Here you will find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to the release of patch 4.0.3a and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. While many have already been deployed on all realms, some may not be implemented until the next time your realm is restarted. We will continue to update this thread in the days ahead as additional hotfixes are applied.

December 7

• General
  • It is no longer possible for an ill-mannered person of the opposing faction to one-shot a flight trainer in Stormwind or Orgrimmar, which in turn made the 500 players standing on top of the flight trainer with their mammoths really sad.
  • Fallen Hero's Spirits in Icecrown can no longer have their pockets picked.
  • Ray'ma and Brew Vendor Brew of the Month Club vendors are now spawning properly.
  • The achievement “Stood in the fire” is granted when standing in a zone boundary different than Deathwing's spawn location. In addition, players can now get this achievement by walking into the wake of Deathwing's fire after he has passed.
  • If faction mounts do not translate to a mount of the opposite faction when performing a paid faction change, they will now be removed.
  • Players are no longer able to endlessly kite the outdoor Battlemasters.
  • Several combat issues involving mind control mechanics have been fixed.
• Battlegrounds
  • NPCs and vehicles now have the correct Cataclysm values for health and damage in the 80-84 and 85 Strand of the Ancients, Isle of Conquest, and Alterac Valley level brackets.
  • Some players were unable to enter 10- vs. 10-player Battlegrounds when the option to enter became available. This has been corrected.
• Classes
  • Priests
    • Low-level priests will now properly take Shadow Word: Death backlash damage when casting Shadow Word: Death.
  • Shaman
    • Lightning Shield again properly deals damage while the shaman is casting other spells.
• Dungeons & Raids
  • The Mana Burn ability that is cast when Arcane Aberrations die in Dire Maul has been replaced with an Arcane Explosion ability that does not drain mana.
  • Al'akir's Lightning Cloud now despawns when the encounter is defeated in Throne of the Four Winds.
  • Players are no longer able to use Killing Spree on Ozumat in Throne of the Tides. The message "Invalid Target" is displayed.
  • Players are no longer placed oddly when affected by Ulthok's Squeeze in Throne of the Tides.
  • Temple Guardian Anhuur in Halls of Origination will now lose Shield of Light at the appropriate times. He was cheating.
  • Millhouse Manastorm in The Stonecore will not stay linked to trash packs he is no longer stationed at after a group wipe.
  • Razorgore and Chromaggus in Blackwing Lair will no longer cause an infinite loop of encounter mind control mechanics when pets or companions are present.
• Items
  • Tattooed Eyeball should not be epic quality and is now superior.
  • Wailing Weeds no longer give experience, have any drops, or are able to be gathered in Mount Hyjal.
  • Items which have refund options available no longer have their expiration cooldown recorded incorrectly when more than one is purchased within a short amount of time.
  • An issue which prevented players from rolling Need on certain relics found in dungeons has been corrected.
  • Helm of the Thousand Needles now has 12 Strength and 17 Stamina in addition to the 12 Hit Rating it had before.
  • Spider's Silk now drops from most all spiders in the level range of 16-25.
  • Stag Flanks now drop from level-appropriate stags.
  • Big Mouth Clams and the Black Pearls they sometimes contain again drop off of many creatures.
  • Corpse Dust and Infernal Stones are no longer available from vendors.
  • The stats for the one-handed mace Shatterscale Mightfish have been corrected.
  • Rogues are now able to equip and use Morningstar of the Order. However, the tooltip for the item still shows Main Hand in red, and right clicking on the item when it is equipped returns the message "You do not have the required proficiency for that item." This display issue will be corrected in a future patch.
  • Passengers are now force ejected from multi-passenger mounts that have been converted into a Reindeer or Brewfest Kodo. This works for both NPCs and PCs.
• Professions
  • There is no longer a School of Fish in Elwynn Forest that like to think of themselves as in "testing," nor do they yield Peacebloom when fished. This School of Fish is no longer a part of the counterculture and will no longer give you flowers when fished.
  • Recipe: Feathered Lure is no longer on the vendor list for the Cooking reward vendors, as it's returning an error "The Spell is not available to you" when players attempt to learn it.
  • Electrostatic Condenser no longer provides inconsistent loot chances for each gathering profession.
  • Training in Archaeology should now properly generate dig sites around the world according to the player's skill level.
  • Archaeology daily quests are now properly flagged as dailies.
  • A Fossil Archaeology Find at the Un'Goro Terror Run dig site spawned beyond the range of the dig site area and has been removed.
  • There was an inconsistency in Cooking skill-ups between Lavascale Minestrone and Lavascale Fillet which has been addressed.
  • Some Leatherworking recipes which require a skill of 525 were missing from the vendor Misty Merriweather and have been returned.
• Quests
  • Cataclysm Level 80-85 Zones
    • Mobs that spawn infinitely during the Temple of Earth finale within Deepholm do not grant experience.
    • Players are no longer ported out of the Maelstrom if they have "The Eye of the Storm" in their quest log when they go through the portal to the Maelstrom.
    • Twilight Proveditors for the quest "End of the Supply Line" in Mount Hyjal should respawn at a more consistent rate.
    • Zin'jatar Raiders respawn more quickly for the "Buy Us Some Time" quest in Kelp'thar Forest, Vashj'ir.
  • Eastern Kingdoms
    • Completing the quest "Never Surrender, Sometimes Retreat" is now updating Gilneas properly.
    • Forsaken Sailors were dealing too much damage to those questing in Gilneas. Their damage output has been reduced.
    • If a player completes the objectives of "Bad Medicine" outside of Northern Stranglethorn, then the quest "Just Hatched" will not auto-launch, but Corporal Sethman will have the quest available when the player turns in the quest "Bad Medicine" to Brother Nimetz. If the player completes "Bad Medicine" within Northern Stranglethorn, then "Just Hatched" is auto-launched.
    • Quest givers in The Exodar, Teldrassil and Dun Morogh are all now offering the level 50 mage quest "Meet with Maginor Dumas" leading players to Stormwind.
    • The deprecated quests "Foreboding Plans" and "Encrypted Letter" are no longer being offered to players by the Syndicate Documents in Hillsbrad Foothills.
    • The deprecated quests "Looking Further" and "Morganth" are no longer being offered by the Old Lion Statue in Redridge Mountains.
    • The cutscene for "Lordaeron" in Silverpine Forest will now properly play if the player is mounted when starting the quest.
    • High Priest Venoxis should spawn properly during the "High Priest Venoxis" quest event in The Cape of Stranglethorn.
    • The quest "The Holy Water of Clarity" will be offered regardless of the order in which the player completes the prerequisite quests in The Cape of Stranglethorn.
    • The NPCs of Bloodgulch no longer disappear when players skip the cutscene during the quest "Eye Spy" in Twilight Highlands.
  • Kalimdor
    • 60 completed quests in Winterspring are now required in order to earn the Winterspring Quests achievement.
    • Players should no longer experience issues completing the quest "The Reason Why" when attempting to interact with the various Moonstones in Ashenvale.
    • Players are no longer able to attack other players while in Diemetradon form during the quest "Ever Watching From Above" in Un'Goro Crater.
    • It is no longer possible to pick up the deprecated quest "The Gordunni Scroll" in Feralas.
    • The deprecated quest "Hunting in Stranglethorn" is no longer being offered by Roon Wildmane in Desolace.
    • Questgiver Melizza Brimbuzzle in Desolace now respawns at a much more reasonable rate after dying.
    • Jinky Twizzlefixxit now provides players with a replacement River Boat quest reward via her gossip text if a player deletes it while in Thousand Needles.
    • Antechamber Guardian now spawns correctly for "What Lies Within" in Tanaris.
    • The quest "Sandscraper's Treasure" is no longer being offered to Alliance players via the Sandscraper's Chest in Tanaris.
    • The Antediluvean Chest is now correctly spawning inside the Antechamber of Uldum within Tanaris and there is no longer an issue with it spawning outside of the chamber.

 December 2

• Players can no longer skin Crushcog Sentry-Bots or Crushcog Battle Suits in Dun Morogh... because they don’t have skin.
• The grace time for players who have disconnected from a Battleground has been increased to three minutes before being issued the Deserter debuff.
• Stats on the Weather-Beaten Fishing Hat have been reduced, as it can currently be equipped by players of all levels.
• Crafty players again found a way to catch Cataclysm fish. Crafty designers have made this impossible without a Cataclysm key attached to a player’s account.
• Revitalizing Sandals now have an enchantment of +1 Intellect.
• Ravenous Jaws off the coast of Icecrown grew strangely large and have been returned to their normal size.
• Players who die within Ahn'Qiraj: The Fallen Kingdom are no longer granted a Spectral Gryphon mount while in spirit form.
• Classes
  • Druids
    • Rake is now dealing the same damage outside of Cat Form when the druid has the Razor Claws mastery. Rake damage also stays consistent when modified by Mangle as a druid shifts out of Cat Form.
    • The proc buff from the talent Shooting Stars should no longer be consumed without providing its benefits if the druid is already casting Starsurge.
  • Hunters
    • Silithid Swarmers are now tamable by hunters.
    • Hunter pets that changed pet families prior to patch 4.0.3 will no longer retain their previous talents on top of the new Cataclysm pet talents. Hunters will have to untalent their pets to pick up this correction.
  • Mages
    • The Fire mage mastery Flashburn will now properly increase the periodic damage of Combustion.
    • Frostbolt for low-level mages was doing too little damage. Frostbolt damage has been increased at low levels, while low-level Water Elemental damage has been decreased slightly to compensate.
    • The Pyromaniac talent is now properly triggering when 3 or more targets are affected by a mage’s periodic damage Fire spells.
  • Paladins
    • The presence of the Word of Glory effect from the paladin talent Guarded by the Light will no longer prevent casting or get overwritten by Power Word: Shield.
  • Priests
    • Smite's scaling coefficient has been increased. The damage of Smite is now very similar to Heal in value. This change has been made to ensure the Archangel Discipline sub-specialization remains viable.
    • The presence of the Word of Glory effect from the paladin talent Guarded by the Light will no longer prevent casting or get overwritten by Power Word: Shield.
    • Killing priests with the Spirit of Redemption talent now correctly awards Honor, killing blows and Honorable Kills. Also, abilities that proc off of killing blows like Victory Rush are now proccing properly when a priest is talented into Spirit of Redemption.
• Quests
  • The Horde version of the Ashenvale Quests achievement now requires 62 Ashenvale quests completed, down from 80.
  • The Alliance version of the Un’Goro Crater Quests achievement now requires 40 Un’Goro Crater quests completed, down from 45.
  • All non-elite NPCs in Mord'rethar: The Death Gate, Icecrown now respawn more slowly. In addition, Undying Minions no longer award experience.
  • Blackfathom Tide Priestesses required for the quest "Deep Despair" in Ashenvale now respawn more quickly.
  • Razgar’s Fillet Knife and Drowned Thunder Lizard Tail are now removed from a player’s inventory upon completing the quest “A Golden Opportunity” in Orgrimmar.
  • The Alliance shaman quest “Blessing of the Elements” in Stormwind was not providing rewards for all talent specializations. It now rewards either an Agility-based axe for Enhancement shaman, or an Intellect-based axe for Restoration/Elemental shaman.
  • Writings of the Dark Herald will now drop from Telarius Voidstrider in Darkshore for all players in a party.
  • Dead Alliance players are no longer able to die in spirit form while on the quest "Bael'dun Rescue" in Southern Barrens.
  • Scourge Disguise is now removed as soon as a player leaves Zul'Drak.
  • Pylons in Un’Goro Crater no longer play a sound effect when interacting with them to complete the associated quests. This is a temporary fix to address an issue with the audio continually playing until logout after completing the quest "The Northern Pylon".
  • Teegan Holloway for the quest “The Looting of Althalaxx” in Darkshore has had his respawn time decreased.
  • Warlord Thresh'jin for the quest "Out of the Ziggurat" in Eastern Plaguelands can now be looted by all players in a party.

 November 30

• Gamon is now immune to all forms of crowd control, uses the abilities Charge and Battle Shout, and wrecks adversaries with his new two-handed axe.
• Many loot tables for NPCs have been adjusted to provide the correct items and scaling.
• The Alchemy bonus from Flask of Steelskin now grants 120 Stamina, up from 80 Stamina, to keep it in-line with similar bonuses from other professions. This item will be available for players who activate a World of Warcraft: Cataclysm license. Please note the tooltip will still state it provides 80 Stamina until a client-side patch is applied.
• Many creatures in Uldaman were not awarding reputation upon death. This has been corrected.
• Wrathbone Reavers, Wrathbone Sorcerers, and Fallen Warriors no longer grant reputation in Pit of Saron.
• Players can again start the Thrall escape event in Caverns of Time: Old Hillsbrad regardless of quest status.
• The temporary guardian Basalt Rockling no longer drops from Balboa in Azshara.
• Magma-Lord Kolob in Burning Steppes no longer awards dungeon tabard reputation.
• The rest area for Tarren Mill is now correctly located in the inn.
• Golden Skeleton Key can no longer open lockboxes that requires a higher Lockpicking skill than 125.
• Bronjahm should once again drop Heroic-quality loot in Heroic Forge of Souls.
• Random, mean level 15 deer appeared in Teldrassil to the shock and awe of low-level players. They have been replaced with level 1 fawn.
• Gunships in Isle of Conquest should now work properly when a member of the opposite faction is on the gunship.
• It is no longer possible to bypass Fatigue beyond the borders of Dun Morogh (looking at you here, death knights).
• Classes
  • Druids
    • All ranks of Lifeblood are correctly granting the amount of Haste listed in their tooltips and are no longer affected by max health.
    • Ravage! is no longer consuming Clearcasting when it is used, and is only benefiting from Stampede.
  • Hunters
    • Trueshot Aura now functions correctly for level 39 hunters.
    • Hunter pets that were immortal can now be killed, flying pets no longer fly, and pets that were immobile after being tamed properly move.
    • Beetle and turtle pet armor is now consistent with other Tenacity pet armor.
    • Qiraji Scarabs from the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj are no longer able to be affected by the Mutate Bug buff after being tamed.
  • Mages
    • When Freeze misses or resists on the first target, but is successful on another target, the mage will correctly get the Fingers of Frost procs from the target successfully hit.
    • Applying a damage-over-time Fire spell to a target that is being tanked no longer causes that target to face the mage.
    • The effect of the talent Firestarter will no longer stop functioning when Molten Armor has only 30 minutes remaining when cast with Glyph of Armors active.
  • Paladins
    • Hammer of the Righteous now consistently hits all nearby targets, including those behind the paladin.
    • Hammer of the Righteous should now function correctly if used right as an auto-attack begins.
  • Priests
    • Holy Word: Sanctuary was healing for too much when used with Glyph of Prayer of Healing. This has been corrected.
  • Warlocks
    • Demon pets should now be receiving the appropriate contribution of the warlock's armor.
    • Blood Pact is now properly scaling with the levels of party members.
• Quests
  • Dungeon quests for level 1-60 dungeons on Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor now reward significantly less experience. Read more about this change here.
  • The event for "The Battle for Darrowshire" properly resets after a failed attempt and the Relic Bundle will correctly trigger the event again after a failed attempt.
  • Soldiers in Northwatch Foothold, Durotar now spawn more frequently.
  • Players should no longer get disconnected if they attempt to share a quest that isn't supposed to be sharable.
  • Players should still be able to interact with Orgus after offering a drink for the quest "Let's See What You've Got, Zanzil" on The Cape of Stranglethorn.
  • Ranger Glynda Nal'shea no longer has a duplicate personality appearing in Lor'danel, Darkshore.
  • Satchel of Helpful Goods should be rewarded when players complete Shadowfang Keep via the Looking For Dungeon system.
  • "The Secrets of Uldum" can be completed.
  • Margol the Rager in Searing Gorge now respawns in a much more reasonable timeframe.
  • Plainstriders in Northern Barrens now respawn considerably faster to meet the demand of their demise.
  • "One Draenei's Junk..." and "Kum'isha's Endeavors" can no longer be shared.
  • The quest item Enohar's Explosive Arrows for the quest "Curtail the Darktail" can now only be used on Darktail Bonepickers within Blasted Lands.
  • Mounted characters can now proceed through "Rise of the Brotherhood" in Westfall without any complications.
  • Buttonwillow's Hand Grenade from the quest "Remove Their Arms" can no longer be used outside of Blasted Lands.
  • Golems at the Grimesilt Dig Site in Searing Gorge should now respawn at a more reasonable rate.
  • Players should no longer experience a client crash when accepting the quest "A Destiny of Flame and Sorrow" in Felwood.

November 29

• Emalon the Storm Watcher is no longer despawning on death and his corpse can be looted normally.
• Rain of Chaos cast by the warlock versions of Severed Essence in Icecrown Citadel was doing substantially more damage than intended and has been adjusted.
• Cataclysm leather can no longer be skinned from low-level NPCs.
• Azure Watch flight master Zaldaan has been reminded that he should hate the Horde.
• Alchemists Flask bonus for Flask of Steelskin is now consistent with other profession's Stamina buffs.
• Characters that have Illustrious Grand Master Engineering are now able to use the Gnomish Army Knife without errors.
• Classes
  • Druids
    • It should no longer be possible for any druid to maintain the old talent Predatory Instincts.
  • Hunters
    • The free Aimed Shot from Master Marksman was dealing too little damage. It now deals the same or a little bit more damage than the base Aimed Shot.
    • Spirit Bond is now correctly applied when monkey or dog pets are active.
    • The Gorishi Fledgling Colossus is no longer immobile when tamed.
  • Paladins
    • Sanctuary now functions correctly for paladins below level 30 and no longer refunds talent points upon relogging or zoning.
    • Light of Dawn casts correctly and does not produce an error when it does not hit a targeted ally.
• Quests
  • The Bulging Sack of Gold rewarded upon completion of the quest "Forged Documents" now actually contains gold.
  • The Fireliminator X-21 quest item for the quest "When Science Attacks" is no longer able to be used outside of Azshara.
  • The Mad Magus Tirth's Soul effect from the quest "The Mad Magus" is now zone-bound to Thousand Needles.
  • Players can no longer receive Bloodsail Buccaneers reputation by killing Booty Bay Bruisers when phased after completing the quest "Doublerum".
  • General Grimaxe and his Dark Iron Golem should now correctly spawn for all players on the quest "Grimaxe's Demise".
  • Level 61+ players should now be able to complete the quest "Uther's Blessing" by using the item Chillwind Tribute at Uther's Tomb.
  • "A Mother's Worries" in Wetlands should now display quest text.
  • Players with the Enchanted Imp Sack aura from the quest "Do the Imp-Possible" in Felwood are no longer able to use their mount to carry passengers.
  • Skybreaker Recon Fighters are visible now and it is again possible to complete the quests "Keeping the Alliance Blind" and "Blinding the Eyes in the Sky" in Icecrown.
  • Banshee Essences can now be looted by all party members in Stratholme.
  • The Desolace quest "Satyrical Offerings" is no longer flagged for Cataclysm and can be obtained without the expansion.
  • The Southern Barrens quest "Segmentation Fault: Core Dumped" now correctly awards experience, money, and reputation upon completion.
  • Carrion Scarabs spawned by the Crypt Horrors in Eastern Plaguelands are now correctly level 40.
  • The quest "The Hunter's Way" is now first available at level 8, down from level 10.
  • The murlocs for the quest "Ever So Lonely" now correctly respawn as players capture them.

 November 24

• Players should now be able to champion a capital city and earn reputation in Heroic and normal level 80 Wrath of the Lich King dungeons while wearing that city's tabard.
• Players are no longer required to discover Wrath of the Lich King dungeons before accessing them via Looking For Dungeon.
• Players should no longer be interrupted when eating or drinking in a Battleground before the battle starts.
• Many former Steamwheedle goblins have switched over to the Gadgetzan faction. If a players happens to be "At War" with these NPCs, they will no longer attack in many areas.
• Collision has been removed from Argent Tournament banners so they can no longer block players.
• The door to the Alliance Keep in Isle of Conquest should again be closed at the beginning of the battle.
• Creatures spawned during the Hadronox encounter no longer award reputation.
• After changing races to tauren and learning the Sunwalker Kodo mounts, they now remain available after porting, zoning, and relogging.
• Trapjaw Rix no longer has a duplicate standing on top of himself.
• Players can no longer catch new high-level fish when fishing near level 80-85 zones unless the account is upgraded to Cataclysm.
• Classes
  • Death Knights
    • Death Strike now properly heals for 20% of the damage taken within the last 5 seconds, and Blood Presence now increases armor contribution from items by 30%, down from 60%.
  • Druids
    • The heal from Gift of the Earth Mother when the druid casts Rejuvenate is now gaining the correct benefit from Improved Rejuvenate.
  • Mages
    • Flame Orb will no longer attack PvP-flagged enemies unless the mage is already flagged for PvP combat.
  • Priests
    • The Empowered Shadow buff is no longer granted when a player cancels the Shadow Orb buff. Mind Blast correctly removes the Shadow Orb buff and grants Empowered Shadow.
    • The Glyph of Shadow Word: Death no longer provides the outdated 10% bonus damage to targets under 25% health when Shadow Word: Death is cast.
  • Warlocks
    • Bane of Havoc no longer persists when overwritten by another Bane.
• Quests
  • The quest "Reinforcements from Theramore" can now be obtained by Alliance players.
  • Players no longer keep the invisibility aura and the Hunting buff after logging out while in the wolf vehicle on the quest "The Wolf and the Kodo".
  • The quest "Diplomacy By Another Means" no longer auto-completes in the field.
  • The spawn rate for Frostmane Scavengers in Dun Morogh has been substantially increased.
  • Obtaining the achievement for completing quests in Silverpine now requires 55 quests, down from 60. The interface will still list it as 60 required quests until a client-side patch is applied.
  • Players should no longer get stuck in a phased state when attempting to complete the quest "To the Rescue!"
  • Players are now able to complete the quest “Uther’s Blessing” by using the item Chillwind Tribute at Uther’s Tomb.
  • Horde players are no longer able to obtain the Stormpike Insignia Rank 2 from Lieutenant Haggerdin while on the quest "Infiltration".
  • Experience granted by quests in Arathi Highlands has been increased.

 November 23

• Alterac Valley, Isle of Conquest, and Strand of the Ancients should no longer attempt to place players in a level 80-84 bracket.
• Players should no longer be disconnected from a realm when attempting to take an item out of the mail which has been marked for deletion.
• The title "Champion of [guildname]" can no longer be improperly awarded to players.
• The amount of gold received when converting Battleground Marks of Honor above the honor cap has been reduced to the intended amount.
• Classes
  • Druids
    • The damage done by the following abilities has been reduced by approximately 17%: Mangle (Bear), Maul, Lacerate, Pulverize, Swipe (Bear), Thrash.
  • Hunters
    • A second pet can no longer be summoned when the active pet is dead.
  • Mages
    • Arcane Concentration will not go on internal cooldown when it fails to proc.
    • The damage from Deep Freeze on stun-immune targets is now properly benefitting from Frostburn, including when increased by Mastery Rating on gear.
    • Frostfire Orb now correctly triggers Ignite on critical hits.
    • Pyroblast! made available by Hot Streak will no longer consume Clearcasting.
    • When Scorch is cast by a mage who has Improved Scorch Rank 2, it will no longer consume Clearcasting.
    • Shatter now only increases the chance for Molten Armor's damage to be a critical strike when the target is actually frozen, as intended.
  • Paladins
    • Glyph of Light of Dawn no longer incorrectly reduces the healing of Light of Dawn.
  • Priests
    • Prayer of Healing is now properly healing all of the target's party members, unless they are further than 30 yards away.
    • Twisted Faith no longer gives a 4% damage increase to Mind Flay when Shadow Word: Pain is active on a target.
  • Rogues
    • Envenom now properly scales with Potent Poisons.
  • Warlocks
    • Soul Fire will no longer consume both Empowered Imp and Soulburn when they are active. It will consume Empowered Imp and leave Soulburn still active.
  • Warriors
    • Shield Slam's damage has been reduced by about 28% at level 15, with less, but still noticeable reductions at higher levels.
• Quests
  • The Wayward Fire Elemental is now properly tracked on the mini-map for the quest "Ice and Fire".
  • Fishing daily quests in Stormwind and Orgrimmar have returned.
  • Players will now reach their flight destination properly for the quest "Fuselight, Ho!"
  • It is no longer possible to use all the charges on the Purified Moonwell Water at a single brazier for the quest "Dousing the Flames of Protection".
  • The tauren quest "Heeding the Call" has been removed from the game and is no longer improperly still being offered to players.