The first World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria patch of 2013 is currently in development and this is your chance to see some of the things that are in the works. This patch will include a massive new raid dungeon, a multi-faceted new quest hub, Pet Battle improvements, new world bosses, significant class balance changes, brand new pets and mounts, assorted bug fixes, and more.
Note: The Patch 5.2 PTR is not yet available, but you can feast your eyes on the latest version of the PTR patch notes below. Please keep in mind that these changes are not final, and a great deal could change before the final patch 5.2 release.
Look for the 5.2 PTR to become available in early January!
World of Warcraft PTR Patch 5.2
General New Daily Quest Hub: The Isle of the Thunder King. Here players can join the assault to conquer Emperor Lei Shen's island stronghold, unlock new questlines and daily quest hubs, participate in special events, earn the right to visit the fabled Treasure Room, lay claim to an arsenal of powerful Mogu artifacts for their faction, and more.Each faction's finest are spearheading the assault: the Kirin-Tor Offensive led by Jaina Proudmoore and the Sunreaver Onslaught led by Lor'themar Theron. Earning reputation with these new factions offers heroes the opportunity to receive new quests and reputation rewards, including powerful items and an intimidating new mount.After both the Alliance and the Horde have eked out a foothold on the isle, players can choose to perform quests that are PvE or PvP focused. PvP quests will direct players against opposing faction NPCs, but slaying opposing players will grant credit as well.As the heroes conquer the Isle, they will unlock the powerful Lightning Forge, which will allow Blacksmiths to forge mighty raid-worthy items, as well as classic weapons from the past.
Players on the PTR can teleport to the Isle of the Thunder King at their faction shrines in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. While the Isle of the Thunder King will be unlocked progressively by each realm based on participation in the war effort, initially only some of the Isle’s features will be unlocked. Future updates will include the Shipyard and the Main Courtyard. Some features, including the Treasure Room, will not yet be available.
New Raid: Throne of Thunder Emperor Lei Shen, the Thunder King, has returned to wreak his vengeance on Pandaria. It falls to the heroes of the Alliance and the Horde to stop the newly resurrected tyrant and his Zandalari allies in the massive new raid: Throne of Thunder.Throne of Thunder is a sprawling citadel housing 12 new raid encounters, and players that defeat Emperor Lei Shen in Heroic mode can earn the opportunity to face an additional 13th foe.The Raid Finder version of the Throne of Thunder will be divided into 4 different wings.Join the Shado-Pan Assault in their singular drive to see Lei Shen, The Thunder King, defeated once and for all, and gain access to impressive Valor reward items. Reputation with this faction can be earned only within the Throne of Thunder raid dungeon.Please note: During the 5.2 PTR, this raid dungeon will only be available during a limited testing window. Keep an eye on our PTR Discussion Forum for details.
The Legendary Quest Continues: Wrathion must know the origin and source of Mogu power, and Azeroth's mightiest heroes will aid the Black Prince in finding out what it is. The search for information will take players into the depths of the Thunder King's Palace, and pit them against trials of perseverance and skill. Along the way, they'll unlock the secrets to a new headgear enchantment, the Crown of the Heavens.Please note: Initially this quest is not available on the PTR, but will be coming soon.
New World Bosses: Nalak, the Storm Lord and Oondasta Nalak, the Storm Lord After the Isle of the Thunder King has been conquered, the gate guardian of the Thunder King's citadel will appear: Nalak, the Storm Lord. Players will frequently have the opportunity to test their mettle against him.Oondasta Found in a place that has been lost in time, the great devilsaur lord Oondasta has been outfitted for battle with weaponry and armor by the Zandalari, and awaits players brave enough (or foolhardy enough) to seek him out on the mysterious Isle of Giants found in the seas north of Kun-Lai Summit.
Buy The Farm Players that have grown attached to working the land at Sunsong Ranch can now purchase the land from Farmer Yoon. Once the farm is owned by a player, it becomes a rest point like an Inn, where the player can bind and instantly log out. Work orders will pour into the farm from factions across Pandaria, and completing a work order will earn a reputation boost with the issuing faction.Please note: The new Sunsong Ranch features are not available on the PTR, but will be coming soon.
New World Boss System All world bosses are now Tap to Faction. This new system offers every eligible player of the same faction that engages a boss the chance to earn loot. Under the new system, players will only be able to earn loot from each world boss once per week, but bonus rolls apply. Bosses will now respawn more frequently as well.
Classes Death Knight Death Siphon now heals for 150% of the damage dealt (was 100%).Conversion now costs 5 Runic Power plus 5 per second thereafter (was 10 Runic Power plus 10 per second).The Bloodworms summoned by Blood Parasite now have 200% more health.Unholy Reaping now also applies to Icy Touch.Summon Gargoyle no longer costs Runic Power.Gargoyle Strike now deals Shadow and Nature damage (was Nature only).Ebon Plaguebringer now causes Plague Strike to inflict Frost Fever, in addition to its other effects.
Druid Cyclone now has a 30-second cooldown for Feral Druids. In addition, it will now share diminishing returns with Banish, Seduction, Bind Elemental, Hex, Freezing Trap, Wyvern Sting, Gouge, Sap, Hibernate, Paralysis, Polymorph, Ring of Frost, Repentance, and Quaking Palm.Symbiosis Shattering Blow now has a 1.5-second cast time to align correctly with the Warrior version of this ability.Displacer Beast has been redesigned. It now triggers Cat Form and grants 50% increased movement speed for 4 seconds after teleporting, and no longer activates Prowl.Cenarion Ward now grants 100% increased healing.Frenzied Regeneration now scales 10% more efficiently with attack power.Tooth and Claw now scales 10% more efficiently with attack power.Mastery: Nature's Guardian now provides 20% more armor per Mastery rating.Rejuvenation now costs approximately 9% less mana.Revive and Mark of the Wild now cost 55% less mana.Faerie Swarm can now snare more than one target at a time.Mass Entanglement now has a 30-second cooldown (was 2 minutes).Typhoon now has a 30-second cooldown (was 20 seconds).The Treants summoned by Force of Nature now deal more damage and healing, and the Force of Nature tooltip will report the capabilities of these summoned pets.Soul of the Forest Balance: Now generates 40 Lunar or Solar energy upon leaving Eclipse.Feral: Unchanged.Guardian: Generates 3 additional Rage per Mangle.Restoration: Now grants 70% Haste on the next spell cast after the Druid casts Swiftmend.Nature's Vigil now has a 90-second cooldown (was 3 minutes), and now increases damage and healing done by 10% (was 20%).
Hunter Bestial Wrath may now be activated when there is no line of sight to the Hunter's pet.Silencing Shot now has a 24-second cooldown (was 20).Binding Shot no longer has a Focus cost.Wyvern Sting no longer has a Focus cost, and its cooldown is now 45 seconds (was 60 seconds).Glyph of Marked for Death has been removed, and its effects are now baseline.New Glyph: Glyph of Liberation. This glyph now causes Disengage to heal the Hunter for 5% of maximum health when used.
Mage Invocation now removes Evocation's cooldown and reduces its channeling time and duration by 50%. A completed Evocation now grants 15% increased damage (was 25%) for 1 minute (was 40 seconds) after an Evocation is completed. Passive mana regeneration is reduced by 50% only while Invoker's Energy is active.Greater invisibility now has a 90-second cooldown (was 2.5 minutes).Frostbolt cast by Mirror Images now deals 50% more damage.Improved Counterspell has been removed.Glyph of Fire Blast has been replaced with Glyph of Inferno Blast. Glyph of Inferno Blast causes damage-over-time effects spread by Inferno Blast to spread to 1 additional target.Blazing Speed can now be triggered at will.Cold Snap now heals the Mage for 15% of maximum health when used (was 30%).Ice Floes now has a 45-second cooldown (was 1 minute).Scorch now costs 3.5% of base mana (was 0.1%).Arcane Arcane Blast's mana cost has been increased to 1.66667% of base mana (was 1.5%).Frost Frostbolt now deals 24% more damage, but its debuff no longer increases subsequent Frostbolt damage.Water Elemental Freeze no longer does damage, and only provides Fingers of Frost on a successful freeze.
Monk New Level-60 Talent: Ring of Peace Ring of Peace forms a 8 yard sanctuary around the target for 8 seconds, causing all enemies in the area of effect to be silenced and disarmed.New Windwalker and Brewmaster ability added at level 30: Nimble Brew. Nimble Brew removes all stun, fear, and root effects, and reduces the duration of those effects if they are re-applied by 60% for 6 seconds. It has a 2-minute cooldown.Chi Wave now does 100% more damage and healing, and no longer costs Chi, but now has a 15-second cooldown.Zen Sphere now has a limit of 2 (was 1), now detonates when either the recipient reaches 35% health or the Zen Sphere is dispelled, and no longer costs Chi.Chi Burst now does 100% more damage and healing, no longer costs Chi, and now has a 30-second cooldown.Path of Blossoms has been removed.Deadly Reach has been removed.Paralysis is now a physical, non-magical effect, and can no longer be dispelled, grounded or reflected, and its base range has been increased to 20 yards.Tiger's Lust and Touch of Karma no longer have a Chi cost.Tiger's Lust can no longer be used on targets that have other temporary speed increases active.Charging Ox Wave now has a 30-second cooldown (was 60 seconds).Dampen Harm can now be used while stunned, and its cooldown will now begin when used, not when the effect ends.Healing Elixirs now heals the Monk for 15% of maximum health (was 10%).Chi Torpedo now deals 15% more damage.Healing Spheres now have a duration of 1 minute. Healing Spheres generated by Mastery: Gift of the Serpent now have a duration of 30 seconds.Mistweaver Life Cocoon can no longer be dispelled.Zen Focus, the 4-piece Mistweaver set bonus, is now more responsive.It is no longer possible to use Thunder Focus Tea while silenced.Healing Spheres will now heal for 50% of their original value if they expire without being picked up. This healing will factor in relevant Mastery.Xuen will now fixate on the Monk's original target.Windwalker New Level-75 Ability: Storm, Earth and Fire The Windwalker can summon up to 2 elemental duplicates that mirror damaging abilities that the Monk uses while they are active. For each spirit summoned, the Monk's damage is reduced: 1 spirit causes the Monk and the spirit to deal 60% of the Monk's normal damage, while 2 spirits will cause the Monk and both active spirits to deal 40% of the Monk's normal damage. Each spirit lasts until the ability is canceled, or that spirit's target dies or otherwise becomes unavailable.Combo Breaker is now a passive ability granted at level 15 that grants a 12% chance to make the Monk's next Blackout Kick or Tiger Palm cost no Chi.New Mastery: Bottled Fury -- Increases the damage bonus provided by Tigereye Brew by .2% per Mastery per stack.Tigereye Brew now increases damage by 1% per stack (was 2%), but is now improved by Bottled Fury.Tigereye Brew now gains 1 charge after spending 2 Chi (was 4 Chi).Tigereye Brew will now stack to 20, but only 10 charges can be consumed per activation.A user interface alert now displays upon reaching 10 stacks of Tigereye Brew.Brewmaster Mastery: Elusive Brawler now provides 25% more Stagger per Mastery rating.
Paladin Hand of Purity now reduces all incoming damage by 10% in addition to its other effects.Eternal Flame's periodic heal now provides 100% more healing when self-cast.Judgment now costs 5% of base mana.Protection The base damage of Consecration has been increased by 789%, and it now scales less efficiently with attack power by approximately 11%.
Priest Power Word: Solace has been redesigned. Power Word: Solace replaces Holy Fire. It deals the same damage and interacts with other spells and abilities in the same manner, but is instant, costs no mana, and restores 1% of maximum mana on each cast.Dominate Mind now has a 1.8-second cast time (was 2.5 seconds).Angelic Feather now has a 6-second duration (was 4 seconds).Body and Soul now has a 3-second duration (was 4 seconds).Glyph of Holy Fire has been redesigned. It now increases the range of Holy Fire, Smite, and Power Word: Solace by 10 yards.Discipline Focused Will now reduces damage taken by 15% per stack, with a limit of 2 stacks.Spirit Shell no longer benefits from Mastery, and now properly includes the benefits of Divine Aegis and critical effect chance.Rapture now provides mana equal to 250% (was 200%) of the Priest's Spirit, but no longer benefits from Spirit provided by short-duration bonuses.
Rogue Preparation is now a baseline ability learned at level 68.Versatility has been removed.New Level-90 Talent: Marked for Death Marks a target and instantly generates 5 combo points. When that target dies, Marked for Death's cooldown is reset. This talent has a 1-minute cooldown.New Level-60 Talent: Cloak and Dagger Ambush, Garrote, and Cheap Shot now have a 30-yard range, and will cause the Rogue to teleport behind the target.Burst of Speed now costs 30 Energy (was 50 Energy), can be used in Stealth, and always grants increased movement speed in addition to breaking snare effects, but no longer breaks root effects.Shuriken Toss now causes the Rogue to throw shuriken instead of auto-attacking for 10 seconds after Shuriken Toss is used.Deadly Throw can now interrupt spellcasting when used at 3, 4, and 5 combo points, and upon interrupt prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 4, 5 and 6 seconds respectively (was 5 combo points and 6 seconds).Nerve Strike now reduces the effectiveness of healing provided by the target by 25%.Shadow Focus now reduces ability energy costs by 75% while stealthed (was 100%).PvP set bonuses have been changed: Vigor is now the 4-piece set bonus and increases maximum energy by 50 (was 10).Deadly Brew is now the 2-piece set bonus, and its effects remain unchanged.Combat Vitality now increases attack power by 30% (was 25%).Blade Flurry now deals 75% less damage.Subtlety Sanguinary Vein now increases the damage the target takes by 20% (was 16%).
Warlock The Felhunter ability Spell Lock is now an interrupt, and no longer applies a 3-second blanket silence.Blood Fear has been redesigned. This ability is now cast on the Warlock, and causes melee attacks that strike within the next 60 seconds to fear the attacker. When cast, the ability has 1 charge, costs 20% health to activate, and has a 30-second cooldown.Soul Leech now provides an absorption shield instead of healing.Sacrificial Pact now requires the pet to sacrifice 25% of its health to activate (was 50%).Kil'jaeden's Cunning is now a passive talent, and its activated ability has been removed.The passive damage from Archimonde's Vengeance no longer has a visual effect.Grimoire of Sacrifice now increases the damage of abilities by 20% (was 25%) for Destruction, and 45% (was 50%) for Affliction.Grimoire of Sacrifice now provides the spell Whiplash instead of Seduction when a Succubus is sacrificed.Glyph of Burning Embers has been removed, and its effects are now baseline for Destruction Warlocks.Glyph of Soul Shards has been removed, and its effects are now baseline for Affliction Warlocks.New Glyph: Glyph of Ember Tap. This glyph increases the healing gained from Ember Tap by 50%.New Glyph: Glyph of Drain Life. This glyph increases the healing gained from Drain Life by 30%.
Warrior Shockwave now has a 40-second cooldown (was 20 seconds), striking 3 or more targets will reduce its cooldown by 20 seconds.Second Wind now causes a Warrior that has been reduced to 35% health or lower to regenerate 2% of their health per second (was 3%), and now generates 15 Rage over 10 seconds (was 20 Rage).Warbringer now reduces the target's movement by 50% for 15 seconds (8 seconds in PvP) in addition to its other effects.Shield Barrier now scales approximately 10% less efficiently with attack power.Storm Bolt now deals 125% weapon damage (was 100%).Enraged Regeneration now costs 30 Rage (was 60).Glyph of Death from Above no longer increases the damage dealt by Heroic Leap.Arms Taste for Blood has been redesigned. It now causes the Warrior to gain 2 stacks of Overpower (maximum of 5 stacks) when Mortal Strike deals damage or the target dodges, and no longer interacts with Heroic Strike. It now requires level 20 (was level 50).Slam now deals 220% weapon damage (was 190%).Protection The base damage of Shield Slam and Revenge has been increased by 150%, but these abilities now scale approximately 10% less efficiently with attack power.
Shaman Elemental Mastery now has a 1-minute cooldown (was 2 minutes).Shamanistic Rage is now available to Elemental Shaman as well as Enhancement Shaman.Conductivity no longer requires that the target be within the area of effect of Healing Rain.Ancestral Swiftness now increases spell haste by 5% and melee haste by 10% (was 5%/5%).Glyph of Purge now adds a 6-second cooldown to Purge.Stone Bulwark Totem now absorbs 25% more damage.Unleashed Fury Flametongue now increases Lightning Bolt damage by 20% (was 30%), and Lava Burst damage by 10% (was 0%).Primal Earth Elemental and Primal Fire Elemental now deal 20% more damage.Elemental Blast now has a chance to increase the caster's Agility for Enhancement Shaman.Glyph of Flame has been redesigned. This glyph now causes the Shaman to heal for 50% of the damage dealt by Flame Shock.Flame Shock's duration has been increased by 25%.
Quests Warlocks can now undertake a solo adventure that culminates with the ability to change the color of their Fire spells to appear Fel green. The quest begins for those Warlocks determined or fortunate enough to have laid their hands on the fabled Codex of Xerrath.
Creatures Zandalari forces have begun scouting the shores of Pandaria, searching for the perfect invasion point. The Zandalari can be found in Krasarang Wilds, Dread Wastes, Townlong Steppes, Jade Forest, and Kun-Lai Summit. Zandalari Scouts can be handled by 1 or 2 players, while elite Zandalari Warbringers will likely require a full party of 5 heroes. Defeat Warbringers to gain special drops, including crafting materials, reputation gains, an achievement, and even the chance to get one of three new rare mounts!Galleon now respawns much more frequently, but players can only receive loot from him once per week.Dire Horns have been added as a tamable species for Hunters that have learned the required skill. Aspiring Dire Horn owners should seek out clues regarding these auspicious beasts.
Pet Battles Supercharge now provides a 125% damage bonus (was 150%), and its cooldown is now 4 rounds (was 3).Sprite Darter Hatchling – Evanescence and Arcane Blast have swapped ability positions.Nether Roach is now a real roach and can now survive the apocalypse.Battle Pet Bandages now stack to 25 and are Bind to Account.Battle-Stones now have a chance to be awarded from PVP Pet Battles.Pets whose color schemes change each time they are summoned have returned. Older pets with this behavior now have it back, as well as some newcomers.Pet levels will now only display on the map when pets are tracked.Taming the World now lists its reward correctly in the Achievements pane.Level-capped players will now have a chance to earn Lesser Charms of Good Fortune after winning a pet battle versus a pet within 5 levels of the highest level pet on their team. Higher-level pets will offer a better chance to earn a charm.Winning a pet battle versus a team within 5 levels of the player's highest-level pet will now award player experience.Fleeing a pet battle will no longer despawn the pet that was being battled, but doing so will now inflict some damage on the fleeing pet battle team.Disconnecting from a pet battle will once again respawn the pets you were fighting.Any pet that has been killed in a pet battle will now never respawn.A number of new pets can be found on the Isle of Lightning, including rare spawn drops, wild pets, and raid boss drops.Elite Battle Pets have been added to the game world. These rare pets will spawn alone against an entire team. A new quest has been added to track progress as these new pets are hunted down, and completing that quest will award the new Red Panda pet.
Please note: Many of these changes have not yet come to the PTR, but will be available soon.
PvP PvP trinkets that clear loss-of-control effects will now also clear these effects from the player's pet as well.
Items Skyshards are now Bind on Account.
Sunsong Ranch Seed bags have been added that allow planting of crops 4 plots at a time.Yoon's Mailbox has been renamed to Sunsong Ranch Mailbox.The yield from special crops has been improved to make farming them competitive with gathering these items out in the world.Running the Master Plow across underground Virmen will cause them to pop out of the ground at 30% health and stunned.Wild Crops will now occur less often.
Bug Fixes Classes Druid It is no longer possible for a weaker application of Living Seed to overwrite a stronger one.Paladin It is no longer possible to refresh Inquisition to a lower duration.Mage The cooldown of Cauterize will now properly reset upon entering an Arena.Warlock Grimoire of Service now describes its special abilities on the tooltip.
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Posts
With the Patch 5.2 PTR finally allowing access to the Isle of the Thunder King, I logged on both my Alliance and Horde warriors to see what all the fuss was about. Both the Sunreaver Onslaught and the Kirin Tor Offensive are in full swing, with both Lor'themar Theron and Jaina Proudmoore directly leading these opposing forces into battle. 
As you might expect, the Sunreaver Onslaught and Kirin Tor Offensive mirror each other in their collection of a home base on the Isle and their attempts to claim a stronger foothold by sending players (such as yourself) to assault the Zandalari and mogu forces on the island, but they also send you to assail the local saurok as well, which is where I spent most of my time on the Isle. 
There are elite Zandalari to kill, altars to destroy, pterrordax hatchlings to spook, a wide variety of dailies (considering I could only see one days worth for each faction) so I don't expect it will be that difficult to build rep with these factions, especially if they take their lead from the Dominance Offensive/Operation: Shieldwall quests and have story elements periodically as well. 
Yes, the Image of Archmage Vargoth is back, and he's handing out quests. Modera was there, too, but I only had eyes for Vargoth. This time out it clearly seems that the Kirin Tor is fully backing Jaina and the new pro-Alliance direction as fervently as the Sunreavers are supporting the Horde. It definitely looks like both factions will have tons to do on the Isle of the Thunder King, all told. 
Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90,