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One thing Final Fantasy XIV has always had over World of Warcraft is the lack of any public testing for its content. Without an active PTR cycle for its patches and expansions, the game remains a mystery until it gets into players’ hands. Being the main competitor of WoW, it is only natural that Blizzard would like not to have this shadow looming over it. The company seems to be making good on this promise via WoW Patch 10.2.6. This upcoming update will be the first untested patch in the history of retail World of Warcraft, and we have little information on what surprises are coming!
WoW Patch 10.2.6 – The First Untested Patch
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has always had something to test on the PTR since it launched. However, this has largely changed this month. Interestingly, the official roadmap for the retail version of the game listed a surprise WoW Patch 10.2.6 with only an image of a skull and crossbones.
Players have been speculating what this might mean for some time now. Blizzard employees have remained tight-lipped while spreading hype on social media. Now, Blizzard has pulled back the curtain on their plans for WoW Patch 10.2.6.
For the first time, the company is releasing an untested patch. This means that WoW Patch 10.2.6 will not have a PTR test cycle at all. Blizzard has stated their intent is to create a sense of surprise and discovery that isn’t datamined in advance. Early days in World of Warcraft did not have to contend with datamining, which meant the mystery of the world stayed alive a lot longer.
This patch aims to test the waters for content like this. Blizzard wants the community to discover the secrets upon release. What we can say is that WoW Patch 10.2.6 will include a unique event inspired by the community and is open to all with an active subscription.
Learning From WoW Classic Season of Discovery
Blizzard recognizes this is risky and will have some road bumps. However, it has learned much from the successful WoW Classic Season of Discovery. Much like the upcoming WoW Patch 10.2.6, SoD does not have a PTR testing cycle either. This allows players to discover its secrets in real time and not via datamining.
Players are still speculating whether or not the untested patch will involve pirates as the skull and bones graphic is usually representative of high-seas adventure. Here’s hoping there are some new mounts and rewards to collect! We can only guess until the patch is released in March.
World of Warcraft is available on PC.
