w797 – The Collection of Game Post

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Guilds, Odds and ends, PvP, Raiding, Guildwatch, Wrath of the Lich King

It’s been a while since we posted a downed picture here at the top of Guildwatch (usually it’s some hilarious chat log from our drama section), but let’s try to stay upbeat this week. Here’s the Deathknight Trainers hanging out with Akama after a successful boss attempt — congrats to them and all the other guilds making progress in our weekly column.

And if that doesn’t excite you, well we’ve still got drama, too. Click the link below to see everything we’ve got this week, and if you’ve got a tip on some good drama, downed or recruiting news for next week, hit us up at wowguildwatch@gmail.com with an email (don’t forget to include the guild’s name and server so we can make sure it’s listed below, too).

Continue reading Guildwatch: Sometimes things do go right

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So the most recent patch is up on the beta. Patch #9014 (yes, it’s over 9000!) is now available for play.

Source

Death Knight Skills
Blood
* Blood Tap now lasts 20 seconds.

Frost
* Howling Blast damage has been increased. (From 192-208 to 259-281 for Rank 5)
* Obliterate damage has been slightly lowered. (From 252 + 126 per disease to 238.5 + 119.25 per disease for Rank 3)

Unholy
* Death and Decay damage has been increased. (From 52 DPS to 62 DPS for Rank 4)

Talents
Blood
* Dancing Rune Weapon cooldown has been increased from 2 to 3 minutes.
* Bloody Vengeance doesnt affect frost and shadow damage anymore.
* Abomination’s Might range has been increased from 20 to 45 yards.
* Bladed Armor now increases your attack power by 1/2/3/4/5 for every 180 armor value you have. (Old – 1/2/3/4/5 strength for every 400 armor value)

Frost
* Tundra Stalker now increases the damage of Icy Touch by 20/40/60/80/100%.
* Guile of Gorefiend doesn’t affect Rune Strike anymore, now affects Howling Blast.

Unholy
* Reaping doesn’t affect Pestilence anymore, now affects Blood Strike
* Blood-Caked Blade changed – Your auto attacks have a 5% chance to cause a Blood-Caked Strike, which hits for 25% (up from 20%) weapon damage plus 12.5% (up from 10%) for each of your diseases on the target.

Druid Skills
Feral
* Mangle – Cat damage increased from 160% normal damage to 200% normal damage. Additional damage increased as well. (507 to 634 for Rank 5)
* Rake damage has been increased. (from [ 6% of AP + 387 ] to [ 18% of AP + 1161 ] for Rank 7)
* Swipe now affects an unlimited amount of targets

Talents
Balance
* Nature’s Splendor now increases the duration of Lifebloom by 2 seconds. (Down from 3)

Feral
* Protector of the Pack now reduces the damage you take by 1/2%. (Down from 3%)

Hunter Skills
Beast Mastery
* Aspect of the Wild (Rank 4) now increases Nature resistance by 130. (Up from 70)
* Aspect of the Viper changed to : The hunter takes on the aspect of the viper, causing ranged attacks to regenerate mana but reducing your total damage done by 50%. Mana gained is based on the speed of your ranged weapon.
* Aspect of the Beast has been changed and re-added to the game. The hunter takes on the aspects of a beast, becoming untrackable and increasing melee attack power of the hunter and the hunter’s pet by 10%. Only one Aspect can be active at a time.

Marksmanship
* Aimed shot casting time reduced from 11% of base mana to 8%. Casting time changed from 2.5 sec to instant. Cooldown increased from 6 seconds to 10 seconds. Damage reduced to about 25% of the old value. (Lowered from 1570 to 408 for Rank 9)
* Kill Shot damage now deals 200% weapon damage (down from 205%). Additional damage nerfed as well. (Down from [ 40% of RAP + 1200 ] to [ 40% of RAP + 650 ] for rank 3)
* Multi-Shot mana cost has been increased from 8% of base mana to 9%.

Survival
* Freezing Arrow now breaks on any damage. (Old – The ice has a chance to break on damage.)
* Freezing Trap now breaks on any damage. (Old – The ice has a chance to break on damage.)

Talents
Beast Mastery
* Kindred Spirits does not stack with other movement speed increasing effects anymore.

Marksmanship
* Readiness has been removed from Survival Tree and moved to Tier 5 of Marksmanship Tree.
* Scatter Shot has been removed from Marksmanship Tree and moved to Tier 3 of Survival Tree
* Marked for Death now increases your damage done by your shots and the damage done by your pet’s special abilities by 4% on marked targets. (Down from 8%)
* Focused Aim doesn’t affect Aimed Shot anymore and now also increases your chance to hit by 1/2/3%.

Survival
* Readiness has been removed from Survival Tree and moved to Tier 5 of Marksmanship Tree.
* Scatter Shot has been removed from Marksmanship Tree and moved to Tier 3 of Survival Tree
* Point of No Escape has been changed from 3 to 2 points and now affects Freezing Arrow. Critical strike chance increased changed to 3/6% (up from 2/4/6%)
* Surefooted has been moved from Tier 4 to Tier 2 and doesn’t increase hit chance anymore.
* Lock and Load now has a 2/4/6% chance to proc on periodic damage. (Down from 5/10/15%)
* Trap Mastery has been moved from Tier 3 to Tier 9 and now increases the duration by 30% of both Freezing and Frost Trap.
* T.N.T. has been moved from Tier 2 to Tier 4.

Mage Skills

* Evocation cooldown has been reduced from 8 minutes to 5 minutes.

Talents
Fire
* Living Bomb doesn’t knock up all targets in the air anymore.

Frost
* Deep Freeze doesn’t deal damage anymore. Now only stuns the target for 5 seconds.

Talents
Arcane
* Missile Barrage now affects Arcane Barrage as well. Rank 5 proc chance changed from 12% to 20%.

Fire
* Hot Streak now affects Fire Blast as well
* Empowered Fireball renamed to Empower Fire. Now affects Frostfire Bolt as well

Frost
* Frostbite has been moved from Tier 2 to Tier 1.
* Frost Warding has been moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2.

Paladin Skills
Holy
* Divine Plea changed to : You gain 25% of your total mana over 15 sec (Old – 10 sec), but the amount healed by your spells is reduced by 100%. (Old – 50%)

Talents
Holy
* Judgements of the Pure now lasts 1 minute. (Up from 30 seconds)
* Infusion of the Light now reduces the cast time of your next Holy Light spell by 0.5/1sec. (Down from 1.25/2.5 sec)

Retribution
* Judgement of the Wise has been changed to grant you 33% of your base mana instead of 20% of your maximum mana.

Priest Skills
Holy
* Holy Nova mana cost changed from 33% of base mana to 25% of base mana.

Talents
Discipline
* Improved Inner fire has been moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2
* Improved Power Word: Fortitude has been moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
* Twin Disciplines now Increases the damage and healing done by your instant spells by 1/2/3/4/5%. (Old – Increased spell power)

Holy
* Guardian Spirit now heals the target of 50% of their maximum health

Shadow
* Twisted Faith now works when your target is afflicted by Shadow Word: Pain instead of Mind Flay.

Rogue
Talents
Assassination
* Focused Attacks now gives 2 energy regardless of the rank.

Combat
* Vitality increases your Energy regeneration rate by 8/16/25%. (Up from 3/6/10%)
* Blade Twisting changed to : Increases the damage dealt by Sinister Strike and Backstab by 5/10%, and your damaging melee attacks have a 10% chance to Daze the target for 4 sec.
* Aggression has been moved from Tier 5 to Tier 4. Now increases the damage done by Sinister Strike, Backstab, and Eviscerate abilities by 3/6/9/12/15%. (Up from 2/4/6/8/10%)

Shaman Skills
Enhancement
* Fire Resistance Totem now increases fire resistance by 130 (Up from 70) and lasts 5 minutes. (Up from 2 minutes)

Talents
Elemental
* Totem of Wrath now lasts 5 minutes. (Up from 2 minutes)

Enhancement
* Maelstrom Weapon proc chance changed from 20/40/60/80/100% on critical hit to 3/6/9/12/15% when you deal damage with a melee weapon. Now affects Chain Heal as well.
* Dual Wield Specialization now Increases your chance to hit while dual wielding by an additional 1/2/3%. (Down from 2/4/6%)
* Stormstrike doesn’t affect Fire or Frost damage anymore.
* Unleashed Rage now increases both melee and ranged attack power and works within 45 yards. (Old – Affected only melee AP, 20 yards)
* Flurry now increases your attack speed by 5/10/15/20/25% (Down from 10/15/20/25/30%) for your next 3 swings after dealing a critical strike.

Restoration
* Ancestral Awakening now affects Riptide as well
* Improved Water Shield now affects Riptide as well

Warlock Skills
Affliction
* Curse of Doom now summons a Doomguard only if the target yields experience or honor.
* Haunt now heals you for 100%. (Down from 200%)
* Drain Soul now causes four times the normal damage if the target is at or below 25% health

Demonology
* Demonic Circle now lasts 6 minutes.
* Inferno now summons an infernal under the command of the caster for 1 minute. (Down from 5 minutes)

Destruction
* Chaos Bolt now deals Fire damage instead of Chaos damage
* Conflagrate can now be casted on targets afflicted by Shadowflame

Talents
Affliction
* Everlasting Affliction doesn’t affect Shadow Bolt anymore but affects Haunt instead.

Demonology
* Demonic Pact doesn’t work with enslaved demons anymore

Warrior Skills
Arms
* Thunder Clap now affects an unlimited amount of targets

Fury
* Battle Shout attack power increase has been lowered from 550 to 548.

Protection
* Revenge isn’t labeled as causing a high amount of threat anymore. Damage has been doubled. (From [ 9.3% of AP + 652 ] to [ 20.7% of AP + 1454 ] for rank 9)
* Shield Slam damage has been slightly increased. (From 756-794 to 990-1040 for Rank 8 )

Talents
Arms
* Sword Specialization proc effect now cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds.

Fury
* Armored to the Teeth now Increases your attack power by 3 for every 180 armor value you have. (Old – Increased Strength by 1/2/3 for every 400 armor value)

Protection
* Sword and Board now has a chance to proc from Revenge as well.
* Vigilance now transfers 10% of the target’s threat to the warrior instead of just reducing it.

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If you live in Australia but are unable to make it to BlizzCon 2008 in person, Foxtel’s Main Event is broadcasting coverage of the conference live on pay-per-view on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12 beginning at 4 a.m. (AEDT). Main Event will present eight hours of live coverage per day, including main stage presentations, interviews, tournaments, game demos, and more. As a bonus, people who purchase both days of the show will be eligible to receive a gift card redeemable for the BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft in-game polar bear mount. For full details, visit the Main Event site at , or order and directly.

We’re also looking into the possibility of bringing televised BlizzCon 2008 coverage to other regions of the world — keep an eye on for more.

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If you live in Australia but are unable to make it to BlizzCon 2008 in person, Foxtel’s Main Event is broadcasting coverage of the conference live on pay-per-view on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12 beginning at 4 a.m. (AEDT). Main Event will present eight hours of live coverage per day, including main stage presentations, interviews, tournaments, game demos, and more. As a bonus, people who purchase both days of the show will be eligible to receive a gift card redeemable for the BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft in-game polar bear mount. For full details, visit the Main Event site at , or order and directly.

We’re also looking into the possibility of bringing televised BlizzCon 2008 coverage to other regions of the world — keep an eye on for more.

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With Wrath of the Lich King right around the corner, now’s as good a time as any to start planning out your talent path for your road to 80. Those players lucky enough to be in the beta have already had time to play around with the new talent trees firsthand, but now everyone can interact with the most current Blizzard calculator.

The official WotLK talent calculator was updated this morning, but Blizzard warns that all talent information is not finalized and is subject to change during the testing process.

If you want to discuss the talents of your class, check out our class forums .

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Blizzard has changed their mind on reseting honor and bg tokens with the release of WotLK! PvPers and BG grinders all rejoice!

Posted by Bornakk (Source )

We had hoped that the introduction of some new Honor rewards in the upcoming patch would give players a great opportunity to spend any of their remaining Honor. However, many players would still be surprised by an Honor and token reset as it isn’t something we’ve done in the past. As such, we’ve decided to not reset Honor or tokens upon the release of Wrath of the Lich King. Players who save their Honor will be able to spend it on level 80 rewards, although those rewards will be significantly more expensive than their level 70 counterparts.

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Filed under: News items, PvP, Wrath of the Lich King

Bornakk has announced on the forums tonight that the honor points wipe they were going to do before Wrath of the Lich King will not be happening after all.

Once again for clarity: honor points and PvP tokens will not be reset when WotLK is released. According to a post by Zarhym today, Arena points and teams will still be wiped immediately prior to Wrath’s release.

This is a very interesting change of policy. Blizzard announced last week that all honor points and tokens would be reset. Since that announcement, there has been significant outrage by many players that have saved up large amounts of honor and tokens. With this change players will be able to stockpile points and purchase level 80 PvP gear. However this gear will be “significantly more expensive” than current level 70 gear.

We’ll bring you any updates that develop on this breaking news.

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Filed under: Fan stuff, Realm Status, AddOns, Instances

The realms are back up now, but we’ve all been through that wait before — you’ve got things to do in Azeroth, but Blizzard is doing their updating, so you’re stuck browsing around WoW Insider in Firefox. And here’s a handy little tool to help you get back in the game as soon as possible — the Realm Status Tool Firefox plugin will let you see the status of all the realms from right in the browser’s toolbar, or even monitor a realm for you, and drop a note when its status changes.

Of course, if you just need to see what’s up and down, the Realm Status page on Blizzard’s site will do it for you, but the plugin will actually put up a popup when your selected realm is back up. So you can browse all you want, and know exactly the right time to log back into the game. It’s been around for quite a while, though it’s only at version .4, but I haven’t had any problems with it yet. And it supports both US and EU realms, so no matter where you are, you can have it keep an eye on what your realm is up to.

Thanks, Berg!

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Filed under: Mage, Odds and ends, Expansions, Humor, Classes, Forums

In a startling announcement, European CM Vaneras has confirmed that Blizzard has no plans to remove the Mage class from the game. “Current plans,” the CM later clarified. “Please remember that the expansion is still in the middle of extensive beta testing, and many aspects of the game are being balanced. If we find that a crappy talent or class is not working, we will remove it.”

The statement was met with mixed reactions among the playerbase, as many have agitated for an existing class to be cannibalized and its sweet innards redistributed in order to preserve raid balance in Wrath of the Lich King. Other, less pointless ranged DPS classes saw much debate concerning the issue. While Hunters could regrettably not be reached for comment as it was dinnertime and Mom was calling, the Warlock community, found at their collective den of iniquity, replied, “Nerfing us is not the answer. Buff other classes.” When asked about Mages, they thought for a moment and said, “Classes worth buffing.”

WoW Insider has thus far been unable to confirm with a developer that Mages will indeed remain in the game through patch 3.02. Reached at his office late Tuesday afternoon, Jeff “Tigole” Kaplan responded, “The what class?”

Disclaimer: the author of this post may possibly be bored and prone to making things up about expansion hysteria.

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The Chess Event in Karazhan is one of the easiest “fights” in the game. Certainly, it takes no mana, no health, no tanking, no healing, and no watching of threat.
The object of the game is to take down Medivh’s King, before he takes down ours.
Here’s a video from a recent PUG I was invited into, [...]

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