Patch 5.4.7,the last major patch for the current World of Warcraft game, is now available for testing on the Public Test Realms (PTR). Unfortunately, for non-PvP savvy players, this patch is just a hurdle for the eventual release of the next expansion, Warlords of Draenor. The notes for patch 5.4.7 are primarily set for the new arena season that will open at the release of the patch. The new arena season, while some may be happy about the prospect of getting closer to earning arena titles and nerd points, has been mostly met with a universal sigh of frustration. A new arena season means another 20-25 weeks of the current World of Warcraft expansion, putting the release of Warlords of Draenor in mid July.
Putting the “World” back in World of Warcraft PvP in Patch 5.4.7
Interestingly, the base resilience has been hiked up 5%, landing comfortably at 77% up from 72% in patch 5.4.7. This change may be an effort from Blizzard developers to finally get PvP gear more on par with PvE gear when in World PvP. Players decked out in heroic PvE gear have notoriously been granted an advantage when in World PvP due to gear being free of stat reductions when in battlegrounds. While PvP gear is indeed useful in World PvP, it still lacks the set bonus, gem sockets and health pools of current raiding gear, especially heroic pieces. My heroic PvE gear set nearly doubles my health pool to a whopping 700k, versus my PvP gear set at around 430k. Not to mention the incredible stat loss.
But will increasing base resilience by 5% truly account for the disparity in World PvP and gear in patch 5.4.7? Not likely. The Season 15 gear, however, may have better success. Considering the ilvl trend of PvP gear sets in the past, it’s projected Season 15 gear will have an ilvl around 545-548, making it competitive with some PvE gear, such as Timeless Isle and LFR gear. But for heroic geared players, World PvP may still continue to be their stomping grounds, as their ilvls of 563+ will be uncontested.
For more information on patch 5.4.7, visit: us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/12592415/547-ptr-patch-notes-1-24-2014
Patch 5.4.7