Boubouille of MMO Champion has compiled a number of posts from Blizzard posters in the World of Warcraft forums that relate to the new build of the Public Test Realms and also posted some character sets for a number of Zul'aman class sets courtesy of O2Dazone.

Here are the copy-posted quotes from the Blizzard posters down at the World of Warcraft forums, with the Zul'aman sets following straight after:

• In 2.3, Badges of Justice drop from Zul'aman and Karazhan bosses (1-2 per bosses). You also get 2 badges from the heroic daily quest.
• Nether Vortexes won't drop from Zul'aman bosses, and no changes will be made to make them drop in the Black Temple or Hyjal summit.
• Alterac Valley changes are being watched very closely on 2.3 PTRs, they will go live, but might be tweaked before
• The Mad Alchemist's Potions "side effect" is actually a random buff from other elixirs. However it won't replace existing elixir buffs if you have one on.
• Old versions of classic dungeons items will automatically be upgraded with the 2.3.
• In 2.3 you will be able to check other people's talents by inspecting them.
• Blizzard is in the process of implementing alternate solutions to help assist the lower population realms.

   
   

 

Via World of Raids, we found out that the patch notes for World of Warcraft's 2.3 Public Test Realms have been updated with some new additions and some tweaked. We've noticed that these changes haven't been reflected in the original post we made for the 2.3 patch notes, so we're posting the changes below.

You can find the full set of current patch notes through the source link below. In the meantime, here are the updates and additions to Blizzard's patch notes:

General

• Silence effects now have diminishing returns when used on PvP targets.
• You can now obtain a tiny Sporebat pet with exalted Sporeggar faction.
• An Azure Whelp pet now drops from the blue dragonkin in Azshara.
• If you are seated and try to use abilities that require you to be standing, you will stand up and use them. This can be disabled with: /console autoStand 0 .

The rest of the changes can be found after the jump!

Since the nerfing of potions, this is a topic most people who have chosen Alchemy as a profession in Blizzard's World of Warcraft have been discussing. Now, David Bowers on WoW Insider posted an open letter on how he should specialize now that he's reached a pretty high Alchemy level. Here are a few tips we compiled on specializing in Alchemy for those players who are experiencing the same problem.

First and foremost, you have to set a goal. Are you an Alchemist aiming for profit or did you choose your profession based on the needs of your guild? If you're the former then here are some tips: First, you'll have to check the marketplace in the server you're on. If Elixirs and Potions are making more cash then go run after them, if transmutation is the way to go then focus on that.

You will also have to compute the time you need getting the necessary mats and the amount of investment you'll be doing, but that shouldn't be too difficult. I have found out that transmutation will limit your production but profit is better on a per item basis. Be advised though that it may change so be very careful when picking which to focus on.

If you're an Alchemist due to the needs of your guild, this one's a no-brainer. Pick the most needed specialization. If you don't have a Master Transmuter, train to become one. If the current Alchemist is not putting out enough potions for the needs of the guild, then you'll know what to focus on.

All in all, this topic is very situational, so you'll have to pick which one is best for you. Remember do not take this article as Dogma, go with what works for you. Be sure to keep checking back here for more tips on World of Warcraft.

Everyone has been so excited about the 2.1 patch for Blizzard's World of Warcraft that some have already combed through the entire documentation. Now, we have already given some details on the patch, but it appears that some details were missed in the documentation. Thankfully, World of Ming noticed the missing bits and compiled a more complete version.

One of the biggest omissions is the fact that they have already confirmed Arena healing weapons. It should also be noted that Arena offhand weapons such as the sword, mace and fist are all at 1.5 speed. Surprisingly, Gladiator armor still remains unchanged. We're expecting that these changes will be put to very good use in the arena by some of the teams if they haven't already.

Here are the stats for the new Arena weapons:

• Gladiator’s Gavel (Mace)
  
• Main Hand
  
• 23-108 Damage (1.6 speed)
  
• 40.7 DPS
  
• +24 Stamina
  
• +16 Intellect
  
• Equip: +16 Resilience
  
• Equip: +187 Spell damage and healing

• Gladiator’s Salvation (Mace)
  
• Main Hand
  
• 23-108 Damage (1.6 speed)
  
• 40.7 DPS
  
• +24 Stamina
  
• +16 Intellect
  
• Equip: +16 Resilience
  
• Equip: +348 Healing spells

• Gladiator’s Reprieve (Off-hand)
  
• +21Stamina
  
• +13 Intellect
  
• Equip: +14 Resilience
  
• Equip: +31 Healing spells

Anyway, if you'd like to know more about the patch we posted a very good article on the changes regarding flasks in WoW, it might be worth your time if you're an Alchemist or just a member of a party with one. It could save your life in your next Raid party.

Blizzard poster Ommra (who, by the way, has one of the cooler forum icons we've seen in the European World of Warcraft forums) has put up a blue post regarding Alchemy discoveries in WoW. It's not a hotfix or a bug report or anything, just Blizzard's rationale behind the whole discoveries thing.

As previously stated in the forums, the discovery system is not a guaranteed part of Alchemy, just a perk. Ommra says it was instituted because the devs wanted to "reduce the amount of 'taxi cab' calling for Alchemists." Here's more from Ommra's post:

We wanted to give some the ability to have specific recipes that no one else may have, be it someone in a high end raiding guild or some random person that now has a unique purpose on his realm (until someone else discovers it of course).

Are they required for advancement or success as an Alchemist? Definitely not, but they're certainly a very nice perk if you happen upon one. The same could be said for world drop items, they're a nice perk, but in no way required for your character's advancement.

The randomness takes out the need to make the recipes so difficult to obtain that only the highest geared or most well supported alchemists have access.

There you have it, guys. It's a perk. Random, but certainly useful in specific situations. Ommra also revealed that "some important changes" to how flasks and elixirs function are on the way, so keep checking back here on the QJ WoW blog for more updates.