This Week in WoW – Dungeon and Raid Tuning, PvP Tuning, Battleground Bonus Event (January 26th, 2021)
Greetings, Champions! This week in WoW brings us quite a number of tuning adjustments for all three types of endgame content: Dungeons, Raiding, and PvP. There’s also Battleground Bonus Event to look forward to this week, along with unlocking your Covenant’s Renown pet!
Dungeon Tuning
Devs did a relatively sweeping tuning pass to dungeons this week, so it’s a good idea to read up on the changes below before you do your Mythic Plus keystone runs for the week.
Linxy
- Mythic Keystone Dungeons
- [With regional restarts] Manifestation of Pride (Prideful Affix) now sees through Stealth and Invisibility effects.
- Plaguefall
- Margrave Stradama
- [With regional restarts] Plaguebound Devoted health and damage reduced by 40%.
- [With regional restarts] Reduced the cast frequency of Infectious Rain during her final phase.
- [With regional restarts] Slightly adjusted the timing of Plague Crash so there is a little more time between tentacle slaps.
- Sanguine Depths
- [With regional restarts] Fixed an issue where flying Chamber Sentinels would fail to contribute Enemy Forces requirements on Mythic Keystone difficulty.
- Kryxis the Voracious
- [With regional restarts] Severing Smash damage reduced by 20% on all difficulties.
- [With regional restarts] Essence Absorption damage reduced by 20% on Mythic difficulty.
- Executor Tarvold
- [With regional restarts] Fleeting Manifestation health reduced by 20%.
- Spires of Ascension
- [With regional restarts] Lakesis, Klotos and Astronos are no longer affected by Mythic Keystone affixes that trigger on death (e.g. Sanguine).
- [With regional restarts] Lakesis, Klotos and Astronos Oppression now increases damage taken by 1% per application (was 2%).
- The Necrotic Wake
- If Bloody Javelin and Discharged Anima hits more than eight enemies, the total damage is distributed evenly across all targets.
- Kyrian armaments (Bloody Javelin, Discarded Shield, Discharged Anima and Forgotten Forgehammer) now persist through death.
- [With regional restarts] Brittlebone Crossbowman and Brittlebone Warrior damage reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Fixed an issue where Brittlebone Crossbowman’s Shoot was ignoring armor.
- [With regional restarts] Brittlebone Mage’s Frostbolt Volley damage reduced by 20% and cast time increased to 3.5 seconds (was 2.5 seconds).
- [With regional restarts] Brittlebone Mage’s Frostbolt damage reduced by 36% and cast time increased to 2.5 seconds (was 2 seconds).
- [With regional restarts] Corpse Harvester and Corpse Collector health reduced by 29%.
- [With regional restarts] Stitched Vanguard health reduced by 14%.
- [With regional restarts] Nar’zudah’s health reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Skeletal Monstrosity’s health reduced by 20% and melee damage reduced by 25%.
- [With regional restarts] Loyal Creation health reduced by 24%.
- [With regional restarts] Kyrian Stitchwerk health reduced by 25% and melee damage reduced by 17%.
- Blightbone
- [With regional restarts] Carrion Worm’s Blood Gorge applications required to trigger Carrion Eruption increased to 5 (was 3).
- Amarth
- [With regional restarts] Reduced the range skeletons are summoned during Land of the Dead.
- [With regional restarts] Unholy Frenzy attack speed bonus reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Reanimated Crossbowman and Reanimated Warrior damage reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Reanimated Mage’s Frostbolt Volley damage reduced by 20%
- [With regional restarts] Reanimated Mage’s Frostbolt Volley damage reduced by 36% and cast time increased to 2.5 seconds (was 2 seconds).
- Surgeon Stitchflesh
- [With regional restarts] Embalming Ichor duration reduced to 1 minute (was 6 minutes).
Raid Tuning
Castle Nathria also saw some tuning passes added this week to three of the boss fights to ease some pain points in progression.
Linxy
Castle Nathria
- Council of Blood
- [With regional restarts] Dreadbolt Volley damage reduced by up to 20% in smaller raid sizes in Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties. The damage will remain the same in 30-player raids.
- [With regional restarts] Drain Essence damage reduced by up to 20% in smaller raid sizes in Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties. The damage will remain the same in 30-player raids.
- [With regional restarts] Dark Recital duration reduced to 6 seconds on Normal and Heroic difficulties (was 7 seconds).
- Sludgefist
- [With regional restarts] Colossal Roar damage reduced by 10% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Chain Slam and Chain Bleed damage reduced by 35% on Mythic difficulty.
- Stone Legion Generals
- [With regional restarts] Stone Legion Goliath health reduced by 10% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Stone Legion Goliath’s Ravenous Feast cooldown increased by 6 seconds on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Stone Legion Skirmisher health reduced by 6% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Serrated Tear and Stone Fist damage reduced by 20% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Serrated Swipe, Serrated Tear, and Stone Fist’s range increased to 100 yards (was 10 and 20 yards).
- Developers’ note: In addition to slightly reducing overall difficulty, we’ve made a number of changes to this encounter with the goal of making it feel more consistent between attempts. This means that while certain abilities are no longer avoidable, their impact together with other abilities should be more realistic to manage and the order in which they occur should be more reliable.
- [With regional restarts] Heart Rend’s range increased to 300 yards (was 10 yards).
- [With regional restarts] Heart Rend no longer applies Heart Hemorrhage to the player who dispelled the Magic effect on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] General Kaal and General Grashaal’s spell cooldowns now reset with phase changes.
- [With regional restarts] Volatile Stone Shell absorb shield reduced by 20% on Mythic difficulty.
PvP Tuning
Blizzard also did a tuning pass on PvP this week, just in time for the Battleground Bonus Event!
Linxy
Player versus Player
- [With regional restarts] In 2v2 Arenas, Dampening will begin at 20% when both teams have either a tank or healer.
- [With regional restarts] Players now deal 20% less damage to Death Knight, Hunter, and Warlock pets.
- [With regional restarts] Fleshcraft (Necrolord Ability) can now be used while in the starting area for battlegrounds and arenas.
- The Mine Carts in the Silvershard Mines battleground no longer take damage from any spells or abilities.
- Druid
- [With regional restarts] Convoke the Spirits (Night Fae Ability) no longer casts Full Moon and Feral Frenzy when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- Paladin
- Holy
- [With regional restarts] Divine Favor (PvP Talent) cooldown increased to 30 seconds (was 25 seconds) and now increases cast speed by 30% (was 60%).
- Protection, Retribution
- [With regional restarts] Word of Glory’s healing has been reduced by 20% when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- Mage
- [With regional restarts] Infernal Cascade (Conduit) has its effectiveness reduced by 33% when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- [With regional restarts] Triune Ward (Legendary Effect) now provides 50% barrier effectiveness when engaged in combat with enemy players (was 65%).
Battleground Bonus Event
This week’s event in the Battleground Bonus Event, which will grand some extra rewards for participating in and winning Battlegrounds. Every player gets the Sign of Battle buff to increase their honor gains from objective captures and Battleground wins by 50%.
Sign of Battle – Honor gains from Battleground objectives and wins increased by 50%.
There’s also the “A Call to Battle” quest to pick up from Caretaker Kah-Toll next to the Great Vault in Oribos (coordinates 64.95, 32.68). This will reward you with 5 Marks of Honor, 100 Conquest, and 250 Anima for winning four battlegrounds.
Mythic Plus Affixes – Tyrannical, Bolstering, Necrotic, Prideful
This week’s Mythic Plus affixes are Tyrannical, Bolstering, Necrotic, and the seasonal affix, Prideful.
| Key Level | Affix | Affix Effect |
|---|---|---|
| +2 | Tyrannical | Bosses have 40% more health. Bosses and their minions inflict up to 15% increased damage. |
| +4 | Bolstering | When any non-boss enemy dies, its death cry empowers nearby allies, increasing their maximum health and damage by 20%. |
| +7 | Necrotic | All enemies’ melee attacks apply a stacking blight that inflicts damage over time and reduces healing recieved. |
| +10 | Prideful | Players overflow with pride as they defeat non-boss enemies, eventually forming a Manifestation of Pride. Defeating this Manifestation greatly empowers players. |
Valinor, the Light of Eons World Boss Up
This week’s Shadowlands World Boss is Valinor, the Light of Eons, located in Bastion in the Citadel of Loyalty. Slaying Valinor to complete the accompanying World Quest will net you 250 Amina and a chance at some gear.
Renown Cap Increase to 28
The Renown cap increases to Renown 28 this week, unlocking some new rewards for players.
Renown 27
- New Companion
- Kyrian: Apolon
- Necrolord: Merick Feldscar
- Night Fae: Qadarin
- Venthyr: Lost Sybille
- Covenant Pet
- Kyrian: Ruffle
- Necrolord: Jiggles
- Night Fae: Trootie
- Venthyr: Sinheart
Renown 28
- Soulbind upgrade for your second Soubind
- Kyrian: Kleia
- Necrolord: Emeni
- Night Fae: Korayn
- Venthyr: Theotar
All Hotfixes
Linxy
JANUARY 25, 2021
Achievements
- To ‘Ghast, Two Curios and ‘Ghast Five are now account-wide achievements.
Covenants
- Kyrian
- The point of interest indicator for “Gorm Ruin Everything” should now be easier to see on the map.
- Necrolord
- Fixed an issue where players were unable to enter the Inquisitor’s Crypt after opening the door during the quest “The Last Word.”
- Venthyr
- Fixed an issue where Theotar’s Fury buff would sometimes not persist through death during the quest “Lowering Their Defenses.”
Creatures and NPCs
- Darvel the Frugal should now correctly give the correct faction discount.
Dungeons and Raids
- Castle Nathria
- Council of Blood
- [With regional restarts] Dreadbolt Volley damage reduced by up to 20% in smaller raid sizes in Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties. The damage will remain the same in 30-player raids.
- [With regional restarts] Drain Essence damage reduced by up to 20% in smaller raid sizes in Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties. The damage will remain the same in 30-player raids.
- [With regional restarts] Dark Recital duration reduced to 6 seconds on Normal and Heroic difficulties (was 7 seconds).
- Sludgefist
- [With regional restarts] Colossal Roar damage reduced by 10% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Chain Slam and Chain Bleed damage reduced by 35% on Mythic difficulty.
- Stone Legion Generals
- [With regional restarts] Stone Legion Goliath health reduced by 10% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Stone Legion Goliath’s Ravenous Feast cooldown increased by 6 seconds on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Stone Legion Skirmisher health reduced by 6% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Serrated Tear and Stone Fist damage reduced by 20% on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] Serrated Swipe, Serrated Tear, and Stone Fist’s range increased to 100 yards (was 10 and 20 yards).
- Developers’ note: In addition to slightly reducing overall difficulty, we’ve made a number of changes to this encounter with the goal of making it feel more consistent between attempts. This means that while certain abilities are no longer avoidable, their impact together with other abilities should be more realistic to manage and the order in which they occur should be more reliable.
- [With regional restarts] Heart Rend’s range increased to 300 yards (was 10 yards).
- [With regional restarts] Heart Rend no longer applies Heart Hemorrhage to the player who dispelled the Magic effect on Mythic difficulty.
- [With regional restarts] General Kaal and General Grashaal’s spell cooldowns now reset with phase changes.
- [With regional restarts] Volatile Stone Shell absorb shield reduced by 20% on Mythic difficulty.
- Mythic Keystone Dungeons
- [With regional restarts] Manifestation of Pride (Prideful Affix) now sees through Stealth and Invisibility effects.
- Plaguefall
- Margrave Stradama
- [With regional restarts] Plaguebound Devoted health and damage reduced by 40%.
- [With regional restarts] Reduced the cast frequency of Infectious Rain during her final phase.
- [With regional restarts] Slightly adjusted the timing of Plague Crash so there is a little more time between tentacle slaps.
- Sanguine Depths
- [With regional restarts] Fixed an issue where flying Chamber Sentinels would fail to contribute Enemy Forces requirements on Mythic Keystone difficulty.
- Kryxis the Voracious
- [With regional restarts] Severing Smash damage reduced by 20% on all difficulties.
- [With regional restarts] Essence Absorption damage reduced by 20% on Mythic difficulty.
- Executor Tarvold
- [With regional restarts] Fleeting Manifestation health reduced by 20%.
- Spires of Ascension
- [With regional restarts] Lakesis, Klotos and Astronos are no longer affected by Mythic Keystone affixes that trigger on death (e.g. Sanguine).
- [With regional restarts] Lakesis, Klotos and Astronos Oppression now increases damage taken by 1% per application (was 2%).
- The Necrotic Wake
- If Bloody Javelin and Discharged Anima hits more than eight enemies, the total damage is distributed evenly across all targets.
- Kyrian armaments (Bloody Javelin, Discarded Shield, Discharged Anima and Forgotten Forgehammer) now persist through death.
- [With regional restarts] Brittlebone Crossbowman and Brittlebone Warrior damage reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Fixed an issue where Brittlebone Crossbowman’s Shoot was ignoring armor.
- [With regional restarts] Brittlebone Mage’s Frostbolt Volley damage reduced by 20% and cast time increased to 3.5 seconds (was 2.5 seconds).
- [With regional restarts] Brittlebone Mage’s Frostbolt damage reduced by 36% and cast time increased to 2.5 seconds (was 2 seconds).
- [With regional restarts] Corpse Harvester and Corpse Collector health reduced by 29%.
- [With regional restarts] Stitched Vanguard health reduced by 14%.
- [With regional restarts] Nar’zudah’s health reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Skeletal Monstrosity’s health reduced by 20% and melee damage reduced by 25%.
- [With regional restarts] Loyal Creation health reduced by 24%.
- [With regional restarts] Kyrian Stitchwerk health reduced by 25% and melee damage reduced by 17%.
- Blightbone
- [With regional restarts] Carrion Worm’s Blood Gorge applications required to trigger Carrion Eruption increased to 5 (was 3).
- Amarth
- [With regional restarts] Reduced the range skeletons are summoned during Land of the Dead.
- [With regional restarts] Unholy Frenzy attack speed bonus reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Reanimated Crossbowman and Reanimated Warrior damage reduced by 20%.
- [With regional restarts] Reanimated Mage’s Frostbolt Volley damage reduced by 20%
- [With regional restarts] Reanimated Mage’s Frostbolt Volley damage reduced by 36% and cast time increased to 2.5 seconds (was 2 seconds).
- Surgeon Stitchflesh
- [With regional restarts] Embalming Ichor duration reduced to 1 minute (was 6 minutes).
Items and Rewards
- The Inscrutable Quantum Device trinket now considers all friendly players within range to be valid targets for assisting, regardless of group state.
- The Inscrutable Quantum Device trinket now also considers its user to be a valid target for granting Mana as long as they are a Healing specialization.
- The Inscrutable Quantum Device trinket will no longer attempt to execute enemy targets who are already dead.
- Fixed an issue that prevented Shadehound Armor Plating from being acquired in the Maw. The quest item can now be found by completing the Hunt: Shadehounds event.
Player versus Player
- [With regional restarts] In 2v2 Arenas, Dampening will begin at 20% when both teams have either a tank or healer.
- [With regional restarts] Players now deal 20% less damage to Death Knight, Hunter, and Warlock pets.
- [With regional restarts] Fleshcraft (Necrolord Ability) can now be used while in the starting area for battlegrounds and arenas.
- The Mine Carts in the Silvershard Mines battleground no longer take damage from any spells or abilities.
- Druid
- [With regional restarts] Convoke the Spirits (Night Fae Ability) no longer casts Full Moon and Feral Frenzy when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- Paladin
- Holy
- [With regional restarts] Divine Favor (PvP Talent) cooldown increased to 30 seconds (was 25 seconds) and now increases cast speed by 30% (was 60%).
- Protection, Retribution
- [With regional restarts] Word of Glory’s healing has been reduced by 20% when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- Mage
- [With regional restarts] Infernal Cascade (Conduit) has its effectiveness reduced by 33% when engaged in combat with enemy players.
- [With regional restarts] Triune Ward (Legendary Effect) now provides 50% barrier effectiveness when engaged in combat with enemy players (was 65%).
The Maw
- [With regional restarts] Players using Fel Rush and other similar movement abilities are now reliably able to return souls to Collector Marissa for the quest “Battered and Bruised.”
Torghast, Tower of the Damned
- The following spells now go on cooldown when stopped by any means: Terror, Nature’s Bounty, Deafening Howl, and Phasing Roar. Previously, this cooldown would only occur with direct interrupts (such as Counterspell, Kick, Pummel, etc).
- Anima Powers
- Death Knight
- Rune Hunter will no longer continue spawning Runes from Ashen Phylacteries after acquiring all 8 Rune buffs.
