First of all, some more details on drinking in the coming patch:

“There is indeed a change in 2.4 intended to offset some of the mana regen from drinking away from the very beginning of the duration. However, we specifically made sure the water would not change the amount of mana regenerated by players who drink between pulls or during gauntlet runs. You should see little to no difference in the amount of mana yielded if you sit to drink for at least 6 seconds, which most players do.”

“So right now you get a tick roughly every two seconds. After the change the first tick will give you nothing, second tick will give you normal tick+66% extra, the third tick normal+33% extra, and then it levels back off after that. So, at the ~6 second mark (or after three ticks) you’ve made as much as you would have before.” -Drysc

It was later clarified that this rule will only apply to PvP:
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Tags: PvP · News

As I pointed out yesterday after the recent changes to shaman, there was quite some drama over on the shaman boards. Most popcorn worthy were the threads about Leiah, a warlock who’s infamous on the WoW boards for often being right about upcoming class changes.

To make a long story short, Leiah just happens to be one of Kalgan’s arena partners — yes, that “rogue buffs for my gf” Kalgan — and recently complained on the boards about shaman burst damage. And after making a “Also looks like ele shamans got what was needed.” comment about the new PTR patch notes, which stirred the board shaman into a frenzy, all Leiah’s posts suddenly disappeared. Ahh, the drama of the WoW boards…

Well it seems like the stir did catch the attention of Mr. Chilton. Amidst all the controversy, Kalgan decided to show up and address shaman for the first time:

“Shamans in general will be getting buffs to go along with their nerfs. Bear in mind that there’s still quite a bit that hasn’t been implemented yet.

I’d share some of these with you, but some of them might not be technically do-able for this patch, which in turn changes some of our decisions about exactly what changes we make, so we’re hesitant to give specifics until the work has been done.

Philosophically though, we’re planning to make a number of improvements related to the totem dropping mechanic, improving specific under-used totems, and a few other non-totem related improvements.

To provide a little background, our general outlook on the class is that they’re actually in good shape for all 3 specs for raid PvE, on the weak side for heroic PvE, pretty solid in battlegrounds and 5v5, on the weak side in 3v3, and pretty well gimped in 2v2. We’re hoping to get at least 1 spec viable in 2v2 for this patch (we’re thinking Enhance), but hopefully all three specs will be viable for 3v3.” -Kalgan
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Tags: PvP · News

Patch notes have been updated on the PTR for 2.4, and there are some more major class changes that could again change the meta-game for several lineups. Biggest of which: (1) NS and EM for shaman will now share a 10 sec cooldown and (2) PI for disc priests is now reworked to give 20% spell haste.

Quick rant: As a shaman player since release, I must admit, that I’m a little saddened by the NS/EM change. The ability to use NS and EM in different combinations, to me, defines TBC and the elemental shaman. I’m all for balance, especially in the arenas, but if Blizzard removes something that practically takes elemental shaman back to pre-expansion days, they also should give something back in return imo.

Along with the changes already to drinking and resilience, this is shaping up to be a big class tweak patch after all. Blizzard is just being smart and slowly introducing changes a little at a time to prevent the forums from drowning in a pool of QQ.

Again brief reminder that this is only on the PTR, so these changes may or may not go through when 2.4 hits live. However, they are an overall good indicator of what the devs are thinking. ie. the shaman/priest burst combo needs tweaking.

Here is the list of PvP related changes:
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Tags: PvP · News

Blizzard just released some more information about their upcoming 3v3 tournament on the updated tournament page:

“We invite the most dedicated and skilled Arena combatants around the world to enter the new World of Warcraft Arena Tournament. Your glorious victories in the tournament will not only grant recognition and renown for your prowess, but they’ll earn your team a chance to win cash prizes as well…”

Ok, slight RP intro aside, the new tournament page has some interesting information - best of which, a bunch of screenshots showing how to play dressup with the premade characters. The 3 slots available for any race, class, and gear combo you desire, plus however much gold you require may be worth the $20 price for admission alone.
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Tags: PvP · News

In a curious move on the PTR, Blizzard is now allowing PvP gear to be purchased with PvE tokens:

• T4 tokens may be used to buy Season 1 Gladiator set
• T5/Tier 6 tokens may be used to buy Season 2 Gladiator set
• Badges of Justice may be used to buy S2 honor gear
• T6 Sunwell tokens may be used to buy season 3 belt/bracers/boots

I suppose the reuse/recycling of PvE tokens is not a bad thing. With the world going green and all, the digital world should follow suit in spirit. Although, no guild in their right mind would allow these tokens to be turned in for the outlet PvP pieces until the entire guild has been geared out… much less the Sunwell>S3 pieces.

Season 4 Gear Found on PTR
Some Season 4 pieces have been found on the PTR by MMO-Champion. From the stats of the pieces found, it’s no surprise that S4 is just another incremental upgrade. Here is a quick comparison of the S4 and S3 warrior sets:
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Tags: PvP · News