Legion Alpha - Build 21491

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Legion Alpha - Build 21491
Another build is on the way!


New Models



Stormwind Harbor




New Map


World Quests Design Notes Apr 13
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker
)
Greetings everyone! In the next test build we will be unlocking the World Quests feature, which will play a major role in the endgame content of Legion.

At BlizzCon, we spoke briefly about World Quests, and since then we have been busy adding and iterating on this system. We now have well over 300 World Quests ready for testing. Before you dive in on the test realms, we’ve got details for you.

What are World Quests?
World Quests represent our new approach to end game questing, with a few key differences from other systems such as daily quests.

First, you don’t have to head to a daily quest hub to gather up quests. Once you’ve unlocked World Quests, simply open up your map and look around. You will see a variety of things to do, including which loot and reputation gains you can earn from each activity. You’ll plan your adventure, then head out into the wilds.

Second, World Quests encompass many types of gameplay. World Quests will show you quests, rare elite spawns, rare spawns, pet battles, outdoor PvP activities, world bosses, special dungeon activities, profession activities, and more. Want to know what there is to do in Azeroth today? Just open your map!

Third, and perhaps most importantly, World Quests aren’t daily. Some World Quests will stick around for a week, such as world bosses, while others will rotate every three hours, such as PvP towers. Our goal is for your map to be an evolving landscape of engagements throughout the day, where interesting things can pop up periodically, rather than on a strictly daily basis.

What are Emissaries?
Emissaries are the representatives of the major factions in Legion. Each day, you’ll receive a new emissary quest which will automatically appear on your map of Broken Isles.

To complete the Emissary quest, simply finish four World Quests that are associated with that faction. This will reward you with a lucrative cache of loot. Most World Quest types will satisfy this requirement, allowing you to choose which activities best fit your gameplay style.

Each Emissary quest will be available for three days. If you forgot to log in yesterday, that emissary quest will be available for two more days, and you’ll also have a new one. You can have up to three Emissary quests active at once.

I believe loot was mentioned?
Yes! World Quests provide many types of loot, including toys, mounts, battle pets, and even power items. While many items are still works in progress, our main goal here is to provide you with a variety of activities and rewards that will evolve with your character, keeping World Quests viable for a long time.

How are World Quests unlocked?
As soon as you hit level 110, World Quests will become available to you.

We’re looking forward to your feedback on this feature. Please bring it here to this new discussion forum so that we can talk as we test World Quests with you.

Thanks!

I'm assuming by next build you don't mean the one today? As it wasn't mentioned in design notes
Yes, World Quests are in the build coming today.

You will be able to level to 110.

Oh, and World PvP objectives are a part of World Quests? YESSS, love it. @Holinka Just hope it won't be queued or phased.
Most of them are open FFA arenas, sometimes involving riding a goat. Embrace the world PvP! (Muffinus)

Will reason be provided as to why our characters will do them? Like, how do they know things are going on on the map?
Quest text will be given to you via a Talking Head when you start/finish the quest, and are tied to the zone's quest story. (Muffinus)

For those of us who hate PvP more than GC hated Paladins, I assume the PvP objectives are fully optional?
Both PvEvP (PvE that flags you) and full PvP objectives will be available. Both grant honor. (Muffinus)
That's not my question. Can I complete all reputation besides the inevitable PvP one with just pure PvE quests?
Yes (there is currently no PvP reputation). (Muffinus)

Legion : Worlds Quests
Currently, World Quests can drop power items all the way up to top-tier raid loot.

With the usual caveat that the frequency, distribution, and item levels possible are in a very early state and subject to change.

More challenging content will have a higher chance at an awesome or unique reward. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

4/13 Alpha Build Design Notes
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker
/ Official Forums
)
Hey all,
We have another alpha build going up today. This build includes a variety of revisions and bugfixes all around, but most notable changes are focused on classes:

  • New Specialization Unlocked – Finally, the last specialization is unlocked. We’d love any and all feedback about gameplay, artifact quest line, abilities, etc.
  • Destruction Warlock
  • Broken Shore (Alliance) available – Alliance players will be given the quest "The Legion Returns" upon logging in. Follow Varian Wrynn to the Broken Shore and face off against Gul'dan in the experience that will begin your adventure into Broken Isles.
  • World Quests available – Once you level to 110, World Quests and Emissary Quests will appear on your map. This is our new approach to endgame questing in Legion. Please direct your feedback to the new World Quests forum here: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/22813803/
  • Class Status – We’ve made many iterations based on feedback and testing. Here are some highlights:
  • Frost Mages – Splitting Ice has returned.
  • Frost Death Knights – Many talents revised for more engaging gameplay.
  • Unholy Death Knights – Many talents revised for more engaging gameplay. Artifact ability revised further.
  • Windwalker Monks – Fists of Fury, Spinning Crane Kick, and Storm, Earth, and Fire revised to adjust AoE gameplay.
  • All Hunters – Growl threat massively increased.
  • Subtlety Rogues – Master of Shadows and Relentless Strikes swapped and revised.

Thanks, and we look forward to your feedback!

Also, check out the design notes from the previous build, if you haven't already as well: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/20742806438

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
New Logging Feature: COMBATANT_INFO

FYI, today’s build should finally include the Interesting Auras data. Let us know how that works out. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

ideathknights.gif
Death Knight (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
Blood Death Knight Feedback -- Build 21466 -- 13-Apr
Hey Blood Death Knights. You may have noticed that Frost and Unholy got some significant revisions to their talents in today’s build. We were in the process of doing the same for Blood when today’s build was made, along with some baseline changes, and most of those changes didn’t make it in in time. Here’s a full list of what’s yet to come in the next build for Blood:

  • Blood Strike removed.
  • Heart Strike is now baseline for Blood. It hits 2 targets, generates 5 bonus RP, and snares. While in Death and Decay, it hits 5 targets.
  • Blood Boil damage increased by 300% in order to let it function as snap aggro.
  • Asphyxiate is now baseline for Blood.
    • It also is no longer channeled, and now has a 45sec CD, down from 2min. (This part applies to Unholy’s as well.)
  • Many talents have been changed. Here’s a full list of Blood talents and what’s changing with them:
  • Level 56
    • Bloodworms – Duration increased to 15sec.
    • Heartbreaker – New: Passive. Heart Strike generates 2 additional Runic Power per target hit.
    • Exsanguinate – Unchanged.
  • Level 57
    • Rapid Decomposition – Unchanged.
    • Soulgorge – No longer replaces Blood Boil, but Blood Boil no longer applies Blood Plague.
    • Spectral Deflection – Swapped from Level 58. Redesigned to: Attacks that deal more than 25% of your maximum health will consume a second Bone Shield charge to further reduce the damage.
  • Level 58
    • Ossuary – Swapped from Level 57. Now triggers at 5+ Bone Shield stacks, and also increases max Runic Power by 10.
    • Blood Tap – New: Active. Generate 1 Rune. 2 charges, 1min recharge. Recharge time reduced by 1sec whenever a Bone Shield charge is consumed.
    • Anti-Magic Barrier – Unchanged.
  • Level 60
    • Mark of Blood – Swapped from Level 90. Now costs 30 Runic Power, lasts 25sec, has no cooldown, only triggers from auto attacks, and application range increased to 15yd.
    • Red Thirst – Swapped from 58.
    • Tombstone – Unchanged.
    • Level 75
    • Tightening Grasp – Unchanged.
    • Tremble Before Me – Now a fears the target in place, and only breaks on significant damage, like other fears.
    • March of the Damned – Unchanged.
  • Level 90
    • Will of the Necropolis – Unchanged.
    • Rune Tap – Swapped from 60. Redesigned to be similar to live: Active. Consume a Rune to reduce all damage taken by 25% for 3sec. 2 charges, 25sec recharge.
    • Foul Bulwark – Unchanged.
  • Level 100
    • Bonestorm – No longer costs Runes. Now costs 10-100 Runic Power. Lasts 1sec per 10 Runic Power spent.
    • Blood Mirror – Unchanged.
    • Purgatory – Swapped from 60.

While you unfortunately won’t be able to play with these changes until the next build, we look forward to your feedback on them. Thanks!

What exactly are your plans for Blood mobility, snare capabilities and immunities? Because the status quo is just terrible.
Wraith Walk for mobility, Heart Strike to snare, and no immunities (What immunities are you thinking of? IBF's stun immunity?), plus talented stronger snare, AoE fear, or CC-break.

Will Heart Strike be generating bonus RP per target hit?
Not baseline, that's the Heartbreaker talent.

Thank you! Depending on DnD for aoe damage felt awful and this plugs a hole in our toolkit. I'm assuming it's still 2 charges with no rune cost.
Correct.

So this is going to reduce the damage by an extra 20%? Multiplicative?
Additive. Attacked for 100, first charge reduces that to 80, second charge reduces it to 60.

Blood Tap is the preferred rune regeneration talent on live because of the degree of control it gives the Death Knight. Being able to bank a Death Strike for when you need it, or just being able to keep tighter control on runes in general without relying on RNG, made the talent great. Since Death Strike has a runic power cost now, is it possible that you'd consider making Blood Tap give runic power instead of a rune? Say 20 RP/charge? And is this version of Blood Tap off the GCD?
We tried it as RP, and found Runes to be much more versatile. We found that you'd generally rather have the option of which Rune ability, plus the RP ability with a GCD or two delay. (Giving you 1 rune is effectively giving you 10-15 RP as well, once you spend it)

This looks REALLY strong. Blood has traditionally struggled with auto attack damage disproportionately to the amount we've struggled with boss abilities, but I think this might be too much. 100% uptime on an 8% hp heal per melee swing is kind of crazy. 3 minutes was too long of a CD but 0 CD is too little. I'd suggest putting it on a 1 min CD and make it cost a rune instead of RP.
The Heal % will be tuned. Probably halved, or more, since you can keep it up more often. We think it works well as an alternative RP spender.

Part of me is saying THANK GOD, because Blood really needed a way to pass AM checks without misusing Death Strike. But this talent is far and away the strongest of the tier, and significantly devalues Tombstone. Tombstone was going to be our answer to large, predictable bursts of damage but if we have Rune Tap we probably won't need to exchange bone shield charges for an absorb, and can take Mark of Blood for a much larger benefit overall.

Is there any way we can roll Tombstone and Rune Tap into one talent? Maybe take Rune Tap, decrease the base damage reduction and the cost to 0, and allow it to consume Bone Shield charges for increments of damage reduction up to a certain cap? Something like 1 charge for 10%, 2 charges for 20%, etc?

This sounds like tuning feedback; we'll get to tuning. Tombstone and Rune Tap are somewhat similar, but their frequency is intentionally rather different, as is how you setup to use them.

No hope for that one iteration of Bonestorm that worked off of consuming Runic Power for uptime the same way Breath of Sindragosa does on live? It's a fun mechanic that's only going to be more fun with the elimination of RNG in our runic power generation.

Also, the tooltip for this ability is a bit unclear; if Bonestorm hits multiple targets, is it intended to heal us for each target hit? So a 5 second Bonestorm heals us for 5% of our HP if it only hits one target, but 10% for 2 targets hit and 15% for 3 etc. or is it going to be that a Bonestorm will always heal for 1% of max HP/second?

We'd like to leave the 'continuously drain RP until you run out' mechanic to Breath of Sindragosa on DKs. Yes, multiple targets causes multiple heals per sec. It's good for self-healing when there are multiple enemies.

Purgatory will still be mandatory for progress on any boss that threatens the tanks
Purgatory being considered 'mandatory' to some is always interesting to us, since it doesn't actually reduce the healing you need, while its competitors do. It's quite likely that if you took one of the competing talents, you'd never need Purgatory, and would need less external healing. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

imonks.gif
Monk (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator / Artifact Calculator / PvP Talent Calculator)
Windwalker Monk Feedback -- Build 21466 -- 13-Apr
Hey Windwalkers. Today’s build includes the previously-described new design for Windwalker AoE. Please give it a try, run a dungeon, and let us know how it feels. There are a few changes still to come that we’ve made internally, but not in time for today’s build, that are further revisions to this, that I’d like to describe.

It feels odd for the only throughput benefit of SEF to be the bonus SCK damage, in most situations (since on
  • Tigereye Brew has been removed.
  • Storm, Earth, and Fire has been revised again, in order to fill Tigereye Brew’s purpose:
    • Each spirit does 45% of normal damage, for a net gain of 35% damage.
    • It has 2 charges.
    • It no longer increases Spinning Crane Kick damage.
    • The spirits will no longer attack CC’d targets.
    • While SEF is active, the button can be reactivated to direct your spirits to focus their attacks only on the selected target.
  • Serenity now replaces Storm, Earth, and Fire, instead of Tigereye Brew.

This is intended to be a pure upgrade to Tigereye Brew, so let us know if you see any issues this may cause. You’ll be able to try this out in the next build.

Any changes to healing brew? Because of the removal of TEB we will lose a trigger for the talent.
Healing Elixirs was already thin on triggering effects, for all specs. We're considering that as its own separate problem that we will solve. Current thought on how to best do that is to just make it an active button itself, instead of tied to other abilities, but with the nuance that it'll auto-activate if you get knocked low, just like it currently does (so you can still treat it as a passive if you prefer).

SEF will be used like TEB is being used previously, the clones can/will attack your target and all damage will still be increased?

Will the clones automatically go toward other targets or will you have to target them and reactivate to send them elsewhere?

What will their initial target priority be?

The change and stacks of SCK are remaining, correct? You'll still tag unique enemies to build stacks for bonus SCK damage?

Will activating SEF a 2nd time send one spirit or both to the selected target?

Basically, how will the spirits function in a single target and AOE environments both with and without player intervention? What if you pop it with one target then others spawn?

Will they copy any additional % damage increases like the current ring type buff, or just stat increases?

When you cast SEF, the clones will spawn and pick two nearby targets. Whenever you attack something, they'll repick their target, based on the aforementioned logic. However, if you press the SEF button again they will immediately jump to the targeted enemy and attack only them, never swapping off them. If you swap targets and press it again, they'll swap to that target. If they're focused on a target and that target dies, they'll revert to autopicking (bouncing around like crazy).

The SCK changes should be in today's build. Yes, SEF spirits hitting anything does count as you tagging it for SCK.

Whether they benefit from % damage increase buffs will have to be handled manually per effect (they're pets, under the hood, of course), but we intend for them to almost always benefit from whatever you benefit from. Please let us know when they don't, and we'll fix it if we can.

There's no mention in the description, but since you said it is our "single target dps button" as well, I imagine the clones can attack the same target we are attacking for full dmg, right? Also, whats the planned duration / recharge time cd?
Yes, they can attack the same target as you. You and your spirits each deal 45% of normal damage, for a total of 135% of normal, a net gain of 35% increased damage.

Same duration/recharge as Tigereye Brew had. 2 charges, 90sec recharge, 15sec duration. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

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