Patch 4.3: New spectral windrider and gryphon mounts


Two new mounts have appeared on the [hide]Korean version[/hide] of the World of Warcraft community site which appear to be spectral versions of the windrider and gryphon flying mounts that already carry players across Azeroth.

We have no idea where they will be available or when, but if I had to take an educated guess I would think they are [hide]patch 4.3[/hide] [hide]Darkmoon Island[/hide] rewards of some kind. Take a look at the screenshots in our gallery.

Gallery: [hide]Patch 4.3: New spectral mounts[/hide][hide][/hide][hide][/hide]

Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with [hide]patch 4.3[/hide]. Look at what’s ahead: new [hide]item storage options[/hide], [hide]cross-realm raiding[/hide], [hide]cosmetic armor skinning[/hide] and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing — from [hide]astride his back[/hide]!

Filed under: [hide]Cataclysm[/hide][hide]Patch 4.3: New spectral windrider and gryphon mounts[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide] | Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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Arcane Brilliance: On mage healing and other miscellany

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you [hide]Arcane Brilliance[/hide] for [hide]arcane[/hide], [hide]fire[/hide] and [hide]frost[/hide] mages. This week, we talk about the concept of mage healing, which in my opinion is like the concept of warlock winning. It simply isn’t a phenomena that occurs in nature.

Since those heady, halcyon days of 2004, when mages began to walk to wilds of Azeroth and players were introduced to their glass cannon awesomeness, the topic of mage healing has from time to time emerged, poking its strange and intriguing head up into the mage conversation and usually disappearing just as quickly. The idea has precedence. Healers in Final Fantasy lore are called White Mages. More recently, Dragon Age has its Spirit Mages. Archetypal wizards have had access to magical healing in one form or another throughout fantasy gaming and literature, though rarely is it their strongest focus.

And just lately, the idea has been gaining some unprecedented traction among the WoW mage community. Recently, I’ve seen the concept presented with consideration and clarity on the official forums, among my own contemporaries in-game, and even right here in the comments section of this very column. It bears thinking about. Though the idea is extremely unlikely to ever be implemented, its increasing popularity and the improving practicality with which its proponents conceptualize it warrant attention. Mage healing, whenever it is brought up, is immediately interesting and always at least a little bit tantalizing, even for its most vehement opponents.

Like me.[hide]Continue reading Arcane Brilliance: On mage healing and other miscellany[/hide]Filed under: [hide]Mage[/hide], [hide]Analysis / Opinion[/hide], [hide](Mage) Arcane Brilliance[/hide][hide]Arcane Brilliance: On mage healing and other miscellany[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide] | Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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The Care and Feeding of Warriors: The visual set for warriors, part 2

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you [hide]The Care and Feeding of Warriors[/hide], the column dedicated to [hide]arms[/hide], [hide]fury[/hide] and [hide]protection warriors[/hide]. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host.

At present it looks unlikely that other classes are getting dragon-aspect-themed tier 13 sets. This means that as of right now, with mage, warlock, druid, shaman, rogue and paladin sets also revealed, the warrior set is indisputably the best-looking set so far. We look awesome.

Warrior tier sets in general tend to always look, at the very least, good and serviceable. One of the innovations moving from Naxxramas’ tier 3 to The Burning Crusade’s tier sets is that it took the idea of the warrior design aesthetic and branched it out to cover both role warriors could play in raids. When we talked about the [hide]visual set for warriors in classic WoW[/hide] two weeks ago, one of the most glaring notes was that tanking sets got the unified look of a tier while DPS sets were cobbled together from various non-set pieces and had no unifying theme to characterize them. There was essentially one tier set per raid, and it was either tanking or tank-capable. Both Zul’Gurub and Ahn’Qiraj presented warriors with «sets» that were composed of both DPS and tank pieces.[hide]Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Warriors: The visual set for warriors, part 2[/hide]Filed under: [hide]Warrior[/hide], [hide](Warrior) The Care and Feeding of Warriors[/hide][hide]The Care and Feeding of Warriors: The visual set for warriors, part 2[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide]Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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Totem Talk: Choosing to play an elemental shaman

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for [hide]elemental[/hide], [hide]enhancement[/hide], and [hide]restoration[/hide] shaman. [hide]Josh Myers[/hide] once only tackled the hard questions about enhancement but has recently expanded his sphere of responsibility to all shaman DPS specs. (And no, two-handed enhancement is still never coming back.)

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post on why new shaman should [hide]choose enhancement[/hide]. Enhancement was my first love in this game and the reason I was finally able to break my streak of level 20 to 40 alts and level to 70 in The Burning Crusade. First loves aren’t everything, though. (There’s a reason the American divorce rate is something [hide]around 40%[/hide]). This post is for my second love and the other option for leveling shaman. This is why you should choose an elemental shaman.

Elemental shaman are ranged casters. [hide]Lightning Bolt[/hide] will be your primary damage spell, particularly at low levels. [hide]Earth Shock[/hide] is a very good burst damage ability when you’re very low-level but doesn’t scale as well as Lightning Bolt. You’ll want to use it for the first 15 to 20 levels, and then forego using it in lieu of another Lightning Bolt until you reach the [hide]Fulmination[/hide] talent. [hide]Thunderstorm [/hide]is also incredible damage at low levels and possibly more useful as a damage spell than a knockback spell until you level up and mobs start to be an actual threat. [hide]Lava Burst[/hide] becomes available at level 34. Lava Burst is the lynchpin of the elemental rotation, and you should get used to keeping [hide]Flame Shock[/hide] up on a target, Lava Bursting whenever it is available and Lightning Bolting in between.[hide]Continue reading Totem Talk: Choosing to play an elemental shaman[/hide]Filed under: [hide]Shaman[/hide], [hide](Shaman) Totem Talk[/hide], [hide]Cataclysm[/hide][hide]Totem Talk: Choosing to play an elemental shaman[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide]Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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Patch 4.3 PTR to go live potentially within the week


It looks like Community Manager Zarhym is clocking some weekend hours, as he’s posted today with what should be a very welcome tidbit for most players: [hide]The patch 4.3 PTR is almost ready[/hide], and could go live with the next week. He also revealed that the PTR will likely have incremental changes. [hide]Transmogrification[/hide], [hide]void storage[/hide], and a few UI and balance tweaks will likely show up right away, but it may take some time for the new dungeon and raid content to go live.

What this means for the release of patch 4.3 is a little foggier. Will we be going to [hide]BlizzCon[/hide] with the PTR still chugging away? It sounds like they’re not planning a rush job on this one, so it remains to be seen. Regardless, you’ll want to keep it right here. When the PTR goes up, we’ll be there with all the news and analysis you’ll need to start planning your moves. Check after the break full for the full text of Zarhym’s message.[hide]Continue reading Patch 4.3 PTR to go live potentially within the week[/hide]Filed under: [hide]Blizzard[/hide], [hide]News items[/hide][hide]Patch 4.3 PTR to go live potentially within the week[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide] | Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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Patch 4.3: First look at the rogue legendary daggers


Blizzard loves rogues in [hide]patch 4.3[/hide]. Not only are rogues getting a pair of legendary daggers (potentially named Fangs of Father), but the daggers will give the rogue black dragon wings as well. [hide]First revealed[/hide] in Blizzard’s [hide]Facebook album «Glimpses,»[/hide] the picture depicts a night elf rogue in full tier 13 [hide]Blackfang Battleweave[/hide] wielding the legendary pair of weapons, black wings unfurled.

The wings go perfectly with the bat aesthetics of the tier 13 armor and give the set something totally unique. That rogue also looks pretty high up in the sky, so could the legendary daggers also be a type of mount not unlike the caster legendary [hide]Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa’s Rest[/hide]? We will know soon enough. All I’ve got to say is one word: awesome.

Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with [hide]patch 4.3[/hide]. Look at what’s ahead: new [hide]item storage options[/hide], [hide]cross-realm raiding[/hide], [hide]cosmetic armor skinning[/hide] and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing — from [hide]astride his back[/hide]!

Filed under: [hide]Rogue[/hide], [hide]Cataclysm[/hide][hide]Patch 4.3: First look at the rogue legendary daggers[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:12:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide] | Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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Phat Loot Phriday: «Brew of the Month» Club Membership Form

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Ashenvale creaked as impossibly large trees swayed in the afternoon breeze. The Worgen druid glanced appreciatively at the forest as he rejoined Throgg and Lolegolas.

«The innkeep was surprisingly pudgy for a Night Elf,» the druid said. «But he did say a pair of Tauren passed through here recently. He didn’t talk to them much, but he did have something interesting to say.»

Throgg had started packing his kodo as soon as the druid had started talking. «Useful? Someplace to go?»

«Not exactly,» the druid said. He held out a small piece of paper to Lolegolas. The Blood Elf took the paper and grunted.

«I see,» the Elf said. «A [hide]Brewfest[/hide] voucher. They were turned away from the Orc’s party and are on their way to Ironforge to participate.»

«The Tauren claimed they wanted to join the [hide]Beer of the Month Club[/hide],» the druid explained. «Thing is, the Dwarves won’t be any more interested in the Grimtotem than the Orcs. No Dwarf is going to mail a Grimtotem an interesting beer each month. It’d be sacrilege, worse than worshipping the Old Gods.»

Throgg leaped into his saddle. «Lying. The Grimtotem were using it as a cover story for why they’re chasing the girl through Elf lands. We have a trail we can follow. It’s time to ride like the win, fellows.»

Gallery: [hide]Phat Loot Phriday: Cataclysm[/hide][hide][/hide][hide][/hide][hide][/hide][hide][/hide][hide][/hide][hide]Continue reading Phat Loot Phriday: «Brew of the Month» Club Membership Form[/hide]Filed under: [hide]Phat Loot Phriday[/hide][hide]Phat Loot Phriday: «Brew of the Month» Club Membership Form[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide]Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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BlizzCon 2011 ticket barcodes are being sent out now


If you purchased an actual ticket to [hide]BlizzCon 2011[/hide] (as opposed to a Virtual Ticket), then you may want to start checking your inbox today. Blizzard has begun to mail out tickets to its respective lucky purchasers, and that might mean you! You can print out your ticket and just sort of look at it for a month. You can even fashion a crude lanyard for it from yarn and macaroni.

Be sure to check out the [hide]BlizzCon merchandise presale[/hide] if you haven’t yet, and of course, tune in for all of our [hide]BlizzCon coverage[/hide] here at WoW Insider. If you’re going to be at the con — and lucky you, by the way — then stop by the BlizzCon 2011 [hide]WoW Insider Reader Meetup, sponsored by Wowhead[/hide]!

Filed under: [hide]BlizzCon[/hide][hide]BlizzCon 2011 ticket barcodes are being sent out now[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide]Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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Shifting Perspectives: Reviewing World of Logs parses, part 1


Every week, WoW Insider brings you [hide]Shifting Perspectives[/hide] for [hide]cat[/hide] , [hide]bear[/hide] , [hide]restoration[/hide] and [hide]balance[/hide] druids. Balance news comes at you every Friday — learn how to master the forces of nature, and know what it means to be a giant laser turkey! Send questions, comments, or something you’d like to see to [hide]tyler@wowinsider.com[/hide].

Greetings, druids. This week, I’ll be pulling out an email request for the discussion topic, which is great as we wait for more 4.3 information. There’s always tons of requests by players for others to review their damage because they don’t quite measure up to where they think that they should be. While there are guides a-plenty all across the internet, one of things often not mentioned is how to make these reviews yourself. Asking for help is a great step, but as the adage goes, it is often better to teach a man to fish rather than to merely give him one.

What am I talking about? Reading through damage reports, of course! We always talk about how to deal damage and what you should be doing, but we all know that encounters are chaotic. Even the best of us can’t hold to what’s technically the best option in any given situation. To that end, we’ll be discussing those things to look out for in log reports in order to determine where it might be that you might having a few slip-ups. Hold on to your hats — this one is going to be a thrill!

Disclaimer: While there are multiple sites out there designed to track this form of data, we’ll be focusing exclusively on World of Logs. Finding many of the items that you need can be hidden in different parts of different sites; WoL holds everything that you need and in easy-to-find locations. If you use another site, you may have to look in different locations for the information you need.[hide]Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Reviewing World of Logs parses, part 1[/hide]Filed under: [hide]Druid[/hide], [hide](Druid) Shifting Perspectives[/hide][hide]Shifting Perspectives: Reviewing World of Logs parses, part 1[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide]Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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The Lawbringer: Mailbag 6.0 and Rogers updates


Pop law abounds in [hide]The Lawbringer[/hide], your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. [hide]Mathew McCurley[/hide] takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play?

Welcome to another exciting edition of The Lawbringer, where your questions about the esoteric topics revolving around WoW and MMOs potentially get answered, usually if the question is compelling. You know the drill — ask a question, and maybe I can hash it out or at least point you in the right direction to get things under control.

Mailbags are fun, and updates are even more fun. This week, we have a couple of questions from the mailbag and an update to the [hide]situation with Rogers Communications[/hide] up in Canada. Remember back a few months ago, when the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission demanded that Rogers find a way to [hide]stop the admitted throttling of World of Warcraft data[/hide] because it appeared to be peer-to-peer traffic? Well, the Canadian government wants a plan by Tuesday. More on that in a bit. Questions first, yes?[hide]Continue reading The Lawbringer: Mailbag 6.0 and Rogers updates[/hide]Filed under: [hide]Analysis / Opinion[/hide], [hide]The Lawbringer[/hide][hide]The Lawbringer: Mailbag 6.0 and Rogers updates[/hide] originally appeared on [hide]WoW Insider[/hide] on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our [hide]terms for use of feeds[/hide].[hide]Permalink[/hide] | [hide]Email this[/hide] | [hide]Comments[/hide]

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