Jump to content
FORUMS
Sign in to follow this  
Staff

Icy Veins WoW Classic Interview: Discoveries and Runes, LFR, ICC Nerfs and Much More

Recommended Posts

75635-official-wow-classic-whats-next-pa

We had  the opportunity to talk to WoW Classic developers about all things Cataclysm, Wrath and Season of Discovery! Our own Crix dove deep into the matter with Senior Game Producer Josh Greenfield and Lead Software Engineer Nora Valletta, so let's get right to it! 

Season of Discovery

  • XP gains are not being changed, so the level 25 cap should be reachable very quickly. 
  • Mob damage is being increased in the open world as well to compensate for the power of runes, however, HP is not. 
  • No specifics on phase 1 duration, but "a number of weeks, probably more than a month, less than 3-4 months". 
  • The original unarmored racial mount models will be rewarded from the Ashenvale outdoor PvP event (but only usable in Ashenvale).
  • Runes are soulbound. 
  • Certain runes are only usable in certain slots (like Metamorphosis in the glove slot). 
  • An example of a discovery: an object in the world giving hints of where to look for the next clues. They are not randomly generated or placed, which is why they did not want a PTR, so players could discover them on their own (for a while at least). 
  • Some runes are easy to discover, like just finding a chest, but others are at the end of a chain spanning multiple zones (like Metamorphosis for example). It seems the "better" aka more impressive runes will be more difficult to find/take more time. 
  • There are hundreds of discoveries to find. There will be multiple ways to find a specific rune, but the discovery method will be different. 
  • You will need other players for some of the discoveries. An example given was you'd need two healers for a ritual to release a dead person's spirit to the Shadowlands, and those involved would get their own class's rune at the end. 
  • There may be discoveries that take you into the Blackfathom Deeps raid. 
  • Even only getting the tutorial rune will be enough to be strong enough until the level cap. 
  • Warlock and Shaman tanks should be relatively as strong as other tanks, but maybe not in all situations. 
  • Warsong Gulch will be part of phase 1, but you won't be able to get all the ranks. 
  • There will definitely be adjustments to level 60 raids, but it's too soon to say what. 
     

75081-are-we-getting-classic-the-awakeni

Classic Era/Hardcore

  • The new Self Found option won't require separate servers, it will just be an option on character creation. You can disable the option at any time, but you can't re-enable it after that.
  • There will be a special badge/"buff" (presumably without any actual benefits) signifying you made it to 60 in Self Found. 
  • No fresh servers planned.
     

Clipboard01.jpg

Cataclysm Classic

  • Whether LFR makes it into Cata is still being discussed. The door isn't closed, but they're prefer not to. 
  • A major talent/class overhaul was considered, but probably won't happen, with smaller tactical changes more likely.
  • Zul Aman and Zul Gurub will most likely come in a mid-patch update between launch and Firelands, it won't be a full phase. 
  • One of the things they're most excited for is the Titan Rune implementation for Cataclysm dungeons.
  • The are adjusting the cadence of patches and raid releases, speeding things up. There's an assumption that part of the reason Cataclysm was divisive was because of the slow pace of patches/raids (especially Dragon Soul). 
  • They're still thinking about whether to change anything regarding the 10 vs 25 man raid difficulties, as there were many pros and cons to the system. 
  • There will be changes to guilds, de-focusing the reward structure that favored mega guilds. 
     

65424-world-of-warcraft-wrath-of-the-lic

Wrath Classic

  • There are currently no plans for TBC or Wrath Classic Era, but they are open to feedback. "Never say never."
  • They have not decided on when the Icecrown Citadel nerfs/ player buffs will arrive. They did it too early with Serpentshrine Cavern so they learned from that, and will wait for people to say that they're ready for them before implementing the for ICC. 
  • Ruby Sanctum is coming early 2024. 

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sounds great! We'll have a TON of WoW Classic (both Cata and SoD) to discover and play in the next years, love it!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Also, 

  • The are adjusting the cadence of patches and raid releases, speeding things up. There's an assumption that part of the reason Cataclysm was divisive was because of the slow pace of patches/raids (especially Dragon Soul). 

200% this, had a blast back in the day playing through the raids and content but it was the first expansion where we got very little of it when considering it needed to fill 2 years of play time.

A 1-year'ish Cataclysm would be amazing, and that's what I hope we get!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

  • Similar Content

    • By Staff
      Blizzard have announced there was an issue with non-boss mobs in Molten Core not having the correct immunities in the first few minutes of the raid's launch. A hotfix has been deployed, but players that entered the raid in that period can also resolve the issue by soft resetting the instance or switching Hear level. 
      Molten Core (Source)
      About 5 minutes after Molten Core opened, we deployed a hotfix to correct immunities on non-boss enemies. Players who zoned in during the first few minutes can expect to find boss adds that have unexpected immunities.
      If you wish to, a soft reset of the instance should result in the non-boss enemies spawning correctly. Also, quickly swapping to a different Heat level and back to your original Heat level at the Hydraxian NPC near the entrance will reset the boss add immunities without needing an instance reset.
      Thank you!
    • By Staff
      The new Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair are now live in SoD Phase 4! 
      (Source)
      It's time to put on your fire resist gear to face Onyxia in her lair and Ragnaros, the fire lord, in the Molten Core.
      World Bosses Now Live
      Experience Lord Kazzak and Azuregos as brand-new instanced versions of these encounters. These encounters can be experienced with up to 40 players but will be tuned as 20-player content, making them both pick-up-group-friendly with 40 players, but also giving players the option to maximize their rewards by attempting them with 20-players.
      Onyxia's Lair and Molten Core Now Live

      Experience Molten core as a 20-player dungeon with 10 classic bosses (+1,) revamped loot, redesigned Tier 1 sets, and more. Players will also be able to turn up the heat with a new variable difficulty mechanic allowing players to earn more rewards from undertaking a higher difficulty. Don’t forget your fire resist gear! You are going to need it. We’ll be adding one more surprise to this classic raid dungeon for intrepid adventurers to discover.
      Onyxia will also be adjusted to accommodate 40 or fewer players along with some additional loot adjustments.
      New Raid Lockout interval
      Raid lockouts for Season of Discovery Phase 4 raids will occur regularly once a week for Molten Core and two times a week on static reset days for Onyxia’s Lair, Lord Kazzak, and Azuregos. Players in North America will have their resets for these bosses on Tuesdays and Saturdays, in Europe, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and in Asia on Thursdays and Mondays.
      Gather your allies and go forth to battle!
    • By Staff
      Blizzard will be increasing the drop rate for Librams of Resilience in BRD and BRS, as well as Burning Essence rates from the Dark Coffer with a hotfix today. They also explained some of the fire resistance numbers found in today's Molten Core post, pointing out that those listed were fully buffed.
      (Source)
      We agree, actually. We are sending a hotfix very soon to add a chance for Librams of Resilence to drop from certain Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire bosses, and increase the liklihood you get Burning Essence from the Dark Coffer in Blackrock Depths. This should help make these items a bit more available, but still require the same process and ceremony to complete the arcanum.
      I want to also take this opportunity to also clarify that the fire resistance numbers listed in the blog post are fully buffed. So that ~100 fire resistance breakpoint for Blistering/Heat 2 only requires you to have ~40 unbuffed if you have a shaman or paladin in your group. For many classes that is a single item and the new +20 Fire Resist cloak enchant from Hydraxian Waterlords reputation. For Molten/Heat 3 you’ll need to do a bit more prep and that is intended, but as alluded in my previous post, Heat 2 should be very approachable for almost anyone.
    • By Staff
      Blizzard have detailed the changes coming to Molten Core in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, from the new Heat mechanic to the new boss behind it (with no unique loot)! The raid opens tomorrow, July 25th, at 1 PM PDT/10 PM CET! 
      Molten Core (Source)
      The temperature rises with the release of Molten Core on 25 July, at 21:00 BST. Season of Discovery is presented with a unique challenge, as a new “Heat” mechanic is introduced in the Molten Core, which is not to be taken lightly.
      When you first zone into Molten Core, speak with a Hydraxian Waterlords NPC at the entrance to choose one of three different Heat levels—Sweltering, Blistering, or Molten—with an increase in difficulty at each level.
      If things get too hot to handle, you can swap Heat levels anytime. Simply speak with the NPC at the entrance to the Molten Core while not in combat. You will also have another opportunity to swap Heat level again with NPCs that spawn after using Aqual Quintessence to douse boss runes.
      Sweltering Heat – Level 1 The easiest of the three modes is designed to be approachable to almost all groups. Sweltering Heat is for those visiting the Molten Core who are less prepared to handle the Heat—fewer consumables, fewer fire resist buffs, etc. Blistering Heat – Level 2 A normal mode that requires more coordination and basic preparation. For those who have a moderate amount of consumables, enchants, buffs, nominal fire resistance, etc., Blistering Heat should be a breeze. Gear rewards for Blistering Heat are the same as Sweltering Heat, with an additional drop for most bosses. Recommended Fire Resistance: +96 or higher Molten Heat – Level 3 The Heat turns up in Molten Heat for skilled groups prepared to face the fire. The rewards for Molten Heat are the same as Blistering Heat, with a few additional items available from later in the Raid, along with unique weapon cosmetics. Recommended Fire Resistance: +226 or higher Can You Handle the Heat?
      With each heat level comes increased difficulty with additional mechanics, damage, and an increased requirement for “fire resistance.” In original World of Warcraft, Resistance was often an inconsistent statistic. Sometimes, you would fully resist all damage; sometimes, you would resist none, even with the maximum fire resistance being worn. Resistances still work this way; however, once you get to Blistering Heat or Molten Heat, those difficulties will require a certain amount of fire resistance to progress consistently, and the required amount will increase between Blistering and Molten Heat levels. This is an additional layer to the usual “have some resist gear and hope it saves your healers some mana” mechanic from the original WoW. Some mechanics could leave you burnt to a crisp if you don't meet the required Fire Resistance requirements.
      We point this out because the need for resistance and resistance fights has long been contentious in World of Warcraft. While it’s an iconic part of WoW, it’s easy to see in hindsight that it’s not always a great feeling to be incentivized to NOT wear your best gear for appropriate fights. We recognize this, and that’s part of why we felt it important to explain the intended design of this mechanic. One of the most fun and iconic things about Classic is preparation (or, at times, over-preparation) for challenges, and the base game heavily rewards players for that preparation. We want to use fire resistance to play up that aspect of raid preparation and promote healthy and satisfying gear progression as you gear up within Molten Core.
      When you first enter the Molten Core and want to tackle Blistering or Molten Heat difficulty, you may need to wear sub-optimal pieces of gear simply to survive. Fairly quickly, however, more and more gear will drop in the raid that is optimal for you to be wearing, including tier sets, which you will notice all already have a certain amount of fire resistance. The idea here is that as you obtain items you want to wear, they convey much of the same benefit as the less powerful pieces of fire resistance you may have farmed or crafted before your first trips into Molten Core. The eventual goal of this gear progression is to allow you to succeed on the highest difficulty level primarily by using your tier set, appropriate group or raid buffs and consumables, and good group coordination.
      A New Boss Heats Things Up
      Lastly, the Molten Core raid will have an additional not-yet-known bonus boss. When Molten Core releases, this bonus boss will only be available for Molten Heat, requiring players to clear every boss before gaining access. This boss is an optional challenge that groups can work towards over time.
      We do not wish to gate exclusive rewards behind this challenging content. Because this boss will be tricky and require progression through the rest of Molten Core on the highest difficulty, the boss will NOT drop unique or exclusive loot. Instead, he will drop tier gear tokens and a chance at a few other exciting items, but all gear can be obtained elsewhere in the Molten Core.
      We hope to see a wide variety of groups attempt Molten Heat difficulty, have a satisfying progression, and not feel like they are missing out on exclusive power-impacting gear if they aren’t able to clear every boss on Molten Heat each week. Like many things in Season of Discovery, this is an experiment—we hope to use lessons we learn from this boss and the Heat system and apply those lessons to future Classic Raid tiers and potential future content.
      We hope this helps set the groundwork for what to expect going into the Molten Core and also helps illustrate our intentions for resistance fights and Raid difficulty with this raid tier. We want to emulate the feeling of gear progression from original WoW as much as possible, with the added benefit of more powerful, bespoke gear for a wider variety of playstyles within each class.
      We look forward to seeing you beat the heat in Molten Core and Onyxia!
    • By Staff
      With the addition of World Boss instances raids, it seems Season of Discovery has run into a hiccup, as players were unable to properly resurrect! Blizzard are working on the issues and as a temporary fix, players will be respawning at the Westfall/Barrens graveyards before showing up at the intended one momentarily. 
      Resurrections (Source)
      We’re currently working to address an issue with resurrection. For the time being:
      When dying and releasing inside of each raid, you will momentarily be ported to Westfall or the Barrens before being transported to the correct graveyard. Thank you for your patience!
×
×
  • Create New...