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World of Warcraft 'Echoes of Doom' patch out today
Filed under: Mac, PC, Online, RPGs, MMO

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/World_of_Warcraft_Patch_3_0_2'; Today, Blizzard will be releasing World of Warcraft patch 3.0.2, also known as "Echoes of Doom," the first major update since March's "Fury of the Sunwell" patch. "Echoes" marks the introduction of the Achievements System, sure to push the game into an even higher echelon of addiction. Expect also new locations, arenas, spells, talents, abilities, a barbershop, an in-game calendar and a new profession, Inscription.

Our MMO-obsessed (or "MMObsessed") friends at WoW Insider have the full patch notes and an archive of extensive coverage. The "Echoes of Doom" patch should be returning your calls around 2:00PM PT (or 5:00PM ET). In case you missed it (and then, of course, we must ask how?), check out Joystiq and WoW Insider's coverage of this past weekend's BlizzCon.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Author: Ross Miller
Category: achievement-systemachievementsblizzardbreakingnewsechoes-of-doompatch-3.0.2world-of-warcraftwowwow-3.0.2
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Source: Joystiq
Description: Joystiq

Vaguely interesting. Wonder if there's any graphics updates in there.

Dog Pants wrote:Wonder if there's any graphics updates in there.

I doubt it, you graphics whore.

The barber might be interesting, depending on cost. And we all get a free talent re-spec by the look of it. I'm going to take the opportunity to try a not-so-holy priest.

Shadow Priest!

No, graphics update is still a ways off. The big change is they're introducing the WotLK lvl 80 talent trees in this patch, even though we're all still level 70, and the associated changes to game mechanics and by extension re-itemisation of quite a lot of gear. For most who are still levelling it won't be much of a painful change, you'll just have a few new toys to play with. For those who have been raiding fairly extensively already there are some considerable changes being made - and in some cases a total relearning of how to play the class.

For example, I'm a prot warrior. Until now Strength has been irrelevant and I've only worried about maximising health, blocking damage or avoiding damage. Now strength is the stat for prot warriors...and I get lots of funky aoe abilities to play with. My brain hurts already.

Should keep the 70s on their toes then, give you something new to do (or maybe grind for). Course there'll always be people who sulk about it.

Argh too many talent choices for me! Druid looks like it is going to be fun in Wrath but making me choose between PvP/PvE talent builds...

As a Paladin, I can only say

EVERYTHING CHANGE TIEM

I no longer have any idea what im doing. Ho hum.

Since I plop everything into demonology it's not a massive change, they've moved enslave demon up, but changed the improved voidwalker talent to demonic brutality which has a felguard bonus, so I don't "waste" any talents on stuff I don't use, but lose my two "throwaway" points on enslaving which were nice for a bit of fun now and then.

I thought it sucked at first glance, but on closer inspection, it's actually quite clever - they perhaps should let you have a different build for PvP, but I'll likely just respec at 70/80 when my focus moves away from questing solo.

... Talents?

Dog Pants wrote:Vaguely interesting. Wonder if there's any graphics updates in there.

I think there has been, I am noticing everything being a bit shinier and sharper. And hoo ya! on the druid talent tree, my melee crit chance in cat from jumped to 37.49 unbuffed

I'll have a look about for graphics. Apparently Thrall looks nicer. Also, anyone Alliance side who hasn't seen it should go look at the new harbour in Stormwind - it's fucking huge and has big steam powered ironclad things being built on the beach.

Other than that, a few new talents that look quite nice (bonus damage to lightning shield and a chance of regenerating your balls for me, for example). The new pet and mount bit is great, I can now hoard pets without wasting bag space. The achievements are ultimately pointless, but they are in every other game and it'll give me something to do in later life. Kind of like badger hunting in CoH.

Dr. kitteny berk wrote:... Talents?

Joose wrote:As a Paladin, I can only say

EVERYTHING CHANGE TIEM

I no longer have any idea what im doing. Ho hum.

Aye paladins have changed a lot, but retadins are now kicking out some silly dps. Like a lot of healers, my holy paladin took a big hit in the +heals department when everything got homogenised into a single spell power stat, but given the huge amounts of extra dps everyone is kicking out now, there's no need to heal as much as before.

Cleared ZA in under an hour last night - 4 timed chests no probs where a week ago we were struggling to get 3 after months of trying.

friznit wrote:
Aye paladins have changed a lot, but retadins are now kicking out some silly dps.

Good stuff, they needed a bit of a boost. Apparently they were a bit of a laughing stock. Good to know that Zipperfish might actually be useful later in life now.

My wiggly lines of magic spells look much cooler now.

Many updates in Cosmos, which I use alongside the Curse client for autopatching:

That reminds me, I need to update some addons again. Cartographer 3 is giving me the glum.

That's a lot of addons. I only use 6 and about half are disabled because the patch broke them.

I don't use any addons. I think I must be doing it wrong.

I mainly use cartographer/Atlas, Questhelper and Auctioneer. I'm lost without auctioneer - I just have no idea how much to sell things for, and questhelper makes it so much easier to find whatever you're supposed to be doing. Even if it is a bit wonky sometimes. Oh, and mobinfo can be useful.