Patch 12.1 Overview
Combine Guild and Discord Chat
As explained in Blizzard's preview, linking your Discord account to World of Warcraft is quite simple. Just linking isn't enough though, as an Officer or Guild Master is needed to connect to a Discord server that they have channel management permissions in.
Only one channel may be connected, and only with sufficient permissions.
Once connected, new messages from that Discord channel will appear in-game with a purple Discord icon and messages in Guild Chat will appear in Discord with a white controller icon. The channel itself will also be clearly marked at the top stating that it is connected to World of Warcraft, with a disclaimer for everyone to see.
Note the icons indicating where the message came from.
Limitations
While very seamless and straightforward, there are a few stipulations which may prevent players or guilds from taking full advantage of this new integration.
Messages from guild members who have not linked their Discord accounts will not appear in Discord.
Discord users will no longer be able to send messages in that channel unless their accounts are linked.
Unlinked guild members will still be able to see messages from Discord users and unlinked Discord users will still be able to read messages in the channel.
For this reason, it's probably best to create a brand new Discord channel for Guild Chat, rather than merging an already high-trafficked one, especially in larger servers where not everyone may be interested in linking their accounts.
Be careful of inadvertently preventing unlinked users from being able to use Discord!
Separate Guild and Discord Chat
Once set up, the only remaining option in game will be to separate Guild and Discord messages. This will cause any messages sent from Discord to be filtered to a Guild Discord channel instead of the regular Guild Chat. Oddly, the Guild Discord channel does not currently allow messaging through the normal chat window, though linked guild members can use the drop down menu in the Guild & Communities panel to switch from Guild Chat to Discord and send messages through it instead.
Requiring messages to be sent through the guild pane instead of the normal chat window is a little clunky, though probably just an oversight.
And that's about it so far. There isn't much in the way of options or customization just yet, though we can presume that if the feature becomes successful, Blizzard will expand on it more in the future.
Blue Post
In the Curse of Ula’tek update we’re introducing new Discord integration allowing you to speak with your guildmates both in and out of the game by connecting your Battle.net and Discord accounts. Whether you’re coordinating your next raid run, looking for more to join you in game for PvP, or just hanging out in your neighborhoods together, you’ll be able to send messages between the two quickly and easily.
Linking Your World of Warcraft and Discord Accounts
To connect your Discord account to your Battle.net account, you’ll begin by opening up the Game Menu (Escape) and opening Options. In the Social Tab, a new option will show to Enable Discord Functionality.
When you choose to connect your account to Discord, you’ll be taken to some additional screens to finalize the connection. Make sure you’re logged into Discord before attempting to connect your accounts, it will ask you to confirm the connection as well.
You’ll also be able to choose the character name you want to display when chat messages arrive from Discord by selecting it from the Display Name drop down.
Default: Use game-defined default, currently Last Online Character.
Last Online Character Name: Use the last online character for your Battle.net account in this guild.
Discord Global Name: Use your Global Name from Discord.
Setting Up Discord as an Administrator and Guild Leader
Administrators of a guild Discord will first need to make sure they enable the appropriate channel permissions in order to connect their guild chat to their chosen Discord chat channel. These permissions are as follows:
Manage Channels – Ability to edit channel settings
View Channel – Can see and read the channel
Send Messages – Can post messages in the channel
The rest of your connection can be performed within World of Warcraft by either the guild leader or officers with the correct permissions.
Instructions to link your Guild to a Discord channel on WoW:
Open the Guild & Communities UI with the (J) hotkey.
Select the Roster tab on the right side of the panel.
Select "Guild Settings" on the bottom right of the panel.
Under the Guild Control dropdown select Discord Settings.
In this window you will see all Discord servers you belong to and be able to select the specific channels that have linking permissions available.
Click a server to select it.
Select a linkable channel from the dropdown and click the link.
You can also create a separate Discord chat into its own channel within World of Warcraft.
Chat Between Discord and Your Guild Chat
Once you’re connected, you’re ready to chat. You’ll easily be able to identify when a message has been sent from Discord or sent from within the game and be able to adjust your chat tabs accordingly so you can always keep an eye on what your guild is doing whether you’re in game or out.
If a player hasn’t linked their account to Discord, it will not show in-game messages in the Discord chat and will display as follows:
Guild leaders will have the option to modify settings at any time in the guild Discord settings to filter chat so that Discord traffic goes to a regular /guild chat channel or into a new dedicated guild /discord channel.
Join the conversation as this new integration goes live with the Curse of Ula’tek content update.
