Blizzard Entertainment

Hey y'all! This is Alec, Lead Hero Designer, stepping in for Aaron this week. We thought this Director’s Take would be a good time to chat about our heroes, recent balance changes, and what we’ve learned from them, and talk a bit about the philosophy behind our two upcoming reworks for Sombra and Roadhog.

Illari and the Safe Side of Strong

Let’s start with Illari. Going into Illari’s launch, our slogan was “safe side of strong.” We want hero releases to be impactful. It’s best for the game for a number of reasons, but most importantly, it creates change throughout the meta. An impactful hero launch can shift other heroes’ viability and create new and unique team compositions - an unimpactful hero launch can feel as if the game didn’t enter a new season.

Making a new hero feel impactful on launch is challenging because we are asking you to choose between that hero and their overall potential versus picking the heroes that you may have hundreds or ...

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Stay up to date with World of Warcraft when you join us each week as we round up some of the latest top blue posts and discussions.

Here are this week's highlights:

Dragonflight

• New Public Events Coming with 10.2: In the 10.2 Guardians of the Dream patch, new public events that feed into each other in the Emerald Dream zone.
• 10.2 Updates on the PTR: A series of ...

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Here you'll find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Wrath of the Lich King Classic, Burning Crusade Classic and WoW Classic. Some of the hotfixes below take effect the moment they were implemented, while others may require scheduled realm restarts to go into effect. Please keep in mind that some issues cannot be addressed without a client-side patch update. This list will be updated as additional hotfixes are applied.

Hotfixes

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September 21, 2023

 Events

• The Waking Dream public event in the Azure Span should now properly start.
• Brewfest
  • Fixed an issue that prevented Keg-Shaped Treasure Chest from being awarded to players below level 70.

Quests

• The weekly Time Rifts quest "When Time Needs Mending" c...

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We are happy to announce our next Heroes of the Storm patch has been released which is mainly centered around multiple bug fixes that were reported by the community.

Bug Fixes

Heroes

• Abathur
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the Monstrositty from using the Force Move command.
  • Fixed an issue that caused Ultimate Evolutions of Lost Vikings talents when cloning a Viking who had selected select talents.
• Alexstrasza
  • Fixed an issue that caused Flames of Fury to not reduce the amount of Mana gained from hitting an ignited enemy with Flame Buffet.
  • Fixed an issue that Dragon Scales could be refreshed when requirements were met while the buff was still up.
• Anduin
  • Fixed an issue that caused Speed of the Pious to not grant cooldown reducti...

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En Taro Adun

With the new PTR Patch 5.0.12 released today, we've tried to the accomplish the following goals,

• Make Protoss more stable on a professional level in the early game vs Raven pushes and more able to fight Terran mid-late game armies without solely relying on Disruptors.
• Increase the variety in the mid game and late game army compositions by reducing the strength of massed Ghosts, Banelings, and Disruptors.
• Make over specialized units (Cyclones, Mothership, and Infestors) viable throughout more stages of the game.
• Bring more visual clarity to important units on the minimap, as well as relevant abilities like Widow Mine targeting, and Disruptor's cooldown indicator.
• Promote more interaction in late game scenarios, by making units such as Tempest, Mothership, and Brood Lord more maneuverable.

-StarCraft II Community Balance Council

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BALANCE UPDATE

Terran

C...

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“First celebrated by the dwarves, Brewfest now holds appeal among all the races of Azeroth!”

Do you love eating delicious food, drinking bountiful beverages, and riding rams around barrels of apples? Brewfest has arrived, and you can do all that and more from September 20–October 6.

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When

September 20–October 6

Where

Ironforge Entrance (Alliance), Orgrimmar Entrance (Horde), Valdrakken

Currency: Brewfest Prize Tokens

Completing quests and activities on the Brewfest grounds will generally reward you with Brewfest Prize Tokens. These are used to purchase most of the items you will find on sale at Brewfest.

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New in Dragonflight

Brewfest com...

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The first anniversary of Overwatch 2 is here! Millions of players have already answered the call, and we’re celebrating with lots of fun rewards.  For three weeks, you’ll be able to play returning modes from past events throughout the year in the Arcade, along with the chance to earn Overwatch Credits, which can be spent on fan-favorite skins in a limited-time Anniversary Shop. Keep reading to find out more about everything coming in the Overwatch 2 Anniversary event!

Week 1 – Winter Wonderland and Battle for Olympus

During the first week of the event, stay frosty with the return of ...

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Hoist sail and make way for Booty Bay because Pirate’s Day begins September 19! A WoW Classic version of Pirate's Day will also be available for hardy heroes wishing to embrace the pirate's life.

Bring Your Sea Shanty to Booty Bay

Pirates have taken over the goblin town of Booty Bay, and Captain DeMeza is recruiting any scurvy dog she can into her buccaneer ranks. Visit her or her henchmen in the capital cities if the pirate’s life is for you!

Feeling out of place in Booty Bay without a proper costume? Don’t worry. /Dance one little jig with the Dread Captain DeMeza, and she’ll be impressed enough to press you into her crew and outfit you properly. If you get attached to your new look, you can do the quest ...

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Step into Tiger’s Peak Arena and get ready for the Shado-Pan Showdown.

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Packed House
Warfare

We’ve put more PvP in your PvP! In Packed House, there’s nowhere to hide as you face not 2, not 3, not 5, but 15 adversaries in this 15 vs. 15 Arena battle.

• February 22–29
• May 17–24
• August 8–15
• October 31–November 7

Deep Six
Resource Race

Deep Six pits teams of six players against each other in three iconic B...

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Chart a course across the Dragon Isles for this week’s Bonus Event – World Quests.

This Week

All week, open your map (default hotkey-"m") and select any of the Dragon Isles regions to view the World Quests available to you. To find out more about each World quest, simply hover your mouse over a World Quest on the map to see what tasks are needed to complete it, the rewards you'll receive, and the time remaining that the quest is available to you.

Look for the following all week long:

• Kazra in Valdrakken has a quest for you—The World Awaits. You can also start the quest from within the Adventure Guide (Shift-J).
  • Quest requirement: Complete 10 World Quests in the Dragon Isles
  • Reward: Get 2500 reputation with one of the Major Factions: Dragonscale Expedition, the Iskaara Tuskarr, the Maruuk Centaur, and the Valdrakken Accord
• Passive buff: +50% to Reputation gains from World Quest...

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Each week we’ll look ahead to what’s in store for World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the know byte by byte. The icy winds of Icecrown Citadel will sweep the lands of Northrend beginning the week of October 10. Will you and your allies have what it takes to face the Lich King in his stronghold?

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Prepare to Face the Lich King in Patch 3.4.3

Patch 3.4.3 becomes available the week of October 10, bringing with it a variety of updates to Wrath of the Lich King Classic including:

• New Dungeons
  • The Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron, and Halls of Reflection
• Random Dungeon Finder
• New Titan Rune Dungeons: Defense Protocol Gamma
• New Collections User Interface
• And more.

Icecrown Citadel Opens on October 12

Engage in twelve encounters across five wings within the Lich King’s strongho...

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Patch 27.4 brings the Fall of Ulduar Mini-Set; Yogg-Saron has escaped and is spreading his Anomalies across Hearthstone!

Ulduar Has Fallen

The titans left their charges to watch over the imprisoned Yogg-Saron, but no prison lasts forever. The Old God has escaped to once again wreak havoc on Azeroth! Will you fight back, or will you succumb to the madness within?!

There’s a new Titan in town. Cast spells to fuel the Old God’s power, bring madness to the Tavern with Chaotic Tendrils, and unleash Yogg-Saron on your opponents with this Mini-Set of 38 all-new cards. Get them in TITANS packs, or as a complete 72-card* Mini-Set. Get the normal version in-game for $14.99 or 2000 Gold, or get the all-Golden version for $69.99 or 10,000 Gold. The all-Golden version also comes with a bonus Diamond copy of the Yogg-Saron, Unleashed Le...

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Stay up to date with World of Warcraft when you join us each week as we round up some of the latest top blue posts and discussions.

Here are this week's highlights:

Dragonflight

• Guardians of the Dream PTR Update: This week, we released the latest PTR build. Development notes were posted along with additional details on ...

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It’s the perfect time to gift someone a new adventure in the Dragon Isles. Get up to 50% off the Base, Heroic, and Epic Editions of Dragonflight through October 2, 2023, and heed the dragons’ call as their ancient homelands are revealed once more.

Buy Now

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Whether you’re new to Dragonflight or a seasoned veteran bringing al...

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Located in the Kul Tiras subcontinent and nestled between the sea and great mountain ranges to the north and south, the ancestral home of the Proudmoores is a bustling land of opportunity—if you know where to look. Join us as we take you on a brief tour of Tiragarde Sound and the capital city of Boralus.

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The region of Tiragarde Sound serves as the heart of Kul Tiras. Nearly bisected by the capital city of Boralus, the land is rich with wildlife in the hills and mountains to the north and south, and its people enjoy the bounty of the oceans to the south, east, and west. It is a realm of people in touch with both the land and the sea.

Welcome to Tiragarde Sound.

Any hopes for a warm reception in Tiragarde Sound will be quickly dashed upon you...

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The Old God was locked away, but we should have known its prison would not hold! Yogg-Saron's influence has been corrupting the Tavern since the beginning, and now its full power is unleashed! This is the end of the age of the titans; this is The Fall of Ulduar!

Fall of Ulduar, launching on September 19, consists of 38 new cards: 4 Legendary cards, 1 Epic card, 17 Rare cards, and 16 Common cards. Those new cards can either be opened in TITANS packs or purchased as a complete 72-card set.* Normal versions of the Mini-Set can be purchased for $14.99 or 2000 Gold. The all-Golden version can be purchased for $69.99 or 10,000 Gold. The Golden Mini-Set option also includes a bonus Diamond Legendary.

...

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Prepare your most stalwart companions for battle; the Pet Battle Bonus Event is underway. While this event is active, your pets will earn experience at double the usual rate.

To get in on the action, open your Pet Journal (Collections Shift+ P) and click the “Find Battle” button to match up against an opponent and their own team of well-trained companions.

This Week

Look for the following:

• Pick up the quest "The Very Best" from Kazra in Valdrakken or start it within the Adventure Journal.
  • Quest requirement: Win five pet battles versus other players with a team of three level-25 pets.
  • Reward: One Ultimate Battle-Training Stone.
• Passive bonus: All Pet Battle experience gains are increased by +100%

Every Week

The Bonus Events system consists of a rotating schedule of different activities, currently scheduled to run each week beginning on Tuesdays. Each Bonus Event...

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Each week we’ll look ahead to what’s in store for World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the know byte by byte. The last of the secrets (of Azeroth) will be released this week. If you haven’t found them all, don’t worry. They aren’t going away, and you can catch up on your sleuthing at any time.

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News and Events This Week

• September 12
  • (Event) Pet Battle Bonus Event
  • (Event) PvP Brawl: Deepwind Dunk
  • (Event) Arena Skirmish Event
• September 13
  • (Event) Last Clues for the Secrets of Azeroth Event Released
• September 15
  • (Article) Blues News

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Stay tuned here to the official World of Warcraft news site as we journey through the week together.

Hello heroes! We’re back with news from the Defense Matrix team, covering our latest efforts to bring a positive and fair gameplay experience to Overwatch 2. We've been taking big steps to help discourage and remove disruptive behavior and cheating and wanted to share more details with you.

Hold on, what is Defense Matrix?  We’re glad you asked! Defense Matrix is the name for our collection of efforts to quell the cheating, disruptive chat, and griefing issues that negatively impact many multiplayer video games, including Overwatch 2.  These efforts are the product of a dedicated task force of developers, researchers, and community experts, all working to improve our existing systems while finding new ways to counter disruptive behaviors.

Guided by two core principles, we strive to keep Overwatch 2 a positive player experience. The first is Fair is Fun, meaning all players should have the same level p...

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Time unravels before your very eyes in Season 29 Visions of Enmity, which goes live on September 15 at 5 p.m. PDT/CET/KST. For an in-depth look at the seasonal theme, addition of the Solo Self Found single player mode, Paragon Ceiling changes, and quality-of-life updates, take a gander below.

What the Future Holds: A Message from the Diablo III Team

Valiant Nephalem have hack-and-slashed hordes through Seasons introducing gameplay-alerting themes, experience-defining quality-of-life updates, and hellastic events for the last 11 years. Diablo III will continue to burn bright in Season 29 and beyond—this Season sets the bedrock for the game’s future and introduces our final brand-new theme.

Season 30 will bring fresh gameplay balances and bug fixes to reinvigorate your adventures but introduce no new theme. Instead, this Season will usher in the permanent return of a community-favorite theme, Rites of Sanctuary, which will be playable across all mode...

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