Patch 2.4 Notes + Info

[Nysard]

The Sunwell Isle

• The Sunwell Isle is now available for play. This area includes a new quest hub and 5-player and 25-player instances. Join the Shattered Sun Offensive in shutting down Kael?thas? nefarious operations. This new force is comprised by both the Aldor and Scryers and is led by the Naaru. Players will take part in claiming Sun?s Reach and setting up a larger base of operation to stop Kael?thas and the Legion.

Combat Log Improvements

• The combat log has undergone improvements that allow more robust combat filtering including the ability to define custom colors for enemies and friends as well as combat filtering for self and others.

General

• The combined forces of Shattrath have launched an attack on the Isle of Quel?Danas, to confront Kael?thas and the Legion at the Sunwell and surrounding areas. Players will now be able to gain reputation with the Shattered Sun Offensive and participate in a new set of daily quests.
• A representative of the Keepers of Time has been spotted at the World?s End Tavern in Shattrath. Players in good standing with the faction will be granted ease of passage to the Caverns of Time.
• Characters will now retain talented spell ranks so when they retalent they do not have to relearn the spells from trainers.
• Spell Haste: Spell haste now reduces the global cooldown on spells, down to a minimum of 1 second. This change does not apply to melee and ranged abilities.
• Item Cast Spells: Many spells cast by items were being cast as if the caster were the same level as the item. Most of those will now cast at the player?s level, giving them a reasonable chance to miss, be dispelled, or be resisted.
• Spirit-Based Mana Regeneration: This system has been adjusted so that as your intellect rises, you will regenerate more mana per point of spirit.
• Weapon Skill: Points will be gained faster in weapon skills for levels 1 through 59.

Racials

• Find Treasure: This ability no longer deactivates upon death.

Druids

• Empowered Rejuvenation: This talent now properly affects the final heal from Lifebloom.
• Gift of Nature: This talent now properly affects the healing from Tranquility.
• Insect Swarm: Casting lower ranks of this spell is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.
• Lacerate: This ability now deals additional damage based on the attack power of the Druid.
• Mangle (Bear) now properly triggers a 1.5 second global cooldown, increased from 1.0.
• Natural Perfection: This ability will no longer be triggered by taking critical strikes while sitting. In addition, it is now affected by the Subtlety talent.
• When a Druid in cat form casts Pounce it will now properly animate.

Hunter

• Equipping a thrown weapon while in the middle of an Auto-Shot will no longer cause animation issues.
• Casting Flare while in any way not visible, will no longer cause your flare to be invisible to other players.
• Hunter?s Mark: Hunters with Improved Hunter?s Mark will now properly overwrite Hunter?s Mark cast by Hunters without the talent.
• The stamina tooltip for hunter pets will now display the proper health increase.

Mages

• Using low ranks of Fire Ward and Frost Ward spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized.
• Fire Ward: Using low ranks of this spell is now properly penalized like other healing spells are penalized.
• Frost Ward: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized.
• Frostbite: When a frost spell is reflected back at a Mage, it is now possible for the Mage to suffer from the Frostibte effect.
• Ice Barrier: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized.
• Permafrost: This talent will now correctly increase the movement slowing effect of frost Armor instead of the attack speed slow.
• Spellsteal will no longer overwrite a longer duration buff.

Paladins

• Avenger?s Shield, Holy Shield and Holy Shock: Casting lower ranks of these spells is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.
• Divine Illumination: The mana energize from this talent no longer has a chance to set off other triggered effects.
• Holy Shield and Holy Shock: Casting lower ranks of these spells is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.
• Judgment of the Crusader: It is no longer possible to have icons for two different ranks of Judgment of the Crusader appear at the same time when judged by multiple Paladins.
• Judgment of Wisdom: Some abilities (such as Frostbolt) were not triggering the mana energize effect from this spell. This has now been fixed.

Priests

• Fear Ward is now usable while in Shadow form.
• Inner Focus: Chastise now benefits from Inner Focus. In addition, Starshards no longer consumes Inner Focus.
• Power Word: Shield: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized.
• Prayer of Mending: This spell will now fade from players who leave or enter an instance, change continents, or exit the game.
• Reflective Shield: The reactive damage from this talent no longer breaks crowd control affects which break on taking damage.
• Shadowguard: No longer consumes the charge of Inner Focus when triggered.
• Silent Resolve:This talent is now affects Surge of Light, Power Infusion, Inspiration, Spirit Tap, Blackout, Levitate, Shackle Undead, Touch of Weakness, Hex of Weakness, and Symbol of Hope.
• Touch of Weakness: No longer consumes the charge of Inner Focus when triggered. It will also function properly even when the Priest with Touch of Weakness on is silenced or stunned.
• Vampiric Touch: Casting lower ranks of this spell is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects.

Rogues

• Cheat Death: A combat log message will now show when this ability activates.
• Vanish: This ability will no longer sometimes cause the UI to display Shadowmeld as active when it has been cancelled.
• Abilities that can be used while stealthed, without breaking stealth, can now be cast without breaking Vanish when used at the same time.
• Sap mechanic changed from ?Incapacitate? to ?Sap?. This will allow more humanoids that were previously immune to Sap to be vulnerable to Sap, but still immune to Gouge. Note that anything that removed Sap previously will still remove Sap after the change.

Shaman

• Call of Thunder: (Rank 5) now gives 5% critical strike chance.
• Earth Shield: Mana cost reduced roughly in half, and charges reduced from 10 to 6.
• Elemental Focus: This buff will no longer be removed when Shamanistic Focus is triggered.
• Healing Grace: This talent now reduces the chance your spells will be dispelled by 10/20/30%.The resistance to being dispelled modifier from this talent now applies correctly to Water Breathing.
• Rockbiter Weapon: Tooltip and error messages have been adjusted slightly.
• Stormstrike has a new icon.
• Totem timer icons will now show up under your player portrait when you cast totem spells. Right-clicking a totem timer icon will destroy that totem.
• The Shaman spell Fire Nova Totem will no longer sometime detonate without doing any damage.

Warlocks

• Demonic Knowledge: This buff will no longer remain on enslaved demons when Enslave Demon is removed.
• Pyroclasm: This talent now works correctly again with Rain of Fire.
• Ritual of Summoning can be used to summon players into instances if they meet the instance requirements.
• Shadow Ward: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized.

Warriors

• Endless Rage will now give the correct amount of rage as intended from damage dealt by a Warrior.
• Stances: It is no longer possible to accidentally change into a stance you are already in via macros (resulting in a global cooldown and loss of rage).
• Whirlwind: Critical strikes with the off-hand weapon from this ability can now trigger Flurry and Rampage.
• Flurry will properly refresh if a crit occurs with 1 charge left.
• Improved Hamstring (Arms) effect is now subject to diminishing returns when used in PvP.