Blizzard nerfs Cataclysm dungeons

By Robert Purchese Published 13 January, 2011

Patch 4.06 sends mixed messages.

Blizzard appears to be saying one thing and doing another - patch 4.06 will make many of the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm dungeon encounters considerably easier than they currently are.

That's the doing part.

The saying part belongs to Blizzard uncharacteristically defending the difficulty of Cataclysm's Heroic dungeons this week, stating that they're not too hard and that they won't be made easier.

Evidently they will be; the largest section of the 4.06 patch notes belongs to Dungeons & Raids. Blackrock Caverns, Grim Batol, Halls of Origination, Lost City of the Tol'vir, The Stonecore, Throne of the Tides and The Vortex Pinnacle have all had boss encounters nerfed - that is, made easier, less powerful.

There's also a whole swathe of class adjustments, race tweaks, PVP alterations and some general guffery to read about. This is, after all, the first proper patch after World of Warcraft: Cataclysm tore up old Azeroth in December.

And what fun we had in Cataclysm, resulting in a fourth, unprecedented 10/10 for World of Warcraft from Eurogamer. And to think that once upon a time we scored WOW 8/10 - what was Kieron Gillen thinking?

Is there anything that can topple Blizzard's behemoth? That's what Eurogamer set out to investigate late last year.

In other WOW-related news, Eurogamer is running a huge fancy dress ("cosplay" to those in the know) competition that will bestow anyone brave enough to disguise themselves as something from World of Warcraft with a prize.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (18) Latest comment 1 year ago

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  • butler` #1 1 year ago

    holy anchor text batman

  • Wyrm #2 1 year ago

    Good job calling them on this :)

  • node #3 1 year ago

    Rather an exaggeration here. The "nerfs" are fairly mild e.g. making incoming damage more obvious on a few bosses. Sounds fair to me rather than making them too easy now.

    A proper nerf is dropping damage or health.
    Edited by node at 13/01/11 @ 12:11

  • darkmorgado #4 1 year ago

    Cheers Rob! Nice to know you read the emails :)

  • darkmorgado #5 1 year ago

    Rather an exaggeration here. The "nerfs" are fairly mild e.g. making incoming damage more obvious on a few bosses. Sounds fair to me rather than making them too easy now.

    Removing Lord Ashbury's "mend rotten flesh" ability is mild?

    A proper nerf is dropping damage or health.

    Erm.... have you read the patch notes? That's exactly what they're doing...
    Edited by darkmorgado at 13/01/11 @ 12:23

  • drhickman1983 #6 1 year ago

    I agree with Node, it's an exageration.

    Most of the nerfs are pretty minor. Baron Ashbury and Beauty are the only bosses recieving major nerfs.

    Some other bosses are having minor nerfs, and a few are having buffs. The minor nerfs will not make the bosses much easier for those who are struggling. If bosses start to feel easier, it'll be due more to people getting better gear than these nerfs.

  • rodpad #7 1 year ago

    Darkmorgado, I told you they were going to nerf Mend Rotten Flesh. (Although I expected a longer cast bar, not a complete removal). It was impossible to interrupt if you got bundled into a PUG with not enough interrupt classes, or you're a caster with your interrupt on the GCD combined with latency.

    He's easy enough with your guild or the right setup, but it was the right call.

    Beauty is being nerfed for the similar reason of not enough "in combat" valid crowd control for the beasts.
    Edited by rodpad at 13/01/11 @ 12:39

  • drhickman1983 #8 1 year ago

    Also, no mention of how some bosses are being buffed.

    Commander Ulthok is gaining more melee damage.
    Assad summons Skyfall Stars to help him.
    Ozruk does more melee damage.
    Lord Walden's Conjure Poisonous Mixture deals more initial damage.
    Lord Godfrey faces a random target when he casts Pistol Barrage
    Anraphet's Nemesis Strike does more damage.
    Foe Reaper 5000 enrages at 40%, up from 30%

    Minor buffs, perhaps, but no more minor than the nerfs the bosses are recieving.

    Taken out of context like that you could just as easily say "Blizzard make dungeons harder! Bosses in Throne of Tide, Vortex Pinnacle, Stonecore, Shadowfang Keep, Vortex Pinnacle and Deadmines recieve buffs!"

    I'm just infuriated at how overblown some folks seem to be making these changes. I'll say it again, Ashbury and Beauty aside, if folks are finding these bosses a struggle, these changes won't make them much easier.

    I do wish they'd fix Commander Springvale in SFK so he can't be dragged to the Courtyard though, a tactic most pugs seems to use. Makes that boss far too dull.
    Edited by drhickman1983 at 13/01/11 @ 12:47

  • darkmorgado #9 1 year ago

    I do wish they'd fix Commander Springvale in SFK so he can't be dragged to the Courtyard though, a tactic most pugs seems to use.

    Heh yeah. Best way to get the achiev for him not summoning help though :D

  • BigJonno #10 1 year ago

    "And what fun we had in Cataclysm, resulting in a fourth, unprecedented 10/10 for World of Warcraft from Eurogamer. And to think that once upon a time we scored WOW 8/10 - what was Kieron Gillen thinking?"

    Kieron Gillen was clearly thinking he wasn't Oli Welsh, who has struck me as being much too enamoured of WoW to review it with a proper critical eye.

  • Desheep #11 1 year ago

    And to think that once upon a time we scored WOW 8/10 - what was Kieron Gillen thinking

    I guess in those days Blizzard wasn't plastering it's adverts all over your site at review time.

  • butler` #12 1 year ago

    @above

    if WoW wasn't a 10/10 game, chaps, what is?

  • dingo75 #13 1 year ago

    Typical of Blizzard since they put the tea lady and cleaners in charge of WoW

    Exactly!
    The goddamn daily in Uldum (bombing 100 elite soliders) is broken every other day.
    Yesterday was hilarious: Only 1 group spawned regularly and was killable. Had to group up with others to get them as 10 people were targeting the same 10 mobs all the time.

    Concerning the nerfs:
    Good! I haven't yet to step into a Heroic and I play since EU start of vanilla.
    They can't simply expect random groups clearing them. As I don't play as much as before I do normals while my guild is raiding.
    People in there have never heard of cc yet boast "The Kingslayer" which makes me pretty sad.
    I will go into Heroics once they are nerfed to the ground for the rep and some gear which I won't need that much as I won't raid until PUGs will run them later at weeekends or my guild goes in with alts.

  • _LarZen_ #14 1 year ago

    Gues the cry babies got their wish....

  • darkmorgado #15 1 year ago

    Concerning the nerfs:
    Good! I haven't yet to step into a Heroic and I play since EU start of vanilla.
    They can't simply expect random groups clearing them. As I don't play as much as before I do normals while my guild is raiding.
    People in there have never heard of cc yet boast "The Kingslayer" which makes me pretty sad.
    I will go into Heroics once they are nerfed to the ground for the rep and some gear which I won't need that much as I won't raid until PUGs will run them later at weeekends or my guild goes in with alts.

    Would you mind saying that again, in English this time?

  • runcible #16 1 year ago

    Wow there's some shit journalism for you. Did you actually read the patch notes or just the cry baby posts after it? Besides, calling this patch 4.06 is inaccurate... these are the Public Test Realm patch 4.0.6 notes... i.e. not live, subject to change and all that jazz.

  • aegisuk #17 1 year ago

    Agree with the above posts. The changes described won't make heroics 'considerably easier'. Research more, sensationalise less please.

  • davisorle #18 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012