Windzarko
Well-Known Member
Some of you will have noticed that data for 3.3 is on the background downloader now; for those of you who don't follow WoW news on various fansites, then yes, this is because 3.3 is here soon.
They just updated the PTR build with very small fixes and labelled it as "PTR- Release"; this means that unless any big/important bugs show up last-minute, then this release will receive maybe a minor tweak or two over the next few days, and will go live next week.
If there's anything you want to get done before 3.3 comes out, then you'd best hurry since it's almost certain that you only have seven days left in which to do it.
Also, for those who are interested in these things; the Icecrown Citadel raid will feature "gated content" much like Sunwell Plateau and Trial of the Crusader, in that not all of it is initially available. The start of the instance will be available on patch day, which will have the first few bosses, including the Icecrown Gunship Battle, and culminates in the Deathbringer (I won't name him, in case people are wanting to avoid spoilers).
It'll be a few weeks from that point before more wings open up, and those wings will unlock one at time. The end boss in each wing will only allow limited attempts-per-week on them, with the number of attempts allowed going up for each week they've been out (example: on the week he's first available to fight, Professor Putricide will despawn after five failed attempts on him. The next week, you get up to ten goes, then fifteen, twenty, and so on). Every few weeks, more wings will be added, and I don't think you need to have cleared the other wings to get at them. However, we will need to have beaten the end bosses of every other wing before we can get at the Lich King, who'll become available the same week as the Frostwing Halls unlock.
Long story short; there'll be no blitzing of "World Firsts" on release week by groups like Ensidia (the current incarnation of Nihilium, for those that don't know), and there'll be limits as to how far we or anyone else can progress initially.
It also means that the first week a new wing becomes available, there is every chance that we'll have to treat the first week as a session of practice wipes with no real intent of getting the boss down (although that would a nice extra if we managed it).
I'd post up the full patch notes here, but they still seem to have lots of PTR-specific things in them, so I'll just list a few of the big points people might be interested in:
This is the last major content patch before 4.0. We will doubtless see some smaller patches for bugfixes, nerfs to the new raid bosses, and all the usual small patch things.
4.0 itself will be a good long while yet, and there'll be a big series of world events leading up to it. On the day of the 4.0 patch, the world will be changed to the Cataclysm one: Deathwing will burst forth from the elemental plains and into Azeroth, causing massive devastation. The Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor will undergo a major graphical and design overhaul, the vast majority of quests in the game will change, we'll be able to fly in both continents, and basically all the changes of Cataclysm will go live, with the exceptions of access to the new races (and their start zones), the new profession, the new zones, levels 80-85, the new dungeons and raids, and presumably the new race/class combos (it's possible that we might be allowed to have our Troll Druids, Blood Elf Warriors and so on after 4.0 but before Cataclysm, but don't count on it).
If you want to do anything in the old world before the Cataclysm, you have until 4.0 to do it, not until the expansion launch!
They just updated the PTR build with very small fixes and labelled it as "PTR- Release"; this means that unless any big/important bugs show up last-minute, then this release will receive maybe a minor tweak or two over the next few days, and will go live next week.
If there's anything you want to get done before 3.3 comes out, then you'd best hurry since it's almost certain that you only have seven days left in which to do it.
Also, for those who are interested in these things; the Icecrown Citadel raid will feature "gated content" much like Sunwell Plateau and Trial of the Crusader, in that not all of it is initially available. The start of the instance will be available on patch day, which will have the first few bosses, including the Icecrown Gunship Battle, and culminates in the Deathbringer (I won't name him, in case people are wanting to avoid spoilers).
It'll be a few weeks from that point before more wings open up, and those wings will unlock one at time. The end boss in each wing will only allow limited attempts-per-week on them, with the number of attempts allowed going up for each week they've been out (example: on the week he's first available to fight, Professor Putricide will despawn after five failed attempts on him. The next week, you get up to ten goes, then fifteen, twenty, and so on). Every few weeks, more wings will be added, and I don't think you need to have cleared the other wings to get at them. However, we will need to have beaten the end bosses of every other wing before we can get at the Lich King, who'll become available the same week as the Frostwing Halls unlock.
Long story short; there'll be no blitzing of "World Firsts" on release week by groups like Ensidia (the current incarnation of Nihilium, for those that don't know), and there'll be limits as to how far we or anyone else can progress initially.
It also means that the first week a new wing becomes available, there is every chance that we'll have to treat the first week as a session of practice wipes with no real intent of getting the boss down (although that would a nice extra if we managed it).
I'd post up the full patch notes here, but they still seem to have lots of PTR-specific things in them, so I'll just list a few of the big points people might be interested in:
- New Raid: Icecrown Citadel raid, 10 and 25 man, with unlockable hard modes. The final boss is Arthas, the Lich King, and this raid is the finale of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion!
- New Dungeons: Three new 5-man instances in which we accompany Jaina Proudmoore (alliance) or Sylvanas Windrunner (Horde) through the lower areas of the Citadel. The instances are a "series", of sorts, and you have to have cleared the first to get access to the second, and cleared the second to have access to the third.
- Epic Quel'delar quest chain: The "Quel'delar" quest chain, which starts from an item likely dropped in the new 5-mans as a rare drop. While Quel'delar itself is a sister-sword to good old Quel'serar, the rewards at the end cover almost every class and spec except for one-handed tanking weapons. This quest chain is meant to serve as part of the culmination of the Wrath storyline, and serve as a finale of sorts for people who don't get to do the raid instance.
- New Legendary melee weapon: Shadowmourne:: a legendary two-handed axe for strength-based melee DPS classes (DKs, Warriors and Paladins only) can be obtained through a hefty and epic quest chain through the Icecrown raid once you reach at least friendly with the Ashen Verdict, a new faction associated with the raid. Long story short, it's mine, HANDS OFF!
- New Map system: The game's map system has been updated to incorporate a quest log where you can track objectives on the map and get a better idea of "where to go next"
- Less wipe punishment: Almost all major raid cooldowns (Combat Res, Bloodlust, Divine Intervention, Army of the Dead) have had their cooldowns substantially reduced so we can use them almost every attempt on a boss
- Changes to lowbies: The system for new characters has been redone so Rogues start with dual-wield, and various things/abilities each class starts with have been tweaked; mostly to help new players not get confused, but some of it will make things a little easier on altaholics as well. They've also changes daze mechanics and mana regen for the exceptionally low-level characters.
- New Totem art for Orc and Troll shammies! Orcs get various axe-style totems, and Trolls get various tiki mask-style totems. Tauren keep their original ones (those totems were designed as placeholders for all shammies way back in Vanilla beta, and never got changed...).
- Failramas: Apparently Naxx has been changed in two ways: firstly, you can now port out of Sapphiron/KT's room and back to Naxx proper without having to portal/hearth out. Also, it looks like we no longer need to clear the first four wings to get at the fifth one...
- Pets: All player-pets, regardless of source or class, take 50% less from AoE damage by default in PvE, but take full damage from player AoE in PvP. They also get 100% of their master's resilience.
- Daily Heroic and LFG: The Daily Heroic is gone, and is now built in to the new version of the LFG system. The LFG system now works cross-realm much like the Battlegrounds, and when a full party if formed via the LFG system, the group is teleported into the instance and can get started. There is an option to choose a "random dungeon" instead of specifying one, and you get extra rewards for clearing the random dungeons that are chosen. The first one you do each day rewards two Emblems of Frost, in the same style as the Daily Heroic would have. Each random dungeon you do after the first rewards an extra two Emblems of Triumph for successfully clearing the instance. Also, all bosses that currently drop Conquest emblems (both in Heroics and raids) will now drop Triumph instead. Two final notes: firstly, you don't HAVE to be in a PuG to do the random dungeon, you can do it with a premade group of friends/guildies and just let it choose a random dungeon. And secondly, there is also a "Looking for Raid" tool that works just like the LFG tool now does (minus the "random dungeon" part).
- Kalu'ak Fishing Derby: every Wednesday at 8pm, a Tuskarr NPC will spawn in Dalaran and wait an hour for the first person to catch a "Blacktip Shark" and return it to him! The winner gets various nifty rewards including an Heirloom ring that gives an experience boost. People who turn the shark in after someone has won can still get rewards. Also, you can win this contest OR the Stranglethorn one for the old achievement to win the contest (making getting that "Salty" title a little easier)
- Northrend Reputation: Most, if not all, Northend rep grinds are 30% shorter. You can also trade in Emblems of Triumph for tokens that give rep with certain Northrend factions (One token per Emblem). Also, the Hodir quests all give more rep, making it even easier. Last, but by no means least, all the head and shoulder enchants from Northrend factions are now Account-Bound, so you only need to get to Revered on one level 80 to get the enchants for your alts!
- Latest in fashion from Shattrath: Haris Pilton now sells a 24-slot bag for people with plenty of money but not so much space; it's called a "Portable Hole" and it's epic!
- Bucket load of class changes. Go look them up!
This is the last major content patch before 4.0. We will doubtless see some smaller patches for bugfixes, nerfs to the new raid bosses, and all the usual small patch things.
4.0 itself will be a good long while yet, and there'll be a big series of world events leading up to it. On the day of the 4.0 patch, the world will be changed to the Cataclysm one: Deathwing will burst forth from the elemental plains and into Azeroth, causing massive devastation. The Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor will undergo a major graphical and design overhaul, the vast majority of quests in the game will change, we'll be able to fly in both continents, and basically all the changes of Cataclysm will go live, with the exceptions of access to the new races (and their start zones), the new profession, the new zones, levels 80-85, the new dungeons and raids, and presumably the new race/class combos (it's possible that we might be allowed to have our Troll Druids, Blood Elf Warriors and so on after 4.0 but before Cataclysm, but don't count on it).
If you want to do anything in the old world before the Cataclysm, you have until 4.0 to do it, not until the expansion launch!
