WoW Forever Beta Patch Notes: September 24

A new build with patch notes from Blizzard: 71 changes below, in our own words.

• Bug fixesCasters play their precast animations again and no longer stand up while casting.
• Bug fixesA new sound for jumping in water, and adjusted Human death sounds.
• Systems & UICampfire buff: you can buff others, cast and craft while you wait for it, and sitting (also in a chair), sleeping, lying down and kneeling all count.
• Bug fixesSmaller fixes: Huey Sunnydale’s legs render, a Season of Discovery rune ability is no longer visible, the Undercity canal ooze is less bright, a setting that could switch off fog is gone, water and other display artifacts on Mac, and mail no longer ignores surnames.
• HunterPet Happiness goes down again once a pet is at maximum loyalty (bug fix).
• Bug fixesFixed a memory leak that slowly degraded performance for some players.
• ClassesResetting talents costs 1 silver if you haven’t done it recently. The price is much higher right after a reset and falls back to 1 silver after an hour. Beta only.
• DruidRejuvenation, Tranquility and Wild Growth can critically hit (bug fixes).
• DruidBuffWrath: base damage up by about 50%.
• DruidThorns updates its values with the caster’s spell power, and falls back to its base values when the caster is gone or too far away.
• DruidMangle is renamed Primal Bite, since its signature debuff was removed. Talents that named Mangle name Primal Bite.
• DruidThe talent Primal Fury gets back its original name and icon: Blood Frenzy.
• DruidFeral Charge in Cat Form can no longer be cast on allies (bug fix).
• HunterNerfPet ability Furious Howl: attack power bonus reduced by 40%.
• HunterBat pets can use Sonic Blast. Tame Beast no longer works on beasts above the Hunter’s level.
• HunterTaking points out of Lone Wolf no longer leaves you with 4% less damage while your pet is out (bug fix).
• HunterLacerating Strikes can critically hit (bug fix).
• HunterStrider Kick now also raises movement speed by 30% for 3 seconds.
• MageArcane Missiles checks line of sight once, at the start of the channel, not for every missile.
• MageBuffWake of Fire: the buff lasts 30 seconds (was 20), so it survives the pauses to restore Mana while leveling.
• MageBuffThe Hot Streak buff lasts 20 seconds (was 15).
• MageIgnite no longer benefits twice from percentage damage modifiers.
• PaladinRetribution Aura updates its values with the caster’s spell power.
• PaladinThe Flash of Light cast animation plays at the end of the cast. Consecration is fixed in three ways: it applies its increased damage to every target, works consistently on height, and no longer pulls targets from above or below.
• PaladinBuffHoly Strike: weapon damage per rank 25/29/32/36/39/43/46/50% (was 25/25/30/30/35/35/40/40%), so every rank is an upgrade while leveling.
• PaladinEcho of Justice no longer triggers more often than intended (bug fix).
• PaladinRighteous Fury: the Holy threat bonus is now 60%. The notes word it as “increased to 60% (was 90%)”.
• PaladinBuffHoly Strike: cooldown 10 seconds (was 12). The talent Improved Holy Strike is removed and its effect is part of the ability.
• PaladinLight's Vigil’s tooltip makes clear that only the damage version returns part of the Mana cost.
• PaladinBuffHoly Power also raises the critical strike chance of Holy Strike by 15%.
• PaladinVengeance triggers from non-periodic critical strikes and stacks up to 3 times (was 5).
• PaladinNerfTwo-Handed Weapon Specialization: damage bonus 2/4/6% (was 3/6/9%).
• PaladinBuffSacred Arbiter: Holy Strike damage +20% (was +10%).
• PaladinBuffTwist of Light also lowers the Mana cost of your Seals by 20%.
• PriestRenew can critically hit (bug fix).
• PriestPower Word: Shield can always replace an existing shield on a target without Weakened Soul.
• PriestGnome Priests: Contingency Plan can critically hit, and Confounding Flash has a cast visual and sounds in a Holy style.
• PriestNight Elf Priests: Starshards gets its pushback resistance from Twilight Focus.
• PriestUndead Priests: Dark Sacrifice no longer breaks crowd control that breaks on damage, and its tooltip says the Mana gained scales with Spirit.
• RogueSap flags the Rogue for PvP when used on a flagged target.
• ShamanBuffLightning Bolt: ranks 3 and 4 deal more damage, so they are always an upgrade despite their different cast times.
• ShamanThe buffs of Windfury Totem and Flametongue Totem carry the totem’s plain name.
• ShamanFlametongue Totem has no duration, is replaced at once by another totem, can’t be stacked by recasting, and no longer stacks with Flametongue Weapon or Windfury Totem.
• ShamanTranquil Air Totem, Windfury Totem and Grace of Air Totem no longer stack, even from different Shamans in a group.
• ShamanElemental Fury (row 3) and Elemental Alacrity (row 6) swap places.
• ShamanBuffLava Burst: ranks 1 and 2 deal about 10% more base damage than the Lightning Bolt rank learned around the same level.
• ShamanNerfRage of the Far Seer (Enhancement, row 7) no longer raises spell casting speed.
• ShamanRiptide can critically hit (bug fix).
• WarlockLife Tap’s tooltip shows the Life converted and that it scales with Spirit only. Voidwalker Sacrifice scales with 10% of the Warlock’s spell healing.
• WarriorSunder Armor: threat corrected on every rank, with slightly more threat from attack power.
• WarriorBastion (row 5) and Focused Rage (row 6) swap places, so Focused Rage comes earlier.
• WarriorBloodthrill: chance 4/8/12/16/20% (was 2/4/6/8/10%), now only from main-hand melee attacks, Cleave and Heroic Strike included.
• WarriorSlam: cooldown 18 seconds (was 15). Improved Slam shortens it by 1.5/3 seconds.
• Systems & UIEureka! is, for every class, a 10% discount on abilities that cost Mana, Rage or Energy.
• Systems & UIWill to Survive uses the look of Dispel Magic instead of Will of the Forsaken.
• Systems & UICultivation needs a character level for each herb: the Herbalism skill needed to pick it, divided by 5. Herbs above 300 skill can be cultivated at level 60.
• Systems & UITouch of the Grave no longer breaks crowd control and no longer triggers from spells without a damage part (Polymorph, Distract, Pick Pocket). Shadow Word: Pain triggers it on cast, not on its periodic damage.
• Systems & UICooldown Manager: off by default (Options, Gameplay Enhancement). Druid, Mage, Priest, Warrior and Warlock can test it; spell ranks aren’t supported yet. Blizzard asks which spells you want tracked by default.
• Systems & UIGamepad: class flyouts on the action bar (Druid forms, Hunter and Warlock pet controls, Paladin auras, Warrior stances), and the pet bar no longer replaces the bottom gamepad bar.
• Systems & UIGamepad: new options (a compact action bar, fixed party targeting, swapped target modifier and action sides), Edit Mode layouts apply with the gamepad interface, and updated map, quest log and raid frame support.
• ItemsA handful of guns and bows that didn’t use ammunition correctly are fixed.
• ItemsA number of quest rewards get the correct item level, and a few early caster rewards are adjusted.
• ItemsWizard Oils return to their Classic Era values: Minor 8, Lesser 16 and Wizard Oil 24 spell power. Brilliant Wizard Oil is unchanged.
• ItemsWands no longer gain damage from the user’s spell damage.
• Dungeons & raidsSeveral dungeon quests could be shared, which gave the receiver a quest item. They can’t anymore.
• Quests & worldDalaran: faction adjustments, and creatures now spawn just outside the city entrance.
• Quests & worldElwynn Forest: faster respawns for the Crystal Lake murlocs, Shinyfinder Narf and Nimsy; more crates for “Stolen Enchanting Supplies”; “Book Return” takes the extra Book Bag; the candles are gone from Jasperlode and Fargodeep Mine, which were deadlier than intended for solo players; Mother Fang respawns more slowly.
• Quests & worldSingle quests fixed or eased in Dun Morogh, Durotar, Mulgore, Silverpine Forest, Undercity and Westfall. In Teldrassil, “Bounty: Gnarlpine Furbolg” asks for 15 (was 20).
• Quests & worldZephras Isle: the High Order Skyborne quest “Catching Wind” is redesigned, and “Wounds of Betrayal” and “A Firm Response” give credit properly.
• Quests & worldSilithus: Khonsu’s arrival is removed from the beta and will return later.
• Systems & UIInterface: an updated nameplate selection display and new Personal Resource Display textures.

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Our article on the September 24 build