November 21 Hotfixes: Season 3 Mythic+ and PvP Tuning

Key Takeaways

Blizzard's November 21, 2023 hotfixes rebalanced the Season 3 Mythic+ pool: Atal'Dazar was pushed up in difficulty while Murozond's Rise and Throne of the Tides were eased.
Atal'Dazar's required enemy forces rose, and its bosses Yazma and Priestess Alun'za had their mechanics tuned tighter.
A sweeping PvP pass pulled burst from Havoc Demon Hunter, Mistweaver Monk, and the Rogue specs while boosting Fire Mage, Frost Mage, and Elemental Shaman damage.
Rare elites in the Forbidden Reach, Zaralek Cavern, and the Emerald Dream began awarding raid-group credit, and unpulled ones now despawn after 15 minutes.
Season 3 Duelist and Elite PvP gear item levels increased from all sources.
The reward Ivy was added for the "Don't Let the Doe Hit You On the Way Out" achievement.

On November 21, 2023, Blizzard delivered one of the larger tuning batches of Patch 10.2 "Guardians of the Dream." The Dragonflight Season 3 Mythic+ pool got its first real rebalance a week into the season, and a broad PvP pass reshaped the rated meta. This recap covers the dungeon tuning, the PvP changes, and the quality-of-life fixes that shipped alongside them.

Season 3 Mythic+ Dungeon Tuning

Through the opening week of Season 3, Murozond's Rise and Throne of the Tides were running too hard while Atal'Dazar cleared too easily. Blizzard's tuning targeted those gaps rather than blanket-nerfing the pool.

Atal'Dazar was pushed up overall. Its required enemy forces count rose, Yazma's Wracking Pain could no longer be interrupted and stopped counting as a curse in Mythic Keystone difficulty, and Priestess Alun'za's Corrupted Blood ticked faster at every 2.5 seconds instead of every 3. A few spike abilities were smoothed at the same time: Dazar'ai Juggernaut's Merciless Assault and Dinomancer Kish'o's Deadeye Aim each lost 25% damage, and T'lonja's Frenzied Charge became avoidable in exchange for hitting harder if it connected.

Murozond's Rise and Throne of the Tides came down. In Murozond's Rise, Chrono-Lord Deios lost 10% health and 20% off Infinite Corruption, while Tyr, the Infinite Keeper had several absorb and damage values reduced. In Throne of the Tides, Blizzard cut the number of Unstable Corruption spawns, dropped Vicious Snap Dragon and Gilgoblin Aquamage health by 20%, and softened several of Ozumat's hits.

The remaining pool got lighter touches: Darkheart Thicket trimmed Oakheart's Crushing Grip throw damage and Maddening Roar's per-stack scaling, Galakrond's Fall slowed its Necrotic Outburst and defanged Tainted Sands, Black Rook Hold capped the Felspite Dominator's Sic Bats! at four bats, and Waycrest Manor stopped Dinner Bell from silencing pets. The Everbloom was left untouched in this batch. Season 3's pool has long since rotated out, but the Mythic+ grind never stops; players chasing a current key range can Compare our Mythic+ dungeon carries.

PvP Tuning Across the Roster

The PvP block was where most players felt the patch. Blizzard leaned on the burst specs that had defined the early Season 3 ladder and gave several casters room to answer them.

On the way down, Havoc Demon Hunter lost the most: Inertia's damage bonus fell from 18% to 12%, Essence Break from 65% to 50%, and The Hunt, Elysian Decree, and Fel Barrage all shed damage. Mistweaver Monk's Rising Sun Kick dropped 36% and Tiger Palm 20% in PvP combat, and the Rogue specs were reined in through cuts to Assassination's Kingsbane and Subtlety's Perforated Veins. Restoration Druid's Lifebloom healing and Grove Guardians were reduced as well.

On the way up, the casters gained ground. Fire Mage saw Fireball climb from a 12% to a 30% increase and Scorch double to 100%, Frost Mage's Frozen Orb jumped from 30% to 75% and Ice Lance from 15% to 35%, and Elemental Shaman's Lightning Bolt rose from a 45% to a 67% increase with Icefury up 85%. Shadow Priest picked up a flat 8% across all abilities, and Marksmanship Hunter traded Rapid Fire output for stronger Arcane and Chimaera Shots. Rated ladders reset every season, and climbers who want a head start can See our PvP rating pushes.

Achievements, Creatures, and Gear

Outside combat tuning, the batch cleaned up several open-world and reward issues. Rare elites in the Forbidden Reach, Zaralek Cavern, and the Emerald Dream had not been awarding credit to players in raid groups, which was fixed. Unpulled rare elites in the Forbidden Reach and Zaralek Cavern now despawn after 15 minutes unless a player is right next to them, cutting down on tap-blocking.

Beast Mastery Hunter's Beast Cleave and Kill Cleave started logging correctly when the Hunter was buffed by an Augmentation Evoker, and Blizzard raised the item levels of Season 3 Duelist and Elite PvP gear from all sources. On the achievement side, Ivy was added as a reward for completing "Don't Let the Doe Hit You On the Way Out."

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the November 21 hotfixes go live?

Blizzard published the batch on November 21, 2023, roughly a week into Dragonflight Season 3 under Patch 10.2 "Guardians of the Dream." The Mythic+ and PvP tuning applied server-side, with some entries requiring scheduled realm restarts.

Was Atal'Dazar made harder or easier?

Harder overall. Atal'Dazar had been the easiest key in the Season 3 pool, so Blizzard raised its required enemy forces, made Yazma's Wracking Pain uninterruptible, and sped up Priestess Alun'za's Corrupted Blood, while trimming a couple of the dungeon's biggest single hits.

Which Mythic+ dungeons were nerfed?

Murozond's Rise and Throne of the Tides took the largest reductions because both were overtuned for the first week. Chrono-Lord Deios, Tyr, the Infinite Keeper, Ozumat, and the Throne of the Tides trash all had health or damage values lowered.

What were the biggest PvP changes?

Havoc Demon Hunter was the headline nerf, losing bonus damage on Inertia, Essence Break, and The Hunt. On the other side, Fire Mage, Frost Mage, and Elemental Shaman all gained meaningful damage, shifting the rated meta toward casters for the rest of the season.

Did the rare-elite fix affect the Emerald Dream?

Yes for credit, no for despawns. Rare elites in the Forbidden Reach, Zaralek Cavern, and the Emerald Dream all started awarding raid-group credit. The 15-minute despawn timer for unpulled rares applied only to the Forbidden Reach and Zaralek Cavern.

What reward came from the Doe achievement?

Ivy was added as the reward for "Don't Let the Doe Hit You On the Way Out." The hotfix listed it as a reward attached to the achievement, part of the batch's cleanup of missing or misassigned rewards.

Last reviewed 2026-07-03 against Patch 10.2 "Guardians of the Dream." Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.