World of Warcraft: Forever received its first major hotfix patch to address a Tauren exploit in PvP battlegrounds. The Tauren racial passive Plainsrunning grants two percent movement speed per stack, stacking up to 30 times for a total 60 percent speed boost. Players exploited this by running back and forth during Warsong Gulch's preparation phase, then sprinting toward the enemy flag once the battleground started.
The hotfix prevents Plainsrunning stacks from building during the preparation phase. It also removes all stacks when a Tauren picks up the enemy flag and blocks new stacks while carrying it. Tauren warriors and druids could tank damage while moving at high speed, making them difficult to stop. The change keeps them faster than other classes early on but removes the extreme advantage.
The patch also decreased respawn time for NPC Deathstalker Erland, needed for an escort quest where players were waiting excessively. Supply vendors on Zephras Isle now stock tradeskill bags available in other starter zones.
World of Warcraft: Forever's launch earlier this week was described as one of the smoothest in the series' history, aside from broken boats and zeppelins.