Greetings, adventurers! Librarian Husky here, ready to dive deep into the latest developments. Welcome to the news! Today, we have a big episode with even more changes to delve into Zack’s layer, along with tons of class additions and updates. There are brand-new updates on the PTR and more news about the 11.0.3 patch, including data mines. My name is Sky from The Comeback Kids, and we have all your World of Warcraft news today. Grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and let’s discuss everything!

Changes to Solo Content: Ze’theer’s Challenge

Starting off with everybody’s favorite solo content, we’re once again seeing some changes to delves. By delves, we mean Ze’theer’s Challenge. The difficulty was quite high early on in the expansion, and some players exploited mechanics using Brann to complete it before the bugs were fixed. As it stands now, this boss can be a real challenge, even for seasoned players.

Blizzard’s Response: Tuning and Nerfs

Blizzard has responded to the feedback and recently released a post with hotfixes that are now live on the realms. The adjustments include nerfs to Ze’theer’s health and damage, as well as the ads he spawns during the fight. Blizzard also mentioned increasing the hatch time for web hatchlings, extending cast times for several abilities, and adjusting spawn locations for web terrors.

Community Reactions to the Changes

After these changes went live, many players returned to Ze’theer’s lair. While the fight may now be slightly easier, it’s clear that the encounter still presents a challenge to many. Players are continuing to adapt to the updated mechanics and enjoy the improved experience.

Difficulty Level One: A Walk in the Park

The first difficulty level, marked by a single question mark, is very easy and can quickly earn you the achievement. I managed to complete it on my first try as a rogue. However, things change drastically with difficulty level two, which frustrated me after several hours of attempts, never getting the boss below 40%.

Challenge of Difficulty Level Two

Difficulty level two is truly challenging and will likely remain tough for many players throughout the season. Personally, I welcome the difficulty and believe it shouldn’t be something that everyone completes right away. Completing the tier 2 question mark difficulty should be rare, and that’s okay.

Every Class Can Conquer Tier Two

Despite the challenge, difficulty level two is achievable by every class. Perfect play is essential, and while I almost defeated the boss with my rogue, I’m confident that any class can succeed with enough practice. The experience has been rewarding, and I’d love to hear what you think of it.

Raid Changes: Neobar Palace

This week also brought updates to the Neobar Palace raid. For normal difficulty, Blizzard reduced damage across the board for smaller groups and extended the cast time for abilities during the Silken Court fight. These changes should make the encounters more manageable for smaller groups.

Heroic Silken Court Changes

It’s now confirmed that, for Heroic Silken Court, only one group of players will be needed to handle binding webs to stop the boss, as opposed to the previous two. This is a major change that will undoubtedly save many groups in the future, including my own.

Mythic Racer World First: Queen Aner Nerfs

The Mythic race for World First is still ongoing, with groups attempting Queen Aner for over two and a half days now. Blizzard has introduced nerfs, including a 12% damage reduction on Acolyte’s Essence and an 8% reduction on Royal Condemnation during Phase 3. These adjustments should help progression teams.

Preservation Evoker Bug Fixes

Additional bug fixes for the Preservation Evoker have also been addressed. One fix prevents them from dealing more healing than intended, and another resolves a bug where Consumed Flame was gaining double benefit from versatility. These changes will be implemented with the weekly reset on Tuesday.

Krono Warden Usage on Preservation Evoker

Many players have been using Krono Warden on Preservation Evoker, while Flame Shaper has seen less use. However, Flame Shaper in raids has produced some incredibly high numbers, showing its potential. Still, Preservation Evoker remains dominant across Mythic Plus and Raid content. It will be interesting to see how upcoming changes impact this come Tuesday.

Patron Work Order Adjustments

Blizzard has made significant improvements to the Patron Work Order system, increasing the chances of patrons providing reagents to lower crafting costs. Additionally, more expensive items, such as cauldrons for Alchemists and Dark Moon Sigil Tier 3 for Inscription, have been removed from the list of commissionable items.

Replacing Difficult Orders with Easier Ones

The new changes replace difficult and expensive Patron orders with easier ones, making it simpler for crafters. For example, complex toys from Engineering will be replaced with more manageable orders, and patrons will provide more reagents, reducing crafting costs and making the system more accessible for everyone.

Patron Orders: Cost Reductions and Material Support

With the recent changes, fulfilling Patron orders will require significantly less gold, and patrons will now provide materials. Previously, some recipes were too difficult and expensive to fulfill, costing anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 gold for just one or two skill points, making it not worth the effort. These adjustments are a huge win for artisans, providing more reagents and easier recipes to complete, resulting in more security and skill points for everyone.

Arena World Championship: Season Kicks Off

Now that we’re a few weeks into the season, the Arena World Championship has arrived. Starting today and continuing throughout September, Cup 1 will be active, followed by Cups 2 through 4. If you enjoy watching high-level arena gameplay, this is a great opportunity to see players performing at their best, making incredible plays, and showcasing intense PvP action.

Weekend Viewing Recommendation

If you’re looking for something entertaining to watch over the weekend while playing World of Warcraft or just relaxing, the Arena World Championship could be a perfect choice. Even if you’re not the best PvP player, watching the pros can be both educational and fun, offering plenty of thrilling moments.

20th Anniversary Updates: Nerfs and Class Changes

As we approach the 20th anniversary next month, this week brought even more updates, including changes to classes and a nerf to the Draer race if you’re not playing as an Evoker. One of the key updates is the reduction of movement speed for Draer who have strayed away from Evoker magic. They now receive a reduced movement boost when using Glide, which was a popular feature for both Demon Hunters and Evokers, giving them an edge over more immobile classes.

Impact of the Draer Nerf

This change could affect classes like Warlocks, which are generally immobile, as they were excited to have a movement boost with Draer. However, the exact scale of the nerf remains unclear. We’ll have to wait and see whether the movement boost is completely gutted or just partially reduced, and updates will follow once more information is available.

Class Changes: Druid and Hunter Adjustments

Druids have received some tweaks to their Arcane spells, adding additional spell effects to their talents. While nothing major, these changes could enhance their overall utility. On the other hand, Hunters are seeing significant changes to their Dark Ranger hero talent tree, with massive damage increases making this a substantial improvement to their performance.

Dark Ranger and Hunter Class Changes

The Bleak Powder talent and the Shadow Surge talent are getting updates, increasing the AOE damage from both abilities while slightly reducing the single-target damage of Black Arrows. These changes, introduced in patch 11.0.1, will make AOE explosions more impactful. Dark Ranger is becoming increasingly appealing, with constant updates and buffs making the spec a more enticing option for Hunter players.

Buffs for Beast Mastery and Marksmanship

Beast Mastery is also receiving buffs, which is surprising given its strong performance in raids. Kill Command damage is increased by 20%, and Multi-Shot damage has been boosted by an incredible 300%. For Marksmanship Hunters, the four-set bonus is being adjusted to make the gameplay smoother, with improvements to ramp-up time.

Changes to Survival and Other Classes

Survival Hunters are seeing minor adjustments to abilities like Fury of the Eagle and Merciless Blow. Mages, Blizzard’s “favorite,” are also receiving changes, with Arcane Mages now able to stun enemies with Gravity Lapse when using Sunfury. Arcane and Frost Spellslinger abilities are getting slight nerfs, but overall, the adjustments are balanced.

Protection Paladin Buffs

Protection Paladins are seeing a notable buff, with their base armor increased by 10%. This change will provide more durability, making them even stronger in tanking scenarios and more viable in various content.

Protection Paladin Armor and Cooldown Reductions

Protection Paladins are receiving significant buffs, starting with a 10% reduction in the cooldown of abilities like Bless Hammer, Judgment, and Hammer of the Righteous. Additionally, Shield of the Righteousness will now provide an extra 10% armor, resulting in a total of 20% armor increase when it’s active. This will greatly improve their natural damage mitigation, making them more resilient in combat.

Cooldown Reduction for Eye of Tyr

The cooldown for Eye of Tyr is also being reduced, allowing Protection Paladins to use it more frequently—almost every pull in Mythic Plus dungeons. This is a huge improvement for Paladins, making them even more effective in high-pressure scenarios.

Shaman Updates: New Models and Ascendants Ability

Shamans are getting a host of changes, starting with new models and updates to the Ascendants ability. In the upcoming patch, Shamans will be able to choose between three different forms: the traditional Ascendants form, a new energetic version, and the existing model. These visual updates provide more customization options and enhance the overall feel of the class.

Brand New Ascendant Model

The new Ascendant model is a refreshing update. While the older version, with its long flowing hair, had a unique appeal, the new energetic form offers a more modern and powerful look for Shamans. Many players will appreciate this visually stunning update.

Elemental Shaman Updates and Improvements

I must say, the new changes for Elemental Shamans are a major win. The updates make me want to gear up my Elemental Shaman because the improvements are impressive. Elemental Shamans are receiving damage increases to Lava Burst, and their new talent, Erupting Lava, is also getting a damage boost. This talent increases the damage of Flame Shock when hit by Lava Burst, providing a substantial power boost.

Enhancement Shaman Fixes and Adjustments

Enhancement Shamans are also seeing improvements with fixes to Ascendants’ chance to trigger with Deeply Rooted Elements. Additionally, there are adjustments to interactions with Primordial Wave, smoothing out gameplay for Enhancement Shamans. These fixes should make the class feel more fluid in combat.

Warrior AOE Nerfs: Thunderous Roar and Odin’s Fury

Warrior players might not be happy about the upcoming changes. Thunderous Roar and Odin’s Fury will now deal reduced damage beyond five targets. While Fury and Arms Warriors have had insane AOE damage this expansion, it’s clear that their utility is limited. High damage output is their main strength, so these nerfs will impact their performance in large pulls.

Impact of Warrior AOE Damage Reduction

I believe reducing Warriors’ AOE damage will affect the class in Mythic Plus, especially in massive pulls and certain raid fights like Brw Twister. Warrior mains, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this because, in my opinion, Warriors’ ability to deal incredible damage is their main selling point, as they don’t contribute much else to raids beyond high damage output.

October Trading Post Preview

With October just around the corner, the Trading Post is almost here, and we’ve received a sneak peek of the upcoming items. Whether you prefer the light or the dark, there’s something for everyone. The October Trading Post features a Death Stalker mount, a jellyfish covered in metallic armor, a walking skull hand mount reminiscent of Shadowlands, an awesome Harvest Golem transmog with a Halloween vibe, and a Swift Chev mount, similar to the one given to Recruit-A-Friend players.

Mixed Feelings on Cosmetics

To be honest, I’m not in love with most of these cosmetic options. You all need to let me know your thoughts, but I think last month’s offerings were better. The leaked items for December seem to lean heavily into the holiday theme, which I’m more excited about. Let’s see how it pans out, but for now, I remain a bit skeptical about October’s collection.

Missed Opportunities for Halloween-Themed Cosmetics

I expected a stronger Halloween theme for the October Trading Post, with more spooky cosmetics than just the Harvest Golem set. For example, adding the Four Horsemen armor would have been an amazing opportunity. Also, themed transmogs like Jack-o-Lantern designs could have really embraced the Halloween spirit. It feels like a missed opportunity to fully celebrate October’s festive vibe.

Community Discussion: Mythic Plus Experience in Season 1

Now, let’s move on to a major discussion topic in the community. What do you think about the Mythic Plus experience so far in Season 1 of *The War Within*? This is a hot topic right now, and I’m interested to hear your opinions. Many players, whether guildmates, friends, or people on the forums, seem to be encountering toxic behavior, such as rage quitting or kicking players out of groups for minor mistakes.

Lower Mythic Keys: A Source of Frustration

From my experience playing Mythic Plus over the past week and a half, the toxicity seems more common in lower Mythic keys, especially levels one through six. Players in these lower-tier keys often have negative interactions, which can make the experience frustrating for those trying to learn or improve. Higher-level keys seem to suffer less from these issues, but it’s still a concern that needs addressing.

Challenges in Lower Mythic Keys

The lower keys, which are supposed to be easier and more straightforward, are often filled with toxic players. It’s similar to how League of Legends has its most toxic players in lower ranks like Bronze or Silver. This environment makes it hard for skilled and helpful players to progress, creating a situation I like to call “Mythic Plus score hell.” It becomes incredibly challenging to escape due to the negative attitudes and unpredictable player skill levels.

Difficulty in Breaking Through Lower Brackets

Getting level sevens across the board and pushing my Mythic score past 2000 was incredibly difficult. It felt like the odds were stacked against me at every turn. In lower-level keys, you’re rolling the dice on multiple factors, such as player skill, communication, and knowledge of boss fights. More often than not, at least one of these factors presents an issue in every key. It’s rare to get a group that works together and completes the key on time.

Better Experiences in Higher Keys

Once you start reaching higher-tier keys, however, the experience drastically improves. You encounter more skilled players who are friendly, helpful, and calm. These players know the mechanics, communicate well, and are patient with others. It’s a complete shift from the chaotic and toxic environment of the lower keys, making the higher keys much more enjoyable to play.

Herer Race Customization and Aesthetic

Recently, an article from WoWhead highlighted the fact that you can fully customize the Herer race in the *War Within* dressing room. You can explore all their customization options for both male and female characters. Personally, I think they look incredible. Their aesthetic feels like a mix between Trolls and Night Elves, and I believe this race would be perfect for classes like Shaman or Druid. They just look amazing overall!

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