news

Following 4 weeks of open PTR, where a lot of people were able to preview the 8.2.0 client update, we're now shipping it to our live BFA realm, Sethraliss! This will take place on Monday, November 18th! The realm will be shut down for a short period of time while we update it, but do not worry, we will keep you posted on Discord, Facebook and Twitter so as soon as it's back up and updated, you are notified.

We would also like to thank everyone who took the time to write reports on the PTR 8.2 bugtracker, as those helped us improve the quality of the release, so really, thank you!

HOW TO DOWNLOAD / UPDATE TO 8.2.0 CLIENT: Whether you already have an 8.0 client or not, everything is detailed in this quick & easy tutorial we've made for you! 

NEW CONTENT

As we said before, even though our client is updated straight to 8.2 (for practical reasons), we wish to follow the retail order of content release, which means 8.1 patch content first! This post is here to guide you through our different content, namely:

• 8.1 War Campaign
• Darkshore open world zone
• Mythic & PVP Season 2
• Battle of Dazar'Alor Raid
• Faction Assaults 

Below you will find more details about each of those main features.

WAR CAMPAIGN

Continue what you started on the 8.0 War Campaign!

• For the Horde, it's all about crippling the Alliance, and it will take you up to the raid Battle of Dazar'Alor! More info is available here
• For the Alliance, the objective is to set everything up for the attack on the Zandalari capital, and to defeat King Rastakhan! More info is available here

The 8.1 part of the War Campaign will be fully scripted, up until your involvements in the Battle of Dazar'Alor!
 

DARKSHORE

Darkshore is to the 8.1 patch what Arathi Highlands were to the 8.0, so you can expect to find the same kind of content available here; It's a whole new zone filled with special World Quests, and rare mobs that can reward equipments, mounts, toys or pets.
The whole zone will be controlled by one faction, switching every week: while your faction holds the reins, you will get access to world quests in the area, and to the corresponding world boss: Ivus the Forest Lord for the Horde, and Ivus the Decayed for the Alliance.

You can find more information about Darkshore here: here
Please note that like Arathi Highlands, the Warfront won't be available.

MYTHIC & PVP SEASON 2

The season 2 of Mythic and PvP will begin on Wednesday, 20th November at 12PM (noon server time).

• in PVP, the Sinister Gladiator season will begin, with updated rewards! To get more info, you can check this link.
  You will also find the same "conquest" system that was there in BFA's season 1, but with more flexibility in the rewards to help you get the gear you need. They will be following this table:
  
  
  
   
• in Mythic , the seasonal affix will now be Reaping (instead of Infested for the season 1). This special affix will revive all defeated monsters at certain dungeon completion %, meaning you will need to defeat them twice!
  With this season, a new currency is added: Titan Residuum that can be spent to buy Azerite Armor. For more details on the Season 2, you can click here.
  The rewards will also be updated, and will follow this table: (please note that the chest generated on the 20th November week will still be a 'season 1' chest and won't fall into this table)
  
  

BATTLE OF DAZAR'ALOR

The second Raid of the expansion, involving Jaina Proudmoore and the Alliance's invasion of Dazar'Alor, the Zandalari capital!

What makes this raid special is the fact that your faction will be changed during certain fights, to reflect on each faction's story during the attack.
Unlike Uldir, we chose to release the raid wing by wing. So, starting Wednesday 20th November at 12PM (noon server time) you will be able to get in BoD to fight the first 3 bosses:

• Champions of the Light 
• Grong
• Jadefire Masters.

They will be available in LFR, NM and HM difficulties. If you're looking for a guide of BoD as a whole, here it is!
We plan on releasing a new wing every 3-4 weeks, and the full Mythic mode 3-4 weeks after the third and final wing is released (basically a similar schedule to what we had for Tomb of Sargeras or Antorus on Legion). This will allow for a better release schedule and rhythm, without reducing too much ladder competitivity.

NEW ALLIED RACES

Two new allied races will be available right away, without any requirements:

• Kul Tiran Humans for the Alliance
• Zandalari Trolls for the Horde

Each of them has its own racial spells, so be sure to check their guide to get the best out of them!

ASSAULTS

Similar to the Legion Invasions, following a rotation some BFA zones will get invaded by either the Horde or the Alliance.
Depending on the zone and your faction, you will either act as an invader, or a defender and will get access to specific world quests: once you've completed 4 of them, you will unlock a quest asking you to do one last effort to help your faction, which will reward you with gear, war resources, ap and reputations.

For more information, you can read this guide.

This is it, our 8.2.0 client update, including a lot of new content for everyone to discover! As explained before, we will be releasing all contents in retail order: you can thus expect the rest of BoD first, then the 8.1.5 War Campaign alongside the 3rd raid, Crucible of Storms, and finally 8.2 content (Nazjatar & Mechagon, alongside the 4th raid, Azshara's Eternal Palace).
On a side note, Island Expeditions are nearly done! We know you teased them a while ago, but several unpredictable events delayed their release: rest assured, we haven't given up on them! you can expect 6-7 different islands to be released in the near future, probably alongside the release of one of BoD's wings.

The Bugtracker of Sethraliss will also be wiped (since we're upgrading the client, and a lot of changes occurred, old reports might have lost their meaning). It will also be the chance to upgrade its system, to avoid duplicates: Starting Monday 18th, when you'll report an achievement, item, quest or NPC, you will need to give its id (easily findable in its wowhead URL link). This will allow us to post your new report as a comment of an already existing one, if there is. That way, all the information about 1 issue will be given on 1 post, which will be better for players & developers alike.

Thanks for your patience, we will be monitoring the update closely to address any issue that arises!
See you on Monday!
The Firestorm Team