#0 - April 14, 2009, 2:57 p.m.
- World of Warcraft Client Patch 3.1.0
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The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html
The latest patch notes can always be found at
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/
Secrets of Ulduar
- Since discovering Ulduar in the Storm Peaks, adventurers have
journeyed to the titan city to learn more about its mysterious past.
Further exploration has revealed that the magnificent complex is
above all a prison, intended to permanently confine the Old God of
death, Yogg-Saron. This ancient horror has corrupted its guards, and
now it is breaking through the last of its restraints. Faced with
the peril of Yogg-Saron's imminent freedom, a band of mortals has
made preparations for a sweeping assault on the city. Overcoming the
legions of iron minions and towering defenses at the city's entrance
will take tremendous strength, but even that great victory may not
be enough to overcome the madness that dwells below.
The Argent Tournament Begins!
- As the might of the Scourge wanes under the pressure of Azeroth’s
heroes, the Argent Crusade have taken a foothold in Arthas’s back
yard. Off the northeastern coast of Icecrown, the Argent Crusade
have sounded the call for the most bold and brave adventurers of the
Horde and Alliance to take part in the Argent Tournament.
Representatives of all ten faction capitols, from Undercity to
Exodar, have traveled to the tournament grounds to find champions
among their heroes who will prepare for the inevitable battle
against the enemy of all living beings, the Lich King.
General
- Due to significant talent tree revisions, all players will have
their talent points reimbursed. Several new spells and abilities
have been added for select classes. Players will need to visit
their class trainer to learn new spells.
- The Argent Tournament, a permanent in-game event, has come to
Icecrown. Players interested in taking part in this event should
visit the Argent Pavilion located on the west side of the tournament
grounds. Features include:
New ways of gaining reputation with capitol cities.
All new daily quests, achievements and titles.
New rare and epic items, tabards, pets, banners, faction shirts and
mounts.
Mounted combat, and much more to come!
- All Ground Mounts may now swim without dismounting the rider. Flying
Mounts still may NOT, and will dismount the rider upon entering
water.
- Players level 40 and higher will now be able to visit their trainer
to pay a one-time fee and access the dual talent specialization
feature.
- The achievement Brew of the Year has been removed from the
Brewmaster meta-achievement. The achievement Brew of the Month has
been added in its place.
- Noblegarden has been redesigned into a week-long holiday with new
items, quests, and more. Various achievements have been added,
including the meta-achievement Noble Gardener, which is now required
for the meta-achievement What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been.
- Applying a glyph no longer requires a Lexicon of Power. The same
rules for switching between dual talent specializations now apply to
switching glyphs and cannot be performed while in combat,
Battlegrounds (except when Preparation is up), or Arenas
(no exceptions).
PvP
- Arenas
Enemy Unit Frames: This feature is only available while in Arenas,
with several options in the Interface Options.
- Battlegrounds
Battleground quests “Concerted Efforts” (Alliance) and “For Great
Honor” (Horde) now require an Alterac Valley Mark of Honor in
addition to the current requirements. These quests now award more
honor upon completion.
Players will now be able to queue for battlegrounds from any
location. Leaving the battleground will return you to the
location from which you entered.
Seaforium Barrels can now be looted while mounted, seen from
anywhere in the zone, and found at the Central Graveyard.
Teleporters can now be used while mounted and can now be seen from
anywhere in the zone.
Alterac Valley
Drek’Thar, Vanndar Stormpike, the tower Heralds and Warmasters have
received a hit point and damage upgrade in the level 80 version of
Alterac Valley.
Strand of the Ancients
Capturing the Southern Graveyard will now automatically capture both
the East and West Graveyards.
- Lake Wintergrasp
All players who attack a siege vehicle should now get credit if it
is destroyed.
Daily quests “Slay Them All!” (Horde) and “No Mercy for the
Merciless” (Alliance) have had their PvP kill requirements reduced
to 10 from 20. NPCs defending the fortress and south towers now
count toward these dailies as well.
The number of NPCs defending fortress has been increased.
Siege Engines now have Steam Pressure as a resource type (replaces
energy).
Siege Engines now have the Steam Rush ability from Ulduar.
The southern Siege Factories can be captured.
The time between battles will be saved should a realm shut down. If
Wintergrasp is active when a realm shuts down, the game will restart
from the beginning when the realm is once again live.
Towers in Southern Wintergrasp now have more defensive cannons.
Races: General
- Command (Orc Racial): Applies to shaman pets, and now correctly
applies to death knight pets.
- Gift of the Naaru (Draenei Racial): The heal has been changed to an
instant-cast heal-over-time.
- Stoneform (Dwarf Racial): No longer makes you immune to poison,
disease and bleed effects for 8 seconds. Instead, using Stoneform
will clear those effects when cast. Cooldown reduced to 2 minutes
from 3 minutes.
Classes: General
- Armor Penetration Rating: All classes now receive 25% more benefit
from Armor Penetration Rating.
- The damage threshold for Fear, Psychic Scream, Hex, Intimidating
Shout, and Turn Evil to break early has been significantly reduced.
- Haste Rating: shamans, paladins, druids, and death knights now
receive 30% more melee haste from Haste Rating.
- Hysteria, Tricks of the Trade, Enrage, Wrecking Crew, Death Wish,
Arcane Power, Owlkin Frenzy, Beast Within, and Avenging Wrath damage
bonuses no longer stack together.
- Mana Regeneration: The amount of mana regeneration derived from
intellect and spirit has been reduced by 40%; however, talents that
allow for mana regeneration while in combat have been increased. As
a result, in-combat regeneration for classes with those talents will
stay the same, while out-of-combat regeneration will be lower.
- The shaman’s Fire Elemental and Spirit Wolves, mage’s Water
Elemental and Mirror Images, and druid’s Treants have all gained
avoidance from area-of-effect damage similar to what warlock and
hunter pets already have.
- Taunts: All player or pet-generated taunts now have a shared
diminish category. In addition, Taunt-type effects from pets and
from classes other than death knight, druid, paladin, and warrior
have been set such that bosses can be made immune to them while
still affected by death knight, druid, paladin, and warrior taunts.
Death Knights
- Anti-magic Shell: The amount of damage this ability can absorb is
now limited to 100% of the death knight’s health.
- Blood Boil’s damage increased to make up for Pestilence no longer
doing damage.
- Blood Boil now does some damage to undiseased targets and extra
damage to diseased targets. Its radius has been decreased.
- Blood Plague: Now lasts 15 seconds untalented.
- Blood Strike: Bonus damage for diseases is now a multiplier rather
than a flat bonus.
- Death Pact: This heal cannot be critical.
- Death Strike: The amount of healing per damage done has been reduced
by 20%.
- Frost Fever: Now lasts 15 seconds untalented.
- Frost Presence: Now grants 5% damage reduction instead of 15% magic
damage reduction.
- Obliterate: Bonus damage for diseases now increases damage done by a
percentage rather than a flat amount.
- Pestilence does no damage and has only 1 rank.
- Plague Strike and Blood Plague no longer remove heal-over-time
effects. Plague Strike’s damage increased quite a bit to compensate.
- Raise Ally now has a cooldown greater than 15 minutes and can no
longer be used in Arenas.
- Raise Dead: Duration lowered to 60 seconds and cooldown lowered to
3 minutes.
The cooldown on this ability now begins when the pet dies rather
than when it is summoned.
- Rune of Cinderglacier now procs per minute instead of a 5% chance.
- Rune of the Fallen Crusader: This weapon enchant now provides only
15% strength, but its chance to proc is doubled.
- Rune of Razorice now affects Frost damage done by the death knight
only, but stacks up to 10%.
- Strangulate no longer does damage and has been reduced to 1 rank.
- Talents
Blood
Abomination’s Might: This effect can now also be caused by Death
Strike.
Blade Barrier: Now grants 1/2/3/4/5% damage reduction instead of
2/4/6/8/10% parry.
Blood Aura: Replaced with Improved Blood Presence. This allows the
death knight to keep the healing-from-damage-done bonus of Blood
Presence in any presence, and increases healing received while in
Blood Presence.
Blood-Gorged now grants armor penetration instead of expertise.
Bloody Strikes: The bonus damage this talent grants to Blood Boil
has been reduced to 10/20/30%.
Bloodworms now heal more.
Dancing Rune Weapon: Damage done by, and duration of this pet is
