WoW MoP Classic Archaeology Boost

Phase 3 of WoW MoP Classic seems to be just around the corner. The official announcement includes two PTR tests, and they've also released Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.5.3 PTR developer log.

The developer log reveals most of the content players are interested in, including how to unlock new zones, world bosses, and the much-anticipated Thunderforging system.

New Zones

The new Phase 3 zone, the Isle of Thunder, will be unlocked similarly to Sunwell in The Burning Crusade or Ahn'Qiraj war effort in WoW Classic. Players will need to complete daily quests, unlock additional questlines, and find rare elites and treasures to gradually unlock this zone.

World Bosses

Oondasta is located at the northernmost point of the Isle of Giants, and players can test it with the developers on November 7th at 3 PM.

Another World Boss, Nalak, is equivalent to Sha of Anger in Phase 3, dropping Class Tier Sets and current PvP season gear. However, Nalak will only appear after Thunder Isle is fully unlocked, making it part of the final phase.

Throne Of Thunder Raid

Throne of Thunder contains 12 unique boss fights. Its PTR testing period is as follows:

• Round 1: November 4th, 10:00 AM PST to November 7th, 8:00 AM PST.
• Round 2: November 14th, 10:00 AM PST to November 17th, 8:00 AM PST.

Mogu Runes Of Fate

Phase 3 will introduce Mogu Runes of Fate, which are used for bonus rolls in Throne of Thunder raids, Nalak, and Oondasta. There is a weekly cap on how many Mogu Runes you can obtain, similar to Elder Charms of Good Fortune, with each Mogu Run costing 50 Lesser Charms of Good Fortune.

Thunderforging System Changes

Thunderforging system was quite controversial in the original Mists of Pandaria. Initially, Thunderforging system gave equipment dropped from Throne of Thunder (Normal or Heroic difficulty) or obtained through extra dice rolls a chance to become Thunderforged items, gaining an additional 6 Item Levels.

The system was entirely based on RNG, which made gear acquisition highly reliant on luck, easily leading to conflicts between players over loot. Therefore, the developers made some changes in WoW MoP Classic.

The developers decided to allow players to use Justice Points to upgrade non-Thunderforging Throne of Thunder gear twice, each time increasing the item level by 3, for a total increase of 6 item levels, while Thunderforged gear can no longer be upgraded.

This change also reduced the randomness, lessening the frustration of Thunderforging gear drops, while still making bonus rolls and non-Thunderforging gear valuable. Additionally, Thunderforged gear saves Justice Points needed for upgrades, so it remains valuable, but won't cause excessive competition due to its overwhelmingly powerful stats.

Overall, the overall item level of the raid will be higher than in the original phase, slightly reducing the difficulty of raids. However, given that Thunderforging raids are significantly more difficult than T14 (such as Mogu'shan Vaults), this change is reasonable and beneficial in WoW MoP Classic.

Finally, the number of attempts to challenge Ra-den - the hidden final boss of Throne of Thunder (Heroic difficulty only) - is limited. Raids must defeat him within 30 attempts, or he will disappear, and players will have to wait until the following week.

Challenge Modes And Rewards

Phase 3 Challenge Modes now include Platinum Medals, requiring players to complete dungeons within a set time to earn additional rewards.

Each dungeon's Platinum Medals rewards an achievement and a dungeon-exclusive toy. These toys are Platinum versions of existing items and are count-wide. The following are the toy items offered in each dungeon:

Temple of the Jade Serpent: Platinum Boots of Expeditious Retreat

• Stormstout Brewery: Platinum "Little Ale"
• Gate of the Setting Sun: Platinum Rod of Ambershaping
• Shado-Pan Monastery: Platinum Potion of Invisibility
• Siege of Niuzao Temple: Platinum Amber
• Mogu'shan Palace: Platinum Battle Horn
• Scholomance: Platinum VIal of Polyformic Acid
• Scarlet Halls: Platinum Battle Banner
• Scarlet Monastery: Platinum Sacrificial Dagger

Note that the opening hours for each dungeon vary. It's best to check their opening times before attempting a challenge:

• Temple of the Jade Serpent: 10:15
• Stormstout Brewery: 8:15
• Gate of the Setting Sun: 8:00
• Shado-Pan Monastery: 14:00
• Siege of Niuzao Temple: 12:15
• Mogu'shan Palace: 8:15
• Scholomance: 10:15
• Scarlet Halls: 8:00
• Scarlet Monastery: 9:00

Additionally, completing all Challenge Mode Platinum ratings in Seasons 2 and 3 will earn you the server's first achievement.

First-time Platinum Challenge completions for each dungeon reward you with Platinum Coins, which can be exchanged for transmogrification sets, toys, and mounts.

Furthermore, Celestials bosses will be updated, and their loot and mechanics may include equipment and boss abilities from the Throne of Thunder.

At the end of each Challenge Mode season, the player who maintains Realm Best Time will receive an exclusive title and mount:

Season 1

• Title: The Mistwalker
• Mount: Reins of the Celestial Serpent

Season 2

• Title: Mistborne
• Mount: Reins of the Celestial Tiger

Season 3

• Title: Heir to the Mist
• Mount: (Not yet announced)

Other Updates

After reaching Exalted reputation with The Tillers, players can speak with Farmer Yoon to take over Sunsong Farm (requires unlocking 16 farms).

Warlocks can start a questline through Codex of Xerrath; completing the quest changes their fire skill's effect to fel green.

This concludes the general content of Mists of Pandaria Classic Phase 3 PTR. Although the official release date hasn't been announced yet, it's clear it won't be too far after PTR ends. It's expected to go live around early December, though no exact date has been announced yet.

It's been over a month since the release of WoW MoP Classic Phase 2 on September 23rd. Due to the limited content of Phase 2, players have been bored, and many have left.

The player community is impatient for Phase 3, Throne of Thunder, with many urging for its release. Recently, the official announcement of Throne of Thunder PTR was released, potentially indicating that Phase 3 is imminent.

Announcement Content And Phase 3 Release Date Prediction

In the recently released announcement, the official team announced that Throne of Thunder Raids will be tested during the following periods:

• Raid test 1 – November 4-6
• Raid test 2 – November 14-17

Meanwhile, according to a leak from the well-known source Algalon the Observer on X, World of Warcraft Classic PTR server has just been updated with a new version.

The version number has been updated from 5.5.1 (the prequel to Siege of Orgrimmar, usually referring to the Battle of Pandaria) to 5.5.2. Version 5.5.2 corresponds to the major content patch Throne of Thunder, part of 5.2.0 (the 2013 patch).

Similar minor PTR updates (from 5.5.1 to 5.5.2) appeared before the official release of WoW MoP Classic Phase 2 Landfall patch, suggesting that Throne of Thunder might be coming soon!

Release Date Prediction

Since the PTR testing lasts approximately two weeks, and a release during Thanksgiving week (the third week of November) is highly unlikely, the predicted release dates for Phase 3 PTR are as follows:

• November 18th: A slightly accelerated but possible date.
• December 2nd or 4th: A date more in line with the regular release cycle.

The first phase was a pretty good start, but the second phase was relatively dull in comparison, which is why players are so eager for the third phase. Throne of Thunder is one of the most acclaimed raids in World of Warcraft history, but it's also extremely difficult. Many of the first raiders to clear it have vivid memories of it; almost every boss in the raid has a very interesting mechanic.

To successfully complete this raid, your gear needs to be at least BiS (or near-BiS) level for the current version. You'll also need to prepare potions, elixirs, and some first-aid items to boost your stats.

If you want to earn some WoW MoP Classic gold before the start of the third phase, you can craft these items in advance, and their value will definitely increase after the third phase begins.

How To Unlock Throne Of Thunder Raid?

In the original game, players contributed progress by completing quest chains and daily quests on the Isle of Thunder to unlock the raid. This process will be very fast on the current highly centralized servers, as Sunwell only takes two days to unlock on a mega server.

While the specific unlocking method is still unclear, and a server-wide cooperative unlocking mechanism is no longer unusual, retaining this mechanism is a cool experience. Furthermore, since the servers are now integrated, there won't be any issues with smaller servers being unable to complete the process.

Aspects For Improvement In Phase 3

Thunderforged

However, Phase 3 includes a controversial system, Thunderforged, which is the precursor to the later Warforge and Titanforge systems. It's a rare quality item dropped in Throne of Thunder raid, with an item level 6 levels higher than its regular counterpart.

However, players don't really like it, mainly because this disparity can lead to conflict and hostility among hardcore players and raid groups. This is especially true for efficiency-driven guilds, causing unnecessary competition and dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the already complex loot pool from each boss makes each item essentially two versions.

Retaining this system intact might negatively impact the game. If the developers decide to modify it, they could choose to remove it entirely, eliminate randomness and allow all drops to directly upgrade, or allow players to use Justice Points or Valor Points for consistent upgrades.

Flex Raiding

Given the high difficulty of Throne of Thunder, introducing a flexible raid system might be better, allowing raids to be limited to a certain number of players, such as 20-30. Raid difficulty will be dynamically adjusted based on the actual number of players, rather than randomly matching you with another player.

This is because anyone who has experienced high-difficulty raids in MMOs knows that these raids contain many instant-death attacks, requiring players to cooperate and follow commands to successfully navigate the most difficult mechanics of each phase. If any player cannot communicate, it could be a wipe, and forcing it might just be a waste of consumables and WoW MoP Classic gold.

If raid difficulty is dynamically adjusted based on the number of players, the difficulty of forming a group will be significantly reduced.

The above is a general overview of the third phase of Mists of Pandaria Classic and Throne of Thunder. The third phase may be coming soon, but it's likely still a month away from official release, so prepare your best weapons and armor and wait patiently.