Indeed, the surest sign that WOW's Legion expansion is drawing near fast is the release of the patch which essentially sets the game up for the coming shake-up, the pre-expansion patch, which is set to go live later today. According to Blizzard, the said patch will comprise a rather wide variety of features and new content, and indeed, given the scale of the changes that Legion is set to deliver, all that and more is needed. More specifically, the patch is meant to tackle a number of issues/changes, including but not limited to quality-of-life tweaks, system changes and major in-game events. Some of the features introduced by the patch will become available immediately, others will be activated later, as required by the Legion launch schedule.
One of the immediate effects of the patch will concern classes and their specs, which will be impacted immediately. As a result of these changes, players will find it easier to change specializations, based on the played content. The Transmogrification Collections system will be changed as well. Those who pre-purchase Legion will have the new Demon Hunter class unlocked, sometime towards the middle of next month.
Abusive and generally inappropriate chat will take a major blow through the patch, which will activate the so called "Silence Penalty" that will essentially silence abusers directly, not allowing them to use chat for a set period of time, depending on the gravity of the committed offense.
Legion is set to go live on August 30, so those pre-purchasing the game will indeed have plenty of time to master the ins and outs of the Demon Hunter class before everyone gains access to it.
Philip Thalberg moderates the Overwatch forums at the world's top destination for eSports and competitive gaming.