Aug. 8, 2007

What I'm about to tell you...

It’s still on just the Test server at the moment, but 2.2.0 has been updated to include the Voice Chat features and some other interesting tidbits (some we already knew):

  • Voice Chat – The new Voice Chat feature is now available in game. Players will need to go into the options menu under Sound & Voice to activate it. Volume sliders are available for the microphone, speakers and game-audio fade (which automatically lowers the game audio when a voice communication is received), as is a “push-to-talk” setting. Right-clicking on a player’s name now includes the option to mute or un-mute that player. Muting another player blocks all voice chat from him or her; the ignore feature now blocks both voice chat and text chat from that player.
  • A new feature for reporting players as being AFK in battlegrounds by right clicking has been added. When enough reports are registered, a 30 second debuff will begin to count down. Once the timer is up a new debuff will appear that will prevent the player from gaining any honor while it is on. This debuff can be negated as soon as the player engages in combat.
  • Hunter Pets: Raptors can now learn Dash.
  • The Hunter ability Kill Command no longer affects their current target (Don’t panic over this one – there was a bug on the Test servers that had NPCs reflecting/mimicing Kill Command back on their current target. Ouch!).

The Rift Stalker Leggings finally have their tooltip description changed to reflect the loss of Survival Instinct (they currently read 'Your pet’s attacks have a chance to heal your pet for 172 to 198’). They NOW read, on Test, 'Causes your pet to be healed for 15% of the damage you deal’. In the combat log, it reads 'Your Health Link heals X for X’. Health Link only triggers from special shots (Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, Multi-Shot, Volley, Serpent Sting, Aimed Shot, Scatter Shot, Silencing Shot and Wyvern Sting), normal melee attacks (as well as Wing Clip, Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite and Counterattack), and traps (Immolation Trap and Explosive Trap). Too, I didn’t notice any critical heals, like you sometimes got with Survival Instinct.

July 31, 2007

Live from Blizzcon, 2007

That’s right, yours truly will be at Blizzcon, and I’ll be posting (mostly) up to the minute reports on the activities there. Will the new expansion be revealed? Is it Northrend? Are hunters going to undergo an Arena review? I don’t know the answers but if I find out, they’ll be posted on this thread. As soon as I know, you’ll know, so keep it tuned to TKA Something!

July 28, 2007

Why did you bring a cop to my command center

The new forum is now up! The transition seems to have gone well, but feel free to contact me if you notice any errors, mistakes or have suggestions!

July 11, 2007

We aim, we fire, you die

Blizzcon is under a month away, and it’s no wonder that the new patch notes are going up now, because I don’t think anyone is happy unless they have something to complain about. Obviously, these are subject to change, and no, the Test server isn’t live yet, but here are the hunter related items of interest:

  • Aspect of the Cheetah: This ability will now cause Hunters to become dazed when struck while sitting.
  • Aspect of the Pack: This ability will now cause party members to become dazed when struck while sitting.
  • Aspect of the Viper: This ability has received a slight redesign. The amount of mana regained will increase as the Hunter’s percentage of mana remaining decreases. At about 60% mana, it is equivalent to the previous version of Aspect of the Viper. Below that margin, it is better (up to twice as much mana as the old version); while above that margin, it will be less effective. The mana regained never drops below 10% of intellect every 5 sec. or goes above 50% of intellect every 5 sec.
  • Freezing Trap and Scare Beast duration against PvP targets has been reduced to 10 seconds.
  • Hunter’s Mark: The duration remaining graphic will now display properly for Hunter’s Mark after it has been refreshed on a target, and will properly consume mana when recasting it to refresh its duration.
  • Kill Command will not charge the hunter mana if their pet is on passive.
  • Misdirection: Items used while Misdirection is active will now consume a charge correctly.
  • Steady Shot: The tooltip stating the percentage of Attack Power gained by Steady Shot was inaccurate and has been corrected. The damage remains unchanged.
  • Volley: This spell is now affected by area damage caps. Its bonus damage coefficients have also been increased. It also correctly consumes charges of Misdirection.
  • Pets are now affected by Paladin greater blessings.
  • Leggings of Beast Mastery: The stamina and armor granted by this item for your pet have been increased.
  • Rift Stalker Armor: The pet healing set bonus now heals for a percentage of damage dealt by the Hunter.
  • Talon of Al’ar: The bonus damage to all Shot abilities now provides the full bonus to Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot.
  • Trappings of the Unseen Path Set: The buff on your pet from this set bonus will no longer appear to be constantly running out and refreshing.
  • Faction and loot rewards have been added to non-boss mobs in the Battle of Mount Hyjal raid event. The faction awarded by bosses has been decreased to balance this.
  • Void Reaver: The Arcane Orb ability used by this creature will now correctly Daze players affected by Aspect of the Pack or Aspect of the Cheetah.
  • Pets will no longer chase players that Vanish.
  • Player using ranged attacks while under the shapeshift effects of the spell: Torment of the Worgen, will now play attack animations.

While not listed here, there are also changes to other classes regarding some of their abilities (rogues, blind, WTF!) and resilience (this was announced previously), as well as tradeskill changes, most noteably to enchanting. Also, we’re being teased with talk of Zul’aman, which won’t be for a while yet (in-game voice chat and guild banks come first), but the question on MY mind that no one answered yet was: Will there be stuff there we can tame?! It sounds likely, as the main bosses will be 'animal gods’ (sounds just like Zul’Gurub to me) and the gods are Bear, Dragonhawk, Lynx and Eagle (perhaps a new family, well, we can hope).

There are also some UNdocumented changes. Nethermine Ravagers are also tameable now, but come with no innate abilities. And who says Blizzard never listens – raptors can finally learn Dash (but will that effect their popularity? Who knows). However, Blizzard didn’t make the raptors in Netherstorm tameable to accompany this change (the Scythetooth Raptors in Eco-Dome Farfield, well, they’re not tameable YET, anyway). So, if you want a raptor with minimal leveling, you’re stuck with Felsworn Daggermaw in Blade’s Edge. Never considered a raptor for a pet before this? Check out TKA Something’s Raptor page to see what’s available!

June 23, 2007

There must be a good reason for our suffering

With the uproar of TKA’s 'grand re-opening’ over, and yet another patch behind us, things are
returning to a tolerable level of what passes for normalcy around here. First, the latest patch
notes (admittedly, a bit tardy):

  • Improved Mend Pet, Abolish Disease, and Abolish Poison no longer play sounds when there is nothing to dispel.
  • Some new cooking recipes are available from Kylene in Shattrath City.
  • Fixed bug with Misdirection where sometimes only two attacks were redirected instead of three.
  • Entrapment: This talent will no longer causes Hunter to stand up or stop eating and drinking when it procs.
  • Improved Mend Pet: This ability will no longer cause Hunters to stand or to interrupt eating and drinking.
  • Poison Spit: These abilities will now appear in the correct order in the pet training menu.
  • Scatter Shot: This ability will now trigger Thrill of the Hunt.
  • Thunderstomp: These abilities will now appear in the correct order in the pet training menu.
  • PvP Trinkets: Insignia of the Alliance, Insignia of the Horde, Medallion of the Alliance, and Medallion of the Horde have all been redesigned. The trinkets for all classes now have the same effect: Dispels all movement impairing effects and all effects that cause loss of control of your character.
  • Relentless Earthstorm Diamond: The bonus damage to critical strikes from this metagem now applies to all types of damage, not just physical.

The guide section has some great new additions as well as the return of some old (but updated) favorites. If you have a submission of any sort, please feel free to email me at fritti@tkasomething.com!

Also, please note: TKA Something will be switching to new forum software soon. Before this occurs, I will be pruning the database to get rid of any lingering spammers and inactive accounts. This means, that you probably want to login to the forums at least once as soon as possible so you’re not removed for inactivity (and forcing you to re-register when we make the switch). It should be a fairly seamless transition otherwise.

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