[Update] The Buzz in WoW #5!

[Glynbeard]

Hello everyone! Glynbeard here with week #5 in my little project 'The Buzz in WoW' (which mainly deals with some of the cool facts about what is going on in or concerning with WoW right now).

This week I will touch on some of the very important things happening around Cataclysm: class changes and the beta, Warcraft's Story Forum and some other bits of information.

On a side note for those of you still on holidays, Happy Easter from MMOwned!

I hope you enjoy the article

[BREAK=Cataclysm Press Release]


The wave of Cataclysm class changes being announced this week seems to be a harbinger of things to come -- it appears we'll be skipping the normal semi-public Friends & Family Alpha phase completely and moving right on to the beta! Blizzard PR has sent out several pre-invites to members of the media for the Cataclysm beta. These are confirmed not to be phishing emails -- they're definitely the real deal.

In the pre-invite email, Blizzard says that they're gearing up for the Cataclysm beta, and that a Battle.net account is required to participate. Members of the press with a BNet account who received the email can then sign up for the invite pool.

What we don't know: when it's happening. Press registration for the beta is open until April 15th, but Blizzard specifically states that they have no start date ready to announce.

Right now, if you are not a member of the press and get one of these, it is likely a scam. Practice safe browsing.

And no, the News Team hasn't been given one yet. Why wouldn't they send out invites to a site dedicated to finding loop-holes in their work?

[BREAK=Cataclysm Class Changes]


So it would seem that Blizzard is increasing the rate at which they are releasing WoW:Cataclysm information with the newest addition being to class changes.

Yesterday, Blizzard began to release the in-depth previews of class changes and new mechanics on the forums. However, not all classes will be presented with the same attention and some are further along in development than others.

If you would like to read it for yourself, check out the official thread here.

Below is an example of what you will find (Shaman class preview):

[SPOILER]

New Shaman Spells

Primal Strike (available at level 3): Primal Strike is a new weapon-based attack that every shaman will learn very early in the game. Our goal with this ability is to make leveling as Enhancement rather than as Elemental more viable, since many key Enhancement talents become available at fairly high levels.

Healing Wave (level 4): While the shaman already has an ability called Healing Wave, we're adding another spell to the class's direct-healing arsenal and giving it a familiar name. The current Healing Wave will be renamed Greater Healing Wave, and the intent is for the 'new" Healing Wave to be the shaman's go-to heal. Lesser Healing Wave and Greater Healing Wave will be used on a more situational basis.

Unleash Weapon (level 81): Unleashes the power of your weapon enchants for additional effects (see below). A dual-wielding Enhancement shaman will activate the effects of both of their weapon enchants. Instant cast. 30-yard range. 15-second cooldown. Undispellable.

Here are a few examples of effects we're considering for this ability:


- Windfury Weapon – Hurls a spectral version of your weapon at a target, dealing 50% weapon damage and increasing the shaman's Haste for the next five swings.
- Flametongue Weapon – Deals instant Fire damage and buffs the shaman's next Fire attack by 20%.
- Earthliving Weapon – Heals the target slightly and buffs the shaman's next healing spell by 20%.


Healing Rain (level 83): An area-effect heal-over-time (HoT) spell that calls down rain in a selected area, healing all players within it. There is no limit to the number of players who can potentially be affected; however, there are diminishing returns when healing a large number of targets, much like the diminishing returns associated with AoE damage spells. This should give Restoration shaman another healing tool that improves their group-healing and heal-over-time capabilities. 2-second cast time. 30-yard range. 10-second duration. 10-second cooldown.

Spiritwalker's Grace (level 85): When this self-targeted buff is active, your spells are no longer interrupted by movement and possibly even by your own attacks. This will give shaman of all three specs another way to heal or do damage when it’s necessary to move in both PvE and PvP. Instant cast. 10-second duration. 2-minute cooldown.


Changes to Abilities and Mechanics


In addition to adding new spells, we're planning to make changes to some of the other abilities and mechanics you're familiar with. This list and the summary of talent changes below it are by no means comprehensive, but they should give you a good sense of what we intend for each spec.

* Restoration shaman and other healing classes will need to pay attention to mana more than they've had to during Wrath of the Lich King. Spirit will be the Restoration shaman's primary mana-regeneration stat.

* We're making changes to which classes and specs are able to dispel magic, diseases, curses, and poison, largely for PvP purposes. Shaman will have Cleanse Spirit as a baseline ability, but it will only remove curses. Restoration shaman will have a talent that will improve Cleanse Spirit so that it also removes magic. Shaman will no longer be able to remove poison.

* Cleansing Totem will be removed from the game, as we want dispels to be a decision for players, not something done mindlessly. To that end, all dispels will cost slightly more mana, and you will waste the spell if you cast it when there is nothing to remove. (Currently, the dispel is only cast when there is something to remove, which encourages spamming 'just in case.") We will balance PvE dispelling with this new model in mind.

* Totem of Wrath now will replace Flametongue Totem for all shaman, and dropping this totem will buff the group's spell power by 4%. Elemental shaman will have a talent that lets all Fire totems provide +10% spell power, allowing them to drop Searing, Magma, or Fire Elemental Totems without losing their spell-damage buff. The 4% and 10% buffs will be exclusive with each other and with the warlock's Demonic Pact, so you can't benefit from all of them at once. We're also considering letting Elemental drop Searing Totem at range.

* We want to free up Enhancement global cooldowns to make the spec more dynamic to play. We're considering, for example, increasing the cooldown of Lava Lash so shaman have time to work other interesting abilities into their rotation.


New Talents and Talent Changes


* Elemental Reach will be simplified so shaman have a more consistent spell range.

* We plan to add Earthquake as a deep Elemental talent for targeted and persistent AoE.

* Spirit Link will likely be worked back into deep Restoration in some form. The idea is that you will be able to link targets together so they share damage. When we had previously tried to implement Spirit Link, it was hard to balance and a little confusing. However, we really liked the concept -- and so did players -- so we are trying to bring it back.

* Elemental will have a deep talent that allows Spirit (which will appear on the gear they share with Restoration shaman) to boost their Hit rating.

* Ancestral Knowledge will boost mana pool size, not Intellect.

* Enhancing Totems will be replaced with Focused Strikes, which will improve the damage of the new spell Primal Strike and Stormstrike.

* With the Mastery system, we're also considering removing a number of talents that grant passive bonuses, such as Mental Quickness, Improved Windfury Totem, Mental Dexterity, Call of Thunder, Tidal Mastery, Purification, Nature's Blessing, and others, to allow players more freedom to choose more interesting talents.


Mastery Passive Talent Tree Bonuses

Elemental
Spell damage
Spell Crit
Elemental Overload

Enhancement
Melee damage
Melee Haste
Nature Damage

Restoration
Healing
Meditation
Deep Healing

Elemental Overload: Your direct-damage spells have a chance to proc a less powerful 'bonus" version of the spell. This will work much like the current Lightning Overload talent, but would also apply to Lava Burst.

Nature Damage: This will provide a passive bonus to the Nature damage dealt by the Enhancement shaman.

Deep Healing: Your direct heals will do more healing when the target's health is lower. This will scale to damage (e.g. someone at 29% health would receive more healing than someone at 30%) rather than have arbitrary break points.

[/SPOILER]
A full comment from Blizzard regarding release information/dates is available below:

Beginning Wednesday, April 7 we will begin releasing class previews containing an overview of some of the changes currently being planned for each of the 10 World of Warcraft classes. The type of information you can expect from these posts are a list of the new spells from 80-85, the new passive mastery bonuses for all talent trees, a brief outline of some of the talent changes we're currently planning, and in some cases new low level spells for select classes.

These changes will by no means be comprehensive, and are subject to change between now and the launch of the expansion. It's also important to understand that some classes are currently further along in the development process than others, and as a result the amount of information will vary from class to class. Please do not let this frustrate you should your class be amongst those which are on the "lighter" side of things, as all classes will receive the same level of design attention before the expansion is released. Additionally we'll be providing more information for all classes, especially as we move into the beta phase.

Below is the schedule for each class:

Shaman - April 7
Priest - April 7
Warlock - April 7

Warrior - April 8
Death Knight - April 8
Rogue - April 8

Hunter - April 9
Druid - April 9
Mage - April 9

Paladin - April 16*

These posts are being coordinated internationally so they'll be posted at different times throughout the day and night on the given dates to give players around the world the ability to see posts made at a convenient time. This thread will be updated with links directly to each class preview as they're posted.

*The paladin is still deep in development. Instead of giving a preview that would be potentially less comprehensive than the other classes we made the decision to post it when it's ready, in order to properly honor the paladin class and those that play them. The wait isn't too long however as we're expecting to be able to post it on April 16.

Paladin is still in deep development? Maybe they've finally decided to allow Gnomes to choose the patch of the pally? Ah who am I kidding, a man can hope though.

[BREAK=Warcraft Story Forum]


Blizzard announced the new Warcraft Story Forum, a place to discuss all the various aspects of the lore and storylines surrounding the games. Hopefully we can get some insight into the process of making the lore, particularly those parts that are, shall we say less than good.

Here's the announcement:

We are pleased to introduce the Warcraft Story Forum where players can discuss the storylines of the Warcraft universe, as told in-game and through the novels, manga, comics, and short stories that Blizzard publishes. Be sure to visit the new forum here.

In order to get the most benefit out of the story forum, we suggest the following:

* Feel free to theorycraft, discuss character flaws, strengths, and where you think the story is going or where you would like it to go.
* Discuss the various published stories, share insights on them, and what aspects you liked or didn’t like most about them.
* Discuss your favorite quest line stories and least favorite quest line stories.
* Please refrain from posting non-constructive feedback, attacking other posters, or posting harassing or defamatory language about authors or Blizzard employees.
* Participate in polls. We’ll be using them here from time to time to get your feedback on various storylines, novel releases and more.
* Talk amongst yourselves. While we’ll be monitoring discussion and periodically answering questions about the story, this forum is meant primarily as a place for you to discuss various viewpoints with fellow story enthusiasts.


What is Creative Development?

Creative Development (CDev) is a "hub" within Blizzard, facilitating the development of ancillary products and services that tie into Blizzard's game universes. While there are several different divisions of CDev, this Warcraft Story forum focuses on the efforts of the Publishing division.

What does Creative Development's Publishing division have to do with Warcraft's stories and lore?

The Publishing division within Creative Development is the driving force behind every published story you've seen outside of the game: short stories, novels, comics, and manga.


Who comprises the Publishing division of Creative Development?

Publishing is made of two groups:

* Story Development: this group focuses on story idea creation, story outlining, and story development for licensed fiction, as well as for internally-written stories

* Historians: this group is the repository for all Blizzard lore, providing counsel for the game development teams and the CDev Story Development group


What is the Publishing division's usual process for developing a story?

* Idea Generation & Outline Creation: Working with Chris Metzen and the designers on the respective game's development team, the Story Development team generates an idea and an outline for a story. The writer on the project is typically invited to our offices at this point in the project, so that they can be in on the ground floor of the story's creation.

* Story Development & Lore Checking: Over the course of the project, the Story Development team talks constantly with the writer, as well as with Chris Metzen and the game developers, in order to help hone the story into a Blizzard-quality tale. At the same time, our Historian team combs through the iterations of the story in order ensure that the story adheres to the universe's established canon.


What does the Publishing division hope to accomplish with this Warcraft Story forum?

We'd like to give the community a chance to influence the development of our upcoming stories, so we're trying something new; this forum will serve as a direct line to our story developers. Please note that we're not looking for fully-formed stories - save those for the Global Writing Contest (which we operate and judge) - but rather we're looking for specific examples of what people like, don't like, and what they would like to see (story-wise) from us in the future.

If you would like to view the forum for yourself, please follow this link.

[BREAK=Misc. Information]


There has been a lot of little things going on around the community as well that are sometimes overlooked. This section of the article is to bring those little things to life:

-First off, Eyonix (one of the most popular CM's for Blizzard) is leaving the forums for opportunities provided elsewhere. Here is a message he provided explaining his resigning:

For nearly six years, we've shared our thoughts with one and other, we've laughed, we've argued, and we've cried -- the crying part was just me wasn't it? Those times, I'm afraid must come to an end as I've made the decision to explore opportunities outside of Blizzard.
It has very honestly been a huge pleasure, and I thank you all for allowing 'Eyonix' to always remain a very fond memory as I move on.

-The WoW manga, Mage, is being released on June 7. The second of three class based comics, the first one being Death Knight and the last Shaman, it is written by Richard A. Knaak and illustrated by Ryo Kawakami and even though Rhonin is on the front cover, the manga isn't about him.

-A new type of scam (hopefully not created by us) has recently cropped up. Your Launcher.exe gets replaced by a fake one which then asks you for all your info. So using the launcher, while still more safe than just running wow.exe, has its own complications. But the easiest way to be safe from these kinds of scams is to remember that Blizzard will never ask you for your password.



-The second wave of nerfs for ICC (or buffs for the players, however you wish to look at it) were put in:

We have increased the potency of the Strength of Wrynn and Hellscream’s Warsong buffs in Icecrown Citadel by an additional 5%. These buffs now increase total health, healing done and damage dealt by 10%. In addition, the number of attempts allotted for all final bosses on Heroic difficulty has been increased to 40.

[BREAK=Gaming MMOments]


In this section, I will be putting up a ScreenShot submitted by a member of the forum each time one of these articles goes up. If you are interested in submitting one PM it to me but remember it must be MMO-related.

This weeks picture is brought to us by Brian Peppers!

Here is a small preview of the pic:

To view it in full please follow the ---> link.

I don't want to post it here and stretch the front page.

[BREAK=Conclusion]

Well everyone, that's it for this time and I hope you enjoyed the read.

Not the most interesting week, but I think the closer we get to the release of Cataclysm, the quicker the information will start to pour out and the more information that comes out the juicier the articles.

Remember to send in some MMO-related SS's and to keep checking back for more updates.

Also (regarding the update to vb4), please be patient with the update, there are going to be a few hiccups but it's all for the greater good .

Until next time,

Glynbeard
MMOwned News Team

Sources:
Ensidia
WoW.com: The new WoW Insider
World of Warcraft Community Site

[Reflection]

Very nice one Glyn I love it!

[warsheep]

Other than the conclusion being rather short, it was a nice read.

That launcher scam seems a bit obvious though - how would it get your account name/status without you logging on first?

[Glynbeard]

Other than the conclusion being rather short, it was a nice read.

That launcher scam seems a bit obvious though - how would it get your account name/status without you logging on first?

Haha, sorry it was a bit abrupt, I edited it slightly.

As for the launcher scam, from looking at the picture it looks like the victim enters their Account Name and Password in the fields given (as well as other stuff like their SQ/A).

But srsly, always remember Blizzard will never ask for your password. If you remember that, you'll avoid like 99% of these scams.

[Nikentic]

It appears we'll be skipping the normal semi-public Friends & Family Alpha phase completely and moving right on to open beta!

Copy pasta! And for god sakes, this is not an open beta!

[Glynbeard]

Copy pasta! And for god sakes, this is not an open beta!

Edited & is credited in the source. Was just using them as a quote.

[Nikentic]

Well, too bad this is not an open beta

[Glynbeard]

Well, too bad this is not an open beta

Haha, I agree. Would have caught me off guard but I'd love to try it out

[alj03]

Pretty good read. Thanks for the info!

[mmodame]

Nice job Glyn. Reading the shammy AoE heal once again makes me wonder why in God's name I continue to stubbornly play a priest...but whatever, I'm just bitter, I'll deal.

I'm totally with you on the Pally, gnome bubble ftw.

[RyeRye]

-First off, Eyonix (one of the most popular CM's for Blizzard) is leaving the forums for opportunities provided elsewhere. Here is a message he provided explaining his resigning:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eyonix
For nearly six years, we've shared our thoughts with one and other, we've laughed, we've argued, and we've cried -- the crying part was just me wasn't it? Those times, I'm afraid must come to an end as I've made the decision to explore opportunities outside of Blizzard.
It has very honestly been a huge pleasure, and I thank you all for allowing 'Eyonix' to always remain a very fond memory as I move on.

Why would he do that? I'm sure this dude gets paid MILLIONS.. and he's just leaving.. why? haha.

-A new type of scam (hopefully not created by us) has recently cropped up. Your Launcher.exe gets replaced by a fake one which then asks you for all your info. So using the launcher, while still more safe than just running wow.exe, has its own complications. But the easiest way to be safe from these kinds of scams is to remember that Blizzard will never ask you for your password.

Yeah, they only ask you for your password when you login

[DArkjacks]

Thanks, Glyn. ^-^