Deathwing’s Voice

http://www.mmo-champion.com/news-2/cataclysm-friends-family-alpha-198562/ and check it out! Note: The page he has info on will be edited frequently.

We’re continuing to refine the raid progression paths in Cataclysm, and we’d like to share some of those changes with you today. Please enjoy!

The first of the refinements being made is that we’re combining all raid sizes and difficulties into a single lockout. Unlike today, 10- and 25-player modes of a single raid will share the same lockout. You can defeat each raid boss once per week per character. In other words, if you wanted to do both a 10- and 25-person raid in a single week, you’d need to do so on two different characters. Normal versus Heroic mode will be chosen on a per-boss basis in Cataclysm raids, the same way it works in Icecrown Citadel. Obviously the raid lockout change doesn’t apply in pure Icecrown terms though, as this change goes hand-in-hand with a few other changes to raid progression in Cataclysm.

We’re designing and balancing raids so that the difficulty between 10- and 25-player versions of each difficulty will be as close as possible to each other as we can achieve. That closeness in difficulty also means that we’ll have bosses dropping the same items in 10- and 25-player raids of each difficulty. They’ll have the same name and same stats; they are in fact the exact same items. Choosing Heroic mode will drop a scaled-up version of those items. Our hope is that players will be able to associate bosses with their loot tables and even associate specific artwork with specific item names to a far greater extent than today.

Dungeon Difficulty and Rewards

• 10 and 25-player (Normal difficulty) — Very similar to one another in difficulty; drop the exact same items as each other.
• 10 and 25-player (Heroic difficulty) — Very similar to one another in difficulty; drop more powerful versions of the normal-difficulty items.

We of course recognize the logistical realities of organizing larger groups of people, so while the loot quality will not change, 25-player versions will drop a higher quantity of loot per player (items, but also badges, and even gold), making it a more efficient route if you’re able to gather the people. The raid designers are designing encounters with these changes in mind, and the class designers are making class changes to help make 10-person groups easier to build. Running 25-player raids will be a bit more lucrative, as should be expected, but if for a week or two you need to do 10s because half the guild is away on vacation, you can do that and not suffer a dramatic loss to your ability to get the items you want.

We recognize that very long raids can be a barrier for some players, but we also want to provide enough encounters for the experience to feel epic. For the first few raid tiers, our plan is to provide multiple smaller raids. Instead of one raid with eleven bosses, you might have a five-boss raid as well as a six-boss raid. All of these bosses would drop the same item level gear, but the dungeons themselves being different environments will provide some variety in location and visual style, as well as separate raid lockouts. Think of how you could raid Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep separately, but you might still want to hit both every week.

We do like how gating bosses over time allows the community to focus on individual encounters instead of just racing to the end boss, so we’re likely to keep that design moving forward. We don’t plan to impose attempt limitations again though, except maybe in cases of rare optional bosses (like Algalon). Heroic mode may not be open from day one, but will become available after defeating normal mode perhaps as little as once or twice.

In terms of tuning, we want groups to be able to jump into the first raids pretty quickly, but we also don’t want them to overshadow the Heroic 5-player dungeons and more powerful quest rewards. We’ll be designing the first few raid zones assuming that players have accumulated some blue gear from dungeons, crafted equipment, or quest rewards. In general, we want you and your guild members to participate in and enjoy the level up experience.

We design our raids to be accessible to a broad spectrum of players, so we want groups to be able to make the decision about whether to attempt the normal or Heroic versions of raids pretty quickly. The goal with all of these changes is to make it as much of a choice or effect of circumstance whether you raid as a group of 10 or as a group of 25 as possible. Whether you’re a big guild or a small guild the choice won’t be dependent on what items drop, but instead on what you enjoy the most.

We realize that with any changes to progression pathways there are going to be questions. We’re eagerly awaiting any that we may have left unanswered. To the comments!

Here are some clarifications to a few common questions we’re seeing.

Regarding how the raid dungeons will share the same lockout. This means that you cannot do separate instances in the same week. If you defeat an encounter in 10 player normal mode then you are locked to the 10 player mode of that dungeon for that week and can flip between 10 player normal and 10 player heroic on a per boss basis (assuming heroic is available). In this scenario you cannot do the 25 player version. Is this correct?

Correct. There should be no circumstances under which you kill a boss more than once per week on the same character. However, in the same way that you can decide on a per-boss basis whether to try normal vs. hard mode, we might allow you to change between 10 and 25 on a per-encounter basis for additional flexibility. If you started a raid in 25-player mode and then found that you couldn’t get everyone together later in the week, you might be able to downsize the next few bosses to 10-player.

Will legendary items be available through 10 player dungeons? How about special mounts like Invincible?

In some of these specific cases, the answer is that we just don’t know yet. We’re going to have to walk a fine line between dropping the same items in both 10- and 25-player modes, versus still offering something extra for the 25s. If we over-reward the 25s, then players who like 10-player raiding will still feel compelled to find more warm bodies. If we don’t provide any extra incentive for 25s, then some players may stop playing with their friends in order to avoid the extra organization required for a large raid.

Overall, our goal is that you make the decision between whether to raid with 10 players or 25 players based on what you find fun and not because of the reward structure.

For perspective, it might help to look back at how we changed lockouts and hard modes on every single raid tier of Wrath of the Lich King to see what felt right and try to fix problems that arose from previous tiers. After seeing the first tier of Cataclysm raiding, we may decide to adjust our design for the next tier.

How many pieces of loot will drop for 10 and 25 player modes respectively?

When we say “25 should drop more loot,” we’re just sharing a philosophy. You shouldn’t assume that this means that 10-player modes will drop 1 item or that 25-player modes will drop 6 items, or whatever. We haven’t finalized how much loot will drop, but our general goal is that 25s should drop more to help make up for some of the logistical cost.

Will achievements be broken down by 10/25 modes? Will realm first achievements/titles be only for 25s? Will meta-achievement mounts be available for both versions still?

There will just be raid achievements, not 10- vs. 25-player versions in most cases. The achievement won’t care if you complete it in 10s or 25s. If we do meta-achievement mounts, it’s possible we’d still have different colors of mounts, or maybe even different mounts; but for some players that might mean that 25s feels mandatory again, which would be a potential problem. This is the kind of thing we’re going to have to consider carefully, and again, we might try a few different implementations before sticking with something we like.

We’re also not sure about realm first achievements or titles. We don’t want to encourage, say, 25-player focused guilds to run a 10-player raid instead because they think that will get them the ream first title faster. One potential solution is you can earn a realm first title in 10 or 25, but not both. These types of achievements also serve as great content for guild achievements.

Blizzard released information on the 78-82 zone that will be released in Cataclysm. Below is the post from the horse itself.

Once a great Highborne city housing some of the most revered night elves of Kalimdor, Vashj’ir was swallowed by the Great Sea in the Sundering and thought to be lost forever. Queen Azshara, formerly a beloved leader of the Highborne, escaped death in the depths of the sea when the Well of Eternity imploded. Such salvation came at a great cost, as the queen and many of her fellow Highborne were forever transformed into the monstrous naga, doomed to wander the seas for thousands of years. Their existence mostly remains a mystery to the peoples of modern Azeroth, though the Earthen Ring has learned of Azshara’s naga seizing Vashj’ir for an unknown purpose as the cries of the elements echo across Azeroth from the Abyss.

The Sunken City

Vashj’ir is a level 78-82 zone in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm where players will be called to explore the depths of the Great Sea and stop the naga from seizing immeasurable power from the realm of Neptulon the Tidehunter. This expansive underwater zone will feature an unprecedented fight for survival against the naga overwhelming the area, several new quest hubs — including Alliance and Horde naval ships and submarines — all-new underwater travel and combat mechanics, several pocketed undersea caves free from water’s grip, two new five-player dungeons (Throne of the Tides and Abyssal Maw), and the first-ever opportunity to explore the remains of the once-majestic city of Vashj’ir!

Bottled Distress Message Found Adrift at Sea

Need your help. Time is short. I’m held captive in what I hope to be a nightmare.

Prison patrols out again. Send word to Stormwind. Sunken city far from extinct. Naga plotting something horrific. Please help.

In the past recent few, Blizzard updated there World of Warcraft Site with a juicy update the information on Mount Hyjal the new zone in World of Warcraft Cataclysm. Below is posted straight from the site.

For years, Mount Hyjal and the wounded World Tree, Nordrassil, have remained cut off from the rest of Azeroth. Sealed away within a protective field of dense foliage by Malfurion Stormrage, Nordrassil has been slowly recovering from the devastation of the Third War, when Malfurion called upon the tree’s power to destroy the archdemon Archimonde and repel the forces of the Burning Legion and Scourge. Now, with the impending cataclysm, the World Tree’s well-being is threatened once more. From the Firelands within the Elemental Plane, Ragnaros and his minions prepare to burst into Hyjal and set Nordrassil ablaze — and the conflagration would endanger all life on Azeroth.

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, players will have the opportunity to explore the newly reopened Mount Hyjal as Azeroth’s heroes, with the help of Ysera, Malfurion Stormrage and Hamuul Runetotem, are called upon to push back the armies of the Firelord, banish Ragnaros to the Elemental Plane and lay waste to the twilight dragon stronghold in nearby Darkwhisper Gorge. This all-new level 78-82 zone will feature multiple quest hubs, phased terrain and quest lines, portals to micro-zones within the Firelands, an all-new raid dungeon, and much more.

The World Tree
Players will be able to enter Hyjal by way of Moonglade, to take on a series of high-stakes quests in a historic location alongside some of Azeroth’s most renowned heroes. With a longstanding rivalry among the night elf leadership threatening to undermine the campaign against Deathwing, players will quickly discover the task of defending Nordrassil is more daunting than they had anticipated. In order to succeed, they must seek out the help of extremely powerful allies: the Ancients.

The Ancients
To protect Nordrassil and heal the devastation the invading fire elementals are causing across Mount Hyjal, players must first recapture the shrine of the wolf god Goldrinn. The ogres surrounding the shrine will not leave peacefully, but seizing the shrine will allow players their first opportunity to infiltrate the Firelands and shut down a key Twilight portal, slowing the advance of the nearby Twilight’s Hammer in Hyjal.
With the first portal dismantled, players will soon be sought by the wilderness spirit Aessina to assist in cleansing and healing the nearby forest, ultimately returning the land to its former splendor. This small victory, however, isn’t enough to deter the Twilight Remnants from attempting to scorch the forest once more. As you struggle to keep these foes at bay, you’ll also need to help the Guardians of Hyjal — a new neutral faction of druids and worshippers of the Ancients — repopulate the forest with animal life. It’s even rumored that Malorne has been spotted in the wilderness. Perhaps further investigation is necessary….
Amid the chaos, the Druids of the Talon will need players’ assistance to resurrect the goddess of winged creatures. Players begin the process by helping to slay a group of black dragons and closing a second Firelands portal from within. Just when you think things might be heating up, you’ll need to fight through a burning night elf town to shut down the third and final portal with the assistance of the turtle god Tortollus.

Darkwhisper Gorge
Your successes in Hyjal will ultimately lead you to the assembly of the Ancients, who have set a plan in motion to bring a powerful ally and demigod back into this realm. Before that can happen, however, you will need to infiltrate Darkwhisper Gorge disguised as a follower of the Twilight’s Hammer, acting quickly to sow discord within the entrenched faction, weakening it for the coming struggle. Only time will tell if the Ancients’ plan is a success — but you’ll need to do your part if there’s any hope of saving Mount Hyjal from the twilight dragons, Ragnaros, and his minions of the Elemental Plane.

Firelands
More information on this all-new level-85 raid dungeon is coming soon.

Patch 3.3.5 has a new instance that is being released. It has close ties with Cataclysm as the Ruby Sanctum is under attack by the Black Dragonflight. For those of you who do not know the lore of dragonflights, the Black Dragonflight is Deathwings army. I cannot wait to listen to the lore in this raid!

The raid is suppose to be the difficulty equivalent to ICC and will drop some ICC equiv gear and of course Frost badges. If you made me guess when this patch will drop I would say end of April with patch 3.9 coming end of May and 4.0 in June.

We already know that we will have a chance to check out newly opened parts of the world, including Grim Batol, Uldum, and the infamous Sunken City of Vashj’ir underneath the sea. Some of these instances in Cataclysm will be in these new zones, while others will be in classic locations such as Blackrock Mountain. Yes, that same Blackrock Mountain that represented the original end game of Warcraft long before any xpac or cataclysm.

Currently, there has been 4 raids, 6 Dungeons, and 2 old world heroics announced for World of Warcraft Cataclysm. Let’s have a closer look:

WoW Cataclysm Raids

WoW Cataclysm Raid: Blackwing Descent

Blackwing Descent is a new raid in WoW Cataclysm inspired by Blackwing Lair. Nefarian is said to return to the instance. There will be new loot, new creatures and new art in the Cataclysm version of this raid.

WoW Cataclysm Raid: The Firelands

The Firelands is a really exciting new WoW Cataclysm raid that is situated in the elemental plane of fire. There are two aspects that already should make any hardcore raid excited to play WoW Cataclysm. The first one is that it’s and outdoor raid instance, which I always tend to find more fun. The second one is that the big bad boss for the Firelands is none other than Ragnaros himself. Yes that huge freaking fire torpedo thing named Ragnaros will be in WoW Cataclysm. Oh and this time around, he will be at full force!

WoW Cataclysm Raid: Skywall

Skywall is a WoW Catacalysm raid located in the Air Elemental Plane. So far not much has been announced for it except for that it will be a raid for max level players in WoW Cataclysm.

WoW Cataclysm Raid: Grim Batol

WoW Cataclysm’s final raid that was annouced is Grim Batol. It will be located in the newly opened Grim Batol zone. Again, nothing has been announced for this new WoW Cataclysm raid except that it will be one of the four raids available to level 85 in Cataclysm. I honestly am looking forward to raiding in WoW Cataclysm. If only they could also bring back 40 man raids in Cataclysm as well…

WoW Cataclysm Instances, Dungeons

WoW Cataclysm Dungeon: Blackrock Caverns

Blackrock Caverns is a WoW Cataclysm dungeon located in the legendary Blackrock Mountains. It is a dungeon located by those annoying Twilight’s Hammer NPCs. It also serves as a offsite base for WoW Cataclysm’s main baddie, Deathwing. There will naturally be new art,loot, and creatures. One creature who still lurks around Blackrock is fan favorite, The Beast. We all hopefully will get another chance to skin that big bad monster in Cataclysm

WoW Cataclysm Dungeon: Grim Batol

Grim Batol dungeon in WoW Cataclysm will serve as level up instance for players to gain experience and upgrade their loot. It’s unclear yet if Blizzard plans to make leveling all the way to 85 in dungeons viable. One warning to players who will be doing this dungeon is that there will be raiders in the vicinity who could gank you if you’re not careful

WoW Cataclysm Dungeon: Deepholme

Deepholm is the new hub of WoW Cataclysm. You will have portals there that let you teleport to Hyjal, Uldum, and any other place you want to go in Cataclysm. The Twilight’s Hammer is now serving Deathwing and they have managed to bring him back to full health in the Temple of Earth located at the center of the map. Deepholm is not actually linked to Azeroth, the connection is where Deathwing emerged from the ground.

WoW Cataclysm Dungeon: Lost City of Tol’Vir

All we know of this new Cataclysm instance strangely called Tol Vir is that it will be outdoors and will be a 5 man dungeon.

WoW Cataclysm Dungeon: Abyssal Maw

Abyssal Maw is a 5 man dungeon in Cataclysm for levels 78-82. It will be located in the Sunken City of Vashj’ir. It will be located in the elemental plane of water, and you will be fighting in the ocean floor. It will be a non-linear instance in WoW Cataclysm that you will enjoy playing over and over.

WoW Cataclysm Dungeon: Halls of Origination

Halls of Origination is the first 5 man dungeon that will be located in the lost deserts of Uldum for WoW Cataclysm. Halls of Origination will feature 7 bosses for you to destroy and loot epics. This will be the ultimate Titan dungeon in WoW Cataclysm, and will have a visual look much like a Pharaoh’s tomb. If you missed our good old buddy Brann Bronzebeard then you will have a chance to get to see him again in Cataclysm.

WoW Cataclysm Heroics

WoW Cataclysm Old World Heroic: Deadmines

Many of the older instances in WoW Cataclysm will see heroic version popping up but the major one that has been announced so far is Deadmines located in little old Sentinel Hill. Deadmines is the first instance that most Warcraft players experienced playing the MMO. Everyone has their own personal stories about the place from pulling the whole boat, to thinking Sneed’s treasure chest is actually real (noob!), and being super ambushed by Van Cleef’s rogue guardians. The Deadmines Heroic in WoW Cataclysm is one of the things I’m most looking forward to for some reason.

WoW Cataclysm Old World Heroic: Shadowfang Keep

Shadowfang keep is an instance that Undead players will know really well as it is pretty much in their backyard. I didn’t like this old world dungeon as much and am not looking forward to playing it that MUCH in WoW Cataclysm. Those dog guards, going down and up stairs, confusing bosses, and that twink Rogue weapon that would never ever drop has made me put Shadowfang Keep on my blacklist for instances to go back to. However since there is a heroic Shadowfang Keep in WoW Cataclysm I think I will have to make an exception.

That covers most of the new raids, heroics, dungeons, and instances that are coming in World of Warcraft Cataclysm. There is also the Ice Crown Citadel raid and dungeon that will be coming out in patch 3.3, but I’ll cover that at some other point. Hope you enjoyed this WoW Cataclysm Dungeon Raid and Instance review for the new expansion and look forward to hearing what sort of rare items, epics, and legendaries you all get in WoW Cataclysm.

While some argue that this takes out alot of the fun elements from your own server, practically it is too good of a feature for Blizzard to pass up. For those who have been pampered in Guilds all their lives, it might seem like a useless feature. Why would they want to group with someone they don’t know, who probably has questionable gear and spec, and actually group with what could be a ninja from another galaxy.

Perhaps the amount of ‘ninjas’ and ‘wipers’ and ‘disconnecters’ with cross server LFG system might increase, this is something that the average loner or ‘rogue’ player, or even small guild player will accept. It is for sure better than standing around Ironforge or any other big city, dancing with level 1 guild banks, gold sellers, and beggers.

Perhaps someone should already be starting a PUG black list or rating list or ninja list for all ‘server groups’. People could then check slight history of certain players before they waste hours grouping with them and decide to never again trust the Cross server LFG in World of Warcraft Cataclysm.