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Category: Warcraft

WoW: Dragonflight Alpha Launch – Interview/Information Roundup Part 2

As the Alpha and datamining continue we get more information on Dragonflight. Below is a roundup of new information and you can, of course, expect spoilers:

Dracthyr Racial Abilities

  • Glide – Reduce your falling speed. You can activate this ability with the jump key while falling. (Instant, 1.5 sec cooldown) (Icy-veins)
  • Soar – Muster your strength and launch into the air. Cooldown begins when you land. (1.5 sec cast, 5 min cooldown) (Icy-veins)
  • Tail Swipe – Lash out with your tail, knocking enemies within 6 yds into the air. (Instant, 1.5 min cooldown) (Icy-veins)
  • Visage – Switch between your Dracthyr and Visage forms. Your Visage puts your part at ease, significantly increasing out of combat health regeneration. (Instant) (Icy-veins)
  • Wing Buffet – With a powerful flap of your wings, knock away enemies in front of you (Instant, 1.5 min cooldown) (Icy-veins)
  • Awakened (Passive) – Increase your mastery by 2.5%. (Icy-veins)
  • Discerning Eye (Passive) – Increases your Perception by 50. Perception increases the radius of tracking Mining and Herbalism nodes, and the chance of finding additional rare materials while gathering. (Icy-veins)
  • Familiar Skies (Passive) – You fly 20% faster on continents that you have fully explored. (Icy-veins)
  • Languages (Passive) – Common/Orcish, Draconic (Icy-veins)

Dracthyr Evoker

  • They will be able to use the following weapons: Axes, Daggers, Fist Weapons, Maces, Staves and Swords (Icy-veins)
  • Preservation Evokers (healers) will excel at big bursts of healing and supporting the group with hybrid and utility abilities (Taliesin & Evitel)

Talent System

  • One of the goals is to add build diversity to classes (The Starting Zone)
  • Not all builds have to go all the way to the bottom of the talent tree (The Starting Zone)
  • Obviously it’s Alpha and there is a lot of tuning that still needs to be done. (Common sense & The Starting Zone)
  • They are actively discussing the scenario where you can pick a talent that modifies an ability that you haven’t picked in the tree (The Starting Zone)

World/Outdoor Gameplay

  • The increased view distance is currently only in the Dragon Isles (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • The activities to progress on the reputation renown tracks will differ per faction. For Tuskarr you might have more fishing related quests while for the Centaur you’ll have to hunt. (Taliesin & Evitel)

Dungeons/Raids/Mythic+

  • Brackenhide Hollow is a Gnoll themed dungeons with decay magic. (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • Brackenhide Hollow is a dungeon that takes place outside in the world and is The Azure Span leveling dungeon (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • The Azure Vaults is the max level Azure Span dungeon (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • You travel down (vertically) deeper into The Azure Vaults as you progress through the dungeon (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • They are quite happy with mega dungeons, they’re almost like 5 player raids and gives them a chance to tell a different story from the expansion’s main story (The Starting Zone)
  • They’re having conversations around the loot of mega dungeons so that they remaing interesting before they join the M+ pool (The Starting Zone)

Professions

  • 30 minute Phials are replacing Flasks in DF. They will cost roughly have the crafting mats and have more varied effects. (Wowhead)
  • Potions remain mechanically the same, however there will now also be a potion cauldron! (Wowhead)
  • Some potions and phials are toxic, meaning they have a bigger positive effect than regular potions but in turn have negative consequences too (Wowhead)
  • A form of meta gem will come back for Jewelcrafting (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • There are 3 new equipment slots for your professions, a tool + 2 accessories. While you’re crafting at a work station you will swap your look to using those items (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • They really want Professions to be a pillar of content, for it to be a viable way of playing the game next to Raids/M+/PvP (The Starting Zone)
  • Crafted PvP gear will have the maximum PvP ilvl in PvP situations. iLvl upgrades will be mainly for PvE content (The Starting Zone)

Dragon Riding

  • Gameplay will change mostly during endgame content (customizations, talent tree), during leveling it will stay mostly the same (Taliesin & Evitel)

Achievements/Collections

  • Datamining indicates we’ll get new transmog sets to unlock some previously unavailable recolors of past raid armor sets (The Lost Codex)

Misc

  • While not much if anything will be encrypted during the Alpha/Beta for the leveling experience, at max level there will be surprises that are unlikely to be tested publicly. (Taliesin & Evitel)
  • They were happy with how the Creation Catalyst played out but are having conversations about how long into a patch such a system should be activated (The Starting Zone)

Full Interviews/Sources:
Icy-veins Dracthyr Evoker Racials and Weapon Skills
Wowhead Phials Article
Wowhead Potions Article
Wowhead Potions Toxic Effects
Taliesin & Evitel Dev Interview
The Starting Zone Dev Interview
The Lost Codex Transmog Set Datamining

Previous Recaps:
WoW: Dragonflight Alpha Launch – Interview/Information Roundup

WoW: Dragonflight Alpha Launch – Interview/Information Roundup

The Alpha for Dragonflight has officially begun!

Below is a roundup of new information, of course you can expect spoilers:

Alpha

  • The Alpha will focus on different parts of the game every week (Official Bluepost)
  • Week 1 will focus on the zone The Azure Span, the new race and class, Dragonriding, the new UI, Death Knight, Hunter, Druid, Priest and Rogue Talents, and the professions Alchemy and Blacksmithing. (Official Bluepost)
  • Week 2 will focus on the new zone The Forbidden Reach. (Official Bluepost)
  • Week 3 will focus on the new zones The Forbidden Reach and Waking Shores (Official Bluepost)
  • Week 4 will focus on the new zones The Forbidden Reach and Thaldraszus (Official Bluepost)
  • Week 5 will focus on the new zones The Forbidden Reach and Ohn’ahran Plain (Official Bluepost)
  • Week 6+ are expected to have all zones playable (Official Bluepost)
  • They’ve baked a lot of time into the Alpha/Beta schedule to iterate and process feedback (Wowhead)

Dragonflight Release

  • They feel comfortable about a 2022 release, they have all zones ready for testing on the Alpha (Wowhead)

World/Outdoor Gameplay

  • A preview was released of the first zone on the Alpha – The Azure Span
  • Each of the zones will have their own world content progression (4 Zereth Mortises). You don’t have to do them to gain player power. (MrGM)
  • Azure Span might be the largest zone in WoW History (MrGM)
  • They are looking at Timewalking for outdoor content (MrGM)
  • The maps for all 4 zones are already available (Wowhead)
  • Renown will be used for each zone as an enhancement of reputations (Towelliee)

Dungeons/Raids/Mythic+

  • Temple of the Jade Serpent and Court of Stars are likely candidates to be dungeons for M+ season 1 (MrGM)
  • Ion wouldn’t be surprised if Shado-Pan Monastery will be a M+ dungeon sometime during DF (Towelliee)
  • Legion M+ Timewalking will not exist in DF (MrGM)
  • With the rotation of new dungeons every M+ season, the seasonal affixes will be more simple (Towelliee)
  • BfA Timewalking is likely for DF (MrGM)
  • The first raid is called Vault of the Incarnates and will contain 8 bosses (Icy-veins)
  • They are looking at re-adding group loot to Raids only (Wowhead)
  • They are looking at a scaling buff over time through gear (like in Uldir) to soft nerf raids over time (Towelliee)
  • The 8 DF dungeons are: Brackenhide Hollow, Halls of Infusion, Neltharus, Ruby Life Pools, Taz’algeth Academy, The Azure Vault, The nokhud Offensive and Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr (Towelliee)

Professions

  • They are still figuring out if Work Orders will be server wide or region wide. Will likely start off server wide (MrGM)
  • You get a new bag slot specifically for a new profession materials bag. Kind of like the reagent bank but on your character’s inventory (Wowhead)
  • Most crafting professions will require crafting tables spread throughout the zones and in the main city to craft recipes (Official Blogpost)
  • Gathered reagents can stack up to 1000, up from 200 (Official Blogpost)
  • Consumables such as potions can stack up to 200, up from 20 (Official Blogpost)
  • Prospecting and milling are getting UI updates and will have recipes to unlock for each expansion (Official Blogpost)
  • To recraft items you will need the Artisan’s Mettle crafting reagent (Official Blogpost)
  • Tailors will be able to make 34 slot bags and 36 slot reagent bags for the new reagent bag slot (Wowhead)
  • When crafting the best gear (mythic level) it will mostly be Bind on Pickup (Towelliee)

Dracthyr Evoker

  • The talent trees have been datamined (Wowhead)
  • They will join the Monk, Rogue, Warrior tier token (Wowhead)
  • Dracthyr will show your shoulders and belt transmog. In your visage (human) form your entire transmog will be visible (Wowhead)
  • It is very unlikely that Evokers will ever have a tank spec, they have been designed as a caster/ranged class (Towelliee)

Dragon Riding

  • The progression system will be account wide (Wowhead)
  • Dragon Riding is best learned by seeing it, Taliesin & Evitel have a good video to explain the gameplay

Cross Faction/Region Play

  • Philosophically they are moving more towards an interconnected world where server doesn’t matter much (MrGM)
  • Cross Faction guilds will not be available at the launch of DF, but is likely to be a subject over the course of the expansion (MrGM)

Story/Lore

  • To confirm once again, DF will have a more grounded narrative compared to the last couple expansions (MrGM)
  • Hemet Nesingwary is on the Dragon Isles but is retired
  • Sindragosa will make an appearance

Achievements/Collections

  • New achievements are being added for 500 mounts, 500 toys, 1250 Pets, 1500 Pets, 1750 Pet and 2000 Pets (Wowhead)
  • Many new mounts have been datamined including a Fox Wyvern, Slugs and a new lava Mammoth (Wowhead)
  • Blizzard agrees that the reward for the 500 mounts achievement should not be a yeti (Bluepost)
  • MMO-Champion has datamined the first list of new achievements

Misc

  • They hope to continue the encryption of content present on the PTR so that players can be unspoiled when new content comes out (MrGM)
  • They are looking into raising the limit of 50 characters on an account to a higher amount (MrGM)
  • They hope to add the vast number of character customization to other races in the future as well (Wowhead)

Full Interviews/Sources:
Alpha Schedule Bluepost
Dev Interview MrGM
Dev Interview Towelliee
Dragon Isles Dungeon Journal Preview Towelliee
Taliesin & Evitel Dragon Riding
Official Professions Blogpost
Icy-veins Raid Boss Preview
Wowhead Collection Achievements Datamined
Wowhead Tier Token Datamining
Wowhead Group Interview
Wowhead Bags Datamining
Wowhead New Mounts Datamining
Wowhead Maps Datamining
Wowhead Dungeon Loading Screens Datamining
MMO-Champion Achievements Datamining

Earn the Fearless Spectator title, Patch 9.2.7 Hits The PTR

Blizzard has announced you can earn the Fearless Spectator title by watching Warcraft esports in the coming weeks on Youtube! Additionally a surprise patch 9.2.7 has hit the PTR and the first change they have announced is that some categories of items such as consumables and crafting materials (e.g. herbs) on the Auction House will become region wide auctions!

Quote from: Blizzard

Viewers will have the chance to earn the new Fearless Spectator title while watching the upcoming Global Finals for AWC and MDI!

 

The WoW® Esports Shadowlands Global Finals are almost upon us! To celebrate the end of both Arena World Championship (AWC) and Mythic Dungeon International’s (MDI) Shadowlands seasons, we are offering viewers the chance to earn the exclusive Fearless Spectator in-game title. All you need to do is create a Blizzard account and link it with your YouTube account, then sit back and earn the title as you watch the top dungeon-running and pvp teams battle for their respective championships across three amazing weekends!

fearless.jpg

On July 8, the action begins when the top eight MDI teams from around the world battle for their share of the $300,000 (USD) prize pool and the title of MDI Shadowlands 2022 Global Champion. This will be followed by two hard-fought weekends of Arena action: first up is the AWC Grand Finals, which will see the top four teams from both the Americas and Europe battle to claim the Regional championships and a share of the $300,000 prize pool; followed by a brand-new cross-region tournament in which the top four teams from both regions will compete to see who are the dominant PvPers in Shadowlands!

We’ll share more details on each finals and the new cross-region tournament in the coming weeks, but until then make sure to read ahead for exactly how to connect your accounts in order to earn the Fearless Spectator title during the upcoming broadcasts. We’ll see you in the Shadowlands for one final season showdown!

Earning the Fearless Spectator Title

On one of the eligible YouTube Gaming channels, watch two total hours to receive the exclusive title. Time watched is cumulative across all three weekends, so even if you can’t watch for the full two hours in one sitting your time will still count toward earning the title

Watch Two Total Hours Across:

  • MDI Global Finals: July 8 – 10, 2022
  • AWC Grand Finals: July 16 – 17, 2022
  • AWC Cross-Region Tournament: July 23 – 24, 2022

Eligible Channels

Connecting Your Accounts

Before you can receive rewards, you’ll need to link your YouTube and Blizzard Battle.net accounts. Here’s how:

  • Log in or create an account on YouTube.
  • Navigate to Account Sharing under “Connected Apps” in Settings.
  • Select “Connect” next to Battle.net
  • Follow the simple prompts to finish connecting accounts.
  • When connecting accounts, be sure that you’re currently logged into the Blizzard account on which you’d like to receive your Drops.
  • Click here for a full set of official rules for the WoW Esports Fearless Spectator Title.

Stay tuned for more details on all of the events to come, and remember to subscribe to the Warcraft YouTube channel to receive notifications when each broadcast starts. Go with honor!

9.2.7 PTR Development Notes

Quote from: Blizzard

World of Warcraft Version 9.2.7 PTR

AUCTION HOUSE UPDATE: REGION-WIDE COMMODITIES

  • Auction Houses across all realms on a given region will now share commodity listings (gems, herbs, flasks, consumables, etc.). Items that aren’t commodities –- like armor and weapons –- will continue to be realm-specific.
    • Developers’ note: The Auction House you know and use today should look and feel exactly the same; it’ll just have way more buyers and sellers available to you for commodities. We’d love for players to hop on the PTR, copy over their characters, and help us test the Auction House across the entire PTR region. We might schedule a specific time in a few weeks for everyone to hop on at the same time to help stress it, details tbd.

USER INTERFACE AND ACCESSIBILITY

  • A new chat channel for searching or advertisement of services like raiding, dungeons, or PvP activities has been added: Trade (Services).
    • Developers’ note: The trade channel that’s been in the game for 18 years will continue to exist, but we wanted to add a new channel to direct messages about the request and advertisement of services like raiding, dungeons, or PvP activities. If you’re looking to buy or sell these kind of services, this is the channel for you! If you’re not interested in those, you can leave the channel and avoid the noise, or move it into its own chat tab. We believe that with this new distinction, you’ll be able to keep Trade chat for the traditional buying and selling of items and professions, and not other chatter.

Shadowlands Season 3 Ending Soon

Season 4 is closer than you may have thought! Blizzard just announced that Season 4 will start on the first reset of August! Season 4 will contain the experimental Fated Raids system as well as a Mythic+ season that will include the mega dungeons we’ve seen in the last 3 expansions as well as 2 WoD dungeons!

Quote from: Blizzard

Greetings Champions.

Shadowlands Season 3 is coming to a close, and our experimental Season 4 will begin with the weekly reset the week of 2 August.

Here’s what to expect with the Season 3 end:

Shadowlands Season 3: PvP

  • The current season of Shadowlands PvP content will end at 10:00 p.m. the night before maintenance in each region (August 1 at 10:00 p.m. PDT for North America realms / 2 August at 22:00 CEST for European realms).
  • With the season’s end, it will no longer be possible to earn PvP seasonal rewards, titles, or Shadowlands Season 3 rankings.

Shadowlands Season 3: Mythic+

  • The current season of Mythic+ content will end with the start of regional maintenance on 3 August. With the season’s end, ratings that qualify for the 0.1% “Cryptic Hero” title and achievement will be recorded.
  • The “Cryptic Hero” title will be rewarded during the following weeks after the season ends, so be to wait to change factions until after you have received the title.

Good luck battling to a glorious finish of the season!

Dragonflight Pre-order now available, Launch Date Before The End of 2022

The pre-order for Dragonflight has become available and includes different pets, a mount and transmogs depending on the type of pre-order you buy! Most interestingly Blizzard seems to be aiming for a release before the end of this year despite the fact that we haven’t even gotten a public Alpha test yet! Check out all the details below:

Quote from: Blizzard

World of Warcraft®: Dragonflight is now available for pre-purchase in-game and through the Blizzard Shop!

As long-dormant forces begin to stir in their sacred homeland, the dragons of Azeroth—at times both allies and adversaries of the mortal races—call on the heroes of the Alliance and Horde to help reckon with the looming threats and ancient mysteries on the verge of awakening.

Audio Description version.

Take Wing to a New Beginning

Join forces with the dragonflights of Azeroth as they return to the Dragon Isles, a lost realm of magic and wonder. There await the dracthyr evokers, an all-new playable race and class of humanoid dragonkin who stand ready to join the ranks of the Horde and Alliance.

Dragonflight is now available for purchase in three digital editions: Base, Heroic, and Epic.

Base edition Contents

  • The expansive Dragonflight experience.
  • Drakks pet (as a pre-purchase bonus item*)

Heroic Edition Contents

  • The expansive Dragonflight experience.
  • Murkastrasza pet
  • Tangled Dreamweaver mount
  • Dragonflight-level (level 60) character boost**
  • Drakks pet (as a pre-purchase bonus item*)

Epic Edition Contents

  • All content from the Heroic Edition
  • Wings of Awakening (back-slot with 5 color variants)
  • Diadem of the Spell-Keeper: A crown once worn by Sindragosa herself, this head-slot transmog radiates with the magical energies of the blue dragonflight.
  • Timewalker’s Hearthstone Effect
  • 30 Days of game time
  • Drakks pet (as a pre-purchase bonus item*)

Whether you’re just returning to World of Warcraft or inviting a friend along, the Complete Collection can help you get right into the action.

Complete Collection – Heroic Edition

  • Every base expansion to date.
  • Shadowlands Heroic Edition, including Ensorcelled Everwyrm flying mount (grants a quest for the Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmog set.)
  • The complete Dragonflight experience.
  • Two Character Boosts (Shadowlands Character Boost to Level 50 and Dragonflight Character Boost to level 60)
  • 30 Days of Game time
  • Tangled Dreamweaver flying mount
  • Murkastrasza pet
  • Drakks pet (as a pre-purchase bonus item*)

Complete Collection – Epic Edition

  • Every base expansion to date.
  • Shadowlands Heroic Edition, including Ensorcelled Everwyrm flying mount (grants a quest for the Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmog set.)
  • The expansive Dragonflight experience.
  • Two Character Boosts (Shadowlands Character Boost to Level 50 and Dragonflight Character Boost to level 60)
  • A total of 60 Days of Game time
  • Tangled Dreamweaver flying mount
  • Murkastrasza pet
  • Wings of Awakening (back-slot with 5 color variants)
  • Diadem of the Spell-Keeper: A crown once worn by Sindragosa herself, this head-slot transmog radiates with the magical energies of the blue dragonflight.
  • Timewalker’s Hearthstone Effect
  • Drakks pet (as a pre-purchase bonus item*)

All bonuses from the Heroic and Epic Editions are unlocked immediately upon pre-purchase. All new race & class, the Dracthyr Evoker available at or before launch.

Dragonflight Expansion Features

  • Discover the Dragon Isles—Journey to the new level cap of 70 and explore the primordial wonder and ancient secrets of the Dragon Isles across four new zones: the roiling Waking Shores; the vast Ohn’ahran Plains; the stark Azure Span; and ancient, majestic Thaldraszus.
  • New Race/Class Combo— Menace your foes (or empower your allies) as a Dracthyr Evoker, WoW’s first ever race/class combo. Design both humanoid and draconic forms, pick between the Alliance and Horde, and venture forth as a healer (Preservation specialization) or ranged damage-dealer (Devastation specialization) that harnesses the collective might of all dragonkind.
  • Soar Through the Skies—Dragonriding, an all-new method of aerial movement, allows you to take to the skies atop a Dragon Isles Drake, which you will befriend in each of the four new zones as you level up. Customize your drakes as you progress, collecting more appearance options and unlocking new abilities that will enable them to fly farther and faster.
  • New Talent System—With this overhaul, you’ll be able to make creative and flavorful talent choices at every level without compromising your effectiveness.
  • New Profession System Updates—Crafters rejoice! We’re introducing player-driven work orders, new profession equipment, an all-new specialization system, and more to help you become the artisan renowned through the realm.
  • New Hud UI—Get ready for a fully updated and customizable Heads Up Display (HUD) User Interface (UI) that’s been created with contemporary displays in mind, designed to be effective, attractive, and accessible.

Pre-purchase World of Warcraft®: Dragonflight or the Complete Collection now to unlock a trove of items to aid you in your coming adventures.

Get the Dragonflight Collector’s Edition

Prepare to step into the Dragon Isles with this limited-edition Epic Edition Collector’s Set, featuring a trove of rare and wondrous items to aid you on your journey into a new land.

  • Dragonflight Five-Pin Collector’s Set: Add iconic representations of Azeroth’s five primary dragonflights to your pin collection–red, green, black, blue, and bronze.
  • Art of Dragonflight- Hardback Art Book: Explore the visual development of the Dragon Isles, a remote realm of Azeroth that has remained hidden since the Great Sundering 10,000 years ago.
  • Alexstrasza Mousepad:  Emblazoned with the powerful visage of the Life-Binder herself, standing proud in both her dragon and high elf forms.

Epic In-Game Content

  • Drakks pet (as a pre-purchase bonus item) and Murkastrasza pet: Explore the Dragon Isles alongside your diminutive, new draconic companions.
  • Tangled Dreamweaver mount: Take wing with the Tangled Dreamweaver as you soar across the Dragon Isles and beyond.
  • Wings of Awakened: A back-slot transmog, which includes 5 color variants, one for each of the major Dragonflights.
  • Diadem of the Spell-Keeper: A back-slot transmog, which includes 5 color variants, one for each of the major Dragonflights.
  • Timewalker’s Hearthstone Effect: Ride the sands of time back to an inn you’ve previously visited with this unique cosmetic effect for your Hearthstone.

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight PC/Mac Game Key

You’ll also receive an Epic Edition digital key to unlock the full version of Dragonflight and 30 days of game time. The Dragonflight Collector’s Edition is available to pre-order now on the Blizzard Gear Store now.

Upgrading From Base Edition, Heroic Edition, or Epic Edition to Collector’s Edition

If you’ve purchased a digital copy of Dragonflight from our in-game shop or Blizzard shop, and want to upgrade to the Collector’s Edition, we will automatically credit you the cost of the digital copy in Blizzard Balance—as long as you enter the Collector’s Edition key before 11:59 p.m. PDT on December 31, 2023. When you enter the key from your Collector’s Edition, the credit will automatically kick in based on the original transaction on your account.

Remember, you will need to enter the Collector’s Edition key before 11:59 p.m. PST on December 31, 2023, as automatic Blizzard Balance credits will be turned off at that time.

Please note, if you originally bought a lower-priced edition and then upgraded to a higher-priced edition, you will be credited based on the original purchase only. Here are the specific scenarios:

Epic Edition > Collector’s Edition

If you originally bought the Epic Edition of Dragonflight and pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition, your Blizzard Balance credit will be for the price you paid for the Epic Edition.

Heroic Edition > Epic Edition > Collector’s Edition

If you bought the Heroic Edition, upgraded to the Epic Edition at a later date, then pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition of Dragonflight, your Blizzard Balance credit will be the price you paid for the original Heroic Edition.

Heroic Edition > Collector’s Edition

If you originally bought the Heroic Edition of Dragonflight and pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition, your Blizzard Balance credit will be the price you paid for the Heroic Edition.

Base Edition > Heroic Edition > Collector’s Edition

If you bought the Base Edition, upgraded to the Heroic Edition at a later date, then pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition of Dragonflight, your Blizzard Balance credit will be the price you paid for the original Base Edition.

 Base Edition > Heroic Edition > Epic Edition > Collector’s Edition

If you bought the Base Edition, upgraded to the Heroic Edition and then the Epic Edition at a later date, then pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition of Dragonflight, your Blizzard Balance credit will be the price you paid for the original Base Edition.

World of Warcraft®: Dragonflight™ will be available on or before December 31, 2022. To learn more, visit the expansion’s official website at https://dragonflight.blizzard.com.

*Drakks pet as a pre-purchase bonus item offer ends with the launch of Dragonflight.
**In-game items and Character Boost not available in World of Warcraft® Classic.

Hotfixes: June 1, 2022, Rated PvP Temporarily Closed to Cross-faction Groups

A new patch means a new batch of bugs that will make their way to the servers, and thus the hotfixes have started coming in again! We start this set of hotfixes with some scaling fixes in Mythic+, Dark Iron Dwarf heritage quest accessibility fixes and Cross Faction being temporarily closed for Rated PvP!

Hotfixes: June 1, 2022

Quote from: Blizzard

June 1, 2022

Classes

  • Mage
    • Resolved an issue that caused Mage Portals to Oribos to not appear while phased.
  • Warlock
    • Affliction
      • Malefic Wrath (Runecarving Power) will once again be able to stack up to 3 times.

 

Dungeons and Raids

  • Sepulcher of the First Ones
    • Resolved an issue that was caused Mythic difficulty to not appear as an available option in the Premade Group Finder.

 

  • Tazavesh: So’leah’s Gambit
    • So’leah
      • Resolved an issue that would cause So’leah to path erratically after Power Overwhelming.

 

Developer’s note: It turns out that prior to 9.2.5 some creatures and abilities were not scaling with Mythic+ Keystone level as intended. A bug fix with the patch corrected the scaling, but also unintentionally increased the health and damage of those creatures. The adjustments below for Halls of Atonement, Theater of Pain, and Tazavesh: Streets of Wonder are intended to offset this increase in difficulty and bring affected creatures back in line with player expectations.

 

  • Halls of Atonement
    • High Adjudicator Aleez
      • Pulse from Beyond damage reduced by 66%.
  • Theater of Pain
    • Mordretha
      • Deathwalker Health reduced by 60%.
      • Death Bolt damage reduced by 40%.
      • Death Bolt cast time increased to 3 seconds (was 2 seconds).
      • Fixed an issue where Deathwalkers were treated as players for the purpose of crowd control duration.
  • Tazavesh: Streets of Wonder
    • Zo’phex
      • Health reduced by 5%.
      • Security Measure damage reduced by 66%.
      • Armed Security damage reduced by 60%.

 

Items and Rewards

  • Players who unlocked Dark Iron Dwarf Heritage Armor on one character can now unlock the Dark Iron Dwarf Heritage Weapons and mount on a different character.

Rated PvP Temporarily Closed to Cross-faction Groups

Quote from: Blizzard

In order to address issues we’re seeing with cross-faction PvP, we’re in the process of disabling the ability for cross-faction groups to enter the rated PvP queue. This will require that we re-start all realms.

We’ve been working on these issues as a priority, but we expect that the fix is going to take more than a few hours for us to develop, test, and deploy.

We’ll let you know as soon as we’ve got a fix and are ready to re-enable rated cross-faction PvP play.

9.2.5 Is Now Live, Updated 9.2.5 Content Update Notes, New Cinematics (Spoilers), Save Up to 30% on Select Game Services for A Limited Time

Patch 9.2.5 has released in both the US and the EU. It brings new small story quest chains and cinematics (see below). Additionally organized group content can now be done cross faction! For those that want to go switch factions Blizzard is currently holding a sale on the faction transfer service.

Shadowlands: 9.2.5 Content Update Is Now Live

Quote from: Blizzard

The Shadowlands content update 9.2.5 has arrived with a variety of features and experiences such as cross-faction play, new questlines for blood elf and Dark Iron dwarf characters, a new PvP arena, and more!

Party with Players from the Opposing Faction!

WoW_GenericUpdate-Maldraxxus_Blog-Thumb_1200x675_JM01.jpg

Cross-faction gameplay is included with the 9.2.5 content update, giving players more grouping options and allowing them to play with their friends from the opposing faction. Read our news post for more about this feature.

Blood Elves and Dark Iron Dwarves, Get Questing!

Two new questlines will help blood elf, and Dark Iron dwarf players earn new rewards in this update.

Blood Elf players completing their questline receive the Elusive Emerald Hawkstrider mount, and blood elf Paladins earn the Blood Knight-themed Ensemble: Blood Knight’s Dedication. Dark Iron dwarf players who complete their questline earn the Grimhowl’s Face Axe mount and the Dark Iron-themed Arsenal: Lavaforge Armaments as a reward.

Test Your Mettle in the Enigma Crucible

The mysterious Enigma Crucible crafted by the Progenitors is the latest PvP arena located within the ancient wonder of Zereth Mortis and will offer players a challenging battlefield to test their skills.

Shadowlands Season 4 Coming Soon

Season 4 will be making its debut later this summer. Keep an eye on WorldofWarcraft.com/news for more details on when Season 4 will be available.

Shadowlands 9.2.5 Content Update Notes

Learn more about the latest changes coming to the Shadowlands by reading through the update notes.

Keep checking WorldofWarcraft.com for more information on these features and more. We’ll see you in the Shadowlands!

Updated Shadowlands 9.2.5 Content Update Notes

Quote from: Blizzard

The Shadowlands 9.2.5 content update arrives on 1 June and comes with a variety of features and experiences such as cross-faction play, new questlines for Blood Elf and Dark Iron Dwarf characters, a new PvP arena, and more!

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • All Covenant Sanctum feature achievements are now visible and count towards your character’s total achievement points, regardless of which covenant your character currently belongs to. Nonetheless, all characters must belong to a Covenant to earn that Covenant’s specific achievements.
  • Tower Ranger criteria now requires The Jailer’s Gauntlet: Layer 4 (was Layer 8).
  • The Dancing Machine achievement text now specifies that the reward is a toy.
  • Anima Cannisters required for Kaal-ed Shot now respawn after General Kaal resets and the Slammed! debuff is no longer removed by immunity effects.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing The Enlightened faction to not count towards the Exalted Reputations achievements.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the Azeroth at War achievements to not be obtainable by players.

CHARACTERS

  • Removed the experience point reduction that is applied to level 51–60 characters while in Party Sync.

CLASSES

  • All classes now generate more threat when in a tank specialization.
    • Developers’ note: We’ve heard a lot of feedback about threat loss from the community (and our teammates) since the start of this season. Our design intent is that a tank who is actively directing their damage rotation at an enemy should be able to maintain threat on that enemy, but simple area of effect spells (like Consecrate or Death and Decay) alone should not be sufficient. We’ve analyzed this situation and feel that a small adjustment to tank threat modifiers should help maintain that balance for the remainder of the expansion.
  • DEATH KNIGHT
    • Fixed an issue that caused Bone Shields consumed by Tombstone (Talent) to not reduce the cooldown of Blood Tap by the correct amount.
  • HUNTER
    • BEAST MASTERY
      • All damage abilities and pet damage increased by 4%.
      • Beast Cleave now causes your pet to strike other targets for 100% of your pet’s damage (was 90%).
        • Developers’ notes: Beast Mastery has not received as much AoE benefit from its set bonus as other specializations and consequently has fallen behind. We’re increasing the damage of their pets and Beast Cleave damage transfer to help their overall performance.
  • MAGE
    • ARCANE
      • Arcane Missiles damage increased by 8%.
      • Arcane Blast damage increased by 10%.
      • Clearcasting can no longer be dispelled.
        • Developers’ note: We feel that Arcane single target damage would benefit from an increase, but also want to offer some dispel protection for one of their critical rotational buffs in Clearcasting. This is a change that we will evaluate further going into Dragonflight as generally, we want magical buffs like these to be dispellable. In this case, we feel there is necessary to help this specialization in the short term.
  • MONK
    • WINDWALKER
      • Rising Sun Kick damage increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Fists of Fury damage to primary target increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Blackout Kick damage increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Tiger Palm damage increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Fist of the White Tiger (Talent) damage increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
        • Developers’ note: As part of our ongoing balance efforts, we’re taking a more aggressive approach towards improving Windwalker Monks’ single-target damage, so that their performance is more competitive in raid situations where their unique strengths may not come to the forefront.
  • ROGUE
    • OUTLAW
      • Between the Eyes damage increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Pistol Shot damage increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Sinister Strike damage increased by 20%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Blade Flurry damage increased to 60% of single target damage (was 50%). This change does not apply to PvP.
        • Developers’ note: Our intent with these changes is to improve Outlaw in both single target and 5-6 target cleave situations where Blade Flurry should shine. Outlaw isn’t standing out enough in these moments and we hope these changes move us in the right direction. However, in PvP, Enduring Brawler and Recuperator have given Outlaw more survivability than intended and we’ve decided to reduce the max stack count as a result.
  • WARLOCK
    • Fixed an issue that caused Scouring Tithe (Kyrian Ability) to grant both the death and survive effects when used against certain enemies.
    • DESTRUCTION
      • (2) Set Bonus: Ritual of Ruin now lasts 30 seconds (was unlimited).
        • Developers’ note: With these changes, we’ve set out to address a strategy of disengaging from the fight except in rare moments where the Warlock can setup huge burst through the set bonus. At the same time, we’re trying to give adequate time for the Warlock to respond to Ritual of Ruin proc with a 30 second duration.
  • WARRIOR
    • ARMS
      • Mortal Strike damage increased by 10%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Overpower damage increased by 10%. This change does not apply to PvP.
      • Execute and Condemn damage increased by 15%. This change does not apply to PvP.
        • Developers’ note: These changes are intended to increase Arms single target performance while not affecting areas where they already excel.
    • PROTECTION
      • Execute and Condemn damage increased by 15%. This change does not apply to PvP.

CROSS-FACTION INSTANCES

  • Players are now able to directly invite members of the opposite faction to a party if you have a BattleTag or Real ID friendship, or if you are members of a cross-faction WoW Community.
  • Premade Groups in the Group Finder listings for Mythic dungeons, raids, or rated arena/RBGs are now open to applicants of both factions, though the group leader may choose to restrict the listing to same-faction applicants if they so choose.
  • WoW Communities now have the option to be cross-faction, while Guilds will remain single-faction.
  • Random matchmade activities like Heroic dungeons, Skirmishes, or Random Battlegrounds will all remain same-faction. [LEARN MORE]
  • The following instances are not cross-faction:
    • Trial of the Champion
    • Trial of the Crusader
    • Vault of Archavon
    • Icecrown Citadel
    • Baradin Hold
    • Siege of Boralus
    • Battle of Dazar’alor
    • Darkmaul Citadel (Exile’s Reach dungeon)

DUNGEONS AND RAIDS

  • SEPULCHER OF THE FIRST ONES
    • Cross-Realm raiding is now available on Mythic difficulty.
    • ARTIFICER XY’MOX
      • Decipher Relic cast time increased to 30 seconds on Mythic difficulty (was 25 seconds).
    • PROTOTYPE PANTHEON
      • Imprinted Safeguards reduce damage and healing taken by 35% on Mythic difficulty (was 50%).
    • LIHUVIM, PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT
      • Lihuvim’s health reduced by 10% on all difficulties.
      • Protoform Schematics health reduced by 10% on all difficulties.
    • HALONDRUS THE RECLAIMER
      • Ephemeral Eruption initial damage reduced significantly on Mythic difficulty.
      • Lightshatter Beam increases the damage taken from Lightshatter Beam by 300% on Heroic difficulty (was 500%).
    • ANDUIN WRYNN
      • Anduin Wrynn’s health reduced by 5% on all difficulties.
      • Monstrous Souls health reduced by 5% on all difficulties.
      • Anduin’s Despair health reduced by 10% on all difficulties.
      • Anduin’s Hope movement speed reduced on Heroic and Mythic difficulty.
      • Remorseless Winter damage reduced by 10% on all difficulties.
      • Hopebreaker damage over time reduced by 15% on all difficulties.
      • Fiendish Soul’s Necrotic Claws cooldown increased by 50% on all difficulties.
    • LORDS OF DREAD
      • Mal’Ganis and Kin’tessa health reduced by 5% on all difficulties.
      • Swarm of Decay and Swarm of Darkness damage reduced by 7.5% on all difficulties.
      • Ravenous Hunger now heals the Inchoate Shadow for 13% on Mythic difficulty (was 10%).
      • Cloud of Carrion no longer disorients when jumping between players on Heroic and Mythic difficulty.
      • Infiltration of Dread duration increased by 10 seconds on Heroic and Mythic difficulty.
    • RYGELON
      • Collapsing Quasar Field duration increased by 50% on Mythic difficulty.
    • THE JAILER
      • Rune of Compulsion’s absorb reduced by 33% on Normal and Heroic difficulty, and 10% on Mythic difficulty.
      • Misery no longer knocksback on Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulty.
      • Decimator no longer knocksback on Raid Finder and Normal difficulty.
      • Diverted Life Shield no longer heals on Mythic difficulty.
      • World Crusher produces 2 less Bloods of Azeroth on Mythic difficulty.
      • World Shatterer produces 1 less Blood of Azeroth on Mythic difficulty.
      • Phase 4 is now triggered at 15% Health on Mythic difficulty.
  • MYTHIC+
    • With Cross-Faction Instances becoming available, the Cryptic Hero: Shadowlands Season 3 achievement now requires a Mythic+ Rating in the top 0.1% of all players in your region.

ITEMS AND REWARDS

  • Broker Mark of Distinction now increases the Renown of your currently active Covenant to 60 (was 40).
  • Renown catch-up is accelerated through Renown 60 (was 48).
  • These activities will now have a 100% chance to reward 1 Renown upon completion:
    • Mythic and Mythic+ dungeons
    • Torghast Layers 9-16
    • Defeating a Shadowlands raid boss encounter
    • Winning a Rated Battleground
  • New “Sounds of Healing” quest added to unlock weapons as possible rewards from Zereth Mortis content. This quest can be picked up by defeating enemies in Zereth Mortis.
  • Reward boxes from Callings now contain twice as many Grateful Offerings, still scaling with your covenant sanctum’s Anima Conductor level.
  • The Zereth Mortis weekly quest “Patterns Within Patterns” now awards Grateful Offerings.
  • Fixed an issue that sometimes caused Blizzard Shop transmog cosmetics to temporarily disappear from your collection.
  • Fixed an issue where Jingles battle pet would display as “Unknown” when summoned and its wreath and candy cane accessories were the incorrect size in the Pet Journal.

PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER

  • NEW ARENA: ENIGMA CRUCIBLE
  • SOLO SHUFFLE BRAWL
    • The minimum item level combatants will be scaled up to has been raised to 252 (was 239).
    • Fixed an issue that caused some abilities to not be removed from players in between rounds.
    • Fixed an issue that caused a round to not reset properly if a player on each side of the brawl died at the same time.
  • Gladiator’s Distinction (PvP set) bonus Stamina increased to 500 (was 350).
    • Developers’ note: In general, damage output is outpacing survivability in PvP leading to a volatile gameplay experience. We’re increasing the Stamina from the PvP trinket set bonus to reduce the effect of damage across the game.
  • Cosmic Gladiator’s Echoing Resolve no longer triggers from or provides immunity to interrupt effects. The tooltip for this will be updated in a future patch.
    • Developers’ note: While the tooltip explicitly mentions interrupts, we’ve heard the feedback loud and clear that this trinket is removing counterplay that players enjoy. We’ll fix the tooltip in a future hotfix.
  • DEATH KNIGHT
    • Anti-Magic Zone’s spell damage reduction increased to 50% (was 20%) in PvP combat.
    • Dome of Ancient Shadow (PvP Talent) has been removed.
  • MAGE
    • Gift of the Lich (Necrolord Conduit) duration reduced by 33% in PvP combat.
      • Developers’ note: Deathborne is one of the most impactful cooldowns in the game, but at the current scale of Conduits, it’s regularly lasting 50+ seconds. We feel it’s necessary to reign in that duration in PvP.
  • MONK
    • MISTWEAVER
      • Reduced cooldown on Zen Focus Tea (PvP Talent) to 30 seconds (was 45).
        • Developers’ note: Mistweavers are having a difficult time responding to burst damage reliably, as they regularly have to open their primary school in order to catch up. Giving them more access to an interrupt protection is intended to let them respond to burst damage more reliably.
  • PRIEST
    • DISCIPLINE
      • Blaze of Light (PvP Talent) increases damage to Smite and Penance by 30% (was 15%).
      • Power Word: Shield absorb amount increased by 10% in PvP combat.
      • Fixed an issue that reduced the value of Power Word: Shield critical strikes in PvP combat.
        • Developers’ notes: We’re looking to give Discipline more offensive options in PvP but also feel that Power Word: Shield has fallen off in terms of relative strength compared to other parts of the kit.
    • SHADOW
      • Power Word: Shield absorb amount increased by 10% in PvP combat.
      • Fixed an issue that reduced the value of Power Word: Shield critical strikes in PvP combat.
  • ROGUE
    • Recuperator (Conduit) healing reduced by 50% in PvP combat.
    • OUTLAW
      • Enduring Brawler (PvP Talent) stacks up to 15 times (was 20).
  • SHAMAN
    • Healing Stream Totem’s healing increased by 20% in PvP combat.
    • ELEMENTAL
      • Raging Vesper Vortex (Kyrian Runecarving Power) damage reduced by 33% in PvP combat.
      • Earth Shock damage is no longer reduced by 10% in PvP combat.
    • ENHANCEMENT
      • Chain Harvest (Venthyr Ability) damage and healing reduced by 15% in PvP combat.
    • RESTORATION
      • Earthen Wall Totem (Talent) absorb is no longer reduced by 30% while in PvP combat.
    • Developers’ note: For Shaman, we want to address some of the big swing moments created by Vesper Totem and Chain Harvest, but compensate them with more sustained healing, damage and mitigation.
  • WARLOCK
    • Demonic Embrace now increases your Stamina by 20% (was 10%) in PvP combat.
    • Demon Armor (PvP Talent) has been removed.
    • AFFLICTION
      • New PvP Talent: Shadowfall – Gain the Nightfall talent with 100% increased chance to gain its effect. If you already have this talent, you may select another in the same row.
    • DEMONOLOGY
      • Felguard’s Legion Strike now reduces effectiveness of healing on the target by 25% in PvP combat (was 10%).
        • Developers’ note: We’ve increased the mortal strike effect of Demonology’s pet in PvP to help their effective damage.
    • ​​DESTRUCTION
      • ​(4) Set Bonus: Summoning a Blasphemy no longer stuns enemies in PvP combat.
  • WARRIOR
    • FURY
      • Depths of Insanity (Conduit) effectiveness reduced by 50% in PvP combat.
      • Battle Trance (PvP Talent) now generates 3 rage (was 5) every 3 seconds for 18 seconds after using Raging Blow twice in a row on a target.
        • Developers’ note: 9.2.5 comes with a bug fix where the PvP talent Battle Trance wasn’t being activated by the Raging Blow replacement spell Crushing Blow from the Reckless Abandon talent. The above changes are intended to manage the effective buff Fury will be getting from that interaction.

PROFESSIONS

  • Increased the experience points earned when crafting Specialized Armor and Jewelry for creating Runecarving items by 400%.

QUESTS

  • Blood Elves can start a quest to earn a new mount, weapon appearance, and the Blood Knight armor set for Blood Elf Paladins by speaking to Liadrin in Oribos. Requirements: Level 60 and Exalted with Silvermoon.
  • Dark Iron Dwarves can start a quest to earn a new mount and weapon appearances by speaking to Anvil-Thane Thurgaden in Shadowforge City, Blackrock Depths (accessed via Mole Machine). Requirements: Level 50 and “Heritage o’ the Dark Iron” completed.

TORGHAST, TOWER OF THE DAMNED

  • All wings are now open (was 2 wings available per week).
  • Layers 1–8 are now unlocked by default.
  • Layers 9–12 now unlock after completing Layer 8.
  • Layers 13–16 now unlock after completing the previous Layer.

USER INTERFACE AND ACCESSIBILITY

  • All search filter dropdowns now have a button that lets you easily remove all active filters.
  • The default hand cursor now has new, higher resolution art for its larger sizes under Interface Options → Accessibility.
  • The Report Player pane has been redesigned, with new categories added.

 

 

 

To view all content update notes, click here.

For World of Warcraft customer support, please visit our Support Site or our Customer Support discussion forum. If you’ve found a bug, please let us know about it in our Bug Report Forum.

New Cinematics (Spoilers)

With the release of the patch and the new story quest chains 3 new cinematics have been released, check them out below!

Save Up to 30% on Select Game Services for A Limited Time

Quote from: Blizzard

Faction Change Bundles

Make the leap to the other side with 30% off one or three Faction Changes, and until June 7, get two additional Faction Changes for the price of six. The Faction Change item will now allow the purchase of multiple Faction Changes at one time or save some for future use.

Changing your faction also includes a free race change for your class, so you’ll fit in with your new friends when you join them on their adventures all over Azeroth.

Available Faction Change pack options:

  • 1 for $21.00 (Regularly $30.00)
  • 3 for $42.00 (Regularly $65.00)
  • 6 8 for $95.00

To learn more about the Faction Change service and any restrictions, visit our support page.

Limited Time Character Transfer Sale

For a limited time** save an additional 30% when you purchase 1–Character Transfer or 3-Character Transfers. During this sale, the regular 6–Character Transfer bundle will be replaced with an 8-character transfer bundle option at the same price as the regular 6-character transfer of $80.00. That’s two extra Paid Character Transfers for the regular price of a 6-Character Transfer bundle. Once the sale is over, this bundle will revert to the regular 6-character transfer bundle.

  • 1 for $17.50 (Regularly $25.00)
  • 3 for $35.00 (Regularly $50.00)
  • 68 for $80.00

Visit our support page to learn more about the Paid Character Transfer service and any restrictions.

Ready to make your move? Purchase Faction Change Packs and Paid Character Transfers from the Battle.net shop or launch World of Warcraft and click on the Shop button on the character select screen.

Once you’ve purchased your Faction Changes or Character Transfers within the Battle.net shop or the in-game shop, a new icon will appear on your character selection screen. To activate a game service, click on the token, then select the character you wish to move. Any unused Faction Change tokens or Character Transfers will remain on your account for use at a future time.

* Only available for modern World of Warcraft. Characters cannot be transferred between World of Warcraft® and WoW® Classic games. ** Sale ends June 7, 2022