Slight Break from Strategy

I've been perhaps tiptoeing around this subject these past weeks, but no more!

WoW is a game where people LOVE to dream up fantasy gameplay changes. Aside from Virility's nonstop spam, at least 20% of the mage boards are posts talking about how the class should be changed, and this is true pretty much everywhere. Because WoW is such a dynamic game (it changes a lot!) and because player feedback is often the impetus for change, players adamantly propose talent tree revisions, class mechanic fixes, class balance issues and argue heatedly over whether said changes are necessary or "fair."

I know there's some skepticism with how involved players are in the development process, but I really think the TBC beta forums provide solid evidence of communication between players and devs on hot topics. (Though many of them like promises to further improve spellsteal and invisibility never had any follow through)

Point is people to love to daydream up ways to make the game "better." This is probably healthy as long as you aren't too obsessive; it's even more interesting that when any medium sized content patch is eminent, there are a half dozen fake patch notes that hit the community. A lot of these are extremely detailed/thought out and always generate AWESOME guild chat moments. "NO WAY" "COOL BRO, MORE WARLOCK BUFFS"

So without further ado, I present:

Raddy's Fake Dream 2.20 Patch Notes

Now some of this stuff is pretty tame, and some of it is REALLY far out there, but that's the fun of it. ^^

Battlegrounds
Players may now form battleground teams similar to how arena teams are created. Each battleground team may consist of 25 players. Teams can now queue for rated battleground matches and their performance will be tracked on Armory as it is with Arena. Overall rating is the average of the three battleground ratings (AV is excluded); however teams are also independently ranked by each battleground. There are no rewards available yet through this system, but players will earn a weekly honor bonus based upon their team's overall rating as long as they play 20% of the team's games. In the future, we would like to add unique rewards to this PvP system.

Dueling
Dueling rules now follow the rules applicable in Arena PvP. This includes prohibition of consumable items, inability to use cooldowns of length greater than 15 minutes, and the temporary reset of all player cooldowns at the beginning of the duel. Cooldowns will return to their original status at the end of the duel to prohibit abusing dueling to reset cooldowns.

Arena

Players will notice that their favorite Arena Maps are somewhat larger than previously; the overall size of the arenas has been increased by 30%.

In order to reduce player frustration with "turtling", if a team has no player cross the midline of the map after 5 minutes have expired. That team will forfeit the game, though the rating change will only be 50% of normal.

Fixed a few line of sight issues concerning the center structure in Ruins of Lordaeron. The textures in this arena have been improved and players should find the map much "brighter" than previously. Some of these extra flourishes have been simplified or removed to increase performance on older machines.

It will no longer be possible to view the arena map or game number before zoning into a rated arena game.

If a rated arena match begins and you have less than 5 players in the game, you may now right click on the Arena icon on your minimap and invoke "Disconnect Forfeit." This must be done within 15 seconds of the gate's opening, and teams are limited to using this option once per 24 hours. The game will simply end and there will be no win/loss or arena point adjustment.

You may no longer change your equipment after the game begins.

Priest

Inner Focus - This ability can now be cast upon teammates and is off of the global cooldown.
Blessed Recovery - This talent will now proc off of spells; additionally, the amount healed is now 15/25/35%.
Pain Suppression - Duration extended to 12 seconds.
Silence - Cooldown reduced to 30 seconds. This ability is no longer on the global cooldown.
Mana Burn - Reduced the effect of manaburn by 25%.
Shadowform - Damage reduction granted to physical damage now applies to all types of damage.

Hunter

Deterrence - Now additionally increases chance to resist spells by 25%
Aimed Shot - Reduced cast time of aimed shot to 3 seconds.
Silencing Shot - Silence effect extended to 4 seconds. This ability will travel now much faster to its target.
Scatter Shot - This ability is no longer on the global cooldown.

Paladin

Judgement of Justice - Now additionally decreases target's movement speed to 80%.
Repentance - This ability is now trainable.
New 31 point talent: Piety - 60 mana. 20 Yd Range. 3 min CD. Interrupt target's cast prohibiting target from casting any spells of that tree for 2 seconds. Additionally, grants paladin immunity to that spell school for the next 6 seconds.
New Trainable Ability: Steadfast - 60 mana. 3 min CD. Your next heal, if interrupted, will instantly heal the target for 150% of the expected heal's amount.

Mage

Spellsteal - Mana cost is now reduced by 60% on targets afflicted with Detect Magic.
Master of Elements - The mana refund is now additionally granted to the mage's party members.
Blink - This ability is no longer on the global cooldown.
Ice Block is now the 11 point frost talent, and Cold Snap the 21 point frost talent. Cold Snap now additionally resets all mage cooldowns.
Wand Specialization has been replaced with: Reduce the chance your offensive magics are dispelled by 15/30%
Evocate now restores 100% of mage's mana over 8 seconds, cooldown is once again 10 minutes.

Shaman

Windfury totem - This totem is now a flat AP increase and no longer generates extra attacks.
Grounding totem - Fixed an error that caused this totem to occasionally absorb extra spells.
Shocks - All three shocks are no longer on the global cooldown.
Mana Tide Totem - This totem is now trainable. The new 30 point Resto talent is: Nature's Infusion: 60 mana. 10 min CD. For the next 8 seconds, your healing spells no long restore health but instead mana equal to the health that which they would have restored.

Rogue

New Poison: Mana Antiserum. Stacks 5 times. Per stack, target loses mana equal to 1% of the damage taken.
Energy cost of gouge reduced to 30.
The damage formula for a few rogue finishers have been changed; this should result in increased damage for those with moderate attack power but more powerful weapons.
Duration on sprint reduced to 8 seconds, cooldown reduced to 45 seconds.
Riposte is no longer on the global cooldown.
Kick is no longer on the global cooldown.

Warlock

Death Coil is no longer on the global cooldown.
Fear is now on a 12 second cooldown.

Warrior

Cooldown on intimidating should reduced to 90 seconds.
Defensive stance now increases the effect of heailng spells and effects on the warrior by 10%.
Mortal strike healing debuff reduced to a 40% reduction in healing on the target.
Intervene will now absorb the next three attacks on the target.
Overpower is of of the global cooldown.
Pummel is no longer on the global cooldown.

Druid

Healing effects are increased by 25% on a druid in bear form during frenzied regeneration.
Shapeshifting no longer triggers a global cooldown.
Innervate now restores 100% of the target's mana, cooldown is again 10 minutes.
New Ability: Silly Fairy Druid Ability: 60 mana 3min CD For the next 20 seconds, your heals are unaffected by healing debuffs on your targets.


General

The mechanics of resilience have changed; While resilience will still reduce critical strike bonus by 1% per 20 resilience, each 40 resilience now reduces overall damage taken by 1% instead of reducing incoming critical strike chance.

The arena gloves and 4pc bonuses have been reworked, head over to Area 52 and check them out!

Okay this has gone on far too long, and its time to write something productive lol