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Starcraft II 4.11.0 Patch Notes

December 26, 2019 by

Arcturus gets his own co-op and so much more

GENERAL

  • New Co-op Commander and Announcer: Arcturus Mengsk
    • Control the battle with an iron fist as Arcturus Mengsk, the newest Co-Op Commander for StarCraft II.
    • Feed an endless stream of cheap troopers into the meat grinder, softening your enemies for your Royal Guard to go in for the kill.
    • Learn more in our blog.
  • A new Winter Announcer is now available.
  • 16 Nation Wars 2019 team Portraits were added into the Nation Wars 2019 Complete Bundle available for purchase through Matcherino website.
  • MMR is now revealed on the loading screen for Master and Grandmaster players in 1v1 ladder games.
  • Account Management link has been added to the log in screen.
  • Queue up with DeepMind feature is going to be shut down with this patch.
  • Balance test tab is going to be disabled.

CO-OP MISSIONS

  • Brutal+ difficulties have been added to Co-op. These create random mutation challenges of increasing levels of difficulty. The Retry Brutal+ setting allows players to attempt a failed challenge on the same map against the same enemy unit composition. Brutal+1 can be queued with any level 15 commander through matchmaking. Brutal+2 through Brutal+6, and the Try Again setting, can only be played with a premade group.
  • Co-op players on Hard difficulty will now play at Faster game speed in order to better match with Brutal players.
  • The Ultralisk’s Frenzied ability no longer blocks mind control effects in Co-op.
  • Ultralisks may now walk over Zerglings, Banelings, Locusts, and Broodlings in Co-op.

VERSUS

  • Balance Update
    • Terran
      • Battlecruiser
        • Tactical Jump now stuns and puts the Battlecruiser into a 1 second vulnerability phase before it teleports. In this state, the Battlecruiser can be damaged, but Tactical Jump may not be canceled.
        • Yamato Cannon will no longer cancel itself if a target enters a transport or becomes cloaked/burrowed. Instead, the Yamato Cannon will miss, and the ability will go on cooldown.
        • Fixed an issue that if a Battlecruiser used shift to queue several commands which included Tactical Jump, it would be immune to Abduct or Interference Matrix as if it was using Tactical Jump during that time.
        • Fixed an issue where the Raven’s Interference Matrix and the Viper’s Abduct were causing the Battlecruiser’s Tactical Jump to go on cooldown.
        • Fixed an issue that displayed the opponent’s Battlecruiser’s locations on the minimap after using Tactical Jump.
      • Hellion/Hellbat
        • Infernal Pre-Igniter research cost decreased from 150/150 to 100/100.
      • Liberator
        • Advanced Ballistics upgrade moved from the Starport Tech Lab to the Fusion Core.
        • Advanced Ballistics upgrade now increases the range of Liberators in Defender Mode by 3, down from 4.
      • Medivac
        • Moved the Rapid Re-Ignition System upgrade from the Starport Tech Lab to the Fusion Core.
        • In addition to reducing the Medivac’s Ignite Afterburners cooldown by 5 seconds, this upgrade will also increase the Medivac’s base movement speed from 3.5 to 4.13. However, this upgrade will not affect Medivac’s movement speed during the Ignite Afterburners effect.
      • M.U.L.E.
        • Duration remains at 64 seconds.Developer Comment: Since there are some situations where the mule duration decrease could return less minerals than before, we want to revert the mule’s duration to their original 64 second value.
        • M.U.L.E.’s now always attempt to spawn on the side of minerals closest to a town hall.
      • Raven
        • Interference Matrix energy cost increased from 50 energy to 75 energy.
        • Interference Matrix duration increased from 8 seconds to 11 seconds.
        • Raven movement speed increased from 3.85 to 4.13.
        • Fixed an issue where splash damage will not properly apply to units affected by Anti-Armor missile.
      • Thor
        • High Impact Payload damage decreased from 40 (+15 vs Massive) to 25 (+10 vs Massive).
        • High Impact Payload weapon cooldown decreased from 1.7 to 0.9.
    • Zerg
      • Brood Lord
        • Broodling leash range decreased from 12 to 9.
      • Creep
        • Active Creep Tumors may no longer be canceled.
      • Infestor
        • Removed the Infested Terran ability.
        • New Ability: Microbial Shroud
          • Creates a shroud that obscures ground units below, reducing the damage they take from air units by 50%. Lasts 11 seconds. Energy cost: 100.
          • Cast range: 9.
          • Radius: 3.
        • New upgrade found on the Infestation Pit: Evolve Microbial Shroud
          • Requirement: Hive.
          • Research cost: 150/150.
          • Research duration: 79 seconds.
        • Updated visual effects and sounds for Microbial Shroud
        • Neural Parasite range decreased from 9 to 8.
        • Neural Parasite can no longer target Heroic units.
      • Lurker
        • Lurker Den build time decreased from 86 seconds to 57 seconds.
        • Lurker range decreased from 9 to 8.
        • New Upgrade found on the Lurker Den: Seismic Spines
          • Increases the Lurker’s range from 8 to 10.
          • Requirement: Hive.
          • Research cost: 150/150.
          • Research duration: 57 seconds.
        • Increased research duration of Adaptive Talons from 54 seconds to 57 seconds.
        • Lurkers affected by Blinding Cloud will now only fire to melee range.
      • Nydus Network
        • Nydus Worm cost increased from 50/50 to 75/75.
        • Summon Nydus Worm ability cooldown increased from 0 to 14.
        • Nydus Network and Nydus Worm initial unload delay increased from 0.18 to 0.36.
        • Nydus Network and Nydus Worm load period increased from 0.09 to 0.18.
        • Nydus Network and Nydus Worm unload period increased from 0.18 to 0.36.
      • Overlord
        • Pneumatized Carapace research cost increased from 75/75 to 100/100.
    • Protoss
      • Adept
        • Resonating Glaives reworked. Instead of increasing attack speed of the Adept by 45%, it will increase the attack speed of the Adept by 60% for 6 seconds after a completed Psionic Transfer.
      • Mothership
        • Time Warp now affects air units in addition to ground units and buildings.
        • Time Warp delay reduces from 3.57 seconds to 1.79 seconds.
        • Gains the Heroic Tag. Neural Parasite can no longer target Heroic units.
        • Fixed an issue where beam-type weapons didn’t get slowed in the Mothership’s Time Warp.
      • Observer
        • Observer movement speed decreased from 3.01 to 2.63.
        • Gravitic Boosters upgrade now increases movement speed by 1.31, down from 1.51.
      • Oracle, Sentry, Void Ray
        • Fixed an issue where beam attacks could deal more damage than intended.
      • Tempest
        • Kinetic Overload (anti-air) range decreased from 15 to 14.
        • Health increased from 150 to 200.
        • Shields decreased from 125 to 100.
      • Void Ray
        • New upgrade found on the Fleet Beacon: Flux Vanes
        • Increases the Void Ray’s movement speed from 3.5 to 4.65.
        • Increases the Void Ray’s acceleration from 2.8 to 3.76.
        • After the upgrade, the Prismatic Alignment ability will still reduce the Void Ray’s movement speed to 2.625.
        • Research cost: 100/100.
        • Research duration: 57 seconds.
        • Fixed an issue after getting the Flux Vanes upgrade where the Void Ray’s acceleration didn’t get reduced while using Prismatic Alignment.
      • Zealot
        • The Charge upgrade no longer provides Zealots with +8 damage on impact. Instead, it increases Zealot movement speed from 3.15 to 4.72, up from 4.13.
  • Maps
    • Introducing a new map mechanic:
      • Acceleration Zone Generators
        • Increases movement speed of ground and air units within the generated field by 35%.
    • Changed the color of Inhibitor Zones and Time Warp bubbles from green to red. Acceleration Zone Generators will be green.
    • Inhibitor Zone Generator minimap icons updated from green to red. Acceleration Zone Generator minimap icons will be green.
    • The center of Inhibitor and Acceleration Zone Generators are now pathable. The art was updated to reflect this.
    • Concord LE
      • Lighting status updated.
    • Eternal Empire LE
      • Fixed an issue where players could not build on certain gas geysers.
      • Fixed and issue where units could clip into rock doodads and become hidden.
    • Nightshade LE
      • Adjusted some mineral and gas locations at the natural, third, and fourth bases.
      • Updated some doodads at certain locations.
      • Updated the map so that units and structures are brighter and easier to see.
    • Winter’s Gate LE & Turbo Cruise ’84 LE
      • The center of the Inhibitor Zone Generators were changed to be pathable. Maps were updated to maintain the original pathing around the Inhibitor Zone Generators.
    • World of Sleepers LE
      • Changed the Rich Vespene Geysers to normal Vespene Geysers.
    • Zen LE
      • Changed the pathing near the Reaper paths so that Reapers can path properly.
      • Changed the location of the reduced mineral field and updated the pathing on the map to allow Terran players to wall off the natural base with 1 Command Center and 2 Supply Depots.
      • Fixed the heights of certain rooftops on doodad structures.
      • Updated grass and rock textures in the middle of the map.

BUG FIXES

Campaign

  • Legacy of the Void
    • Kerrigan’s Queens no longer attempt to place creep tumors incorrectly during the first epilogue mission.
  • Nova Covert Ops
    • Hunter-Seeker Missiles from Ravens with Special Ordinance equipped now deal splash damage.

Co-op Missions

  • General
    • Missions will now properly pick a map or commander victory line at random.
    • Amon’s Brood Queens should no longer autocast Ensnare on structures.
  • Commanders
    • Han & Horner
      • Fixed several of Han’s buildings to display her Junker adjutant.
    • Karax
      • Chrono Beam can no longer be cast on Kerrigan’s resource pickups.
    • Kerrigan
      • Omega Worms can no longer prevent defeat for Kerrigan’s ally.
      • Raptor strain Zerglings should no longer occasionally launch themselves from Nydus Worms at great speed.
    • Stetmann
      • Fixed an issue where Jumping Mecha Baneling could overkill units.
      • The game performance should be much improved while large numbers of Stetellites exist on the map.
      • Mecha Drone hotkeys can now be set.
      • Mecha Banelings now count towards Zagara’s Baneling & Scourge statistic.
      • Gary now obeys the laws of air units.
    • Tychus
      • Tychus players can no longer gain access to additional outlaws earlier than intended.
    • Vorazun
      • Void Thrashers now properly spawn when Vorazun uses Time Stop before or as they are spawning.
      • Fixed an issue that caused some heroic units to not benefit from Vorazun’s Time Stop Haste mastery.
    • Zagara
      • Damage dealt by Mecha Banelings now properly count towards Zagara’s Baneling & Scourge score.
    • Zeratul
      • The Artifact will move itself if its spawn location becomes unpathable.
      • Zeratul now properly unloads when dropped on top of large units.
      • Fixed an issue that caused Void Templars to fail to do damage while blinking.
      • Xel’Naga Watchers are now correctly affected by sight limiting mutators regardless of Artifacts collected.
  • Mission
    • Malwarfare
      • Fixed an issue that could cause a Suppression Tower’s minimap icon to persist indefinitely.
      • Fixed an issue that could cause air units to path poorly near the players’ main base.
    • Minor Evacuation
      • The Eradicator’s Rail Gun can no longer hit targets behind it.
    • Mist Opportunities
      • Harvesting Bots should no longer occasionally wander off.
      • Fixed an issue that could cause the bonus objectives to become invisible.
    • Oblivion Express
      • Damage is no longer sometimes ignored when attacking multiple train cars.
    • Scythe of Amon
      • New units spawned from Void Rifts are now properly affected by Polarity mutator.
      • Larva and Eggs will no longer die when a nearby Hatchery, Lair, or Hive is destroyed.
    • Temple of the Past
      • Fixed an issue that could cause the bonus objectives to become invisible.
    • Void Launch
      • Leviathans, Motherships, or Lokis now properly spawn in the final shuttle wave.
  • Mutators
    • Bonus AI terminals no longer become hostile to players with the Polarity mutator selected.
    • Amon’s Dehaka no longer transforms while the Transmutation mutator is active.
    • Void Rift minimap icons should no longer appear very small on Low settings.
    • Purifier Beams should now respect the same areas that other mutators avoid.
    • The Concussive Attacks mutator no longer affects Frenzied targets.

Collection

  • The Visual indicator for the cooldown of the Ihan-Rii Disruptor’s Purifier Nova ability now appears, and the cooldown animation now appears as intended.
  • The correct upgrade animation now appears when selecting an upgrade from the Cybernetics Core with the Forged skin applied.

User Interface

  • Portrait borders on the versus loading screen should now display your league on the race you are playing as instead of your highest league across all races.
  • Fixed a few issues where Console skins could appear as unintended in game and replays.
  • The multiple burrow icons in the help menu for Zerglings no longer appear in game.
  • The Custom lobby has been updated to prevent the screenshot button from overlapping map details text.

Filed Under: Other Games, Starcraft 2 Tagged With:

Nintendo Switch: Live Stream Impressions

January 13, 2017 by

So today saw Nintendo flesh out the previously released information about the Nintendo Switch console which is launching on the 3rd March. 2016 was a huge year for games if not consoles, but 2017 is shaping up pretty huge in that regard as well.

Some initial impressions:

1. The controller, whether in the ‘normal’ play mode or when pulled into its component parts, seems too small / flimsy to me. I like the dedicated screen capture button (with video capture apparently coming down the track) and the HD Rumble system appears to be a big improvement on the Wii and Wii U functionality as far as vibrations.

2. The 1-2 Switch game looks fun, think Wii Party on steroids. It launches on March 3rd as well.

3. The Arms game looks even better – I can see this one being a huge hit. I can also see each player’s wrists getting a very heavy workout. Solo and versus player options out of the box with online battles coming – no set release date except ‘Spring’

4. Splatoon 2: I would have been surprised if this franchise hadn’t made it onto the Switch and it is indeed there with a new game with extra weapons and new battle zones. Not launching until ‘Summer’

5. Super Mario Odyssey: sandbox world – looks huge and is cited as the first big successor to Mario 64. Coming 2017 ‘Holiday season’ so at end of year.

6. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: looks impressive, not a lot of detail though, no launch date.

7. Other games shown briefly or announced: Dragon Quest 10 and 11 (Japan only), Dragon Quest Heroes, Project Octopath Traveller, Skyrim, EA Sports Fifa,

Overall, Nintendo have shown they have a substantive platform in the Switch. Like a number of their previous console launches, there remains a concern over launch titles. As fun as Arms and 1-2 Switch look, I’m also wanting a big title to play with. Zelda is confirmed as a launch title but unfortunately it looks like we will have to wait a while for the other big games. I’m honestly dumbfounded that Mario Kart didn’t get a mention at all aside from Mario Kart 8 being shown in the initial introduction.

The live stream hasn’t changed much for me: I’m keen to use it, but I’m worried about what games I will be able to use it with. Maybe I need to become a bigger Zelda fan.

2016 was a huge year for games if not consoles, but 2017 is shaping up pretty huge in that regard as well – I just hope the Switch ends up being a big part of that.

For ongoing Switch coverage, check out Polygon, IGN and CNET to name three

To finish off, here’s some assorted pictures from the live stream:

Filed Under: Consoles Tagged With: ,

World of Warcraft 6.1: Full Patch Notes

February 25, 2015 by

swtor-patch-incoming-banner

Blizzard sure know how to do a big patch, and last night’s 6.1 patch is no different. Below are the patch notes in full, have a read through and see the changes and bug fixes.

World of Warcraft Patch 6.1

New Character Models: Blood Elf

  • Character models for Blood Elves have been overhauled with an increase to fidelity and texture resolution; while retaining the core look and feel of the originals.
  • Some character models received additional tweaks and adjustments.

Twitter Integration

  • Characters can now send Tweets for items, achievements, and screenshots from within the game client using the /share command.
  • To activate this feature, visit Social options in the Interface menu to enable, add, or disconnect a Twitter account.

New Heirloom Collections Tab

  • The Collections system now supports Heirloom items.
  • Heirlooms can be upgraded to increase the maximum level that the item scales up to.
    • Heirlooms with no upgrades can scale up to level 60.
    • Heirlooms with 1 upgrade level can scale up to level 90.
    • Heirlooms with 2 upgrade levels can scale up to level 100.
    • Old heirlooms that have been upgraded to scale to level 85 are grandfathered in with 1 upgrade level.
  • New Heirlooms for the neck slot are now available and allows the character to cast a heal once a minute. This heal shares a cooldown with potions and Healthstones.
  • Vendors in Ironforge (Alliance) and Undercity (Horde) now sell Heirlooms for gold.
  • Alternate methods for obtaining Heirlooms and Heirloom upgrade tokens are also available.
    • Darkmoon Faire sells Heirlooms for Darkmoon Prize Tickets.
    • Argent Tournament sells Heirloom upgrade tokens for Champion’s Seals.
    • Some world events now sell Heirloom upgrade tokens for currency obtained through the event.
  • Collecting 35 heirloom items awards a special mount that’s usable by level 1 characters.

Garrisons, Followers, and Outposts

  • New Garrison Visitors
    • One of five new visitors may visit each day offering a quest to anyone that visits players with a Tier 3 Garrison.
      • Defeat a dungeon boss: Completing this daily quest awards Garrison Resources.
      • Defeat a raid boss: Completing this weekly quest awards gold and an item level 645 token with a chance for it to be an item level 655 token.
      • Bounty (intended for 2 or more players): Group up with 2 or more additional players to hunt down and defeat a powerful enemy and you’ll earn gold and a chance to get an heirloom quest item off of the creature you kill for the quest.
      • Relic: Completing these quests will reward gold and ultimately Harrison Jones as a new Follower.
      • Profession: Get your hands on more Primal Spirits, reduce surplus reagents, and buy new recipes for crafted upgrades and transmutes.
    • For the Pet Battlers out there, there’s a separate chance for an additional visitor offering unique Pet Battles with a chance to award a bag containing Pet Battle items and new Battle Pets.
  • Summon a Raid or World Boss
    • Players may find an item while completing a Garrison Invasion that that summons one of six new raid or world boss in the Garrison.
    • Summoned raid or world bosses have scaling health and is intended for 10-40 players.
  • New Garrison Music Box
    • Players can assemble a music box allowing them to play music in their Garrisons.
    • The music box can be obtained as a reward from a new quest found in your Garrison.
    • New songs can be collected from throughout the world to expand your music library.
  • New Garrison Vendor
    • There’s a new vendor coming to your Garrison who allows you to spend Garrison Resources on Follower Trait Retraining Guides or Follower Ability Retraining Manuals.
  • New Follower Trait: Treasure Hunter
    • Treasure Hunter trait increases the amount of gold rewarded from a mission.
  • Garrison Followers
    • Garrison Followers may now be upgraded to item level 675.
  • Follower Missions
    • New Profession Missions are now available on upgrading a profession building to level 3. Successfully completing these missions award an item that allows instant completion of work orders.
    • Players can unlock Relic and Bounty missions for their followers by completing the corresponding Relic or Bounty quest offered by one of the random daily new visitors to the Garrison.
    • New exploration missions are available to players with a skill of at least 1 in Archeology. Successfully completing these missions can award Archeology fragments, keystones, or treasure maps for a Draenor zone. Treasure maps obtained in this manner does not require quest achievement completion for the Draenor zone.
    • Archeology Vendors in Stormshield and Warspear now sell an item that’ll spawn a follower exploration mission for 5 Restored Artifacts.
    • New Level-100 Scouting missions to a Battlefield now awards an item that grants access to missions that award Apexis Crystals.
    • New Raid missions to Blackrock Foundry are now available for a cache that awards level 665, 680, or 695 items.
    • New follower missions have been added that can award gold, Apexis Crystals, Savage Blood, or Augmentation runes.
    • Level 90-94 gold and Garrison Resource missions will now continue to appear even if there are no Followers that are level 90-94.
    • Level-100 Garrison resource missions now award more Garrison Resources.
    • Scavenger trait for Followers now increases Garrison Resources gained from a mission by 100% (down from 200%).
  • Follower Mission UI Improvements
    • List of missions available now displays the amount of bonus XP, gold, and resources awarded without having to mouse-over the mission tooltip.
    • Improved tooltips displaying which followers that can counter threats on a mission.
      • Followers that can counter a threat and available show up with a green checkmark.
      • Followers that can counter a threat but are out on a mission displays the time remaining until the follower is available.
      • Followers that can counter a threat but assigned to a building will display a working icon.
    • A new icon will notify the player when assigning a follower that’ll receive less XP reward because they’re below level or item level requirements.
    • Garrisons with 10 or more followers now have access to a sortable list with a quick overview of how many followers can counter a particular threat or how long a follower will be out on a mission.
  • Garrison Buildings
    • Garrison Work Order Changes
      • Work orders now check if a follower is assigned to the building every 4 hours when factoring in production bonuses.
      • Followers assigned to work at a building now receive XP for each work order that they provide a production bonus on.
      • Players now have an option to queue up all remaining work order slots through the building’s work order UI.
      • NPCs that accept Work Orders are now titled as such along with a new interaction cursor to make them easier to locate.
    • Alchemy Lab
      • Level 2: Followers working at the Alchemy Lab now offers a choice on the free potions you want to receive, but those potions are now soulbound.
    • Armory (Dwarven Bunker / War Mill)
      • Level 3: A daily quest has been added to allow players to exchange Iron Horde Scraps for an armor or weapon enhancement token.
    • Barn
      • Barn traps are no longer targetable, causes the cursor to be highlighted, or usable in Rated Battlegrounds, Arenas, or outside of Draenor.
      • Barn traps can now be placed on top of a trap that has already been sprung.
      • Savage Blood now drops more frequently when a follower is assigned to the building (it didn’t affect the chance previously).
      • Caged creatures now stack to 1000 (up from 20).
    • Barracks
      • A vendor at the Barracks now sells an item that allows a character to shrink their Bodyguards for 60 minutes.
    • Fishing Shack
      • Nat Pagle (Level 3 Fishing Shack) will now give you any of the standard baits if you ask nicely.
      • Lunkers can now be caught from fishing pools and have an improved catch rate with higher fishing skill.
      • Summoned Cavedwellers now drops random fish flesh and drops less Worm Supreme.
      • Fish Eggs used as turn-in for the Fishing Shack Daily quest are now bind on pickup and no longer have a sell value.
    • Lumber Mill
      • Lumber Mill no longer requires Garrison Resources to build or upgrade.
      • Work orders now award 30 Garrison Resource (up from 20).
    • Mage Tower / Spirit Lodge
      • The building now accepts Ogre Waystones as work orders awarding Apexis Crystals and a chance to receive an item that allows instant completion of a mission that’s in-progress.
      • Characters visiting the Garrison are now able to use Mage Tower / Spirit Lodge portals.
    • Mine
      • Miner’s Coffee no longer has a stack limit, is now bind on pickup, and has a sell price. It now has an exclusive category so it cannot be applied multiple times by splitting it into different stacks. However, the aura can now correctly stack up to 5 times.
      • Preserved Mining Pick no longer has a stack limit, is now bind on pickup, has a sell price, and offers a bonus even if you have the Peon’s Mining Pick.
    • Menagerie
      • Reduced the difficulty of quests to unlock the Menagerie, elite pet challenges, and pet battle daily quests.
    • Salvage Yard
      • Tier-3 salvage recovered from Follower missions no longer has an independent chance to drop an uncommon (green), rare (blue), or epic (purple) item and will instead always drop one of them. This change is intended to reduce overall item spam without affecting their value. Existing chance for Tier-3 salvage to potentially also contain an uncommon Tier-2 salvage item remains unchanged.
      • Follower Weaponry and Armor Set tokens (War Ravaged, Blackrock, Goredrenched) no longer drops from salvage. Weapon and Armor enhancement tokens that can upgrade a Follower’s weapon or armor item levels will continue to have a chance to drop from Salvage Crates.
    • Town Hall
      • The fireplace in Tier-2 and Tier-3 Alliance Garrison Town Halls can now be used as a cooking fire.
    • Trading Post
      • Players trading Garrison Resources for tradeskill materials can now shift-click to specify the amount of items they want to purchase.
      • Trading Post Parts that drop in Ashran now have a chance to drop from all creatures and NPCs that drop Artifact Fragments, with an increased drop chance based on the quality of the creature or NPCs.
      • Trading Post no longer requires Garrison Resources to build or upgrade.
      • Some merchants have started accepting Crescent Saberfish Flesh as payment.
  • Garrison Invasions
    • Players that have performed above-and-beyond expectations for a Gold rating while defending their Garrisons from an invasion can now attain a Platinum rating. Platinum rating awards a level 660 item and a chance at obtaining an item that can be used to summon a raid or world boss.

Cosmetic Transformations and Toy Effects

  • Improvements have been made to the way that cosmetic transformations are handled. Previously, using another transformation would overwrite or cancel an existing effect. Now, characters can retain multiple cosmetic transformations and the one with the highest priority will be visible. If a higher priority transformation is canceled or expires, the next highest priority transformation will then be visible.
  • Cosmetic transformation effects that do not have a mount riding animation are now temporarily suppressed when using a mount (previously, the effect is either canceled or prevented the use of mounts while active). Characters will regain the transformation once they dismount.
  • Cosmetic transformations that alter the character’s appearance now have a higher priority than Druid combat forms. This means Druids can keep a transformation while shapeshifted.
  • Many Druid shapeshift forms now have attachment points on the head and back for cosmetic toy effects such as Blazing Wings or Pepe. Additional shapeshift forms may receive attachment points in the future.
  • To retain and improve readability in rated PvP environments, cosmetic transformations are now suppressed for all classes while inside a rated PvP environment (Arenas or Rated Battlegrounds).

General

  • Accounts with an inactive subscription are now able to log in with the same restrictions that Starter Edition accounts have with the additional perk of being able to join guilds that characters on the account already are a member of.
  • Removed the requirement to have a character that’s level 55 or higher to unlock the Death Knight as a playable class.
  • New Graphics Options
    • Particle Density in graphics settings now have 3 detail levels (down from 5). This may affect the number of particles generated by some particle systems.
    • Ambient Occlusion
      • Added new ambient occlusion method NVIDIA HBAO+, available on all DirectX 11 capable video cards.
    • Anti-Aliasing
      • MSAA is once again supported, with additional controls for fine-tuning under Advanced graphics options.
      • A new SSAA anti-aliasing option is now available for high-end video cards.
    • New Lighting
      • Per-pixel deferred point lights have been added to create more realistic lighting throughout Draenor.

Itemization

  • Tertiary Stats for Avoidance, Speed, and Leech now provide about four times as much benefit per stat point.
  • All rings, neck, cloak, and trinket items that can be acquired in Nagrand (A level 98+ zone) or later should now be better suited for the character’s loot specialization. This means tanks should no longer receive items with no bonus Armor and healers should no longer receive items with no Spirit from sources like item tokens, quests, or Personal loot mode in Dungeons and Raids for those item slots.

Racials

  • Dwarf
    • Stoneform when used, now triggers a 30-second shared cooldown with other PvP trinkets that breaks crowd-control effects.

Class Changes

Talent Balance

Developer Commentary: A primary focus for class changes in Patch 6.1 is improving overall talent balance. Not every talent needs to be useful in every situation; and in fact it’s often better if they have strengths and weaknesses. But we do try to have each talent be useful in some situations, and make them close enough in value that if you really enjoy the gameplay of a talent you don’t feel like you’re dragging your group down by using it.

For these changes we focused primarily on tuning (tweaking numbers), and nearly all changes are buffs to underperforming talents. The goal is to reach more variety of viable builds, without bringing down the existing popular choices.

  • Death Knight
    • Talents
      • Breath of Sindragosa no longer has an initial Runic Power cost, but only applies the Mark of Sindragosa for Blood Death Knights.
      • Death Siphon now heals the Death Knight for 400% of damage dealt (up from 335%).
      • Defile now only reduces damage taken for Blood Death Knights.
      • Necrotic Plague damage has been increased by 20% and now only grants Runic Power to Blood Death Knights.
  • Druid
    • Talents
      • Bristling Fur (Guardian) now has a 30-second cooldown (down from 1 minute).
      • Force of Nature’s Treants has been buffed with a 35% increase to their health and spellpower, and an 80% increase to their armor and attack power.
      • Guardian of Elune (Guardian) now also reduces the rage cost of Savage Defense by the Druid’s base dodge chance percentage.
      • Moment of Clarity (Restoration) now lasts 7 seconds (up from 5 seconds).
      • Rampant Growth (Restoration) now also increases the healing of Swiftmend by 20%.
      • Renewal now instantly heals for 30% of max health (up from 22%).
      • Stellar Flare (Balance) damage has been increased by 16%, and now has a duration of 24 seconds (up from 20 seconds).
  • Hunter
    • Talents
      • Barrage damage has been increased by 21%.
      • Exhilaration now instantly heals for 30% of max health (up from 22%).
      • Glaive Toss damage has been increased by 25%.
      • Powershot damage has been increased by 62%.
      • Stampede now lasts 40 seconds (up from 20 seconds).
  • Mage
    • Talents
      • Alter Time now has a 1-minute cooldown (down from 1.5 minutes).
      • Comet Storm (Frost) damage has increased by 94% but deals 33.3% less damage in PvP combat.
      • Evanesce should now provide protection against many more effects, and function more consistently.
      • Ice Nova (Frost) now roots the target instead of stunning them, but the root is no longer affected by diminishing returns.
      • Mirror Image copies of Frost Mages now deal 15% less damage with Frostbolt.
  • Monk
    • Talents
      • Ascension now increases Spirit by 10% instead of increasing maximum mana by 20%.
      • Breath of the Serpent (Mistweaver) healing increased by 50%.
      • Chi Burst damage has been increased by 51%. Also fixed a bug that caused its damage and healing to vary based on specialization.
      • Chi Explosion (Mistweaver) healing while in Serpent Stance is increased by 40%, and is now usable while channeling Soothing Mist. Healing while in Crane Stance is reduced by 33.3%.
      • Chi Torpedo damage has increased by 150% and healing has increased by 42%.
      • Hurricane Strike (Windwalker) damage increased by 25%.
      • Ring of Peace now incapacitates all enemies for 5 seconds (up from 3 seconds).
      • Zen Sphere has been improved. Its detonation damage has increased by 97%, detonation healing has increased by 70%, but periodic healing has been reduced by 39%. Also fixed a bug that caused its damage and healing to vary based on specialization.
  • Paladin
    • Talents
      • Empowered Seals (Protection, Retribution) has been improved. Liadrin’s Righteousness now increases haste by 20% (up from 15%). Uther’s Insight now heals the Paladin for 2% of maximum health every 3 seconds (up from 1% every 2 seconds).
      • Execution Sentence’s healing dealt by Stay of Execution has increased by 100%.
      • Final Verdict (Retribution) now increases the radius of the next Divine Storm by 50% (down from 100%).
      • Hand of Purity now reduces damage taken by 15% (up from 10%).
      • Sacred Shield’s (Holy) mana cost has been reduced by 34%.
    • Glyphs
      • Glyph of Alabaster Shield has been removed.
      • Glyph of Harsh Words is now only available to Holy Paladins.
  • Priest
    • Talents
      • Auspicious Spirits (Shadow) no longer cause Shadowy Apparitions to not deal damage. Instead, it now increases Shadowy Apparition damage by 100% in addition to still granting 1 Shadow Orb.
      • Cascade may now hit the same target twice. This results in an increase to total healing, so its healing has been reduced by 35% to compensate (the total healing in a 20-player raid will be slightly higher than before).
      • Clarity of Purpose’s (Holy) healing has increased by 20%.
      • Divine Star (Shadow) damage increased by 20%.
      • Halo now displays an indicator on the ground to make it easier for the casting Priest see where the ability is most effective. Additionally, Halo’s visual effect has been synchronized so a character will receive the effect when the nova intersects with them.
      • Insanity (Shadow) now also affects Mind Sear.
      • Mindbender lasts for 20 seconds (up from 15 seconds).
      • Psychic Scream now has a 30-second cooldown (down from 45 seconds).
      • Saving Grace’s (Discipline, Holy) healing has increased by 50%, but now reduces future healing dealt by 15% (up from 10%). Additionally, the talent is now instant-cast, but its effectiveness is reduced while in PvP combat.
      • Surge of Darkness now has a 12% chance to trigger (up from 10%).
      • Void Entropy (Shadow) damage increased by 80%.
      • Void Tendrils’ health has increased by 30%.
  • Rogue
    • Talents
      • Burst of Speed now has a 3-second cooldown.
      • Death from Above’s damage has increased by 25%. For Assassination Rogues, the talent now also increases the duration of Envenom.
      • Leeching Poison has been redesigned. It now grants 10% Leech while active, and no longer applies a poison effect to the target. Its Shiv effect remains unchanged.
  • Shaman
    • Talents
      • Ancestral Guidance now triggers from all damage or healing dealt, including multistrikes, instead of only direct damage or healing.
      • Storm Elemental Totem damage and healing has increased by 30%.
  • Warlock
    • Talents
      • Cataclysm now also applies Unstable Affliction for Affliction Warlocks.
      • Charred Remains (Destruction) now reduces Incinerate damage by only 50% (down from reducing Incinerate damage by 60%).
      • Demonbolt (Demonology) damage decreased by 25%.
      • Grimoire of Sacrifice (Affliction, Destruction) now increases damage of affected spells by 25% (up from 20%).
      • Grimoire of Service now summons a second demon for 25 seconds (up from 20 seconds).
      • Kil’jaeden’s Cunning now has a 35-second cooldown (down from 1 minute).
  • Warrior
    • Talents
      • Avatar now lasts 20 seconds with a 1.5-minute cooldown (up from lasting 24 seconds with a 3-minute cooldown).
      • Second Wind now increases Leech by 25% (up from 10%).
      • Siegebreaker (Arms, Fury) damage and knockback distance has increased by 50%.
      • Slam (Arms) damage has increased by 43%.

Healer Damage

Developer Commentary: Another change being made for Patch 6.1 is to bring the damage potential of healers up to a level that is sufficient and balanced. Healers’ damage potential will still pale compared to that of a dedicated damage dealer or tank, but it should no longer feel like you’re totally ineffective when attempting to do some outdoor content.

  • Druid
    • Restoration
      • Naturalist now also increases the damage of Druid spells and abilities by 15%.
    • Talents
      • Heart of the Wild (Restoration) now increases spell damage by 150% (down from 200%), and Agility in Cat Form by 75% (down from 110%).
  • Paladin
    • Holy
      • Denounce damage has increased by 50%.
      • Holy Shock damage has increased by 50%.
  • Shaman
    • Glyphs
      • Telluric Currents (Restoration) causes Flame Shock, Lava Burst, and Lightning Bolt to cost no mana and deal 100% more damage.

Classes

  • Death Knight
    • Glyphs
      • Glyph of Runic Power now generates 2 Runic Power every second for 5 seconds when struck by a movement-impairing effect (down from 3 Runic Power).
    • Armor Sets
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Blood Death Knights now only applies Anti-Magic Shell to 1 additional ally within 15 yards (down from 2 allies).
  • Druid
    • General
      • Ferocious Bite damage increased by 5%.
      • Healing Touch no longer heals for 50% more when cast-on-self for Balance Druids.
      • Mangle damage increased by 27%.
      • Moonfire’s mana cost has been reduced by 55%.
      • Shred damage increased by 20%.
      • Thrash (Cat Form) damage increased by 20%.
    • Balance
      • Balance Druids now learn a new passive ability at level 38, Nature’s Bounty.
        • Nature’s Bounty causes Healing Touch to be Critical Strikes for 8 seconds after killing an enemy that yields experience or honor.
      • Starfall damage has decreased by 16.6%.
      • Starfall and Sunfall now only hits targets affected with Moonfire or Sunfire by default.
        • Glyph of Guided Stars has been renamed to Glyph of Untamed Stars and is now a Minor glyph. Glyph of Untamed Stars expands Starfall and Sunfall to hit all targets within range.
    • Feral
      • Moonfire (Feral) damage increased by 5%.
      • Rake damage increased by 5%.
      • Rip damage increased by 5%.
      • Swipe damage increased by 20%.
    • Restoration
      • Genesis no longer requires a target.
      • Ironbark is no longer usable while silenced.
      • Nature’s Cure can no longer be cast while in a shapeshift form and is now classified as a Nature School ability.
    • Talents
      • Displacer Beast is now classified as an Arcane School ability and can no longer be used while silenced.
    • Armor Sets
      • PvP 2-piece set bonus for Balance Druids now has a visual effect to indicate when the Druid is unable to generate a Starsurge charge from Entangling Roots.
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Balance Druids has been redesigned. When Starsurge hits a player, the cast time of Starfire is reduced by 30%, and the damage of Wrath is increased by 30% for 6 seconds.
  • Hunter
    • Beast Mastery
      • Improved Focus Fire now grants an 8% increase to attack power per Frenzy stack consumed (up from 5%).
    • Marksman
      • Careful Aim now increases critical strike chance of Steady Shot, Focusing Shot, and Aimed Shot by 50% (down from 60%).
      • Chimaera Shot damage increased by 30.4%.
      • Sniper Training is now 25% more effective.
    • Survival
      • Trap Mastery no longer reduces the cooldown of all traps and Black Arrow by 6 seconds.
      • Black Arrow now has a cooldown of 24 seconds (down from 30 seconds).
      • Enhanced Traps now reduces the cooldown on all traps by 33% (down from 50%).
    • Hunter Pets
      • Basilisks now have a pet family ability. Stone Scales reduces damage taken by the pet. Previously, Basilisks did not have a pet family ability.
      • Hydra pets should no longer be excessively large.
      • Spirit Beast’s Spirit Beast Blessing now also provides a 5% increase to critical strike chance. Does not stack with other critical strike chance buffs. Previously, other exotic pet families provided buffs to 2 stats while Spirit Beasts provided only 1.
  • Mage
    • Arcane
      • Presence of Mind can now be applied to Polymorph spells.
    • Fire
      • Fireball now replaces Frostfire Bolt for Fire Mages.
    • Frost
      • Deep Freeze’s stun effect now always breaks on damage from Ice Lance or Ice Nova, but no longer has a chance to break from other damage sources.
    • Glyphs
      • Glyph of Frostfire Bolt has been replaced with Glyph of Ignite. Glyph of Ignite causes Ignite to also reduce the target’s movement speed by 40%.
      • Glyph of Splitting Ice effect can now hit targets up to 60% further away from the primary target, but no longer ignores crowd-controlled targets.
    • Armor Sets
      • Tier-17 4-piece bonus for Fire Mages is now approximately 0.7 procs per minute (down from 1 proc per minute).
      • PvP 2-piece set bonus for Frost Mages has been redesigned. Cone of Cold now leaves behind a patch of ice on the target area slowing any enemies caught within it by 50% for 6 seconds.
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Frost Mages has been redesigned to increase Frostbolt damage by 30% against unsnared targets, and increases Frostbolt damage by 50% against snared targets.
  • Monk
    • General
      • Rising Sun Kick (Windwalker, Mistweaver) now causes enemies to take 20% increased damage from the Monk’s abilities (up from 10%).
    • Brewmaster
      • Elusive Brew is now highlighted when the Monk has 15 stacks of it.
    • Mistweaver
      • Mana Tea now restores mana equal to 3 times the Monk’s unbuffed Spirit (instead of 4% of maximum mana).
    • Glyphs
      • Glyph of Blackout Kick has returned.
    • Armor Sets
      • PvP 2-piece set bonus for Windwalker Monks has been replaced by the PvP 4-piece set bonus. Touch of Karma’s redirected damage can now exceed 50% of the Monk’s maximum health.
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Brewmaster Monks now only applies Guard to 1 additional ally within 15 yards (down from 2 allies).
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Windwalker Monks is now the PvP 2-piece set bonus. The Monk now receives a 2% reduction to damage taken for each stack of Tigereye Brew consumed for 20 seconds.
  • Paladin
    • Holy
      • Beacon of Light heals should no longer benefit or consume Glyph of Flash of Light’s effect.
    • Protection
      • Seal of Truth is no longer available to Protection Paladins. Seal of Command is now replaced by Seal of Righteousness instead of Seal of Truth.
    • Talents
      • Beacon of Insight (Holy) now increases healing received by the target by 40% (up from 30%) and moves to the next most injured ally when the target reaches 90% health (instead of full health).
    • Glyphs
      • Glyph of Alabaster Shield has been removed.
      • Glyph of Harsh Words is now only available to Holy Paladins.
      • Glyph of Immediate Truth is now only available to Retribution Paladins.
      • Glyph of Judgment is now automatically learned at level 25.
    • Armor Sets
      • PvP 2-piece set bonus for Holy Paladins now lasts 12 seconds (up from 8 seconds).
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Holy Paladins has been redesigned. Eternal Flame or Word of Glory now also reduces damage taken by the target by 5% for each Holy Power consumed (maximum of 15%) for 6 seconds. This effect only works in PvP combat.
  • Priest
    • General
      • Power Word: Shield now absorbs 10% less damage.
  • Rogue
    • Armor Sets
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Combat Rogues has been redesigned. Using Vanish instantly generates 5 combo points and the next Ambush, Eviscerate, Revealing Strike, or Sinister Strike will be a critical strike.
  • Shaman
    • General
      • Grounding Totem now protects both party and raid members (up from only party members). Additionally, fixed an issue where Grounding Totem was incorrectly redirecting Provoke (Monk), Growl (Hunter Pet), and Defile (Death Knight).
    • Elemental
      • Enhanced Chain Lightning now makes Earthquake instant cast, and increases the damage done by the next Earthquake by 300% when Chain Lightning or Lava Beam strikes 3 or more targets (instead of increasing Earthquake damage by 60% for each target struck).
    • Restoration
      • Restorative Waves now increases all healing done by 40% (up from 30%).
    • Talents
      • Echo of the Elements has been redesigned. Echo of the Elements now causes Earthquake, Fire Nova, Lava Burst, Lava Lash, Riptide, Spirit Link Totem, Stormstrike, and Unleash Life to have 2 charges. Other abilities that reset the cooldown of these abilities will instead grant 1 charge.
      • Frozen Power should no longer cause Frost Shock to trigger a new Mastery: Molten Earth (Elemental). Note that this does not stop Molten Earth effects that are already in progress or in the process of being triggered.
    • Armor Sets
      • Tier-17 2-piece bonus for Elemental Shaman now increases multistrike damage by 1% per stack (down from 2% damage increase per stack).
      • Tier-17 4-piece bonus for Elemental Shaman now requires the Shaman to consume 12 Lightning Shield charges to trigger (down from 15 charges).
      • PvP 2-piece set bonus for Restoration Shaman now grants 975 Versatility after dispelling a harmful Magic or Curse effect from an ally (up from 780 Versatility).
      • PvP 4-piece set bonus for Restoration Shaman now triggers when the target of Earth Shield drops below 50% health (up from 35%) and Earth Shield will immediately consume up to 4 charges (up from 3 charges).
  • Warlock
  • Warrior
    • General
      • Execute damage decreased by 11.4%.
      • Shield Barrier now absorbs 24.4% more damage.
      • Thunder Clap’s (Arms, Protection) snare effect now lasts for 10 seconds or 8 seconds while in PvP combat (up from 6 seconds).
    • Protection
      • Improved Defensive Stance now increases armor by 10% (up from 5%).
    • Armor Sets
      • Tier-17 4-piece bonus for Arms Warriors now causes Colossus Smash to generate 20 rage (down from 30 Rage).

Quests

  • Players in a raid group will once again no longer be eligible for quest credit, except for specially-designated Raid quests. We are continuing to explore ways of allowing players who want to engage in solo or small-group questing while in a raid group (for example, while waiting for a Highmaul raid to form, or in a Rated Battleground queue), without also allowing raid groups to trivially complete quests that were never designed with groups of that size in mind.
  • Legendary Ring Quest Line
    • A new epic follower awaits those that complete the latest chapter in the Legendary Ring Quest Line!
    • Characters can now select the version of the ring they want to receive when completing a step of the Legendary Ring Quest Line that provides an upgrade.
  • Legacy
    • Cruisin’ the Chasm: Resolved an issue where characters were not receiving completion credit after riding the Rental Chopper.
    • Ridin’ the Rocketway: Resolved an issue where characters were not receiving completion credit after riding the Redhound Two-Seater prototype.

World Environment and Events

  • Flight Path Improvements
    • Improved the logic used for connecting flight paths. Players are now able to fly through flight points that they have not discovered yet if it’ll result in a more direct flight path to a destination point.
    • A button has been added for characters in the middle of a flight to get off at the next known flight point.
  • Nagrand
    • Added two mailboxes in around the Black Market near Ring Of Blood in Nagrand.
  • Darkmoon Faire
    • The Darkmoon Faire have added an exciting new racing event with opportunities to obtain new unique prizes!
    • New achievements and rewards have been added to the Darkmoon Tonk Challenge and Darkmoon Ring Toss.

Creatures and NPCs

  • Khadgar has decided to dismiss his remarkably realistic mirror images from capital cities across the land. Adventurers answering his summons and seeking to enter Draenor may once again find him near the Dark Portal in Blasted Lands.
  • Spires of Arak
    • Sethekk Wind Serpent is undead and should no longer be skinnable.

Pet Battle

  • New battle pets have been added to Black Temple, Caverns of Time: Hyjal Summit, and Sunwell Plateau along with a new achievement, Raiding with Leashes III to collect them all. Completing the achievement to collect all the new Battle Pets will award a Naaru pet.
  • Level 100 characters with a Tier-3 Garrison can complete a quest to receive an Ultimate Battle-Training Stone to increase a single Battle Pet to level 25.

Dungeons and Raids

  • Personal loot mode received quality-of-life adjustments. Bosses that can be looted now have a custom graphical effect. Popup notifications from looting a boss have also been revamped.
  • Raids
    • Blackrock Foundry
      • Dungeon Journal entries for Blackrock Foundry have been updated with fight mechanics that have changed from hotfixes.
      • Hans’gar & Franzok
        • Tanks are now able to use abilities and cooldowns while grabbed by Hans’gar or Franzok’s Crippling Suplex.
      • Kromog
        • Mistweaver Monks can now cast Mana Tea while grabbed by Rune of Grasping Earth.
  • Dungeons
    • Completing the first random Heroic Draenor Dungeon of the day no longer awards a reputation bonus with Pandarian factions.
  • Challenge Mode
    • Increased the item level of gear awarded from completing daily Challenge Mode quests to 660 (up from 640).

PvP

  • Grand Marshal Tremblade or High Warlord Volrath now offer scrolls of Enchant Illusion – Glorious Tyranny and Enchant Illusion – Primal Victory to players with a rating of 2400 or higher in Rated Battlegrounds, and 3v3 or 5v5 Arenas.
  • Flask of Conquest has been added as a potential drop at the end of a Rated Battleground match. The flask increases Conquest Point gains from Arenas and Rated Battlegrounds by 25% for 2 hours and the effect persists through death. The flask does not affect the character’s Conquest cap and the drop chance is in addition to the existing chance for Conquest Points.Battlegrounds now reward the appropriate level of experience at lower levels.
  • Primal Gladiator’s and Primal Combatant’s Badges now have a 2-minute cooldown (up from 1 minute).
  • Mists of Pandaria era PvP Gloves no longer have an on-equip bonus.
  • Ashran
    • There’s now a 10 minute delay between battles after Grand Marshal Tremblade or High Warlord Volrath has been defeated (down from 30 minutes).
    • Grand Marshal Tremblade and High Warlord Volrath no longer award Conquest Points when defeated.
    • Ashran’s queuing system received substantial changes to reduce wait times.
    • Event objectives now award 100 Conquest Points (down from 125).
    • Rare creatures and NPCs now drop 40-50 Artifact Fragments (down from 60-80).
    • Guards in Ring of Conquest now drop 6-8 Artifact Fragments (down from 8-11).
    • Ashmaul Pearls and Ghost Truffles have been removed. Players can now buy potions from Crafticus Mindbender (Alliance) and Dazzerian (Horde) for 10 Artifact Fragments each.
    • Kowalski’s Music Box now has a 15-minute cooldown (down from 1 hour).
    • Scroll of Mass Invisibility, Scroll of Replenishment, and Scroll of Town Portal has been removed.
    • Wand of Death, Wand of Mana Stealing, and Wand of Neutralization has been removed.

Battlegrounds and Arenas

  • A new queuing system is in place to help improve matchmaking for Oceanic arena teams hosted on Australian game servers. This new system will wait for a predetermined amount of time to match an Oceanic arena team against another Oceanic team before looking for opponents from the broader North American player pool. There’s an expectation that queue times may be a slightly longer as a result but the increase should not be significant.
  • Bonus Honor received from winning a Battleground should now correctly convert into XP for characters that are below level 100.
  • Eye of the Storm: Icon for the flag should no longer be incorrectly displaying in the center of the map even though it’s been picked up by another player.

Professions

  • Harvesting from Draenor Mining and Herbalism nodes should now provide more experience points. Previously, only True Iron nodes were providing the correct amount of XP.
  • New recipes have been added to create items that boost the item levels of crafted armor pieces to 680 and weapons to 670.
  • Alchemy
    • Alchemists can now transmute for Savage Blood and various Sorcerous elements.
    • Alchemists can now craft an upgradable alchemy trinket.
  • Archeology
    • Increased the maximum amount of Arakkoa, Draenor Clans, and Ogre archeology fragments that can be held at a time to 250 (up from 200).
    • All rare Draenor archeology projects no longer cost more than 200 fragments to solve.
    • Brittle Cartography Journal can now be dug up by characters with an Archeology skill of 1 (down from 575).
  • Blacksmithing
    • Crafted shields no longer counts towards the limit on Unique-Equipped: Warlords Crafted items.
  • Cooking
    • New cooking recipes have been added for food that gives 125 bonus to a stat.
  • Fishing
    • Fishing vendors on Draenor now sell a consumable item that enables automatic filleting of fish caught in Draenor.
    • Fish caught in Draenor can now be filleted without requiring a set stack number (20 for small, 10 for normal, 5 for enormous fish) while larger fish will still award more resources.
    • Different sizes of Savage Piranha have been consolidated into Savage Piranha and can be consumed directly for the transformation effect.
    • Players can now always catch enormous fish from pools, regardless of skill.
    • Fish that have already been caught can be converted to the appropriate amount of flesh.
    • Draenor fishing bait now lasts for 10 minutes (up from 5 minutes) to match the duration of fishing lures.
  • Inscription
    • The following glyphs now have recipes and are no longer sold by vendors.
      • Glyph of Cleanse
      • Glyph of Flying Fists
      • Glyph of Purification
      • Glyph of Purify Spirit
      • Glyph of the Solstice

Items

  • Apexis Crystals
    • Characters can now accrue up to a maximum of 60,000 Apexis Crystals (up from 20,000).
    • Dawn-Seeker Rilak (Alliance) and Dawn-Seeker Kirrik (Horde) have set up shop in Stormshield and Warspear offering powerful new items (item level 670) in exchange for Apexis Crystals.
    • Apexis Crystal vendors have been reorganized with their titles now denoting what it is that they’re selling.
  • Toy Box
    • Blazing Wings effect now lasts for 15 minutes (down from 1 hour) with a 30-minute cooldown (down from 1 hour).
    • Mini Mana Bomb has been added to the Toy Box for Horde characters that have completed the achievement, Theramore’s Fall.
    • Piccolo of the Flaming Fire has been rebuilt into a Toy Box item. Players can channel for 30 seconds to cause those around them to dance with a 5-minute cooldown. Additionally, the effect will no longer interrupts eating or drinking.
    • Ruthers’ Harness has been added to the Toy Box.
  • Characters now receive a treasure maps in the mail for completing storyline achievements for a Draenor region.
  • Griftah now sells a variety of transmogrification items for Dingy Iron Coins. In addition, he now sells a Rogue-specific toy, Barrel of Bandanas. Barrel of Bandanas spawns a barrel that gives players that use it a random visual bandana buff for 30 minutes.
  • Season 1 PvP boots and belts sold by Kezzik at Area 52 in Netherstorm are now more comparably priced to their other Season 1 counterparts (1750 Honor).
  • Replica belts for Blood Guard and Knight-Lieutenant have been added to complete visual sets that were previously incomplete for transmogrification. These new items are sold by the vendors who sell the rest of the set, Tini Smalls and Krixel Pinchwhistle at Area 52 in Netherstorm.
  • All Brawler’s Guild shirts are now unique. Replacement Brawler’s Guild shirts can be purchased from Quackenbush or Paul North if the character has defeated a boss that awarded it.
  • Several trinkets obtained from Draenor rares are now able to be disenchanted (previously, the items could not be disenchanted).
  • A number of Main Hand weapons have been converted to One-Hand so they’ll work better with transmogrification.
    • Arcanic of the High Sage
    • Butcher’s Terrible Tenderizer
    • Dagger of Blazing Radiance
    • Dagger of the Sanguine Emeralds
    • Dagger of the Shattered Crucible
    • Fang of the Earth
    • Franzok’s Headsmasher
    • Hoof of Yalnu
    • Koloch Na, the Blood Feast
    • Mindbreaker Scepter
    • Shard of Crystalline Fury
    • Soulcutter Mageblade
  • Apexis Crystals are now uncommon quality (green). There’s been no change to the item’s drop rate or availability.
  • Grimoire of the Four Winds should now correctly able to be used by characters that are at least level 85.
  • Honorary Brewmaster Keg is now unique. A replacement Honorary Brewmaster Keg can now be purchased from The Metal Paw in Binan Village for those who have completed the Pub Crawl achievement.
  • Moroes’ Famous Polish now has a 30-minute cooldown (up from 10 minutes) to keep it consistent with other cosmetic transformation cooldowns.
  • Nat’s Fishing Chair is now unique. A replacement chair can be purchased from Nat Pagle if the character has completed the achievement Learning from the Best.
  • Neural Silencer now also blocks Swapblaster effects.
  • Primal Combatant and Primal Gladiator trinkets have had their power increased.
  • Reins of the Amber Scorpion is once again back in stock for purchase from Ambersmith Zikk.
  • Restored Artifact is now considered a trade good and can be placed in the Reagent Bank.
  • Sargerei Disguise now has a 60-minute cooldown (up from 30 minutes).
  • Scavenger’s Eyepiece’s effect now persists through death.
  • Theramore Tabard can now be re-obtained by Alliance characters that have completed the achievement, Theramore’s Fall at a tabard vendor.

UI

  • New Colorblind Options
    • Players can now access a new suite of colorblind filter options under Accessibility settings in the Interface menu.
  • New Death Recap Screen
    • When a character is killed, a new screen now shows more information on what killed you.
  • Premade Group leaders can now automatically accept applicants via a new “Auto Accept” checkbox after the group has been listed.
  • Improved the ordering for categories in the currency tab.
  • Players now receive a banner notification after defeating a dungeon, raid, or world boss in Warlords of Draenor or Mists of Pandria.
  • Loot eligibility lockouts for Draenor world bosses (Drov the Ruiner, Tarlna the Ageless, and Rukhmar) are now tracked in Raid Info under the Raid tab.
  • Popup notifications such as those for completing an achievement or receiving a reward after a Battleground match can now be dismissed by right-clicking on it.
  • Added an “Ignore this bag” option to Profession bags for bag clean up.
  • All multi-page windows now support mousewheel scrolling.

Bug Fixes

  • Garden Sickle now correctly sheathes on the hip.
  • Fixed an issue where Rogues would automatically fail the Gladiator’s Sanctum coliseum scenario when they use the Death from Above talent.
  • Fixed an issue where characters that underwent a paid faction change may be unable to complete the achievement for Upgrading the Mill.
Filed Under: Patch Notes, Support Tagged With:

SWTOR 3.0 Shadows of Revan Full Patch Notes

December 10, 2014 by

swtor-patch-incoming-banner

 

 

Shadow of Revan*

*Shadow of Revan content is only available to players who pre-ordered the Shadow of Revan Digital Expansion before November 2nd, 2014. All other players who have purchased the Shadow of Revan Digital Expansion will be able to access the content on December 9th, 2014. 

All classes can now reach Level 60! 

New Planet: Rishi! A dangerous pirate haven at the edge of the galaxy!

New Planet: Yavin 4! Home of the fearsome Massassi warriors!

New Gear and Reputation Rewards! Powerful new Revanite gear, crafting schematics, and new mounts, including armored vehicle transports.

New Flashpoints! Ruthless Mandalorians and an army of fanatical Revanites stand between the Players and their ultimate goal in two new Flashpoints for levels 56-60!

New Operations! Take on the galaxy’s most savage pirates, then face Revan’s most dedicated protectors in two new level 60 operations, providing the ultimate challenge for groups of 8 or 16 players!

New Hard Mode Flashpoints! Level 60 Hard Mode versions of Assault on Tython, Korriban Incursion, Depths of Manaan, and the Legacy of the Rakata Flashpoints are now available!

Highlights

New Feature: Disciplines! Disciplines is a major overhaul to the class system. At its very core, the Disciplines System replaces the current Skill Tree system while offering a wider array of impactful Utility choices to expand their character and the ability for a character’s identity to surface much earlier in the level path. The Disciplines System changes the way we think about and develop the classes themselves, which translates into a more balanced game and the capacity to expand levels and abilities more often. We’re excited about this system and the possibilities it unlocks for the future.

For a full description of what Disciplines is, please see our Dev Blog.

Single-Player Forged Alliances: Prelude to Shadow of Revan! Players who haven’t completed the Forged Alliances story arc can find the new Mission “Prelude to Shadow of Revan” on their ship. This Mission provides the necessary Fleet Passes to move through Parts 1-3 of the epic Forged Alliances story. Use the provided Fleet Pass to be taken directly to T3-G2 or A7-M1 on your faction’s Fleet to begin your journey.

While on the Mission “Prelude to Shadow of Revan,” players also have access to the Solo Modes of the Forged Alliances Flashpoints when the chain calls for them to be completed.

strong>New GUI Element: Effect Procs! A new visualization system called Effect Procs is now live! This system plays an eye-catching visual effect around hotbar buttons when the ability in that button has been “powered up” by another effect.

Ranked Arena Season 3 has come to a conclusion! Congratulations to all the reward winners! In preparation for Season 4, Ranked stats have been reset and the Leaderboard for Season 2 has been archived.

Bounty Contract Week Returns! Hunt wanted criminals in this returning event. The event begins December 9th at 4 AM PST/12:00 GMT and ends December 16th at 4 AM PST/12:00 GMT.

General

  • To celebrate our impending 3rd Anniversary, the Dromund Kaas and Coruscant Strongholds are now available for 3 Credits!
  • The Centerpiece Decoration “Grand Statue of Revan” is now available to players who pre-order Shadow of Revan by December 1st, 2014.
  • All Stronghold Commanders are now level 60.
  • Medical Droids on the Fleets have been newly stocked with level 50+ Med Packs and Stims.
  • Elder Game Weekly and Daily Missions have had their objectives and rewards updated for Shadow of Revan:
    • “[WEEKLY] Tactical Flashpoints” has been updated to level 60 and rewards players for completing Blood Hunt and Battle of Rishi.
    • “[WEEKLY] Galactic Conflicts” has been updated to level 60, and offers Elite Commendations for completing level 60 Hard Mode Flashpoints.
    • “[WEEKLY] Classic Operations” is now completed by finishing Terror from Beyond, Scum and Villainy, The Dread Fortress, or The Dread Palace, and is available from levels 55-60.
    • “[WEEKLY] The Ravagers” and “[WEEKLY] Temple of Sacrifice” are available from new terminals on Rishi, Yavin 4 and either Fleet, and reward Ultimate Commendations for completing the two new Operations in any mode.
  • All PvE Commendations are now Basic Commendations.
  • The Commendation types “Classic” and “Planetary” have been removed from the game.
  • “Elite” and “Ultimate” Commendations are still available in-game, but currently held Commendations have been converted to Basic Commendations. Warzone and Ranked Warzone Commendations remain untouched. The conversion rate is as follows:
    • 2 Classic Commendations = 1 Basic Commendation
    • 1 Basic Commendation = 1 Basic Commendation
    • 1 Elite Commendation = 2 Basic Commendations
    • 1 Planetary Commendation = 3 Basic Commendations
    • 1 Ultimate Commendation = 3 Basic Commendations
  • Players can now send 6 Companions on Crafting Missions at level 56 (up from 5).
  • Expert Crew Skill Training is now available on all Crew Skill Trainers. This allows players to advance to 500 Skill Rating, and requires 440 Skill Rating to learn. Only accounts that have access to Shadow of Revan can acquire this Training.
  • Advanced Crew Skill Training now requires 390 Skill Rating (down from 400).
  • Players with AMD Radeon R9 200 video cards no longer have graphical corruption when using “High” Anti-Aliasing.
  • The back rooms on the Crew Deck of the Republic Guild Flagship no longer have inoperable Decoration Hooks.
  • Interacting with Missions next to a Priority Mission Terminal no longer causes the Missions GUI to close and the Priority Mission Terminal GUI to open.
  • The “Flashpoint Havoc” Conquest Event now includes the Legacy of the Rakata Flashpoint.
  • Addressed an issue with the Small Wall Hooks over the west door in the First Floor Hallway of the Dromund Kaas Stronghold that prohibited Trophy placement.
  • Tech and Ranged Resistances are now properly labeled in the Character GUI.
  • Med Centers on Oricon now have specific names.

Cartel Market

  • New Cartel Market items are viewable in Collections.
  • The Initiate’s Shadow Pack is now available for purchase in the Cartel Market.
  • The Pilgrim’s Shadow Pack is now available for purchase in the Cartel Market.
  • Balanced Combatant’s wrist attachment now appears correctly on Male Body Type 3.
  • The Austere City Bench is no longer misnamed as the Metropolitan Bench, and now appears correctly in the Decorations Window.

Classes + Combat

Introduction + Synopsis
While the Disciplines System is the major cornerstone of the changes coming to Classes and Combat (for more on the Discipline system, see our Dev Blog), we have also made adjustments outside of Disciplines that change combat on a global scale:

  • All classes now do less damage overall at Level 55 and gain that damage back as they get closer to 60.
  • Enemies Level 50 and below are now less difficult to defeat.
  • Operation-wide abilities have been given to every Advanced Class.
  • Player Damage over Time abilities (DoTs) can no longer be cleansed by another Player. They can, however, still be Purged by abilities such as Resilience/Force Shroud. DoTs inflicted by Enemy NPCs can still be Cleansed and Purged.
  • Most player-applied Crowd Control (CC) abilities can now be cleansed by another Player.
  • The cooldowns of abilities that Cleanse has been increased.
  • Abilities that Interrupt now have longer Cooldowns.
  • Channeled abilities are no longer affected by pushback, but can still be stopped by Interrupts or Stuns.
  • Channeled abilities now consume resources every time the Ability deals – or would deal – damage or healing, and does not have an upfront resource cost.
  • All Accuracy-increasing abilities have been removed.
  • Accuracy Rating grants more Accuracy per point.
  • Tank classes in the appropriate Tank stance get 10% Accuracy at the cost of a decrease in damage dealt.
  • Alacrity has been reworked, and now speeds up Ability Activation, Global cooldown, Resource Regeneration, DoTs (the speed that damage is dealt as well as the duration), and reduces Internal Cooldowns on certain passive abilities.
  • Many new Interface options, including Effect Procs, moveable Player Buffs/Debuffs, and Effect Highlighting. See the GUI Section for more details.
  • Most player-activated abilities now have a 270 degree Line of Sight.
  • All AoE healing abilities now prioritize the target with the lowest health percentage first.

Combat Change Philosophy
Leading up to 3.0, we knew we wanted to make changes to how we handled customization and choice, as we felt like the tree-based Skill System lead to many problems, including the loss of class identity, uneven power gains, and overly complex rotations. While we wanted to maintain the feeling of progression and gain that this system provided during the leveling process, we wanted to move past the tree-based system. This lead to the introduction of Disciplines, which you can read all about here. Given this chance to reimagine how combat and classes work in The Old Republic, there were also some changes we wanted to make on a more global scale in order to address some concerns and feedback.

Damage + Health
Towards the end of the 2.0 patch cycle, classes began to exceed the baseline damage values that we intended. In order to get back to where we wanted the damage output to be, we are lowering the damage output across the board. Players at level 55 will find that their damage has dropped, while players at level 60 end up having about the same amount of damage output that they did pre-3.0 at 55.

In a similar fashion, we weren’t happy with how long it took to level from 1 to 55 in the pre-3.0 game. In order to speed up the low-level game, all enemies from level 50 and lower are no longer as tough, and now die faster.

Operation-Wide Abilities
With the release of Game Update 3.0, Operation-wide abilities have been given to every Advanced Class. This change was made in order to address the idea that you had to have a Sentinel/Marauder in your Operations group in order to be at the best that you could be. These new abilities stack with each other, but not with themselves, and include defensive and offensive abilities. These abilities also ensure that any Operation group composition is well equipped to tackle what’s ahead of them, even if they don’t have a specific class available.

DoTs, Interrupts, and Channels
In order to make Damage-over-Time Disciplines more viable in Warzones and Warzone Arenas, player DoTs can no longer be cleansed. They can, however, be purged by self-targeted abilities such as Force Shroud/Resilience. DoTs inflicted by Enemy NPCs can still be both cleansed and purged. In order to make cleansing abilities more viable after losing a major component of its functionality, cleanses can now be used to remove Crowd Control (CC) abilities, such as stuns and roots.

Interrupts now have a longer cooldown, as we want players making informed, tactical choices when choosing what to interrupt instead of indiscriminately interrupting everything possible.

Channeled abilities now cost resources at the intervals when damage or healing would be dealt, instead of costing the full amount at activation. This is mostly a quality of life change, as players would spend a large chunk of resources and get interrupted, pushed backed, stunned, etc. and lose those resources. Additionally, channeled abilities can no longer be pushed back. They can, however, still be interrupted with interrupting abilities and stuns.

Stat Changes
Accuracy skills have been removed from the game, and Accuracy is now a gearing consideration only. Additionally, Accuracy Rating now gives more Accuracy per point. Tank Classes now gain 10% Accuracy for being in the appropriate “Tank Stance,” but lose some damage. This change was made in response to their being no counter-play to Taunts in PvP – it was simply a damage reduction with no recourse for those afflicted by it.

Alacrity now speeds up ability activation, speeds up global cooldowns, resource regeneration, Duration of DoTs (DoTs deal the same amount of damage, but faster), and reduces internal cooldowns. This change was to make Alacrity more useful as it now always makes you faster, and eliminates situations where Alacrity could actually be disruptive to your rotation or resources.

Bolster
Augments now interact with the Bolster system. Like other slots, Players with low level (or no) Augments will be given some stat compensation to bring them up to a more competitive level. Higher rating Augments still have an advantage over these Augment slots.

Due to Augments now being handled inside the Bolster system, the power gap between the Bolstered level of stats and the high end PvP gear (disregarding any Augments attached) has been increased slightly. The “worst case” to “best case” power gap remains the same.

Class Changes

Jedi Knight/Sith Warrior
Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors will notice that Riposte/Retaliation is now specific to the Guardian and Juggernaut Advanced Classes instead of being an ability that all Knights and Warriors get. This change was made due to Sentinel and Marauder Disciplines not supporting the effective use of Riposte and, barring fringe cases, Riposte was a poor use of Focus/Rage. Guardians and Juggernauts will find that the new Riposte is part of the Global Cooldown, deals more damage and consumes less Focus/Rage than Slash/Vicious Slash. Sentinels and Marauders will also notice that Crippling Throw/Deadly Throw has been removed, but the healing received debuff it applied has been added to Crippling Slash. For further changes, see below:

Sentinel and Marauder
Guardian and Juggernaut

Jedi Consular/Sith Inquisitor
The most substantial Base Class change for Jedi Consulars and Sith Inquisitors is that Force Potency/Recklessness now affected numerous channeled abilities instead of just one. Sages and Sorcerers will find that a few abilities that used to go to all Shadows and Sages have been moved into specific Disciplines, but Rejuvenation/Resurgence is now available to all. Shadows and Assassins have received a few quality of life improvements, such as Force Cloak no longer inhibiting healing while active. Additionally, Whirling Blow/Lacerate has been adjusted in order to make it more viable in a rotation. For further changes, see below:

Shadow and Assassin
Sage and Sorcerer

Smuggler/Imperial Agent
The Smuggler and Imperial Agent Base Classes have been refined, and a few abilities have been moved out of the Base Class and into appropriate Disciplines. Gunslingers and Snipers will likely first notice that being in cover is no longer a requirement for many of the abilities that previously required it, but also that being in cover is advantageous. Scoundrels and Operatives will find that they have more survivability with the inclusion of an instant activation heal and gaining Scamper/Exfiltrate earlier in the game. For further changes, see below:

Scoundrel + Operative
Gunslinger + Sniper

Troopers/Bounty Hunter
Troopers and Bounty Hunters will find that their resource costs have been adjusted in order to make resources more manageable, and that the order that abilities are received has been streamlined to allow for easier leveling and earlier access to tanking and healing abilities, depending on Discipline. Additionally, Diversion/Chaff Flare is now just for Commandos/Mercenaries, while Vanguards/Powertechs can reduce their threat with Sonic Round/Missile while Ion Cell/Gas Cylinder is not active, but it continues to be an area taunt while Ion Cell/Gas Cylinder is active. For further changes, see below:

Commando + Mercenary
Vanguard + Powertech

Flashpoints + Operations

  • Blood Hunt has been added to the Tactical Flashpoint category for levels 56-60.
  • Battle of Rishi has been added to the Tactical Flashpoint category for levels 56-60.
  • Assault on Tython has been added to the Hard Mode Flashpoint category at level 60.
  • Korriban Incursion has been added to the Hard Mode Flashpoint category at level 60.
  • The Depth of Manaan has been added to the Hard Mode Flashpoint category at level 60.
  • Legacy of the Rakata has been added to the Hard Mode Flashpoint category at level 60.
  • The Ravagers has been added to the Operations category at level 60.
  • Temple of Sacrifice has been added to the Operations category at level 60.
  • The Depths of Manaan Flashpoint now properly grants the Codex Entry for C2-D4.

GUI

  • New GUI Element: Effect Procs! An eye-catching visual effect is now played around hotbar buttons when the ability in that button has been “powered up” by another effect.
  • The Player Buff and Player Debuff trays have been removed from the Player Frame and have been moved into new, separate frames that are moveable in the Interface Editor.
  • New Option: Show Personal/Group Mission Progress! This option has been added to the User Interface section of the Preferences Window. When enabled, Mission progress will be shown in the large tooltip when placing your cursor over an object in-game that is involved with a Mission the player/party member is on.
  • New Option: Highlight Effects! This option allows the user to enable effect highlighting, which adds a border to buff and debuff icons.
  • New Option: Effect Highlight Max Duration! This option allows the user to define the max duration of the effects they would like highlighted.
  • New Option: Personal Effects! Allows the user to enable personal sorting on the effects. If this option is selected it will separate the buffs into two lists apply the sort to those two lists then merge them back together displaying personal first.
  • New Option: Effect Sort Type! This option allows the user to define the sort for the selected frame, and has been added to the Player Buff, Player Debuff, Target, and Focus Target Frames:
    • Apply Time: This option sorts the effects by the time they were applied. This is the most similar to how effects are currently sorted.
    • Total Duration: This option sorts effects by the total duration of the effect.
    • Time Remaining: This option sorts the effects by the time remaining until they are finished.

Missions + NPCs

  • Corrected an issue that caused certain Companions to grant more bonus stats than intended.

Warzones

  • A PVP Mission Turn in Terminal has been added to the Southern base in Ancient Hypergates.
Filed Under: Patch Notes, SWTOR Tagged With:

SWTOR 2.8 Full Patch Notes

June 11, 2014 by

swtor-patch-incoming-banner

 

 

Soovada (“Spoils of War” in Huttese) is an annual celebration of total extravagance in Hutt culture, originally celebrated in the summer season of Varl after successful military campaigns. Rival clans compete to prove their superior wealth, attempting to sponsor the most parties, pit fights, bounties, gambling, and every other public display of fortune and excess imaginable.

Popularized among outside cultures during visits to Nar Shaddaa, this exuberant holiday is now celebrated on hundreds of worlds across the galaxy, where it’s simply known by its Huttese name; any connection to ancient wartime looting is largely ignored.

Highlights

NewPlayers can earn double Ranked Warzone Commendations, Warzone Commendations, Fleet Requisition, and Credits from PvP participation, and can try their hand at the slot machines on Nar Shaddaa for exclusive rewards during the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife celebration.

  • Earn double Fleet Requisition and Credits in Galactic Starfighter battles from Game Update 2.8 to 2.8.1.
  • Earn double Ranked Warzone and Warzone Commendations and Credits from 2.8.1 to 2.8.2.
  • Keep an eye out for intriguing advertisements for the Club Vertica and Star Cluster casinos for more information on the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife celebration!
  • Earn Golden Certificates from Smuggler’s Luck and Kingpin’s Bounty machines and redeem them for prizes.
  • Earn exclusive mount prizes directly from Kingpin’s Bounty machines.
  • Smuggler’s Casino Chips can be purchased with Credits or Warzone Commendations.
  • Kingpin’s Casino Chips can be purchased with Credits or Cartel Market Certificates, or won from Smuggler’s Luck slot machines.

 

Return to Oricon to face off against Dread Masters Bestia, Tyrans, Calphayrus, and Raptus, who are now more powerful than ever before! Defeat this new difficulty while Nightmare Power is active to earn a new title!

Story Mode Operations are now more accessible to endgame players (levels 50 – 55). The Operations section in the Group Finder window will list available Operations on a predetermined schedule, rotating in different Operations every few days. Players who meet the level requirement of the Operation will be Bolstered, removing the requirement for endgame gear. Rewards have also been improved, making this a great opportunity for players to earn Ultimate Commendations and experience new content!

The event runs from June 10th 12:00 GMT to June 17th 12:00 GMT. Get twice the experience from July 1st 07:00 GMT to July 8th 07:00 GMT. Participate in the Relics of the Gree event from July 22nd 12:00 GMT to July 29th 12:00 GMT.

General

  • Added Shadow Map options to the Preferences graphics tab:
    • Shadow Map Cascades: Increases the number of shadow maps used by the shadow system. Increasing this will improve quality but reduce performance.
    • Shadow Map Resolution: Increases the effective resolution of the shadows. Applies to interior and exterior shadows. Increasing this will improve quality but reduce performance.
  • Removed 6 Location and 1 Bestiary Codex entries that were erroneous and not obtainable through gameplay.
  • Corrected an error that caused /say messages to not send as expected.
  • System Messages are now able to have their location moved with the Interface Editor.

Cartel Market

  • New Nightlife Pack now available: The Star Cluster Nightlife Pack! Cost: 320 Cartel Coins.
  • Hypercrates containing 24 Star Cluster Nightlife Packs are now available! Cost: 6912 Cartel Coins (Discounted 10% for a limited time!)
  • The Star Cluster Nightlife Pack items can now be previewed in Collections.
  • Several Pets and Emotes from the Hotshot’s Starfighter Pack are now in Collections as intended.
  • Moods now have a description indicating which slash command they unlock (ex: /goofy).
  • The item “Holographic Disguise” now indicates in its tooltip that the effect will break when performing any action besides moving.

Classes + Combat

General

  • Fixed an issue that would occasionally allow abilities to affect targets, even if those targets had a 100% or greater chance to defend against attacks.

Jedi Knight

Sentinel

Watchman

  • Merciless Slash now deals more damage and costs 4 Focus.
  • Dispatch and Merciless Slash now have a 25/50/75 percent chance and Slash now has a 15/30/45 percent chance to trigger Mind Sear, which finishes the active cooldown of Cauterize.
  • Inexhaustible Zeal now also makes the Damager Over Time effects from Cauterize and Overload Saber uncleansable.
  • Overload Saber now requires Juyo Form to be active.
  • Plasma Blade now increases the damage dealt by burning effects by 7/14/21 percent (up from 2/4/6 percent).

 

Guardian

  • Focused Defense now lasts a maximum of 10 seconds (down from 40).

Sith Warrior

Marauder

 

Annihilation

  • Annihilate now deals more damage and costs 4 Rage.
  • Vicious Throw and Annihilate now have a 25/50/75 percent chance and Vicious Slash now have a 15/30/45 percent chance to trigger Pulverize, which finishes the active cooldown of Rupture.
  • Indefatigable Onslaught now also makes the Damager Over Time effects from Rupture and Deadly Saber uncleansable.
  • Deadly Saber now requires Juyo Form to be active.
  • Hemorrhage now increases the damage dealt by burning effects by 7/14/21 percent (up from 2/4/6 percent).

Juggernaut

  • Enraged Defense now lasts a maximum of 10 seconds (down from 40).

Jedi Consular

Sage

 

Balance (Sage)

  • Sever Force now deals slightly more damage.
  • Telekinetic Focal Point now grants a 9% per stack bonus to the damage of Rippling Force.
  • Mental Scarring now increases the damage done by Telekinetic Throw to targets affected by the player’s Sever Force by 8.3/16.67/25 percent.
  • Containment now reduces the activation time of Force Lift by 0.5/1.0 second (up from 0.25/0.5).

Shadow

  • Shadow’s Training now decreases the activation time of Force Lift by 1 second in addition to its other effects.
  • Mass Mind Control now taunts NPCs when Combat Technique is active, and lowers threat when Combat Technique is not active.
  • Reduced the activation time of Phase Walk to 0.5 seconds (down from 1.5 seconds) and increased the maximum duration to 5 minutes (up from 2 minutes).
  • Combat Technique, Force Technique, and Shadow Technique no longer require 100 Force to activate, and instead use all available Force regardless of amount.
  • Force Technique’s Force Breach now deals slightly more damage.

 

Balance (Shadow)

  • Sever Force now deals slightly more damage.
  • Mind Warp now increases the damage of Mind Crush by 16.5/33 percent instead of extending its duration.
  • Sever Force now also triggers the damage and Force regeneration of Rippling Force.
  • Containment now lowers the activation time of Force Lift by 0.5/1.0 second while Force Technique is active.
  • Mental Defense now enables Mass Mind Control to grant a 15/30 percent reduction in damage taken by 6 seconds.
  • Force Strike now has a 100% chance to activate on melee attacks (up from 60%).
  • Crush Spirit now grants a 15/30 percent chance for periodic damage over time effects to trigger Crush Spirit, which finishes the cooldown of Spinning Strike and makes your next Spinning Strike usable on a target of any health level.

Sith Inquisitor

  • Guard damage no longer cancels the effects of Whirlwind.

Sorcerer

 

Madness (Sorcerer)

  • Creeping Terror now deals slightly more damage.
  • Focal Lightning now grants a 9% per stack bonus to the damage of Lightning Burns.
  • Creeping Death now increases the damage done by Force Lightning to targets affected by the player’s Creeping Terror by 8.3/16.67/25 percent.
  • Haunted Dreams now reduces the activation time of Whirlwind by 0.5/1.0 second (up from 0.25/0.5).

Assassin

  • Assassin’s Training now decreases the activation time of Whirlwind by 1 second in addition to its other effects.
  • Mass Mind Control now taunts NPCs when Dark Charge is active, and lowers threat when Dark Charge is not active.
  • Reduced the activation time of Phase Walk to 0.5 seconds (down from 1.5 seconds) and increased the maximum duration to 5 minutes (up from 2 minutes).
  • Lightning Charge, Dark Charge, and Surging Charge no longer require 100 Force to activate, and instead use all available Force regardless of amount.
  • Lighting Charge’s Lightning Discharge now deals slightly more damage.

 

Madness (Assassin)

  • Creeping Terror now deals slightly more damage.
  • Lingering Nightmares now increases the damage of Crushing Darkness by 16.5/33 percent instead of extending its duration.
  • Creeping Terror now also triggers the damage and Force regeneration of Lightning Burns.
  • Haunted Dreams now lowers the activation time of Force Lift by 0.5/1.0 second while Lightning Charge is active.
  • Shapeless Spirit now enables Mass Mind Control to grant a 15/30 percent reduction in damage taken by 6 seconds.
  • Raze now has a 100% chance to activate on melee attacks (up from 60%).
  • Bloodletting now grants a 15/30 percent chance for periodic damage over time effects to trigger Bloodletting, which finishes the cooldown of Assassinate and makes your next Assassinate usable on a target of any health level.

Smuggler

Scoundrel

 

Scrapper

  • K.O. now allows Shoot First to interrupt the target.
  • Slippery Devil now offers a 15/30 percent reduction in area of effect damage in addition to its other bonuses.
  • Surprise Comeback now grants a 10/20 percent reduction in damage received while Stim Boost is active in addition to its healing effects.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Surprise Comeback from healing a fifth time.

Imperial Agent

Operative

 

Concealment

  • Jarring Strike now allows Hidden Strike to interrupt the target.
  • Shadow Operative Elite now offers a 15/30 percent reduction in area of effect damage in addition to its other bonuses.
  • Revitalizers now grants a 10/20 percent reduction in damage received while Stim Boost is active in addition to its healing effects.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Revitalizers from healing a fifth time.

Trooper

Commando

  • Tech Override now grants 6 seconds of interrupt and pushback immunity after it has been used to activate an ability immediately. For Commandos with Overclock, the immunity is triggered after the second use.

Vanguard

 

Shield Specialist

  • Shield Cycler now also regenerates Energy Cells when an attack is defended against in addition to shielding.
  • Static Shield now has a chance to finish the cooldown on Stock Strike when an attack is defended against in addition to shielding.

 

Assault Specialist (Vanguard)

  • Riot Augs now increases the damage of periodic elemental damage by 35% in addition to its other effects.
  • Rapid Recharge has been replaced by Critical Recharge. Critical Recharge increases Critical Hit chance by 1/2 percent, and reduces the cooldown of Recharge Cells and Reserve Powercell by 15/30 seconds.

Bounty Hunter

Mercenary

  • Power Surge now grants 6 seconds of interrupt and pushback immunity after it has been used to activate an ability immediately. For Mercenaries with Power Overrides, the immunity is triggered after the second use.

 

Pyrotech (Mercenary)

  • Superheated Rails no longer gets damage from both Primary Hand and Off-hand Rail Shot attacks.

Powertech

 

Shield Tech

  • Shield Vents now also vents Heat when an attack is defended against in addition to shielding.
  • Rapid Venting now has a chance to finish the cooldown on Rocket Punch when an attack is defended against in addition to shielding.

Pyrotech (Powertech)

  • Power Bracer now increases the damage of periodic elemental damage by 35% in addition to its other effects.
  • Rapid Venting has been replaced by Critical Venting. Critical Venting increases Critical Hit chance by 1/2 percent, and reduces the cooldown of Vent Heat and Thermal Sensor by 15/30 seconds.

Flashpoints + Operations

  • The effect of Nightmare Power has been removed from Nightmare Dread Fortress, and the “Conqueror of the Dread Fortress” Title can no longer be obtained. Congratulations to those who overcame this challenge!
  • Nightmare Mode is now available for the Dread Palace Operation.
  • Dread Master Brontes and the Dread Council now drop a Dread Guard Cranial Scan for each member of the Operation.
  • Players who are defeated in an Operation now have the option to spawn inside of the instance when all other players in the group are out of combat.
  • Players accessing Operations through Group Finder will now be Bolstered to an appropriate gear rating while inside the Operation. This Bolster effect will also provide increased incoming healing and increased shield chance and shield absorb.
  • Operations in Group Finder will now group players for the 16-Player Story Mode version of the Operation.
  • The Operation category of the Group Finder now rotates through a different available Operation every 2 or 3 days. The currently available Operation, the time remaining and the next available Operation can be accessed through the Group Finder panel.
  • Dread Fortress and Dread Palace have been added to the Operation rotation.
  • Mass Manipulator Generators no longer drop from every boss in Hard Mode Dread Fortress, and now only drop from Dread Master Brontes as intended.
  • Enemies outside of boss encounters in the Dread Palace now correctly follow players when engaged in combat.
  • Added additional gating to the Dread Fortress to block access to unintended areas of the map.
  • The Sovereignty buff players receive after claiming a Dread Master’s throne is now properly dispelled when leaving the Dread Palace.
  • Rewards for completing content via the Group Finder have been improved!
    • Operations:
      • Upgraded to 30 Ultimate Commendations at Level 55.
      • Upgraded to 25 Elite Commendations between Levels 50-54.
    • Hard Mode Level 55 Flashpoints:
      • Upgraded to 10 Ultimate Commendations.
    • Tactical 55 Flashpoints:
      • Upgraded to 10 Elite Commendations.

Galactic Starfighter

General

  • Spawn locations are now chosen randomly for players by default. Players can override this from the Map screen by manually selecting a spawn location.

Ships + Hangar

  • A new Gunship variant has been added! The SGS-S1 Condor (Republic) and the GSS-4Y Jurgoran (Empire) are now available via Fleet Requisition. These Skirmisher Gunships are a more up-close-and-personal Gunship with a Railgun and Missile-focused loadout, including an option for the new Interdiction Missile.
  • A new Bomber variant has been added! The Sledgehammer (Republic) and the B-5 Decimus (Empire) are now available via Fleet Requisition. These Assault Bombers are heavily armored Bombers that are best in the thick of the battle, and are able to deploy Drones or Mines for maximum effectiveness.

Components + Crew

  • Interdiction Mine damage has been increased, but no longer has Shield Piercing.
  • Feedback Shield’s damage has been increased and now correctly activates off of Primary Weapon attacks.
  • Fortress Shield now increases shield strength by 130%.
  • Mine area of effect now obeys line of sight.

Items + Economy

  • Serendipitous Assault, Focused Retribution, and Devastating Vengeance Relics no longer activate from both dealing damage and healing within the same rate limit.
  • Scrap Peddler Lockbox has been added to the PvP Items vendor on the Republic and Imperial Fleets for 600 Warzone Commendations. This Lockbox gives a random Jawa Scrap item that can be exchanged at the Scrap Peddlers in the Cartel Bazaar.
  • Master Hunter’s Headgear has been given voice modulation.
  • The Imperial version of the Battlemaster Force-Mystic’s Headgear has been given a more appropriate voice modulation.
  • The inventory of Fleet Commendation vendors has been updated:
    • All PvE Starship Upgrades have been moved to the Starship Upgrade vendor.
    • The Pilot Suits sold by this vendor no longer have Social Level requirements.
    • Reduced the cost of the Legacy Item Kits sold by this vendor.
    • Merged Grade 6/7/8 crafting Lockboxes into a single “Level 50” crafting Lockbox containing 3 random types of crafting materials.
    • Removed Level 50 Premium and Prototype Equipment Lockboxes.
    • Reduced the cost of the Level 50 Artifact equipment Lockbox.
    • Added a new Lockbox that contains a Rating 144 Prototype Item Modification, identical to the one purchased from the Makeb Planetary Commendation vendor.
    • Added a new Lockbox that contains a Rating 140 Item Modification, identical to the one purchased from the Makeb Planetary Commendation vendor. This Lockbox is weighted so that it is more likely to contain Modifications appropriate to your class.
    • Added a new Level 55 Crafting Lockbox that contains 3 random types of Grade 9 or 10 crafting materials.

Missions + NPCs

  • Slicing Missions now grant the correct grade of Lockbox.
  • The Starship Upgrade vendors S-1A0 (Empire) and S-4S0 (Republic) have been changed to Fleet Commendation vendors.
  • The Galactic Starfighter Daily Mission now additionally rewards 40 Fleet Commendations.
  • The Galactic Starfighter Weekly Mission now additionally rewards 90 Fleet Commendations.
  • The French voiceover for Darth Arkous in Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion has been updated.

Warzones

  • The Acid Trap Burn effect from the Toxic Sludge in Quesh Huttball Pit is now applied faster, and is no longer avoidable by using abilities that increase the player’s speed.
Filed Under: Patch Notes, SWTOR Tagged With:

SWTOR 2.7.2 Patch Notes

May 20, 2014 by

swtor-patch-incoming-banner

2.7.2 Patch Notes

General

  • Preferred players no longer have Chat restriction, as intended.

Cartel Market

  • Jori Daragon’s Loincloth no longer causes missing textures on the wearer’s legs.

Flashpoints + Operations

  • Corrected an issue which unintentionally granted Energy Spheres immunity to Challenging Call and Threatening Scream during the Dread Master Brontes encounter in Dread Fortress.

Warzones

  • The Lingering Sludge affect from the Toxic Sludge Pipes in the Quesh Huttball Pit is now applied to afflicted players immediately.
  • The ability “Throw The Huttball” is now granted when first entering any Huttball match instead of when first touching the Huttball.

 

Filed Under: Patch Notes, SWTOR Tagged With:

Darth Vader Delivers Pizza: A 12 Year Old Makes Their Dad Very Proud

May 18, 2014 by

Your friendly Star Wars: The Old Republic correspondent is a bit proud today. Whilst having a friend over for a sleepover, the two kids decided to make a movie about a story they’d made up. It just happened that Darth Vader got to play a cameo, including this carefully crafted prop:

(click on pic for full size)

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There had been no prompting by me, though I was more than happy to whack on my Darth Vader mask and play the role of pizza boy.

There’s hope for this generation after all.

Filed Under: Game-Related, Movies Tagged With: ,

Star Wars Episode 7: What Was Said In That Table Reading

April 30, 2014 by

Like any Star Wars fan, I’m damn excited by the announcement of the core cast for Star Wars Episode VII. Our mole in the room transcribed what actually went on* :

(Click on pic for full size)

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* or not – we probably just made all this up. Purely out of a love for Star Wars of course.

Filed Under: Movies Tagged With:

SWTOR 2.6.2 Patch Notes

March 20, 2014 by

swtor-patch-incoming-banner

2.6.2 Patch Notes

General

  • Players who activated the Makeb datacrons prior to 2.6.1 will have the Codex entries retroactively granted.

Cartel Market

  • The Charcoal Dewback can now be unlocked through the Collection.
  • Corrected the appearance of the Wastelander’s Gloves so that the metal attachments appear on all body types.
  • The Indomitable Vanquisher’s Saberstaff no longer has a gap between the hilt and the blade.
  • The Scrublander’s Gloves and Wastelander’s Gloves now correctly display on all body types, and their icons have been updated to reflect the correct appearance.
  • The “Emote: Chair 1” unlock available from the Rare Reputation Vendor in the Cartel Bazaar (an ICE Reputation item) now correctly unlocks the emote.
  • The Infiltrator’s Compact Sniper Rifle and the Vindicator’s Lightsaber are no longer missing weapon proficiency requirements in their Cartel Market descriptions.
  • The Korrealis Duke has returned from its spiritual journey, and is now properly found in the Vehicle category of Collections.

Flashpoints + Operations

  • Addressed performance issues within the Kuat Drive Yards Flashpoint.
  • Players are no longer able to avoid Lord Modo’s attacks at certain locations within the Command Platform scenario within Kuat Drive Yards.
  • Players attempting to use droid-specific CC abilities on Support and Suppression Droids during the Station Guardian One scenario in Kuat Drive Yards no longer see an error message saying that these NPCs are not droids.
  • During their encounter in the Dread Palace, the Dread Masters now properly cast Siphon Holocron every time they return to their throne.
  • Resolved an issue that prevented Flashpoint group members from getting experience if grouped with someone outside of the listed level range of the Flashpoint. Now, defeating level-appropriate enemies will grant experience regardless of group.

Galactic Starfighter

  • Sentry Drones no longer fire missiles or Railguns through geometry if the target breaks line of sight while the ability is charging up. Breaking line of sight resets the charge up time, and causes the drone to pick a different target if it has a clear shot at another enemy.
  • Galactic Starfighter ship roll rates are no longer slowed at low frame rates. High-end PCs will be unaffected, but players on lower-spec PCs should see a significant increase in roll speed.
  • The ION Cannon has had its volume reduced.

Items + Economy

  • Addressed an issue that resulted in the Droid Sidecar being unsearchable on the Galactic Trade Network.
  • Addressed an issue that resulted in the SR-02 Republic Scout Paint Job unsearchable on the Galactic Trade Network.

Missions + NPCs

  • Resolved an issue where enemy levels were being incorrectly colored as green instead of grey, to indicate that no XP would be gained from killing them.
  • Friend and Legend rank titles for Imperial Forward Command / Republic First Fleet Reputation are now restricted to the correct factions. “Defender of Kuat” and “Honorary Admiral” are restricted to Republic players in your Legacy. “Drive Yards Demolisher” and “Imperial Forward Commander” are restricted to Imperial players in your Legacy.
Filed Under: Patch Notes, SWTOR Tagged With:

Attack Of The Whining Pirates

April 30, 2013 by

gamedevtycoonThere’s nothing that inflames more debate in the gaming industry than piracy. Which is why I loved the blog post from an indie game developer, who immediately after releasing their game (Game Dev Tycoon), also released a cracked version on a large torrent site.

What happened then is fascinating if not surprising reading: go have a look, a laugh and perhaps shake your head a couple of times.

Would also love your thoughts on this evergreen issue!

Filed Under: General News Tagged With: ,

The Secret World 1.6.2 Full Patch Notes

April 16, 2013 by

TSW 1.6.2 Patch NotesThe full 1.6.2 Patch Notes for you, enjoy!

UPDATE 1.6.2 – APRIL 15TH

NEW!

  • A new Lair encounter has been added! Some intrepid Secret Worlders have found a way to open a portal to the Eidolon of the Outer Dark’s dwelling place! You’ll want to gather 10 of your bravest and send them through to see what they find. Signs are pointing to a strange wreckage around Kingsmouth being the weakest thread between our realities.

GENERAL

  • Using the Reconstructor won’t show the dialog popup on other players’ clients anymore.
  • Opening the character sheet will no longer cause a clothing item to be previewed.
  • Renamed a crate in the Polaris to “Orochi crate”.
  • Fixed a stuck location in The City Before Us instance.
  • Fixed the snake’s sound effects during the mission cinematic for Old Gods, New Tricks.
  • Kingdom counters from Signet of the Kingdom will now have a description when viewed.
  • When earning multiple tokens would take a character over the token cap, the server previously rejected the entire award. Instead, the character now earns exactly enough tokens to reach the cap.
  • Signet of Thinis will now build ranged resources on your hostile target, even when using a purely friendly targeted heal.
  • Removed Mayan K’in from the wallet GUI.
  • Resolved an issue that would leave players with a black screen after repeatedly using the Hellevator in Hell Eternal.
  • Fixed an issue with hat items being removed when equipping certain uniforms.
  • The Envoy of Ca’ d’Oro now sells another item.
  • Fixed the cause of a server crash.
  • Fixed several exploits in PvP, Lairs and Dungeons.

COMBAT

  • Reduced the cast time of Win-Win to 0.5 seconds (was 1 second).
  • Increased the radius of Win-Win to 15 meters (was 5 meters).
  • Increased the max number of targets affected by Win-Win to 5 (was 3).

MISSIONS

Kingsmouth

  • Floater – Mission will now complete when the drone reaches the end of the escort even if player is still on “Defend the drone” goal.

The Scorched Desert

  • The Last Train to Cairo mission icon will now show below Mean Streets’ mission icon.
  • The Last Train to Cairo: You can now re-enter the train segment even if you are disconnected during the intro cutscene.
  • Added louder sound effects while outside of the train in The Last Train to Cairo mission instance.
  • Players should no longer be prevented from reentering Sol Glorificus 329AD if they camp during certain phases of ‘A Time to Every Purpose’ tier two.
  • The City Before Us – Door to Old al-Meryah tunnels will take player to the tunnels instead of Thinis if player is on goal to “Recover the ark”.
  • Burying the Ark in ‘The City Before Us’ now provides team credit.
  • The Last Train to Cairo – Fixed an issue where your weapon was visually missing after the first boss cutscene on the train.
  • King of the Hill – Mummies no longer get stuck in terrain.

City of the Sun God

  • The Binding – The Hollow spear will be removed from player’s inventory when pausing the mission, and the papyrus, hollow shaft, and sharp point will be removed from player’s inventory when picking up the hollow spear again if they already exist.

PVP

  • Fixed an issue where the minigame score was not properly updated when joining a minigame late.
  • Stonehenge will once again have a wave respawn.
Filed Under: Patch Notes, The Secret World Tagged With:

Extra SWTOR Maintenance Thursday 14th February 2013

February 14, 2013 by

swtor-server-down

It appears SWTOR Patch 1.7 must have had some gremlins in it, as there’s some further server downtime this week. Time conversions:

AEDT: 10pm-Midnight

AWST: 7pm-9pm

NZDT: Midnight-2am

The BioWare announcement:

We will be deploying a patch and performing an unscheduled maintenance this Thursday, February 14th, 2013. Patch notes will be made available shortly after the servers come back up.

The servers will be down for two hours on Thursday, February 14th, 2013 from 5AM CST (3AM PST/6AM EST/11AM GMT/12PM CET/10PM AEDT) until 7AM CST (5AM PST/8AM EST/1PM GMT/2PM CET/12AM AEDT). All game servers will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than two hours, but could be extended.

After the maintenance, please login via the launcher to download the latest patch. If your launcher was open during the maintenance, you must close and reopen it for a fresh login.

Maintenance

Date: Thursday, February 14th, 2013

Time: 5AM CST (3AM PST/6AM EST/11AM GMT/12PM CET/10PM AEDT) until 7AM CST (5AM PST/8AM EST/1PM GMT/2PM CET/12AM AEDT)

All game servers will be offline during this period. This game maintenance is expected to take no more than two hours.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.

Filed Under: General News, Servers, SWTOR Tagged With:
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