Blizzard Entertainment has announced significant updates for the upcoming Season 3 of Dragonflight in the "Guardians of the Dream" Public Test Realm (PTR). As Season 3 commences on November 14, players will witness a substantial change in their Mythic Keystones, which are set to decrease by 11 levels, in addition to the usual weekly reduction.

For instance, if a player has completed a +15 Keystone but failed to complete it in time during the week of November 7-14, the key would normally drop to a +14. However, due to the seasonal transition, an extra 11-level drop will be applied, plunging the key down to a +3. Similarly, for those who successfully timed a +15 Keystone, it will now start at a +4 in the new season instead of maintaining at a +15.

In the Dungeons and Raids section, Mythic+ dungeons are seeing an adjustment to the mechanics of Sanguine Ichor. Pools of Sanguine Ichor will now be considered connected, which means players can move between them without incurring additional stacks of the damaging and healing debuff.

Regarding items, the PTR notes reveal a significant nerf to the Undulating Sporecloak. The shield and healing abilities of the cloak are slashed by 79%, and its Versatility—a stat contributing to damage, healing, and defensive capabilities—is reduced by 75% for players above 70% health. Additionally, the healing over time effect sees an 80% reduction.

The developers clarify that these changes are intended to balance the Sporecloak's performance. The cloak, which provided healing at high health levels and an absorb shield at lower health, will now offer reduced protection against fatal damage to encourage more careful gameplay. Nonetheless, the cloak will still provide a Versatility bonus when the player's health is over 70%, although the effectiveness has been scaled down after playtesting. These modifications aim to retain the cloak's defensive appeal while aligning its effectiveness with other professional embellishments.

Players are advised to review the full patch notes for a comprehensive understanding of the updates and to adjust their strategies accordingly as Blizzard continues to fine-tune the gaming experience in the "Guardians of the Dream" PTR.