[Cataclysm Alpha] (Gilneas, Westfall) Story (UPDATE: Hyjal, Darkshore Screens inside)

[Lexir]

I'm sure you getting sick of questions but i have only one...

Do the quests for Blackfathom deeps imply any changes for the dungeon? Or are we still gonna be fighting Aku'mai again.

Thanks in advance.

[Andeby]

Best thread evar! Thanks for posting, hope no Blizzard people stop by you with a murloc to let you know what they think about posting stuff under NDA. o.O

[gurluas]

Heres a very important question:
High elves...What about them?, they still around?

[moonrunner]

Heres a very important question:
High elves...What about them?, they still around?

I don't see why they would left the Alliance Ofc they'll be involved

[Dies Irae]

Um, just curious about a few simple things.

1.any information on the Earthen Ring in any of the quest you've done? I know they're suppose to play a big part in this expansion.
2.I noticed that mail armor value has gone up from the pic you posted? Do you know the average armor difference between plate/mail/leather/cloth?
3.Does agility still give dodge and armor? I'm assuming it doesn't because they have to balance it with strength.

1. The Elementals & the woman at the volcano in Ashenvale are part of the Earthen Ring, I bet there are more people all over the world
2. dunno yet
3. Agility still gives dodge, but doesn't give armor... for warriors at least.

/e
As of now, my WoW works again, but every ten minutes I'll get a critical error ):

[Newez]

Any way to get a few more interesting forum posts ? Such as zonefeedback or the patchnotes of the latest build?

[Dies Irae]

Prepare for a wall of text: unofficial Alpha Patch 3 notes.

General:
- Leveling up now displays a new graphic and informs you of unspent talent points, as well as any new skills available to learn at a trainer

Goblins & Worgen:
- Male Goblin dance has been added to the game
- Male Worgen dance has been added to the game
- Goblins can now use some mounts including the horde race restricted mounts
- Foxes now have unique sound effects
- The UI for learning skills at a trainer has been updated, it now lists all skills by level and no longer groups skills by tree
- The Human racial ability "Every Man for Himself" has had its cooldown increased to 5 minutes, up from 2 minutes

Dungeons & Raids:
- The 5 player lvl 79-81 Dungeon "Throne of the Tides" is now available for initial testing, although parts are NYI
- Teleport NPC's for Throne of the Tides have been added to Orgrimmar, Stormwind, and Dalaran

Achievements:
- Some achivemenets have been added for the Blackwing Descent raid instance

**CLASSES**

Death Knights:

Talent Changes:

Unholy
- Epidemic now has 5 ranks (up from 2).
- New talent Resilient Infection - When your diseases, other than those applied via Pestilence, are dispelled, you have a 50/100% chance to have their cost refunded.
- Hysteria replaced by Unholy Frenzy - Induces a friendly unit into a killing frenzy for 30 sec. The target is Enraged, which increases their melee and ranged haste by 10%, but causes them to lose health equal to 3% of their maximum health every 2 sec. No cost. 30yd range. 3min cooldown
- Outbreak (old tier 2 Unholy talent) renamed to Corrupting Strikes and now increases Plague Strike and Scourge Strike's damage by 30% (old: Plague Strike by 30%, Scourge Strike by 20%).
- Night of the Dead no longer includes your ghoul's AoE avoidance.
- Blood-Caked Blade was moved to the Blood tree.
- Bone Shield was moved to a low-tier Blood tree talent.
- 3/3 Wandering Plague modified to 50% additional damage (down from 100%).

Frost
- Improved Icy Touch changed to only increase your Icy Touch damage by 15% (old included: reduces melee/ranged attack speed by an additional 6%).
- Toughness replaced by the new talent Runic Empowerment - When you use your Death Coil, Frost Strike, or Rune Strike ability, you have a (8/16/24/32/40%) chance to activate a random fully depleted rune.
- Annihilation now increases Obliterate's damage by 10/20/30% (old: Increases the critical strike chance of your melee special abilities by 1%. In addition, there is a 33% chance that your Obliterate will do its damage without consuming diseases.)
- Deathchill replaced by the new talent Brittle Bones - Your Frost Fever chills the bones of its victims, increasing their physical damage taken by 2/4%.
- Unbreakable Armor replaced by the new talent Pillar of Frost - Calls upon the power of Frost to increase the Death Knight's Strength by 20%. Icy crystals hang heavy upon the Death Knight's body, providing immunity against external movement such as knockbacks. Lasts 20 sec. Costs 1 Frost rune. Instant. 1min cooldown.
- Rime now gives your obliterate a 15/30/45% chance to reset the cooldown on Howling Blast and cause your next Howling Blast OR Icy Touch to consume no runes. (old: Increases the critical strike chance of Obliterate and Icy Touch by 5%. Causes only your howling blast to consume no runes).
- Improved Frost Presence: While in Blood/Unholy presence you retain 2% increased runic power generation from Frost presence and your bonus damage while in Frost Presence is increased by an additional 2%.
- Guile of Gorefiend no longer increases your Icebound Fortitude's duration.
- New talent: Might of the Frozen Wastes: When wielding a two-handed weapon, your autoattacks have a 15% chance to generate 10 Runic Power.

Blood
- Subversion replaced with Exsanguinate - Vendetta renamed.
- Death Rune Mastery replaced by Might of Mograine.
- Might of Mograine replaced by Death Rune Mastery.
- Dark Conviction repaced by Bone Shield (bone shield remains unchanged).
- Blood-Caked Blade, Toughness, and Bone Shield are now in the Blood tree.
- New talent: Hemorrhagic Fever - Gives your Blood Boil a 50/100% chance to afflict enemies with Hemmorrhagic Fever, reducing their physical damage dealt by 10% for 30 sec.
- New talent: Crimson Scourge: increases the damage dealt by your Blood Boil by 15%.
- Improved Blood Presence: While in Frost/Unholy presence, you retain 2/4% damage reduction and the chance you will be critically hit by melee attacks is reduced by 3/6% in blood presence.
- Improved Death Strike granted another rank. Increases the damage of your death strike by 15/30/45%, increases its critical strike chance by 3/6/9 %, and increases the healing granted by 25/50/75%.
- Bloodworms replaced by Blood Parasite - Your weapon hits have a 3/6/9% chance to cause the target to spawn a Bloodworm. The Bloodworm attacks your enemies, gorging itself with blood until it bursts to heal nearby allies. Lasts up to 20 sec.
- Blood worm: Initial Health: 10187. Stacks Blood Gorged - May burst, healing neraby allies for 10% of its maximum health. Stacks 14 times.
- New talent Sanguine Fortitude - While active, your Icebound Fortitude reduces damage taken by an additional 10/20/30% and costs 33/66/100% less runic power to activate.
- Will of the Necropolis changed - When a damaging attack brings you below 30% of your maximum health, you generate a Blood Rune and the cooldown on your Rune Tap ability is refreshed, and all damage taken is reduced by 8/16/24% for 8 sec. This effect canot occur more than once very 15 seconds.
- Veteran of the Third War changed to increase your total stamin by 3/6/8% and expertise by 2/4/6.

Ability Changes:
- Rune System redesigned. More on that here: World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Cataclysm Class Preview: Death Knight
- Frost Fever and Blood Plague now has a base duration of 30 seconds (up from 15).
- Ebon Plague now increases magical damage by 9% (down from 13%).
- Re-applying FF/BP before it runs out adds 2 seconds to it's current duration.
- FF/BP damage ticks no longer clip when re-applying diseases.
- Horn of Winter now increases your total strength and agility by 419 (up from 155).
- Death and Decay now costs 1 Unholy Rune.
- Scourge Strike now costs 1 Unholy Rune.
- Howling Blast now only costs 1 Frost Rune.
- Rune Strike is now instant.
- Diseases spread from Pestilence deal half damage.
- Icebound Fortitude no longer gains additional damage reduction based on defense.
- Obliterate no longer consumes diseases by default
- Blood Presence - The death knight takes on the presence of Blood, increasing Stamina by 8%, armor contribution from cloth, leather, mail and plate items by 60%, and reducing damage taken by 8%. Increases threat generated.
- Frost Presence - Strengthens the Death Knight with the presence of Frost, increasing damage by 10% and increasing Runic Power generation by 10%.
- Unholy Presence: Increased attack speed and rune regeneration by 10%, movement by 15% (old: Increases attack speed by 15%).
- Hysteria replaced by Unholy Frenzy - Induces a friendly unit into a killing frenzy for 30 sec. The target is Enraged, which increases their melee and ranged haste by 10%, but causes them to lose health equal to 3% of their maximum health every 2 sec. No cost. 30yd range. 3min cooldown
- Unbreakable Armor replaced by the new talent Pillar of Frost - Calls upon the power of Frost to increase the Death Knight's Strength by 20%. Icy crystals hang heavy upon the Death Knight's body, providing immunity against external movement such as knockbacks. Lasts 20 sec. Costs 1 Frost rune. Instant. 1min cooldown.
- Dancing Rune Weapon now grants an additional 20% parry chance while active.

Damage Changes:
- Blood Strike now has a base 80% weapon damage modifier (up from 40%).
- Heart Strike now has a base 100% weapon damage modifier (up from 50%)
- Obltierate now has a base 160% weapon damage modifier (up from 80%).
- Frost strike now has a base 110% weapon damage modifier (up from 55%).
- Rune Strike now deals double it's amount from live.
- Plague Strike now has a base 100% weapon damage modifier (up from 50%).
- Scourge Strike now has a base 100% weapon damage modifier (up from 70%).
- Death Strike has a base 150% weapon damage modifier (up from 75%).

Druids

Abilities:
*Tree of Life improved spells:
- Entangling Roots: Instant cast, damage increased by 200%.
- Thorns: (unknown)
- Wrath: Cast time reduced by 50%, damage increased by 30%.
- Regrowth: Instant cast.
- Lifebloom: Applies an additional application.
- Wild Growth: Affects an additional 2 targets.

-Faerie Fire (Feral) split into (Bear) and (Cat)
-Wrath: casting time increased to 2.5 sec (1.5 sec at level 1, scales, reaches 2.5 sec at level 20)

Talents:
- Naturalist: Now also decreases Nourish casting time
- Master Shapeshifter: caster form also gains +healing% now
- Fury of Stormrage: HT crits now also triggers
- Empowered Touch: (Was NYI) Now: Your Healing Touch spell gains an additional 20% of your bonus healing effects, and your Nourish spell has a 100% chance to refresh the duration of your Lifebloom on targets.
- Revitalize: (Was NYI) Now: When your Regrowth or Lifebloom heal over time periodics critally hit, you instantly regenerate 3% of your total mana. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 sec.
- Gift of the Earth Mother: Was: Increases your total spell haste by 10% and reduces the base cooldown of your Lifebloom spell by 10%. -- Now: Iincreases the healing done by the bloom effect of your Lifebloom by 10%, and your Rejuvenation spell also instantly heals for 15% of the total periodic effect.
- Nature's Bounty: Was: Increases the critical effect chance of your Regrowth and Nourish spells by 25%. -- Now: Increases the critical effect chance of your Regrowth spell by 50% on targets at or below 25% health, and you have a 100% chance when you critially heal with Healing Touch and Nourish to reduce the remaining cooldown of your Swiftmend spell by 0.5 sec.
- Wrath of Cenarius: Was: Your Starfire spell gains an additional 12% and your Wrath gains an additional 6% of your bonus damage effects. -- Now: When you cast Moonfire, you gain Wrath of Cenarius. Wrath of Cenarius increases the damage done by your Moonfire by 8%, and reduces the mana cost by 30%. This effect is refreshed and amplified when you move, stacking up to 3 times. Effect lasts for 3 sec.
- Improved Feral Charge: Bear bonus changed from +10% damage for 3 attacks to 30% haste for 8 sec
- Infected Wounds: Ravage included
- Feral Aggression: Reduces cooldown of FF(Bear) instead of improvind Demo Roar
- Moonglow: Starsurge included
- Euphoria: (new balance) When you critically hit with Wrath or Starfire, you instantly gain an additional 4 Lunar or 8 Solar Energy. When you reach a Solar or Lunar eclipse, you instantly are restored 12% of your total mana.
- Solarbeam: No longer NYI
- Starsurge: No longer NYI
- Lunar Justice: No longer NYI
- Skull Bash - New: (1 rage/25 energy 8 yard range, 10 second cooldown): You charge and skull bash the target, interrupting spellcasting and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 5 sec.



Hunters:

Mages:

Paladins:

Base Stat Adjustments at lvl 80:
- Health Increased : 11091 up from 8804
- Mana Increased : 5614 up from 5554
- Strength Increased : 166 up from 159
- Agility Increased : 88 up from 84
- Stamina Increased : 215 up from 205
- Intellect Increased : 100 up from 95
- Damage Increased : 79-80 up from 77-78
- Attack Power Increased : 552 up from 538 (due to STR increase)
- Melee Crit Increased : 2.35% up from 2.26%
- Bonus Spell Damage Increased : 90 up from 86 (due to INT increase)
- Bonus Healing Increased : 90 up from 86 (due to INT increase)
- Spell Crit Chance Increased : 3.94% up from 3.91%

Abilites:
- Consecration now deals 205 damage over 10 seconds down from 736, now has a status bar similar to totems and may now be canceled early
- Seal of Vengeance now has an updated graphic
- Improved Crusader Strike now shows under General in Spell Book


Priests:

Rogues:

Shaman:

Warlocks:

Warriors:

- Battle Shout now has a 1 minute cooldown, and generates 10 rage
- Commanding Shout now has a 1 minute cooldown, and generates 10 rage
- Booming Voice now increases the rage generated by Battle/Commanding Shout by 2/5(Talent point tooltip is bugged)
- Blood Craze at has 10%(At all levels of talent investment) chance to heal you for 2.5/5/7.5% of your health after taking damage

Zone Changes

Gilneas:
- <This will be a carriage> is now actually a carriage

Hillsbrad Foothills:
- Tarren Mill updated with new undead architecture

Redridge Mountains:
- More quests available

Silverpine Forest:
- All undead cities updated with new undead architecture
- Undead boats added to Lordamere Lake
- Ground/Grass retextured
- Additional Undead presence and structures added near border into Tirisfal Glades

The Hinterlands:
- The Hinterlands is now ready for testing for both the Alliance and the Horde lvls 30-35

[Yoiry]

As of now, my WoW works again, but every ten minutes I'll get a critical error ):

It seems that this patch is not stable since the same happens with the sandbox.

[moonrunner]

.

The Hinterlands:
- The Hinterlands is now ready for testing for both the Alliance and the Horde lvls 30-35

Oh yeah.
We'll know more about the Wildhammers and high elves which are present in this zone

[Newez]

Thanks for those notes, many intereseting changes!

[tatortotts]

<This will be a carriage> is now actually a carriage

I lol'd.

Thanks for all this info, dude. You don't know how much you're helping with theorycrafters, etc.

[ultrasaw]

Lol gay Human racial change. It's now 100% usless once you hit the level cap.

Anyway, anynews on Stromgarde or Varian's status in the Alliance? You haven't said anything about those yet.

[Naposim1337]

Damage Changes:
- Blood Strike now has a base 80% weapon damage modifier (up from 40%).
- Heart Strike now has a base 100% weapon damage modifier (up from 50%)
- Obltierate now has a base 160% weapon damage modifier (up from 80%).
- Frost strike now has a base 110% weapon damage modifier (up from 55%).
- Rune Strike now deals double it's amount from live.
- Plague Strike now has a base 100% weapon damage modifier (up from 50%).
- Scourge Strike now has a base 100% weapon damage modifier (up from 70%).
- Death Strike has a base 150% weapon damage modifier (up from 75%).

Oh....my...god!

Druids

Abilites:
- Consecration now deals 205 damage over 10 seconds down from 736, now has a status bar similar to totems and may now be canceled early

Anyone else thinking it might be a ''buff'' thing? why bar for it otherwise? and damage decrase

[Dies Irae]

Oh....my...god!

Remember that those changes are in fact not as overpowered as one might believe, as the new rune system doesn't allow you to use your abilities as often as in WotLK.

[Draziusk]

I know this isn't really important but if you could get a video or identify what the goblin/worgen dances are would be awesome.Also any plans on doing a runthrough of the goblin starting area the way you did worgs?