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Allied Races - Highmountain Tauren Bestowed with moose horns by their ancestor Huln, the Highmountain Tauren tribes have united together after pushing the Legion out of their lands. With the threat gone, these Tauren have decided to ally with the Horde and the rest of their kind to fight the Alliance. Unlocking the Highmountain Tauren To unlock the ability to make a Highmountain Tauren, the following achievements must be completed on one character on your account. Once done, you can make a Highmountain Tauren on any server that you have a 110 character provided you have purchased Battle for Azeroth. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Complete the Highmountain storylines Exalted with The Highmountain Tribe Classes The Highmountain Tauren Allied Race can be any of these classes: Druid Hunter Monk Shaman Warrior Racials The Highmountain Tauren racial abilities give you damage reduction, increased mining, increased versatility, a knockdown, and a chance to loot more meat and fish. Rugged Tenacity - Reduces damage taken by 1.8% of stamina. Pride of Ironhorn - Mining skill increased by 15 and allows you to mine faster. Mountaineer - Increases your Versatility by 1%. Bull Rush - Charges forward for 1 sec, knocking enemies down for 1.5 sec. 2 minute cooldown. Waste Not, Want Not - You have a chance to loot additional meat and fish. Mounts The Highmountain Tauren racial mount is the Highmountain Thunderhoof. It is usable by all Horde races upon completion of Allied Races: Highmountain Tauren. I'm a moose riding a moose, your argument is invalid. Heritage Armor Level Type Slot Name Model Viewer 1 Cosmetic Head Highmountain Headdress Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Shoulders Highmountain Shoulderguards Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Chest Highmountain Harness Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Waist Highmountain Girdle Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Legs Highmountain Leggings Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Feet Highmountain Boots Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Wrists Highmountain Bracers Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Hands Highmountain Gloves Modelviewer Cinematics The Highmountain Tauren have an intro cinematic upon creation: Jokes, Flirts, and VO You can hear the Highmountain Tauren Allied Race Jokes, Flirts, and other VO in the video below. Customization The Highmountain Tauren offer a variety of faces, hairstyles, skin colors, antler customization, and tattoo options. You can view them all in the screenshots and modelviewer below. Faces Hairstyles Skin Colors Antlers Antler Tattoos View the full article

Allied Races - Void Elves During the final push against the Legion on Argus, Alleria Windrunner learned to harness the void without falling to madness by her mentor The Locus-Walker. The Void has a reputation for corrupting those who use it, but Alleria has since managed to train a group of outcasted Blood Elves to resist it as well. She and her followers have joined her husband to fight for the Alliance. Unlocking the Void Elves To unlock the Void Elves Allied Race, the following achievements must be completed on one character on your account. Once done, you can begin a short questline to actually unlock the race. You will then be able to make a Void Elf on any server that you have a 110 character provided you have purchased Battle for Azeroth. You Are Now Prepared! - Complete the Argus campaign Exalted with The Argussian Reach Classes The Void Elves Allied Race can be any of these classes: Hunter Mage Monk Priest Warrior Rogue Warlock Racials The Void Elf racial abilities give you reduced shadow damage taken, ability empowerment, reduced void storage/transmog prices, no spell casting delays from damage and a teleport. Chill of the Night - Reduces shadow damage taken by 1%. Entropic Embrace - Your abilities have a chance to empower you with the essence of the Void. Ethereal Connection - Reduces the cost of Void Storage and Transmogrification by 50%. Preternatural Calm - Your spell casts are not delayed by taking damage. Spatial Rift - Tear a rift in space. Reactivate this ability to teleport through the rift. Mounts The Void Elf racial mount is the Starcursed Voidstrider. It is usable by all Alliance races upon completion of Allied Races: Void Elf. Those that follow the void tend to prefer the companionship of a steed without form or substance. Heritage Armor If you level to 110 without a boost, you will be awarded with Heritage of the Void. Level Type Slot Name Model Viewer 1 Cosmetic Head Ren'dorei Helm Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Shoulders Ren'dorei Pauldrons Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Chest Ren'dorei Mantle Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Waist Ren'dorei Belt Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Legs Ren'dorei Leggings Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Feet Ren'dorei Boots Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Wrists Ren'dorei Bracers Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Hands Ren'dorei Gloves Modelviewer Cinematics Void Elves have an into cinematic. Jokes, Flirts, and VO You can hear the Void Elf Allied Race Jokes, Flirts, and other VO in the video below. Customization The Void Elves offer a variety of faces, hairstyles, hair colors, skin colors and facial hair/features. You can view them all in the screenshots and modelviewer below. Faces Hairstyles Hair Color Facial Hair/Features Skin Colors View the full article

Allied Races - Nightborne Thalyssra and the Nightborne managed to quell their addiction to the Nightwell that had plagued them inside their protective barrier in Suramar for over 10,000 years. When the Legion came, the leaders of their race made a pact that created civil war. Now liberated, the Nightborne have found common ground with the Horde and plan to fight for them. Unlocking the Nightborne To unlock the Nightborne Allied Race, the following achievements must be completed on one character on your account. Once done, you can begin a short questline to actually unlock the race. You will then be able to make a Nightborne on any server that you have a 110 character provided you have purchased Battle for Azeroth. Insurrection - Complete the Insurrection story in Suramar. The Nightfallen - Exalted with The Nightfallen Classes The Nightborne Allied Race can be any of these classes: Hunter Mage Monk Priest Rogue Warlock Warrior Racials The Nightborne racial abilities give you inscription skill, magical damage, mail access, a damaging snare, and reduced magical damage taken. Ancient History - Inscription skill increased by 15. Arcane Affinity - Increases magical damage 1%. Cantrips - Conjure up an Eldritch Grimoire, allowing you mail access for 1.5 minutes. Arcane Pulse - Deals 5000 Arcane damage to nearby enemies every 2 seconds and snares them by 50%. Lasts 20 sec. Arcane Resistance - Reduces magical damage taken by 1%. Mounts The Nightborne racial mount is the Nightborne Manasaber. It is usable by all Horde races upon completion of Allied Races: Nightborne. " Born capable of sniffing out concentrations of arcane energy, this noble cat was presented with thanks to a proven ally of the Nightborne. Heritage Armor If you level to 110 without a boost, you will be awarded with Heritage of the Nightborne, which grants the purple heritage armor below. We've included the alternative color that is currently unused as well. Level Type Slot Name Model Viewer 1 Cosmetic Head Shal'dorei Crown Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Shoulders Shal'dorei Mantle Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Chest Shal'dorei Finery Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Waist Shal'dorei Belt Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Legs Shal'dorei Leggings Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Feet Shal'dorei Slippers Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Wrists Shal'dorei Bracers Modelviewer 1 Cosmetic Hands Shal'dorei Gloves Modelviewer Cinematics Along with the regular new character creation cinematic, Nightborne have an extra bit of story. Jokes, Flirts, and VO You can hear the Nightborne Allied Race Jokes, Flirts, and other VO in the video below. Customization The Nightborne offer a variety of faces, hairstyles, hair colors, skin colors, ear customization, and tattoo options. You can view them all in the screenshots and modelviewer below. Faces Hairstyles Hair Color Skin Colors Ears Tattoos View the full article

Battle for Azeroth Alpha - Build 25902 Models Patch 7.3.5 Hotfixes - January 26 Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Achievements Defeating Algalon should once again award the appropriate achievements. Players can now correctly earn the achievement Souls of the Lost. Classes Rogue (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Outlaw Fixed a bug that caused Greenskin's Waterlogged Wristcuffs's to be removed when Pistol Shot failed to cast. Subtlety Fixed a bug that prevented the gain of combo points after consuming the Regalia of the Dashing Scoundrel 4-piece set bonus. Dungeons and Raids Blackwing Lair Nefarian Addressed an issue where the Drakonid would fail to spawn as expected. Ulduar Algalon the Observer Made many tuning adjustments to Algalon to more closely match his difficulty in 7.3.2. Temple of Ahn’Qiraj Silithid Royalty Fixed a bug with the bugs despawning before players were able to loot them. Items Fixed a bug where some low level items were not able to be disenchanted or transmogrified. Fixed a bug where incorrect textures were present on the Wristclasps of Righteous Reckoning, Supreme Felchain Bracers,Bracers of Perfect Discomfort, and Terrorweave Wristwraps. This fix should provide the correct texture and restore set completion to some players. Player versus Player Character item level is now set to 950 during Tournament Rules Wargames. Concordance of the Legionfall is now set to rank 20 during Tournament Rules Wargames. Monk (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Mistweaver The healing of Way of the Crane is properly decreased by healing reduction effects such as Dampening or Mortal Strike. Quests Neptulon's Cache now drops the Remnant of Water for quest “Controlling the Elements”. The Duskwood quest "Cry For the Moon" should now appear on the map if it is the next quest in the zone's storyline. Blue Posts Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker) I just logged in, and to my surprise, there is a level 90 boost on my character select screen...What is it from? Should I be worried about some sort of account compromise? I have the authenticator and everything. A few weeks ago I purchased a level 100 boost for a warlock. I looked through my transaction history, and there aren't any random purchases. Is this a bug? A random gift from Blizz? It looks like we're running a process that is switching the level 90 boosts that used to be bound only to the WoW license to make them Blizzard Battle.net wide. So some of you likely had a level 90 boost from a secondary WoW license that is now available for use on any of your WoW licenses on that account. For those currently missing boosts, the process is still running, they should show back up. Once the process completed we'll see how everything looks. Heroes of the Storm - Maiev Shadowsong Spotlight Blizzard recently revealed Maiev Shadowsong as the next hero in Heroes of the Storm. View the full article

Battle for Azeroth Alpha - Build 25902 Models This is a work in progress, keep checking back! Kul'Tiran Male Thin Human Male Female Zandalari Troll Male Zandalari Troll View the full article

Battle for Azeroth Alpha - Build 25902 Here we go! View the full article

Join Us for a Live Developer Q&A Tuesday – 1/30 Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Join us live on Twitch Tuesday, January 30, as we sit down with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas for our next live developer Q&A where he’ll be answering your World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth questions. Feel free to submit questions by posting in this forum thread or via Twitter using the hashtag #WarcraftQA. We’re really looking forward to getting the chance to dive in and answer as much as we can, so we hope to see you Tuesday at 21:00 CET! Battle for Azeroth - Collector's Edition Rewards The Collector's Edition rewards that came up in the hype thread back in September 2017 were finally added to the Battle.Net API for Patch 7.3.5. Collector's Edition: Seabraid Stallion - Owner of the Battle for Azeroth Collector's Edition Seabraid Stallion mount (A) Collector's Edition: Gilded Ravasaur - Owner of the Battle for Azeroth Collector's Edition Gilded Ravasaur mount (H) Collector's Edition: Tottle - Owner of the Battle for Azeroth Collector's Edition pet, Tottle View the full article

Developer Watercooler - Battle for Azeroth Class Design Overview Patch 7.3.5 Hotfixes - January 24 Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Collections Demon Hunters can now loot companion pets from Throne of Thunder and Siege of Orgrimmar. Dungeons and Raids Siege of Orgrimmar Sha of Pride will no longer use Banishment against a solo player in Mythic difficulty. Quests The Hyjal quest "Good News... and Bad News" can now be accepted from Matoclaw if abandoned. The Teldrassil quest "The Sprouted Fronds" will no longer appear on the map to players who cannot accept it. Players now receive Augmented Arcane Prison from Raelorasz if they’re standing more than 3 yards away from him, for “Mustering the Reds”. Reduced the difficulty of the Drakuru encounter during the Zul'Drak quest "Betrayal". Several Silithus creatures now level scale all the way down to 40 for "Vyral the Vile". When it’s “Your First Day as a Pirate”, Captain Keelhaul should no longer fall out of his pirate ship. World The portals to Deepholm can now be used by level 82 players, as intended. View the full article

Developer Watercooler - Battle for Azeroth Class Design Overview Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) The development of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is well underway, and we want to share some insights into our philosophies and approach to class design for the expansion. While the launch of Legion brought lots of change to all of Warcraft’s classes, Battle for Azeroth will more closely resemble the example set by Legion’s patch content: targeted iteration based on player feedback and data. The intro cinematic of Battle for Azeroth revealed at BlizzCon 2017 has an underlying theme that resonates deeply with the class design team: “Remember what makes us strong.” With that in mind, our goals for the next expansion are to promote what makes each class unique, focus on making group gameplay the best that it can be, and continue our efforts to improve combat visuals and effects. While we believe some specializations will need substantial iteration to achieve these goals, others will not, and our target is greater stability across the board. Class Uniqueness and Utility One area we’re trying to focus on across all classes is to better emphasize what makes each class unique and provide greater distinction among their various capabilities, especially when it comes to utility—tools that fall outside of core role functions like damage, healing, or mitigation. Part of what makes you feel excitement and pride in your class is pulling off a heroic moment and feeling the appreciation of your group when individually contributing to a shared success. That feeling is eroded when so many classes bring similar abilities, and you feel you’re rarely providing something distinctive. More differentiation in this area will create situations where another class can do something that you can’t, but you will similarly bring tools to the table that your allies lack. That contrast causes members of a team to be more dependent on each other to succeed, and encourages different group compositions to approach encounters in different ways. Pursuing this goal will likely involve adding some new abilities (or re-adding previously removed abilities) to give classes a more unique signature where needed. It will also likely involve reining in the availability of certain utility types, especially those that are so widespread that they rarely provide meaningful contrast between classes. As a notable example, Area of Effect (AoE) stuns, some of most powerful utility that exists, are so abundant that most groups have at least one or two. As a result, decision-making around that tool is often less about when it would be best used, and more about avoiding overlap with other AoE stuns. Not only does this sometimes drown out the importance of other crowd control in dungeons, but it means that a class bringing an AoE stun to a group is not the major strategy-defining asset that it should be. Our goal is that whatever powerful kind of utility a class brings, it’s something that group will be happy to have added to their toolbox as they approach a challenge. The goal of contrast between the abilities of different specializations is not limited to utility. We’re also looking at different specializations’ strengths and weaknesses in their “main role”—damage dealing (or DPS), healing, or tanking—and making sure everyone has something to get excited about and an opportunity to shine. Some DPS specializations are “bursty,” doing fast damage; some live for attrition, wearing away their target. Some specializations prefer to isolate and drill into a single threat, while others revel in blowing up huge packs of monsters. Much of this plays out naturally due to the varying sets of damaging abilities, but we are working more intently than in the past to ensure an appropriate variety and spread of DPS strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, healers and tanks should have a bit more identity through their unique healing and mitigation profiles. Another part of this approach involves working with our content design teams to collaborate on a world where quests, dungeons, and raids create opportunities for all different types of class strengths to shine. If we’re arming classes with distinct tools that provide powerful answers to different situations, it’s important that the game’s content provides a broad array of challenges that play into those different tools. Talent System Refinements The overall talent system will remain largely unchanged, but we will be refining our approach. One of the major challenges in setting up talent rows is that they serve two conflicting desires: choices within a row should be meaningfully varied, but also should not feel like they are simply a test of which is best in a particular setting. If a row has three similar area-damage talents, your decision can feel like it boils down to a complex math problem. If a row mixes area-damage and single-target talents, you’ll likely feel you should change talents to suit the content you’re doing, which also rarely feels like a choice. The most successful talent rows are those with options that have a generally consistent role in your toolkit, but have very different delivery and mechanics, allowing players to thoughtfully customize their identity and complexity. One other lesson we’ve already begun implementing in Legion patches is being careful with the effect that talents have on “pacing”—how frequently you get to press your buttons, and how often you generate resources and cooldowns. Of course, many talents affect the pacing of a rotation, and this will continue to be the case, as these are some of the talents with the most noticeable and fun feel to them. But if you have access to multiple talents that slow down or speed up your rotation, players can end up outside the bounds of what feels good to play (for example, by being resource starved or flooded). As we review talents going forward, we will try to avoid this by having strong resource-generating talents compete with each other, and better limiting the pacing change allowable from any single talent. Artifacts Here and Gone One particular challenge for the class design team throughout Legion was handling the introduction and eventual removal of Artifacts. The idea was exciting: design a large set of bonuses with the intention that they would be contained within an expansion, allowing us to make them flashier, more complex, and more numerous than we’d been able to in a specialization’s permanent set of core abilities. But the process of parting with Artifacts produces a complex set of decisions about how to adjust the base classes to play well in their absence. The largest issue is where the pacing of a spec’s rotation was heavily affected by Artifacts. In that case, removing the Artifact may result in a rotation that’s too slow, or has too much open time where the core buttons aren’t available. In the process of reviewing and updating each specialization for Battle for Azeroth, we want to make sure all of them are paced appropriately after the removal of Artifacts. In some cases, we may do things like increase resource generation or reduce cooldowns to fill in some of the newly opened space. For traits that go beyond simple numerical changes and have their own identity—such as active abilities or the powerful and noticeable procs—we are on the lookout across all specs for a small selection of traits that are worth turning into permanent parts of a class. The bar is high for a trait to become permanent. It’s an intended part of the experience of a system like Artifacts that the bonuses are layered on top of the core functionality of your class. You get to explore those bonuses thoroughly, but eventually move on from them. That leaves space in the permanent classes for new special bonuses from other systems in the future, as we’ll soon be exploring with Azerite Armor. That said, various specs will likely see one or two familiar traits from Artifacts showing up in their talent trees in Battle for Azeroth. These are the broad philosophies that are guiding our design in Battle for Azeroth, and we were deliberately light on sharing specific examples of change, which are still in a state of flux at this stage. We welcome a community discussion on the principles we’ve outlined, and look forward to delving into detailed and specific changes as we move forward with our beta testing in the near future. View the full article

Recruit-A-Friend Changes Feedback Patch 7.3.5 Hotfixes - January 23 Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Achievements The Priority Mail achievement and Postmaster title are now account-wide. Non-Draenei characters can now complete the Bloodmyst Isle Quests achievement. Icecrown: The Final Goal now checks for the correct version of the quest "No Rest For The Wicked". Characters NPCs should again make sounds when you click on them. Your character’s sounds should again be more audible than other players’ sounds, especially in dungeons and raids. Classes Priest (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Strength of Soul is no longer incorrectly triggered by Power Word: Barrier Rogue (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Poison Knives again amplifies Fan of Knives as intended. Class Halls Fixed a bug that sometimes inflated the Order Resources amount required for a mission. Dungeons and Raids Addressed numerous issues with area effects misbehaving in encounters. Developers’ notes: The underlying issue here is complex, but we believe we’ve tracked down the likely cause. Please let us know if you continue to experience issues with erroneously-triggered area effects. Quests Lost Mail now properly spawns in a random location near one of several Dalaran mailboxes. "Korok the Colossus" can now be turned in to Deathguard Podrig in the Sepulcher if Forward Commander Onslaught has been slain. "Good News... and Bad News" can now be accepted from Matoclaw if abandoned. Players level 91 and higher can now start the questline that unlocks Jade Forest by speaking with Nazgrim (Horde) or Admiral Jes-tereth (Alliance). Boss enemies for "The Air Stands Still" have had their health reduced, and the NPCs that help you fight them have had their damage increased. The missing Slumberblooms have returned for "Slumberbloom". View the full article

Sotanathor, Ana-Mouz, Burning Crusade Timewalking, Deepwind Dunk Brawl Recruit-A-Friend Changes Feedback Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Thanks for the feedback and thoughts so far. The Refer-A-Friend system is intended as an option for players who want to invite a friend to play WoW with them and experience the game together. When it was first introduced, we gave it a hefty bonus to experience gain as a way for both players to reach endgame content as quickly as possible. Nowadays, purchasing the latest WoW expansion includes a free character boost, so the need to rush your friend to max level is no longer there; you can jump into the latest content with your friend right away. This meant that the only players who were using the Refer-A-Friend system in its intended way – leveling alongside their friend – were those who had decided that they wanted to experience that content together. We realized that, for those players, the 300% XP bonus was a disservice; we were cutting that shared experience short by making them finish it far too quickly. Now, we certainly recognize that the majority of people using the Refer-A-Friend system before these changes were doing so in order to level alts quickly. If anything, we take that as a strong indication that the system needed to change: the best method to level a character in WoW shouldn’t be “buy a new copy of the game, put it on a separate account, send it a Refer-A-Friend invite, level a new character, and then transfer that character to your primary account when you’re finished.” That’s messy, at best. That said, we’re certainly taking the feedback about the rate of leveling alts into account as we move forward with the game’s development. We’ve been happy with the changes so far, but if leveling is too slow, we’d rather address that in the game itself than have Refer-A-Friend be some kind of bizarre workaround to an outstanding issue. View the full article

Bone Ringer Re-Enabled & Challenge Rift 31 Deathwing Needs a Friendwing - Phase 2 Voting! Class Creation Competition Greater Invasion Boss - Sotanathor Sotanathor is up this week, rewarding item level 930 loot! World Boss - Ana-Mouz Ana-Mouz is up as this week's Broken Isles world boss. Weekly Event - Burning Crusade Timewalking Burning Crusade Timewalking is back this week. Don't forget to check out Black Temple Timewalking during the event! The weekly quest from Archmage Timear rewards a Accolade of Victory, Seal of Broken Fate, and Cache of Antoran Treasures. The cache can contain tier set pieces. You can find Cupri in Shattrath. Don't forget to keep working towards Reins of the Eclipse Dragonhawk, Bridle of the Ironbound Wraithcharger, and Yu'lei, Daughter of Jade! Reins of the Infinite Timereaver can also drop from any Timewalking dungeon boss. PvP Brawls - Deepwind Dunk Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment Can you even dunk? If you want to win this brawl, you’re going to need to work on your skills because Dunkball has come to Pandaria. You’ll race to claim balls from the map’s center, or northern, or southern mines, take them to your enemy’s base, and then go for a magnificent long range shot or go all in for the dunk. View the full article

Changes to Recruit-A-Friend - Now Live Patch 7.3.5 Hotfixes - January 22 Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Achievements The consolidated Algalon achievement Observed should now properly grant both the “Starcaller” and “Astral Walker” titles. Characters Addressed a graphical error with characters who have markings such as tattoos. Uuna will now react to her surroundings when taken to Suramar, for both Horde and Alliance characters. Classes Demon Hunter (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Fixed an issue where Fel Eruption would not deal damage to stun-immune targets. Rage of the Illidari again correctly deals damage. Mage (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Frost Mages can again obtain their Frostfire Remembrance artifact appearance. Shaman (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Artifact traits and other effects that increase all of your healing correctly benefit Healing Stream Totem and Healing Tide Totem. Warlock (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Haunt will no longer incorrectly reset its cooldown when used against certain creatures with scaling health. Warrior (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Fixed a bug that prevented Warriors who have completed two Artifact acquisitions from starting “One More Legend” to obtain their third Artifact. Dungeons and Raids Deepholm Fixed a bug where Aeonaxx would fail to drop loot. Return to Karazhan Attumen should once again properly respect tank threat for his Mounted Strike and Stamp attacks while astride Midnight. Shadowfang Keep Some enemies will now properly benefit from damage scaling when attacked by high-level players, in Normal difficulty. Vault of the Wardens Fel Furies that spawn in the Mythic Tirathon Saltheril encounter will no longer evade. Mounts and Pets Fixed a bug that caused custom pet names to sometimes partially disappear. Mailing the Vicious War Fox will no longer cause it to become the other faction's War Fox. Professions Skinning Noxious Whelps can again be skinned for Green Whelp Scales. Quests The Dragonblight quest "An End and a Beginning" can now be completed normally. The Huge Boulder for the Redridge quest "Saving Foreman Oslow" has been returned. January 19 - Build 28675 Bugfixes Addressed tuning issues with enemy health in leveling content. Fixed framerate and client performance issues on mid- and lower-capacity hardware, especially when coupled with the use of certain addons. Fixed an Archaeology bug preventing players from being able to survey in appropriate locations. Restored a large number of missing transmogrification items to Collections. View the full article

Changes to Recruit-A-Friend - Now Live Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) In Patch 7.3.5, we made significant changes to the level 1–100 experience to ensure players can better enjoy the stories, quest lines, and zones they want to at their own pace. Because of this, we are adjusting the XP bonus on the Recruit-A-Friend (RAF) program to ensure it reflects the updated pacing of the game as new players level their characters and explore Azeroth. Dynamic Leveling in Patch 7.3.5 As you may have heard, Patch 7.3.5 significantly overhauled the level-up experience in World of Warcraft so that zones from 1–100 will dynamically scale to your character’s level. Why? Over the years, we’ve made multiple changes to adjust the leveling curve—and as a result, the pace of characters’ progress has become significantly out of sync with the content. Players often out-level areas long before they’ve had a chance to complete key stories and quest lines, leading to a less-than-ideal experience. With this significant update to pacing, the existing Recruit-A-Friend program would no longer provide the best experience for players new to World of Warcraft. Even with scaling zones, triple-speed leveling would mean new players going into dungeons could find themselves overwhelmed by multiple new abilities gained over the course of a single instance run, and might still outpace storylines that help the world make sense and make players feel like they’re part of it—and we want new players to feel at home in Azeroth. To align the Recruit-A-Friend XP bonus with the upcoming leveling changes, we have reduced the XP boost gained from the Recruit-A-Friend program when playing with a linked friend down from 200% (300% XP vs. base XP) to 50%* (150% XP vs. base XP). We are making these changes to ensure the XP boost doesn’t upset game balance and undermine the experience, while still giving a significant XP bonus to you and a friend as a thank-you for being part of the Recruit-A-Friend program. Recruit-A-Friend Changes in Full The XP boost has been reduced from 200% bonus to 50% bonus*, effective today, January 22, 2018. If you’re already actively participating in the program, fear not! If you either sent or received an invite before the change went into effect today, once the invite is accepted you and your friend will still receive triple XP* (200% XP bonus) until the link between your accounts expires (90 days from the date the new recruit’s account was first created). Please note: RAF invites expire after seven days. Heirloom gear XP bonuses will no longer stack with the RAF boost (i.e., the maximum XP boost you will see from today onwards is 50%). If you were already on the program, Heirloom gear will still stack. All other rewards are unchanged and yours to enjoy: Summon your friend once every 30 minutes. 10% bonus reputation from kills that grant reputation.* Level granting: for every two levels your friend gains while the accounts are linked, they can grant one level to one of your characters. Recruiter rewards, including game time and epic mounts. *For a full list of the rewards and the in-game criteria for receiving them, visit our RAF In-Game Bonuses page. View the full article

MMO-Champion Maintenance The site will be in read-only mode for the next several hours while we do some work.View the full article

Lore Loose Ends: Kormac's Torment The Legendary Level of Token Appreciation Card Design Competition Call of the Scarab Micro-Holiday The Call of the Scarab holiday event remembers the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj world event from Vanilla. This event is an Alliance vs Horde showdown, with the victorious faction flying their faction banner for the next year. This year you will need to talk to Zidormi in Silithus to see the old version if you have killed Argus and can see the Wound in the World. The Call of the Scarab quest will send you to Silithus so that you know where the vendor and world quests are. From there you can complete quests and defeat bosses to earn Commendations for your faction. Whichever faction has the most Commendations at the end of the event wins. Cultist Camps There are Twilight Cultist camps scattered around the zone. You will need to kill NPCs in the camp to acquire all three Cultist pieces: Twilight Cultist Cowl, Twilight Cultist Mantle, Twilight Cultist Robe Once you have applied all three pieces of the disguise, you can use a Lesser Wind stone to summon a NPC that you can solo. These drop Abyssal Crest and remove one of your armor buffs when summoned. Abyssal Crest are dropped by the Lesser Wind Stone bosses at the Cultist Camps. The Twilight Cultist Medallion of Station can be used at a Wind Stone to summon a boss that might need a group. The Twilight Cultist Ring of Lordship can be used at a Greater Wind Stone to summon a stronger boss that will need a group. World Quests There are several world quests associated with this event, all rewarding Commendations that contribute to your faction's total. Lesser Wind Stones - 150 x Commendations The Colossus of Zora - 100 x Commendations Silithyst - 100 Commendations Ahn'Qiraj: C'thun - 100 x Commendations The Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj: Ossirian - 100 x Commendations Colossus Group Quests - 100 x Commendations These World Quests reward reputation with Cenarion Circle, up to 1000 for completing a quest. Material Turn-In Quests These materials can be turned in to the NPCs near the banners to earn Commendations (Field Marshal Snowfall / Senior Sergeant Kai'jin). Chilled Meat - 20 x Commendations Crocolisk Tails - 20 x Commendations Crunchy Spider Legs - 20 x Commendations Lean Shanks - 20 x Commendations Raw Clefthoof Meat - 20 x Commendations Raw Tiger Steaks - 20 x Commendations Sandworm Meat - 20 x Commendations Mini-Boss Quests These quests are started by items dropped from the Wind Stone and Greater Wind Stone bosses at the Cultist Camps. Cinder of Cynders - 200 x Commendations Pearl of Fathoms - 200 x Commendations Salt of Shards - 200 x Commendations Song of Zephyrs - 200 x Commendations Coreforged Sigil of Skaldrenox - 500 x Commendations Diamondine Sigil of Kazum - 500 x Commendations Glimmering Sigil of Whirlaxis - 500 x Commendations Tidal Sigil of Skwol - 500 x Commendations Mounts These mounts only last for a few days and are bag slot items much like the Magic Broom from the Hallow's End Event. Sapphire Qiraji Resonating Crystal - Alliance Ruby Qiraji Resonating Crystal - Horde Level Type Name Cost 1 Quest Twilight Cultist Ring of Lordship 1000 x Abyssal Crest 1 Quest Twilight Cultist Medallion of Station 250 x Abyssal Crest 1 Mount Ruby Qiraji Resonating Crystal 1 x Abyssal Crest 1 Mount Sapphire Qiraji Resonating Crystal 1 x Abyssal Crest Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) *1/21- The Call of the Scarab Micro-Holiday is now live. Players who have completed Antorus, the Burning Throne and who are in a different phase can speak to Rhonormu near the gong to enter the correct event phase. On January 23, 2006, a bloody war was triggered by a simple sound: the banging of a gong. No rallying fanfare, no bloodthirsty yell; just an eerie silence. Those long, uneasy seconds of dread. The calm before the storm. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder before the Scarab Wall, no one could have predicted what would happen—an epic ten-hour battle that claimed the lives of thousands of Azeroth’s bravest—or fully comprehended the effect it would have. Action First, Faction Second That’s not to say the battle at the gates of Ahn’Qiraj came as a surprise. When the menace of C’Thun turned into an urgent threat, leaders across the world pored over plans and forged unlikely connections as pressure mounted. Both factions knew war was coming and personal glory was a hubris no-one could risk. Any notion that one army could defeat General Rajaxx and his colossal battalion was soon abandoned as fantasy. It was a unique time: scattered armies with varying allegiances were thrown together and faction pride was put aside. Let’s be clear: the battle at Ahn’Qiraj was won purely on the principle “united we stand, divided we fall.” Warmongering vs. Gold Hungering This uneasy alliance was not without its critics. Some showed their disapproval by shunning the war effort altogether, but others expressed opposition through acts of aggression. Rogue elements on both sides, unwilling to stomach this perceived betrayal of their faction, did not sit idle. Just as neutral auction houses became a tool for factions to share resources, they also became virtual battlegrounds. Crucial resources were picked up for next-to-nothing and sold on for personal gain. As with all wars, those who profit aren’t always the brave. The sheer scale of that war effort is almost unimaginable when we live in a time of extended storage and fast mail. But back then, backpacks and cloth stacks were smaller. Getting precious resources gathered, sorted, and sent took many hours. And it took several weeks to source bandages, food, and equipment—resources that were in high demand and would soon dwindle. The Importance of Remembrance There are parallels with current events that are impossible to ignore: once more, we Azerothians stand united against the Burning Legion as they wreak havoc across the Broken Isles. We attempt to put aside a complex, bitter history in order to defeat a common enemy. We eye each other suspiciously, even as we fight side by side. We would do well, in these dark times, to remember the courage and spirit of those who were there at the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj. We must have long memories if we’re to make quick work of the demon forces we now face. From January 21–23 we ask that you join us as we remember the fallen and celebrate the victory. All of Azeroth are invited to a special holiday, ‘Call of the Scarab,’ where we will gather to perform acts of remembrance and share our factions’ pride. Patch 7.3.5 - Broadcast Text Patch 7.3.5 added some new interesting broadcast text. Auction House Dance Party Originally Posted by MMO-Champion They may come from Highmountain, but they sure can get low. It's the Highmountain tauren! The moose is loose! Highmountain tauren, GO! Adventurers by day, dancers by night... borne. It's time to cheer for the nightborne! An illusion!? Nope... it's just the dancing nightborne! Just because you're an avatar of darkness doesn't mean you can't get funky. Hit it, void elves! Get down with your bad self, void elf! Turn off the disco ball and these lightforged draenei will still light up the stage! The lightforged draenei came here to dance and kill demons. And we're all out of demons! Trial of Style Originally Posted by MMO-Champion Frighten the fashion out of us with your creepiest costumes. Oooh... I'm getting chills already! Pandarian fashion just SCREAMS harmoniousness. Show us your inner peace! Show us your sparkles with your most wizardly wear! And don't forget the enchantments! Azerite / Seething Shore Originally Posted by MMO-Champion When mixed with natural gas, liquid Azerite can harden quickly making it easy for us to obtain. Keep your eyes peeled down below for unstable activity on the surface. With these tremors happening recently... its bound to spout out of cracks or fissures you find. We've observed strong geothermal energy readings around this uncharted island. Azerite, for sure! This island is ripe with thermal activity. After a geyser plumes, azerite is sure to spill out of the fissures. This has got to be worth a fortune! Yeah? Whaddya want? Hey! Mind yah business! I ain't got time for this. Spit it out already! Time is money! Hand over all of the azerite you've pocketed! I ain't gonna let you take my azerite! I stole it fair and square! It's mine! Oohh... Now you're gonna pay! You're messin wit' the wrong goblin, bub! It's mine! MINE! Ow! Enough! You can keep it! I give up! Here, take it! I give, I give!! Mercy! Here take it, I didn't want it anyway! Uncle! Take all of it! I don't want it anymore! The Horde has gathered over 1200 Azerite and is near victory! The Alliance has gathered over 1200 Azerite and is near victory! It isn't often one gets the opportunity to study a new mineral! Who knows what mysteries the azerite holds! Void Elves Originally Posted by MMO-Champion What do you know of Telogrus? This is a very old place. Broken by rage, yet sculpted by the threads of fate. There is much to be learned here. I believe I might linger a while. Remember, control demands sacrifice. Power never comes without a price. You risk losing those closest to you in order to save them. This is the bargain we have made. < Alleria looks away. > With Alleria's teaching, we can avoid the fate suffered by those on Mac'Aree. We need no longer fear exile for the pursuit of knowledge. A path long denied to us is open at last. The voices never stop. They push, they bully, they plead. They will not relent, not even for a moment. But you are stronger than the voices. You can glean their secrets and draw upon their strength. We need no longer fear exile for the pursuit of knowledge. A path long denied to us is open at last. Be wary of unstable void rifts and their spawn. This place is not entirely safe. Pristine void energy is soaked into this space... Magnificent. The Voidstorm is growing. It might even consume the big island entirely. Unchecked void energies ravage the other islands. It remains too dangerous to navigate. The void energy released when the ethereals attacked left the other islands unstable. No one is allowed beyond this point. The last people who ventured beyond this space were consumed by the shadows. One portal, coming up! You have learned basic control. Mastery, however, can only be attained through practical application. Calm yourself and it will pass. Your emotions expose weakness. The Void will exploit that if you let it. Remain in control of your thoughts. The void cannot sway that which is immutable. What are you waiting for? Concentrate and banish this creature! Although broken and scattered, this rift holds many secrets. It will teach us much about the nature of the shadows. Studying this rift has value, but we cannot neglect our duty. Azeroth must be defended. Our place is out there, fighting for our world. The power that flows through us is a weapon. And weapons must be wielded. Locus-Walker is an intriguing fellow. Alleria seems to trust him... to a point. I think we can learn much from him, so long as we remain wary of his true intentions. Void Elves - Cathedral of Light Originally Posted by MMO-Champion Oh! Hello there... fellow member of the Alliance. I mean no disrespect, but... I'm just not entirely sure the cathedral is the most... appropriate place for... for... For someone who indulges such... unique proclivities. The Light does not treat with the Void, elf. You should leave this place. This place is not meant for you. I can sense the shadow in you. Though it is diminished in the presence of the Light. Thank you, but I do not require your aid. Have you come to supplicate yourself before the Light? If you are here to speak with Archbishop Benedictus, I am sorry to inform you that he has left on a mission. I will help in whatever way I can, but I suggest you do not linger too long here. I commend your dedication. However, I fear you walk a dangerous path. You would best serve the Alliance away from the cathedral. Tread carefully, $c. Lady Alleria's name will only carry you so far. Perhaps is it as Alleria Windrunner says, and the whispers of shadow can be controlled. Be on your guard, friend, and may the Ligh--Hrm. Well... May fortune favor you. Lightforged Draenei - Cathedral of Light Originally Posted by MMO-Champion Greetings, Lightforged! Know that you are always welcome here in the Cathedral of Light. To have given yourself wholly to the Light... you are an example to us all. You will always have steadfast allies here. May the Light ever guide you, $n. Silithus Flight Paths Originally Posted by MMO-Champion I need a flight to Southwind Village. These goblins are so busy with their extraction equipment that they haven't set up a proper flight station. < Urok grumbles and kicks the dirt. > If you're lookin' for a flight outta this place, you're on your own. I guess if the world's ending I might be able to figure somethin' out... Looking for a lift? Going someplace special I hope! I need a flight to Staghelm Point. All our attention is focused on foiling the Horde's efforts. We can't spare resources to make this flight network fully functional. If you need to fly away from this wretched desert, you'll have to manage it yourself. Should you be facing a dire emergency, I suppose I could cobble together resources for a single flight... Lightforged Warframe Originally Posted by MMO-Champion These machines are fantastic! How could they operate with no anomalies or chance of failure? Oh, excuse me. Did you need something? We have learned much from our fight against the Legion. In truth, these warframes are the culmination of many years of research. If you wish, I can train you to craft similar devices. Non-magical devices are for mana-starved whelps, they said. Non-magical devices serve no purpose, they said. Orgrimmar practically runs on such creations! Time for me to show those palanquin-addled wretches back home the perfection of machinery! Nightborne in Suramar Originally Posted by MMO-Champion The Legion nearly took everything from us... while I blindly trusted Elisande. I am relieved that Suramar is back in our hands. I suppose I should thank you. < Anarys dips his head slightly at you. > I stood by and watched as Elisande led us astray. I was wrong... about everything. Vigilant Quoram The Vigilant Quoram has a few lines. Originally Posted by MMO-Champion Oh, you made it. Wonderful. Why have you returned? Congratulations. It is designed to kill you. I imagine it is quite painful. I am told power comes from unlikely places. For now. Perhaps. Fine. I am afraid I cannot allow that. Twilight Hammer Cultists Originally Posted by MMO-Champion This drink is green! Why is it green? There are no heroes in oblivion! None shall oppose the Twilight's Hammer! We are the harbingers of destruction! Cry for help... none shall answer you! The twilight is upon you! None shall withstand the power of our master! I am your destruction! You will kneel before our master! Goblin Workers Originally Posted by MMO-Champion I used to be a famous pirate! They dig me up, hand me this tophat, then tell me I have to greet all of you newcomers with a smile on my face... Do you have any idea how much it hurts to try to crack a smile? This is ridiculous! I really hated this tophat at first. What does a guy have to do for a good tricorne? But I must say... this fits real nicely on my skull. Sure hope the boss knows what he's doin'. Ain't easy ta meet my quota with that giant sword loomin' overhead! You're in the world savin' business, ain't ya? Maybe you should get ta work! Should be earnin' hazard pay for this! Psst... Yeah, you, $r. Hey, can you put in a bad word for me with the Warchief? I need to get fired. Being a jerk to everyone isn't working! What do I have to do to get myself out of this job? I try to leave, some orc picks me up and plops me right back down here. Downsized? I'm already about as downsized as you can get! Boss Mida says I'm bein' discharged. The only things that oughta be discharged are guns and explosives! I've been downwardly promoted. We're here as part of a "workforce adjustment." I used to have a cushy office job in Orgrimmar. My position has been eliminated... feels like early retirement. Ambassador Blackguard Survey Originally Posted by MMO-Champion We have a forsaken ambassador, which makes sense given our Warchief, of course. But I can't help asking myself, "What has it cost us?" If you have a moment, can you please tell me of your experience with Ambassador Blackguard? Thank you for taking my survey, $n.I shall present the petition after I have enough signatures. Good day to you, $r. He was rude and blatantly offensive. His appearance was off-putting. He should be replaced immediately! Falling Originally Posted by MMO-Champion Oh, goodness me! Did you slip? Best be careful close to the edge, $n. Did you fall, or was that a graceful jump designed to look like a clumsy fall? Watch your step! I can't do this all day! Actually, I suppose I can. Are you conducting some kind of dangerous experiment? I like it! If you're going to fall to your death, do it somewher else. Mind the gap. Dark Legacy Comics #617 DLC #617 has been released. View the full article

Upcoming Extended Maintenance Both the US and EU are having eight hour maintenance again this week. Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment We will be performing scheduled maintenance beginning on Friday, January 19th, 7:00 AM (PST) and we expect the service to be available again at approximately 3:00 PM (PST). During this time the game will be unavailable for play. We will be performing scheduled maintenance beginning on Saturday, January 20th, 02:00 AM (CET) and we expect the service to be available again at approximately 10:00 (CET). During this time the game will be unavailable for play. Patch 7.3.5 PTR - Build 25875 Another little build went out to the PTR today. Mimiron's Head is back in the dungeon Journal and NPC health changes are in. NPC Health Changes The previously mentioned fix for Mists of Pandaria and Warlords bosses is in this build: Mists of Pandaria Raid boss health reduced by 32% compared to live. Immerseus (Normal 10) now has 4.05 million health compared to 5.95 million on live. Level 90 NPC health reduced by 51% (at Player Level 100) Level 90 NPC health reduced by 32% (at Player Level 90) Warlords of Draenor Raid boss health reduced by 42% compared to live. Level 90 NPC health reduced by 7% (at Player Level 90) Level 95 NPC health reduced by 9% (at Player Level 95) Level 98 NPC health reduced by 22% (at Player Level 98) Level 99 NPC health reduced by 33% (at Player Level 99) Level 100 NPC health reduced by 42% (at Player Level 100) Level 100 NPC health reduced by 59% (at Player Level 110) String Changes Originally Posted by MMO-Champion BACKPACK_AUTHENTICATOR_EXTRA_SLOTS_ADDED - You gained 4 backpack slots for having an Authenticator attached to your account. and SMS Protect attached to your account. Heroes of the Storm - MechaStorm Blizzard released a promotional video for the Mecha skins and bundles. View the full article

PTR Server Slam Hall of Champions is This Week's Brawl! Patch 7.3.5 - S.E.L.F.I.E Filters Patch 7.3.5 adds new filters to the S.E.L.F.I.E. Camera MkII. If you don't already have it, you can head to Stormwind / Orgrimmar and pick up the Light Camera Action quest. Argus Filter - Take a selfie with Argus the Unmaker in Antorus Firelands Filter - Take a selfie with Ragnaros in Firelands Frostmourne Filter - Take a selfie with The Lich King in Icecrown Citadel Sha Filter - Take a selfie with Sha of Fear in Terrace of Endless Spring Twilight Filter - Take a selfie with Cho'gall in Bastion of Twilight Patch 7.3.5 Hotfixes - January 17 Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Classes Rogue (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Assassination The Poison Knives trait has been temporarily disabled, and Poison Knives currently adds 3% damage to Deadly Poison per rank. This change will be reverted once a bug with the trait is corrected. Shaman (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Restoration Healing Tide Totem is now properly affected by Deep Healing and Cumulative Upkeep. Healing Stream Totem is now properly affected by Deep Healing. Warlock (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator) Affliction Grim Inquisitor’s Regalia 2-piece set bonus now properly increases the duration of Unstable Affliction by 2 seconds. Dungeons and Raids Gnomeregan Electrocutioner 6000 again drops Electrocutioner Leg for Hunters. Trial of the Champion All bosses again properly drop Champion's Seals. Items Many quest items that had incorrectly high level requirements have been adjusted. World Quests Fixed issues preventing Naz'ak and Ana-Mouz from dropping loot for players who have previously killed them. Quests Significantly increased the Spinal Dust drop rate on the Ghostlands quest “Spinal Dust”. Arluin has returned to Suramar and is again willing to speak with outsiders. He was just having a bad day. Mists and Warlords Raid Boss Health - Future Hotfix Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Older Boss Raid Difficulty with 7.3.5 Scaling As many players have noticed, changes to how creature health is determined in Patch 7.3.5 had a meaningful impact on some older raid content. This has been particularly noticeable in Warlords of Draenor and Mists of Pandaria raids. We’ve been discussing this topic constantly since the first threads popped up after the patch. We want to be clear: our intention was never to greatly increase the difficulty of soloing old raid content for transmog or mount runs, but a side effect of the creature health tuning we did for leveling players. We’re currently working on a fix that will significantly reduce the health of Warlords and Mists raid bosses. Thank you for all of your feedback and discussion on this issue. We’re sorry for the frustration, and we’re working to have you all back in there beating down those old raid bosses as soon as possible (hopefully before the weekend). Uuna Pet Quest Item Drop Rate Uunas Doll has a low drop rate from The Many-Faced Devourer on Argus. It is the first piece in the puzzle to get Uuna and was recently hotfixed to drop more often. Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment drop rate for Uuna needs to be buffed! i want to get in on the secret findings! Good news! A hotfix has been deployed that significantly increases the drop rate of Uunas Doll. Join the secret hunt to save Uuna! (Muffinus) Mobile/Web Auction House Disabled in 7.3.5 Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker) With the release of Patch 7.3.5, we’ve had to disable the web and mobile versions of the Auction House, including the Auction House API used by certain third-party sites and addons. We’re working to re-enable it as quickly as possible. Patch 7.3.5 Known Issues Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment We've identified the issue that caused some transmog appearances—such as the unique shoulders obtained from Xavius and Garrosh—to be removed from players’ collections. We have a pending resolution that will restore these appearances automatically. (WarcraftDevs) The Assassination Rogue trait "Poison Knives" was disabled last night after discovering an issue that caused it to deal more damage than intended. We're working to resolve this issue and re-enable the trait as soon as possible. (WarcraftDevs) We are continuing to investigate issues with performance in raids and are working to isolate and address them as quickly as possible. This is a top priority for us. (WarcraftDevs) We have noticed a spike of interest in our SMS Protect and Authenticator services due to our offer of 4 extra bag slots for participating players. Please note that it may take up to 30 minutes for the bag slots to unlock after these security features are added to your account, and that it may be necessary to log out and back in once this time has passed. (Support) Mimron's Head Looks like this is just a visual bug with the dungeon journal. Mimiron's Head can still drop from Yogg with no keepers assisting you! Lich King Encounter Looks like this one is already identified and the team is working on it! No ETA currently. (Official Forums) Achievement Points Missing Some players may have noticed a drop in achievement points after patch 7.3.5. This is not considered a bug, several achievements associated with Ulduar have been converted into Legacy, which no longer count for progress. Scaling Bug - Heroic and Normal Dungeon NPC Health Dungeon bosses and trash have noticeably less health in Heroic difficulty compared to Normal difficulty. Burning Crusade Wrath of the Lich King Cataclysm Mists of Pandaria Warlords of Draenor This does not seem to affect raid bosses as the health pools increased from normal to heroic upon testing. Overwatch League Draws More than 10 Million Viewers The first week of the Overwatch League managed to get over 10 million viewers! Originally Posted by Overwatch League (Blue Tracker) OVERWATCH LEAGUE™ OPENING WEEK DRAWS MORE THAN 10 MILLION VIEWERS Newly announced Twitch distribution deal drives an average audience per minute of 408,000 for the opening day broadcast IRVINE, Calif.—January 17, 2018—The Overwatch League roared to life last week at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, with four days of intense competition between all 12 teams of the world’s first major global city-based professional esports league. Buoyed by a newly announced two-year deal with Twitch, the Overwatch League’s exclusive worldwide[1] third-party digital broadcast partner, opening day drew an impressive average audience per minute of 408,000, and 280,000 for the week. More than 10 million viewers tuned in over the four-day period via Twitch, MLG, and Chinese streaming partners ZhanQi TV, NetEase CC, and Panda TV—not to mention the countless additional viewers at watch parties worldwide. On Twitch and MLG alone, the peak concurrent online audience of 437,000 hit during the highly anticipated day-one matchup between Dallas Fuel and Seoul Dynasty. In addition, tickets to Blizzard Arena Los Angeles were sold out for the entirety of opening week. “We’re thrilled by the overwhelming response to the Overwatch League’s opening week of play,” said Pete Vlastelica, president and CEO of Major League Gaming (MLG). “But this is only the beginning. With more than 35 million Overwatch® players, the Overwatch League has the potential to become one of the most-watched leagues—of any kind—in the world.” “Since we announced Overwatch League at BlizzCon 2016, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the day when the global competitive Overwatch community could come together under one banner,” said Nate Nanzer, Overwatch League commissioner. “Opening week was that coming-out party—for the fans, both in-person at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles and tuned in by the millions all over the world, and for the players, whose love for the game came through crystal clear.” “We had high expectations for the inaugural broadcast of the Overwatch League on Twitch, given our platform’s passionate fanbase for Overwatch," said Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch. "They really put on an amazing show and fans showed up en masse to support and celebrate Overwatch. Based on the response from the community, Overwatch League is off to a great start and we look forward to watching how the season progresses. This league demonstrates the power and potential of esports, and we’re thrilled to continue expanding our partnership with Blizzard.” Viewers can tune in to catch all the action on Twitch, www.mlg.com, the MLG app (on iOS and Android), www.overwatchleague.com, and the Overwatch League app, which launched last week for iOS and Android. Blizzard gamers also can get easy access to the Overwatch League via a new Overwatch League tab in the Blizzard Battle.net desktop app. The first season of the Overwatch League runs until June, with playoffs and finals scheduled for July. For the inaugural season, all regular-season games will take place at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art live-event venue in Burbank, California, custom-renovated for Blizzard Entertainment esports events. Fans can purchase tickets to attend matches, which will be played each Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. A full schedule and information about ticket sales can be found at www.overwatchleague.com. About the Overwatch League™ The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-one #1 games,[2] Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com. © 2018 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE, BLIZZARD and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING is a trademark of Major League Gaming Corp. [1] Not including China. [2] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners View the full article

Patch 7.3.5 - Alliance and Horde Epilogue Cinematics Black Qiraji War Tank Muffinus let players know that the Black Qiraji War Tank is a reward for players that already had the Scarab Lord title. While you can no longer obtain this mount, you can get the Red and Blue version temporarily from the Call of the Scarab micro-holiday. Upgrade Your Account Security and Get a Backpack Upgrade Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) We take account security seriously, and we know you do, too. So, when you add Blizzard SMS Protect to your account along with either the Blizzard Authenticator (physical or mobile app), you’ll gain four extra bag slots—account-wide—in each character’s main backpack. You’ll be able to hold a little more stuff as you adventure through Azeroth, and keep that stuff safer from scoundrels and thieves. What Is Blizzard SMS Protect? Blizzard SMS Protect lets you perform certain account actions from your mobile phone (such as removing your Authenticator), and can be set up to provide you with account activity notifications. All you need is a supported text-enabled cell phone to get started. What can SMS Protect do for you? Unlock your Blizzard account Remove a damaged or lost Blizzard Authenticator Recover your account name Reset your password In addition, you can turn on alerts to have text messages sent directly to your phone notifying you of certain kinds of account activity, like password changes and security feature additions or removals. These text messages are an easy way to help protect your account from unauthorized access and changes. Remember, you can further safeguard your account by never sharing your password, using unique passwords on each site you visit, and staying aware of potential email and phishing scams. For more information on Blizzard SMS Protect and a link to set it up, visit the FAQ. Learn more about what you can do to help safeguard your account by reviewing our security checklist. Where Can I Get the Blizzard Authenticator? Don’t have an Authenticator on your account? Download the free Blizzard Authenticator mobile app for iOS or Android, or purchase a physical Blizzard Authenticator from the Blizzard Gear Store. Visit the Blizzard Authenticator article for more information, or head to the setup page to get started after you’ve downloaded the app. As an additional bonus, when you add an Authenticator to your account, you’ll find the always feisty and fiery Core Hound Pup in-game pet waiting for you. View the full article

Patch 7.3.5 - Alliance and Horde Epilogue Cinematics Patch 7.3.5 is live and new epilogue cinematics are available. Spoilers below! View the full article

Patch 7.3.5 Live Now Antorus - LFR Wing 4 Opens This Week Antorus, the Burning Throne LFR Wing 4 opens this week! Greater Invasion - Matron Folnuna Matron Folnuna is up this week! World Boss - Na'zak the Fiend Na'zak the Fiend is up this week. If you are an alchemist without Recipe: Potion of Prolonged Power he is the source for this recipe. Weekly Bonus Event - Pet Battles Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) An extra weekly quest and rewards are here— the Pet Battles bonus event is underway! This Week All week, get out there and fight with your mighty minions. When the time comes to take on other players, open your Pet Journal and hit the “Find Battle” button to be matched up with an opponent whose team is competitive with yours. Look for the following all week long: Archmage Timear near Violet Hold in Dalaran has a quest for you. Quest requirement: Win 5 pet battles versus other players with a team of three level-25 pets. Reward: One Ultimate Battle-Training Stone. Passive bonus: All Pet Battle experience gains are increased by +200%. View the full article

Patch 7.3.5 Live this Week Patch 7.3.5 brings old world leveling scaling, Ulduar Timewalking, Silithus quests, legendary tokens, the Seething Shore Battleground and more! Allied Races are not going live this week! Much of the data for them is in the patch, so we may see them later as a pre-order bonus. Legendary Changes - You can now purchase Purified Titan Essence Mythic Plus Battle Resurrections - Battle resurrections in Mythic+ dungeons now function similarly to the way they currently do in raids. Seething Shore Battleground - Seething Shore will become available as the story in Silithus unfolds Zone Scaling and XP Changes - Older zones now scale with your level. XP required to level has been adjusted. Flying Changes - There are no longer any expansion specific flying requirements until Warlords. Silithus: The Wound - Players who have defeated Argus in Antorus will be able to continue the Legion story quest chain into Silithus. Official Notes The official notes have been released. Legendary Item Changes You can now turn in 1000 x Wakening Essence for Purified Titan Essence and 300 for Awoken Titan Essence. Wakening Essence reward sources now reward roughly 6x more than they did in Patch 7.3.2. For example, your first daily heroic dungeon now rewards 30, up from 5. Mythic Plus Battle Resurrections Combat resurrections in Mythic+ dungeons will now function similarly to the way they currently do in raids. Combat resurrections start with 1 charge for the group and gain a new charge every 10 minutes. Raise Ally, Rebirth, Soulstone and Hunter battle resurrections all share the same charges. You can accumulate a total of 5 charges at a time, however, it would take 40 minutes to reach this point. New Battleground - Seething Shore Seething Shore will become available as the story in Silithus unfolds. This new battleground takes place in Silithus and features the Horde and Alliance descending upon the wound that Sargeras put in Azeroth to fight over Azerite bubbling to the surface. Zone Scaling and XP Changes Every zone through Draenor now use the level scaling system introduced in Legion. All corresponding dungeons and the rewards therein now scale. XP required to level has been adjusted as well. NPC Health Changes Along with all of the leveling and XP changes, the health of NPCs (including bosses in old raids) have been increased. Vanilla - 288% increase @ lvl 63. 25% at lvl 10, 119% @ lvl 20, 183% @ lvl 30, 222% @ lvl 40, 263% @ lvl 50 Burning Crusade - 261% increase @ lvl 73, 310% @ lvl 65 Wrath of the Lich King - 237% increase @ lvl 83, 291% @ lvl 75 Cataclysm - 185% increase @ lvl 88, 228% @ lvl 85 Mists of Pandaria - 341% @ lvl 93 Warlords - 92% increase @ lvl 103 Legion - Same Flying Changes During Leveling Expert Riding now unlocks the ability to fly in all zones prior to Draenor. The following requirements have been removed from the game: Cold Weather Flying Flight Master's License Wisdom of the Four Winds Draenor Pathfinder and Broken Isles Pathfinder, Part Two still need to be completed to unlock flying. Legion Epilogue - Silithus: The Wound Players who have defeated Argus in Antorus will be able to continue the Legion story quest chain into Silithus. Look for this new questline upon logging in. Ogmot the Mad is a new rare elite ogre in Silithus that drops Ogmot's Dream Journal. This journal contains 10 pages that detail the events of a nameless person who deals with the whispers of the Old Gods. See the full post for more details. Ulduar Timewalking Ulduar Timewalking will be available when the Wrath of the Lich King Timewalking week rolls around on February 18, 2018. Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment A long-forgotten evil has awakened once more. Travel back in time with 10-30 other adventurers to cleanse Ulduar of Yogg-Saron’s evil influence. While you journey through this memorable Wrath of the Lich King raid, your character will be scaled to player level 80. Your fate is sealed. The end of days is finally upon you and ALL who inhabit this miserable little seedling. Uulwi ifis halahs gag erh'ongg w'ssh. Achievement Changes Check out the full list of achievement changes. All existing 10-player and 25-player Ulduar Achievements have been moved to the Legacy -> Raids tab. Anyone who earned either the 10- or 25-player versions of the Ulduar Achievements should receive the new Achievement upon logging in. The new Glory of the Ulduar Raider Achievement should now award both the Rusted Proto-Drake and the Ironbound Proto-Drake mounts. Old achievements that required you to complete a number of quests in a zone have been changed to require you to complete the story quests instead. Allied Race achievements, more Prestige achievements, Legion Season 7, Seething Shore, New Pet Battle PvP achievements and were added. Increased Bag Space Attaching an authenticator to your account will increase the size of your initial backpack by 4 slots. Druid Lunarwing Flight Form Sit Animation The Druid Lunarwing flight form now has a sitting animation! You can see the Night Elf, Tauren, Troll, and Worgen versions of the animation in the modelviewer. Profession Leveling Profession leveling has been streamlined: Several reagents no longer exist: Greater Astral Essence, Lesser Astral Essence, Greater Mystic Essence, Lesser Mystic Essence, Greater Nether Essence, Lesser Nether Essence, Nexus Crystal, Large Glimmering Shard, Small Glimmering Shard, Soul Dust, Vision Dust, Small Glowing Shard, Large Glowing Shard, Dream Dust, Small Radiant Shard, Large Radiant Shard Illusion Dust is now Light Illusion Dust Rich Illusion Dust has been added Faction Leader Model Updates Gallywix got a new Azerite cane topper and ring! You can see the old model on the right in the image below. New Icons and UI Elements New Loading Screen New Maps Patch 7.3.5 - New Music and VO Patch 7.3.5 adds some new music and VO. Be sure to check out the Allied Race VO as well. Call of the Scarab Temporary Mounts Several new Silithid mounts are available for the Call of the Scarab micro holiday! These mounts only last for a few days and are bag slot items much like the Magic Broom from the Hallow's End Event. Sapphire Qiraji Resonating Crystal Ruby Qiraji Resonating Crystal New Racial Icons at Character Creation Screen The icons on the character creation menu have all received face lifts! New Command Boards The command boards in Orgrimmar and Stormwind have received visual upgrades on top of a new UI. They use the same menu now that we used to choose our artifact weapons and your options change as you level up. You also get a small picture and a brief description of the zone and what the story will contain. Alliance Embassy An embassy for Allied Races has been added to Stormwind. Allied Races cannot be unlocked yet, but you can see the requirements to unlock them inside. Lightforged Draenei Requirements Achievement: You Are Now Prepared! Exalted with The Army of the Light Void Elves Requirements Achievement: You Are Now Prepared! Exalted with The Argussian Reach Horde Embassy An embassy for Allied Races has been added to Orgrimmar. Allied Races cannot be unlocked yet, but you can see the requirements to unlock them inside. Highmountain Tauren Requirements Achievement: Ain't No Mountain High Enough Exalted with The Highmountain Tribe The Nightborne Requirements Achievement: Insurrection Exalted with The Nightfallen The Nighthold Updates The uninstanced version of the Nighthold has seen some changes, becoming more of a small faction hub. Both Alliance and Horde can visit as of now. There are teleport stations that lead to Dalaran and Orgrimmar usable by the Horde as well as all of your favorite characters from the Suramar campaign, such as Thalyssra and Theryn. Pandaren monks have also arrived to teach the Nightborne the ways of the Monk class. Thunder Totem Updates While most of the Bloodtotem tribe became corrupted by the Legion, the few who did not have now sought refuge at Thunder Totem. On top of this, Pandaren monks have arrived to teach the Highmountain Tauren the ways of the Monk class. Hardware Deprecation Warnings DirectX 9 support will be dropped in the future. Originally Posted by MMO-Champion Warning: Your current graphics API will not be supported in future versions of World of Warcraft, which will require DirectX 11 or Metal. Warning: Your current system will not be supported in future versions of World of Warcraft which will require a 64-bit operating system. Warning: Your graphics card will not be supported in future versions of World of Warcraft, which will require a Shader Model 5 3 capable graphics card or better. String Changes and Misc Changes Allied Race and many other strings were added in this patch. View the full article

Patch 7.3.5 Releases January 16, 2018 Blizzard has confirmed that Patch 7.3.5 will be launching tomorrow! Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) Patch 7.3.5 Coming January 16 Patch 7.3.5 is coming January 16, and adds several new features and updates, including Ulduar Timewalking; the revamped leveling experience featuring scaling zones throughout Azeroth, Outland, and Draenor; and more. Players who have completed the Antorus, the Burning Throne raid can continue the story beyond the events on Argus and experience the tumultuous aftermath on Azeroth with a new quest line. Read the complete patch notes to learn more. Before you hop into the game, make sure you’ve secured your account with the Blizzard Authenticator or Blizzard Mobile Authenticator, along with Blizzard SMS Protect. You’ll unlock an additional four backpack slots for each character on your account once you’ve secured it with both. View the full article

Overwatch League Causing Lag in Diablo 3 Deathwing Needs a Friendwing - Vote for Phase II Challenges! Patch 7.3.5 PTR - Build 25848 The latest PTR build flagged the client as a Release Candidate. Patch 7.3.5 - Artifact Instability Patch 7.3.5 adds the send off for our Artifact weapons. A recent PTR build added some visual effects of the instability that results from the send off. A recent build also changed how the Artifact Power numbers increase or decrease once your Artifact is unstable. Now your Artifact will increase in (displayed) Artifact Power until February 2nd, then the total Artifact Power displayed will decrease until March 2nd. On March 19 it will begin to increase very very rapidly. This Week in WoW History We're taking a look back at old MMO-Champion posts and World of Warcraft news that occurred during this time in previous years. Mists of Pandaria: Pet Battles Pet Battles were added in Mists of Pandaria and are still around today. This new content allowed players to collect battle pets and face off against other players, trainers or battle pets. The initial design had some features such as certain pets only spawning under very specific conditions (i.e - time of day or weather). The basics of the system were a level 25 cap with 6 total abilities. Spell Animations in Patch 5.2 Warlocks, Rogues and Monks got updated spell animations on this PTR build. The spells that were updated were Nimble Brew, Ring of Peace, Hit and Run, Marked for Death and Blood Fear. Some of these abilities, such as Ring of Peace, have been updated in later patches as well. Swift Windsteed The newest addition to the Blizzard Store was the Swift Windsteed, which is the Pandaria themed mount floating on a cloud. As with all store mounts, this one scales with riding skill and is available to all characters on the account that purchase it. Chinese Gaming Theme Park China opened a theme park which featured a variety of gaming titles. In 2013, a Reddit user shared some pictures from their trip to the park, which had a few Warcraft and Starcraft features. Patch 6.1 The first content patch of Warlords of Draenor brought small updates to a variety of systems as well as Twitter functionality within World of Warcraft. After the new character models were implemented, there were a few complaints which got fixed during this update. We also saw the addition of the Heirloom tab to make it easier to navigate and create heirlooms on alt characters. The Death Recap panel also got a small upgrade which made it easier to figure out what killed you during combat. Patch 7.1.5 The first major balance patch of Legion brought a large number of changes to the game. The most important was the increase of secondary stats on jewelry. Secondary stat amounts on jewelry were increased to make them have a larger overall impact on stats since jewelry doesn't have primary stats. This patch also brought two new pieces of content with the addition of Mists of Pandaria Timewalking and the return of the Brawler’s guild. Hunter traps and the Mage Barriers also got new animations to better fit the specs. Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes A new patch released for Heroes of the Storm on January 9th, 2018. Highlights include the introduction of Blaze, the new hero from Starcraft! Overwatch League Overwatch released a new patch on January 9th to go along with the start of the first stage of Season One for the Overwatch League going on now through January 13th. The patch includes new skins for each hero with color schemes coordinating with the different competing teams. View the full article

2018 WoW Esports Announcements WoW esports manager Jeramy McIntyre will be sharing what esports fans and participants can look forward to this year including changes to the WoW Arena World Championship and the Mythic Dungeon Invitational. Click to load chat View the full article