Wall of Text notes are up.

And here’s what they’re doing to sentinel/marauder watchman/annihilation:

• Annihilate now deals more damage and costs 4 Rage.
• Vicious Throw and Annihilate now have a 25/50/75 percent chance and Vicious Slash now have a 15/30/45 percent chance to trigger Pulverize, which finishes the active cooldown of Rupture.
• Indefatigable Onslaught now also makes the Damager Over Time effects from Rupture and Deadly Saber uncleansable.
• Hemorrhage now increases the damage dealt by burning effects by 7/14/21 percent (up from 2/4/6 percent).

Clearly slight buffs.  They seem to have backed off the original plan to remove RNG entirely from watchman/annihilation, which is fine, and instead upped the rage of RNG procs.  It’s not a terribad RNG.

 Deadly Saber now requires Juyo Form to be active.

Translation: bye dotsmash spec.

Next, changes to operations via the group finder:

• Players who are defeated in an Operation now have the option to spawn inside of the instance when all other players in the group are out of combat.
• Players accessing Operations through Group Finder will now be Bolstered to an appropriate gear rating while inside the Operation. This Bolster effect will also provide increased incoming healing and increased shield chance and shield absorb.
• Operations in Group Finder will now group players for the 16-Player Story Mode version of the Operation.
• The Operation category of the Group Finder now rotates through a different available Operation every 2 or 3 days. The currently available Operation, the time remaining and the next available Operation can be accessed through the Group Finder panel.
• Dread Fortress and Dread Palace have been added to the Operation rotation.
• Rewards for completing content via the Group Finder have been improved!
  • Operations:
    • Upgraded to 30 Ultimate Commendations at Level 55.
    • Upgraded to 25 Elite Commendations between Levels 50-54.

Now we’re cookin!  Easier to put together a group, less chance of wiping because some idiot is wearing inappropriate gear, better rewards, and rezzing inside the instance saves time after a wipe (and makes it slightly less likely that the group will just disband in frustration).

Double XP Week (not weekend)

Progress faster with a Double XP Week! Get twice the experience from July 1st 07:00 GMT to July 8th 07:00 GMT.

You mean they’re actually recognizing that people have lives and can’t necessarily spend 3 days glued to a screen?  Shocked.

The Gray Secant has returned from its travels! Participate in the Relics of the Gree event from July 22nd 12:00 GMT to July 29th 12:00 GMT.

Let me get this straight… The gree haven’t been back since… forever.  And they’ve recently added off hand legacy items, so there’s even more incentive to do the Gree stuff.  But they’re planning the event for one week only… in July.  Because nobody will possibly be on vacation during a week in July!  Would two weeks kill you people?

Now, you say, Double XP is also for only a week in July – and on a long weekend when people are most likely out of town BBQing.  This is true, but we’ve had… 3? or so double XP weekends since the last time we saw the Gree.  So it’s not exactly rare anymore.  Plus, the Gree rewards are far more desirable than power leveling your 4th alt quickly, in my opinion.

Other than that, there’s a dress I want in the next pack.  Must save up.

What do you think of Patch 2.8?