Project Lore

Maintenance day is always a good time for implementing hotfixes and this one is no exception. Several tweaks and (dare I say it) "nerfs" to Heroic Trial of the Crusader have been deployed onto servers, amongst other things. Here is a run-down of the changes: Northrend Beasts:

• Fixed a bug where the flag that prevents a creature from gaining attack speed after a parry was inadvertently left off Gormok the Impaler. This bug is fixed in normal mode as well.
• Gormok the Impaler no longer attacks quickly after a parry in any difficulty.
• Icehowl receives his fair share of change in the latest round of hotfixes. Increased the amount of time players have to defeat the encounter before Icehowl berserks.
• You have an extra half second to get out of the way of a very angry charging Yeti. Players with high ping rejoice.
• Icehowl will become tauntable. (This particular element isn't hotfixed quite yet, but should be shortly).
• Icehowl takes a bit longer to enter the arena in 10- and 25-player Heroic modes.
• Icehowl takes longer to berserk in both 10- and 25-player Heroic modes.

Lord Jaraxxus:

• Infernal Eruption will now spawn an additional Felflame Infernal the instant the eruption occurs.
• Nether Portal now summons Mistresses of Pain slightly more often.
• For both 10- and 25-player heroic modes, the Felflame Infernals and Mistresses of Pain will spawn a little quicker in the Lord Jaraxxus encounter.

Other

• Relentless Gladiator ranged weapons damage has been adjusted to the appropriate value for their item level.
• Holy Wrath now has diminishing returns and shares this with all other stuns (Blue poster, Daelo expands upon this in an additional post).

Seems like most of the changes are to the first two encounters which likely represent the wall most guilds are hitting when they attempt Heroic mode. While these aren't hardcore tweaks or anything (more issues of timing than, say, reducing health or damage dealt), I certainly hope they don't make these fights significantly easier in practice. I know my guild was quite happy to be presented with a fresh challenge, even if we wiped on Northrend Beasts for a good hour-and-a-half. Hard modes are supposed to be hard, right Blizz? What say you of these hotfixes, readers? I know they aren't drastic, but I'm always afraid of the slippery slope that even the smallest of nerfs can send us sliding down.

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Trial of the Crusader has been something of a test-bed for Blizzard's raid experimentation. There's no trash, there are four different versions to complete, (almost) all of the fights take place in the same room, and you can choose from three different levels of tiered gear (not to mention the split between Alliance/Horde-themed equipment, and the resulting similarities of said pieces between classes of the same faction). The devs have made it clear that this dungeon doesn't represent a fundamental change in their raiding philosophy. That's to say that while we may see similar instances at some point in the far future, there are no plans to use ToC as a template for everything they create from here on out. Now that Anub'Arak has been released (and conquered), and we've all had a chance to see the instance from beginning to end, I think it's safe to raise the question: has it been a success? Is the model for Trial of the Crusader a good one to build upon in the future? There's no way for us to tell how Blizzard feels, except for the random bits of information that we can occasionally glean from posts on the forums or the rare developer interview, but that shouldn't stop the rest of us from discussing it amongst ourselves. We hate to love it, and we love to hate it. To me, Trial is a risky proposition. In many ways, it's the idealized form of what a raid should be: several interesting boss fights that drop desirable loot, with as little bullshit as possible. This is, essentially, what many players say that they desire. On Normal mode, with a decent group, you've got a really good chance of clearing it in an hour or so and walking away with some top-of-the-line gear (and even if you don't, those Triumph badges build up real quick). So, why is that a potential problem? My personal philosophy is that, whether we like them or not, we all have to play by the rules of the MMORPG. That means that we're all slaves to the good ol' "carrot-and-stick." It's an odd relationship, for sure. Blizzard's got to figure out how big to make that carrot and how hard to whack us with the stick, while we players have to decide whether or not the carrot's big and tasty enough to make getting whacked by the stick worth it in the first place. What makes it even more complicated is that each and every player has a different level of tolerance. But here's the rub: at the end of the day, I think most of us secretly like getting hit by the stick, because that makes the carrot oh-so-much-yummier by the time we actually get to eat it. Does that mean we're masochists? Well, quite simply, yes. Trash, wipes, and other hardships draw out the experience. If you think of each raid as its own narrative, all of these things help build the story slowly towards its climax. Trial of the Crusader, on the other hand, gives us all the details up front. Which is great, for the short time we get to enjoy it, but the excitement dulls all that much quicker. It didn't help that even the most casual of guilds have been clearing bosses within their first few attempts (my guild one-shot Jaraxxus, Val'kyr Twins, and Anub'Arak the day they were unlocked). I can tell you that, even after banging our heads against the wall last night on Heroic 10-man, I'm secretly happy that we weren't simply able to bowl over the Northrend Beasts encounter as we always have before. Sure, some top-tier guilds have already blown through these more difficult encounters, but I think the margin of success will be much slimmer than it was at first perceived to be. As I mull over these thoughts in my head, I think I've come to the conclusion that while Trial of the Crusader may seem like a misstep right now (aside from the excitement provided by its near-instant reward structure), that's only because it currently represents the highest level of raiding content. When placed in the context of a greater spectrum (for instance, after Icecrown Citadel is released), Trial of the Crusader is going to be vindicated as a great place to blow off some steam for those guilds still intent on exploring everything Wrath of the Lich King has to offer. After long hauls through Naxxramas and Ulduar, ToC is going to feel like a breath of fresh air, and a respite from the arduous nature of your typical raiding regimen. I think that's quite enough rambling from me today, but I'm still interested in what you readers think. This is a subject more central to our gameplay experience than we might initially believe!

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