The patch notes for World of Warcraft: Forever’s beta just got a major update, and it comes with a joke about giggling children’s hats push the level cap up to 30, introduce a new dungeon, restore a quest that players missed, and reduce the experience gains from dungeon runs. Here is a look at the changes.
The Level Cap Rises
Before the update, players were limited to reaching level 20. Now the cap has risen to 30, opening access to many more zones for leveling and questing. Several dungeons are now playable for the first time as well.
Wetlands has a new dungeon called Excavation Site, and it is open to players level 26 and above. The site rests on a hill in the southern center of Wetlands, in a region that used to be off-limits. A fresh road now climbs to the top of that hill, making the spot reachable at last.
Level 25 marks the opening of Razorfen Downs, while Uldaman arrives at level 30. These two dungeons now sit alongside the rest of the lower-level dungeons. With the Hall of Thanes (13+) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15+) already open, three of the nine promised new dungeons can now be explored.
Kyle’s Quest Returns
Forever has brought back the Mulgore questline Kyle’s Gone Missing!, which was first added to the game through a Make-A-Wish visit to Blizzard HQ by Ezra Chatterton in 2007. Chatterton helped design the quest and voiced the tauren who asks passersby, “Can you help me find my dog?”
Forever carries forward the work of Chatterton, who has since passed away. His pursuit continues in both retail and in Forever.
Dungeon XP Gets Cut
This is the disputed change. Quests inside dungeons now grant 50% less additional experience than they used to, above the standard quest rewards. The developer’s explanation follows:
Here is the rewritten paragraph with the exact markers preserved:
The “We appreciate the feedback on leveling speed as we continue ongoing discussions about the Beta. As part of those discussions, we’ve decided to reduce the amount of XP granted from dungeon quests with this release. Certain quest rewards have also been recalibrated.” below is a direct quotation from the original text. It appears exactly as it did there, without any alteration to its wording. The paragraph also contains several other elements — including a figure and a second quotation — that have been lifted out in the same way.
The cut is significant. Players have mixed feelings on this one:
- Some are worried dungeons will become far less appealing, given how much work it takes to get a group together and actually get to one.
- Others think folks are just impatient to reach max level and need to slow down.
Judging the real effect will come from observing players during the beta. The finished product could end up looking very different.
Children Have Hats
Among the changes detailed in the patch notes is a joke about children’s hats. The notes themselves contain it.
“Anduin Wrynn – and many other children – unintentionally have hats. We’re in the process of removing them, but they keep giggling and running away, so this is going to take a while.”
Iâwhat? What does that mean?
Oh, yup.
Uh huh, okay.
Sure, why not! That’s game development, bay-bee!
What To Watch For
Whether the XP cut holds and how players react to it are the big questions.
| Element | Status |
|---|---|
| XP reduction | Dungeon quests now give 50% less extra experience |
| New dungeons | Excavation Site: Wetlands, Razorfen Downs, Uldaman open |
| Kyle’s quest return | Mulgore questline back in Forever |
| Level cap rise | Players can now level to 30 |
| Hat joke | Children’s hats are giggling and running away |
This update is worth following for the hat joke alone. We’ll find out more when the beta arrives.
Source material: “5 Big Things That Just Changed In The World Of Warcraft: Forever Beta,” Kotaku.
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