Are you going to step right into a Death Knight first to see how the new Hero class works? Which of the classes has got you most interested in trying new things? I'm excited to see all the Shaman changes, and I've got a Shammy waiting at 70, so that's probably what I'll do first. As for the Death Knight, I kind of want to see that stuff on the live realms, though by the time the beta ends, the call of a new class may be too much for me to ignore.
What's up first for you when you log into the beta realms?
Blizzard's Wrath talent trees page has been updated with minor changes, such as new icons for Wrath talents, as well as major changes such as a long-clamored for polish to the Mage trees. A noticeable change, for example, is the removal of Spirit from the equation for the Arcane tree. Potent Spirit and Student of the Mind, Spirit-based talents, were removed to make way for Arcane Flows and a reworked Netherwind Presence. The former reduces the cooldown on Arcane Power, Presence of Mind, and Invisibility by 30 seconds, while the latter now grants a passive 6% spell haste at max rank.
Most changes are cosmetic -- the humorous placeholder icon used on many of the game's spells in development have been removed -- although astute players may find updates to the wordings of talents across the board. Other changes include some talents buffed and reduced in talent points such as the Paladin talent Vindication (down to 2 talent points, from 3; buffed to 20% from 15%). Check out Wowhead's talent calculators, which haven't been updated as of this writing, for comparison.
In the comments thread on the post yesterday regarding Wowhead's new pet talent calculators, many of you seemed somewhat misinformed and accused the calculator of being buggy. To set the record straight, here are some fun facts about pets and pet talents in the current Wrath beta:
The +damage/+health/+armor modifiers have been removed from pet families. Instead, a pet's modifiers depend on which of the three pet talent trees it has: Ferocity, Cunning, or Tenacity. However, Blizzard will be implementing pet-family-specific abilities.
Hunters get one pet talent point at level 20, and one every four levels thereafter.
The total number of pet talent points available at level 80 is 16, unless you are a Beast Mastery Hunter with the 51-point talent Beast Mastery, in which case you get an additional five points, for 21 total.
Each successive tier requires three points per previous tier to unlock (compare to five points for player talents). The exception is single-point talents such as Charge or any of the tier 5 talents, which require five points per previous tier, according to their tooltips; the exception to this exception is Boar's Speed.
This means that the tier 5 talents are only available to BM hunters, since they require 20 points to unlock (again according to their tooltips), and any given pet can have at most one of them at a time.
The last two points are based on how the tooltips read. However, this is not how they're currently implemented in-game; in the beta right now, all talents require three points per previous tier to unlock, which means non-BM hunters can get two out of three tier 5 talents for any given pet. So there is a discrepancy between how the tooltips read and how it actually works when you go to spend the points. I'm guessing the tooltips are correct, since that would keep the tier 5 talents BM-only, and prevent hunters from getting more than one tier 5 talent.
All of these facts are confirmed by sources in the beta. Of course, it is beta, and any of this is very subject to change, but that's the way things stand right now. By the way, how amusing is it that moths will be Ferocity pets? Ahhh, run! Ferocious moth!
Empire magazine is already posting pictures from this weekend's ComicCon out in San Diego (WoW Insider also has correspondents there on site), and though they have no idea what they've stumbled across, it sure looks to us like what might be DC Unlimited's Series 4 WoW figurines. And rather than just the standard player characters, Blizzard and DC are going a little NPC for this series -- as you can see above, they've included everyone's favorite elite gnoll, Hogger himself. Also included in the series are a Succubus of some sort (with what looks like a Tauren with a polearm in the back there), and a gun-wielding Tauren Hunter.
The figures all have signs that say "Worldwide Debut Friday 4pm" on them, so it looks like we're getting to see them a little early. And Blizzard is excited, too -- Slorkuz has even written a poetic ode to Hogger in honor of his likeness being immortalized.
We'll keep an eye out for more info -- looks like DC is expanding their action figure line to include a few more less traditional character types. Who else should they honor with a figure in the future?
As I promised you, our look at Wrath talents and skills for Shamans (started here and continued here) concludes with a roundup of restoration talents and skills and then a discussion of what all these new abilities mean for shamans in the expansion. I know how much you guys love discussion. For instance, the picture accompanying today's post is most likely of a resto shaman who is, for whatever reason, attacking a shovel tusk. Now, with the changes to spell power that are coming, that resto gear probably packs a good deal more punch than it currently does with the healing/damage rates it has now. Nevertheless, resto shaman, attacking defenseless wildlife, I have no idea why. He looks cool doing it, though.
First off, of course, I will talk about Earthliving Weapon. Now, we all know I love this (despite a lot of naysayers who look at it as similar to the Fel Reaver's Piston and call it undesirable) but let's be fair: we have no idea how good it will be at 80. All of the current ranks are the same as rank one. The reason I linked to the comments was to show user defektunge's estimate for how it will look at rank 6. Assuming he's in the ballpark, at rank 6 it will be an extra 102 healing plus a chance to proc roughly 1400 healing over 12 seconds. Depending on how high stamina values are on gear by then, and how often the proc really contributes to healing, the HoT of Earthliving could be a gimmick or it could be pure awesome. It's definitely an attempt by Blizzard to address the shaman's lack of any kind of heal over time while remaining true to the Windfury 'random proc' mechanic.
I personally hope that this estimate is low. By level 80 I expect stamina values to be significantly higher (a well geared T5/T6 tank can have well over 22k health, as much as 26k on some right now, so I expect tanks in blues to be easily pushing 19k by the time we're all 80) so I'd hope for double both those numbers. But I'm still excited for Earthliving, especially for leveling shamans or shamans who need to heal in a pinch. Throw on your healing weapon and imbue it for extra oomph.
Wowhead recently went live with their database of all the Achievements currently in the Wrath beta. Among those Achievements is one for clearing each dungeon and raid currently in Wrath. Each Achievement lists its requirements for completion, so what does that mean? We now know the names of all the dungeon bosses (as well as a little from the raids)! Everything placed after the cut for those who want to avoid spoilers.
Now, I know last week I said in a comment that I am trying something entirely new this week. However, that plan sort of backfired when I found out my scanner is no longer in the realm of the living, and those Spirit Healers apparently don't speak binary.
I've Wanted to put this comic up since I saw the movie. If you have not seen it, you might not get this unless you watched the movie previews, or have someone explain it.
Think a Blizzard Authenticator will keep your account from being hacked? Think again -- we've got our first known report of someone who was protecting their account with one of Blizzard's keys, and still got their character hacked down to their undies. Someone in this forum thread apparently logged out one night and logged on the next morning to find her account stripped of everything but PvP gear, and her Authenticator no longer connected to her account.
Supposedly, to deactivate an Authenticator from an account, you need to get in touch with Billing services, and reportedly they'll then ask for a notarized statement with a picture, like a driver's license, just to remove the Authenticator. But obviously, this one was removed even without that, and we're being told that all you might need to remove the Authenticator is the answer to the user's secret question and a CD key (or even less). In other words, the fault isn't with the technology, it seems to be with the support reps on Blizzard's side of the phone line -- if they can be convinced to remove the Authenticator, the account can then be hacked.
The little keys have been selling like hotcakes since they were released -- almost everyone has figured that $6.50 was cheap for peace of mind. But while an Authenticator still does provide an extra step in security, the sad truth is that it hardly makes an account impermeable.
Update: Married IRL has more analysis, including a comment that confirms all you really need to get past the Authenticator is the user's secret question answer, usual address information, and the original CD key. If the standard for getting an Authenticator removed really is a Photo ID, it's fairly clear that Blizzard's reps aren't doing their jobs right.
Last night we were pursuing a key issue of our own, and all we got was an automated response from the email address pointed to in the Beta invitation. Tonight however, that no longer happens – so it appears as if this email address is being staffed by a live person.
This is great news for those that have issues, including any that might revolve around a WWI '08 EU key not working with a US account. Hopefully Blizzard will respond promptly to all of us that have been emailing this address. If Blizzard or any of the blues release any more statements you'll see them here at WoW Insider.
WoW Insider tipster Dinnerbone sent in some interesting findings about the siege vehicles in Beta while spelunking through the LUA files. He notes that these are all viewable -- if you get those lines of code, at least -- in the current Wrath build. Here are a few tidbits about vehicles and how they might work in the expansion:
Right-clicking character portraits have the option to "Leave vehicle," just like when players are in a party. This suggests that vehicles aren't buff-type spells like mounts but actual, physical vehicles you can enter and exit.
Vehicles need fuel. There're no clear details on how vehicles can be refueled or what happens when it runs out of fuel.
Vehicles have an "ammo slot"; Dinnerbone isn't quite sure whether this means siege vehicles will run out of ammo or if it simply means they fire different projectiles.
Pets and vehicles don't mix. Vehicles apparently replace Hunter or Warlock pets and have their own set of controls or abilities. New ability buttons or bars will appear when inside a vehicle.
There might be an entirely new UI frame for vehicles, with sliders and other new interface mechanics. The sliders "power" and "angle" range from 0 to 100 and can be seen in the LUA files. A developer note on one of files says, "Placeholder for eventual vehicle controls, currently just two sliders," so there may be more controls. I'm imagine a third person Worms with the power and angle controls.
Blizzard has stated that vehicles can carry passengers, and Dinnerbone seems to think it, too, although he can't seem to find indications of it in the code just yet.
If you're experienced with LUA files, you can poke your head in through the current build and see if you can find out anything new about the siege vehicles. We're always excited to see what's up with the Beta.
(Warning: Some of the humor in this machinima borders on offensive.)
EgadPit, a machinimator on WeGame, has spliced together an interesting debate of sorts for the position of Warchief in 2008. Warlords Zul'Amabo and McWalkingstick face off on a number of topics, trading jabs and sometimes agreeing on things. While this is just part one of a series, we think that they covered a lot of ground!
We're not sure whose platform is best. Who would you vote for?
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com. Previously on Moviewatch ...
The story of Hunter pets and aggro in Burning Crusade, especially since patch 2.4.2 or so, has been a very stormy one. Even deep Beastmastery Hunters have had to learn to kite, as pet aggro grows worse and worse. Growl in 2.4.2 was supposed to scale, but almost every Hunter that tested it said it didn't, despite Hortus' insistence that it did.
As the old saying goes, it's better to light a candle than curse the darkness. So when Songstone of <Terror Australis> on Korgath found herself in an inky-black part of Blackrock Depths, she pulled out a pair of torches. Given the garishness of pre-60 clothing, the glowing enchants and the fluorescentness of night elf/draenei skin, Songstone and her companions quickly became visible. And in that pose, they look like some kind of campy crime-fighting team. Ladies, I have a mission for you -- get out of BRD and never come back.
Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We'd love to see it on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!
Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. We prefer full screen shots without the UI showing -- use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more sunsets -- but we would love some beta screenshots here.
A lot of readers tipped this in while looking through Wowhead's comprehensive Achievements database. While we've actually heard of rumors of the Wrath of the Lich KingCollector's Edition, with pictures of the box supposedly making their way out of the printers, this Achievement more or less confirms that there will be a Collector's Edition and that the Frost Wyrm whelp model leaked in Alpha is actually the Collector's Edition pet.
The Achievement falls under Feats of Strength, along with the other Collector's Edition Achievements The requirement is possession of Frosty's Collar, an item not yet implemented in Beta. The Achievements page defines the Feats of Strength as "an accomplishment that players will find either very difficult if not impossible to earn. Feats of Strength are a collection of past glories on Azeroth."
I bought my daughter's 'Future Horde' onesie from J!nx long before she was even conceived. I knew when I got my 'For the Horde' shirt that I wanted myself to have a matching outfit with my baby. I love World of Warcraft merchandise... I guess I'm just a real fanboy that way. I have some of the action figures, and I'm looking at getting Vindicator Marrad as soon as I set aside some RL Gold.
So here's something to chew on this morning: what World of Warcraft merchandise or spin-offs do you like so far? There's the Frostmourne replica, of course. And we've given away cool stuff from Manaprincess, too. The Bronze Kettle / WoW Insider's Shelbi Roach makes those awesome, awesome, awesome chibi items like stickers and keychains. What World of Warcraft-related stuff do you have? Do you make any of your own?
It can't be too long now -- people are getting let in the Wrath beta from BlizzCon last year, and everyone's opt-in registrations are in, so it's only a matter of time before the invites go out and the floodgates open. And when they do: what's your plan?
Think 
A lot of readers tipped this in while looking through Wowhead's comprehensive 
I bought my daughter's 'Future Horde' onesie from 
Subscribe
