Crazy WoW Cataclysm information is flowing now that the NDA is down and the coming expansion has entered closed beta.  Coincidence that it comes right at the same time FFXIV announced their launch date (Sept. 30, $12.99/month)? Blizzard definitely has a way of deflating other people’s big announcements.
Ruby Sanctum was released yesterday but today was the first day for my realm since we just survived a 24 hour downtime without going too crazy from withdrawals. We went in tonight thinking we would rock it but learned quickly what it’s like to try a raid blind. It’s been a while since I didn’t know exactly what to expect because I’ve either read up on the fight or have someone present who has beaten it. The trash fights actually had some unique mechanics where the mobs buffed each other if they were too close. We ended up having to actually CC — sometimes I haven’t done in four years in WoW — with hibernate, sap, etc. The mini-bosses had mechanics that were also a bit unexpected and we wiped a few times learning them.
Halion himself was a tough experience. We’re admittedly not the best raiders and have no problem admitting we struggled a bit. The biggest problem came from having to actually rely on knowing when you have a debuff. No “Deadly Boss mods” addon to say “run away”. It required us to actually pay attention. Some people missed it entirely that they had the debuff and didn’t run away. It was all about communication at that point and we quickly realized how dependent we have become. This goes back to a why I hate these addons just as much as I like them. Overall though the fight is really fun and I’m glad they designed this raid the way that they did to be one big boss.
Some of the Cataclysm screenshots have me drooling though. Big Warcraft Lore fanboy here. I love Deathwing and all the story around him. Seeing his human form makes me speechless. Undead Onyxia, Troll Druid Bear form, and… you can just check them all out at MMO-Champion where they have a great compilation.
Cataclysm has to be around the corner. They’ve lowered the NDA, gone into Closed Beta, released Ruby Sanctum (last update), and have already prepared themselves to thwart FFXIV’s launch. My guess is August 31.
August 31? Hmm, well you could be right! Although I think Blizzard always like to take things very slowly so I’m going to say October. Either way, it’s going to overshadow FFIV’s launch for sure.
Did you down Halion tho? 😀 We had to call it a night after wiping on p3 a handful of times. Loved the fight, the trash and the guardians tho.
October seems more in line with tradition. If I remember right they usually release the final patch of an expansion about 4 months before the xpac is actually released.
I’m with Keen on this one. I don’t see this releasing any later than August regardless of their track record.
Until DBM is updated, a very helpful addon for this fight is Power Auras which will make it pretty obvious to each player when they have a specific debuff. Even with DBM working, it’s an invaluable addon. It can even inform you of when a certain number of stacks of a debuff are reached (user customizable). This was helpful in the Hodir fight way back when.
@Monsieur: We called it as well after wiping for a bit. It’s rough having to get everyone thinking on their feet again but really fun.
I’m surprised you haven’t caught wind of Blizzard talking about the potential of taking WoW F2P somewhere down the line.
Either way this Cataclysm stuff is starting to look really good. I still remember when most people were pissed about the expansion, calling Blizz lazy, etc.
I admit it. I am not use to looking at the buffs and debuffs on the upper right hand corner of the screen. Hell, I was trying to figure out where the buffs end and the debuffs begin. The debuffs are on the last row by the way.
Tip:
Make sure you have no other UI asset on top of where the standard UI buff/debuff rows would populate.
The big bad for Cataclysm is Baron Ãœnderbheit? That’s… That’s not very intimidating at all.
If your up on your WC lore then you should know just how intimidating Deathwing aka baron von underbite is.
@Wren – the way I read that comment, he said “I don’t want to say never – in case hell freezes over, sure, we might consider the model, but untill then, don’t hold your breath”
People read too much into that coment, he basicaly said no the polite way, without actually saying no.
WotLK beta start was July 17, and didn’t go live till November 13/14. So August might be a little optimistic, given that there’s arguably more content this time around.
Refreshing isn’t it? Realizing that you have abilities (that you yourself haven’t used in over four years), and they actually do serve a purpose on your cast bar!
earliest september but no later then november…aug release date prediction made me lol