Blizzard releases guild flask and cauldron hotfixes

We've recently implemented a number of hotfixes directly related to guild achievements, flasks, and cauldrons. When first designing the guild achievements, we overestimated the number of flasks that guilds would be able to make by the time they reached guild level 10, and set the number of Cataclysm flasks required for the two related guild achievements to 10,000 (Mix Master) and 25,000 (Better Leveling Through Chemistry). In reality, most guilds have made fewer flasks than we had originally anticipated they would at this point in guild progression, and many players will soon be unlocking a guild perk (Chug-A-Lug) directly related to cauldrons and flasks.

Today, we've applied a few hotfixes to help bring these flask-related achievements in line with what we had originally intended:

• Mix Master now requires your guild to craft 1,000 Cataclysm flasks (down from 10,000).
• Better Leveling Through Chemistry now requires your guild to craft 3,000 Cataclysm flasks (down from 25,000).

We felt it was important to implement these changes as a hotfix rather than waiting for the next content patch, as many guilds will be unlocking the Chug-A-Lug perk this weekend. Please note that while the new values are already in effect, the in-game tooltips will not reflect these changes until the next client patch. If your guild has already reached the new requirement, you'll receive the achievement as soon as someone in your guild creates a new flask.

In addition, we've made a couple other cauldron-related changes:

• To ensure the Big Cauldron of Battle attained from Better Leveling Through Chemistry feels like a substantial upgrade over the "regular" version, the number of flasks it generates has been increased from 17 to 20.
• Both cauldrons now last 10 minutes (up from 5).

If you're unfamiliar with guild cauldrons, here's a quick breakdown of how they work:

• Unlocking the Recipes: Guilds can unlock the Cauldron of Battle alchemy recipe by completing the Mix Master achievement, and the Big Cauldron of Battle recipe by completing the Better Leveling Through Chemistry achievement. Buying either recipe from the guild vendor costs 150 gold and requires you to have reached honored reputation with your guild and an Alchemy skill of 525.
• Creating the Cauldrons: A Cauldron of Battle is a soulbound, one-time use item that requires a mix of 4 Cataclysm flasks and 8 Deathblood Venom to create. When the alchemist places a cauldron on the ground, up to 7 Flasks of Battle can be conjured from it before it's exhausted. While these flasks are tradable, they cannot be sold on the Auction House and will be removed from your inventory if you log out for 15 minutes -- just like mage food. When consumed, the flask automatically gives you the most appropriate buff for your class and spec for 1 hour. The Big Cauldron of Battle works just the same, only it requires a mix of 12 Cataclysm flasks and yields 20 flasks rather than 7.
• Guild Perk Benefits: As guilds level up, they'll receive perks that affect these cauldrons and flasks. At guild level 10, you earn the guild perk Chug-A-Lug, which increases the duration of Flasks of Battle by 50% -- meaning flasks from guild cauldrons will now last 1.5 hours instead of one. At guild level 20, the Happy Hour perk increases the number of flasks conjured from a guild cauldron by 50% (i.e.10 from a Cauldron of Battle instead of 7; 30 from a Big Cauldron of Battle instead of 20). Finally, at guild level 22, you'll earn an improved version of Chug-A-Lug, which increases the duration of Flasks of Battle by 100%, bringing it up to 2 hours.

We appreciate all the feedback we've received so far on the Guild Perk system, and we'll continue to make improvements to ensure it's a fun and rewarding endeavor.