3.3

So, it's big patch day and I'm scanning the notes when I see the real point of this update.

The existing /welcome emote now greets/welcomes targets (character says "hello"), while the new /yw is for saying "you're welcome."

Confusion begone. The /welcome emote had perplexed and irritated me for years; I have to admit seeing it, of all things, being fixed made me grin 'til my cheeks hurt. Huzzah Blizzard, huzzah!

Alright, alright. They've changed Taunt's diminishing returns too. Specifically, mobs no longer become immune to Taunt until five Taunts have landed, and the duration of the Taunt effect will be reduced by 35% instead of 50% for each Taunt landed. Somewhat vaguely, we're also told that "most creatures in the world will not be affected by Taunt diminishing returns at all." I presume this means mobs outside of instances and perhaps instance trash; this last part is a tad useless if that's the case, as the only mobs to regularly be Taunted back and forth between tanks are bosses.

That said, I've been musing over why they would make Taunt easier and safer to use, and it makes me wonder if perhaps it hints at more fights like Gormok the Impaler being added in future. The process of letting one tank hold the boss until a certain debuff is applied/stacks to a certain number is one I quite enjoy, as it keeps both tanks entertained and keeps the healers attentive as well. A boss fight that starts with multiple mobs and then narrows down to just one can be particularly boring in the final phase for an off tank if his or her only role is to apply any debuffs and wait for the main tank to make a mistake, after all.

As per usual, though, the patch includes something annoying. It wouldn't be right otherwise, no?

Will of the Forsaken now shares a 45-second cooldown with similar effects, including the Medallion of the Horde, Titan-Forged runes, Insignia of the Horde, etc.

Okay, so this isn't exactly crippling. A fight would have to be riddled with fear, stun and polymorph to make me even consider equipping my PvP trinket while tanking, but damn it, haven't they nerfed WotF enough? With these changes to it, Arcane Torrent is becoming the clear winner when comparing the two for PvP. Pfft. And once upon a time we Forsaken were the unchallenged rulers of the PvP racial...

Ahem. Anyway. Warriors, you must be loving our corner of the patch notes.

Warriors
Victory Rush: This ability is now trainable at level six.
Talents: Protection: Damage Shield: This ability will no longer trigger any chance-on-hit effects from the warrior or the opponent it damages.

Stop and take a few deep breaths. I know it's a lot to take in, especially for those of us at level eighty. Sheesh.

In all seriousness, though, the Damage Shield change makes sense and adding Victory Rush to our low level move pool is definitely coherent with all the other changes to make levelling less painful. To a low level warrior, rage starved and struggling to kill things with rubbish weaponry, Victory Rush will be a godsend. Yes, it won't effect those of us who've already levelled in the slightest, but let there be love for our newly-rolled warrior amigos. Besides, the lack of changes can mean one of two things: they think we're fine, or they're working on something bigger and more ground-breaking. I can't really see a reason to complain about either!

Happy patch day, at any rate. Best of luck to those set to raid Icecrown, and grats on all those incoming upgrades to those ready to grind some more heroics for new emblems!