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Dev Watercooler — The Role of Role

mikenielsen95 — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:09:54 +0000

The Deluge

A monsoon is coming. We will soon inundate you with Mists of Pandaria information, starting with the upcoming media event and everything that follows. It’s going to be a very exciting time for World of Warcraft, and we are all super impatient for it to happen.

But… we’re not quite there yet. I want to make that clear upfront, because this blog isn’t directly Mists of Pandaria related. You won’t find any announcements here, just a philosophical discussion that you may or may not find interesting. If you’re looking for thrilling announcements, you know what I’m going to say: Soon™.

Multiple DPS Roles

I said this blog isn’t directly relevant though, because I want to discuss a topic that we did struggle with a lot during Mists development, and indeed through most of World of Warcraft. We have classes with multiple DPS specs, and for mage, warlock, hunter, rogue, warrior and death knight, there isn’t even a melee vs. ranged distinction between those DPS specs. The question comes up all the time: “what is the role of these roles?” I don’t think there is a right answer here, and we’ve even changed the design a few times over the last several years. Again, I’m not couching this in terms of an imminent announcement or anything. This is fundamentally one of those designs that could go in a lot of different directions. It’s something we discuss a lot, and we figured given the strong opinions of our forum-posting community, many of you probably do as well.

A paladin can choose from among specs that let her be a tank, melee DPS or healer, and can shift around which role she fills in a raid or BG team from week to week. Through the Dual Spec feature, she can even do so within a single evening. If her group doesn’t need another healer, or if she needs a break from tanking, she can become a DPS spec fairly easily without having to swap to a different character. A warlock doesn’t have that luxury. Yet, the warlock still has three specs. Is the idea, then, that you are supposed to swap from Destruction to Demonology and back depending on the situation? Is the idea that you play Affliction if you like dots and Destruction if you like nukes? Or do you just switch to whatever theoretically does 1% more DPS for the next fight?

Players are sometimes cavalier about throwing around the claim that there’s a “lack of design direction” when they want their character buffed. Of course, classes always have a design direction; players just sometimes disagree with it. My point is that just because we debate whether the current design is the best possible one doesn’t mean there isn’t a design at all. That distinction is important. And of course, we do have a directive for which DPS spec you should play: whichever one you enjoy the most. But that doesn’t mean that is the best model or that it can’t ever change. There are other models we could try.

Model One – Everyone is equal all the time

If your DPS and utility are the same across specs, then you just play whichever one you prefer. Maybe you like the kit of the Frost mage, or maybe you like the rotation of the Fury warrior, so you play them. As I said above, this has been the model we have used for a while now, with mixed success. The challenge is that “all the time” caveat. We can get all of the DPS specs pretty close together on target dummies, and indeed they actually are very close on target dummies today. Our encounters aren’t target dummies though. Having some adds increases the damage of dot-specs. Having lots of adds increases the damage of strong AE specs. Having to move on a fight, and how often and far you have to move, can cause DPS to go up or down differently. Even if DPS is only off by a few percentage points, many players will respec to the one with the highest DPS (even if it’s theoretical, even if for them they will do lower personal DPS than if they had stuck with a more familiar spec). A mage who just loves Fire might be frustrated if he ever has to go Arcane, while another player might be happy that he gets to try different specs for different fights.

The class stacking we’ve seen on the Spine of Deathwing encounter relates to the need for massive burst damage in a specific window, such that the difference between a one minute DPS cooldown and a two minute DPS cooldown matters. Even if we could make sure every spec had the same AE vs. single target damage, do we now need to also ensure every spec can do the same DPS in burst windows of various lengths? Is that even mathematically possible? Or do we just test every spec for every raid encounter of the current tier and tweak class mechanics around for whatever is the current status quo? That implies a high rate of change, and I wonder if we’d lose a little bit of the fun of experimentation and theorycrafting if it was basically accepted that you could take any spec to any fight and do about the same damage. It’s more balanced, yes, but does it lack depth or flavor? Is it fun?

Model Two – Everyone has specialties and you match the spec to the situation

Under this model, we would establish spec specialties. For example, Arcane could be good for single-target fights while Fire is great at AE fights. Some of that design already exists in the game, but we try not to overdo it. If you really like playing one mage spec, or really detest constant spec swapping, then this model isn’t going to be to your liking. Furthermore, we don’t want to overstrain our boss design by having to meet a certain quota of AE vs. single target fights and movement vs. stationary fights and burn phase vs. longevity fights or whatever. It is also really hard to engineer these situations in Arenas or Battlegrounds (for example, both mobility and burst are extremely desirable in PvP), so in those scenarios there still may just be one acceptable spec.

Model Three – You swap specs to gain specific utility

If we used this model, then you might switch out to a different spec to gain a specific spell. Again, we have some of this today. A DK might want Unholy’s Anti-Magic Zone for a certain fight. Hunters might go Beastmaster to pick up a missing raid buff. Mages might go Fire for situations where Combustion shines. Druids might go Balance when they need the knockback from Typhoon. A little of this sort of thing goes a long way though. As in Model One, not every player wants to have to swap specs. If you just like Survival, you might resent having to go BM just to buff someone. If knockbacks are too potent, then it really constrains your raid composition and makes even casual guilds feel like they need to keep a stable of alts or benched players for every fight. If, for example, there wasn’t a boss in the current raid tier for which warrior abilities really shine, then warriors start to feel like a third wheel, yet trying to make sure every boss in a tier has a moment for every spec to shine is a pretty daunting task.

The extreme case of this is the “utility” spec who does middling DPS, but brings a lot of synergy and utility that improves all of the other specs. This was the Burning Crusade model, where classes like shaman and Shadow priests were brought to raids just to make the pure classes (and warriors, who were always treated as pure classes back then for some reason) do better DPS. In Lich King, we changed the design to make different raid buffs and abilities more widespread and give groups much more flexibility in their raid (and to some extent dungeon) comps. We heard from Shadow priests that they wanted to do competitive damage, not just be there to make everyone else more awesome. But even today we get a lot of requests to improve the utility of someone’s spec so that they are more likely to get invited to a group.

Model Four – There is just a best spec for PvP and PvE

This was the model of vanilla World of Warcraft, and we understand some players wouldn’t mind it returning. In this model Arms and Frost and Subtlety (and other specs) were designed to be good for PvP, while others, Fury and Fire and Combat perhaps, were designed to be good for PvE. The PvP specs might have better mobility or survivability or burst damage, while the PvE specs have better sustained damage over the course of a 6-10 minute boss fight. A lot has changed since vanilla. We don’t make many raid or dungeon encounters these days where DPS specs can just stand in one place and burn down a boss. Mobility, survivability, and burst damage can all be really useful on particular encounters, sometimes trumping the higher DPS offered by a competing spec. (There’s that old adage that dead do zero DPS.) In addition, if there is a PvP spec and a PvE spec, then for pure classes that implies that your third spec lacks much of a role. (The good leveling spec? Is that exciting?) Furthermore, our Mists of Pandaria talent tree design explicitly takes away some of the tools from the traditional PvP specs and makes them available to other specs in the class. If this works out, then you can take your Frost mage raiding, or have an Arcane mage for PvP who uses some of what traditionally were Frost’s control and escape tools. That’s great if you PvP and love Arcane, or PvE and love Frost. It’s less cool if you were the kind of player who was totally comfortable with the simpler (and possibly easier to balance) design of having dedicated PvP vs. PvE specs.

Model Five – Don’t have multiple DPS roles

This is the most controversial model and the one that would require the most change, meaning we are almost certainly never going to do it. For sake of completeness though, you can argue that classes never should have been designed with multiple specs that fill the same role. In this model, either Arms or Fury goes away and gets replaced with something. (Archery? Healing?) Warlocks and other pure classes would need a massive redo to end up with say a melee and tanking warlock. Everyone becomes a hybrid. The hardest decisions becomes whether you want to be the ranged or melee DPS version of your class (like druids or shaman). This idea is elegant from a design perspective because it un-asks all of those questions about how much more damage pure classes should do than hybrids to justify their narrower utility. But, perhaps counter-intuitively, elegant designs often aren’t the strongest ones (I could write a whole blog on that topic alone). Model Five is the kind of rhetorical question you could go back in time and ask before WoW launched, but not the kind of thing we could change today without taking an enormous amount of effort, to say nothing of the irate players who would feel bamboozled that we were so dramatically changing their character out from under them. I try to never say never, but this model isn’t the kind of change you make in a mature game. It’s here only for completeness and because I suspect some of you will bring it up.

But Which is the Best Model?

Hell if I know! I fundamentally believe that none of these models is, without question, the obvious right one. All of them have advantages and disadvantages, and there are probably other models you could come up with that are variants on these five, or perhaps even something new. Like I said, we’re not announcing a philosophy change yet. If we get enough feedback for one model or another, we might eventually change our minds. Also for this blog we’re going to lock the comments and ask that you post your replies in this forum thread. Just remember that even we don’t believe that there is one correct answer, so please keep that in mind when you’re composing your feedback.

Too scared to Arena

mikenielsen95 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:59:01 +0000

Too scared to Arena

So I finally managed to dodge the angry barrage of 2k+ rated rogues running vial and hit 2.2k. The problem is I am currently too scared to que because of the shear amount of vial trinkets out there and the possibility of running into legendary daggers.I have never been this scared in my life, I haven’t played arena in over 2 weeks. I am currently having nightmares of rogues opening on me and killing me. It’s not only rogues who keep me away from arena, Hunter/Melee cleaves are almost equally as scary. I like arena, I just dislike dying in openers. I dislike dying in openers so much that I can’t even arena anymore. In WOTLK I never had this problem because it was actually balanced around that burst meaning people couldn’t just rush in and spam CC and get a kill without risk of getting counter globalled. Cata burst is not intended therefore not prepared for meaning it’s just plain stupid and gives unfair advantages to one side who can rush in and spend 30 second on CC people while being immune to damage and CC.I don’t really know what to do with myself. I have just been telling my partners I don’t feel like arenaing but I think they might kick me off the team soon. I tried raiding I’ve just cleared 8/8 and it’s getting a little boring. There are no real changes to fix anything in 4.3.2 except the vial nerf, but rogues still do crazy damage without vial.

_____________________
Vaeflare replies:

As you already mentioned, in the upcoming patch there is a change to Vial of Shadows that should reduce some of the burst damage you are experiencing in PvP.

Dying in openers certainly isn’t fun, and can be incredibly frustrating if you’re the one on the receiving end of such a coordinated attack, but don’t give up! In addition to perhaps taking some time to focus on other activities such as Rated and unrated Battlegrounds where you have more people to watch your back, you might also consider browsing some PvP videos from other members of the community to not only help inspire you, but to also arm you with a further arsenal of tactics that you can use to your own advantage against opposing teams.

Also, from my own experience, when I was having a lot of trouble against a certain class or spec that I felt countered my usual tactics, I found it helpful to sometimes grab a friend that played that class and spent some time dueling them so that they could critique me on areas where I could improve my skills, including my timing on using certain abilities, and how I could counter some of their own tactics. That way when I stepped back into arenas, I was more confident in my own skills and felt better-prepared for how to expose the weaknesses of my enemies.

Keep at it, and remember there are players out there equally as scared to see you step out onto the Arena floor.

______________________

One of our upcoming goals in Mists of Pandaria is to make the gap between the overall DPS/healing of both PvE and PvP items smaller. In fact, we have design plans for new PvP combat mechanics that will make PvP gear and weapons markedly better in PvP than equivalent level PvE gear and weapons.

The overall goal is to reduce the barrier for crossing between PvE and PvP (and vice versa), as well as to also ensure that PvP gear is the best in PvP, and PvE gear is the best in PvE.

More details on these upcoming changes will be posted as they become available.

Regardless of anyone’s rankings past or present, the process of learning and striving to improve never stops: it helps even the most battle-hardened gladiator remain able to go toe-to-toe with their fiercest opponents.

In team-based combat such as Arenas, pressuring an enemy in order to go for a kill or striving to protect your comrade from being the brunt of a focused assault are part of the experience, no matter what classes are driving to get the job done. Most matches are an incredibly complicated dance between combatants: a push and pull of offensive and defensive tactics, of coordinating switches, interrupts, dispels, crowd control, and of learning when to use your particular cooldowns or abilities, and when to change your tactics on the fly. Depending on who you ask, what class they are, what brackets they are in, and what team compositions they run, you are likely to get a totally different answer as to what particular class gives them the most trouble at any given time.

As far as the current balance of various classes: it’s something we are, as always, keeping a close watch on. We welcome you to post constructively about your observations in the appropriate threads, and the more focused and on-topic you can keep it, the better.

While it’s not possible to address every individual thread or concern of the community, rest assured we are listening, regardless if you see us post within a particular thread or not.

Rated Battlegrounds VS. The Blues [1/17/12]

mikenielsen95 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:51:06 +0000

Rated Battlegrounds VS. The Blues [1/17/12]

Greetings Combatants of the Glorious Alliance and the Merciless Horde!
It is my great honor to invite you all to test your skills, steel, and sorcery against Blizzard employees such as myself (watch the face though, I got an image to maintain).

So if a bit of You vs. Blue action sounds like your idea of a good time come on down to the 4.3.2 PTRs this Tuesday, January 17th. We’ll be queuing for Rated Battlegrounds from 3pm-6pm PST, you’ll know it’s us from our [Blizzard Horde] & [Blizzard Alliance] guild names.

Hope to see you on the fields of battle!

1/12 PTR Updates

Rogue

Adrenaline Rush no longer triggers a global cooldown.

Dungeons & Raids

Baradin Hold

The roaming Eyes of Occu’thar have been replaced by hateful creatures who serve Alizabal.

Dragon Soul

Warmaster Blackhorn

The visual warning for Twilight Elites’ Blade Rush should be easier to see.

Items

Vial of Shadows damage (Lightning Strike) has been reduced to approximately one-third of previous damage. However, it will now trigger approximately 3 times as often. This is intended to keep overall DPS the same while reducing burst damage, especially in PvP.

Brewmaster Guide

WoW — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 22:32:47 +0000

Brewmaster Guide!

Pirate’s Day was an excellent way to start off the next holiday on the calendar….Brewfest! Yes it’s already that time of year again. The time to run those barrels of beer from brewery to brewfest. It’s time to collect those tokens, kill Direbrew, and pray for good luck on the mount drops. If you’re needing a little guidance to how to complete this holiday’s achievement then check out Rill’s Brewmaster Guide!

Join us at BlizzCon… from the comfort of your own home!

October 21-22, 2011

Join us at BlizzCon…
from the comfort of your own home!
The BlizzCon Virtual Ticket lets you experience the sights and sounds of BlizzCon through a live, high-definition Internet video stream. The Virtual Ticket provides four channels of access to the panels, eSports tournaments, and other activities at the show, warping you straight into the heart of BlizzCon! Check out the Virtual Ticket FAQ for more info!

$39.99 USD

FAQ
What is the Virtual Ticket multi-channel Internet stream?

Those who purchase the Virtual Ticket Internet stream will be able to switch freely between multiple high-definition (720p) channels dedicated to different areas of BlizzCon, allowing viewers expanded access to the panels and events they’re most interested in. The four HD streaming channels are:Main BlizzCon stage coverage, including panel discussions, game-related announcements, exclusive interviews, the opening ceremony, contests, and the closing concert.Panel Stage coverage, including all panels and events on the second stage.Complete StarCraft II tournament stage coverageComplete World of Warcraft tournament stage coveragePlease note that limited standard-definition coverage of the opening ceremony and tournaments will be available online for free — all you’ll need to watch the free streams is a Battle.net account.

If I order the BlizzCon 2011 Virtual Ticket Internet stream, will I receive the BlizzCon 2011-exclusive World of Warcraft and StarCraft II in-game items?

Yes, if you purchase the Internet stream, you will receive the BlizzCon 2011-exclusive World of Warcraft and StarCraft II items (to be announced at a later date). The items will be linked to the Battle.net account used to purchase the Virtual Ticket no later than the first day of BlizzCon.Please note that the BlizzCon 2011 in-game items are available only to players on World of Warcraft and StarCraft II realms/servers in the following regions: North America (including those serving players in Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia), Europe, Russia, Taiwan, and Korea.

Will replays be available after BlizzCon is over?

Yes! Anyone who purchases a Virtual Ticket will be able to access on-demand replays of all four channels of coverage for up to two weeks after the end of the event.

I am not a DIRECTV customer; can I order the Pay Per View Internet stream?

Yes. A DIRECTV subscription is not required to order the multi-channel Internet stream. It is available for a purchase price of $39.99 USD (international pricing and availability may vary) and includes both days of the event.

What is the exclusive merchandise sale for BlizzCon Virtual Ticket buyers? When does it occur?

A limited quantity of BlizzCon merchandise is being set aside for BlizzCon Virtual Ticket holders, to be sold in an exclusive merchandise sale occurring in the weeks before the show. After ordering, your Battle.net account will automatically be flagged to get access to the merchandise sale. We’ll have more information to share on the sale at a later date.

How do I order the Virtual Ticket Internet stream?

You can order the Virtual Ticket by logging in to your Battle.net account and visiting the Virtual Ticket ordering page. Please ensure you have a valid, updated payment method associated with your Battle.net account. If you do not yet have a Battle.net account, you can create one for free at https://us.battle.net/account/creation/tos.html.

In what languages will the multi-channel Internet stream be available?

The BlizzCon 2011 Internet stream and DIRECTV broadcast will be available in English only.

Can I purchase the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket Internet stream if I live outside of the United States?

Yes, the BlizzCon Pay Per View Internet stream will be available for purchase in multiple regions around the world. Pricing and availability may vary by region.

Do I need to download anything to view the live stream?

The most current version of Adobe Flash will be required to view the stream.

What are the system requirements to view the live stream?

PC Requirements:Intel® Pentium® 4 2.4GHz or Intel Core 1.6GHz (SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems) or higherMicrosoft Windows® XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2 or Microsoft 2000 or later512MB of RAM Graphics card with 128MB of RAM50MB of available hard-disk space for installation Microsoft DirectX-compatible sound card and display adapterAdobe Flash Player 10.0.32 or higherMac Requirements:Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or higherSafari 3 or Firefox 3 browser or higherAny Mac with Intel CPU512MB of RAM (recommended)Flash Player 10.0.32 or higherSupported Browsers:Firefox 1.1 or later, Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, Safari, Google Chrome, or Opera

What are the minimum bandwidth requirements for the viewer?

You will need a broadband connection such as DSL or cable with at least 1.2Mbps download bandwidth.

I purchased the BlizzCon 2011 Pay Per View event through DIRECTV. Do I have to pay for the Internet stream?

No, the Internet stream is included for free in your DIRECTV Pay Per View event purchase. After ordering through DIRECTV, you will receive an email containing a code that will grant one Battle.net account access to the Virtual Ticket Internet stream and the BlizzCon 2011 World of Warcraft and StarCraft II in-game items. Enter this code through the DIRECTV code redemption page at any time, and your Battle.net account will be flagged to the Internet stream. Make sure to redeem this code using the Battle.net account you wish to receive the in-game items.

When will the BlizzCon DIRECTV Pay Per View be available in the United States?

Existing DIRECTV customers in the United States will be able to order the BlizzCon Pay Per View event though DIRECTV beginning Monday, October 10. Please note that you will need to purchase the event through DIRECTV, not the Blizzard Virtual Ticket web page, in order to view the Pay Per View event on television. Visit www.directv.com/blizzcon for more information.New customers who order DIRECTV through their special BlizzCon promotional page at www.directv.com/blizzcon before September 25 will receive the BlizzCon Pay Per View event and Virtual Ticket Internet Stream for free.Customers who order through either method will receive a code from DIRECTV via email granting access to the Internet stream and the in-game items.

A first look at the legendary daggers coming with the patch 4.3 raid, Dragon Soul.

Happy Friday, everyone!

We’d like to get this day started by offering you a first look at the legendary daggers coming with the patch 4.3 raid, Dragon Soul. We’ve got them set up on a night elf rogue wearing the upcoming tier 13 armor.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150323249109034&set=a.10150277767579034.343653.138011799033&type=1&theater

Enjoy!

The Deathwing Raid: Interview with Scott Mercer

WoW — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:57:41 +0000

In World of Warcraft content patch 4.3, players will make their ultimate stand against Deathwing the Destroyer. Almost a year has passed since the corrupted Dragon Aspect burst forth from the Maelstorm to bring the Cataclysm down upon the mortal races. Now the determined survivors from the Horde and Alliance have rallied to unleash vengeance of their own.

To prepare for this earth-shattering battle, the Blizzard Insider recently discussed the upcoming Dragon Soul raid with Scott Mercer, lead encounter designer from the World of Warcraft team. Read on for all the epic details.

***CAUTION: THIS INTERVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER INFORMATION ON THE CATACLYSM STORY AND THE FINAL BATTLE AGAINST DEATHWING.

***Blizzard Insider: Before we dive into the details, can you tell us about Deathwing’s character arc to date?

Scott Mercer: Deathwing has changed the face of Azeroth probably more than any other villain in Warcraft’s history. He tore the Barrens in half. He caused tidal waves that transformed both continents. He even burned his claw marks into Stormwind Keep, leaving his personal signature on the Alliance capital. In many ways Deathwing embodies the Cataclysm itself, not just as the direct cause of it, but also as the thematic center of the expansion. His violent transformation from Earth-Warder to Destroyer ultimately led to all these changes across Azeroth, so in a very direct way, his character arc represents the force that set the entire expansion into motion.

That said, we’ve been building towards a showdown with Deathwing for some time. Players have been wrestling with his Twilight’s Hammer minions since before Cataclysm, and we’ve already seen Deathwing defeat Alexstrasza in single combat. The powers that be in Azeroth know Deathwing presents a mortal threat, so in the wake of all the chaos and destruction, forces are finally rallying to oppose him. That’s how patch 4.3 begins, with the major players of Azeroth gathering to decide how they are going to tackle this seemingly unstoppable monster.

Insider: Can you tell us about the new 5-player dungeons that lead into the Deathwing raid?

Scott Mercer: The short version is that the players are sent on a series of quests to recover the Dragon Soul artifact so Thrall and the other dragonflights will have the firepower they need to confront Deathwing. The new 5-player dungeons involve the Caverns of Time and require the players to go forward in time to witness a future where Deathwing has destroyed the world. Then, from that bleak future, they must go back in time to the War of the Ancients to recover the Dragon Soul and bring it back to the present. We’ve discussed a lot more details on the new 5-player dungeons in other interviews. They’re going to lead in directly to the patch 4.3 raid instance, which is called Dragon Soul. When the raid begins, the players have recovered the Dragon Soul artifact and arrive at Wyrmrest Temple to find it under siege by Deathwing’s forces.
Insider: Aside from a battle with Deathwing, what other encounters do you have planned for the Dragon Soul raid?

Scott Mercer: When players first arrive at Wyrmrest, they have to fight off a variety of Deathwing’s minions who are laying siege to the temple. There’s Morchok, a stone giant who is pounding the base of Wyrmrest, and Warlord Zon’ozz and Yor’sajh the Unsleeping, two servants of the Old Gods in league with Deathwing who are summoning more minions to sack the gates.

In addition to lifting the siege around Wyrmrest, the players also have to return to the Eye of Eternity to get the Focusing Iris so the Dragon Aspects can refocus their power into the Dragon Soul. We have some new gameplay elements in mind for these raids, including a mechanic where players are granted the ability to dodge a deadly attack from a twilight dragon by phasing away.
Insider: What details can you tell us about the Deathwing raid? How does it differ from other raids?

Scott Mercer: Dragon Soul is the most story-driven raid we’ve ever created. We’re even building several cut scenes to transition between the last three stages of the final encounter with Deathwing.

The first stage occurs as players are flying on an airship, chasing down Deathwing while his Twilight’s Hammer drake riders are swooping in to harry the pursuit. In the second stage, players paratroop commando-style onto Deathwing’s back and start ripping up his armor, trying to pry a hole big enough to give Thrall a clean shot with the Dragon Soul. During this phase, players are actually riding on Deathwing as he’s swooping around and trying to knock the players off with barrel rolls and such. Players will have to hang on at key points in the fight to avoid falling while also tangling with all kinds of monstrosities that are rising out of Deathwing’s corrupted magma blood. Once the players get enough of Deathwing’s armor off, Thrall blasts Deathwing with the Dragon Soul and sends him crash-landing into the Maelstrom.
Insider: Very cool! And the final stage?

Scott Mercer: Well, the interesting thing about Deathwing’s armor is that it wasn’t really built to keep things out—he doesn’t have to worry about weapons like swords and arrows. Instead it was built to keep things in. His body is this incredibly volatile mixture of corruptive energy and burning magma, so without his armor to hold it all together, he starts to lose it and come apart in all kinds of crazy ways. The final stage of the raid begins when Deathwing’s deformed body rises out of the Maelstrom to face off against the players in the final showdown. I won’t go into too much detail about this final stage, but I will say that it’s going to be unbelievably epic. Even in his weakened state, Deathwing still presents a major threat, and bringing him down will require the combined efforts of the players, Thrall, and even the other Dragon Aspects.
Insider: What difficulties did you encounter while designing the Deathwing battle?

Scott Mercer: It took a lot of new technologies to set up the fight on Deathwing’s back. The artists in particular focused on selling the fantasy that you’re grappling with a giant dragon midflight. We’ve never done anything quite like that before. Overall, setting the right scope for an encounter like Deathwing required a lot of development disciplines working together—artists, coders, encounter designers, level designers, and animators. We built corrupted Deathwing as a giant set piece with a lot of moving parts—probably our most complicated character model to date—but we felt it was necessary to convey the epic scale and do justice to the final boss of Cataclysm.
Insider: Let’s talk loot. What rewards await players who are strong enough to tackle Deathwing the Destroyer?

Scott Mercer: There will be a new tier of armor sets, of course. We’re also adding a new legendary weapon—a pair of daggers for rogues—with a new quest chain involved in obtaining them. The artists and animators are working on a new mount, a drake from the red dragonflight that borrows many visual elements from the Alexstrasza character model. Players can get one version of the new mount as the reward for the meta achievement for completing all other Dragon Soul achievements. There will also be a second, rarer version of the mount, that’s obtainable as a single, guaranteed drop off Heroic corrupted Deathwing.

Raise Your Mug—It’s Brewfest!

WoW — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:55:48 +0000

Every year, the brewmasters from Drohn’s Distillery, T’chali’s Voodoo Brewery, the Barleybrews, and the Thunderbrews celebrate their handiwork with two weeks of fun, frivolity, steins, spirits, and sausages right outside the gates of Ironforge and Orgrimmar. It’s an event that includes many opportunities for characters of all levels to drink together, participate in intoxicating quests, and earn many achievements that are only available during this holiday.

But it’s mainly about the brew!

With so many revelers enjoying the fermented fruits of the harvest—pretzels, cheese, and booze—it’s only a matter of time before the Dark Iron Dwarves from Blackrock Mountain will crash the party. You can team up and drive them back to the Grim Guzzler to earn valuable Brewfest Prize Tokens. If the Dark Iron are already running for the mountains, you can also earn tokens by completing daily keg deliveries, barking runs for the brewers, and other quests that you can drink your way through. After a few too many, you might even spot a pink elekk or wild wolpertinger.

This is also the only time of the year that groups of players can track down and fight the mug-wielding boss Coren Direbrew in Blackrock Depths. Coren Direbrew is even more powerful this year than in years past, with a stash of loot that he has spent all year improving and updating, and defeating him is your only chance to win a Swift Brewfest Ram or a Great Brewfest Kodo. Don’t forget, as with any holiday-related boss you can queue up to take him on directly from the Dungeon Finder.

Don’t forget to join Gelbin Mekkatorque or Vol’jin at the stand in the Brewfest grounds at 6:15 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. every day during Brewfest, for the tapping of the keg. They’ll get your day or night started right with a buff that grants 10% extra experience from your kills for two hours.

Rogue Tier 13 and Visual Retrospective

WoW — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:53:23 +0000

Adventurers will be tested like never before in World of Warcraft patch 4.3 as they take on Deathwing and his minions, emerging from the conflict with powerful new treasures. Please enjoy this preview of the rogue tier 13 armor set, as well as a visual guide to tiers 1 through 12 for Transmogrification purposes.

Rogue—Blackfang Battleweave

A “bat-themed” armor set for rogues seems like a no-brainer, but we were careful to skirt the more obvious inspirations. World of Warcraft often makes playful references to pop culture, but it’s important—particularly with player gear—that what we create has integrity within our universe. Rogues look good in close-fitting masks, collars, and cowls rather than elaborate armored helms. It also helps reinforce the rogue’s sneaky silhouette if the shoulder pads have a streamlined shape… even if that shape has sharp, bladed details.

Rogue Tiers 1-12

Patch 4.3 Raid Preview: Dragon Soul

WoW — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:49:15 +0000

World of Warcraft patch 4.3 will offer players the opportunity to take the fight to Wyrmrest Temple and beyond, assisting Thrall and the Dragon Aspects as they seek to bring an end to the Black Dragonflight once and for all. 10- and 25-person raids will get to take on Deathwing himself, with three levels of difficulty to consider and epic gear to claim.

Forged by Deathwing during the War of the Ancients, the Dragon Soul harnessed the power of the other dragonflights, until it was ultimately destroyed. After recovering a version of the artifact from the Caverns of Time, Thrall and the allied dragonflights now rally at Wyrmrest Temple in a desperate bid to use its might to defeat Deathwing.

Created by the titans as a sanctuary for all Dragonkind, the crumbling Wyrmrest Temple is now the final hope for the forces allied against the black dragon Neltharion, once the Earth-Warder and protector of Azeroth, now Deathwing the Destroyer. It is here that the remaining aspects—Alexstrasza, Ysera, Nozdormu, Kalecgos, and Thrall—have gathered to empower the Dragon Soul—Azeroth’s last chance to stop the great behemoth. As they begin to charge the Dragon Soul with energy, Deathwing and his entire army assault Wyrmrest Temple. Players must thwart the attacking forces long enough for Thrall to charge the Dragon Soul.

Before you face Deathwing the Destroyer, you must prevail against six mighty bosses.

The most powerful elemental still under Deathwing’s sway, Morchok—once a passive guardian—is now convinced that his only respite will come with Azeroth’s demise. Morchok rages against the foundation of Wyrmrest Temple, Azeroth’s last beacon of hope in the Hour of Twilight.

Countless ages ago, Warlord Zon’ozz and his soldiers waged endless war against the forces of C’Thun and Yogg-Saron. Millennia have passed, but the warlord still serves the chaotic might of the Old God N’Zoth. Deathwing has now unleashed this legendary faceless one to crush the defenders of Wyrmrest Temple.

Since the fall of the Bastion of Twilight, Yor’sahj the Unsleeping has eagerly assisted Deathwing, providing the Destroyer with the means to release more faceless ones from their prisons deep beneath the earth. Their numbers are endless and their power is beyond reckoning, and Yor’sahj intends to reap a grim reward for his faithful service.

Hagara the Binder, one of the first students of arcane magic under the Forsaken, showed surprising potential for one who had started learning so late in life. But in her undisciplined attempts to bind elementals into servitude, she was ensnared and twisted by the Windlord, Al’Akir. Now fiercely loyal to the Twilight’s Hammer, Hagara binds others for her elemental masters to torment.

More an abomination of dark energy than a dragon, Ultraxion has spent his short life absorbing the essence of captured nether dragons. Ultraxion is the only twilight dragon Deathwing has praised, and his arrogance is overshadowed only by the crackling energies surging through his twisted form. Loyal to his master, Ultraxion swears to bring about the fall of Wyrmrest Temple.

Though once vast in number, only a few dozen twilight dragons now remain. Astride these hardened survivors are the last vestiges of the Twilight’s Hammer’s army: the elite drake riders of Deathwing’s personal escort. Led by the insidious Warmaster Blackhorn, they move with unholy purpose, driven to protect their dark master.

When Deathwing first channeled the Dragon Soul’s power against the other dragonflights, the massive energies that he unleashed threatened to break him apart. Rather than forgo this weapon, he had adamantium plates fused to his scales to hold his body together. Later reinforced with elementium, these plates are now his weakness—the sole vulnerability to Deathwing’s lethal presence.

Your assault on the massive Deathwing will begin a battle unlike any other. It is a fight so wide-ranging and intense that it comprises two unique encounters, taking place across Azeroth. Taking to the skies, players will parachute from soaring gunships to attack the monster mid-flight and attempt to weaken him by ripping away his armor, exposing the molten flesh beneath. Should they succeed, they will plunge into the depths of Maelstrom for the final encounter.

Community News

WoW — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:47:28 +0000

It’s Friday, which means another it’s time for another Community News and a fresh dose of fansite updates, WoW comics and forum threads!

Fansites:

Polish site Battlenet posted thetranscript of their interview with Blizzard developers Tom Chilton and Chris Robinson at gamescom. They also translated the latest news onTransmogrification and Void Storage.
Italian site Battlecraft also reports on their interview with Tom Chilton. If you’re in the mood for some lore, you can read up on Nozdormu’s story so far, and while you’re there why not take part in a poll on Transmogrification.
Polish site WoWCenter has covered the upcoming TCG’s Darkmoon Faire, which kicks off in Poland this weekend. Speaking of Darkmoon Faire, there’s a Polish translation of the patch 4.3 preview, which gives details of the changes to the travelling carnival event! Finally, there’s news on the first Polish wielder of Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa’s Rest.
Finnish site Goblin Explosives Network also covers the Darkmoon Faire preview!
Hungarian site WoW-Hungary has reported on the unveiling of Murkablo, the pet all BlizzCon attendees will receive! There’s also another helpful addon review which looks at something to help keep track of your attempts to collect elusive rare items such as mounts and pets.
Serbian site WoW-Serbia has a video by WoWcrendor entitled “How to Win at PvP 2”
English site Myndflame has another Battle of the Blues, this time with music!
Czech and Slovak site WoWfan has an awesome gamescom wrap-up article

Weekly Comics:

Looking for Group: Oh.
Beyond the Tree: Sail Away With Me
The Daily Blink: So Five Patches Ago and Patch 4.3 Condensed
Away From Reality: Not Prepared
Lorgrokni’s Travels: Jezebel
Black Dragons Chronicles: Vengeance

Forum Watch:

[Guide] Dalrian has created a PvP guide for Subtlety Rogues
Check out the dancing moves that took place in Orgrimmar recently

The All New Darkmoon Faire

WoW — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:44:16 +0000

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right up and prepare to be amazed!

It’s incredible! It’s unbelievable! You’ll be dazzled. You’ll be amazed! You aren’t prepared for the Darkmoon Faire, ‘cause it’s like nothing you’ve seen before! Don’t be shy now, don’t be bashful, step right up for a tantalizing glimpse of what we’ve got in store for you when patch 4.3 arrives!

That old thing?

No, no, no, Clem. The Darkmoon Faire isn’t what it used to be and it isn’t where it used to be. The management hasn’t changed but the Faire certainly has. It’s a whole new animal. Tickets? You don’t need those old tickets, just rip ‘em right up, ‘cause we’ve got new tickets! Out with the old, in with the new — new quests, that is! Things have changed ‘round here: we’ve got an island all to ourselves now, and what an island it is. Mist-shrouded Darkmoon Island is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. It’s a place of mystery and wonder, and you wouldn’t believe the deals we made to get it… or who we made ‘em with. But never mind that, just follow me right through here and I’ll show you what the Darkmoon Faire is all about.

All new! All spectacular!

Catch a show at the marvelous main stage or witness a dazzling fireworks display. But don’t stare too long or you might miss the stunning spectacles that surround you. Gaze in awe of our magical menagerie, get your fortune told by the amazing Sayge, go on a pony ride, experience the healthful effects of carnival food, and more!

Of course, there’s more to the Darkmoon Faire than just fantastic shows and culinary delights. You can still turn in your Darkmoon Cards, but you wouldn’t just come here for measly ol’ cards when there’s so much more to see, experience, and win. Yes, win! You like dancing bears, right? Everybody likes dancing bears. Even bears like dancing bears. How about a dancing bear… you can ride!

That’s not all! We have adorable companion pets includin’ a fez-wearing monkey, a plethora of profession recipes, toys, balloons, souvenirs, delectable carnival snacks and beverages, heirlooms for the little ones, and even replicas of long-lost suits of armor that we’re offering for your Transmogrification needs. You can also make your mark with new achievements and titles. All it takes to earn these fabulous rewards is a few Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets and a good reputation with the carnies. How do ya get your grubby mitts on some tickets? I’m glad you asked!

Step right up! Try your luck! Everyone’s a winner!

Have we got games? You bet we’ve got games, and they’re so easy to play an orc could do it. Just head on over to the midway, buy some Darkmoon Game Tokens, and get ready to play. Easy to learn, difficult to master, anyone can play and everyone can win. Just lay your tokens down for a chance at winning Darkmoon Prize Tickets playing games like Whack-a-Gnoll, the Tonk Battle Royale, the Cannon, Ring Toss, the Shooting Gallery, and more! Five games are there to test your skills at any one time. The better you play, the easier it is to win a bucket of Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets! Once a month, you’ve got a shot at tickets, and the fun never stops ‘cause you can play as many times as you like. But that’s not the only way to win big!

The Darkmoon Faire Field Guide

It’s your passport to riches, my friend. Y’see, we need a few things — just some junk, nothing valuable to a big hero like you. We call ‘em Darkmoon Artifacts, and there’s all different kinds to be found all over Azeroth. The Darkmoon Field Guide helps you discover artifacts while you’re explorin’ dungeons, slayin’ monsters, and fightin’ in Battlegrounds. Without a guide, you’d never notice ‘em, and it’ll help keep you focused on the stuff we want. Whether you just reached level 10, or you’ve crushed the biggest baddies in the land, we need somethin’ from nearly everybody. You won’t have to go too far out of your way to get ‘em and each month you’ll get a new opportunity to seek out an Artifact for us. What do you get out of the deal? Don’t you worry, you’ll get your cut. When you bring a Darkmoon Artifact back to us, you’ll get valuable experience (it builds character, you know!), earn a better reputation, and possibly earn precious Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets too!

Oh, did I mention that you can use the Field Guide to get to Darkmoon Island whenever the Darkmoon Faire’s monthly extravaganza is up and running?

So, you want to work in show business?

Maybe you’d like a little peek behind the scenes, eh? Want to see what it takes to run the greatest show on Azeroth? Well, it’s not all sunshine and cotton candy, my friend. There are beasts to heal, food to cook, and buildings to fix. If you’re willing help keep the show going and put your skills to work, you’ll not only impress us, but you can get experience, Darkmoon Prize Tickets, and even polish up your skills — up to five skill points per profession, per Faire week, if you’re good at what you do!

Darkmoon Deathmatch!

Like any good carnival, the Darkmoon Faire has a shady side. You can leave the skilled labor to the suckers and go for a faster score instead. If you’ve got the minerals, the Darkmoon Deathmatch offers an experience unparalleled since the Gurubashi Arena. Pitmaster Pei has a big old treasure chest just brimming with goodies and Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets that he’ll drag out into the Darkmoon Deathmatch Pit every three hours or so. Everybody wants it, so if you want a piece of the action you’ll just have to jump in and prove that you’re the toughest one in the Pit.

Oh, the Faire is perfectly safe, Clem. Just don’t wander into the woods.

Now, now, don’t panic. Darkmoon Isle might be a bit spooky, but except for the Deathmatch Pit, the Faire itself is completely safe, I guarantee it. It’s a sanctuary even, and we won’t let anybody’s beef ruin the fun. The shadowy woods surroundin’ the fair are another thing entirely, though. I wouldn’t say that people have disappeared into those woods never to return, but, well… people disappear into those woods never to return. So watch your step , and your back, when you leave the Faire. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Mark your calendar

Now that you know how amazing the new Darkmoon Faire is, you won’t want to miss it. Just take a look at your in-game calendar, and the Darkmoon Faire dates will show up there on the first week of every month. Darkmoon Faire barkers and displays will also pop up in every capital city to herald the arrival of the Faire. Silas Darkmoon himself has even started up a mailer to make sure that no one misses out!

Hitch a ride

During the first week of each month, convenient Darkmoon Faire outposts with Darkmoon Portals will appear in Elwynn Forest and Mulgore, offering free rides to Darkmoon Island and the Faire!

Darkmoon Mages in capital cities and on Darkmoon Island will also be around to help you get between the Faire and various capital cities. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, so naturally you’re obliged to compensate them for their services.