Blizzards press conference at GamesCon gave them an opportunity to give us some updated information about the upcoming patch, 4.3 which will be the final patch of the expansion.
Patch 4.3 will include:
- Deathwing’s raid
- Three new 5-man dungeons
- Cosmetic armor through the use of Transmogrification
- Void Storage – An armor storage players can use to store their old gear
- Raid Finder – A system that works like the current Dungeon Finder
Transmogrification
You’ve been asking for it, and we were listening. In patch 4.3 you’ll be able to customize the appearance of your weapons and armor like never before.
The Ethereals, emerging from the nether, will bring with them a new technology they call Transmogrification. They’re heading to the capital cities of Azeroth to set up shop and to offer adventurers a unique service — copying the appearance of one magical item onto another. They only ask for a modest gold donation to recoup their costs.
Visiting a Transmogrifier will present players with a new interface that will allow them to change the appearance of an item while retaining its original stats. This means that you can raid in your paladin tier 12 Immolation set, but look like you’re wearing Lightbringer, while priests can bring Benediction back — at least in spirit. Hunters can once again roam the jungles of Stranglethorn Vale in their tier 2 Dragonstalker set. You could even slip into the saucy tailored Black Mageweave set for that matter. You know, with the thigh highs, and the little gloves, and the cute little… ahem.
In order to take advantage of this, players visit the NPC, use the Transmogrifier interface, which will then show a preview of the item will appear once the change is applied. This gives players who prefer the look of an older armor set a chance to use that while retaining the stats of the current armor. There are many limitations to this however, which Blizzard is still working out the details for.
In general, only items that have stats can be used in the transmogrification process. You must also be able to wear both items when using this service. Ethereals don’t have much in the way of ethics, but allowing someone to appear as if they’re equipping unusable items crosses the line. Similarly, they won’t allow you to change weapon or armor types. Sneaky death knights can’t make that breastplate look like a cloth robe, and you can’t make a one-handed axe look like a two-handed axe, or transform a sword’s appearance into that of a mace. Guns, bows, and crossbows will be the exception to this rule. You will finally be able to retain your dwarf’s racial gun bonus while appearing with all the splendor and elegance of a bow wielder
Transmogrification encourages players to hold onto items with sentimental or aesthetic value, and the Ethereals anticipate that personal bag and bank space will be at a premium now that everyone will be hoarding their frilly pantaloons and leather jerkins.
Void Storage
In the upcoming 4.3 patch, Blizzard will also be introducing Void Storage. This new technology players can use will give them 80 slots of storage space. This is intended to help players free up bank space by using this Void Storage as method of long term storage, which players will be needing if they are doing old raids and collecting older gear for the previously mentioned Transmogrification feature.
For quite some time now, players have been asking for a location in which to store important keepsakes including treasured armor sets, unique quest rewards, and gifts from friends, as well as other valuable items they’ve collected on their journeys throughout Azeroth.
This is a feature we’ve wanted to add to the game for a while, so we’re excited to announce that, thanks to the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of the Ethereals, a new long-term storage option will soon be available to completionists and collectors alike.Void Storage
In patch 4.3, characters of all levels will be able to take advantage of a new technology known as “Void Storage,” which will open up 80 slots of long-term storage space. Void Storage vaults will be available in both Stormwind and Orgrimmar and can be accessed simply by speaking with your local Vaultkeeper.
A variety of items can be placed into Void Storage — including soulbound items and Battle.net Account Bound items — making it the perfect location to store trophies from past conquests, as well as armor you may want to hold onto for Transmogrification. So, if you’ve been looking for a good home for those old tier sets or your vanity holiday items, Void Storage is it! And it’s as easy to use as dragging and dropping.
It is important to note that this is not intended to be used as a second bank. It is strictly for players wanting to save gear for sentimental or aesthetic reasons, as such any gear stored in Void Storage will be stripped of enchantments, gems, sockets and so on.
Bag Search
Another requested feature being added is the ability to search your bags so you can quickly find things you need. Although there are a number of 3rd party bag addons that already allow you to do this, Blizzard is introducing this feature “officially” themselves.
Bag Search: Find What You Need, When You Need It
Now, you might be thinking, “Alright, those Ethereals are pretty nifty, and having more storage is great! But what about actually being able to find what I own? Do you know how long I looked for that one stack of Papa Hummel’s Pet Biscuits? Like, a year. Okay, maybe 15 minutes. Either way, not even a tiny, delicious fat baby raptor is worth that kind of effort, and I love fat baby raptors.”
Never fear, fellow tiny-limbed-corpulent-dinosaur enthusiast! We’ve got you covered. In addition to Void Storage, we’re also adding a bag search feature in 4.3 that will allow players to search for items within their bags and bank space, all with just a few keystrokes.
Integrated directly into the bag and bank UI, this new search feature will be incredibly quick and easy to use. To find an item in one of your bags, in your character’s personal bank, guild bank, or Void Storage vault, you’ll simply type the name of the item — or a word in the item’s name — into a small search box located near the top of your main backpack, and your open inventory will be filtered accordingly. Only the items that match the word or name you’ve entered will display, making it easier than ever to find exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.
Overall, some of the features in 4.3 look promising. The most anticipated is the final raid where players finally get to encounter Deathwing, the nemesis of this expansion.
Since 4.3 will most likely be the final patch of Cataclysm, we can count on Blizzard to announce the next World of Warcraft expansion at the upcoming Blizzcon in October 2011 so stay tuned for more information about that.
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