Archives by Day

November 2024
SuMTuWThFSa
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930

World Of WarCraft

Platform(s): PC
Genre: Online Multiplayer
Publisher: Blizzard
Developer: Blizzard
Release Date: Nov. 23, 2004 (US), Feb. 11, 2005 (EU)

About Rainier

PC gamer, WorthPlaying EIC, globe-trotting couch potato, patriot, '80s headbanger, movie watcher, music lover, foodie and man in black -- squirrel!

Advertising

As an Amazon Associate, we earn commission from qualifying purchases.





'World of Warcraft' v3.1 Ulduar Patch Details - Trailer

by Rainier on Feb. 25, 2009 @ 1:50 p.m. PST

Rich in legend and filled with adventure, the World of Warcraft awaits! For the first time, players experience the lands of Azeroth from a new, in-depth perspective. As heroes, they explore familiar battlefields, discover new lands and take on epic quests and challenges.

Get the World of WarCraft Trailer off WP (50mb)

World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.1.0

General

  • All Ground Mounts may now swim without dismounting the rider. Flying Mounts still may NOT, and will dismount the rider upon entering water.
  • Ulduar is now available for limited testing. Please visit the Public Test Realms for more details.
  • Players at maximum level will now be able to visit their trainer to pay a one-time fee and access the dual talent specialization feature.
  • A new Gear Manager feature has been added. Players will now be able to save gear sets for easy gear switching.

PvP

  • Battlegrounds
    • Players will now be able to queue for battlegrounds from any location.
    • Seaforium Barrels can now be looted while mounted, seen from anywhere in the zone, and found at the Central Graveyard.
    • Teleporters can now be used while mounted and can now be seen from anywhere in the zone

Classes: General

  • Hysteria, Tricks of the Trade, Enrage, Wrecking Crew, Death Wish, Arcane Power, Owlkin Frenzy, Beast Within, and Avenging Wrath damage bonuses no longer stack together.

Death Knights

  • Blood Boil’s damage increased to make up for Pestilence no longer doing damage.
  • Blood Boil now does some damage to undiseased targets and extra damage to diseased targets. Its radius has been decreased.
  • Blood Plague: Now lasts 15 seconds untalented.
  • Death Pact: This heal cannot be a critical.
  • Frost Fever: Now lasts 15 seconds untalented.
  • Pestilence does no damage and has only one rank.
  • Plague Strike and Blood Plague no longer remove hots. Plague Strike’s damage increased quite a bit to compensate.
  • Raise Ally now has a cooldown greater than 15 min and can no longer be used in Arenas.
  • Raise Dead: Duration lowered to 60 sec. and cooldown lowered to 3 min. The cooldown on this ability now begins when the pet dies rather than when it is summoned.
  • Rune of Cinderglacier now procs per minute instead of a 5% chance.
  • Rune of Razorfrost now affects Frost damage done by the DK only, but stacks up to 10%.
  • Strangulate no longer does damage and has been reduced to 1 rank.
  • Talents
    • Blood
      • Blood Aura: Replaced with Improved Blood Presence. This allows the deathknight to keep the healing from damage done bonus of Blood Presence in any presence, and increases healing received while in Blood Presence.
      • Blood-Gorged now grants armor penetration instead of expertise.
      • Bloody Strikes now increases Blood Boil damage instead of Pestilence.
      • Bloodworms now heal more.
      • Scent of Blood will now proc on a dodge, parry or taking damage, and internal cooldown lowered to 10 from 20 sec.
      • Sudden Doom now procs a free Death Coil instead of requiring you to push the button. Ranks reduced from 5 to 3.
    • Frost
      • The following talents have moved in the Frost tree: Runic Power Mastery, Glacier Rot, Killing Machine, Chilblains, and Endless Winter.
      • Black Ice: Frost Damage bonus lowered to 4/8/12/16/20%
      • Blood of the North: Now also increases damage dealt by Frost Strike by 15%.
      • Chillblains: Now a 15/30/50% movement speed debuff (up from 30%).
      • Frost Aura: Replaced with Improved Frost Presence. Allows the deathknight to keep the health bonus of Frost Presence in any presence, and decreases magic damage taken while in Frost Presence.
      • Howling Blast: Swapped positions with Hungering Cold in the talent tree, and damage bonus to targets afflicted by Frost Fever reduced from 100% to 50%.
      • Icy Talons: This talent now has a new icon.
      • Runic Power Mastery down to 2 ranks.
    • Unholy
      • Blood-caked Blade: Now has a 3 second cooldown on the effect.
      • Desecration: This talent now has a 100% chance to be triggered. Additional points in the talent increase the damage bonus and snare magnitude instead of increasing the chance.
      • Magic Suppression: Now has 3 ranks (down from 5) for 2/4/6% magic damage reduction.
      • Master of Ghouls: Now also reduces the cooldown on Raise Dead by 60 sec.
      • Necrosis: Can now only be triggered by main hand attacks.
      • Night of the Dead: Redesigned to grant a flat reduction on cooldown to Raise Dead and Army of the Dead instead of a reduction from using abilities.
      • Outbreak: Increases the damage of Plague Strike by 15/30/45% and Scourge Strike by 10/20/30%.
      • Scourge Strike: Damage increased.
      • Unholy Aura: Replaced with Improved Unholy Presence. Allows the Deathknight to keep the movement speed bonus of Unholy Presence in any presence, and increases rune regeneration rate while in Unholy Presence.
      • Unholy Blight and Gargoyle have swapped places in the Unholy tree. Gargoyle is the new Unholy 51 talent.

Druids

  • Abolish Poison: Now ticks every 3 sec, up from every 2. Now lasts 12 sec., up from 8.
  • Maim: This ability is now considered a stun, and shares a diminish category with all other stuns. It no longer has a chance to break from the target taking damage.
  • Talents
    • Balance
      • Owlkin Frenzy is now properly considered an Enrage effect. Now also does not trigger from spell hits, only physical ranged and melee attacks.
    • Feral
      • New Talent: Primal Gore: Grants the periodic damage from your Rake, Lacerate and Rip abilities the ability to critically hit.
      • Savage Roar is now considered an Enrage effect and now increases physical damage done by 30% instead of increasing attack power.
    • Restoration
      • Living Seed: This talent now accounts for total healing including overhealing.
      • Improved Mark of the Wild: Now also increases all of your total attributes by 1/2%.
      • Intensity: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.
      • New Talent: Improved Barkskin: Increases the damage reduction granted by your Barkskin spell by 5/10%, and increases your resistance to Dispel mechanics by an additional 30/60% while under the effect of Barkskin.
      • Replenish: This talent is now re-named "Revitalize" and now also works with Wild Growth.
      • Tree of Life: You can now use Nature's Grasp and Thorns while within this form.

Hunters

  • Disengage: Cooldown increased by 5 sec.
  • Frost Trap: If the target who triggers Frost Trap is immune to its effect, the Frost Trap area effect will no longer be triggered.
  • Talents
    • Beast Mastery
      • Improved Aspect of the Hawk now has a new spell effect.
      • Improved Wing Clip: This talent has been removed.
    • Marksmanship
      • Piercing Shots re-designed: Your critical Aimed, Steady and Chimera Shots cause the target to bleed for 10/20/30% of the damage dealt over 8 sec.
      • Ranged Weapon Specialization: Points reduced from 5 to 3, 1/3/5%.
      • Wild Quiver: Chance increased to 4/8/12%, up from 4/7/10%. Damage increased from 50% of an auto shot, to 80%.
    • Survival
      • Hunting Party: This talent has been reduced to 3-points, and now increases your total Agility by an additional 1/2/3%.
      • Lock and Load re-designed: You now have a 33/66/100% chance when you trap a target with Freezing Trap, Freezing Arrow or Frost Trap and a 2/4/6% chance when you deal periodic damage with your Immolation Trap or Black Arrow to cause your next 2 Arcane Shot or Explosive Shot spells to trigger no cooldown, cost no mana and consume no ammo. This now has a new spell effect and sound.
      • New Talent: Trap Launcher: When activated, your next Trap will be launched instantly at the enemy target. 1 minute cooldown.
      • T.N.T. re-designed: Increases the damage done by your Explosive Shot, Explosive Trap and Immolation Trap by 2/4/6%.
      • Trap Mastery: This talent has been moved up to tier-2, up from tier-9.
      • Wyvern Sting duration increased from 12 sec to 30 sec. PvP duration reduced from 10 sec to 6 sec.
    • Pets
      • Roar of Sacrifice can be used on the hunter only.
      • Stampede (rhino) only affects 1 target, but adds a 25% bleed damage debuff (that does not stack with Mangle etc.) in addition to its knockback.

Mages

  • Arcane Blast stacking effect is no longer considered a Magic effect and will not be dispelled.
  • Mage Armor: Now grants 50% of mana regeneration while casting.
  • Talents
    • Arcane
      • Arcane Meditation: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.
    • Fire
      • Pyromaniac: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting.
    • Frost
      • Improved Water Elemental: Renamed Enduring Winter. Instead of the Water Elemental increasing mana regeneration for the Mage’s party, casting Frostbolt now has a 33/66/100% chance to provide the Replenishment buff to up to 10 people in the Mage’s party or raid.

Paladins

  • Auras will now persist through death.
  • Blessing of Kings is now trainable at level 20. Removed from talent trees.
  • Talents
    • Holy
      • Improved Concentration Aura: The resistance to silence and interrupt granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Concentration Aura.
    • Protection
      • Improved Devotion Aura: The additional healing granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Devotion Aura.
      • New Talent Divinity:Tier 1 protection talent, increases healing done by and to you by 1/2/3/4/5%.
      • Sacred Duty (Protection) rank 1 now increases Stamina by 4%.
    • Retribution
      • Benediction (Retribution) now affects Hand of Reckoning.
      • Fanaticism reduced to 3 ranks for 6/12/18% bonus and 10/20/30% threat reduction.
      • Repentance no longer resets the Paladin's melee swing timer.
      • Righteous Vengeance reduced to 3 ranks for 10/20/30%.
      • Sanctified Retribution: The bonus to damage done granted by this talent now becomes active when any Aura is used, not just Retribution Aura.

Priests

  • Abolish Disease: Now cleanses a disease every 3 sec, down from 5. Duration reduced from 20 seconds, down to 12 sec.
  • Devouring Plague: This spell now has a new icon.
  • Divine Spirit is now trainable at level 31.
  • Holy Nova: Mana cost reduced approximately 20%.
  • Hymn of Hope: This spell has been removed.
  • Improved Holy Concentration removed.
  • Prayer of Healing: This spell now heals the target's party, rather than being limited to just your direct party.
  • Shadowfiend: Health scaling increased. Now receives 30% of the master's spell power. Mana return increased to 5%, up from 4%. The Shadowfiend now returns mana when its melee attacks land, rather than when it deals damage. Movement speed normalized to player movement speed. Tooltip revised.
  • Talents
    • Discipline
      • Divine Aegis: Divine Aegis effects will now stack, however the amount absorbed cannot exceed 125*level (of the target). It will also now take into account total healing including overhealing.
      • Grace: Duration increased to 15 seconds, but now is only limited to one target.
      • Improved Power: Word Fortitude - Now also increases your total Stamina by 2/4%.
      • Meditation and Improved Power: Word shield have changed locations with each other.
      • Meditation: Now grants 17/33/50% of mana regeneration while casting
      • New Talent: Soul Warding: Reduces the cooldown of your Power Word: Shield ability by 4 sec., and reduces the mana cost of your Power Word: Shield by 30%.
      • Penance: Damage increased approximately 30%.This spell can now be cast on yourself.
      • Power Infusion: This effect now has a new spell effect and sound.
      • Reflective Shield:This talent has been removed.
      • Unbreakable Will:Increased from 3/6/9/12/15% to 6/12/18/24/30%.
    • Holy
      • Circle of Healing: Healing increased by approximately 40%.
      • Holy Concentration re-designed: Mana regeneration is increased by 16/32/50% for 8 sec after you critically heal with Flash Heal, Greater Heal, Binding Heal or Renew.
      • New Talent: Empowered Renew: Your Renew spell gains an additional 5/10/15% of your bonus healing effects, and your Renew will instantly heal the target for 5/10/15% of the total periodic effect.
      • Serendipity re-designed: When you heal with Binding Heal or Flash Heal, the cast time of your next Greater Heal or Prayer of Healing spell is reduced by 6/12/20%. Stacks up to 3 times. Lasts 20 sec.
      • Test of Faith: No longer increases critical effect chance of your heals, but healing done on targets lower than 50% health is increased from 2/4/6 to 4/8/12%.
    • Shadow
      • Blackout: This talent has been removed.
      • Darkness: This talent is now in tier-1, moved up from tier-6.
      • Dispersion: Now clears all snare and movement impairing effects and makes you immune to them while dispersed.
      • New Talent: Improved Devouring Plague (Shadow): Increases the periodic damage done by your Devouring Plague by 5/10/15%, and when you cast Devouring Plague you instantly deal damage equal to 5/10/15% of its total periodic effect.
      • Improved Spirit Tap: Now grants 17/33% of mana regeneration while casting.
      • Shadowform: Now reduces all damage taken by 15%, not just physical damage. Bonus damage from critical strike chance removed and replaced by the ability of those periodic damage spells to generate critical strikes.
      • Silence: Range increased to 30 yards.
      • Spirit Tap: Now grants 83% of mana regeneration while casting.
      • Vampiric Embrace duration increased to 5 minutes, up from 1 minute. PvP duration is now 60 seconds. Cooldown removed.

Rogues

  • Talents
    • Assassination
      • Hunger For Blood: No longer stacks. Damage bonus changed to 15% for a single application. Requires a bleed effect active on the Rogue’s target. No longer removes bleeds from the Rogue.
    • Combat
      • Adrenaline Rush cooldown reduced to 3 min.
      • Killing Spree: Now also increases all damage done by the Rogue while active by 20%.
      • Savage Combat improved to 2/4% increased damage against poisoned targets.
      • Lightning Reflexes reduced to 3 ranks for 2/4/6% dodge and 4/7/10% melee haste.
    • Subtlety
      • Shadow Dance now opens a new action bar when used.

Shaman

  • Bloodlust/Heroism: Cooldown reduced to 5 minutes, but Sated and Exhausted now last 10 minutes.
  • Poison Cleansing Totem and Disease Cleansing Totem have been merged into "Cleansing Totem." Cleansing Totem pulses every 3 sec, down from 5.
  • Talents
    • Enhancement
      • Lava Lash now has a new icon.
      • New Talent: Frozen Power: Increases the damage done by your Frostbrand Weapon if it is enchanted on your main-hand weapon by 10/20%, and your Frost Shock has a 50/100% chance to root the target in Ice for 5 sec. when used on targets at or further than 15 yards from you.
      • Spirit Weapons: Now reduces all threat generated by 30%, not just physical attacks.
      • Stormstrike charges have been increased by 2, and cooldown reduced by 2 sec.
      • Improved Stormstrike re-designed: When you Stormstrike, you have a 50/100% chance to immediately grant you 20% of your base mana.
      • Toughness: No longer increases your armor. Instead, this talent now increases your total Stamina by 2/4/6/8/10%.
      • Unleashed Rage: Reduced to 3 points, down from 5. Each point now also increases your total Agility by 1/2/3%.
    • Elemental
      • New Talent: Booming Echoes- Reduces the cooldown of your Flame Shock and Frost Shock spells by an additional 1/2 sec., and increases the direct damage done by your Flame Shock and Frost Shock spells by an additional 10/20%.
    • Restoration
      • Ancestral Awakening: This talent now accounts for your ineffective healing, rather than effective.
      • Cleanse Spirit now has a new icon.
      • Riptide: This spell has a new icon.

Warlocks

  • Curse of the Elements (Rank 5) - Increased to 13% spell damage, up from 10%.
  • Curse of Recklessness has been removed.
  • Curse of Weakness: Now also reduces the armor of the target by 5%.
  • Enslave Demon: Spell haste penalty reduced by 10%, Melee haste penalty reduced by 10%.
  • Warlocks now innately have an increased 10% spell hit chance on the Enslave Demon spell.
  • Fire Shield (Imp): You can now cast this ability on raid members, rather than party members.
  • Ritual of Summoning: The summoning of the initial portal is now instant cast, down from 5 seconds.
  • Talents
    • Affliction
      • Eradication re-designed: Eradication: When you deal damage with Corruption, you have a 2/4/6% chance to gain the Eradication effect. The Eradication effect increases the critical strike chance of your Shadow Bolt spell by 30%. Each critical strike reduces the critical strike bonus by 10%. Lasts 30 sec.
      • Haunt: Now only increases your shadow damage-over-time on the target. (No longer includes non-Shadow damage over time spells.)
      • Malediction: No longer increases the effect of Curse of the Elements.
      • Pandemic: This talent has been reduced to a 1-point talent, now grants your Corruption and Unstable Affliction the capability to critically hit.
      • Shadow Embrace: Now only increases the damage done by your shadow damage periodic spells.
      • Siphon Life: The Siphon Life spell has been removed. Siphon Life now causes your Corruption spell to instantly heal you for 40% of the damage done.
      • Suppression: Now increases spell hit for all of your spells.
    • Demonology
      • Demonic Empathy has been removed.
      • Demonic Empowerment: This talent spell now has a unique spell effect and sound.
      • Demonic Sacrifice: This talent has been removed.
      • Fel Synergy has been moved to tier-1. No longer increases Intellect, Stamina and damage of your summoned demon.
      • Improved Enslave Demon talent removed.
      • Mana Feed: This talent is now a 1-point talent, down from 3-points. Now is the 21-point talent in Demonology. Now grants 100% mana return to your pet, up from 33/66/100%.
      • Master Conjuror: Increased from 15/30% up to 150/300%.
      • New Talent: Molten Skin: Reduces all damage taken by 2/4/6%.
      • New Talent: Decimation: When you Shadowbolt or Incinerate a target that is at or below 35% health, your next Soulfire cast time is reduced by 30/60% and costs no shard. Lasts 10 sec.
      • New Talent: Nemesis: Reduces the cooldown of your Demonic Empowerment, Metamorphosis, Soulstone and Fel Domination spells by 10/20/30%.
    • Destruction
      • Aftermath re-designed: Increases the periodic damage done by your Immolate by 3/6%, and your Conflagrate has a 50/100% chance to daze the target for 5 sec.
      • Backlash has been moved up to tier-5, up from tier-7. Now requires Intensity (pre-req).
      • Cataclysm: Now reduces the mana cost of Destruction spells by 4/7/10%. No longer increases the chance to hit.
      • Conflagrate: Spell now works similar to Swiftmend, consuming an Immolate or Shadowflame effect on the target and dealing damage based on the strength of that effect. Reduced to a single rank.
      • Improved Immolate: Now increases the damage done by your Immolate by 10/20/30%, rather than just the direct damage.
      • Improved Shadow Bolt: Now increases the damage done by your Shadow Bolt spell by 1/2/3/4/5%, and causes your target to be vulnerable to spell damage, increasing spell critical strike chance against that target by 1/2/3/4/5%. Effect lasts 30 sec.
      • Improved Soul Leech: Now has a 50/100% chance to proc Replenishment.
      • Molten Core: This talent has been moved to Demonology (Tier 8).
      • Pyroclasm re-designed: Now increases your Shadow and Fire spell power by 2/4/6% when you critically hit with Searing Pain or Conflagrate. Lasts 10 sec. Also moved down to tier 7, down from tier-5.

Warriors

  • Talents
    • Arms
      • Blood Frenzy improved to 2/4% increased damage.
      • Heroic Throw missile speed increased.

Professions

  • Alchemy
    • Blackmouth Oil and Fire Oil no longer require a vial.
    • Increased the health granted by the Flask of Stoneblood.
    • The Mercurial Stone is no longer required as a tool for alchemists. It is instead a green quality bind-on-equip trinket.
  • Blacksmithing
    • Most of the recipes in the 1-300 skill range of blacksmithing have had their stats updated to be more useful.
    • Added a new recipe for the Titansteel Spellblade.
    • Titanium Plating now reduces the duration of disarm effects by 50% as well as increasing your block value.
  • Cooking
    • Grub now sells the Dig Rat Stew recipe to players who completed the quest.
    • Prospector Khazgorm, found in Bael Modan in southern Barrens, now sells the recipe for Dig Rat Stew to the Alliance.
  • Enchanting
    • Added a recipe for enchanting staves with spell power.
    • Several recipes in the 250-300 skill range have been rebalanced.
  • Jewelcrafting
    • Added a new recipe to cut black diamonds.
  • Leatherworking
    • Shadowskin Gloves and Dusky Boots no longer require Shadowcat Hide to create, but instead require an equal quantity of Shadow Silk. Shadowcat Hides can no longer be obtained from skinning.

Quests

  • The fight event for the "Grim(oire) Business" quest at Vim'gol's Circle in the Blade's Edge Mountains now only requires one character to stand within a fire circle in order to summon Vim'gol the Vile. However, it still takes five characters, one in each of the fire circles, in order to interrupt Vim'gol the Vile's Unholy Growth cast.

Dungeons and Raids

  • Eye of Eternity
    • Malygos will now properly delay before breathing after a Vortex on Heroic difficulty.
  • Naxxramas
    • The Chains of Kel'Thuzad will no longer reset the raid's threat.
    • The Portal of Shadows created by Shade of Naxxramas will only persist for a maximum of one minute.
    • Players with pets who attempt to use the Obedience Crystals in Naxxramas will have their pets dismissed automatically so they may possess an Understudy.

User Interface

  • New Advanced features for quest tracking are now available. Players will need to activate this option within the Interface panel.
  • A new Color Blind option is available under the Interface panel.
  • For additional notes on Lua and XML changes please visit the UI & Macros forum.

Items

  • Glyphs
    • Glyph of Blood Boil: Now only applies a snare to diseased targets.
    • Glyph of Holy Light: Can no longer crit and has had its range updated.
    • Glyph of Mocking Blow correctly increases damage of the ability by 25%.
    • Glyph of Shocking's tooltip has been corrected.
    • Glyph of Sprint no longer reduces the duration.
  • Darkmoon Cards of the North will now take three seconds per card to create.
  • Divine Hymn will now trigger Illustration of the Dragon Soul.
  • Frozen Scepter of Necromancy now sounds like other maces.
  • Heavy Junkboxes will no longer have deprecated poison materials.
  • Magic Dust now has a 10 second PvP duration.
  • Old Naxxramas Shoulder Enchants will now soulbind items.
  • Outrider's Lammellar Legguards and Sentinel's Mail Leggings have had their costs reduced to the correct value.
  • Pack of Endless Pockets can now be mailed.
  • Patroller's Pack now sounds like a bag.
  • PvP Trinkets will now break Shackle Undead.
  • Several beverages missing from the "Beverages Consumed" statistic have been added.
  • Several foods missing from the Food Eaten statistic have been added.
  • Thunder Capacitor again requires four charges.
  • Thunder Capacitor's cooldown functions.
  • White Tickbird Hatchling is now classified as a Pet.

Bug Fixes

  • Dartol's Rod of Transformation has had its tooltip corrected.
  • Mace of Unending Life is correctly a 2H weapon.
  • Many Northrend maces now make correct noises when sheathed and unsheathed.
  • Many items with 110 attack power now correctly grant 110 ranged attack power.
  • Oracle Talisman of Ablution's spell data has been clarified.
  • Personal Rating Requirements for offhand Deadly Gladiator items should now display correctly.
  • Several Hateful and Deadly plate helms have had their stats correctly reduced.
  • Yaaarrrr! now has a detailed tooltip.
  • Death Knight
    • Dancing Rune Weapon: Fixed a bug making it trigger an unusual number of effects from the weapon equipped by the Death Knight. In addition, it will now only echo Death Knight spells whose primary purpose is dealing damage. Also corrected a bug making the effect last 8 seconds longer than intended.
  • Shaman
    • Tremor Totem: Now correctly pulses every 3 sec, up from 1 sec.


More articles about World Of WarCraft
blog comments powered by Disqus