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3.2 PTR build 10083 Patch notes updated

PvP
Arenas

• Beginning with season 7, players will no longer have access to the newest season’s weapons or shoulder armor and will not qualify for the Gladiator title/rewards with ratings from the 2v2 bracket alone. Ratings obtained through 3v3 and 5v5 game play will be required for these rewards, while the rest of the newest season’s items will remain available to players in all brackets (standard rating restrictions still apply).

Items: General

• Resilience: No longer reduces the amount of damage done by damage-over-time spells, but instead reduces the amount of all damage done by players by the same proportion. In addition, the amount of resilience needed to reduce critical strike chance, critical strike damage and overall damage has been increased by 15%.

Death Knight
Frost

• Blood of the North: Reduced to a 3-point talent. Increases Blood Strike and Frost Strike damage by 5/10/15%. There is now a 33/66/100% chance whenever you hit with Blood Strike or Pestilence that the Blood Rune will become a Death Rune when it activates.

Druid

• Swift Flight Form: Druids who have acquired a mount able to go 310% flight speed will now also go that speed while in this form.

Hunter

• Snake Trap: The Mind-numbing Poison effect has been reduced to a 30% increase in casting time, down from 50% to match similar effects.

Mage

• Mirror Image: Images will no longer trigger the death sound when their time expires.

Paladin

• Shield of Righteousness: Now deals 100% of shield block value as damage instead of 130%. In addition, the benefit from additional block value this ability gains is now subject to diminishing returns. Diminishing returns occur once block value exceeds 30 times the player’s level and caps the maximum damage benefit from shield block value at 34.5 times the player’s level.

Shaman

• Earth Shock: Redesigned. This spell no longer interrupts spell casting, but rather reduces melee attack speed by 10% for 8 seconds (exclusive with similar effects such as Thunder Clap).
• Wind Shock: Has been renamed Wind Shear and no longer shares a cooldown with Flame, Frost or Earth Shock.

Enhancement

• Maelstrom Weapon: Now also has a chance to reduce the cast time of Hex.

Warrior

• Shield Slam: The benefit from additional block value this ability gains is now subject to diminishing returns. Diminishing returns occur once block value exceeds 30 times the player’s level and caps the maximum damage benefit from shield block value at 34.5 times the player’s level.

Professions
Engineering

• Flying Machine: The level requirement needed to learn how to build and use this machine has been reduced to level 60, down from level 70, and the engineering skill level reduced to 300, down from 350. Material costs reduced.

Items

• Tome of Cold Weather Flying: New heirloom item. Players who have reached level 80 can now purchase this book for 1,000 gold from Hira Snowdawn, the Cold Weather Flying Trainer in Dalaran. Similar to other heirloom items, this item can be mailed to other characters of the same realm, account and faction. The book is consumed when read training the character in Cold Weather Flying. Requires level 68.
• Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings: This item’s stats and level have been increased to match the power level of healer weapons coming from the Coliseum 25-person normal difficulty instance. In addition, each time Val’anyr is equipped, Blessing of Ancient Kings will be placed on a 45-second cooldown before it can occur.

Bug Fixes
Warlock

• The visual for Demonic Circle should now despawn when the warlock dies or when the warlock otherwise loses the aura that allows transport to the circle.

Also the Isle of Conquest BG has received new changes:

The following changes have been made to Isle of Conquest. Some of these changes may appear in the build going live today, while others might not make it in until the next build.

• Added a new powerful AoE attack to the Generals.
  
• Added bonus honor for destroying a gate (note: this honor is only given out once when the first gate is destroyed. Destroyingadditional gates does not grant additional honor).
  
• Increased the range of the Flame Turrets on the Siege Engines.
  
• Decreased the starting reinforcement count from 400 to300.
  
• Achievements for the zone should all work correctly now.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause the Keep Cannons to be unable to be repaired and despawn.
  
• Fixed a bug that was causing the alliance gate to not have collision at the start
  
• Lowered the movement speed of the glaive thrower (again).

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More Isle of Conquest Changes

More changes have been posted to the new battleground, I can’t wait to try this out.

In addition to the changes originally listed in this thread, the following change was recently added and is now live on the test realms:

• Players gain a new buff after being launched out of the catapult that reduces all falling damage taken.

We intend to make the following changes to Isle of Conquest in the next test realm build:

• Increase siege damage from Glaive Thrower.
• Increase all damage from Siege Engine and its turrets.
• When the parachute effect ends from jumping off the Gunship, players will gain a new buff that reduces all falling damage taken.
• Increase the timer before a Catapult without a driver explodes from 30 seconds to 120 seconds.

It would be greatly appreciated if anyone who has experienced the following bug could provide us with as much information as possible on the circumstances surrounding its cause:

• Sometimes the Keep Cannons are being despawned and they never return. This should not happen.

Given that the changes originally detailed in this thread are now live, we’d love to get feedback on your experiences in this new Battleground. Is the average length of each battle better now? Did the changes to the Huge Seaforium piles help address the overly advantageous strategy of capturing the Hangar and parachuting into the enemy’s base? Do the Keep Cannons still feel effective now that they do less damage given that you can now repair them? Any information you can provide on your game play experiences will help us a great deal to make this Battleground as fun as possible. Thanks!

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New Patch 3.2 Videos (New VOA boss and New Battleground)

I saw these videos on Teza’s Wowraid site and thought it’d be a good idea to share them here as well. Some players on the PTR have put up video content showcasing the new boss in VOA and some of the action in the Isle of Conquest new Battleground.

Koralon the Flame Watcher is our first video. Notice how this boss will spin in a circle and splash fire damage to the raid as well as drop napalm blasts forcing the tank to keep kiting him around.

This next video is just showing you the new battleground real quick. Pay close attention to how much fucking damage those glaive throwers do to players. Blizzard also stated already that these new vehicles were meant to be anti-personnel vehicles. The airship looks like a great way to just lay waste to enemy armies clustered in their base, also notice how close the bases are to each other, this isn’t going to be like AV where you have to worry about choke points, this is going to be pretty much all out siege warfare.

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The Future of Battlegrounds and New Screens from the Isle of Conquest!

What the hell, super long post titles are annoying me. Here are four brand new screenshots of the Isle of Conquest battleground coming out in Patch 3.2. As well there’s a pretty long Q&A session between the Community Team and Cory Stockton (lead content designer).

Community Team: Joining us today to discuss the future of World of Warcraft Battlegrounds, including the upcoming epic siege-style Battleground, Isle of Conquest, is Lead Content Designer Cory Stockton. First, let’s discuss Battleground participation during the leveling process.

As it’s something that has been discussed at length for some time now within the community, where are we at with allowing for players to obtain experience through Player vs. Player (PvP) combat and Battlegrounds?

Cory Stockton: We plan to implement this in patch 3.2.0. We have wanted to allow players to earn experience through Battlegrounds for a long time now and it’s great to be able to finally deliver this feature to players. Experience will be granted based on honor gain from actions, not kills. For example, if you capture a flag in Warsong Hold, you would gain experience, but killing a player would not grant experience.

If players in the lower level ranges choose to utilize Battlegrounds as a means of leveling their characters, how will the experience gains compare to the Player vs. Environment (PvE) experience?

Cory Stockton: This is something that we have thought about quite a bit. We want Battleground experience to be rewarding, but we also don’t want it to be the fastest way for players to level up. Based on that, players can expect to earn experience at a rate that is a bit slower than questing at the same level, for the same amount of time.

Will rewards of some sort for winning a Battleground match be available?

Cory Stockton: Battleground rewards are high on the list of features that we would like to get in the game. We are not planning to implement this for patch 3.2.0 but we are currently working on it and expect to implement it into a future patch. We are planning to let players roll on mostly greens and the occasional blue item at the end of each Battleground. These items will be highly optimized by class, level, and talent specialization.

Community Team: Given that gaining experience through PvP game play is a rather substantial addition to the World of Warcraft leveling process, there is bound to be some concern among players that enjoy staying at a particular level to participate only in specific level brackets of the Battlegrounds, otherwise known as “twinking.”

Do these players still have an avenue to remain at a level of their choosing while still being able to engage in PvP combat?

Cory Stockton: Yes, players will have access to a new option that will allow them to turn off experience gain in PVP. This option also ensures that you will only be matched against other players that have set the same switch. Players can activate this option by talking to new NPCs, Behsten and Slahtz, near the Battlemasters in Orgrimmar or Stormwind. This new ability will cost 10 gold to turn on or off each time.

If these players disable the ability to gain experience, will this apply to PvE content as well?

Cory Stockton: Yes, this option will apply to PvE content as well as PvP.

Community Team: Shifting gears a bit, let’s talk about the ambitious new Battleground coming in the next major content patch, Isle of Conquest. We understand it is to be a large-scale Battleground allowing for forty players on either side of the siege.

What player level brackets will have access to this Battleground?

Cory Stockton: The brackets will be the same as they are for Strand of the Ancients, so a 71-79 bracket and an 80 bracket.

What is unique about Isle of Conquest when compared to the Battlegrounds currently available?

Cory Stockton: The Isle of Conquest will offer a number of unique features that players will not find in any other Battleground. Parachute into your enemy’s base and destroy the keep’s walls from the inside using Saronite bombs, drive our newest vehicle, the Glaive Thrower, or hop into the Catapult and launch yourself over the enemy’s wall. Those are just a few examples of the new things you will be able to do in this Battleground.

What is the story behind the Isle of Conquest; and why are the Alliance and Horde concerned with controlling it?

Cory Stockton: The Isle of Conquest is located in the Frozen Sea, north of Icecrown. This small island may look insignificant but it is actually loaded with resources and a great spot to launch a full attack on The Lich King and his forces in Icecrown. Both factions have set up a foothold here and now the battle is on to decide who will control the island and make the final push against Arthas and his undead army.

Community Team: While Alterac Valley is still a relatively popular large-scale Battleground with players, a common critique we hear is that opponents are not incentivized enough to engage each other in order to win the match.

With that in mind, does the layout of the Isle of Conquest and strategies involved in winning the battle encourage a new level of engaging the enemy head-on?

Cory Stockton: We have designed the layout of the map based on this kind of input. Players come face to face in a matter of seconds and must fight over the only siege workshop on the map right away. We have also made a big effort to create intelligent choke points on the map that force players to fight for control of the various capture points and objectives.

Community Team: We would like to take a moment to delve into the various strategic points found on the Isle of Conquest.

Why do players have an interest in capturing the Oil Derrick or Cobalt Mine?

Cory Stockton: Not only do these capture points give valuable reinforcements but they also grant honor each tick. Holding both points for the majority of a game will grant a significant increase in overall honor.

If the Docks are captured, what are the strategic advantages of producing Glaive Throwers and Catapults?

Cory Stockton: Glaive Throwers are one of the new vehicles we are introducing for the first time in the Isle of Conquest. These are mainly intended to be anti-personnel attack vehicles but they also have an extremely long-range glaive attack. The Catapults are unique in that they allow players to shoot themselves to any destination they see fit. I would recommend shooting yourself over your opponent’s walls and using the Saronite bombs inside!

What will the Gunship offer the faction that controls the Gunship Hangar?

Cory Stockton: Gunships are giant flying transports that fly in a path over the enemy keep. The Gunships are outfitted with turrets that players can use to blast the opposing team’s keep walls or players. The gunships also offer parachutes to everyone on board, so you can jump off the side and land inside the opposing team’s keep!

Community Team: Given that the Siege Workshop is located in the middle of the map directly in between the Alliance and Horde bases, it is bound to be a hotly-contested node.

What kind of vehicles will this workshop offer the faction that controls it?

Cory Stockton: Players will be able to obtain both Siege Engines and Demolishers. The Siege Engines available in the Isle of Conquest are upgraded and allow up to three additional passengers. Two of the passengers have access to their own anti-personnel flame throwers while the third gets a gun turret. The Demolishers have three seats in total. Two of the passengers allow players to cast their own spells while the driver gets access to a gun turret.

What system is being used for capturing these nodes?

Cory Stockton: Nodes in the Isle of Conquest are captured exactly like the nodes in Arathi Basin.

Will there be a system in place to ensure that those defending strategic nodes on the map are awarded honor comparable to those on the attack?

Cory Stockton: This is a common complaint and as such, we have been working on a design to solve the problem! As of patch 3.2.0 any honorable kills that are made within range of a capture point grant 50% increased honor. This change is retroactive to both Arathi Basin and Eye of the Storm.

How important will producing and operating siege vehicles be to reaching victory?

Cory Stockton: Siege vehicles will be important since they are your primary means of destroying your opponent’s keep walls and gaining access to the general. However, players can also parachute off of the Gunships generated by capturing the hangar. Once players land inside their enemy’s courtyard, they can use the Saronite Bombs to destroy the walls from the inside. Saronite Bombs will also generate at the Siege Workshop once it is captured.

Other than the generals that sit in either keep, will there be other NPCs that play strategic roles here?

Cory Stockton: We do plan to have NPC guards who will run out of the keep to help defend it once a wall has been breached.

Once the walls of the opposing faction’s keep are breached, how does the invading force ultimately defeat their opponents?

Cory Stockton: They must enter the keep and kill the opposing faction’s general. Gates block entry into the keep until at least one keep wall has been breached.

Now that we’ve covered the major points of interest in this new Battleground, will you give a basic rundown of how you expect events to unfold in a match (i.e. where does each faction start, what is the focus of defense, what is the focus of offense, etc.)?

Cory Stockton: Players start the game inside of their keep’s courtyard. Once the battle begins, players have a choice of going to the Hangar or Docks capture points, or they can opt to head straight for the Siege Workshop in the middle of the map. The main objective is to destroy the opposing team’s keep walls so you can gain access to their general and defeat him. There are a number of ways to go about doing this but they all involve taking a capture point first. Defending your keep is also an important aspect of the game and we have provided no less than 12 gun turrets on each keep to help you out in this department.

Assuming there will be achievements associated with performing specific tasks on the Isle of Conquest, will there be any change to the “Battlemaster” meta-achievement?

Cory Stockton: Yes, we have new achievements for the Isle of Conquest but we are not sure what we are going to do with Battlemaster yet. A lot of people already have this achievement so we can’t just go and change it. We will either make a new one specifically including Isle of Conquest, or just not have it be part of a meta-achievement at all.

Community Team: Just to touch upon one last topic pertaining to World of Warcraft PvP in general, many avid Battleground players would love to see some sort of skill-based ladder system for measuring talent and providing optimal rewards.

What are our plans for the future of the Battleground system beyond 3.2, and where do you see non-Arena PvP game play fitting in the World of Warcraft, whether it be through the leveling process or at the endgame?

Cory Stockton: We plan to deliver more Battlegrounds to the players as often as we can. We see Battlegrounds as a very large and important part of the World of Warcraft PvP game and we would like to expand the system as much as we can. I do have a little tidbit that I can share with you guys today, though. We are planning to implement rated Battlegrounds in a future patch. We will be giving more details on this system at BlizzCon.

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Isle of Conquest Design and the Zepplin

I’m actually pretty damn excited about this new battleground. My favorite always has been Alterac Valley from the golden days of classic WoW, just the grand scale and scope of calling in air strikes, cavalry charges, big bruiser super weapons; it was just plain awesome. A lot of people are concerned with good reason, that it’s just going to be AV 2.0 where players will rush as fast as possible to the kill the enemy general and win the match; with the inclusion of giant siege walls, vehicles, and air transport – I don’t think it’s going to be such an easy race mess like AV has become. The fastest way to win will be to capture the strategic points (airship, tank factory, etc) and the fastest way to grind honor from now on might just be to keep the mines and oil rig flowing with honor per tic.

The whole battleground is designed with the intention of you seizing your goal. So yes, rush to the hanger and acquire the airship so you can assault the enemy keep. Or rush to the factory, and claim it, so you can bring the walls of the enemies keep down around their ears. Don’t think for an instant though, that you’re going to be able to win the day without the assistance of at least one of the three offensive locations.

As for reinforcements and why you should hold the resources that garner them. We don’t have a fixed number to give for their totals just yet. However, the Oil Derrick and the Cobalt Mine aren’t just conduits for reinforcement acquisition. They also give you honor. The longer you hold either of them, the more honor you’re going to amass – win or lose.

Having 8 to 10 hour games isn’t really an ideal situation for a battleground. While it may have been fun for a select group of people, many others were joining, participating, and leaving without ever garnering the appropriate reward.

As for skipping objectives … that is something we’ve thought about. In this particular battleground, the objectives are more of a strategic choice and less of a “you must cap them all” scenario. Though kudos will be in order for those who manage to take all of the unique objectives.

The airship will have a set flightpath, though you will need control of the hangar to be able to get on board.

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