Patch releases: Content, fixes, new abilities or all three?

[Malagus 0]

Good day everyone! I had a question regarding how patches work in this game. As an example, I'll use patch 1.11. That is the Naxx patch so we would obviously see that content. But that patch also massively adjusted mages and shamans. New abilities came out, other abilities were changed (sometimes significantly), etc. 

 

The question is: (1) Will the changes to the classes be in effect from launch, (2) will they go live when the patch goes out, or (3) will patches that change classes simply not apply at all, ever?

 

I was under the impression that patches that affected classes (at least early on) were generally to adjust balancing issues or to fix broken abilities. So it seems logical that all those changes would be in effect from day one since we know about those issues and we might as well fix them at launch. How did they do it in the past?

 

Thanks you all!

[Undertanker 88]

All class abilities, talents, mechanics will be from 1.12.1.

Only raid content, gear stats / availability, zone events will be gates behind the patches.

[Shaylin 6]

I believe that they are going to be an itemization based on 1.12.1, could be wrong though

Edited November 30, 2016 by Shaylin

[Jakira 22]

The game mechanics will be as per patch 1.12.1. The various patches focus mostly on items and instances available.

 

Debuff limit will be 8 at start and raised to 16 in the appropriate patch.

 

This means that druids will have Moonkin form and and Shield Slam is useful. Altering the spells, abilities and talents would require custom clients at each patch.