With the release of Patch 5.2: The Thunder King, the vast Throne of Thunder raid will become available. As in previous raid tiers, Raid Finder wings and availability difficulties will be staggered.

This is the last part of our series discussing the class changes that are being implemented in patch 5.2.

This is part 3 of the ongoing series discussing the class changes that are being implemented in patch 5.2.

Patch 5.2: The Thunder King almost here. We've compiled a collection of blogs to get you up to speed and prepare for the coming storm.

This is part two of our series discussing the class changes we’re implementing in patch 5.2.

In addition to significant PvP changes, a new Raid, a new quest hub, and a mysterious island full of dinosaurs, numerous class changes are coming in patch 5.2: Throne of Thunder. I’ll be working with World of Warcraft Lead Systems Designer Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street to write a short blog series that will provide an overview of the important changes coming to each class. Part 1 includes a review of Death Knights, Druids, and Hunters.

Patch notes for 5.2: The Thunder King. Thunder King Round-Up: A collection of blogs to get you up to speed. Patch 5.2 Known Issues and Support: If you encounter an issue or need assistance with the patch Patch 5.2 Hotfix Info: For updates on the latest changes Patch Notes Archive: Find notes from previous World of Warcraft patches

There’s a storm brewing on Thunder Isle in the form of the newly risen Thunder King: Lei Shen and the invading Zandalari forces who support his bid to regain his seat of power over Pandaria. Once more the heroes of the Horde and Alliance are being called forth to take on this threat, but they do so in the midst of their own dark and bloody war reignited by the decimation of Theramore and the betrayal that split the Kirin Tor.

Join us as we delve into the Thunder King’s stronghold, one of the largest raid dungeons that Azeroth’s adventurers have ever seen. Here we will learn about its fearsome denizens, and gain insight into each battle from Lead Encounter Designer, Ion “Watcher” Hazzikostas.

The first World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria patch of 2013 is currently in development and this is your chance to see some of the things that are in the works. This patch will include a massive new raid dungeon, a multi-faceted new quest hub, Pet Battle improvements, new world bosses, significant class balance changes, brand new pets and mounts, assorted bug fixes, and more.

It’s been a long journey since we first stepped foot in Pandaria. We’ve met the formidable and resourceful pandaren, made friends (or enemies) with the hozen and jinyu; we’ve faced the threat of the mantid, and unleashed long buried horrors upon the land in the form of the sha. But, amidst all of this, there was an even more insidious threat to take notice of. Layers upon layers of conflict can be found on the continent, including the situation involving the mogu and their once and perhaps (more frighteningly) future emperor, Lei Shen.

There, on the horizon to the Northwest, do you see it? Daggers of lightning spear through clusters of dark clouds filling the air with electricity you can almost feel crackling against your skin. There’s a sense of foreboding that clings, and something else…

If you haven’t been keeping up on the latest World of Warcraft news, you might not be aware that World of Warcraft Patch 5.2: Throne of Thunder is on the horizon. Well, 5.2 is well on its way and it’s bringing PvE features like a brand new questing hub and a huge new raid, but it’s also introducing new features that will have a significant impact on the PvP aspects of World of Warcraft, including a number of class and gearing changes.

With the release of Mists of Pandaria, we introduced a new Legendary quest line, available to all classes and factions. Let’s catch up with the quest line so far and take a peek at what’s to come in patch 5.2: Rise of the Thunder King.

With 5.2 fast approaching I’ve been wanting to get my thoughts together on how I should be playing in the last couple weeks before the patch. Are there any reps I should catch up on; do I need to worry about spending currencies or upgrading items; and just in general what do I need to start doing now to maximize my play time before and after the patch releases?

Patch 5.2 introduces a new raid tier and PvP season, and so the higher tier currencies will be down-converted during maintenance. This time around there won’t be a soft cap, old Valor items aren’t changing to cost Justice, and we’re adding a new rank of PvP gear. Let’s break down exactly how it’s all going to harmoniously work together.

The Thunder King's power grows - and so do the opportunities and obstacles you'll encounter in patch 5.2. Learn more on our Under Development page!

Change is coming to PvP gear in the relatively near future, and we wanted to provide a not-so-brief update on the improvements we’re planning, while pulling the curtain aside a bit so you can see the thought processes that motivated the coming changes.

We’ve prepared a glimpse of the environments and denizens coming in the 5.2 patch, which is now available on the PTR. Stay tuned for more development updates in the weeks ahead.

5.2 PTR coming early January...