Wow, if that picture is real, then i'm quite surprised as it would indicate a far earlier reset of gear than vanilla to TBC.

I remember (ignoring the stamina change) my tier 3 wasn't really upgraded until Karazhan (aside from a few better itemised blues). Looks at the dps of 2-Handers, you can see that non Kel-Thuzad weapons such as Corrupted Ashbringer weren't beaten in dps terms until heroic blues (ilvl 115), and Might of Menthil was not beat in dps terms until epic end game TBC drops.

Looking at the 2-handers from the wotlk picture they beat all items in dps terms except those dropping from Kiljaeden, which would indicate most of TBC gear being replaced at around the 74-75 level and all sunwell loot being replaced before 80.

That's not all that different from choice loot in Nagrand. Keep in mind that Corrupted Ashbringer was by no means an endgame baseline weapon. It would be "Sunwell" loot in WoW 1.0 thinking.

[Ashkandi, Greatsword of the Brotherhood]
[Halaani Claymore]
[Honed Voidaxe]

Although it sucks that it doesn't look like we will keep our gear long, you have to keep in mind that PvP, Badge, and Raiding gear is all fairly similar in todays standards.

Fair enough raiding gear has better raiding stats (Hit, Haste) - but those values get hit the hardest by the leveling penalties.

They cant really let us keep our raiding gear that long into WoTLK without making a fairly significant portion of the 'normal' players hitting an issue of not getting upgrades untill deep into WoTLK either, and that means alot of time spent into making those new zones fun and interesting for the people leveling is void..


I really do hate how they ended up dealing with itemization in TBC, WoW-v1 was somewhat too biased to raiders but this current situation is just as bad (albeit this time it hit the raiding populatin instead).

Assuming that pic is real.

That jump in power is pretty drastic. If you consider Tier 3 really wasn't replaced until level 70 blues.

Now Sunwell epics short of Kil'Jaeden will be replaced by 75. I can only imagine/drool about the level 80 epics.

Is anyone else dreading(If you're a caster hehe)/drooling(if you're melee) 200DPS 2-handers?

Duel wielding 200dps 2handers...Titan Grip Gogogo Still for sunwell guilds I can't imagine farming sunwell after kiljaden dies to be very fun when you know it won't even let you not have to grind level 80 5 mans as much, at least T3 was viable for kara.

I believe this can be explained because of one being BoE and one being BoP.

[Crystalforged War Axe] Requires level 69. 90.4 dps. BoE

[Crow Wing Reaper] Requires level 68. 93.2 dps. BoP The BoP item has a higher itemlvl despite having a lower level requirement.

Since the tank weapon is both a lower required level and BoE, a 12 dps jump up to a higher level BoP item is possible.

The caster boots show an interesting diversion in item budget theory. Instead of assigning stats then upping stamina by 50%, they instead use the extra item points and allocate them into Int, resulting in less of an increase, but to a different stat. I like the way this is going.

Well Blizzard has just patched the Alpha client with a 157 MB patch.

http://206.16.22.130/update/PatchSequenceFile.txt

It also seems that they've begun updating the forums to a new Wrath skin. Its much easier on the eyes than the green crap.

Picture!

I'm pretty sure that's just a design error on the [Crow Wing Reaper]. It is one of four blue weapons in the game where are ilvl 115, the ilvl of level 70 req blues, despite only being level 68 required.

Weapons - Items - World of Warcraft

And note that one of the four, [The Oathkeeper], is BoE.

T3 was beaten by Karazhan gear, but the level 70 blue were on par and often better if they had sockets and some kind of smart itemisation.
[Kilt of Rolling Thunders] illustrates how not to do it, for example, but [Sigil-Laced Boots] beats T3 nicely.

Kel'thuzad weapons had 73 DPS (1H), 95 DPS (2H), 67 DPS (ranged), 139 DPS (wands), 126 damage, 238 healing.
Ilvl 115 blus have 71 DPS (1H), 93 DPS (2H), 66 DPS (ranged), 129 DPS (wands), 121/130 damage, 227/228 healing.

Blue one-handers started at 52 DPS (lvl 60, ilvl 85) and ended at 71 DPS (lvl 70, ilvl 115).

In the screenie, we have a 101.7 DPS (lvl 71) and a 109 DPS (lvl 75) one-hander, this would put level 80 one-handers ar 118 DPS, and level 70 ones at 100 DPS. That's a 18 DPS increase over 10 levels, just like at 60-70.

But from 60 to 70, weapons started slightly above MC pre-Ragnaros loot and ended slightly under Kel'thuzad gear.
Now, they'll start at Kael/Vashj/T6 level and will probably end above Kil'jaeden gear, so that's quite an increase.


If you think about it, they had to increase the item level for armour at least.
Good level 70 blues beat T3 because they had sockets (and more stamina).
But now, the T6.5 (Sunwell) has near-perfect sockets (and the cheaper stamina), so the level 80 blues simply need more budgets to remain competitive. Mind that the Sunwell gear usually has good expensive enchants, which you probably wouldn't want to spend on a level 80 blue just to get a miniscule upgrade.


http://i32.tinypic.com/2rrm15l.jpg - the weapon picture.
One thing doesn't make sense at all though:
The 101.7 DPS/level 71 dagger spends 13, 14, 17, 25 points of budget, while the 97.5 DPS/level 74 sword spends 13, 17, 18, 20.7 points, which is less than the dagger (with the non-linear total costs).
But hey, it's alpha, it wouldn't be he first item with a wrong item budget

When I remember correctly weapons were upgraded quite early in the game und mostly everyone took that trinket from Hellfire Pensulania. I think Blizzard assumes the badge gear as base level, same thing they did with these PVP weapons everyone could get with the last patch.

My enchanted [] was better than any unenchanted blue. I replaced it when I got a blue sidegrade and enchanted it with an even better enchant.

PvP weapons had the DPS of level 64/65 weapons, and were maybe 1-2 levels better due to their slow speed. 2.0s daggers, 2.9s 1Hs, 3.8s 2Hs oh how do we miss thee.
Also, those PvP weapons were not that great - (Nefarian,) late AQ40 and all of Naxxramas had better weapons.

From the current pictures (without the tank sword), it seems that the badge weapons will get sidegrades by level 72/73, which is a lot earlier.
Also, the badge weapons are of a higher quality, sidegrades to T6 loot, with significant upgrades only from Archimonde/Illidan, Sunwell, and season 4 gear. (I know that they are fast or fists or daggers or have a bad stat spread, but they still are good for their purposes.)

If the first 3 weapons in the screenshot are representative, then we'll see an earlier gear reset.
Unless blizzard decides to put in another wave of badge/free loot before WotLK.

CoH - 8 sec cd, must be joke

From the lastest patch, here the Death Knight changes so far (Talents):

(they also have a new spell called Obliterate apparently)

Death Knight
Blood
- Bladed Armor: Moved to tier 0.
- Deflection: Replaced by Forceful Deflection.
- (NEW) Forceful Deflection: Increases your Parry chance by 1/2/3/4/5% as your attack power increases.
- Subversion: Moved to tier 1.
- Spell Deflection: Now requires Forceful Deflection, new effect: You have a chance equal to your Parry chance of taking 10/20/30% less damage from a direct damage spell.
- Vendetta: Healing effect reduced to 3/6% from 5/10%.
- Blade Barrier: Reduced duration to 8 sec from 15 sec.
- Blood Rune Mastery: Moved to tier 5, now has a 10/20/30% chance to activate. (Same conditions.)
- (NEW) Infested Corpse: Tier 6, effect: When an enemy that grants experience or honor dies while suffering from one of your diseases, its corpse has a 10/20/30% chance of producing 1 Blood Worm. Blood Worms attack your enemies, healing you for the amount of damage they deal for 15 sec or until killed.
- Blood Aura: Moved to tier 7.
- Will of the Necropolis: Now increases total by 10/20/30% up from 5/10/15%.
- Vicious Strikes: Now also increases the critical strike damage bonus of Obliterate ability but no longer increases critical damage bonus from Heart Strike.
- Heart Strike: Changed to "Next melee attack", now lower the target's total health by 20%, up to 3000, for 30 sec.
- Blood Gorged: Reduced damage bonus to 2/4/6/8/10% from 3/6/9/12/15%.

Unholy
- Unholy Command: Reduce the cooldown of the Blood Boil ability by 2/4 sec from 1/2 sec.
- Lichborne: Reduced cooldown to 5 min, was 15 min.
- On a Pale Horse: Additionnal rank, now reduce the duration of all Stun and Fear effects used on the Death Knight by 10/20% and increase mounted speed by 10/20%. (Any mounts.)
- Ferocious Dead: Now also cause Death Pact to grant a heal over time effect for 15 sec equal to 50/100/150% of the amount healed.
- Dirge: Moved to tier 3, new effect: Your Plague Strike, Degeneration, Raise Dead and Summon Gargoyle generate 50/100/150% more additional runic power.
- Shadow of Death: Moved to tier 3, no longer require Ferocious Dead as a prerequiste.
- Improved Corpse Explosion: Moved to tier 4.
- Unholy Rune Mastery: Moved to tier 4.
- Bone Armor: Moved to tier 5.
- Magic Domination: Removed and replaced by Anti-Magic Zone.
- (NEW) Anti-Magic Zone: Cost 1 Unholy, 20 yd range, instant, 2 min cooldown, effect: Places a large, static Anti-Magic Zone which can protect any party members inside it. The Anti_Magic Zone absorbs 75% of the damage dealt by the next harmful spell. Absorbs up to 10000 damage.
- Crypt Fever: Effect reduced to 1/2/3% per disease from 2/4/6%.
- Unholy Aura: Moved to tier 7.
- (NEW) Ebon Plaguebringer: Tier 8, effect: Whenever an enemy is infected by a stack of 3 of your diseases, they also become infected by Ebon Plague, which increases their vulnerability to magic damage by 3/6/9/12/15% for 15 sec.

Frost
- Improved Icy Touch: New effect: Increases the damage done by your Icy Touch spell by 5/10%.
- Glacier Rot: Moved to tier 0, no longer increases damage done by Hungering Cold.
- Black Ice: Effect increased to 2/4/6/8/10%.
- (NEW) Icy Talons: Tier 2, requires Improved Icy Touch, effect: You leech heat from targets of your Icy Touch, so that when their melee, ranged and casting speed are reduced, yours speed up by 3/6/9/12/15% for the next 20 sec.
- (NEW) Blood of Icewater: Increases your chance to get a critical strike with spells by 1/2/3/4/5%.
- Nerves of Cold Steel: New effect: Increases your chance to hit with one-handed melee weapons by 1/2/3%.
- Chromatic Rune Mastery: Renamed to Death Rune Mastery. Effect last until the Death Rune is used.
- Chillbanes: Renamed to Chilling Focus. Runic power generated reduced to 25/50/75% from 50/100/150%.
- (NEW) Killing Machine: Tier 3, effect: After landing a melee critical strike, there is a 20/40/60/80/100% chance your next Icy Touch, Mind Freeze or Howling Blast spell will be a critical strike.
- Deathchill: New effect: When activated, increases your critical strike chance with Frost spells by 100% for the next 6 sec.
- Permafrost: Renamed to Chilblains.
- Frigid Dreadplate: Moved to tier 5. New effect: Enemies who hit you in melee have 5/10/15% chance to become unsettled, decreasing their attack speed by 50% for the next 3 swings.
- Frost Rune Mastery: Moved to tier 5, listed % chance is now 25%.
- Howling Blast: Reduced cost to 1 Frost rune, 1 min cooldown, new effect: Blast the target with a frigid wind dealing 719 to 781 Frost damage to all enemies within 10 yards. Deals triple damage to frozen targets.
- Midnight Sun: Removed, replaced by Unbreakable Armor.
- (NEW) Unbreakable Armor: Tier 6, effect: Whenever you use a Frost Rune, you have a 5/10/15% chance of increasing your armor by 30% and your Parry chance by 30% for 10 sec.
- Merciless Combat: New effect: Your Frost attacks do an additionnal 20/40/60% damage when striking targets with less than 20% health.
- Frost Aura: Moved to tier 7.
- Frost Strike: Chance to freeze target is 30%.
- Chill of the Grave: Now increases critical strike damage bonus of the Obliterate abilities by 10/20/30/40/50% but no longer affect Icy Touch.
- Tundra Stalker: No longer increases damage done if the target is afflicted by Howling Blast.
- Hungering Cold: 1 min cooldown, no longer act as a cone-shaped area, instead it cause damage all around the Death Knight within 10 yards. Preventing them from performing any action for 2 sec per 10 runic power. Enemies are considered frozen, but any damage will break the ice.

Even though it now isn't restricted by party I wouldn't worry, I can't imagine that going live.

Its still a joke oO

As for Warlocks...

Warlock

Affliction
- Eradication: Now increases spell casting by 20% (was 1/2/3%) for 8 sec.
- Death's Embrance: No longer increases the critical strike chance of the Haunt spell, instead increases the critical strike chance of the Shadowburn spell.
- Devastate: Removed, replaced by Cripple.
- (NEW) Cripple: Instant cast, no cooldown, cost 8% base mana, 30 yd range, effect: Cripples the target, reducing movement speed by 75%, pacifying and silencing the target. Cripple causes the target to be immune to physical attacks, but still be vulnerable to spells. Lasts 20 sec. Only 1 target can be crippled at a time.

Destruction
- Decimate: Removed and replaced by Chaos Bolt.
- (NEW) Chaos Bolt: Rank 1 (lvl 60), Cost 715 Mana, 30 yd range, Instant Cast, 8 sec cooldown, effect: Sends a bolt of Chaotic Fire at the enemy, dealing 990to 1256 Fire damage. Chaos Bolt cannot be resisted, and pierces trough absorption and immunity mechanics.

Now priest...

Priest

Discipline
- Penance: New range: 30 yd range for enemy, 40 yd range for friendly.

Holy
- Improved Holy Concentration: Increases the chance you'll enter Holy Concentration by 4/8/12% and also increases spell haste by 20/40/60% for 20 sec, after the Priest gain Holy Concentration.
- Circle of Healing: Cooldown reduced to 6 sec from 8 sec.

Shadow
- Improved Shadow Form: Chance to avoid interruption while in Shadowform by 50/100%. Was 25/50%.
- (NEW) Pain and Suffering: Tier 9, Your Mind Flay has a 33/66/100% chance to refresh the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain on the target, and reduces the damage you take from your own Shadow Word: Death by 20/40/60%.
- (NEW) Twisted Faith: Tier 10, effect: Increases your Shadow damage by up to 6/12/18/24/30% of your total Spirit, and your damage done by your Mind Flay and Mind Blast is increased by 1/2/3/4/5% for each of your Shadow damage over time effects on the target.

And finally Druids...

Druid

Balance
- Moonkin Form: Armor contribution from is increased to 400% from 360%.
- Improved Moonkin Form: Haste bonus reduced to 20%. Duration increased to 10 sec.
- Owlkin Frenzy: Spell haste bonus removed, instead will increase damage done by 10/20/30%. Also cause the Moonkin to be immune to pushback while casting Balance spells.
- Nature's Fury: New effect: Your Wrath and Starfire spells have a 20/40/60/80/100% chance of applying the Nature's Fury debuff on the target. The Nature's Fury debuff increases Nature and Arcane damage done to the target by 2/4/6%. Lasts 12 sec. Stacks up to 3 times. No longer convert bonus healing into spell damage.

Feral Combat
- Nurturing Instinct: Increased healing from Agility lowered to 35/70%. Was 50/100%.
- Reinforced Hide: Removed, replaced by King of the Jungle.
- King of the Jungle: While Enraged in Bear form or Dire Bear form, your damage is increased by 5/10/15%, and your Tiger's Fury ability also instantly restores 20/40/60 energy.
- Infected Wounds: Moved to tier 8. No longer reduce casting speed, now reduce attack speed instead.
- Primal Aggression: Moved to tier 9. New effect: Increases damage done by your Maul and Shred attacks on bleeding targets by 2/4/6%, and increases the critical strike chance of your Ferocious Bite aiblity on bleeding targets by 10/20/30/40/50%.
- Berserk: New effect: Reduces the energy cost of your Cat form abilities by 50% while in Cat form, and increases your total health by 100% and causes your Mangle (Bear) and Maul abilities to hit up to 3 maximum targets while in Bear form or Dire Bear form. Berserk instantly clears all effects which cause loss of control of your character, and makes you immune to them for the duraiton.

Restoration
- Improved Tranquility: Reduces threat caused by Tranquility by 50/100% and reduces the cooldown by 30/60%.
- Empowered Touch: Your Healing Touch spell gains an additionnal 20/40% of your bonus healing effects. (Was 10/20%.)
- Living Seed: Moved to tier 7. Increased chance to plant a Living Seed on the target to 33/66/100%. Living Seed effect increased to 30% of the amount healed. (Was 15%.)

Edit (found this on Wiki):

Mage

Invisibility countdown changet to 3 seconds

Warrior
Mocking blow cooldown changed to 1 minute, and can be used in Battle Stance, Defensive Stance
Shield Block now increases Block Value too
Defensive Stance now gives 45% increased threat (was 30%)
Anger Management - "while in combat" removed from description.
Improved disarm additional damage changed to 4%/7%/10%
Sweeping Strikes now have 5 charges
Improved Shield Block - changed to "Reduces the cooldown of your Shield Block ability by 5 secs."
Shield Specialization now gives 20 rage
Improved Disciplines replaced with Sudden Death - "Your melee critical hits have a 10%/20%/ chance of allowing the use of Execute regardless of the target's health state."

Druid
Soothe Animal now works on dragonkin
Challenging Roar cooldown changed to 3 minutes
Maul description changed to "A strong attack that increases melee damage by $s1 and causes a high amount of threat."
Moonglow now affects Starfall and Wrath too
Celestial Focus, Vengeance, Focused Starlight - now affect Starfall too
Predatory strikes - "Increases your melee attack power in Cat, Bear, Dire Bear and Moonkin Forms by 50%/100%/150% of your level and 7%/14%/20% of any attack power on your equipped weapon."
Natures Swiftness - added "with a casting time less than 10 sec." to description
Improved tranquility threat modifier changed to 30%/60%
Ferocious Bite and Rip damage values changed
Entangling roots now tick every second
Lunar Guidance changed to 4%/8%/12%
Nuturing Instinct increased healing changed to 35%/70%
Empowered Touch changed to 20%/40%
Mangle debuff now affects mangle too
Owlkin frenzy - haste effect changed to "immune to pushback while casting Balance spells."
Primal Precision 30%/60% changed to 40%/80%
Primal Aggression changed to "Increases damage done by your Maul and Shred attacks on bleeding targets by 2%/4%/6%, and increases the critical strike chance of your Ferocious Bite ability on bleeding targets by 10%/20%/30%."
Infected Wounds proc chance changed to 33%/66%/100%
Reinforced Hide replaced by King of the Jungle - "While Enraged in Bear form or Dire Bear form, your damage is increased by 5%/10%/15%, and your Tiger's Fury ability also instantly restores 20/40/60 energy"
Living Seed proc chance changed to 33%/66%/100% and effect changed to 30%
Starfall range reduced to 5 yards

Death Knight
Death and Decay damage changed to (100/121/190/241)+0.039*AP and random component removed
Death Strike deals 60% weapon damage
Icy Touch cooldwon reduced to 4 seconds
Blood Tap - Level 55, Costs 15% mana "Immediately activates a Blood Rune and temporarily converts it into a Death Rune. This rune counts as a Blood, Unholy, or Frost Rune. Lasts 30 seconds"
Degeneration - DOT Stacks up to 3 times. "Unable to be healed by periodic heals" effect removed
Mind Freeze - cooldown increased to 10sec and duration increased to 4 seconds
Death Coil - Works on undead enemies
Empower Runeblade renamed to Empower Rune Weapon
All presences have 1 second cooldown, but won't trigger GCD

Paladin
Improved Holy Concentration - gives 20% spell haste, instead of mana regen while casting

Warlock
Shadow Vulnerability (ISB debuff) now only affects nonperiodic spells
Shadow Fury - "Can be cast while moving." added to description
Spell Lock "silencing the enemy" added to description
Soul Depletion talent changed "Your Corruption spell ticks have a 5%/10%/15% chance of consuming 2% Mana, 8 Energy, 4 Rage or 8 Runic Power on affected targets.
Death's Embrace - now affects Shadowburn instead of Haunt
Decimate - Exhastion removed from description
Fel Armor

Hunter
Demoralizing Screech - now has 10 sec cooldown
Charge - description changed to read "animal" instead of "boar"
Gore - "Gores the enemy, causing $s1 damage. This attack has a 50% chance to inflict double damage, or triple damage if used just after a Charge."

Rogue
Cheap Shot - "Awards 2 combo points" removed from description

Priest
Improved Divine Spirit - Changed to 3%/6%
Circle of healing - cooldown reduced to 6 sec
Improved shadowform - Now gives 50%/100% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage.
Dark Spirit replaced with Twisted Faith - "Increases your Shadow damage by up to 6%/12%/18% of your total Spirit, and your damage done by your Mind Flay and Mind Blast is increased by 1% (?not sure?) for each of your Shadow damage over time effects on the target"
Growing Pains replaced with Pain and Suffering - Your Mind Flay has a 33%/66%/100% chance to refresh the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain on the target, and reduces the damage you take from your own Shadow Word: Death by 20%/40%/60%

Misc
Spell 33153 - Artic Flying - Allows your mount to fly in Northrend.
Many healing item effects and item enchants changed, for example Golden Spell Thread was 22damage/66healing, now it gives 35 both damage and healing
Drums of Battle - description now reads "haste rating", was "Melee, ranged, and spell haste rating"

Bah, the loss of Reinforced Hide is disheartening. 10% magic mitigation was sorely needed. Now Druids will be the only tanks with no magic mitigation.