Armory updates

Armory updates are official updates posted by Blizzard to the Armory online feature.
== January 2010 ==
=== January 13th ===
;3D Model Viewer
:Every character profile now has a 3D model viewer that displays the character in his or her currently equipped gear, and accurately displays the character's physical features, hairstyle, and helm/cloak display as they appear in-game. Mousing over the character model window brings up a control panel with the following controls (try it now with the character to the right!):
:* Camera controls: To rotate the camera around a character, click and hold the left mouse button while moving the mouse left and right, or click the arrow buttons in the top left of the window. To zoom in and out, use the mouse wheel while hovering over the character window, or click the zoom buttons in the top left of the window. To move the character within the frame, right-click and drag the character in the window (or on the small square in the bottom left corner of the window).
:* Animations: Each character has a selection of animations that they can perform. Use the arrows next to the animation's name to cycle through them. The available animations are determined by the character's class and currently equipped weapons.
:* Capture pose: If you are logged in, you can set the default pose of any character on your account. Use the camera and animation controls to create a pose, then click the save icon to set it as the default. All visitors to the character's profile will then see the character in that pose.
:* Play controls: The rewind, pause, and fast forward buttons allow you to fine-tune a pose for a character.
:* Fullscreen mode: You can view the character in a fullscreen display against a selection of backgrounds. All controls will continue to function in fullscreen mode.
:* Embed: You can embed a standalone, interactive version of the character's model viewer in a compatible website, such as a social networking site, guild website, or forum.
:* Options: Extra options include selecting a background in fullscreen mode and toggling the display of a character's helm, cloak, or tabard.
:Refer to the Character Sheet FAQ for more details.
;Character and Calendar Feeds
:You can export your character information and calendar events to other websites and applications using the Armory's new customization tools. These features can be accessed through a logged-in character profile or through the Armory's main navigation menu.
:* Character Activity Feeds: Each character's activity feed shows the most recent in-game actions of the character that can be recorded by the Armory. These include achievements, boss kills, item acquisitions, and more. Character feeds can be customized using our customization tool, then exported as RSS feeds to your RSS reader of choice. Refer to the Character Feed FAQ for more details.
:* Player Calendar Feeds: Another new Armory tool allows you to export in-game player calendar data to online calendars such as Google Calendar. The tool can aggregate up to five characters on your account in a single feed, and is automatically synched with the characters' in-game player calendars. Refer to the Calendar Feed FAQ for more details.
== July 2009 ==
=== July 15th ===
; Introducing the World of Warcraft Mobile Armory
: Ever wanted to check your raid schedule, look up a piece of PvP gear, or concoct a new talent spec while on the go? The World of Warcraft Mobile Armory app for iPhone™ and iPod touch® lets you access the official Armory database from anywhere you have a mobile connection, and features much of the same functionality as the Armory website, including:
:*Search for and view any character, item, guild, or Arena team in World of Warcraft.
:*Access your in-game calendar of events.
:*View achievement-point leaderboards.
:*Plan out talent specs using the fully functional talent calculator.
:The World of Warcraft Mobile Armory is available now as a free download from the Apple App Store. For more information, visit the Mobile Armory page.
== June 2009 ==
=== June 30th ===
; Character profile enhancements
:The Armory's character profiles have received several improvements:
:* Hunter Pet talent trees: Hunter character profiles now display their pets' talent specializations. The currently viewed pet can be selected from a drop-down menu on the hunter's talent page that includes the pet's in-game name and creature type.
:* Hunter Pet Calculator: The Armory's Talent Calculator includes a new Pet Calculator tab that displays the three possible talent trees for pets. Each talent tree (Ferocity, Tenacity, and Cunning) is accompanied by a grouping of the creature types that use them.
:* The reputation page has been redesigned with collapsible subcategories and a new "Listed View" that displays all of a character's reputations in a single list which can then be sorted by reputation level and name.
== April 2009 ==
=== April 24th ===
; Patch 3.1 changes and additions
:Dual Talent Specializations and Ulduar items highlight the new content and functionality of Patch 3.1: Secrets of Ulduar. The Armory has been updated to reflect the changes:
:* Dual Talent Specializations: Character profiles support this new feature, which allow you to quickly switch between two talent specializations in-game. Both specializations are displayed in the profile itself, and can be viewed on the character's talent tab along with their corresponding glpyhs.
:* Character profiles have been reorganized to highlight relevant information more prominently, such as a character's achievement points. In addition, glyphs are now viewable on character profiles.
:* Many new items have been added to the Armory's Item Database, including those that drop from the Ulduar raid dungeon. As always, new items need to be "discovered" by being acquired in-game by at least one person before they appear on the Armory.
:* The Player Calendar has been updated to reflect the new in-game method of signing up for Guild events.
== March 2009 ==
=== March 26th ===
; Battle.net accounts
:The Armory now supports the recently-released Battle.net Account. Beginning with World of Warcraft, the new Battle.net account grants access to Blizzard Entertainment games, websites, and online services - all with a single e-mail address and password.
:Once you have merged a World of Warcraft account into a Battle.net account, you can log in to the Armory using the Battle.net account's login information. If you have multiple World of Warcraft accounts merged into the Battle.net account, you can access login-protected content of characters on each account without having to log in and out repeatedly.
:For more details on the Battle.net account, refer to the Battle.net Account FAQ.
=== March 12th ===
; Arena records
:Every Arena team profile on the Armory now includes tabs for Arena Records. The Arena Records are comprised of Match History, Match Reports, and Opponent History. These new tools allow you to track and measure the performance of every Arena team in World of Warcraft.
:*The Match History tab displays every Arena match in an interactive graph. Mousing over the graph displays when the match took place, the rating change from the outcome, and the name of the opposing team. Below this graph is a searchable, sortable display of every arena match the team has participated in during the current season.
:*From Match History, click the button to the right of any match result to view its detailed Match Report. This page shows the same results and statistics that appeared in-game – the team rosters, killing blows, damage and healing done, and rating change.
:*The Opponent History tab displays all the team’s Arena matches in a slightly different format; by listing each match by the opponent team name. The columns on this page are dependent on the opponent team – statistics such as average change per match, win percentage versus each team, and total wins and losses versus each team.
:For more details, visit the respective FAQs for these new tools: Match History, Opponent History, and Match Reports.
== November 2008 ==
=== November 25th ===
; Achievements
:Player achievements and statistics are now viewable on Armory character profiles. These new pages are designed to appear and function much like their corresponding interface in-game, with some additional features unique to the Armory.
:* To navigate between categories, simply click on the category or subcategory name on the left-side menu.
:* The ability to compare achievements and statistics between multiple characters is expanded to allow you to compare up to four characters, even across realms.
:* To compare multiple characters, simply click the tab labeled “Add Character to Compare” at the top right of the Achievements or Statistics interface. Enter the name and realm of the character you wish to compare to the one you are currently viewing. The second character’s portrait and achievements will appear next to the original one. You can add multiple characters in this manner, and can compare up to four characters at one time.
; Wrath of the Lich King Armory design changes
:The Armory has undergone changes to its design, affecting its overall look and functionality. Here are some of the notable changes:
:*The main Armory page now has a new, more streamlined look. A news feed displays recent Armory news as well as region-first achievements. After logging in, the news feed also displays realm-first achievements on the main character’s realm.
:*Armory logins now persist for two weeks before expiring, and closing the Armory window no longer logs out of the Armory.
:*New drop-down menus under the main search field direct you to common search categories, such as for Arena rewards from a particular season, items from tradeskills such as gems and glyphs, and so on.
=== November 13th ===
; Wrath of the Lich King New armory features
:With the release of Wrath of the Lich King, we've added several new features and improvements to the World of Warcraft Armory:
:*Death Knights: The Armory now supports death knight characters, icons, and talents.
:*Sigils: You can now find these special death knight items in the items search.
:*New PvP Rewards: The expansion's new PvP rewards are now included in the item database.
:*New Factions: You'll encounter many new faces on your journeys in Northrend, and you can now view these new factions in the Armory.
:*Miscellaneous items: Emblems of Valor rewards, Emblems of Heroism rewards and Heirlooms are all now viewable in the Armory as well.
== October 2008 ==
=== October 14th ===
; New login-protected feature Player calendar
:The Armory now supports the new Player Calendar, one of the new features added to the game in patch 3.0.2: Echoes of Doom. The Player Calendar allows players to create their own events such as raids, arena matches, and guild meetings, and keep track of the many activities in the worlds of Azeroth and Outland.
:Every player can access their calendar from the Armory via the new "Calendar" tab that has been added to character profiles. You can browse your calendar in the same way that you can in-game. In addition, you can respond to events through the Armory’s calendar interface – which will then become effective in-game.
:Like guild banks, player calendars are a login-protected feature. Before you can access your calendar you will be taken to a separate login screen, similar to the one that displays when attempting to access Account Management. Enter your World of Warcraft account name and password in the fields to access the calendars of the characters on your account. In addition, several changes have been made to the Armory Login process, including the ability to bookmark multiple character profiles.
:For more information on the Armory's Player Calendar, refer to our features list or the Armory Calendar FAQ. For more information on the new Armory login, refer to the Armory Login FAQ.
; Player calendar interface
:The Armory’s new player calendar support allows you to view the in-game calendar of every character on the World of Warcraft account you use. Here are some of the features of the Armory’s player calendar:
:*The player calendar can be accessed by clicking the "Calendar" tab on a character profile. Clicking this tab will take you to a login screen, where you will be prompted to enter your World of Warcraft account name and password.
:*On the top right of the Armory, a notification window appears if you have pending invitations and upcoming events.
:*Switch between the different characters on your account under the redesigned Options menu on the top right of the Armory. This menu also allows you to select what characters you wish to display in the new drop-down character select menu.
:*The main calendar interface is similar to as it appears in-game. Click the arrows next to the month name to switch between months. Clicking on an event itself brings up that event’s detailed information window.
:*An event’s information window contains its name, time, description, and list of invitees as they appear in-game. The right side of the panel displays a tally of classes where the player has a status of either Accepted or Confirmed for that event.
:*If you are invited to a given event, the date of that event will appear with a large question mark and the buttons to take action on the event will be active. Accept or Decline the invitation to change your status accordingly, or Remove it to remove it from your calendar.
::These status changes will take effect in-game.
:*Player-created events display with custom background images befitting the nature of the event. For example, an event for a Black Temple raid displays a picture of Illidan Stormrage.
:*The "Filters" menu allows you to toggle the display of various categories of recurring events such as battleground holidays and raid resets.
; Patch 3.0.2 changes and additions
:Besides the Player Calendar, many changes have been implemented to reflect the new content and functionality of Patch 3.0.2:
:*Game mechanic changes: Character profiles and item tooltips should reflect the changes to character and item statistics including the consolidation of bonus spell damage and healing into Spellpower, and the combination of other previously differentiated physical and spell bonuses into a single statistic each.
:*Character talent trees have been updated to reflect the many changes in 3.0.2, including the new 51-point talents.
:*Glyphs: The new items associated with the Inscription profession are now searchable in the Armory.
:*A small assortment of new Honor Rewards has been added to the item database.
== April 2008 ==
=== April 23rd ===
; Arena tournament additions
:New features supporting the 2008 Arena Tournament have been added to the Armory:
:*The Arena Tournament ladder is updated daily with the latest standings from the Tournament realms. The new Coliseum 1 battlegroup is selectable from the Arena Ladders page.
:*Team and character profiles for every Tournament character and arena team are searchable on the Armory. The PvP information on the character profiles is highlighted more prominently than for profiles on the live realms.
:For more information on the 2008 Arena Tournament, please visit the Arena Tournament Information page.
== November 2007 ==
=== November 15th ===
; New login-protected feature Guild banks
:A new Guild Bank system has been introduced to World of Warcraft. There are two new tabs on the Guild page that are devoted to Guild Banks. This is the first "protected area" of the Armory which requires additional security measures to access.
:Thus, attempting to access these tabs will take you to a separate login screen, similar to the one that displays when attempting to access Account Management.
:Enter your World of Warcraft account name and password in the fields to access the Guild Banks of the characters on your account. Your character must have been granted guild bank permissions by your guild master to view the contents and transaction logs of your Guild Bank.
:Learn more about this new login process at the Armory Login FAQ.
; Guild bank contents
:The Bank Contents page displays a grid depicting the contents of the character's guild bank, along with a search results section. Here are the features of the page:
:*The slots of the grid are labeled with a basic coordinate system which is referenced by the search results below.
:*Each guild bank has a maximum of six tabs of storage slots. The default view of the contents page is the first tab of the guild bank. To switch between tabs, click the icons below the grid.
:*Not all tabs may be displayed, as the guild leader must purchase them in succession for them to become available.
:*The search results section below allows you to see the contents of the bank in a sortable list. You can sort the items by name, type, subtype, page, and slot by clicking the column headers, and navigate between results pages with the arrow buttons.
:*The "Slot" column in the results section refers to the coordinates of the bank slot on the grid.
:*The drop-down menus are a different method to search for items in the guild bank of a particular quality, type, subtype, and slot. The name search field finds all items in the bank containing the text string you enter.
; Guild bank log
:In the Bank Log, you can view and search the record of every transaction that has occurred within your Guild Bank. Here are the features of the page:
:*In the default view, the results section displays all transactions in the most recent “group” of transactions, sorted by date and time.
:*Each group is comprised of over one thousand transactions. If you have multiple transaction groups in your bank log, you can click the arrows near the results list to navigate between groups.
:*Click the arrows at the top and bottom right of the results to navigate between pages of results in the group you are viewing.
:*The actual transactions you can see in a given group are limited by your guild bank permissions. Thus, it is possible to see far fewer transactions in a given group than actually were recorded during that period of time.
:*The results of the group you are viewing can be sorted by name, rank, origin, action, destination, item, and date.
:*You can search by character, date, type of transaction, or any combination of the above in your current group of transactions – narrow your search for fast and efficient results.
:*Selecting any of the filters narrows your search in real time – you should see the list of results instantaneously reflect your selections.
:*The two name search fields (for character and item names) find all matches containing the text string you enter.
:*The tooltips for items in the Bank Log do not display any permanent enchants or socketed gems that may be on those items.
:*Click "Reset Filters" to restore the default view.
; Miscellaneous guild page improvements
:Besides the addition of Guild Banks, there have been general improvements to Guild page functionality:
:*On the Guild Roster pages, new name and level range text fields as well as drop-down menus allow for more streamlined, focused sorting of guild members.
:*On the Guild Bank pages, your guild's actual rank titles will be displayed after logging in to view these pages. They can be seen on the Guild Log page, in both the transaction log itself as well as in the drop-down menu to filter by guild rank.
:*All guild pages now display the guild's actual tabard design at the top of the page.
:*A guild's Message of the Day and Guild Information can be seen on the Guild Bank pages. Like Guild Bank information, this is a login-protected feature.
== September 2007 ==
=== September 25th ===
; Browser search plugin
:Searching the Armory just got even more convenient!
:With the click of a button, add the World of Warcraft Armory search field to your browser for instant Armory access from anywhere on the web! Currently supported browsers are Firefox, Internet Explorer 7, and Opera.
; Arena calculator
:The Arena Calculator is a tool that allows you to do a number of helpful calculations for when and how you can spend your arena points. You can calculate the number of arena points you'll receive each week based on your team's rating, and you can calculate exactly how long it will take you to earn enough points to purchase an item you want. Choose one of the three useful calculators to help you answer the following questions:
:*How many arena points will I earn this week?
:*What's the average rating I'll need to get my desired arena reward?
:*When can I expect to get my desired arena reward?
:For your convenience, if you have a profile bookmarked, many of the fields in the calculator will be automatically populated with your current arena statistics (Opera and Safari currently not supported).
:On the right side of the page you'll find an arena reward cost cheat sheet for quick reference. At the bottom of the page you'll find the exact mathematical formula used in the rating calculator, as well as an explanation of how arena ratings and points work in general.
== August 2007 ==
=== August 21st ===
; Miscellaneous improvements
:Along with the Armory's first major optimization, the following minor specific improvements have also been implemented:
:*In a results page for "find an upgrade," a "sockets" column has been added that displays the change in number of sockets of each item on that page over the queried item.
:*Certain classes are now more closely associated with the weapon types they currently have equipped when using the "find an upgrade" feature. For example, if a rogue has a dagger equipped and uses the "find an upgrade" feature, daggers will be given higher relevance than other weapon types in the search results.
; Armory optimization Phase one
: The first phase of our comprehensive Armory optimization is now live. The goal of this ongoing optimization is to increase performance, functionality, and intuitiveness across the board. The first phase includes the following specific improvements:
:*Improved paging and column sorting: Switching pages when viewing a results page, such as a guild roster or item search, now responds much more quickly without refreshing the entire window. This near-instant refresh also occurs when clicking to sort the results by a particular column in a search results page. This improved paging and sorting occurs on every results page except for the Arena ladders.
:*Improved right panel display: After performing a search and navigating to a character profile, the panel on the right side of the Armory now defaults to that character's guild roster, rather than displaying the original list of search results. The Armory will now also remember what page of the right panel was last displayed when navigating back and forth from the profile.
:*Faster item tooltips: The tooltips that appear when mousing over items in a character profile or an item search results page are now much more responsive.
:*Open Armory links in new windows/tabs: Now you can open links from the Armory in their own tabs or windows for quick comparisons between profiles, items, search results, and more. Right-click the link you wish to expand and select the desired option.
:*XML file size reduction: The XML files used by the Armory have been optimized for speed, partly by streamlining the amount of code in the files. As a result, third-party sites that mine Armory data may need to make adjustments to account for the new file configurations.
:*Many general speed and performance fixes: General performance has been greatly improved in the areas of response time, loading time, and memory usage.
:We hope you enjoy the improvements. As always, check the Updates page for details on the latest additions and refinements to the Armory.
== June 2007 ==
=== June 4th ===
; Find an upgrade
:Mousing over any item in a character profile will display a small arrow that turns into a button.
:Clicking this "Find an Upgrade" button will take you to an item search results page. On this page will be a list of items that may be considered upgrades for that item and for that particular character.
:These recommended upgrades will take into account the character's class, statistics, and overall gear quality. In this manner, you can look for upgrades for your character's items as well as for any other character in World of Warcraft. This feature is also intended to be helpful for characters with multiple gear sets, as they can find upgrades for all their sets.
:Read more at our Find an Upgrade FAQ.
; "Desired by" filters
:Found on the Advanced Items Search page, the "Desired By" filters attempt to use the most sought after stats of individual character classes to provide quick, useful results.
:The "Desired By" filters appear after selecting an item type from the appropriate drop-down menu.
:Each class has their own filter, and some classes have an extra filter that further sorts by character specialization.
:After selecting an item type, select the inventory slot you wish you search for. The filter is best used after selecting a particular item type and slot.
:A search with only item type, slot, and a desired by filter specified will result in a list of results that are weighted by what these character classes would tend to search for in items.
:In this manner, you can find a "master list" of the most sought-after items for every class in each inventory slot.
== External links ==
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