PTR's down for good?

They are down, does that mean 2.3 is coming this Tuesday?

2.3 patch was scheduled for pre-load last night, it'll be 2 - 4 weeks before it goes live.

Probably a new build.

When they preload a large patch like this, it's always meant either:

1. the patch is done
2. the core of the patch is done and they believe there's only one last tweak to it, usually finished in 1-2 weeks

I'd assume this will not go live on Tues, but next tues. I'd also assume they'll decide ON tues whether they will go live the next week and thus whether to announce 2 week notice for season 3.

My shaman alt is going to stay put away until the patch. Two weeks rested + increased leveling speed FTW.

Pretty much, though I was hearing rumors they are not ending arena season 2 until year's end. 2.2 pre-loaded I think three weeks before it went live, it was around 205MB and even then on patch day I had to DL another 60MB or so. I didn't think it was be that soon though, I'm still hearing people say there's more than a few large bugs around PTR.

Pretty much, though I was hearing rumors they are not ending arena season 2 until year's end. 2.2 pre-loaded I think three weeks before it went live, it was around 205MB and even then on patch day I had to DL another 60MB or so. I didn't think it was be that soon though, I'm still hearing people say there's more than a few large bugs around PTR.

Please stop this "rumor" and "hearing people say" crap if it isnt blizzard. :D

There is no way in hell they will wait till the end of the year for S3, since the new year = they need to start a new season for the 2008 tournament. As it stands, they will be forced to have a fairly short "season3" perhaps ending in late January. They need the Tourney to start early in 2008. Even if S3 started asap, that's a max of like 2 months for S3. With holidays landing in the middle, S3 is going to be a joke. The next issue will be folks whining about starting 2008 season1 without the gear they'd want from S3.

As for the bulk of 2.2 being preloaded 3 weeks before it went live, that was a unique situation involving incredibly buggy audio/voice systems. The core content was "done" but it took them far longer than they expected to polish the insane piece of shit voice system (which is still violating core windows functionality).

They're still tweaking some things in the new priest talents (focused will) based on feedback, as well as trying to squeeze in more ret changes and perhaps some mage adjustments for 2.3 so I'd guess not this week but perhaps the following. I thought season3 starts 2 weeks after 2.3 drops so that still has it beginning around Thanksgiving.

The forced seasons revolving around a tournament shouldn't really matter much to most people, they'll just be excited to get more free upgrades. I know our guildmate ret paladin is psyched since S3 ret pvp gear is a solid PVE upgrade over Tier6.

The forced seasons revolving around a tournament shouldn't really matter much to most people, they'll just be excited to get more free upgrades. I know our guildmate ret paladin is psyched since S3 ret pvp gear is a solid PVE upgrade over Tier6.

Even with the item budget spent on res?

I guess you take what you can get as a retnub. :lol:

j/k I love all my paladin brothers and know next to nothing about ret gear.

PTR patch notes from today.

Quote from Blizzard staff
General

* Transaction logs of the last 25 actions within each tab, as well as money activity. (Note: Was 50 before)


Racial Abilities

* Humans: Mace Skill now increases the critical strike chance with maces and two-handed maces by 1%.


Druid

* Challenging Roar: The chance for this ability to land successfully on its targets is now increased by hit rating.
* Entangling Roots: This ability will no longer be overwritten when the new Entangling Roots would do less damage.
* Feral Charge: It is now possible for the interrupt and root effects from this ability to be resisted separately.
* Growl: The chance for this ability to land successfully on its target is now increased by hit rating.
* Natural Perfection (Restoration) - Now also grants the Natural Perfection effect after being critically hit, reducing all damage taken by 1/3/5% for 8 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times.
* Natural Perfection: This talent can now trigger while the Druid is sitting.
* Tree of Life: It is no longer possible to have the bonus healing aura from this ability while not actually in Tree of Life Form.


Hunter

* Expose Weakness: The triggered effect from this talent will no longer use up charges of Misdirection.
* Misdirection: If a Hunter attempts to use this ability on a target which already has an active Misdirection, the spell will fail to apply due to a more powerful spell already being in effect. This will not trigger the cooldown or cost any mana.
* Wyvern Sting: This ability will no longer be overwritten by lower ranks of Wyvern Sting.


Mage

* Ignite: This talent is no longer triggered by damage dealt by Molten Armor.


Paladin

* Righteous Defense: The chance for this ability to land successfully on its targets is now increased by hit rating.


Priest

* Blessed Recovery: This talent can now trigger while the Priest is sitting.
* Blessed Resilience: This talent can now trigger while the Priest is sitting.
* Focused Will (NEW Discipline Talent) - After taking a critical hit you gain the Focused Will effect, reducing all damage taken by 1/3/5% and increasing healing effects on you by 4/7/10% for 8 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times.
* Mind Vision: Now consumes the Inner Focus buff when cast.
* Prayer of Mending: This ability will no longer be overwritten when the new Prayer of Mending would do less healing.
* Silent resolve: This talent now benefits the triggered buffs from Blessed Resilience, Blessed Recovery, and Martyrdom.


Rogue

* Dirty Deeds: This talent will no longer interfere with getting the bonus damage from the Druid ability Mangle on Rupture and Garrote.
* Hemorrhage: This ability now does 125% of weapon damage.
* Shadowstep (Subtlety) can now be used at any time, not only while stealthed. Now increases the damage and reduces the threat caused by the next damaging ability. Cooldown increased to 30 seconds. Range changed to 25 yards. (Minimum range removed)


Shaman

* Earth Shield: This ability will no longer be overwritten when the new Earth Shield would do less healing.
* Elemental Mastery: It is no longer possible to get two consecutive guaranteed critical strikes from using this ability.
* Eye of the Storm: This talent can now trigger while the Shaman is sitting.


Warlock

* Unstable Affliction: The silence from this ability is now subject to diminishing returns.


Warrior

* Blood Craze: This talent can now trigger while the Warrior is sitting.
* Challenging Shout: The chance for this ability to land successfully on its targets is now increased by hit rating.
* Enrage: This talent can now trigger while the Warrior is sitting.
* Taunt: The chance for this ability to land successfully on its target is now increased by hit rating.


Professions
Engineering

* The Crashin' Thrashin' Robot is now Bind on Use rather than Bind on Acquire so non-engineers can use them as well.


Items

* Band of the Eternal Restorer: As this item now provides some bonus spell damage, spell damage effects can trigger it. In addition, healing over time effects can now trigger it when they could not before.
* Eye of the Dead: As this item now provides some bonus spell damage, spell damage effects can now consume its charges.
* Free Action Potion: The buff from this potion can no longer be dispelled or taken via Spellsteal.
* Hallowed Wands: These items no longer work on Druids who are shapeshifted.
* Hallowed Wands: These wands no longer function in the Old Hillsbrad Caverns of Time event.
* Hallow’s End Pumpkin Treats: The larger and oranger buff no longer causes Battle Elixirs to be removed and can stack with them.
* Lightning Capacitor: This item now has a 2.5 second cooldown on acquiring Electrical Charges.
* Noggenfogger Elixir: Consuming this potion now has a shared 3 second cooldown with other types of non-combat potions.
* Ogri’la Reputation Rewards: All epic and superior quality items are now disenchantable.
* PvP Trinkets: Insignia of the Alliance, Insignia of the Horde, Medallion of the Alliance, and Medallion of the Horde now clear the debuff from Judgement of Justice.


Raids & Dungeons
Auchindoun: Sethekk Halls

* The Shadow Labyrinth Key can now be looted from the Talon King's Coffer next to Talon King Ikiss in the Sethekk Halls.

Auchindoun: Shadow Labyrinth

* Blackheart the Inciter: This stun associated with this creature’s charge ability will now properly be considered a stun for talents, abilities, and items that interact with stuns.

Black Temple

* High Nethermancer Zerevor's Blizzard and Flamestrike will now last their full duration.

Hellfire Citadel: Hellfire Ramparts

* The Reinforced Fel Iron Chest can now only be looted by players who are present during some portion of a successful attempt of the Vazruden and Nazan encounter. In addition, on Heroic difficulty the chest now contains a Badge of Justice for each player present.

Karazhan

* Karazhan Chess Event: The Dust Covered Chest can now only be looted by players who are nearby when the event is completed successfully. In addition, the chest now contains 2 Badges of Justice for each player present.

Tempest Keep: The Mechanar

* The Mechanar: The Cache of the Legion can now only be looted by players who are present during some portion of a successful attempt of the Gatewatcher Gyro-Kill and Gatewatcher Iron-Hand encounters. In addition, on Heroic difficulty Gatewatcher Gyro-Kill and Gatewatcher Iron-Hand no longer drop Badges of Justice. Instead, the Cache of the Legion contains a Badge of Justice for each player present.


World Environment

* The gas clouds in Netherstorm are now always visible. Abilities on goggles that previously allowed the player to detect these invisible gas clouds will now show all gas clouds on their minimap instead. This will stack with other tracking types.



edit: This is what the blue post from about a week ago said about season 3 start, season 3 will launch and isn't controlled by when 2.3 goes live.

Sounds right, just keep in mind that patch 2.3 and season 3 may not start on the same date, we'll have to wait and see. We have said that we plan to give a two week notice on the start of season 3.

what the gay, no more 3 badge mech runs :(

Well you only lose 1 badge for the mech run, adding a badge to ramparts is long overdue, I am sure a lot more people will be running it.

WTF with the mage thing, Molten Armor won't proc Ignite? That sucks, because I loved it when Frostbite (I think that's what it is) procced off Ice Armor. I'm sure that'll come next patch...

As for the Season 3, when did S1 start? Co-worker (who only does arena anymore) said S1 started around Jan of '07, and S2 started around Jun of '06. If this is actually true, it stands to reason S3 would start around Jan '08, and even then it wouldn't fuck up the 2008 tournaments.

WTF with the mage thing, Molten Armor won't proc Ignite? That sucks, because I loved it when Frostbite (I think that's what it is) procced off Ice Armor. I'm sure that'll come next patch...

I'm pretty sure they changed it because some mages were fed up that their molten armor ignite procs were breaking their sheep.

They haven't announced any plans to remove the frostbite proc from ice armor, and I doubt they will.

wtf, you get 2 badges in kara?

wtf, you get 2 badges in kara?
You get one from every boss, plus now 2 from chess.

whoa

I'm pretty sure they changed it because some mages were fed up that their molten armor ignite procs were breaking their sheep.

They haven't announced any plans to remove the frostbite proc from ice armor, and I doubt they will.

This is why I didn't use molten armor on my fire mage in instances, once I got the improved frost armor there was no reason to even think about using the molten armor, I crit so much with crappy gear I had to pause attacks all the time as it was.

unlink enrage and flurry..for the raiding warriors pleaseeeeeeeeeee