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Category: Dragonflight

World of Warcraft in 2024 —The Road Ahead

Quote from: Blizzard

Whew! It has been an incredible year for the WoW Team. We are endlessly grateful to our community for being in our world as we grow, change, experiment, and deliver as much magic and fun as possible!

This time last year, I posted our first roadmap. I’m so thankful to our team for seeing it all become real, and then some! We know that promising a thing is a far distant second to actually delivering on that promise. With that said, we continue to learn and evolve with each release and announcement this year, and we are fully focused on listening and responding to you and building for a strong future in Azeroth for all of us.

Listing everything we did together this year is huge: six Dragonflight content updates, Wrath content updates and the return of the Icecrown Citadel raid dungeon, Classic Hardcore launch, BlizzCon 2023, an incredible Race to World First in Dragonflight Season 3, and just recently, Classic Season of Discovery! This year has been one to remember and we want to keep the momentum going!

Now it’s time to share a look ahead into 2024!

In modern World of Warcraft, you’re going to see three more content updates for Dragonflight arriving before World of Warcraft: The War Within releases next year. In these updates, we’ll be wrapping up the story for this expansion and laying the foundation for our next one. Dragonflight Season 4 will revisit Dragonflight’s dungeons and raids, along with outdoor content, featuring updated rewards, and a few new twists. Then, in the Spring/Summer, we’ll ask for your feedback when the War Within expansion alpha and beta tests drop.  We will continue to communicate details, dates, and more goodness as we get closer to content updates, just like this year! Well, most of it anyway (we’ll have some surprises in store too!).  Coming up next in January, we have the Seeds of Renewal content update on tap and we’re currently keeping an eye on your feedback on the live public test realms (PTR) for this update.

In WoW Classic, we have updates coming for Classic Hardcore with “Self Found” support in February as a new way to challenge players and add a little more hardcore into your Hardcore. Lok’tar ogar! We’ll also have more phases to release in Season of Discovery next year as the adventure continues. And, of course, Cataclysm Classic is right around the corner in the first half of next year!

We remain committed to delivering content in all flavors of World of Warcraft so no matter how you play, you won’t have to look far ahead to know something is right around the corner for you!

Above all, we are thankful for the gift of working on World of Warcraft with you and embracing a time of evolution. From us all on the WoW Team, please have a happy, healthy holiday and a peaceful New Year.

We remain dedicated to continuing this amazing journey alongside you all.

Holly Longdale
Executive Producer

Hotfixes: December 18-19, 2023

Quote from: Blizzard

December 19, 2023

Classes

  • Demon Hunter
    • Sigil of Flame damage reduced by 10%.
    • Havoc
      • Collective Anguish (talent) damage from summoned Fel Devastation reduced by 10%.
      • Ragefire (talent) damage stored from Immolation Aura critical strikes reduced to 30% (was 35%).
      • A Fire Inside (talent) chance to reset Immolation Aura reduced to 25% (was 30%).
  • Evoker
    • Devastation
      • Pyre damage increased by 15%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Damage of all spells and abilities increased by 3%. Does not apply to PvP.
    • Preservation
      • Resonating Sphere once again applies Echo to the first 5 allies it passes through (was 3).
      • Developers’ notes: Resonating Sphere was recently reduced as part of a broad AoE healing reduction pass. After watching the change play out, we’re not happy with the resulting gameplay — particularly in dungeons, where it doesn’t cover your whole party.
  • Mage
    • Arcane
      • Arcane Blast damage increased by 6%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Arcane Missiles damage increased by 10%. Does not apply to PvP.
    • Fire
      • Fire Blast damage increased by 12%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Pyroblast damage increased by 5%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Fireball damage increased by 10%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Flamestrike damage increased by 12%
      • Intensifying Flame now increases Ignite damage by 25% (was 15%).
    • Frost
      • Frostbolt damage increased by 15%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Ice Lance damage increased by 12%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Flurry damage increased by 10%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Glacial Spike damage increased by 6%. Does not apply to PvP.
  • Monk
    • Windwalker
    • Developers’ notes: We continue to keep an eye on Windwalker damage, and feel they need a second incremental improvement to their relative performance. This round of tuning focuses on payoff for successfully executing the bonus effects of the Mystic Heron’s Discipline tier set, as well as increasing the damage of rotational Chi spenders in Rising Sun Kick and Fists of Fury.
      • Spinning Crane Kick damage increased by 20%.
      • Blackout Kick damage increased by 10%.
      • Rising Sun Kick damge increased by 8%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Fists of Fury damage increased by 8%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Blackout Reinforcement increased to 250% (was 200%).
      • Glory of the Dawn damage increased by 12%.
      • Dance of Chi-Ji bonus increased to 300% (was 200%).
    • Mistweaver
      • Unison now heals a second injured ally for 35% of the amount healed (down from 50%). Does not apply to PvP.
      • Enveloping Breath healing reduced by 10%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Essence Font healing reduced by 8%. Does not apply to PvP.
  • Paladin
    • Retribution
      • All ability damage increased by 3%.
  • Priest
    • Shadow
      • Psychic Link now causes direct damage spells to inflict 25% of their damage on all other targets afflicted by your Vampiric Touch (was 15%).
    • Holy
      • All healing increased by 3%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Prayer of Mending healing increased by 15%. Does not apply to PvP.
  • Rogue
    • Assassination
      • All ability and melee auto-attack damage reduced by 3%. Does not apply to PvP.
  • Shaman
    • Elemental
      • Earthquake damage increased by 50%.
    • Enhancement
      • Elemental Warding now reduces magic damage taken by 3%/6% (was 2%/4%).
      • Developers’ notes: This is aimed at improving Enhancement’s survivability in all content.
    • Restoration
      • Torrent now increases the initial heal of Riptide by 15%/30% (was 10%/20%). Does not apply to PvP.
      • Healing Surge healing increased by 17%. Does not apply to PvP.
      • Healing Stream Totem healing increased by 12%. Does not apply to PvP.
  • Warlock
    • Affliction
      • Seed of Corruption damage increased by 10%.
      • Soul Rot now applies to up to 4 additional targets (up from 3).
      • Dark Harvest now increases critical strike and haste by 4% per target (up from 2.5%).
    • Destruction
      • Rain of Fire damage increased by 12%.
      • Cataclysm damage increased by 25%.
      • Immolation damage from Infernal and Blasphemy increased by 25%.
      • Immolate damage increased by 10%.

 Dungeons and Raids

  • Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope
    • Fyrakk The Blazing
      • Removed the first instance of Blaze from intermission on Mythic difficulty.
      • Increased the cast time of Searing Screams to 4 seconds (was 2) on Mythic difficulty.
      • Reduced the health of Screaming Souls by 20% on Mythic difficulty.
    • Smolderon
      • Fixed an issue with Seeking Infernos that allowed threat information to be generated from them.
      • Reduced the number of Seeking Infernos that spawn each set to 3 (was 4).
      • Reduced the number of Flame Waves that spawn from Overheated targets to 4 (was 5) on Mythic difficulty.

Player versus Player

  • Gladiator’s Distinction (Trinket Set Bonus): Primary stat for DPS and tank specializations is now increased by 12% (was 20%) when in Arenas, Battlegrounds, and War Mode.
  • Druid
    • Balance
      • Stellar Flare backlash damage increased by 8%.
    • Feral
      • Regrowth healing is no longer reduced in PvP Combat (was reduced by 20%).
  • Hunter
    • Marksmanship
      • Aimed Shot now deals 40% additional damage in PvP (was 25%).
      • Rapid Fire now deals 30% additional damage in PvP (was 20%).
  • Paladin
    • Holy
      • Mana regeneration is now reduced by 35% in PvP combat (was 25%).
  • Shaman
    • Enhancement
      • Healing Surge healing is now increased by 5% in PvP combat (was reduced by 12%).
      • Control of Lava (Flame Shock backlash damage) damage increased by 8%.
    • Elemental
      • Searing Flames now has a 40% chance to generate Maelstrom in PvP combat (was 100%).
      • Rolling Magma is now 60% effective in PvP combat.
      • Control of Lava (Flame Shock backlash damage) damage increased by 8%.
    • Restoration
      • Healing Tide Totem health increased by 30%.
  • Rogue
    • Subtlety
      • The Amirdrassil Class Set 2-piece bonus is now 30% effective in PvP combat (was 50%).
      • Eviscerate damage reduced by 7.5%.
  • Warlock
    • Affliction
      • Unstable Affliction backlash damage increased by 8%.
      • Dark Harvest is now 75% effective in PvP combat.
    • Destruction
      • Chaos Bolt damage is now increased by 70% in PvP combat (was 75%).
      • Shadowburn damage is now increased by 10% in PvP combat (was 15%).
      • Flashpoint is now 50% effective in PvP combat.

December 18, 2023

Classes

  • Priest
    • Shadow
      • Resolved an issue causing the Death’s Torment buff from the Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope 4-piece set bonus to be removed at the start of dungeon encounters.
    • Warlock
      • Demonology
        • Hand of Gul’dan will no longer interrupt all nearby enemy players who are eating or drinking.

Dungeons and Raids

  • Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope
    • Fixed an issue where Raid Finder: Fate of Amirdrassil could port you to the wrong location.
  • Blackrook Hold
    • Bonebreaking Strike no longer stuns pets.
  • Dawn of the Infinite: Murozond’s Rise
    • Fireball, Serrated Arrows, and Serrated Axe will now clean up after the encounter ends.
  • The Everbloom
    • Fixed an Ancient Protectors issue where Dulhu’s Noxious Charge can fail to create Noxious Discharge if the target is directly under the boss.
    • Addressed an Ancient Protectors issue where Noxious Discharge can spawn above ground.
  • Waycrest Manor
    • Addressed a Heartsbane Triad issue where Sisters without the iris can quickly melee nearby targets upon being interrupted.
    • Addressed a Soulbound Goliath issue where Soul Thorns’ health is scaling with Fortified instead of Tyrannical.

Items

  • Flourishing Dream Helm now accepts PvP item-level optional reagents as intended.
    • Developers’ notes: As a reminder, the potency of this embellishment is reduced in PvP like other embellishments.

Unveiling AWC & MDI in 2024!

Quote from: Blizzard

The Arena World Championship (AWC) and Mythic Dungeon International (MDI) return in 2024 to culminate the final champions of Dragonflight and usher in a new age with The War Within™.

2024 is a massive year for Warcraft. With WoW celebrating its 20th anniversary, Arena World Championship (AWC) and Mythic Dungeon International (MDI) will celebrate the culmination of Dragonflight before diving into The War Within with a full year of scheduled programming, including three seasons of competition and additional bonus events throughout the year.

For all competitions in the upcoming year, we’ve partnered with Raider.IO to provide open registration for anyone to sign up to participate. With $2 Million (USD) of prizes on the line, new in-game rewards to earn, and an increased breadth of competitions during the year—it’s bound to be another great year of action. Registration is now open for the first events, which will broadcast live on Twitch and YouTube, in addition to competitors streaming their perspectives!

ARENA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

With the launch of Dragonflight, we moved the Arena World Championship (AWC) to a Seasonal Cup model to allow players more opportunities to compete and create phenomenal moments. In 2024, we’re building upon this and adding a new layer to what will now be a combined Season of Cups between the remainder of Dragonflight’s chapters.

To culminate Dragonflight, we will host a combined season of AWC split between in-game Seasons 3 and 4. After the first two AWC Cups in Season 3, teams will compete in a new ‘Mid-Season Clash’ featuring qualified teams from Europe and North America and add a $100,000 USD bounty to the previous Seasonal model. After this event, AWC Cups will resume in Season 4 with AWC Points from all four Cups contributing toward the AWC Dragonflight Finals, where teams will have the chance to be crowned the Champions of Dragonflight and secure their share of the $300,000 USD Prize Pool.

Both the Mid-Season Clash and AWC Dragonflight Finals will have an associated AWC Gauntlet event to decide the final spots. Each set of AWC Cups in Season 3 and Season 4 will have unique in-game banners that participants can earn. Beginning today, teams can sign up on Raider.IO for the Dragonflight Season 3 Cups to achieve the “Dreaming Banner of the Aspects” banner.

WoW_Esports_2024_Flowchart_AWC_rev2_1920x1080.png

MYTHIC DUNGEON INTERNATIONAL

Across Mythic Dungeon International (MDI) and The Great Push (TGP), we’re continuing to expand with three total seasons planned in 2024. To round out Dragonflight, MDI and TGP will have events across Season 3 and Season 4, respectively—before launching into The War Within with an entire season of MDI matches to celebrate the new expansion. Across the year, more than $900,000 USD in prizing will be available between MDI and TGP programs.

DRAGONFLIGHT SEASON 3 – MYTHIC DUNGEON INTERNATIONAL

Starting today, registration for MDI Season 3 is now open for the first season of 2024. Season 3 and Season 4 will feature condensed schedules as we gear up for The War Within, meaning each weekend will be even more competitive before crowning a champion. Dragonflight Season 3 will kick off with Time Trials beginning January 31. From there, the top 16 teams will be split into two groups, each with a $30,000 USD prize pool and four qualifying spots to the MDI Global Finals. The MDI Global Finals will be an eight-team bracket with a $200,000 prize pool and the final chance to be crowned MDI Global Champions in Dragonflight.

Starting today, registration for MDI Season 3 is now open in partnership with Raider.IO. Any player who completes the Season 3 Time Trails will also earn the new “Dreaming Banner of the Aspects,” so register your team today!

WoW_Esports_2024_Flowchart_MDI_rev2_1920x1080.pngDRAGONFLIGHT SEASON 4 – THE GREAT PUSH

The Great Push ended 2023 with incredible competition and returns in Season 4 with some of the best hits of Dragonflight’s Dungeons and its own $260,000 USD prize pool. More information, including Format, Registration, and new in-game rewards, will be shared after Season 4 is announced—watch this space!

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LOOKING AHEAD

The War Within is soon upon us, and both Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International will celebrate the launch, distributing a combined $800,000 USD between the programs in Season 1 of the new expansion. We’re very excited for all the action throughout all three seasons in a monumental year that marks 20 years of World of Warcraft.

We can’t wait to get the 2024 competitions underway, so sign up on Raider.IO. Stay on top of the latest news by subscribing to our Twitch and YouTube channels and following the WoW Esports Twitter.

Good luck, and have fun!

Patch 10.2.5 Development Notes 14 December 2023

Quote from: Blizzard

The Seeds of Renewal PTR has been updated with the following changes:

USER INTERFACE AND ACCESSIBILITY

  • All appearances received from quest rewards will now have a chat message.
  • Interacting with the Auction House quantity field should now be a much more consistent experience.
  • All toasts can now be immediately dismissed with a right click. This includes toasts that appear near the top-center of the screen, such as Great Vault unlocks.
  • Artwork for the leader ability toggle in Follower Dungeons has been updated.
  • Edit Mode Frame Snapping Improvements:
    • Can now snap a frame to any intersection of grid lines.
    • Can now snap a frame’s center to any grid line (previously only available for center purple grid lines).
    • Edges of frames can now snap to the horizontal and vertical center lines regardless of whether the grid is enabled.

Hotfixes: December 13-14, 2023

Quote from: Blizzard

December 14, 2023

Classes

  • Druid
    • Feral
      • Heart of the Wild no longer unintentionally grants Combo Points to Feral Druids.
    • Guardian
      • Fixed an issue causing Blazing Thorns and Dream Thorns to clear when engaging a Mythic+ boss.
      • Fixed an issue causing Blazing Thorns to proc on targets which were not in combat with the player.

Dungeons and Raids

  • Darkheart Thicket
    • Addressed an issue where Tormented Bloodseeker’s Darksoul Bite is draining more health than intended in Mythic+ difficulties.
  • Waycrest Manor
    • Addressed a Heartsbane Triad issue where Sisters without the iris can quickly melee nearby targets upon being interrupted.

December 13, 2023

Classes

  • Paladin
    • Protection
      • Amirdrassil 4-piece: Fixed an issue causing Cleansing Flame to not trigger from Lay on Hands.
  • Rogue
    • Damage dealt from Shadow Blades, Blade Flurry, and Sanguine Blades will now be logged correctly when buffed by an Augmentation Evoker.
  • Warlock
    • Demonology
      • Fixed an issue that allowed several Immutable Hatred attacks to be queued up prior to combat.
      • Fixed an issue where Wild Imps summoned via Spiteful Reconstitution would stray from the Warlock.

Dungeons and Raids

  • Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope
    • Fixed an issue that could prevent Gnarlroot, Igira, and Smolderon from leashing as expected.

Items

  • Incandescent Essence will now be soulbound when used. It is no longer usable on Account Bound items and its combat effects will only trigger for level 70 characters.

Quests

  • Fixed an issue that could prevent completion of “Step Into the Life”.

Hotfixes: December 12, 2023

Quote from: Blizzard

December 12, 2023

Achievements

  • Fixed a bug that prevented Assassin Bounties from progressing the Bounty Hunting and Band of Brothers

Dungeons and Raids

  • Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope
    • Tindral Sageswift
      • Fire Beam number of beam spawns per pulse reduced to 6 (was 8).
      • Fiery Growth duration increased to 20 seconds (was 16 seconds) in Mythic difficulty.
      • Lingering Cinder duration reduced to 2 seconds (was 3 seconds).
      • Pulsing Heat damage reduced by 33%.
      • Fiery Vines health reduced by 7% in Mythic difficulty.
      • Addressed an issue where Mass Entanglement can fail to root tank players.
      • Addressed a performance issue that caused a server delay at the start of the encounter.

Items and Transmog

  • Ashes of the Embersoul will now reset its cooldown when a raid encounter ends.
  • Ember of Nullification is now an eligible item for all Agility and Strength specializations.
  • Spiked Counterweight damage increased by 20%.
  • Xeri’tac’s Unhatched Egg Sac summon is now affected by secondary stats.
  • Wyrm’s Bountiful Chest can now be purchased from Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem, as intended.
  • Nature’s Cradle should now work on Renown items purchased from Moon Priestess Lasara.
  • Nature’s Cradle should now work on Dream Wardens Renown items that were converted at the Catalyst.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented Emerald Blossom Dreamstone from unlocking certain expected PvP appearances.