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The awaited World of Warcraft Patch 3.3 is coming any day now. We can’t wait to get our hands on the new stuff included. Here’s some more news while we wait:
· Updates to the Patch 3.3 PTR Notes – Over the past week there were a pair of updates pushed to the Patch 3.3 PTR servers. Changes this week included the release of the Halls of Reflection wing of the Icecrown Citadel. This is the third and final wing of 3.3′s new Northrend 5 man dungeons which also include the Pit of Saron and the Forge of Souls. These dungeons will offer instance runners the best 5-man loot available in the game and with the new dungeon system, players will have the opportunity to run them multiple times each day.
· Raiders to Have Limited Attempts at Icecrown – While testing the Icecrown raid content on the PTR this week many players noticed that there is now a counter at the top of the screen to indicate how many tries you have left for the instance. We all know that in Trial of the Grand Crusader raid groups are allowed only 50 attempts per week at the 5 bosses in that instance and now it would appear they are implementing a similar mechanic for the Icecrown raid content. At the moment groups are being allotted 3000 attempts, but this is presumably just a placeholder number inserted for testing purposes. A guess is that the number will be somewhere between 150-200 attempts per week, this would keep it in line with the Trial of the Grand Crusader numbers when you look at it on a per boss basis. There is nothing of the kind in place yet but I would also expect to see some item rewards and/or achievements put in place based on the number of tries remaining for the week at the completion of the raid. I’m sure we’ll hear more about this in days/weeks to come…
· Long Cooldowns a Thing of the Past - If you’ve been paying attention to them you probably noticed that last week’s Patch 3.3 PTR Patch Note Updates included some pretty significant reductions in spell cooldowns. Some spells like Army of the Dead have had their cooldown reduced by half. In addition, any talents that reduce spell cooldowns further have been adjusted accordingly. These changes are sure to make a splash in dungeons, questing and world PvP, but most of them will not see action in Arena play due to the current time restrictions in place there.
· Dungeon Tool to Benefit Low Level Players Too - We’ve all been talking a lot about the rewards for using 3.3′s new random dungeon tool in the new LFG system when you’re level 80, but it looks like Blizzard has also implemented a rewards system for lower level players using the system to run dungeons appropriate to their level. Players as low as level 5 will be rewarded a Satchel of Helpful Goods which will contain a couple of pretty nice items for their level range. The items will scale every 10 levels and be blues that are in line with quest rewards in a players current play zone.
· Blizzard Artist Shares WoW Memories - In a recent interview published in the Orange County Register Blizzard’s lead artist, Samwise, talks about his favorite WoW-related memory from the past five years. Funny thing is it really has more to do with rock and roll than video games or art! I think what I enjoyed most, though was reading all of the fan contributed best memories in the post’s comments. To see the full post you can head over to the OC Register’s site.
· Instance Teleporting in 3.3/Meeting Stone Changes - In the most recent patch notes, I know I had a question of mine answered about the new “summon from anywhere” deal that is present in the new dungeon LFG system. Now, as we have pointed out before, the system will teleport you from wherever you are when your group has formed and your dungeon is ready. But, what happens when the dungeon is cleared and you leave? Well it seems you will go right back to wherever you were before being teleported. Makes sense and that will keep people from signing up for a Violet Hold just to get a free hearth to Dalaran, too! Another related change is that meeting stones will only require that a player be level 15 to use them and there is no maximum level restriction on any of them anymore.
· New Non-Combat Pets For Sale – The Blizzard Store received a new addition this week in the form of non-combat pets for sale. That’s right, folks Blizzard is now selling in game items for real world money. Now this, as you can imagine, has produced every reaction possible from the community from members jumping on the proverbial bandwagon to those who say WoW is “ruined”.
· WoW Fifth Anniversary Sweepstakes - WoW’s fifth anniversary falls on the 23rd of this month and as a way to thank their loyal customers they are running a different sweepstakes style giveaway every week this month. Last week’s winner received a limited edition World of Warcraft Charge of the Great Dragonflights Stein courtesy of sponsor Taverncraft. This weeks winners will receive a pair of gaming glasses from Gunnar optiks. The best thing…you don’t have to lift a finger, all WoW subscribers are automatically entered to win (rules are here)! So, sit back, relax and cross your fingers…you could be the next lucky one!
· Curse Client v4 in Open Beta – Curse recently released version 4 of their addon client to open beta. The new version is a pretty major overhaul from the current client both in looks and functionality. Version 4 brings users desired features like change logs, addon package creation and added security. Some features will still be reserved only for premium users, but the client itself will pester users a lot less about upgrading. There is also a bug reporting system built right in to the client so devs will have an easier time tracking and fixing user’s issues. The new client is available for download here and comes in both PC and Mac versions.
• Product Spotlight – The Ultimate World of Warcraft Guide is a must have for any gamer’s library. This amazing guide package includes optimized leveling paths for both Horde and Alliance and an in-game mod that works for both, too! The leveling paths detailed in these guides are the ones we personally use to level our own characters and are comprised of 100% questing…that’s right NO grinding ever! So, if you’re just getting started, running up an alt, or just want to power to 80 as quickly as possible this is EXACTLY what you need.
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