After
much anticipation Patch 3.3.5, the supposed last content patch
before Cataclysm, has been unleashed on the World of Warcraft
community. With it has come a plethora of changes that will hopefully
make the wait for Cataclysm more bearable, but as with all patches
3.3.5 has taken the WoW servers out of commission for a short while. So
while you wait why not familiarize yourself with the upcoming changes
and find out what they could mean for you.


Assault on the Ruby Sanctum

It looks like Blizzard isn’t waiting for Cataclysm to make
some big changes to the WoW world, something is amiss at the Ruby
Sanctum, the epicenter of the red dragonflight, all is silent and
still. Draconic guards have vanished and the structure itself appears
weakened. The Ruby Sanctum is the home to the largest clutch of red
dragon eggs on Azeroth and if the Sanctum is allowed to be breached the
red dragonflight will never be the same.


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What sinister force lurks
within the Ruby Sanctum?

All is not lost though, as a new instance portal has appeared and
heroes in groups of 10 and 25 will have the chance to defeat
the  sinister force threatening the Sanctum. However players
will have ample time to prepare as unfortunately the dungeon will not
immediately be accessible. So while we won’t be able to
charge in with swords drawn right away, we at least know that something
other than killing Arthas for the umpteenth time awaits us.



While I’m glad to see a new dungeon introduced I’m
not sure if it will be enough to satisfy the masses until Cataclysm. With
only four rumored bosses, the instance will be a relatively small one
(perhaps a tribute to the smaller instances promised in Cataclysm?),
and should be taken down rather quickly by most guilds. So while I will
enjoy wiping out this new instance and collecting the rewards I doubt
that such a short instance will do much good in staving off the pre
expansion pack boredom that is so common among WoW players unless the
instance is exceptionally hard, or Cataclysm is coming sooner than we
think.

 

Real ID

While the new instance is surely something to cause a stir, the Real ID
system is the one I am truly excited for. The Real ID system will allow
players to connect across Battle.net. This means you can now chat
cross-game, cross-realm, and cross faction as long as you and your
friends have mutually agreed to become Real ID friends. No more will
players lose contact with friends due to a server transfer or faction
change.



The Real ID system will also identify your friends by their real life
names next to the character they are playing removing the guessing game
of which friend is which. On top that players will be able to broadcast
short status messages to all their Real ID friends to see. And if that
wasn’t enough awesomeness for you, once you are Real ID
friends with someone you will be able to automatically see the
other’s characters on your friends list for any Blizzard
games they might be playing, including future games!



All I have to say to these changes is bravo Blizzard, it’s
about time. The Real ID system will shake off the social shackles
players were previously confined to and take WoW to a whole new level,
that is once Blizzard works the bugs out of it. For more information on
the Real ID system visit the Real ID FAQ page.


General

My mother always told me that good deeds are often rewarded and
Blizzard has just proved it by the change to the Dungeon Finder Vote
Kick feature. Previously all players had a cooldown to use the Vote
Kick option, however now the system will take note of how many times a
player uses the option, or abandons a group. Players who rarely kick
group members or who stay in groups until dungeons are completed will
find that the Vote Kick option has no cooldown. For more naughty
players who don’t hold themselves to such standards the Vote
Kick option will remain on a cooldown until they mend their ways.


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With the new Patch changes,
programs such as WIM may become obsolete.

User Interface

Chat
Frame


Blizzard is trying to put chat programs like WIM (WoW Instant
Messanger) out of business. In Patch 3.3.5 players will be able to
right click on a chat (Whisper, Party, ect) and move the conversation
to it’s own personal window which can be moved to anywhere on
the screen. If this function is used on a Whisper it will place the
conversation with the individual player in a separate window and will
glow when you receive a new message.



Once again Blizzard it’s about time as the Chat Frame is one
of the most bland features in the game. I know I and many others will
also be glad to finally be able to uninstall that third party mod, as
one less mod is almost never a bad thing. However, for those of you who
are feeling nostalgic players will be able to select Classic Mode in
their Interface Options reverting the Chat Frame back to it’s
original state.



Friends
List


Blizzard has made some small changes to the Friends List corresponding
with the addition of the Real ID system. The Friends List will now have
the option for players to add friends via their Battle.net accounts,
and will also be rocking a brand new Pending tab where players can
manage their Real ID friend requests.



The Friends List will also take on a more instant messanger feel,
with the addition of a Broadcast window that will post short messages
to all Real ID friends online, and the option to select from one of
three statuses (Away, Available, and Busy) that will allow your friends
to easily see if it’s advisable to message you or not. Since
the Friends List has suddenly become the happening place to be on your
screen Blizzard has also added a button to your Chat Frame providing
players with easy access to their Friends List.



While Patch 3.3.5 is a relatively small patch the changes it is
bringing are huge. Most of the changes and additions have been a long
time coming and will hopefully help propel WoW smoothly into the
future. Blizzard at least this time has proven that they do listen to
their users, and while it may take some time they will eventually
answer the call. So in the case of Patch 3.3.5 I say well done
Blizzard. If you are interested in reading the official Patch notes
for 3.3.5 please visit Blizzard’s page for Current Patch
Notes.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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