On November 3, 2020, we posted an update to our policy for input broadcasting software, and soon thereafter, we began taking action against accounts found to be using third party software to automatically mirror keystrokes to multiple game clients. We find that, like full automation of play, multiple-account mirroring disturbs the gameplay experience for the vast majority of players who control a single account at a time.

We will now additionally prohibit the use of all software and hardware mechanisms to mirror commands to multiple World of Warcraft accounts at the same time, or to automate or streamline multi-boxing in any way. Players found to be in violation of this policy are subject to account actions. These actions can include warnings, account suspensions and, if necessary, permanent closure of the player’s World of Warcraft account(s), as activities which effectively replicate automated gameplay are contrary to the terms and conditions of the Blizzard End-User License Agreement (EULA).

We urge all players to cease using any means of mirroring gameplay across multiple WoW accounts immediately, in order to maintain uninterrupted access to World of Warcraft.

Raid testing in the Burning Crusade Classic Beta is now underway, and we’ve received many answerable inquiries on every aspect of the game. What follows is an outline of the answers to many common questions about the Beta, which we will update as necessary over the coming weeks.

Attunements

• Attunements will function as they did when originally released.
• Original questlines will be required to enter each instance and purchasing Heroic dungeon keys will require Revered reputation.
• These attunement requirements will relax as the game progresses through its content phases.
  • For example, Karazhan should initially require attunement, but will no longer require attunement at a later phase. Thereafter, a group should still need the Master’s Key to open the gate.
  • Dungeon keys should be relaxed to require Honored reputation at a later phase.
• Throughout Burning Crusade Classic, we plan to make it so that progress on forthcoming raid attunements can be made before the opening of the raid the attunement is for.
  • For example, you should be able to start the Black Temple attunement for killing A’lar once The Eye is open, which will be before Black Temple is open.

Dungeons and Raids

• Original health and damage values will be used. These, as well as some mechanical changes, will then be adjusted in future phases. The original state for raids will persist throughout the phase during which it is current content. With the release of the next phase, adjustments will be made as they were in original Burning Crusade.
  • Exceptions will be considered. We’re looking forward to your feedback on adjustments during the testing of future PTRs.
• Buffs acquired from creatures and quests across Outland are purged upon entering an instance.
  • This does not apply to world buffs from the Eastern Kingdoms or Kalimdor. Those auras cannot be obtained by player-characters above level 63.
• Ritual of Summoning will not work inside instances or Netherstorm.
• • Throughout Burning Crusade Classic, using Leatherworking drums will invoke the Tinnitus debuff, preventing reuse for two minutes.

Items

• Badges of Justice will not drop in raids until a later phase, however, Badge of Justice dailies will be available in all phases.
  • Developers’ notes: While these were both changes made late in original Burning Crusade, we feel that dailies provide healthy gameplay in encouraging dungeon variety, without significantly impacting gear acquisition.
• Primal Nether, Nether Vortex, and World boss items from Doomwalker and Doom Lord Kazzak will initially be Bind-on-Pickup, as they were in original Burning Crusade, and should be updated in a later phase.
• Primal Nether and Nether Vortex will become available from the Badge of Justice vendor at a later phase.
• Outland faction vendors will initially sell the items that they originally sold, and their offerings will update as content unlocks.
  • Examples: the Swift Skyfire Diamond gem recipe from the Consortium, the Mysterious ammo from Karazhan, and PvP gear from all factions.
• Ring enchants and Jewelcrafting-specific gems now have a profession requirement to benefit from them.
  • Developers’ notes: The design intent for these perks were a player power reward for having that profession, and the fact that they continued to function after unlearning that profession was a technical limitation in original Burning Crusade.
• Weapons that were changed from Main-Hand-only to One-Handed late in original Burning Crusade will be restored to their original version in Burning Crusade Classic, and should be updated in a later phase.
  • Developers’ notes: Changing these to One-Handed was a very late change in original Burning Crusade that would have a notable impact on player power.
• Epic engineering goggles will become available from trainers with the Tier 5 phase.
• Haris Pilton, Zephyr, and Cooking and Fishing dailies will be available from the beginning, as they do not directly or largely impact player power.
• Landro Longshot will not offer WoW Trading Card Game code redemption.
  • Developers’ notes: We don’t intend for the Burning Crusade Classic to make duplicate use of WoW TCG codes, nor do we want players who have unredeemed codes to choose between games for redemption. Landro Longshot may be repurposed in Burning Crusade Classic for a different use, but that will not be related to the WoW TCG.

Player versus Player

To bring about better matchmaking in Burning Crusade Classic, we’re updating the Matchmaking Rating (MMR) system to use a calculation design developed after original Burning Crusade, with an MMR range that will be similar to the range seen in PvP in 2008.

• Arena Teams will begin at 0 rating. (Teams began at 1500 in original Burning Crusade.)
• Diminishing returns will have a 15-20 second cooldown window.
• All PvP gear will have consistent personal rating requirements to purchase and equip.
  • Shoulders = 2200
  • Weapon = 2050
  • Head = 1700
  • Chest = 1600
  • Legs = 1550

A major goal we have in Burning Crusade Classic PvP is to provide consistency as we step forward through each Season and phase of content. We believe this will promote a healthier PvP environment that emphasizes the prestige players can feel when obtaining shoulders and weapons in particular.

• All Arena point costs for Arena gear will remain consistent for all Burning Crusade Classic Arena seasons.
• Arena points are awarded during the weekly reset, and are based on the team that earned the most points.
• To qualify for Arena points, your personal rating must be within 150 of the rating of your team, with at least 10 games played, and you must have participated in 30% of your team’s games the previous week.
• Season 1 will feature a unique Rank 1 title, the Infernal Gladiator.
  • Originally, Rank 1 titles weren’t introduced until Season 2. This is a good opportunity to introduce one for the first season of Burning Crusade Classic.
• Seasonal rewards will be delivered to players who reach a top percentage of teams per bracket in their region:
  • Rank 1 = 0.1% of top teams
  • Gladiator = 0.5%
  • Duelist = 3%
  • Rival = 10%
  • Challenger = 35%
• To qualify for a seasonal reward, your personal arena rating needs to be within 100 points of your team’s rating, and you must have participated in 20% of your team’s games.
• At least 50 games played are required to qualify for a seasonal reward.
• There are no rating requirements to purchase Arena gear from a previous season.
• Season 1 gladiator weapons that were added in patch 2.1 (Gladiator’s Gavel, Gladiator’s Salvation, and Gladiator’s Reprieve) will be available from the beginning of Season 1.
• The commentator UI for wargames has been updated with a fresh new look.
• The Gold/Green Arena flags have been changed to Gold/Purple to improve colorblind accessibility.
• Tornadoes will randomly spawn in Nagrand Arena in Season 1.
  • We want to recreate the experience of these unique map mechanics as they were originally introduced.
    PvP vendors have been configured to make Season 1 behave more like subsequent seasons than it did in original Burning Crusade.
• Alliance PvP Vendors
  • Captain Dirgehammer sells level 70 honor armor.
  • Captain O’Neal sells level 70 honor weapons.
  • Master Sergeant Biggins sells Pendants, Medallions, Bands, and gems in Season 1.
  • Lieutenant Karter will now sell Reins of the Black War Elekk starting in Season 1. (Was available in Season 4 of original Burning Crusade.)
  • Master Sergeant Biggins will now sells Star’s Lament and Star’s Tears in Season 1. (Was available in Season 2 of original Burning Crusade.)
• Horde PvP Vendors
  • Lady Palanseer sells level 70 honor armor in Season 1, at item levels 113/115/123.
  • Sergeant Thunderhorn sells level 70 honor weapons in Season 1, at item level 115.
  • Brave Stonehide sells Pendants, Medallions, Bands, and gems in Season 1.
  • Raider Bork now sells the Swift Warstrider starting in Season 1. (Was available in Season 4 of original Burning Crusade.)
  • Brave Stonehide now sells Star’s Lament and Star’s Tears in Season 1. (Was available in Season 2 of original Burning Crusade.)

Please feel free to post your feedback on any part of the Burning Crusade Classic Beta here in this forum. We greatly appreciate it!

Over the first few weeks of testing in the Burning Crusade Beta, we’ve found it useful to elaborate on and bolster the “some changes” philosophy that we expressed at BlizzConline (and in posts like this one 89). As we’ve said, we’re open to making further alterations to Burning Crusade Classic, and we’re guided by the goal of authenticity in how the game plays, especially given how players in 2021 approach a game that was designed in 2007.

We’ve decided make the following updates to Burning Crusade Classic:

• “Lesser” versions of Leatherworking drums will be available from the beginning of the expansion, and will approximate how drums operated in the first few patches of original Burning Crusade.
• “Greater” versions of the drums will become available with the phase that includes the Zul’Aman raid.
• Throughout Burning Crusade Classic, using Leatherworking drums will invoke the Tinnitus debuff, preventing reuse for two minutes.

This decision follows a great deal of consideration of the options available. Ultimately, the “some changes” philosophy is a method for identifying problems where specific design choices made in 2007 don’t completely match the design intent of 2007. Having identified a clear issue of that type with drums, we naturally look for changes that were made at the time to address the problem. Tinnitus is exactly such a fix. It was added to the game in the very next major update after the Sunwell patch.

Tinnitus simply limits the number of Leatherworkers that a guild will consider beneficial to one Leatherworker per party. It fits with the design of The Burning Crusade, which encouraged guilds to carefully plan their raid composition to ensure access to various buffs and to make the best use of various drops, such as Primal Nethers. This change should preserve Leatherworking’s unique niche without devaluing it too much compared to other professions, which was the goal of the overall profession design of The Burning Crusade.

Our next step is to test it, so we’re updating the Beta today to include Tinnitus, and it will be in place when we resume testing in Karazhan. As before, we’ll be carefully following what testers do with it, and feedback from testers. We encourage you to use the in-game bug report function in the Beta.

Thank you very much for all of your testing and feedback!