Patch 4.0.6 - PTR Build 13596
A new PTR build has been deployed on test realms and changes ... absolutely nothing, actually. It's just Build 15380 with more hotfixes, I guess Blizzard plans to release that patch very very soon now.
For a list of changes, well, just check the official patch notes! I'll probably start working on better recaps over the week-end and try to confirm a patch date, even if it's probably-maybe next week at this point.
Nefarian US First Kill by Blood Legion
Blood Legion (US-Illidan) was the first guild in the US to defeat Nefarian in 25-Man Heroic Mode! Congratulations to them for the kill!
Conquest Points - Breaking Skulls and Buying Stuff
Blizzard posted a short guide to explain how Conquest Points work, it's probably a little late and useless for all the PvPers out there but I guess it can be useful if you didn't have time to try the new rated battlegrounds yet.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Source)
Bone-shattering PvP conflicts can be harrowing and demanding, but smart gladiators know that if you want to emerge triumphant, you need to walk onto the battlefield well-equipped.
In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, certain PvP pursuits reward players with a new kind of currency: Conquest Points. Conquest Points can be exchanged for the very best PvP armor, gear, and weapons in the game, allowing you to hone your competitive edge in the ring and on the battlefield.
Those Gladiator items are calling, but how do you get the Conquest Points to buy them? There are three main ways to do so:
There's a limit on how many Conquest Points you can gain over the course of a single week, and points earned from all sources count toward that total. Everyone starts at 0 personal rating with a weekly cap of 1,343, which is the most points you can accrue over the course of a week. Unlike Honor and Justice Points, Conquest (and Valor) points do not have an overall cap.
Note:There's no benefit to hoarding large amounts of Conquest Points since they'll be converted into Honor (or Justice Points, for Valor) when the next tier of items becomes available, and there are no plans to extend the 4,000 point cap on the lower-tier currencies. That conversion is still rather far in the future, though, and we plan to provide plenty of advance warning before it happens. In the meantime, feel free to purchase items you want as soon as you can afford them.
If you want to be able to earn more than 1,343 Conquest Points in a single week, then you'll need to increase your personal rating above 1,500 by participating in Rated Arenas or Rated Battlegrounds. Only your best personal rating counts, and as you improve and bring your rating over 1,500, your weekly point cap will rise as well -- and if you manage to achieve a very high rating, your weekly cap could approach 3,000. Here are some sample ratings and corresponding point caps:
RatingWeekly Points Cap150013431800194021002533240028492700296430003000
You can check your current total number of Conquest Points at any time in your character's Currency tab. For more detailed information, open the PvP menu and click on the Conquest tab, where you'll find how close you are to the weekly cap and how many points you'll earn by winning an Arena or Rated Battleground match. You can check out what the Conquest Point vendors have to offer in the Champions' Hall in Stormwind or the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar.
Now that you know what you're fighting for, it's time to show Azeroth your incredible PvP skills. Confront your foes. Fight! Win!
Blue Posts
Scarce but at least blue posters are back. I miss Ghostcrawler, a lot.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Outland "difficulty" in Cataclysm
Hi Syrenea. While I certainly commend your desire for difficulty, I don't think we want to slow down the leveling experience. I think most people will agree that they're either leveling an alt and want to catch it up quickly, or they just started playing and want to catch up to their friends.
Certainly some of the lessons we've learned in quest flow, mechanics, rewards, etc. could make Outland quests better, but we don't have any plans at this time to go back. And certainly not to slow the process down. While the Outland zones maybe aren't as awesome as Cataclysm zones, they definitely aren't horrible, and the speed at which you rocket through them certainly helps the majority hit their end game goals.
If you're finding the process of being a minor god squishing Outland creatures in your palm a little tedious, maybe find some ways to up the challenge. Pull a few more mobs at a time. Maybe even challenge yourself and add one more every time. Or how about every enemy you kill in under X seconds you remove one piece of gear. I don't know, I think there are things you can do to keep it interesting. If you have any you use and enjoy, share them! (Source)
More...
A new PTR build has been deployed on test realms and changes ... absolutely nothing, actually. It's just Build 15380 with more hotfixes, I guess Blizzard plans to release that patch very very soon now.
For a list of changes, well, just check the official patch notes! I'll probably start working on better recaps over the week-end and try to confirm a patch date, even if it's probably-maybe next week at this point.
Public Test Realm Patch 4.0.6 Notes - Updated Jan. 28
Обновление 4.0.6 в тестовом игровом мире
Patch 4.0.6 auf den öffentlichen Testrealms
La mise à jour 4.0.6 débarque sur les royaumes publics de test
El parche 4.0.6 llega a los Reinos Públicos de Pruebas
Nefarian US First Kill by Blood Legion
Blood Legion (US-Illidan) was the first guild in the US to defeat Nefarian in 25-Man Heroic Mode! Congratulations to them for the kill!
Conquest Points - Breaking Skulls and Buying Stuff
Blizzard posted a short guide to explain how Conquest Points work, it's probably a little late and useless for all the PvPers out there but I guess it can be useful if you didn't have time to try the new rated battlegrounds yet.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Source)
Bone-shattering PvP conflicts can be harrowing and demanding, but smart gladiators know that if you want to emerge triumphant, you need to walk onto the battlefield well-equipped.
In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, certain PvP pursuits reward players with a new kind of currency: Conquest Points. Conquest Points can be exchanged for the very best PvP armor, gear, and weapons in the game, allowing you to hone your competitive edge in the ring and on the battlefield.
Those Gladiator items are calling, but how do you get the Conquest Points to buy them? There are three main ways to do so:
- Winning Arena matches
- Winning Rated Battleground games
- Winning your first Random Battleground game of the day
There's a limit on how many Conquest Points you can gain over the course of a single week, and points earned from all sources count toward that total. Everyone starts at 0 personal rating with a weekly cap of 1,343, which is the most points you can accrue over the course of a week. Unlike Honor and Justice Points, Conquest (and Valor) points do not have an overall cap.
Note:There's no benefit to hoarding large amounts of Conquest Points since they'll be converted into Honor (or Justice Points, for Valor) when the next tier of items becomes available, and there are no plans to extend the 4,000 point cap on the lower-tier currencies. That conversion is still rather far in the future, though, and we plan to provide plenty of advance warning before it happens. In the meantime, feel free to purchase items you want as soon as you can afford them.
If you want to be able to earn more than 1,343 Conquest Points in a single week, then you'll need to increase your personal rating above 1,500 by participating in Rated Arenas or Rated Battlegrounds. Only your best personal rating counts, and as you improve and bring your rating over 1,500, your weekly point cap will rise as well -- and if you manage to achieve a very high rating, your weekly cap could approach 3,000. Here are some sample ratings and corresponding point caps:
RatingWeekly Points Cap150013431800194021002533240028492700296430003000
You can check your current total number of Conquest Points at any time in your character's Currency tab. For more detailed information, open the PvP menu and click on the Conquest tab, where you'll find how close you are to the weekly cap and how many points you'll earn by winning an Arena or Rated Battleground match. You can check out what the Conquest Point vendors have to offer in the Champions' Hall in Stormwind or the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar.
Now that you know what you're fighting for, it's time to show Azeroth your incredible PvP skills. Confront your foes. Fight! Win!
Blue Posts
Scarce but at least blue posters are back. I miss Ghostcrawler, a lot.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Outland "difficulty" in Cataclysm
Hi Syrenea. While I certainly commend your desire for difficulty, I don't think we want to slow down the leveling experience. I think most people will agree that they're either leveling an alt and want to catch it up quickly, or they just started playing and want to catch up to their friends.
Certainly some of the lessons we've learned in quest flow, mechanics, rewards, etc. could make Outland quests better, but we don't have any plans at this time to go back. And certainly not to slow the process down. While the Outland zones maybe aren't as awesome as Cataclysm zones, they definitely aren't horrible, and the speed at which you rocket through them certainly helps the majority hit their end game goals.
If you're finding the process of being a minor god squishing Outland creatures in your palm a little tedious, maybe find some ways to up the challenge. Pull a few more mobs at a time. Maybe even challenge yourself and add one more every time. Or how about every enemy you kill in under X seconds you remove one piece of gear. I don't know, I think there are things you can do to keep it interesting. If you have any you use and enjoy, share them! (Source)
More...