In this week’s PTR, we’re testing Elemental Run Dungeon updates.

We also have our third Dragon Soul raid weekend, which will run from Friday, Feburary 7 at 3:00 p.m. PST until Monday, February 10 at 10:00 a.m. PST.

Elemental Rune Dungeons: Protocol Twilight

This new mode can be activated in most Cataclysm Classic heroic dungeons by interacting with the Mysterious Elemental Device near each dungeon’s entrance and selecting “Activate Protocol Twilight”. The mode is not available in Zul’Aman or Zul’Gurub, due to their already-advanced rewards.

The intended starting iLvl for these dungeons is 353, and in the PTR, we’d appreciate your feedback from running them with the Cataclysm Classic Level 85 character templates + gear from Dragon Soultar, to get the intended difficulty experience.

Activating Elemental Rune: Protocol Twilight

Upon activating Protocol Twilight, a floating element will appear and all 5 players in the group will need to channel it.
Elemental Rune: Protocol Twilight dungeons can also be queued for by using the automated Group Finder tool, and will require a minimum item level of 353.

Mechanics

There are two new buffs: a “Twilight Madness” buff for creatures in the dungeon, and a “Gift of the Dragonflight” buff for players.
The “Twilight Madness” buff will be applied to all creatures in the dungeon.
- All creatures and bosses in the dungeon will gain increased health and damage.
- All bosses will gain the ability “Call Blood of Shu’ma”, which summons slimes that empower the boss.
  - This works similarly to Yor’sahj’s “Call Blood of Shu’ma” ability in Dragon Soul, and will help players prepare for the raid.
  - Every 65 seconds, the boss has a chance to spawn three different globules that path towards the creature that summoned them.
  - When one globule dies, the surviving globules become immune to damage.
  - When a globule reaches the boss they are infused with one of the following powers:
    - Glowing Globule grants “Minor Glowing Blood of Shu’ma”.
      - Attack speed of creature is increased by 25%
    - Cobalt Globule grants “Mana Voids”.
      - Leeches all mana from ranged spell casters and the healer. Defeating the Mana Void will evenly return all the mana stolen
    - Crimson Globule grants “Minor Searing Blood”.
      - The creature will sear three random players with Fire damage. The further the target is from the creature the more damage they take.
    - Dark Globule grants “Forgotten Ones”.
      - Summons Forgotten Ones that fixate onto a random player.
    - Acidic Globule grants “Digestive Acid”.
      - Targets a random player and inflicts Nature damage to them and any nearby players within 4 yards.
    - Shadowed Globule grants “Deep Corruption”.
      - Targets every player and causes every fifth heal or absorb effect to trigger Shadow damage to all players. This effect should last less than 25 seconds.
Players will be able to choose one of four “Gift of the Dragonflight” buffs that will be applied while they’re in the dungeon.
- Gift of the Red Dragonflight
  - If the player dodges, blocks, or parries they will cast an AOE Fire breath.
- Gift of the Bronze Dragonflight
  - The player gains a stacking haste buff while not taking damage. Stacks fall off if the player takes damage.
- Gift of the Green Dragonflight
  - Healing done increases damage done and then damage done increases healing done.
- Gift of the Blue Dragonflight
  - While not moving, the player gains a stacking damage buff. Stacks fall off if the player moves.

Currency from Dungeons

Two Obsidian Fragments drop per boss in Protocol Twilight and the final boss of each dungeon will drop an extra three Obsidian Fragments if players have defeated all of the other bosses in the dungeon (same as Protocol Inferno).

Loot from Dungeons

Each final boss of a Protocol Twilight Dungeon will drop:

1 x LFR Weapon or 1 x LFR Jewelry (cloak, neck, trinket, ring).
A predetermined LFR Weapon and Jewelry drop
1 x LFR Tier Token
A chance at one of fifteen random LFR Tier Tokens

All of these items will also be available via the vendor.

Currency Rewards

The new currency, Obsidian Fragments, will be used to purchase the following gear:

Dragon Soul LFR Gear
Normal Tier 12 Helm Tokens
Normal Tier 12 Shoulder Tokens
All Normal Difficulty Firelands Weapons (ilvl 378 and 384)
Normal Difficulty Ragnaros loot
All BoP random statted items (aka Flickering gear) from Heroic Firelands.
- This gear will be purchased via a satchel, and the item stats will be generated once the item is removed from the bag.
- The satchel also contains a chance to drop one the following mounts:
  - Flametalon of Alysrazor
Smoldering Egg of Millagazor
The following trinkets :
- Matrix Restabilizer
- Vessel of Acceleration
- Variable Pulse Lightning Capacitor
- The Hungerer
- Jaws of Defeat
- Scales of Life
- Eye of Blazing Power
- Spidersilk Spindle
Commendation of Service (Justice Point conversion Item)
Obsidian Fragment to Fissure Stone Fragment

Known Issues

The player buffs have work-in-progress names, icons, and spell visuals.
The item drops and reward system are not yet available in game.
Tuning for Blood of Shu’ma mechanics may need some adjustments.

Thank you for your feedback!

Dragon Soul Raid Testing

We do not have character templates specifically for Dragon Soul testing, but we do have vendors to help with all of your gearing needs.

Gems, consumables, glyphs, and other vendors will be available in Stormwind and Orgrimmar.
A special vendor, Dragon Soultar, will also be available in both cities. He sells Firelands Raid tier gear, as well as Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa’s Rest.

The entrance to the raid is located in the Caverns of Time in Tanaris.

You can also interact with Peletort in Orgrimmar or Stormwind to port directly there.

Bug Fixes

Hagara the Stormbinder: Frozen Tempest’s visual effect for Ice Aura is the correct size.
Warlord Zon’ozz: Player no longer fall through the map when casting certain abilities on the Claw of Go’rath.
Madness of Deathwing: Corrupting Parasite now spawns correctly when the Corrupting Parasite debuff is removed.

Dragon Soul Known Issues

There may be FPS issues during Ultraxion, Spine of Deathwing, and Madness of Deathwing.
- If you encounter this issue please note player spells, boss abilities, encounter phase, and anything else you can to share with us in the forums to help us narrow this down!

Thank you very much!

Cataclysm Classic Hour of Twilight PTR Development Notes - Updated February 14