It’s a brand new day with a brand new patch. 5.o.4 has gone live today for World of Warcraft, and it brings with it some of the biggest technical and mechanical changes the game has seen in a long time. Let’s dive right in and prepare ourselves with this little crash course.
Classes:
So I heard you like ranged weapons! Well, unless you’re a Hunter that just isn’t in the cards. Everyone has lost their ranged/relic slot and now there are only weapon slots. Hunters, I think it might be time to vendor those Twin Blades of the Hakkari. Hunters can no longer use melee weapons of any kind; instead they rock their ranged weapons in their main hand. Wands are now main hand weapons, so if you ever wanted to RP your clothies as the kids from Hogwarts now is your chance.
Aside from all of that crazy, you also don’t even have talent trees anymore. The lovely people at Icy Veins have written an amazing set of class guides for all classes and specs. So if you’re a bit confused as to where your totems are, the class guides are a great place to start.
Achievements, Pets, and Mounts:
Mounts, pets, and achievements are now account wide. With small exceptions (RBG and Arena PvP mounts etc) you can now run around with Iron Bound Proto-drakes on that brand new level 80 you just leveled. Oh and your main can finally have that Vampiric Batling you didn’t mean to get on your Shaman, but oh no, you’re nice and heal things for people even though they won’t run your Hunter through later. Jerks.
Cross Realm Zones:
Tired of wandering around in deserted zones? Can’t find someone to help kill that one rare elite that just spawned because everyone is sitting in Orgrimar? Fret no longer, fellow adventurers! Cross realm zones are here to fix that population dip. It works seamlessly like phasing. Wander out of Stormwind gates into Elwynn Forest and BAM! You got competition for your kobolds now. We will definitely be taking candle now.
11th Character Slot.
That is all. You get your precious 11th character slot which can be filled with some pudgy Pandaren or whatever else strikes your fancy. No, Pandaren are not available yet.
AoE Looting:
We’ve finally caught up with the modern day. AoE looting will make all of your farming much, much easier. Killed 60 little mechano-gnomes farming for the Jeeves pattern? No worries, AoE loot those suckers and start salvaging.
Dungeons and Scenarios:
Scarlet Monastary and Scholomance will have their long awaited revamp today. There are some small mechanics changes, but nothing that would strike a lore freak down and have them raging on the forums too hard. The first scenarios also come with the patch, but won’t be enabled until September 18th and will be available for level 85 players until the 24th of September. After MoP launches it will require you to be level 90.
Miscellaneous (or: Things I didn’t know where to shove so here they are):
- Druid forms get their update! Stag form (yes, I will be rounding up our resident tree cat and bear and demanding rides) and the armoured bear/moonkin forms.
- Warlocks get their new pets and some great new emotes. Note worthy because Richard Horvitz, the voice of Invader Zim and Dagget from The Angry Beavers does the new Imp voice. That in itself is amazing and a reason to play a lock now. It can be heard here with the other emotes
- They’ve added in some new and shiny animations and graphic enhancements. So you will look prettier when you do your newly animated shaman spirit fingers.
- The experience required to level from 82-85 has been lowered. Making it super easy to get those last few alts to 85 before pandas show up and make things difficult.
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