The Project Epoch team shared their April 2025 development progress, focusing on crucial behind-the-scenes work as they prepare for launch.
Bug Squashing & Core Polish
Significant headway was made in bug fixing, with 154 issues closed. The open issue count now stands at 1,417, with 28 considered launch-blocking (a net increase of 5 launch blockers after re-categorization by the QA team). The team is pleased with this progress, especially with QA verifying all unconfirmed reports. Key developers will focus almost exclusively on launch-blocking bugs in May.
Website 2.0 Nears Completion
Development on "Website 2.0" is in its final phase, with a strong emphasis on responsive design for mobile and tablet users (over 41% of visitors). Magic has been commissioned to help finalize the site, which is intended to be Project Epoch's long-term web presence. Initial reviews are complete, with final tweaks expected in early May.
Kes' Korner: World Polish & Refinement
Kes dedicated April to extensive game polish, including:
- Reviewing and correcting hundreds of custom item, quest, and NPC texts, and creating an internal style guide.
- Upgrading custom goblin skin files to include teeth.
- Auditing all custom quest, rare spawn, and reputation vendor items for balance and adherence to itemization philosophy.
- Overhauling every item with the Expertise stat to align with Epoch’s new stat weights.
- Resolving over 50 quest bugs, many from recent beta tests.
- Adding a new Gnomish graveyard in Brewnall Village for Gnomeregan convenience.
- Adding new vendor items to Argent Dawn, Thorium Brotherhood, and Ravenholdt.
- Reintegrating and reworking TBC-era Ashenvale quests for Demon Fall Canyon.
- Restructuring internal team Discord for better planning.
- Adding custom content to Moonglade, including Malfurion in his barrow den.
Minor Class Adjustments
Small tweaks were made (details available in the full log):
- Mage: Improved Blink merged into Prismatic Cloak, new Improved Arcane Intellect talent, Pyroclastic Burst adjustments.
- Druid: Overgrowth reworked (AoE Rejuvenation), Dreamstate buffed, Moonfire significantly buffed.
- Hunter: Steady Shot mana cost reduced.
- Shaman: Shamanistic Rage formula rewrite, Elemental Shaman Dungeon Set 2 itemization tweak.
- Rogue: Adjustments to 8pc, 6pc, and 4pc Dungeon Set 2 effects.
Rethinking Undead Racial Knowledge
Cannibalize returns as a mainline Racial Knowledge ability (learnable by other races with thematic variations). Undead receive a new cosmetic racial: Body Modification, allowing them to temporarily assume the appearance of most Undead/Forsaken NPCs.
Odds & Ends
- Stratholme dungeon scripting is now considered "done".
- Baradin Hold received a final tuning pass (pacing, clarity, trash nerfs).
- Endgame dungeon bug fixing is nearly complete.
- Eastern Plaguelands PvP towers will be enabled for launch!
- Shoutout to community contributor `ulmetrs` for significant open-source core fixes.
Looking Ahead
With backend work largely complete, May marks a shift back to hands-on game development, polish, and final content passes. Project Epoch is reported to be "extremely close to launch," with a trailer, release date, and Website 2.0 reveal expected soon.
