14 DAY TRIAL // Blizzard has confirmed that patch 5.4 for World of Warcraft will introduce a special new location called the Proving Grounds, which allows players to test out their abilities in a simulated environment for all sorts of great loot.
World of Warcraft hasn't been doing so well in recent months, as after another sharp decrease in subscribers, its Auction House was hacked through the mobile armory application.
Now, the company is preparing a new patch in the form of update 5.4, which is set to debut a fresh location in the Temple of the White Tiger, called the Proving Grounds.
The new experience allows level 90 players to test their skills in different roles, like Tank, Damage, or Healer, all in a simulated environment.
"To get started, you’ll need to talk with an NPC in the Temple of the White Tiger in Kun-Lai Summit or class trainer, who'll grant you entrance to the instance. Upon entering the Proving Grounds, your gear will be scaled down much like it is in Challenge Modes. Depending on the role you choose, you may not have to go it alone," the studio said on its blog.
Each role has a different challenge ahead and non-playable characters controlled by the AI will help in battle to fulfill the other critical roles. Check out the descriptions of the different tests below.
"Tank: You will be tasked with protecting an NPC from oncoming waves of enemies, which will test your tanking skills in various ways. Fear not, though—a friendly NPC will assist by healing you and damaging the enemies."
"Damage: Sometimes you just have to go it alone. You'll melt the usual faces, while handling a variety of mechanics including interrupting heals, chasing down runners, timing cooldowns, avoiding harmful mechanics, and more."
"Healer: Four NPCs will join you to form a full party. It will take a special healing touch to keep your friends alive, as you work together to face the challenges of attacking enemies."
The Proving Grounds experience is available in four different modes: bronze, silver, gold, and endless. In order to progress through them, you must complete the previous one. Depending on the level of the challenge, the loot earned will be upgraded.
World of Warcraft patch 5.4 is already available on the Public Test Realm.