Siege of Orgrimmar Boss Preview: Immerseus

Immerseus is the first boss in the new Siege of Orgrimmar raid, located just inside the entrance in the Vale of not-quite-so-eternal Blossoms. Descending into the room, you will encounter Immerseus in this circular area. When moused over, he shows up as "tears of the vale" -- the poor thing is created from the corruption of the life-giving pools of the Vale.

As the first boss of the raid, it should come as no surprise that Immerseus is very straightforward, but the mechanics, though simple, deal heavy damage if not dealt with correctly. Player are essentially trying to cleanse Immerseus' corruption by beating the corruption out of him, and killing it before it can get back. He has two phases, Tears of the Vale and Split. Immerseus will begin the fight in Tears of the Vale, and the object is to DPS Immerseus down to zero health, when he will shift into his Split mode.

Tears of the Vale

This is the main phase, which Immerseus starts off in, and spends the majority of the fight in. There are three abilities that players need to know about, all of which are simply handled with movement. Firstly, the tanks will be repeatedly assaulted with Corrosive Blast. It's likely best for tanks to swap after each blast or two to avoid being one-shotted by this ability, and it is a very, very bad idea for anyone who isn't a tank to stand behind the tanks. It's a cone effect, and will hit the area around the tanks as well, this is not a targeted ability.

As well as the corrosive blast, Immerseus will periodically target every player with Sha Bolts. These target the player, and leave a small pool on the floor. These pools will only disappear once Immerseus enters his second phase, so it is important for players to position these pools in such a way that they don't paint themselves into a corner with the damaging pools. On the PTR at least, they hit very hard. In 10-man, this shouldn't be too much of a problem, but in 25-man it could be a bit tricker. It will likely be the case that there will have to be a ranged area of pools and a melee area of pools in each segment of the room that isn't occupied by the tanks. Speaking of the tanks, it is very easy for healers to accidentally get themselves out of range of the tanks, thanks to the pools and the cone effect. Consider positioning carefully, and perhaps use raid markers and the like to easily handle the positions of the raid. Stepping in the circular puddle which Immerseus is in will cause both damage and a knockback, but standing in the rivers leading to that circular puddle doesn't do damage. It does, however, make it far, far harder to see the sha puddles.

The final ability which Immerseus uses is Swirl. It's a simple ability, a beam effect that he channels out of his front-facing side, and while it's channeling, he slowly rotates around the room. However, the beam is blue. The room is blue. The floor is blue. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this! The beam is extremely hard to see. I didn't really get any good screenshots of it, but the best I've been able to find is below:

You can probably just about make out the Swirl to the right-hand-side of the screen, and the clue is that Immerseus is facing you. The Swirl is far easier to see when the fight is going on, but those with lower graphics settings may well struggle. Altogether, it's a phase which requires some careful movement.

Split

Immerseus has both a health and a corruption bar. His health bar is easily emptied, and doing so is what causes the phase change, but what you're actually trying to do is empty Immerseus' corruption bar. Once his health reaches zero, the corruption will fly out of him in the form of little colored blobs. Rather like T-1000 in Terminator 2, Immerseus' blobs will attempt to re-form, and it is the player's responsibility to do their best to ensure that that doesn't happen. There are two types of blob, Sha Puddles and Contaminated Puddles. The Sha puddles need to be DPS'd down, and when each one pops, it will cause Sha Residue. You'll probably notice that this increases the damage dealt to other Puddles by 25%, so it's worth bursting one down to get the buff up. These also deal damage to nearby enemies on explosion.

As you can see, there are quite a number of blobs. The Sha Puddles, which need to be DPS'd down, are the black ones, and the blue ones are Corrupted Puddles. Rather than being DPS'd, the Corrupted Puddles need to be healed to full health. As their health increases, they slow down in speed, and when healed to full they apply Purified Residue. Healers should ensure they are near the blob when it's fully healed to get the buff. As a restoration shaman, healing them to full took a single Greater Healing Wave, so it wasn't exactly tricky, but of course our Mastery works fantastically in this situation.

If the Sha Puddle blobs reach Immerseus, they will deal 75,000 shadow damage to the raid, and the same applies for Corrupted Puddle blobs. Purified Corrupted Puddle blobs, that is to say, Corrupted Puddles which have been healed to full, will deal only 30,000 frost damage. As a side note, these blobs aren't puddles, they're blobs. Calling them puddles in a fight where there actually are puddles is daft.

Anyhow, and Sha Puddle (blob) which is killed, and any Corrupted Puddle (blob) healed to full will reduce Immerseus' corruption bar by one. He has 100 corruption at the start of the fight, and cannot gain any corruption back, so all you need to do is kill or heal 100 blobs. Or 100 puddles, to use the proper term. Once the phase is over, Immerseus goes right back to Tears of the Vale. It's a simple, fun fight, my only complaints are the visibility of the Swirl, and the names of those adds!

Do also check out our previews for Kor'kron Dark Shaman, and General Nazgrim.

Tags: featured, guide, guide-to-raid-leading, immerseus, leadership, patch-5.4, patch-5.4-ptr, patch-5.4-raid, patch-5.4-raid-guide, raid-guide, raid-leader, raid-leader-guide, raiding-guide, raids, siege-of-orgrimmar-guide, wow-guide, wow-guide-to-raid-leading, wow-r

Filed under: Raiding, Raid Guides

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Siege of Orgrimmar Boss Preview: Kor'kron Dark Shaman

The Kor'kron Dark Shaman are the seventh boss of the new Siege of Orgrimmar raid instance, which will arrive in patch 5.4. They are the second boss in the Gates of Retribution wing, which is the first of three wings which are located in Orgrimmar. These wings will be applicable to both the Raid Finder and Flexible Raiding difficulties. Kor'kron Dark Shaman was tested in 10-man normal mode with three healers, and two tanks.

The start of the fight sees the two shaman, Earthbreaker Haromm and Wavebinder Kardris, who share a health pool, inside what used to be Garrosh's throne room. They are accompanied by two dogs, and the room is extremely small for the fight on 10-man difficulty, let alone 25-man, so it is best that all four are pulled outside. On PTR, the pull required quite some caution, as the combination of a +100% frost damage debuff cast on the Haromm tank and Kardris' Froststorm Bolt caused some serious issues if aggro was not well-managed, not to mention the bolt one-shotting DPS and healers. The two wolves seemed completely insignificant, with only 12 million HP each they were DPS'd down extremely quickly, then the fight begins for real.

Totems

Just like any shaman, these bosses' abilities revolve around the summoning of totems. There are three totems, which are placed at 90%, 80% and 70% health, and give each boss different abilities. These totems really are the key to the fight, as with the exception of the two frost abilities mentioned before, the bosses really don't do a great deal that isn't related to the totems.

Poisonmist Totem

This is the first totem to appear, when the bosses' joint health pool reaches 90%, and grants the two bosses two abilities. Firstly, Earthbreaker Haromm will be granted Toxic Mist, which seemed to debuff two players at a time, not only inflicting a reasonable 120,000 nature damage per three seconds, but also applying stacks of Toxicity, which was far more problematic, as it stacked up, increasing nature damage taken but 10% per stack. We didn't see it stacking up above 5 stacks, but in a fight where pretty much all the damage is nature damage, +50% is a big deal. The good news is that the majority of the damage is avoidable, but obviously this debuff makes any misstep a far bigger issue. I wouldn't be surprised to see this nerfed somewhat before this encounter goes live. Wavebinder Kadris is granted Toxic Storm. This stormcloud not only deals heavy damage to anyone near it, but also periodically summons Toxic Tornadoes. You can see both the cloud and the tornadoes above. The cloud, like most of Kadris' abilities, seems to spawn on her head, meaning she needs to be kited quite a lot to avoid excessive damage. Once the cloud has appeared, it will periodically fire off Toxic Tornadoes. These, unlike the ones on Blademaster Ta'Yak don't appear to fixate on a particular player, nor do they seem to pick a spot and remain stationary. Instead, they meander around the area, often in groups, and knock players upwards. They do despawn, but it seems to take some time, and they will cover a fairly wide area, as you can see in the image above.

Foulstream Totem

This is the second totem to be summoned, when the bosses' joint health reaches 80%. Earthbreaker Haromm is given Foul Stream, which appears to fixate on a single player, then flash a broad line of liquid onto the floor, which lasts a short while before disappearing. Again, this inflicts nature damage, and a lot of it, 300,000 to be precise. Don't stand in it! It really does disappear very quickly, the only screenshot I was able to get of it is the one in the header image at the top of the article. Again, Wavebinder Kadris is granted the far more tiresome ability, Foul Geyser. This spawns, again, from the boss herself, firing bright green liquid off in all directions. The liquid deals damage where it lands, and every bit of liquid spawns a Foul Slime, which emit Foulness. These slimes are many in number, but don't have a great deal of health. They do, however, deal a reasonable amount of AoE damage, particularly en masse, and are best kited by a tank. Hunter misdirects and the like are invaluable here, to turn the slimes' attention to the kiter while they are burned down. Of all the aspects of this fight, the slimes caused the most trouble. We seemed to be getting 18 slimes from every cast of Foul Geyser, which is a lot to handle for a 10-man normal mode. Strong ranged AoE abilities are very important thanks to the AoE damage dealt making these a tricky proposition for melee. Ashflare Totem

This totem is the last of the three to appear, when the shamans' health pool reaches 70%. Of the totems, it seems to be, mercifully, the least troublesome of the totems. It gives Earthbreaker Haromm, for once, the more entertaining ability, Ashen Wall. This wall of elementals will deal damage to anyone near enough to it to be in their range, but on the PTR, it seemed that they had come over all Gallic and gone on strike. They did almost no damage, and we couldn't find anything in the combat logs indicating that they were doing anything at all. They look cool, though.

Wavebinder Kadris is given Falling Ash by the Ashflare totem, which is the huge red circle of doom you can see in the image above. Oddly enough, standing in it isn't a great idea, what you unfortunately can't see is the slowly falling meteor that is above it. If you're in the circle when that meteor lands, you will not live to tell the tale. It will deal 200,000 damage to everyone in the area regardless of where you're standing, too, but it is easily prepared for with spirit shells and the like.

Bloodlust

Yes, they really are shaman! The fight continues to revolve around these three totems and their associated abilities, until the shamans' health reaches 30%, when they will Bloodlust, increasing all their damage dealt by 30%, and their haste by 30%. While it isn't 100% confirmed to be the case, it would be odd indeed if this didn't include all the summoned abilities, as the shamans themselves really don't do a great deal.

Obviously, this fight involves a good deal of kiting, and as such is not ideal for melee DPS. Haromm is probably the best primary target, as they share a health pool, and Kadris has this annoying habit of constantly summoning things on her head. All the really troublesome abilities come from Kadris, so it could be viable to take Haromm somewhere quiet, like inside a building, and DPS him down while leaving a smaller party outside to deal with Kadris. Of course, this is PTR, so everything's subject to change!

Tags: featured, guide, guide-to-raid-leading, leadership, patch-5.4, patch-5.4-korkron-dark-shaman, patch-5.4-ptr, patch-5.4-raid, patch-5.4-raid-guide, raid-guide, raid-leader, raid-leader-guide, raiding-guide, raids, wow-guide, wow-guide-to-raid-leading, wow-raid-leader, wow-raiding, wow-raids

Filed under: Raiding

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Mists of Pandaria Preview

Thanks for stopping by Mists of Pandaria Leveling!

Mists of Pandaria Leveling will be a site dedicated to find the best ways to leveling your WoW Mists of Pandaria toons as quick and efficiently as possible. We will be experimenting in different questing guides for all different wow classes for Horde and Alliance alike. We will take an in depth look at the many different WoW leveling guides and addons offered on the web and break down what they offer as well as how effective they are and How much they cost ( if it applies ) .

For those of you who haven’t yet seen any info on what to expect with the new WoW Mists of Pandaria expansion just below is a trailer for the new expansion.

Because of the fact that this expansion has not been released. In the earlier stages, just before the expansion is released, we will break down which WoW guide companies will have leveling guides ready to go for the actual release day of Mists of Pandaria. We figured this was important since many people will want to have great leveling guides to chose from on day one. We fully understand that and want to make sure people are getting exactly what the are looking for for Mists of Pandaria Leveling. In addition I know several leveling guide companies have offers that include downloading their current “Pre-Pandaria/Cataclysm” leveling guides with the added bonus or incentive of – “If you order our current leveling guide, you will have free access to download the Mists of Pandaria leveling guide the same day/actual day Mists of Pandaria is released. Which is what many of us will actually do because we want them RIGHT AWAY/ASAP.

Check out the new trailer released on Youtube by Blizzard. This will get you excited to get your freak on in the new WoW expansion.

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Patch 5.2 Raid Preview: Throne of Thunder

When Pandaria separated from Kalimdor many thousands of years ago, a veil of mist kept outsiders from discovering the newly-formed continent. The mists also hid the site of an ancient evil: Lei Shen’s Throne of Thunder. During his rule, this fortress was the seat of the Thunder King’s power. Great swathes of corrupted energy lingered long after his death, and now, the resurrected Thunder King and the Zandalari trolls intend to harness that energy to reestablish Lei Shen’s reign.

Join us as we delve into the Thunder King’s stronghold, one of the largest raid dungeons that Azeroth’s adventurers have ever seen. Here we will learn about its fearsome denizens, and gain insight into each battle from Lead Encounter Designer, Ion “Watcher” Hazzikostas.

Last Stand of the Zandalari

Jin’rokh the Breaker

When the Thunder King awoke, he rewarded the most loyal and ambitious Zandalari trolls with power beyond their wildest dreams. The berserker Jin’rokh was one of the first to receive the King’s blessing, and even though Lei Shen’s gifts nearly tore his body apart, the troll is now capable of calling the fury of the storm in battle.

Ion: Long-time players may remember this guy as one of the Zandalari berserkers living on Yojamba Isle in Stranglethorn Vale, back when the Zandalari were our friends. He was a quest giver in the assault on the original 20-player Zul’Gurub. He was a huge brute to begin with, but he’s been imbued with even greater power by the Thunder King. He crackles with electricity, using both his raw strength and channeled lightning to destroy his enemies.

Horridon

The Zandalari brought powerful creatures with them to the Isle of the Thunder King to use as engines of war. Led by the War-God Jalak, the dinomancers of the Zandalari Beast Ward use ancient tribal magics to strengthen the great beasts and command obedience. The horns of Horridon, the fabled mount of Jalak himself, can tear through the stone walls of a keep as a blade cuts silk.

Ion: Trolls love dinosaurs, so it’s only fitting that the most advanced and powerful troll tribe should have the largest and most powerful dinosaurs. The overall structure of this encounter recalls past fights like Lady Deathwhisper or M’uru, where players must keep up with waves of lesser (but still threatening) minions while managing the boss, before turning their attention directly to him in the later stages of the fight.

Council of Elders

The history of the troll tribes—the Drakkari, the Farraki, the Amani, and the Gurubashi—is awash with millennia of betrayal and conflict, but the Zandalari’s promise of a new, unstoppable empire has finally united these disparate troll leaders.

The Council of Elders consists of four mighty troll leaders: Kazra’jin of the Amani, Sul the Sandcrawler of the Farraki, Frost King Malakk of the Drakkari, and High Priestess Mar’Li of the Gurubashi.

Ion: Gara’jal the Spiritbinder’s defeat in the Mogu’shan Vaults was, yes, merely a setback. It takes more than a few blades and spells to put a voodoo priest down for good, though he no longer possesses a corporeal form. So this time around you aren’t fighting him directly, but rather dealing with him as he possesses and empowers leaders of four other troll tribes, strengthening their attacks until you can force him out of the body he has chosen to occupy.

Forgotten Depths

Tortos

Over the millennia, small amounts of mogu flesh-shaping magic seeped into the caverns below the Thunder King’s citadel. The dark energies warped one of the chamber’s native dragon turtles, melding it to the surrounding crystalline walls. Known as Tortos, this amalgamation of flesh and stone has since feasted on the cave’s rich mineral deposits and grown to a colossal size.

Ion: Along with asking why we fight, and learning that our true enemy is war itself, a major theme of the Mists of Pandaria has been killing turtles. This raid encounter elevates that motif to all-new heights, presenting players with the chance to fight a huge turtle, and small turtles, and also the ability to kick one of the small turtles into the big turtle. What more could you ask for?

Fun fact: We originally wanted to make a fire turtle boss in the southeastern section of Firelands in Patch 4.2, but opted not to at the time; we’ve been looking for an opportunity to do a turtle fight ever since.

Megaera

Even the most callous among the mogu quaver at the thought of the dark experiments performed at the Thunder King’s behest. Long ago, a young cloud serpent was twisted into a multi-headed hydra and left to languish beneath Lei Shen’s throne. Now the twisted creature lurks deep in the Forgotten Depths, awaiting the moment it may finally inflict its terrible agony upon others.

Ion: The inspiration for this boss fight was the classic hydra that Heracles (Hercules, if you prefer the Roman version for some silly reason) battled in Greek myth—a beast with many heads that regrew two heads in place of each that was severed. That foundation, combined with the concept of three distinct types of heads, resulted in the beast that now awaits players beneath the Thunder King’s lair in patch 5.2.

Ji-Kun

Mogu flesh-shapers discarded their failed creations in an abyssal shaft beneath Lei Shen’s keep. The reek of decay lured many scavengers to the refuse pit, including the great Ji-Kun. Ruthless and cunning, the monstrous bird devoured her rivals one-by-one until she held sole dominion over the shadowy tunnel.

Ion: This fight takes place in a cylindrical shaft containing a large central platform with multiple nests located both above and below that platform. The encounter was designed to highlight the strong vertical elements of the terrain, without adding actual aerial combat which could have felt awkward. For example, players can gain and use a temporary flight ability to switch levels and deal with Ji-Kun’s fledglings before they mature and pose a greater threat to the raid.

Halls of Flesh-Shaping

Durumu the Forgotten

Lei Shen commanded his sorcerers to mold an aberration that could peer into the hearts of his followers and detect betrayal. From this decree, Durumu was given life. The clever entity stubbornly obeyed its masters until the Thunder King’s death, at which time it disappeared into the citadel’s labyrinthine corridors. Only recently has Durumu, all but forgotten by the mogu, emerged from hiding.

Ion: Years ago, players encountered C’Thun, the eye of an old god beneath the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj. As giant eyes are wont to do, it fired eyebeams as its primary method of attack. Durumu has many more eyes, and therefore fires many more eyebeams.

Primordius

Deep within the bowels of Lei Shen’s island citadel, mogu flesh-shapers formed the saurok out of a magical substance of unknown origin. When the citadel was abandoned, some experiments languished in the dark pools for far too long. . . .

Ion: The fact that the mogu created the saurok (among other creatures native to Pandaria) is something that may not have been obvious to players who were exploring the continent and learning about its inhabitants. This encounter provided us with a chance to “show, not tell” this piece of Pandaria’s history. The actual mechanics of the fight evolved from discussion and brainstorming around the themes of evolution and mutation; a few of us had also recently watched the movie Prometheus, and the vaults of black goo in that movie helped inspire the overall vibe of Primordius’ lair.

Dark Animus

During his reign, Lei Shen labored to build a mechanical servant that would defend his citadel without fear. When his first attempt failed, rage took hold of the Thunder King. He poured this negative emotion into his next, and most successful, creation: the Dark Animus. To this day, the ornate construct observes its duty, empowered by the mysterious substance at the heart of all mogu flesh-shaping experiments.

Ion: The mechanics of the Dark Animus encounter aren’t quite like any boss fight we’ve done before. It centers around a fixed quantity of the mysterious swirling liquid, known as Anima, that is at the heart of the mogu experiments in this wing. The vital fluid animates golems, escaping and moving on to larger and larger constructs as the initial vessels are destroyed, until it eventually amasses enough volume to empower the Dark Animus itself, largest of all the golems. The encounter has a certain puzzle-solving element to it, and players will need to carefully manage how they shift around this finite quantity of Anima or the fight will quickly get out of hand.

Pinnacle of Storms

Iron Qon

Legends speak of the brutality of Qon and his quilen champions. The fearless mogu commander was dubbed "Iron Qon" by the Thunder King for his unrelenting resolve to claim victory after victory for the empire regardless of the cost. 

Ion: Qon is one of Lei Shen’s elite personal guard, and a master of mounted combat. An original concept for this fight was inspired by the Three Kingdoms warlord Lu Bu, a fierce warrior renowned for his skill in fighting with a spear from horseback. Though Qon does have some very cool and unique mounted attack animations, in the end we found it more interesting to explore gameplay via the different abilities of his mounts instead. Thus, the encounter involves Qon switching among different magical quilen, each of which is empowered with vicious elemental attacks, creating a four-phase encounter that is almost like four separate intense fights rolled into one.

Twin Consorts

The Twin Consorts of Lei Shen, Lu’Lin and Suen, are said to be greatest of the Thunder King’s treasures. Rumored to be the only known female mogu in existence, Lei Shen keeps his trophies close, and their combined arsenal against interlopers closer.

Ion: Players may have noticed the complete absence of any female mogu in their exploration of the continent of Pandaria. Players who look closely at the models of these celestial twins will note that they seem quite literally carved out of stone. Indeed, these were specifically created by Lei Shen and empowered to serve and guard him, and they are a direct reflection of his will rather than any broader sense of mogu culture as a whole. An earlier version of the concept for the fight had them actually being spirits of the Sun and Moon, but that didn’t feel quite right (and we all know that the only true spirit of the Moon is Elune, and clearly she was not locked away by the Thunder King).

Lei Shen, the Thunder King

Tyrant, Dictator, Conqueror, Emperor. The Thunder King’s numerous titles were earned by bringing absolute misery to the races of Pandaria. Resurrected into a world where his people no longer rule, Lei Shen is bent on ending the farce and bringing the land under his heel once more.

Ion: The core concept for the Lei Shen fight developed during a brainstorming session as members of the encounter design team were throwing around ideas for potential fight mechanics, trying to see if anything would stick. A popular idea was for him to need to pause and recharge periodically, but someone suggested an interesting twist on that idea—the Thunder King isn’t just a battery that needs to recharge; he’s actually a power source himself. So instead of him drawing power from his citadel, the citadel draws power from him. He is a mighty warrior in his own right, with distinctive weapon and lightning attacks, but his mere presence energizes and activates portions of his citadel’s defenses, and managing those becomes a central element of the encounter. With a wide array of incredible visuals provided by our effects artists, and an awesome dungeon backdrop (those walls aren’t entirely decorative . . .), Lei Shen is an epic final encounter to wrap up an epic raid zone.

Ra-den

Lei Shen’s life changed forever when he stumbled into a dark chamber below what are now the Mogu’shan Vaults. Legend has it that he found an ancient titan keeper guarding a miraculous device known as the Engine of Nalak’sha. No one knows what transpired between the two beings, but Lei Shen later emerged from the site bristling with the power to forge an empire. The keeper’s fate—and his current whereabouts—remain a mystery.

Ion: This is the “Algalon” of the zone; a bonus boss for the high-end raiders who have finished the main zone progression. Lei Shen is the true final boss of the zone, and we wanted to make sure that he still feels that way—unlike Sinestra in Bastion of Twilight, there’s some backtracking involved to reach Ra-den after he’s unlocked. The mechanics of the fight are deliberately obscured in the Dungeon Journal for now, so I won’t say much more. The primary purpose of the Dungeon Journal is to provide an in-game resource to players who are trying to learn an encounter, instead of making them feel like they have to Alt-Tab out to read an online guide. In Ra-den’s case, we know that those of you who face him at first are also the same people who often write those online guides, so hopefully you’ll enjoy a sense of discovery when you first reach him.

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Season 13 Armor Preview

PvP Season 12 will soon be coming to an end. Each new season brings new opportunities to prove your resolve in glorious combat, and with success comes powerful new rewards.

Here’s a look at the Tyrannical armor sets that the most accomplished PvP competitors can earn in Season 13.

Warrior

Warlock

Shaman

Rogue

Priest

Paladin

Monk

Mage

Hunter

Druid

Death Knight

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Tier 15 Armor Set Preview

The beating drums of war are growing louder, and both the Alliance and Horde are gathering along the shores of the Isle of Thunder. It’s time to face the risen king and his growing army. Before you strike out against the terrors of the island, though, take a peek at the tier 15 armor sets that can be found inside the Throne of Thunder.

Death Knight - All-Consuming Maw

Druid - Haunted Forest

Hunter - Saurok Stalker

Mage - Chromatic Hydra

Monk - Fire-Charm

Paladin - Lightning Emperor

Priest - Exorcist

Rogue - Nine-Tail

Shaman - Witch Doctor

Warlock - Thousandfold Hells

Warrior - Last Mogu

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World Boss Preview: Nalak, The Storm Lord

We just added another world boss preview to the Under Development page. Meet Nalak, The Storm Lord!

Lei Shen laughed mightily at the charred mogu that lined the walls of his handling pen. He took the cloud serpent hatchling for his own, and for its obedience, granted it power over the storms and the sky. For thousands of years following the death of the Thunder King, Nalak has guarded the walls of his hidden citadel, awaiting his return.

Check out our sneak peak at Nalak, The Storm Lord now.

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Patch 5.2: Blizzard's preview trailer

Blizzard Community Manager Bashiok has heralded his recent return to the WoW Community Team by sending over a teaser video for Patch 5.2: The Thunder King. You can see the video above, and our first impression is that it looks great. There's previews of the raid, the new mounts, and the new zones packed in there.

The new mounts appear to be very dinosaur themed, to the extent that they are pretty much all dinosaurs, with some very Zandalari-looking armor added. Which is your favorite? For me, it's absolutely the triceratops mount, I adore the look of it, but the one that strongly resembles Oondasta is a very close second.

Moving on to the raid, the darkness and feeling of a forgotten world is captured beautifully, there's a real sensation of having worked your way into a long-abandoned temple or palace. One part of the video that filled me with horror, though, is the shot of what appears to be a boss room, where the floor is made up of several square-topped pillars. I'm not the best at jumping around in a co-ordinated fashion, having killed my raid countless times by not making it onto Nefarian's pillars, so a room like this sends shivers down my spine!

What do you think of the trailer?
Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Tags: mists, mists-of-pandaria, mists-of-pandaria-patch-5.2, mop, mop-5.2, patch-5.2, patch-5.2-preview, patch-5.2-raids, patch-5.2-trailer, trailer

Filed under: Blizzard, News items, Mists of Pandaria

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Spiritual Guidance: Priests and the 5.2 patch note preview

WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. Dawn Moore is a discipline priest by reputation, but still enjoys melting faces as shadow and bugging her raid to click the Lightwell as holy.

Looks like there are some big changes in store for priests on the patch 5.2 PTR. Blizzard released a PTR patch note preview late last week and I'm honestly a bit baffled by some of the changes. Keep in mind, I am not often baffled.

The biggest change is that Power Word: Solace is being redesigned. The talent will now replace Holy Fire in the player's spellbook, but interact with other priest spells and abilities just as Holy Fire does. The new version of Power Word: Solace will be instant cast, cost no mana, and restore 1% of your maximum mana on cast. Surprisingly, the patch note preview makes no mention of redesigning Shadow Word: Insanity, the shadow portion of the talent.

Now it's no shock that Blizzard decided to redesign this talent. A quick glance at WoW Popular will tell you that almost no priests are taking it (in fact, it looks like more of us are taking Dominate Mind than Power Word: Solace). Shadow priests certainly aren't taking the talent, and most healers will tell you it returns too little mana per cast to be worth it.

Measuring up to the competition

How does the mana regen for this new talent measure up against everything else? MMO-Champion's data mining of the patch shows the new Power Word: Solace retains Holy Fire's 10-second cooldown, meaning players can only use Power Word: Solace six times a minute, which will cap the amount of mana you can get back at 6% per minute. Now if you read my last article on talents, you'll know that on live servers a priest has to cast Power Word: Solace 10 times per minute and use Shadowfiend on cooldown to match Mindbender for mana by the minute. This new talent, however, can never match Mindbender for mana as it works currently. See why I'm baffled? Why would I take a talent that consumes more of my time than Mindbender does, but can't ever return more mana than Mindbender?

Perhaps the developers mean for the shortcoming to be made up in other ways though? That could be the case for discipline. See, if Power Word: Solace starts interacting with other spells like Holy Fire does, that means Power Word: Solace will now heal you and your allies through Atonement. Healing and mana return at the same time ... That's kind of cool I guess. But this redesign is also affecting Glyph of Holy Fire. The glyph will no longer make Holy Fire instant cast, instead it will increase the range of Holy Fire, Smite, and Power Word: Solace by 10 yards. So if you were a discipline priest who took the Glyph of Holy Fire to incorporate an instant cast smart heal into your healing every 10 seconds, you're losing that, and the only way to get it back is by giving up Mindbender.

As for holy priests, there's really nothing to justify taking this new talent over Mindbender anymore. The only interaction holy abilities even had with Holy Fire was Chakra: Chastise reducing the mana cost and cast time. That will still work on normal Holy Fire, but since Power Word: Solace has no mana cost or cast time there's no gain.

So like I said, I'm baffled by this initial redesign. The talent is not bad as it is right now, it's just not ideal in every situation. Mindbender on the other hand, always works, even if Power Word: Solace has the potential to be better on occasion. And being that we are creatures of habit (some of us, anyway), I would not be surprised if the majority of healers parked themselves on Mindbender and saw no point in moving ... Not when Power Word: Solace requires as much time investment as it does. Afterall, having more mana as a healer isn't like having more DPS as a shadow priest. It's not something you need to maximize, especially as gear improves.

Of course, I do understand that balancing Power Word: Solace has been difficult this expansion. I just think buffing it a tiny bit right now would probably make it a lot more appealing than redesigning it for one spec. Obviously the mana return granted by the redesigned talent can be tweaked, but I'd much prefer the existing mechanic to this newly proposed one.

And seriously, where is the Shadow Word: Insanity change?

Angelic Feather wants to be popular

In addition to Power Word: Solace, two other unpopular talents are also being changed ... Maybe with the aim of getting us to use them? Angelic Feather is having its duration increased to 6 seconds, up from 4 seconds while Body and Soul is being simultaneously nerfed to a 3-second duration, down from 4 seconds. (Angelic Feather is now the Tonya Harding of priest talents, by the way. Nerfing the competition to get ahead!) It's strange though, because I thought Angelic Feather was a pretty good talent to begin with. The fact that it has no mana cost is a huge perk when you compare it to the expense of Power Word: Shield. Plus you can use it while silenced in the fog on Imperial Vizier Zor'lok. Actually, it's quite good in most of Heart of Fear, especially on Blade Lord Ta'yak when you're afflicted with Weakened Soul from disc priest heals during the gauntlet.

Anyway, Dominate Mind is also getting a little buff. The cast time has been reduced to 1.8 seconds from 2.5 seconds, meaning it might get a little more use in PvP.

Disc is getting nerfed and buffed

Finally, Spirit Shell is being nerfed a bit. The spell will no longer benefit from mastery, which means all the mastery stacking we've been up to won't get us quite as far as it used to. Honestly, this seems like a fair enough nerf to me, since it's a bit silly that so many of disc's core spells benefit so greatly from a single stat. The nerf will make it so Spirit Shell now only benefits from critical strike rating, though the patch preview ensures that the spell will now interact with Divine Aegis properly.

Disc priests will be getting a small buff to their mana regen though. Rapture will now provide mana equal to 250% of the priest's spirit (up from 200%) but it will no longer be affected by short-duration spirit bonuses (like buffs from trinkets). This does nerf the amount of mana you could get back from Rapture at times, but you'll probably get more in the long run and it frees up your playstyle a bit if you were trying to time your shield use accordingly.

Spiritual Guidance is WoW Insider's source for priest information. For information on playing the class, check out our Mists of Pandaria guides for discipline, holy, and shadow. For getting geared up, check out our pre-raid gear guide. Tags: 5.2, angelic-feather, body-and-soul, disc-priest-spiritual-guidance, discipline-priest-spiritual-guidance, dominate-mind, featured, guide-to-priests, holy-priest-spiritual-guidance, patch-5.2-ptr, power-word-solace, priest-guide, priest-info, priest-talents, rapture, SHADOW-PRIEST-SPIRITUAL-GUIDANCE, shadow-word-insanity, spirit-shell, wow-priest, wow-priest-info, wow-priests

Filed under: Priest, (Priest) Spiritual Guidance

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Patch 5.2 Throne of Thunder datamined preview

Have you been wondering what's behind the doors in that preview image of the Throne of Thunder that was posted last week? Players have commented that the place seems reminiscent of both Ulduar and the Black Temple -- in a good way, as both raids were incredibly popular when they were current content. While there isn't an official preview for the raid just yet, datamining has uncovered a glimpse of the raid zone in its raw state.

Reddit user Silencerr put together the above video as a tour of sorts of the new raid zone. Because this is just datamined files, it likely won't look exactly like this on live servers -- the lighting isn't present, and any filler doodads, mobs, or bosses are absent. Basically, it's the sandbox version of what the raid will look like -- and anything can change between the PTR and now.

However, the video is actually pretty neat. It's dark, it's gloomy, and the broken halls are frankly kind of disturbing. It almost reminds me of those creepy crypts underneath Karazhan, although there are no Upside-down Sinners floating around. More importantly, this raid appears to be massive, and definitely on the scale of zones like Black Temple or Ulduar. It's huge, it's menacing, and I can't wait to see what it looks like fully-realized and implemented in game.

Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Tags: mists-of-pandaria, patch-5.2, patch-5.2-ptr, patch-5.2-raids, raid-zone, throne-of-thunder, thunder-isle, thunder-king, world-of-warcraft

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

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World of Warcraft Patch 5.2 PTR patch note preview

A preview of the notes for the patch 5.2 PTR has just been released on the official blog. While the PTR may not be open until January, Blizzard certainly isn't wasting any time with getting the information out there and readily available to players. The trend of speedy patches in Mists of Pandaria seems to be continuing as hoped, which should make players very happy, and far less apt to run out of content to do. Highlights from the patch include:The new raid, Throne of Thunder, which includes 12 new raid encounters and an additional 13th foe unlocked upon defeating Emperor Lei Shen in Heroic mode.New daily quest hub: The Isle of the Thunder King -- the Kirin-Tor Offensive and the Sunreaver Onslaught face off to lay claim to Emperor Lei Shen's island stronghold and the treasures contained therein.Two new world bosses, Nalak the Storm Lord and OondastaAn option to purchase Sunsong Ranch to make it a resting point like an inn. Work orders will come in from various factions, and completing the work orders will grant you reputation with the issuing faction.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.Read on for the full list of patch notes for Patch 5.2. Blizzard EntertainmentWorld 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 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 perseverence 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 in to the farm from factions across Pandaria, and completing a work orders 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 Mistweave 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 two 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 autoattacking 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 Shamans as well as Enhancement Shamans.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 Shamans.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 teh 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 tameable species for Hunters that have learned the required skill. Aspiring Dire Horn owners should seek out clues regarding these auspicious beastsPet 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 each 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 defeating 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 DruidIt is no longer possible for a weaker application of Living Seed to overwrite a stronger one.PaladinIt is no longer possible to refresh Inquisition to a lower duration.MageThe cooldown of Cauterize will now properly reset upon entering an Arena.WarlockGrimoire of Service now describes its special abilities on the tooltip.Tags: breaking, patch-5.2, patch-5.2-patch-notes, patch-5.2-ptr, ptr-patch-notes, wow-patch-5.2, wow-patch-5.2-ptr, wow-patch-notes

Filed under: News items, Mists of Pandaria

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