Update 11 News:
A partial release note has been posted. More to come:
Spell Changes: Spell-specific Metamagics(!)
Metamagic feats can now be applied to specific spells. Players can select a spell on a toolbar, click the right mouse button, and set the metamagic feats that apply to that spell.
This is absolutely awesome, no more toggling metamagics on and off. This means that spells like Soundburst, which have a minor damage component but are really only used for crowd control, can be heightened but not maximized/empowered, while the real damage spells get empower/maximize. You can leave maximize on cure spells, while turning it off for Blade Barrier, which if actually kited through doesn't need to be maximized until high end content (but only if you actually know how to kite them around the barrier, dropping 15 BB's and running through them in straight lines isn't kiting them, it's running around like a chicken with your head cut off).
Spell Changes: General
Ice Storm has had some graphical changes made to it to improve game performance. Repair spells now give an error message when targeting someone immune to repair spell effects.
Repair is irrelevant; they weren't affecting fleshies anyway. Ice Storm is a good one; even on a decent rig that can cause lag.
New Arcane Spell: Disrupt Undead.
Code:
Disrupt Undead:
School: Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
SP Cost: 5
Effect: This ray deals 8 to 12 positive energy damage plus an additional 4 to 6 positive energy damage for every two caster levels to an enemy undead. A successful Will save reduces the damage by half. D&D Dice: Deals 2d3+6 plus an additional 1d3+3 damage per two caster levels to an enemy undead.
Crossbow changes:
Repeaters have the lost shots bug fixed.
Great Crossbows knock down on a vorpal strike now. As if anyone uses Great Crossbows.
All Crossbows have their fire and reload functions split. Now you click attack once to fire, and once more to reload. I don't know the point either.
UI Tweaks:
Goggles can now be made visible. Another item to be absolutely hideous like the helms and armor.
Shortcut bars will now remember items placed in them when consumed or deleted, and will display the item with a greyed-out icon. If the item is available in the DDO Store, right-clicking on the greyed-out icon will open the DDO Store page for the item. If a character has several stacks of the same item, and the one in the shortcut bar goes empty, the shortcut bar will be filled with another stack of the same item.
I like that last bit; as one who uses potions and scrolls constantly that removes some degree of hotbar micromanagement.
The vitals UI for characters and parties has been given a new look. Portrait icons are shown as rendered characters in the vitals UI bar. Options now exist in the UI Settings of the Options menu to show percentages of health remaining, and whether your vitals UI displays in the party vitals list when in a group. Players can toggle the display of their rendered characters in the vitals UI bar, and turn of their personal vitals UI through the UI Settings as well.
Prestige Lines:
The Favored Soul Angel of Vengeance's Aura of Menace is now suppressed while sneaking or invisible to prevent unwanted aggro.
XP changes:
A new bonus has been created that awards players for running quests consecutively on hard and elite difficulties. This Bravery Bonus is a 5% bonus (10% bonus on Elite) that will "stack" up to five times, or until a player runs a quest on Normal difficulty.
XP Rewards for first time completion on normal, hard, and elite are now 25%, 40% and 80% respectively.
So yes, now there is a distinct advantage to running Elite repeatedly. This should also help alleviate the xp grind.
Raids:
Many raid bosses have grown stronger as a result of their numerous encounters with players. Many that did not have the following now do: True Seeing, some Metamagic feats, and some amount of fortification versus critical hits. They have also been given extra hit points and physical damage output. The amount of the increase is higher for higher level raid bosses, and for those on harder difficulty settings.
Quests/Other:
The cost of regular Dragonscale armors have been reduced to 20 scales. The cost of Dragoncrafted, Elfcrafted, and Giantcrafted armors have been reduced to 10 relics.
Rogue hirelings no longer have a drinking problem.
The ki costs for higher tiers of monk elemental and void attacks have been reduced to 5 ki each.
The Rapid Reload feat now significantly increases the reload speed of crossbows.
Rapid Shot is now significantly more effective.
Any characters with the Completionist Feat will have that feat replaced with a free feat respec upon the release of Update 11.
The Dragonmarks of Making now grant bonuses (+3 for Least, +3 for Lesser, and +4 for Greater) to crafting skills.
There are also some bug fixes in various quests.
The new raids, class, and any pre information has not been revealed.