WoW Forever's first week of fixes: boat portals, Vorsha back, a cheaper Tanning Rack

WoW Forever’s launch was calm, but the first days still produced a steady stream of hotfixes. Most of them fix things you hit while leveling: quests that broke, mobs that respawned at the wrong speed and drops that did not share. This is what changed between November 4 and November 6, sorted by what you will notice. Open problems, each with its Blizzard source, are on our launch status page.

Getting around

On launch night some boats and zeppelins got lost for long stretches. Blizzard’s Aggrend confirmed it, and as a stopgap Blizzard put portals next to most docks and inside the zeppelin towers. Server data from that night names their destinations: Stormwind, Southshore, Menethil, Auberdine and Theramore for the Alliance, Orgrimmar, Undercity and Grom’gol for the Horde. A proper fix was planned for November 5, after which the portals will be removed. Blizzard has not yet posted that the fix is in, so if your boat does not come, look for the portal.

Capitals also felt empty. Aggrend said some areas were less populated than they should be and promised adjustments, and the November 6 hotfixes improved how far away you can see other players and their targets.

Players who joined through Invite-a-Friend were treated like trial accounts: no leveling past 10, no guild, no group, no trade. A hotfix removed that on launch night; log out and back in if you still see it.

Quests that work again

• Vorsha the Lasher (Ashenvale) was disabled on November 5 because it crashed the game. The November 6 hotfixes say it no longer “rudely lashes everyone in the zone”, so it is back.
• The Sleeper Has Awakened (Darkshore): Kerlonian Evershade falls asleep less often, and you now start the quest with the Horn of Awakening.
• Escorting Erland (Silverpine): Deathstalker Erland respawns much faster.
• Rediscovering the Light: you can heal the NPCs again.
• Ammo for Rumbleshot (Dun Morogh): loot shows up even right after another player.
• Never Saddle on Quality: more spawns and more quest drops.
• Riverglades: quest drops are now shared with your party.
• Damp Note drops more often.

Respawns were tuned in both directions: Grol’bolar Quarry troggs (Dun Morogh) and the Dustwallow murlocs come back more slowly, Yarrog Baneshadow (Durotar) more quickly, and Pelluk in Swamp of Sorrows spawns reliably.

Dungeons

• Ruins of Lordaeron (Horde): the Abominable Head from The Baron now offers Unending Torment at level 15 instead of 16. Our Ruins of Lordaeron quest prep has the new level.
• Maraudon: Zaetar’s Spirit spawns after Princess Theradras again, so you can finish the chain.
• The Drowned City: the instance portal teleports you inside, and mobs there and in Blackmaw Hold no longer reset at random.

Professions

Leatherworking’s Tanning Rack now needs 125 skill instead of 140. At 140 it blocked several 125 patterns that need the rack. Its skill-ups moved down by 15 points to match. Rough Wolf Pelts now cancels itself if you unlearn Skinning. Trade supply vendors on Zephras Isle sell the apprentice profession bags they were missing.

Still open

Blizzard’s own known issues list from November 5 still has these:

• PvP vendors in Orgrimmar, Stormwind and Dalaran are closed for now.
• In Razorfen Kraul, a cauldron near Roogug traps anyone who falls in. Walk around it.
• Bank tabs show up outside the bank frame.
• With a gamepad, deleting more than one rare or epic item can throw an error.
• Stormwind guards send you to the wrong name for the transmog NPC: look for Fyrenz Vishonar.

Class changes are a separate round: Blizzard plans class tuning on November 10 for Hunter pets, Voidwalkers, Affliction and Enhancement.