Quel'delar Droprate, Authenticators, Blue posts

Recent In-Game Fixes - December 2009 - 12/14
Do not forget to check the Quel'delar page!
Quote from: Bornakk (Source)
Listed below are recent fixes we have applied to the game. Keep in mind that some of these changes may not be active until after the realm has been restarted.

To review previous in-game fixes, please visit: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...77858456&sid=1

12/15/09

• Quel’Delar in now unique equip.
• Naxxramas can now be cleared in any order for the Immortal and Undying achievements.
• The drop rate for the Battered Hilt has been increased.
• The Skeletal Slave in the Pit of Saron has had the ability to drop the Battered Hilt and other random drop epics removed.

Battered Hilt and Epic Drop Rate Changes
Quote from: Zarhym (Source)
Based on feedback we’ve been provided by players, we’d like to make you aware of a couple of changes we are applying to Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Halls via in-game fixes. Firstly, we are increasing the drop rate of the Battered Hilt in all three wings of this Heroic five-player dungeon. We have seen a great deal of discussion about this item’s chance of dropping since the release of patch 3.3.0 and agree that it is currently too low. As a result, players should find greater accessibility to this item while running these dungeons, or while trading with other players who have it.

In light of this change, we are also removing the chance for the Battered Hilt or any other epic item to drop from the Skeletal Slaves in the Pit of Saron. The need to “farm” these creatures for the Battered Hilt should be reduced by our first in-game fix and will no longer result in a chance for epic loot or Battered Hilts.

You’re welcome to discuss these changes in this thread and provide us with any additional feedback you may have. Please refrain from creating additional threads about these in-game fixes at this time.

You can find a full list of recent in-game fixes here: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...23843880&sid=1




Blizzard Authenticator now cheaper
The Blizz Authenticator is now cheaper, it might be a good time to buy one if you want a Core Hound Pup (or just want to lower your chances to get hacked).
Quote from Blizzard staff
Europe (Link)
Shipping fees have been waived on this product to reduce the cost to the consumer, and the new price for each Authenticator has been adjusted to cover the new lower shipping cost (6.99€ / 6.29 GBP per unit). For example, if you purchase 1 unit, the final price will be 6.99€. If you purchased 2, the price would be 13.98€, and so on, with no additional shipping costs. The special price is only available for orders composed exclusively of authenticators. You can order up to 5 Authenticators at once. As a result, shipment tracking is not available and your order can take from 3 to 8 business days to arrive. The authenticator may be associated with your World of Warcraft account(s) through Account Management when it is received.

US (Link)
Shipping fees have been waived on this product to reduce consumer costs. As a result, shipment tracking is not available and your order can take up 15 business days to arrive. The authenticator may be associated with your World of Warcraft account(s) through Account Management when it is received.

This listing can only be used to ship the Blizzard Authenticator to destinations within the United States. If you are a resident of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Singapore, or Uruguay, please click here for ordering information. Players from Europe or Korea can purchase Blizzard Authenticators from the European and Korean Blizzard Stores.




Mobile Armory Update
The Mobile Armory has been updated.
Quote from: Blizzard (Source)
World of Warcraft Mobile Armory Update 1.1.0

• Find an Upgrade: Search for an upgrade for any equipment slot for any character in World of Warcraft
• A new streamlined character selection menu grants quick and easy access to all your characters
• Save and load custom character talent builds that you create with the talent calculator
• In-Game reputations have been added to character profiles
• Bug fixes and UI Improvements, including new sound effects.

Blue posts
Quote from Blizzard staff
[URL="http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50317/papas-new-bag/"]Papa's Brand New Bag and Papa's New Bag droprates
Both the 20 slot and 22 slot bags have a chance in dropping in both the normal and heroic modes of the Forge of Souls. Enjoy the new bags =). (Source)

Phasing Bugs in Icecrown
This is an issue about which we're aware. There are a number of phased quests spanning the zone that can currently cause players to appear in different phases outside the citadel's gates, the most notable of which is "Battle Before the Citadel." We are working to address the way creatures in the area are shown as a result of phasing in order to address this. (Source)

Ignoring someone prevents from grouping with them in a random dungeon
Yes, and this is true also for players not on your realm. (Source)

Why can't i queue for Battlegrounds and Dungeons at the same time?
We've made changes in the past to Battleground queuing specifically to try and dissuade players from wanting to leave a match before it ends. Getting a Battleground going with even numbers on both sides is a delicate balance and we don't want to incentivize players to leave. To a lesser extent, the same is true for leaving dungeons early.

We don't want to encourage you to queue hop between PvE and PvP content as time allows. If you were able to queue for Battlegrounds and dungeons at the same time, chances are you'd be leaving one or the other early and repeat this behavior as you see fit.

I believe you'll see queue times for Battlegrounds balance a bit once the Dungeon Finder feature isn't quite the "new toy" that it is now. You'll also see a significant change in game play opportunities once the rated Battleground system is implemented in Cataclysm.

For now though, given the average wait times for Battlegrounds and dungeons, coupled with the average run times for each dungeon or Battleground, we feel the majority of players are best served by being allowed only to queue for one system at a time. (Source)

Healing in Cataclysm
I wouldn't look to Icecrown as a taste of what's to come with regard to healing. Icecrown is at the end of this expansion. At level 85 it's okay if things feel a little different.

At a very coarse level, if you have a free GCD and can choose one of two spells we'd like for that choice to be between for example A) Your cheap spell that doesn't heal for much and B) Your expensive spell that heals for a lot. Currently cheap vs. expensive is pretty meaningless so your choice is between small spell or big spell, which doesn't feel like much of a choice, especially given the damage bosses can do.

But imagine that if you cast B every time when A would have been more appropriate, then the risk is you will run out of mana. You aren't choosing your spells based solely on the mana (so it isn't a primary focus) but better healers will be those that use the right spell for the situation.

[...] We don't think the sky is falling. This change would primarily be for three reasons:

1) You care more about mana regen on gear instead of just throughput. This is the least important consideration because it still works today to some extent.

2) You care more about your whole arsenal of heals instead of just the biggest, fastest one. Paladins for example currently can go for a Flash of Light build or a Holy Light build but they aren't often mixing the two together. A Holy Light focused paladin isn't using FoL to hit the tank from a small hit. They're just using HL and overhealing.

3) Boss encounters don't need to be built around destroying the tank in 2 hits. Currently, that is one of the few ways we have to make players actually lose a fight. (The other is that you lose enough healers or dps through attrition that you just can't keep going). Healers running out of mana used to be another point of failure and it pushed things in slightly different directions. Tanks for example cared slightly more about avoidance stats because nobody wanted to be the dreaded mana sponge. Standing in fires didn't have to be about dying in 1 sec if you didn't move -- it was more that you wasted healer mana by taking unnecessary damage. DPS who didn't do enough dps risked the fight going long and the healers running out of mana. Currently th...




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