The WoW August 27 hotfixes reduce several pain points in the Venomous Abyss and repair progress toward PvP's Vicious Saddle reward. Blizzard published the update on August 28. Some changes may still require a scheduled realm restart, but the official list treats them as live hotfixes.
Vashnik the Malignant received the largest encounter change. On Raid Finder difficulty, Siphoning Infection and Siphon Blood now deal 33% less damage, while their healing effect was increased significantly. The healing reduction is now 80% instead of 100%, giving groups more room to recover during the mechanic.
Other raid fixes target The Twin Fangs and The Coiled Altar. Caustic Globule and Barbed Bulwark indicators should no longer disappear before their missiles land. Blizzard also fixed a problem that could leave Zul'jan impossible to kill in phase three after he reached one health at the end of the intermission.
Several classes received bug fixes rather than balance changes. Demon Hunter's Blur now uses its intended PvE damage reduction again, while Protection Paladin's Blessed Hammer can hit Ula'tek's Venomous Heart. Blizzard also corrected Deathstalker's Mark, Lifecinders, Emerald Communion and Destruction Warlock's Mayhem tracking.
The update restores progress toward the next Vicious Saddle and makes Contract: Zul'jarra's Forces apply across the full Warband. Writhe mounts were enlarged, and Sszorak's Ferocity now shows a smaller poison tornado only to the trinket wearer. Source: Official World of Warcraft source
Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment.