Patch 5.2 Prep: Get ahead of the game

Patch 5.2 will bring new dailies, new factions, another raid, and a kitchen sink. It's pretty much a super patch. With so many additions, you may start to feel overwhelmed at the thought of class changes on top of new grinds -- and you know, pets and stuff. Never fear, we're here to help you prepare! Before we get too deep into this, remember that everything we've learned about patch 5.2 is from the PTR. Things can change!

• Farm (or buy) Ghost Iron. Both blacksmithing and engineering will see new unique crafting materials similar to the scribe's Scroll of Wisdom -- Lightning Steel Ingot and Stabilized Lightning Source, respectively. Both require 10 Ghost Iron bars, so snag some Ghost Iron now, and use some of it to transmute into Living Steel. Many new crafted items will require it.

• Get ahead in your Wrathion quests. In 5.2, Wrathion will ask for 40 Trillium Bars in a quest on the way to the legendary meta gems, so start gathering the ore now to get a head start.

• Get your Tillers rep to Exalted and unlock all plots. Although farming may not be appealing to everyone, Tillers rep is one of the easiest to max out. At Exalted, we'll be able to use work orders to gain rep in patch 5.2.

• Keep collecting your charms. You'll be able to exchange Lesser Charms of Good Fortune for the new Mogu Charm of Fate -- patch 5.2's equivalent to the Elder Charm of Good Fortune. The bad news is that we'll only be able to use the elder charms for 5.0 content. If you have a few elder charms left over and don't quite need anything else from current content, use your extra rolls on Sha of Anger and Galleon -- they both have a chance to drop a mount!

• Upgrade your gear with valor. Gear upgrades through Valor Points will be removed in 5.2. There will be new gear to purchase via valor (not tied to dailies), but if you're close to capping, why not upgrade a piece?

• Level your fishing if you collect battle pets. There will be a few battle pets added in 5.2 from fishing, and if you're an obsessed enthusiastic collector like I am, you'll want to snag these little fishies.

• Get your battle pet teams ready. Other than new wild battle pets, and pets from raids or fishing, 5.2 is bringing Elite Battle Pets into the mix. Found in the wild, these guys will solo your whole pet team. Look into your favorite battle pets that are strong against Beast, Critter, and Aquatic -- each Elite Battle Pet is from one of these families.

• Dust off your favorite ground mount. The new zone in 5.2, the Isle of Thunder, is a no-fly zone.

While it's not necessary, check out the PTR yourself if you have the time! Explore the new zone and play with your class -- there are bound to be a few changes you want to get a jump on. What are you doing to prepare for patch 5.2?