink will generally blow up a non-twink with minimal effort and next to no chance of reprisal. For players on the lower end of the battleground level span, its was simply a game of preparing to be two shot repeatedly. Though this might be fun for the twinks, it is fun at the expense of other players, largely new players who Blizzard has a reasonable interest in protecting.

As for the second complaint, it is certainly a legitimate issue. Fortunately, I believe it is a problem which will work itself out in time. With the arrival of Call of the Crusade, there are many new things to experience. Lower level players have enhanced access to mounts, there are four new instances to explore, Emblems of Conquest are now easy to farm, and there are new dailies to do. Odds are, most players have thrown themselves headlong into this new content and it will take a while for the "new stuff" shine to fade. Once that happens, however, it is likely that players will return their attention to their twinks and the que times will drop.

Obviously, that is not a quick fix for players who want to immediately start flexing their twink muscles. It is my opinion, however, that the ends of this change justify its means and the result of more fair battlegrounds is well worth the current growing pains. Obviously reasonable minds might differ, but I think all but the most predatory of twinks should ultimately appreciate the change.

Patch 3.2 is Here!

Love it or hate it, patch 3.2 goes live today following the end of server maintenance. For those of you looking to download Patch 3.2 using means other than the often broken Blizzard Downloader, check out Wowwiki's Patch Mirror List. I am currently grabbing the patch from here, but I have not had the chance to test it yet. As always, be on the look out for viruses.

The download speed anywhere is going to be a little slow from anywhere, but you will still generally be able to download Warcraft patch 3.2 faster and with fewer errors than through Blizzard. Happy hunting!

Crusaders' Coliseum Q & A

Blizzard has released a slightly less than comprehensive Q & A about the new Crusaders' Coliseum instances to be released in patch 3.2. Feel free to check out the questions and their respective answers here.

One of the more interesting pieces of information shared is the magic number for tribute run attempts. According to the development team, heroic raiders will be capped at 50 attempts per reset to reach the post instance loot cache. The less of those "wipes" used, the better the loot. It is an interesting system, especially in light of the new instance reset delay feature as guilds will need to choose between using attempt number 20 to try to push past boss number 3 or allowing the instance to reset and starting at boss 1 with a fresh 50.

Unfortunately, the Q & A fails to address one of the most confusing elements of the instance which the developers have alluded to on the forums. Supposedly, different bosses will be introduced to the Coliseum on different weeks. Thus far, the community has been left in the dark as to how this will work and what it means for progress focused raiders. Here's hoping things get cleared up before 3.2 drops later this week.

The Real Final Boss for Trial of the Crusader?

In my post 3.2 PTR Now Open, I speculated that forces of the Lich King would derail the Trial of the Crusader, the new 10/25 man raid to be released in 3.2. With Anub'Arak now available for public testing it is official that the instance involves more than the beasties gathered by the Crusaders. Check out a video of the famous Crypt Lord taken from the PTR below:



Feel free to call me paranoid, but I am fairly confident that Blizzard still has at least one Ace in its collective 3.2 sleeve. As interesting as Anub'Arak is lore wise, the encounter seems to lack a certain something players have come to expect from an raid instance's final boss. Also, the encounter is currently far too easy and though I am certain that will change before release, I doubt that even a beefed up Anub'Arak is the greatest challenge the Trial of the Crusader or Trial of the Grand Crusader has to offer. It would also be rather odd for Blizzard to introduce a challenge related super raid boss in 3.1 (Algalon) and then not do the same in 3.2.

My prediction: There will be another unlockable raid boss in the Trial of the Crusader and/or Trial of the Grand Crusader instances beyond Anub'Arak. If I had to guess, end-game raiders would be wise to study up on Faceless Ones.

Trial of the Champion Loot List

World of Raids has released a full loot list for Trial of the Champion, the five man dungeon component of the Crusaders' Coliseum to be released in World of Warcraft Patch 3.2. Check it out to see all the shiny new epics to be found in both the heroic and regular versions of this three boss encounter.

Some of the more interesting looking pieces include Aledar's Battlestar, Edge of Ruin, Mariel's Sorrow, Marrowstrike, and Peacekeeper Blade. Mask of Distant Memory earns honors as being the most ridiculous looking head piece since the Reinforced Velvet Helm. In terms of utility, tank trinket The Black Heart is turning some heads. Not bad for a regular five man drop!

As shiny as these new pieces of loot are, the piles of Champion's Seals you will build up running even the normal version of this instance will certainly shine more. Sorry Black Knight, but I foresee much doom in your future.

Hot Video: Edys Darkbane and Fjola Lightbane Loot

Though U.S. testing of Lord Jaraxxus may have been derailed by technical troubles, twin Val'kyr Edyis Darkbane and Fjola Lightbane have hit the PTR in Europe. Check out a video from Affenjungs below to get a sneak peek at the encounter:



I was also able to scrounge up a loot table for the Val'kyr in an MMO Champion Thread complete with links to view weapon and armor models. Some of the particularly impressive models on the Horde side are the Twins Pact staff, Lightbane Focus offhand, and the Edge of Agony 2 handed sword. The top pieces of Alliance eye candy are the Twin Spike dagger, the Chalice of Benedictus offhand, the Enlightenment staff, The Diplomat gun, and the Reckoning 2 handed sword. Taking the awards for most bizarre models are the matching moon emblem healms for the Horde's Helm of the High Mesa and the Alliance's Helm of the Snowy Grotto.

So far the Alliance loot models seem more attractive and interesting than those on the Horde side, but the Crusaders' Colliseum still has plenty of love to give. Here's hoping things will get ironed out on the U.S. PTR soon and there is more loot to be seen in the next couple days.

New Warcraft Instance Lock Extension Feature

Blizzard has just announced a new feature to be released in World of Warcraft Patch 3.2: Instance Lock Extensions. With the feature, a player will have the option of foregoing daily or weekly instance resets on a periodic basis. The feature is controlled exclusively on an individual level rather than being raid or instance based. This means if you want to take multiple weeks to push through a single clear of Ulduar, you can prevent the reset on a week by week basis. Check out the official announcement thread here.

This is a novel feature and it will be interesting to see how it is put to use. I would imagine it will not be extensively utilized for its intended purpose. For a guild hoping to extend its progression, gear more often than time is the limiting factor. Suspending an instance reset simply prevents a gear building charge through an instance's early bosses. Sure, fighting those bosses each week is redundant, but it does build the gear base and raid cohesion necessary to topple later bosses.

As an example, a guild fresh out of Naxxramas will have very little chance clearing Ulduar in a single pass regardless of how much time they are given. Ulduar's final bosses are only feasible with a cushion of early Ulduar gear already saturating the raid. As a result, it seems as though progression oriented guilds would be better served to allow periodic resets to happen. There is however room for reasonable minds to disagree.

It would then seem to me that the raid lock extension option is more likely to be used as tool for griefing and exploits than for its intended purpose, but I am still glad that Blizzard is evolving World of Warcraft's feature set. I guess we will all need to wait and see how this new tool is put to use.

Tier 9 Reveal a Disappointment

Blizzard revealed some of the models for the tier 9 gear which will be found in the Crusaders' Colliseum drops in Patch 3.2. Unfortunately, things are not looking good. Check out the official reveal page here to judge for yourself.

In a nutshell, players are up in arms because it appears as though Blizzard's plan to make the gear vary across faction lines has resulted in little appreciable difference between the models for individual classes. Just look at the Alliance Warlock, Priest, and Mage sets below:

Warlock

Priest

Mage

I think the images speak for themselves. Poor form Blizzard.

Changing Factions in World of Warcraft

Well, it is finally in the works. Yesterday, Blizzard announced that a system which would allow players to switch from Alliance to Horde and vice-versa is in the works. Though it was made clear that this change was still early in the development cycle, that has not stopped an explosive response from the Warcraft player base. Check out the official announcement thread here.

From the sound of things, this will be a for cash service similar to server transfers rather than an in game mechanic like the Barber Shop. Though I understand Blizzard's desire to accommodate players who are isolated from their friends dueo to poor faction planning, I believe this change will do more harm than good.

Many servers currently suffer severe faction imbalances not only in terms total of population, but also in terms of the active raiding population. Though paid faction changes may not appreciably contribute to general population imbalance, it will almost certainly add to differences in active raiding populations. Currently, many hardcore players use paid server transfers to escape a server where there faction is inferior. Those who stay either simply do not want to pay for a character transfer or have no desire to abandon their server. Paid faction changes will add the latter to an already marked faction based skilled player exodus being experienced on many imbalanced servers.

Obviously there is plenty of time for Blizzard to craft its new feature to combat this unfortunate effect, but considering the transfers will be paid there is little incentive for Blizzard to burden its use. As a faction on a particular server falls further into the gutter, more players will pay for transfers which increases the profitability of the new system. With the world PvP currently being nearly non-existent and instance based PvP being based on Battle Groups, players on the overwhelmingly powerful server will have little to complain about. Hopefully this service gets canned before it is released, but considering it has already been announced I am far from optimistic.

3.2 Emblem Change: Welfare Epics?

Though there are many exciting, interesting, and occasionally controversial changes coming in Warcraft Patch 3.2, few changes have spurred as much debate as the coming adjustments to the emblem currency system. In a nut shell, the emblems once reserved for 25 man WotLK raids will now drop in Heroics and 10 man raids as well as in all pre-3.2 25 man raids. A new, higher ranking Emblem of Triumph will now drop in the Crusaders' Coliseum instances and be available as a reward for completing both normal and heroic daily dungeon quests. Feel free to check out the thread announcing the change here.

Since the announcement the classic feud over who is entitled to endgame gear and who isn't has been put back on the table. The debate has been renewed now that the Public Test Realms for 3.2 are open and players are beginning to see the changes first hand. Having trolled countless forum posts on the subject and mulled the issue during the quiet moments of everyday life, I have finally decided to weigh in on the subject.

Blizzard's mantra since the release of Wrath of the Lich King has been "making content accessible." Despite some hardcore cries to the contrary, I think it is a great direction for the game to move in. World of Warcraft's player base is gigantic. It's hardcore player base (those who raid endgame content multiple evenings per week) represents a small, though rabid, segment of that broader population. It does not make sense for Blizzard to design complex raiding experiences to only be experienced by a small segment of the game's players. More intense players will always be the first to clear new content and, ultimately, the best at clearing it. In my opinion, this is the reward for being one of Azeroth's elite.

Unfortunately, many players view loot as the endgame raider's reward. Some admit this openly, while others veil their lust for loot, whether to themselves or the world at large, as some other skill, time, or dedication based concern. Regardless, there is a rather pervasive disdain amongst the hardcore community towards any change which makes epic loot easier to come by. In my opinion, this antipathy is misguided.

Good gear does not grantee passage into one of World of Warcraft's top guilds. A player must also be skilled in his or her class and have the time and patience necessary to grind away at fresh, difficult content. Having the gear to make clearing endgame content a possibility is quite a distance away from being in a position to actually do so.

As Warcraft equipment system has introduced more and more tiers of player gear, making endgame content a possibility gear-wise has become an increasingly arduous task. That task has ultimately become a problem as players on the cusp of entering endgame content find themselves needing gear from dungeons which the hardcore have no incentive to run and the casual cannot handle. Though this does not present a dead end, it does transform a player's gearing up experience from play to a chore.

The 3.2 emblem change fixes that problem in two ways. First, upper tier players now have an incentive to run lower tier content as that content is now tied to rewards which can be beneficial while working through endgame. This increases the player base interested in running lower tier content and makes finding groups easier, which ultimately enhances the player experience and increases player skill by allowing for more time in grouped content. Second, the change allows a player expedited advancement into endgame content on the shoulders of his or her own merit. Again, gear is only one ingredient used to bake an endgame raider. Without skill and dedication, all the gear in the world will not bring you into any of World of Warcraft's primear guilds. Additionally, I think that many hardcore players forget that this tool is available to their alts as well.

I am clearly in favor of the emblem changes. Though I am much more casual in my play currently, there was a time during which I was rather hardcore. (I was the first Druid on my server to land myself Leggings of Immersion afterall. Oh the memories!) As a result, I can certainly understand the hardcore mentality. To avoid giving legitimacy to the claims that hardcore players are elitist, it is important to keep in mind that World of Warcraft is a game. It is not a sport or an industry. Players should not invest time in World of Warcraft for some reward. Time should be spent in World of Warcraft because it is fun.

If you enjoy seeing new content first and spending long nights slugging away at difficult encounters with 25 of your closest friends, then you have the right kind of hardcore mindset. If, however, you have "worked hard" for your gear and do not want others to get epics easily, perhaps your time would be better spent concentrating on your real life job or studies. If you dislike the change, take a step back and really put your fingure on why. If you are honest with yourself, I can almost garuntee you will not like what you find.

3.2 PTR Now Open

Blizzard has finally lifted the gate for Public Testing of its next major content patch, 3.2 Call of the Crusade. Check out the official announcement thread here and the PTR Forums here.

As to be expected so close to its release, 3.2 on the PTR is full of bugs and imbalance. I am confident though that Blizzard will, at worst, iron most of them out before the official release. Also, I am exceptionally curious to see the early reports from the Crusader's Coliseum. Ever since its first mention I and many others have speculated that the Coliseum may very well much more than it appears. Perhaps a force of evil will derail the Crusader's tournament plans...