Patch 3.1.0 is going to bring some exciting major changes to World of Warcraft, but it’s also going to contain numerous minor changes as well. Blizzard poster Eyonix recently confirmed the cooldown on hearthstones will be reduced to 30 minutes in the patch.

The topic was brought up in the midst of a discussion on “ghetto hearthing.” Eyonix said a cooldown reduction would be discussed with the developers, who in turn agreed to the new 30-minute timer. “Enjoy your sweet victory,” Eyonix said. “Thanks to those who provided feedback constructively.” It’s always helpful to voice your ideas and concerns to Blizzard.

Is this game-changing? No. Will I enjoy more flexibility in my travels? You bet. What do you think?

A post from Blzzard on the offical forums details the testing schedule for Ulduar on the PTR.

On North American servers you will be able to test Hodir starting Thursday February 26th at 7PM EST (GMT -5) and the Iron Council starting Friday February 27th at 7PM EST (GMT -5).

On European servers you will be able to test Thorim starting Thursday February 26th at 7PM CET (GMT +1) and Freya starting Friday February 27th at 7PM CET (GMT +1).

All of this is subject to change at any time.

More info after the jump.

The original post:

Ok, we’re going to attempt to have some playtest sessions for Ulduar starting tonight and through this weekend.

The following is the tentative schedule for this weekend:

On the North American test realms:
Hodir – Thursday night, February 26, starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST.
Iron Council – Friday night, February 27, starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST

On the European test realms
Thorim – Friday night, February 27, starting at 7pm CET.
Freya – Friday night, February 28, starting at 7pm CET.

This schedule could change at a moment’s notice due to server, bug, or patch status. I’ll try to keep everyone informed as much as possible. Ulduar and the bosses to be tested will remain also open a variable length of time. How long they stay open depends upon a host of factors including designer availability, bug status, etc.

We also hope to have the zone open on Sunday for each respective realm for a longer period of time. We have a couple special versions of Patchwerk setup. One of them is called Patchwerk (DPS Test) and is essentially a massive training dummy for your raids. The other is Patchwerk (Tank Test), and he does not have a Hateful Strike, but his melee damage increases over time.

We’re very interested in seeing combat logs and parses for all raid testing on the PTR.

Quick Ulduar FAQ:

Q) Will there be testing available on Oceanic, Korean, or other time zones?
A) There will be some testing available. We do plan on allowing for extended testing on Flame Leviathan, and possibly other bosses. We want encounter designers to be present during testing, which makes testing during some time zones difficult.

Q) Where’s all the trash?
A) We don’t have everything turned on for these tests, and this sometimes includes trash creatures before each boss encounter.

Q) Where’s the loot?
A) We don’t have this attached to bosses yet, but we’ll have loot hooked up soon.

Q) What about achievements?
A) These aren’t implemented yet.

 

You can find the original post here.

Ulduar is the raid dungeon on everyone’s lips as testing of Patch 3.1.0 continues on the PTR. Well, Blizzard has provided a little taste of what the dungeon will look like as we anticipate patch day:

We’ve just released a video teaser for Ulduar, the new raid dungeon being introduced in the upcoming content patch for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Check out the video now to get a taste of some of the environments and denizens that wait within this ancient Titan structure.

The music alone is worth loading this video up. So what do you think of the teaser? You can discuss it in our general forum here.

While most World of Warcraft excitement seems to be focused on the PTR and Patch 3.1.0, there’s still a ton going on both in and out of the virtual world for you to enjoy. The most notable news is that the Arena Tournament has begun, but there’s a couple of other updates for any music fans and artists out there.

• You can find out all about the 2009 Arena Tournament here. Players from around the world compete on tournament realms for cash prizes totaling more than $200,000, as well as an Armored Murloc in-game pet and the “Vanquisher” title.
• The Eminence Symphony Orchestra has just released Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment. You can order it or listen to samples on the official Web site.
• Blizzard is asking fans to illustrate their own Blizzard Entertainment theme parks with rides and attractions based on Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo. Prizes include a digitizing tablet and StarCraft II beta keys, so start drawing! More information can be found on the contest page. Submissions are due by March 30.

In case you haven’t heard, the dual spec feature will include a one-time cost of 1,000 gold. Of course, there’s all sorts of discussion surrounding the price, ranging from comments that it’s fair to it’s too steep. While there’s a ton of blue comments on the price (and will certainly be more as time goes on), I thought Bornakk’s response to a post complaining it won’t save money for some gamers was worth nothing:

If you respec consistently between 2 exact specs it does save you money in the long run. If you have needed to respec as little as you mention, it won’t save you money, but it adds a convenience if that is what you want and you still have quite a bit of time to get the gold if you want it. By respeccing so few and far between it would be pretty easy to not pick this up and just do the classic respec whenever it is needed which should be pretty cheap.

Bornakk also states that most players worried about the price should have more than enough time to earn 1,000 gold before Patch 3.1.0 launches. What do you think? Discuss it in this thread in our forums.