Summary
World of Warcraftjust shared an official preview of the new visual markers for AoE attacks coming in Patch 11.1. These clear visual effects will make noticing and avoiding telegraphed attacks inWorld of Warcraftdungeons, Delves, and raids much easier than before.
Recently, Blizzard revealed that Patch 11.1, Undermined, will officially becoming toWorld of Warcrafton February 25. The first major update ofThe War Withinadds tons of content to the game, including a new zone, dungeon, raid, and two additional Delves.
However, one of Undermined’s most important features is actually a quality-of-life improvement that will help fans complete the aforementioned instances.World of WarcraftPatch 11.1 is implementing a visual overhaul to the AoE markersused by enemies and bosses found in the game. Rather than the classic swirling pattern on the ground, AoEs are now telegraphed by distinct circles featuring bright coloration on the outside and a transparent, swirling pattern on the inside. This update not only makes these attacks easier to notice, but also more clearly defined, enabling players to dodge AoEs with more precision than ever before.
AoE Marker Visual Updates in World of Warcraft Patch 11.1
At present, it is unclear if these visuals will be retroactively added to older content. The Patch 11.1 Public Test Realm only used these new visuals in Undermined, as well as the instances found inWorld of Warcraft: The War WithinSeason 2’s Mythic+ dungeon rotation. While Blizzard will hopefully replace old AoEs with these visuals in the future, it will assumedly start with current content first before theoretically changing older dungeons and raids.
Overall, this change seems to have been met with near-universal approval from the community. The vast majority appreciates the visual clarity communicated by this overhaul, especially as certain battlefield clutter or color would sometimes make the old AoEs virtually impossible to detect. By and large, fans are happy to seeWorld of Warcraftmake any effort to remove the reliance on addons or lowered graphics in order to see everything happening in a boss encounter. That said, players are hopingWorld of Warcraftcommits to these new visuals so that fans can expect a consistent experience while challenging difficult content in the game from now on.
Patch 11.1 arrives on February 25, withThe War WithinSeason 2 beginning a week later on March 4. Players should be sure to finish up all of theirWorld of Warcraft: The War WithinSeason 1 milestones and achievementsbefore the update releases.
