Buffed.de interviewed World of Warcraft lead content designer Cory Stockton to discuss WoW Patch 4.2: Firelands.

This interview has many cool things about Firelands that some players might have not read about yet.

FIRELANDS RAID

  • Firelands has seven bosses: Beth’tilac The Red Widow, Lord Rhyolith, Alysrazor, Shannox, Baleroc The Gatekeeper, and Majordomo Staghelm (Archdruid of the Flame).
  • The Ragnaros encounter has a normal and hardcore version. Both are different.
  • All seven bosses have new models.
  • Firelands is an outdoor dungeon like Obsidian Sanctum.
  • Mounts will be allowed to move throughout Firelands.
  • Firelands is about the size of Alterac Valley.
  • Non-linear bosses: 4. Linear bosses: 3.
  • Each boss fight is super unique.
  • Certain bosses have new energy bars with unique mechanics.
  • Class gear sets are Firelands themed.
  • Class gear set bonuses are based on abilities and mechanics seen in some Firelands bosses.
  • Molten Giants (Molten Core) have a new model and texture skin. A plate set is based on them.
  • No fire resistances on class sets nor bosses.
  • Unique profession patterns and recipes will drop only in Firelands raid.
  • Patch 4.2 sports a new boss in Baradin Hold. Interpretation may sound like that boss will be Firelands item level quality.

THRALL

Thrall is a main figure behind the patch 4.2 storyline. Seems Thrall will play a role progressively in each major content patch to tell the story in stages. Opinion: Likely the story behind Christie Golden’s World of Warcraft: Thrall, Twilight of the Dragons will be slowly seep in into the MMO like Thrall’s visit to Garadar to learn from Outland elementals how to help Azeroth’s elementals.

Thrall’s questline in Firelands will feature the same cinematic technology found throughout Uldum. Example: Harrison Jones.

Thrall’s model is the same shown in the Maelstrom, however it has been upgraded with new animations, and other details. There’s a lot of Thrall voice over.

Thrall’s questline is a level 85 quest, but there are no pre-requisites. Everyone is able to pick a quest in Orgrimmar or Stormwind and follow up to Firelands to delve into the storyline. It’s a solo questline. Doesn’t require a group.

LEGENDARY STAFF

The legendary staff will require a lot of guild effort and raiding to gather the pieces. It involves a long questline and the staff is based on the blue dragonflight, so Kalecgos is involved.

This questline is epic in the sense that it tells you a lot of lore about Kalecgos and what he’s been up to after Malygos was killed. Lot of voice over and cinematics throughout the legendary staff questline.

The final quest of the Legendary Staff will take place in capital cities: Orgrimmar and Stormwind. Everyone in the city will see the event which includes voice over and blue dragons. Everyone in the city will also know the name of the person who earned the weapon.

Not only that, the whole guild will get an achievement for that single person earning the weapon, and unlock access at the guild vendor to a new unique pet allowing all guild members to purchase it.

Only one player in the guild can obtain the Legendary Staff weapon … so make sure the staff is given to a dps caster. Healers won’t benefit from the legendary bonus proc.

NEW BOSS ENCOUNTER JOURNAL FEATURE

Each dungeon boss will have an entry in the encounter journal page, a new feature in Patch 4.2. The boss model will appear on the left side and its model can be rotated. To the left players can read a description of each spell and ability. The encounter jounral will keep provide information about bosses with different phases providing descriptions of each spell and ability per phase: Phase 1 Abilities, Phase 2 Abilities, Phase 3 Abilities, etc.

A very exciting function of this new encounter journal feature is that it allows you to see that boss loot table in-game.

If you choose to, you can see the entire loot table of a dungeon, or specify if you wish to see the loot table of only one specific boss. You can sort that info by class, individual spec, heroic mode loot, or normal mode loot. You can sort by 10 player normal or 25 player normal loot, 10 player heroic loot or 25 player heroic loot. Anything in the journal can be hotlinked on the chat UI.

I find the Encounter Journal feature really exciting, useful and desirable. Big thumbs up to the developers behind the concept and design of this new feature. Personally, I would love a wishlist to tag the gear you wish to obtain across different dungeons, and which boss drops it. That way those who wish to spend time in specific dungeons can keep track of their long term goal.

Cory Stockton acknowledges it’s something they have seen requested in the forums, and it’s something the developers want to get in for a future version of the Encounter Journal feature.

The Encounter Journal will be available in a limited scope on PTR 4.2 for testing. Only PTR 4.2, 4.1 and Cataclysm dungeons will be available including Firelands, Zul’Aman and Zul’Gurub bosses. However, Blizzard plans to add to the Encounter Journal in stages afterwards starting with Northrend bosses, then Outland bosses, and finally Vanilla WoW bosses.