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By Stan
Players have been comparing the Netherlight Crucible to Reforging and Ornyx sat down with the development team to answer some of the concerns.
TL;DR
Reforging was a simple and mechanical choice of replacing worst stats with best stats on every item. The Crucible is only affecting a small subset of items offering more varied situations than reforging 30 Hit into Haste. Respeccing Crucible traits is generally a bad idea, because players would be able to pick traits based on perfect optimization for any given situation during raid progression. Relics become Soulbound on inspection to avoid everyone porting in and out of raid to pass the relic around to see who it's best for. You can learn more about the Netherlight Crucible in our guide.
Blizzard (Source)
Hey guys!
We’ve been seeing a lot of discussion going back and forth on the Crucible lately, so we’ve had some conversations with the development team and I wanted to pop in and share a few points that came out of it.
Regarding comparisons to Reforging – Reforging was always a simple, mechanical choice. Players were, at the end of the day, simply replacing their worst stats with best stats on every item that didn’t already have your best stats up to a mechanical limit. The Crucible, by comparison, is only affecting a small subset of items and presents much more varied situations than say “change 30 Hit Chance into Haste”.
We’ve also seen a bit of discussion around players desiring the ability to respec the Traits that are locked on the second and third tiers of relics. We feel that the ability to respect Traits would lead to players picking traits based on perfect optimization for any given situation, which could lead to players leaving a raid to change to AoE-centric traits for the next fight during raid progression. While we feel that’s a nuisance in itself, this would also make the system feel like a watered-down version of talent rows, and would undermine the choice that is made when selecting your Relic Traits.
That being said, Relics are items and will be replaced; we do expect players to make choices and experiment with this system. Since there is still new content ahead of us in Antorus, better Relics will be available and players who make choices they may not like now will have the opportunity to get new Relics before long with a potentially new set of Trait choices.
As a note, we are also fine with the current state that Relics Soulbind on inspection in the Crucible. We believe the alternative of everyone porting in and out of the raid to pass the relic around and see who it’s best for is far, far worse. Players are smart and will be able to make educated decisions based on the information that’s available to them. As I said, we do expect experimentation however.
A final note: I saw the post on Reddit laying out three choices for Relics, asking players which one they would pick -
Relic A : 930 Ilvl BiS main trait, 3rd BiS bonus trait, but forces worst tier 2 crucible trait Relic B : 915 ilvl BiS main and bonus trait and 2nd BiS crucible tier 2 trait Relic C : 940 ilvl 2nd and 4th BiS traits and BiS crucible tier 2 trait. The poster responded by saying the only way to know is to sim it. If you’re generally a player who simulates gear upgrades to make decisions, you’re probably going to do that anyway, and that’s fine. If you’re a player going off basic guidelines such as “I play a fire mage so I want Critical Strike” you will get by as you always do in this situation and pick what you think is best for your particular class or spec.
Thanks for all the feedback on the topic so far, I’ll be on the lookout for future discussions, as always.
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By Stan
Netherlight Crucible is only one week away. Learn more about the new relic customization option added in Patch 7.3.
Table of Contents
What is the Netherlight Crucible Location of the Netherlight Crucible How to Unlock the Netherlight Crucible Legendary Items & the Netherlight Crucible Netherlight Crucible Traits Relic Slot Levels Previewing Traits Netherlight Crucible Paths Frequently Asked Questions What is the Netherlight Crucible? [Return to Top]
A new way of relic customization added in Patch 7.3. Remember the previously scrapped secondary traits on relics? It's a more polished version of them, giving players a little "more control" over the RNG.
Location [Return to Top]
The Netherlight Crucible can be found at 56, 67 aboard the Vindicaar.
How to Unlock the Netherlight Crucible [Return to Top]
Netherlight Crucible will be available to players starting September 12. The only prerequisite is to complete the Argus campaign in Mac'Aree, and a quest "The Netherlight Crucible". Unlock the Netherlight Crucible to get the Now You're Cooking with Netherlight achievement.
Legendary Items [Return to Top]
Insignia of the Grand Army is a new Legendary item of item level 1,000 that will be rewarded from defeating Argus the Unmaker in Antorus the Burning Throne (The Death of a Titan). It increases the effects of Light & Shadow powers granted by the Netherlight Crucible by 50%. Note that Antorus will be available later this year.
Netherlight Crucible Traits [Return to Top]
The Netherlight Crucible has three relic slots and tiers of traits.
Tier 1
The first tier is available immediately after unlocking the Crucible.
Netherlight Fortification is the same trait for each relic, allowing you to increase the item level of your Artifact weapon by 5 item levels per slot (up to a maximum of +15 item levels). Tier 2
The second tier contains 1 random Light & 1 Shadow power (regardless of your class or specialization) drawn from the following pools of power:
Light Powers
Infusion of Light Light's Embrace Light Speed Refractive Shell Secure in the Light Shocklight Shadow Powers
Chaotic Darkness Dark Sorrows Master of Shadows Murderous Intent Shadowbind Torment the Weak Tier 3
Any Artifact trait (with more than one rank) that isn't yet empowered by the selected relic can be present here.
Examples
In the first relic slot, I have Crashing Ember that empowers Weapons of the Elements by +1. That means, Tier 3 of that relic can contain any other Artifact traits, except Weapons of the Elements. In the second relic slot, I have Reactive Pylon Casing that empowers Wind Surge, so Tier 3 of this specific relic can have any other traits except Wind Surge. Relic Slots Levels [Return to Top]
Relic slots are gated behind Artifact Level. They have three levels, corresponding to the three tiers of traits. You can increase the item level of your Artifact weapon by +15 immediately after you unlock the Crucible.
Progression
Relic Slot 1 Row 2 > Relic Slot 2 Row 2 > Relic Slot 3 Row 2 > Relic Slot 1 Row 3 > Relic Slot 2 Row 3 > Relic Slot 3 Row 3.
Relic Slot 1 Row 1 - Available immediately after you unlock Netherligh Crucible Row 2 - Available at Artifact level 60 Row 3 - Available at Artifact level 69 Relic Slot 2 Row 1 - Available immediately after you unlock Netherligh Crucible Row 2 - Available at Artifact level 63 Row 3 - Available at Artifact level 72 Relic Slot 3 Row 1 - Available immediately after you unlock Netherligh Crucible Row 2 - Available at Artifact level 66 Row 3 - Available at Artifact level 75 Previewing Traits [Return to Top]
An unsocketed relic can be inserted into the Crucible at any time. Previewing traits makes the relic soulbound, so you won't be able to trade it with anyone.
Paths [Return to Top]
It isn't possible to unlock all traits in the second and third tier. We have four different path variations.
Netherlight Fortification > Tier 2A >Tier 3A Netherlight Fortification > Tier 2A > Tier 3B Netherlight Fortification > Tier 2B > Tier 3B Netherlight Fortification > Tier 2B > Tier 3C FAQ [Return to Top]
We compiled all Q&A from Blizzard about the Netherlight Crucible and you can find them below.
Blizzard (Source)
Q: What are the requirements to access the Netherlight Crucible?
A: Our intent at this stage of development is for there to only be two requirements: your character is level 110, and you have the account-wide achievement "Now You're Cooking with Netherlight." That achievement is given as part of the final chapters of the 7.3 story campaign, which is planned to open week 3 of the patch (so 15 days after release).
We've been able to isolate a couple of bugs - partly due to responses to this thread, so thank you! - that are currently on the PTR preventing access to the Netherlight Crucible unless you have a rank in Concordance of the Legionfall. That's an unintended restriction, which we're working on fixing for a future PTR update.
Q: Why are you adding this system? What’s with the RNG?
A: The Netherlight Crucible (aside from being an important part of the 7.3 storyline) is intended to help with an issue with Relic availability that players have been reporting for some time now. As Ion explained during our last Q&A, there are technical issues with the way Relics were built that limit which bonus traits can be available from raids. This has caused a number of raiders to feel as though their best bet is to run Mythic Keystone dungeons constantly in the hopes of having a Relic with their ideal bonus trait drop (and Titanforge for a high item level).
Those who were following development of Patch 7.2 may recall an earlier take on an improvement for this issue, where we experimented with adding a single, randomized second bonus trait to Relics. Ultimately, we decided that was the wrong approach, and wanted a system that put a little more control in players’ hands. So, while the Netherlight Crucible does still have an element of randomness, it presents you with several options to choose from.
To be clear: we believe that having some element of randomness is important. Our goal was not to simply allow players to choose the precise bonus traits they wanted (you already do that, more or less, when spending Artifact Power). We still want there to be those exciting moments where a Relic gives you a great outcome. The Netherlight Crucible is intended to make Relics more valuable on average, not to make all Relics be equal value.
Q: Will I be able to trade Relics with other players to see who gets the best options at the Crucible?
A: No. Previewing a Relic at the Netherlight Crucible will bind it to your character and remove the ability to trade it. This is because those trait options don’t actually exist on the Relic until you attune it to the Crucible, in a process similar to enchanting a piece of gear. It also prevents raid teams from feeling like they need to send everyone who might be interested in a Relic back to the Vindicaar before continuing.
Q: Will the Netherlight Crucible work on Relics acquired prior to 7.3 release?
A: Yes. However, keep in mind that it will take some time (likely several weeks) to unlock the later stages of the Netherlight Crucible, where the additional bonus traits come in. We don’t expect that stockpiling Relics prior to 7.3 will give any real advantage in practice.
Q: Doesn’t this just mean I’ll want my best two traits on each Relic now?
A: For the hardcore min/maxer, yes, there will still be a “best” outcome for your Relic configuration. However, there are now more Relics that can achieve that state (as Relics with your second-best trait can now roll your best trait at the Crucible), and you’ll encounter fewer “bad” Relics along the way.
Q: Why do I have to go back to the Netherlight Crucible to upgrade my Relic? Didn’t you want to get away from mechanics like that?
A: Players often compare this to the old Reforging system, and our dislike of having to visit a vendor after each and every upgrade. That hasn’t changed. The Netherlight Crucible only affects Relics – you won’t need to visit the Crucible every time you pick up a new pair of boots.
Q: How do the Relic "talents" unlock?
A: As your Artifact increases in level (by spending Artifact Power), your Relic slots will level up as well. When you first unlock the Crucible, you'll have access to the first additional trait (a +5 increase to your Artifact's item level) in each slot. The second row unlocks at Artifact level 60, 63, and 66 (for the left, center, and right Relic slots respectively), and the third and final row unlocks at Artifact level 69, 72, and 75. This should all be pretty apparent when you look at those slots in-game, but may not be showing clearly via datamined info.
Q: What did you mean by "it can't double roll a trait"?
A: Just that you will never be able to upgrade a Relic to increase the same Artifact trait twice. If your Relic already has a bonus rank of Wrath of the Ashbringer on it, that trait will not be one of the three options presented in the bottom row of the Crucible's upgrade tree.
In other words, there's no risk of having your Wrath of the Ashbringer relic be "ruined" by not rolling a second bonus to Wrath of the Ashbringer, because that could never have happened in the first place. However, if you get a relic without Wrath of the Ashbringer, there's now a chance that it'll gain it from the Crucible.
Additionally, those three options will always be unique; it won't, for example, give you the "choice" between Deflection, Deflection, or Deflection. Aside from making sure you always have options, this means that your odds of having your favorite trait appear on a Relic you'd otherwise have discarded are actually pretty decent.
Q: How do the ranks for the first two rows work?
A: There are no such ranks. We think this is coming from some confusion about how the Netherlight Crucible is showing up in datamining, versus how it actually operates in-game. Once you've unlocked a row in the Crucible, you just select the option you like, and that's it - there's no additional leveling up of those options beyond that.
For those peeking into the data (or anyone else who might be curious): this is because of how we built the system to allow the unlockable effects to stack between each relic. It's just a subtle behind-the-scenes optimization on our end.
Hopefully that will help clear the air about how the Netherlight Crucible works, but we're sure you have more questions, so ask away and we'll do our best to answer what we can! We'll aim to provide an update sometime next week. Thanks!
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By Stan
Senior Art Director Samwise Didier is conducting an AMA over at r/wow today. If you've got any interesting questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Samwise Didier (Source)
Hail internet!
My name is Samwise Didier! I joined Blizzard Entertainment in 1991 and contributed art for many Blizzard games like: World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, and my current project, Heroes of the Storm. This past year, I ventured into writing and illustrating my own stories, in collaboration with one of the best publishers, Insight Editions. My latest novel, The Last Winter, is a tale of fantasy and adventure, taking place on the mountainous island of Mistgard. The united armies of frost and fire giants, led by Lord Wintyr and King Sumyr, march across frozen seas to bring destruction and doom to the island and it's inhabitants, the Pandyr. As ice and fire rain down from the sky, the fractured tribes of the Pandyr must put aside old prejudices and unite in order to defend their tribes, their island, and their very existence.
The Last Winter will be released October 3rd and is available for pre-order now!
Alrighty internet friends, I am ready for your questions.
ASK ME ANYTHING!
(Note: once this post is an hour old, we will begin answering questions)
Proof
Placeholder for tweet 910329835628535808 For more information about Samwise, you can check out Black Heart Tavern's interview here.
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By Stan
Blizzard released a new three-part audio drama called "A Thousand Years of War" - The Story of Alleria & Turalyon, written by Robert Brooks and narrated by Stephen Pacey.
The story talks about Alleria & Turalyon fighting on Argus to end the Dark Titan's crusade, joining the Army of the Light and Alleria embracing the Void.
You can also download a PDF version of the drama here. The mp3 versions are cut off at 5:22 for some odd reason.
Blizzard (Source)
PART ONE: TWO BRIGHT LIGHTS
Ranger-Captain Alleria Windrunner and High General Turalyon’s disappearance was not the end of their last war, but rather the beginning of a new and more terrible one.
PART TWO: THE EMERALD STAR
After joining the Army of the Light, Alleria and Turalyon’s war against the Burning Legion took them all the way to the seat of the demons’ power: Argus.
PART THREE: SHADOW AND LIGHT
The Burning Legion is attacking Azeroth. The Army of the Light is on the verge of defeat. Alleria and Turalyon are on opposite sides of the cosmos, desperately searching for the key to ending Sargeras’s crusade.
MP3 Downloads: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
PDF Download
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By Stan
In the initial build of Patch 7.3.2, many Tier 21 set bonuses have been updated.
Tier 21 Set Bonuses
Death Knight
Item - Death Knight T21 Frost 4P Bonus - Frost Damage Flashy Proc - When you deal Frost damage, you have a chance to release a barrage of icy spikes at your target dealing [ 3.000 * 280 0% of weapon damage ] Frost damage. Druid
Item - Druid T21 Feral 2P Bonus - Rip Chance to Double Tick - When Rip deals damage, there is a 10 20% chance for it to deal damage again. Item - Druid T21 Feral 4P Bonus - Rip Ticks Proc Free Ferocious Bite - When Rip deals damage, you have a 4% chance to cause your next Ferocious Bite to consume no Combo Points be free and count as if you spent the maximum amount of Energy. Mage
Item - Mage T21 Fire 4P Bonus - Combustion Increases Crit Damage - Combustion also increases your critical strike damage by 12 50% for 14 sec. Item - Mage T21 Frost 4P Bonus - Brain Freeze Buffs Frostbolt - When you consume Brain Freeze, the damage of your next Frostbolt or Ice Lance is increased by 75%. Monk
Item - Monk T21 Mistweaver 2P Bonus - Gust of Mists Applies HoT - When Gust of Mists heals a target, they have a 100 101% chance to gain Tranquil Mist which heals them for [ 4 + 320% of Spell Power ] health over 8 sec. Rogue
Item - Rogue T21 Subtlety 2P Bonus - Combo Points Spent Buffs Backstab - Each Combo Point spent reduces the cooldown of Symbols of Death by 0.2 sec. Backstab damage increased by 30%. Shaman
Item - Shaman T21 Elemental 2P Bonus - Lava Burst Buffs Maelstrom Spenders - Each cast of Lava Burst increases the damage of your next Earth Shock or Earthquake by 20% 10%. Stacks up to 3 times. Item - Shaman T21 Elemental 4P Bonus - Earth Shock Overload - Earth Shock and Frost Shock have has a 15 30% chance to cause an Elemental Overload. Warlock
Item - Warlock T21 Affliction 2P Bonus - Drain Soul Increases UA Duration - When Agony Drain Soul deals damage, there is a 2 15% chance to increase the duration of Unstable Affliction on the target by 1.0 sec. Item - Warlock T21 Affliction 4P Bonus - Corruption Causes Drain Soul Tick Faster - When you cast Unstable Affliction, all targets within 60 yards suffering from your Agony immediately take 1 Shadow damage. When Corruption deals damage, you have a 2% chance to increase the speed at which Drain Soul deals damage by 100% for the next 10 sec. Warrior
Item - Warrior T21 Fury 4P Bonus - Recklessness Buffs Rampage - When you activate Battle Cry, the damage of your next Rampage is increased by 75 150% for 8 sec.
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