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By Stan
Improvements to Azerite Armor are coming on January 22. Blizzard added a new outer ring with two spec-specific traits to all armor acquired after Mythic Season 2 starts and the new raid opens. You will be able to get the new gear from PvP Season 2, Battle of Dazar'alor, World Quest Emissaries, and from the Titan Residuum vendor, who sells upgraded wares at a higher cost.
New Azerite powers will become available in Tides of Vengeance Part II. Check out our updated Class guides for more details. 10 more ranks of Azerite Knowledge will be added over the course of January 22 through March. The catchup has been disabled for now, but it will commence soon. Reaching Friendly, Honored, and Revered and with Champions of Azeroth will unlock the appropriate quests to upgrade your Heart of Azeroth for all characters on your account. The cost of Azerite Reforging has been reduced from 72 hours to 24 hours. Blizzard (Source)
Since the launch of Battle for Azeroth, players have been empowering their Heart of Azeroth and collecting Azerite armor to gear up for the battles ahead. Since then, we’ve made a variety of adjustments to the system—and we have a few more updates coming with the second part of Tides of Vengeance on January 22 that we’d like go into more detail on today.
With the release of Battle for Azeroth Season 2, we’re introducing new epic Azerite pieces that you can acquire through a variety of methods, including Season 2 PvP, the Battle of Dazar’alor raid, World Quest Emissaries, and from the Mythic Keystone vendor Thaumaturge Vashreen in Zuldazar and Boralus. These new items will have a fifth ring with additional new trait options and is available at Heart of Azeroth level 15.
This new outer ring provides two choices of traits per specialization, giving players an opportunity to find items that have traits they particularly want—and the freedom to create new and interesting combinations that may not have been possible before. This additional ring of traits makes each item have a larger impact on your character’s overall power.
Outer Ring:
Powers that reside in the new outer ring provide two additional trait options for each of your character’s available specializations. Example:
Moment of Repose (Discipline) (Passive) Pain Suppression applies Atonement to the target and instantly heals them for 15,313. Second Ring:
Powers that reside on the second ring from the outside will often be influenced by where you collected the piece of armor they’re found on. These powers can also be associated with specific class specializations.. Example:
Seductive Power (Passive) Your spells and abilities have a chance to conjure Bwonsamdi’s spectral visage, beckoning you closer. If you approach him, gain 57 to all stats for 5 minutes, stacking up to 5 times. If you fail to heed his call, lose 1 stack. Third Ring:
These powers generally benefit the performance of your in-game role—they’ll provide damage increases for DPS classes, increase damage mitigation for tanks, or bolster healing output for healers. Example:
Bracing Chill (Passive) Your heals have a chance to apply Bracing Chill. Healing a target with Bracing Chill will heal for an additional 2,574 and move Bracing Chill to a nearby ally (up to 6 times). Fourth Ring:
These are defensive or utility-oriented powers for your class. Example:
Vampiric Speed (Passive) When an enemy you harmed dies, you heal for 6,361 and gain 93 Speed for 6 seconds. Fifth Ring:
Azerite Empowerment is the power that resides at the center, and increases an armor piece’s item level by 5. New Traits to Discover
You’ll also find new location-specific traits that scale with item level and are available on gear from the Battle of Dazar’alor raid, including:
Bonded Souls : Your spells and abilities have a chance to trigger a Soulbond for 15 seconds. During Soulbond, every 5 seconds you and your nearest ally are both healed for 3,456 and gain 141 Haste for 5 seconds. Seductive Power: Your spells and abilities have a chance to conjure Bwonsamdi’s spectral visage, beckoning you closer. If you approach him, gain 26 to all stats for 5 minutes, stacking up to 5 times. If you fail to heed his call, lose 1 Stack. Treacherous Covenant: Your primary stat is increased by 151 while you are above 50% health. You take 15% increased damage while below 20% health. Azerite Knowledge
With the start of Season 2, we’re also adding 10 more ranks of Azerite Knowledge over the course of January 22 through March. Each rank of Artifact Knowledge increases the speed at which your Heart of Azeroth levels up.
Tides of Vengeance Recap: Trait Updates and Additions
With the launch of Tides of Vengeance on December 11, we replaced many of the Azerite traits we weren’t happy with and continue to iterate on various elements of the system to provide variety and flexibility in player gear choices.
NEW TRAITS IN THE DARKSHORE WARFRONT
It’s a good time to keep an eye on the shifting tides of the Darkshore Warfront. We added many new Azerite Armor traits that are just waiting to be collected, including:
Ancients' Bulwark: Standing still grants you Deep Roots, increasing your Versatility by 179. Moving instead grants you Uprooted, healing you for 259 every 1 second. Apothecary's Concoctions: Your damaging abilities have a chance to deal 1,262 Plague damage over 6 seconds, and your healing abilities have a chance to restore 2,415 health over 6 seconds. These effects are increased by up to 100% based on the target’s missing health. Endless Hunger: Your Versatility is increased by 179. Moving near an enemy’s corpse consumes their essence, restoring 1,815 health. Shadow of Elune: Your spells and abilities have a chance to increase your Haste by 465 for 15 seconds. At night, you also gain 10% movement speed for the duration. HEART OF AZEROTH LEVELING AND GEARING UP
Reaching Friendly, Honored, or Revered reputation with the Champions of Azeroth faction now unlocks the appropriate quests to upgrade your Heart of Azeroth for all characters on your account.
The cost to change Azerite traits has been reduced from 72 hours to 24 hours.
We’ve also added a new way for players who participate in Mythic Keystone Dungeons to gain specific Azerite Armor. These players will be able to earn a new currency—Titan Residuum—which can be used to purchase specific items from Thaumaturge Vashreen now located in either Zuldazar or Boralus. You can read more in our forum post.
Season 2 and the Battle of Dazar’alor are just around the corner—are you ready for the challenges that await?
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By Stan
The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj opened on January 23, 2006 for the first time ever and players who banged the gong gained the "Scarab Lord" title and the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal mount. In remembrace of the event, Silithus has been updated with content that allows both factions to compete against each other and the winning faction gets to fly their banner next to the Scarab Gong for the rest of the year.
Blizzard (Source)
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
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.
Players who are in a different phase can speak to Rhonormu near the gong to enter the correct event phase.
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By Stan
The second part of Tides of Vengeance hits live servers next week. Blizzard just released a survival guide to guide you through all the content that will be available starting January 22.
Tides of Vengeance Part II
The next content update arrives on live servers on January 22. What's new?
New Raid: Battle of Dazar'alor opens on Normal/Heroic difficulty on January 22. Mythic and the First Raid Finder Wing open a week after on January 29. Check out the official preview of the raid, boss guides, and updated Class guides! Azerite Gear Improvements: You'll find a new fifth ring with spec-specific traits on Epic Season 2 Azerite Gear. This does not apply to old gear and your priority should be to upgrade your Azerite Gear asap. Mythic Season 2 Starts Titan Residuum Vendor will offer new wares at an increased cost in Mythic Season 2. The Infested affix will be replaced with Reaping. Blizzard's overall increasing dungeon difficulty and rewards in Season 2. More information can be found here. PvP Season 2 Starts A new PvP Season awaits the boldest of adventurers. Preliminary Season 1 Title Cutoffs have been posted. Game Director Ion Hazzikostas posted a blog post with details about what's (not) changing in Season 2. Artifact Power catchup is disabled right now and will commence on January 22. Blizzard (Source)
There’s plenty to look forward to when Tides of Vengeance Part 2 goes live on January 22. Watch our Survival Guide to learn more.
New Raid: Battle of Dazar’alor
The Alliance will strike at the heart of the Zandalari empire—while the defenders of the Horde will rally to their new allies’ defense—in an epic new raid, Battle of Dazar’alor. This new raid provides both Horde and Alliance players with unique encounters for their faction—along with the opportunity to play through events from the opposite faction’s viewpoint. Learn more.
PvP Season 2 Begins
PvP Season 2 will begin and introduce an updated Conquest reward schedule, mounts, and gear. Players who earn 500 Conquest points in a given week through PvP activities including Arenas, Battlegrounds, and Assaults in War Mode will be still be able to choose a piece of gear from each week’s selection; in addition, they’ll now earn a Quartermaster’s Coin, which can be collected and ultimately used to upgrade pieces from this season’s Sinister Gladiator PvP set. Learn more.
Mythic Keystone Dungeon Season 2 Begins
The new Mythic Keystone Dungeon season opens opportunities for new rewards and a new challenge with the new seasonal affix: Reaping. High-level Keystones will now summon Bwonsamdi, the Loa of Death, to wreak some spectral havoc upon players’ dungeon run. As heroes kill enemies, the vanquished spirits will continue to linger in the mortal realm. At certain points throughout the dungeon, Bwonsamdi will resurrect these twisted souls, who will swarm the unfortunate adventurers in a final act of vengeance. (Blog coming soon.)
Azerite Armor Updates
With the release of Season 2, we’re introducing new epic Azerite pieces from PvP Season 2, the Battle of Dazar’alor raid, World Quest Emissaries, and from the Mythic Keystone vendor Thaumaturge Vashreen in Zuldazar and Boralus. These new items will have a fifth ring with additional new trait options. Learn more.
Content Difficulty and Rewards Changes
With a new season upon us and the Dazar’alor raid dungeon opening, we wanted to share some additional information on the changes coming to a variety of dungeon and outdoor world encounters including increases to both difficulty and rewards.
New Maximum Item Level: With great challenges come great rewards and the maximum possible item level will go up to 425. Battle for Darkshore Warfront: Battle for Darkshore rewards will also increase to 400 from both the outdoor boss and from Warfront quest that can be completed once per cycle. The difficulty of the Warfront will increase however, and the item level required to queue will increase to 335. These changes will go into effect after the current Warfront cycle has ended. Until that time, players will still receive Season 1 rewards. World Quest Emissary Rewards: World Quest Emissary weapon and armor rewards will also now scale up to 385 based on the player’s own item level. Rewards from the original Battle for Azeroth Launch World bosses will remain at item level 355 to stay on par with Uldir. Dungeon Rewards and Difficulty: The difficulty of Heroic and Mythic dungeons will also be increase as follows: Normal–340, Heroic–355, and Mythic– 370(baseline) Mythic Keystone Dungeons and PvP: During the first week of Season 2 Mythic Keystone Dungeon rewards will be capped at Mythic 6 quality (item level 385). PvP Season 2 end-of-match rewards will be capped at 385. Seals of Wartorn Fate: Seals of Wartorn Fate are not being reset and this same currency can be used for Battle of Dazar’alor and Season 2 bonus rolls; the cap on how many can be held at once remains at 5. For additional insights on these changes, read the developer forum post.
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By Stan
Arena World Championship (AWC) and the Mythic Dungeon Invitational (MDI) will return in 2019 with a few twists. MDI will be split into two regions and for the first time, players will be able to crowdfund both events and increase the prize pools by purchasing in-game toys in spring.
Blizzard (Source)
Today we are very excited to share details for the 2019 Arena World Championship (AWC) and rebranded Mythic Dungeon International (still MDI!), including increases to both programs’ prize pools, which will come from a portion of the sales of two new toys. Let’s get right into it.
Arena Returns for 2019
We are pleased to bring back the Arena World Championship in similar form as last year—just with a few fun twists. Here’s a visual representation of the system in 2019:
North America and Europe: The NA and EU regions will have two Arena seasons each, with six cups per season. Each cup will see teams battle for their share of a USD $10,000 prize pool. This represents an increase over last year’s competition, with more cups and more chances for players to win. Like last year, each cup will award points. For each finals event, the top four point-earners per season from both NA and EU will compete for a USD $100,000 prize pool. The first cup begins on Feb. 8; signups start today and will close Monday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m. PDT/6 p.m. CET.
Asia-Pacific, China, and Latin America: These regions also will run cups based on the Arena World Championship ruleset. Signups for Korea, Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau, Australia/New Zealand, China, and Latin America will kick off later in the year. Keep an eye on regional channels for more information.
Arena World Championship Finals: At the end of the year, we will celebrate the global scope of Arena with the AWC Finals. Invitations will be extended to:
1st place from NA and EU Season 1 1st and 2nd place from NA and EU Summer Finals Top point-earner from NA and top point-earner from EU Winners of the China, APAC, and Latin America finals. Introducing the Mythic Dungeon International
An invitational no more, we are pleased to announce the Mythic Dungeon International for 2019—a seasonal competition that will showcase the world’s best dungeon-running teams. We decided to update the name of the program in order to better reflect its increased scope and global reach. The Upgrades
MDI will be split into two regions: MDI East (China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Australia/New Zealand) and MDI West (North America, Latin America, and Europe). Here is how the year will flow:
The Proving Grounds are a qualification period open to any player with a Blizzard Battle.net account in good standing. Think you’ve got what it takes to be Mythic Dungeon International champions? Grab a team of five players and prove it! All you and your team need to do is complete five level 14 Mythic Keystone Dungeons in time between February 26 and March 12. (Note: Keystone level is subject to change, and will be determined sometime after the start of Season 2, on Jan. 22.) If successful, you and your team will be granted access to the Tournament Realm, where you will be able to create max-level characters, equip them with the items you feel are most optimal, and build out talents as you please. You and your team will have access to the Tournament Realm for the duration of the season.
Each season, those who have gained access to the Tournament Realm via the Proving Grounds will be able to participate in Time Trials—a limited number of attempts at the week’s dungeons during a designated time period, of which your team’s best results will be submitted automatically. Each week will alternate between East and West, beginning with the Time Trial in ending in the week’s Cup, a double-elimination bracket featuring the top eight teams for that week’s region. All teams on the Tournament Realm will be able to run in their region’s Time Trials every alternating week, which means more opportunities to participate in Cups.
Each Cup for MDI East and MDI West will be broadcast live on Twitch each weekend across six weeks. There is a USD $12,000 prize pool per Cup, as well as MDI points. Points will be awarded each week according to results, which will be used to determine who will be invited to each end-of-season LAN final. The end-of-season LAN events will be cross-regional, meaning the best teams of MDI East and MDI West will meet to race for their share of USD $100,000. The Proving Grounds for MDI Season 1 for both East and West will begin the week of February 26, when keystone affixes roll over. Closer to the event we will share more information about how to participate, qualification specifics, and more. NEW TOYS FOR ME? I PROMISE I WON’T BREAK THEM THIS TIME!
As both Arena and MDI grow, we want to give fans a chance to further support the programs—and have some fun along the way! Soon we will introduce two new in-game toys to our shop (details to follow). A portion of the sale of these toys will contribute to the prize pools for both WoW esports programs.
These toys will go on sale in the spring. As the proceeds will contribute to the year’s final LAN event prize pools for AWC and MDI, those prize pools will be announced later this year.
We can’t wait to get things started. Be sure to follow World of Warcraft on Twitter and Twitch to stay up to date on all the latest WoW esports news, and bookmark WorldOfWarcraft.com/esports so you don’t miss a thing!
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By Stan
As PvP Season 2 draws closer, here are cutoffs for BfA Season 1.
Note: The following cutoffs are not final and they're to be determined after the Season officially comes to a close.
Americas
Blizzard (Source)
With Battle for Azeroth Season 2 fast approaching, we wanted to give those looking to push for titles at the end of Season 1 an idea of what to aim for.
What follows are the current rating cutoffs as of this post, for the respective titles. These are not the final cutoffs, which will change slightly based on continued play through the end of the season as well as any disqualifications that occur after the season ends, but can be used as a general estimate for what ratings are needed in order to qualify.
Dread Gladiator – Horde: 2957 Dread Gladiator – Alliance: 2842 Hero of the Horde: 2646 Hero of the Alliance: 2552 Again, these are not the final cutoffs, which we won’t be able to determine until after the season officially ends.
Europe (Thanks to @Nightswifty for the link)
Blizzard (Source)
With Battle for Azeroth Season 2 fast approaching, we wanted to give those looking to push for titles at the end of Season 1 an idea of what to aim for.
What follows are the current rating cutoffs as of this post, for the respective titles. These are not the final cutoffs, which will change slightly based on continued play through the end of the season as well as any disqualifications that occur after the season ends, but can be used as a general estimate for what ratings are needed in order to qualify.
Dread Gladiator – Horde: 3022 Dread Gladiator – Alliance: 3069 Hero of the Horde: 2726 Hero of the Alliance: 2749 Again, these are not the final cutoffs, which we won’t be able to determine until after the season officially ends.
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