frost-lotus
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Patch 3.3.3 PTR: Frozo the Renowned takes your Frozen Orbs
Frozen Orbs have been sort of a weird little problem since Patch 3.3 came out. Since they automatically drop off every heroic end boss, the dungeon finder has pretty much guaranteed that there's thousands of them created every single day. However, the Emblems of Triumph that come out of those same dungeons pretty much make most of the profession gear made with Frozen Orbs obsolete. As a result, many of us have at least a couple stacks rotting in our banks or backpacks, and I know I personally have started outright passing on them, having nothing better to do with them. Now I sort of wish I hadn't, if only because they're finally useful as currency in Patch 3.3.3.
Frost Lotus drop rate increased
It's official -- Bornakk wrote on the official forums that Blizzard has increased the chance that a Northrend herb node will yield a Frost Lotus: The drop rate of Frost Lotus, from herbs in Northrend, has been increased by 50%. This will be a welcome change for many because with the increase in demand for raiding flasks that patch 3.3 brought, the supply of Frost Lotus on many servers has gotten quite low, which increased prices significantly. This change will go live on servers as they restart, so probably next Tuesday for most. The new drop rate should have an fairly quick effect on the number of Frost Lotuses listed on your auction house, however it always takes a few days of lower sales volumes before the big farmers start to drop their prices and undercut each other. My advice? Don't buy any Frost Lotus (or derivative flasks) unless you will use them the same day. Wait until the prices go down before stocking up! Also, if you are a herbalist, you can make a quick profit by spending some time farming now, and try to make some sales before the prices drop.
Time Is Money: Frost Lotus prices and farming
Time Is Money, so I won't keep you long. Frost Lotus is a component of raiding flasks, and it is gathered as a very rare chance from regular herb nodes, as well as Frost Lotus nodes that appear in Wintergrasp and Freya's room in Ulduar. The price of Frost Lotus has skyrocketed since patch 3.3 on many servers. This is partly due to the large increase in demand for flasks that the new content brought us, but I believe partly because of a reduction in supply. The supply of Frost Lotus is and always has been low, however as I mentioned in my last column, there are ways to farm it. The most popular one was to get saved to an Ulduar raid ID where Freya's Elders (Brightleaf, Ironbranch, and Stonebark) have been killed, but Freya herself hasn't, allowing the herb nodes to respawn. Getting the nodes to respawn simply requires a "soft reset" of the instance, which means nobody zones in for 30 minutes.
Insider Trader: Patch 3.1, profits and preparation
Insider Trader is your inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.Patch 3.1 is looming ever closer, and things are about to change in a big way. Today I'll be discussing how the patch is going to affect your professions, and how you can take advantage of this by maximizing your profits on the Auction House. Players have become increasingly bored with raiding because the content that was released with the expansion pack, Wrath of the Lich King, was too quickly conquered. Across the board, players are showing up to raids on an inconsistent basis, and many people now spend much of their time on the Public Test Realm playing through Ulduar. This has contributed to falling prices on the Auction House for raiding materials and consumables, because not only have many people stopped raiding, many others have decided to save their gold and raid without being buffed to the gills. What should you do in these tight times? Aside from the things for which you are currently saving, the patch will bring with it a 1000g bill to learn how to dual spec, costs to fund raid wipes, bring new consumables, and enchant and gem new gear. By learning what to sell and purchase and when, you can minimize your post-patch costs and make some gold while you're at it.
The Queue: Greatfather Winter is coming to town
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft.Welcome back! Before we start, I'd like to take a moment to remind all of you that Winter Veil starts tomorrow at 6 AM! Are you excited? I'm excited. After the next couple of days, keep an eye on WoW Insider for some great holiday guides and features. Now, let's get to the Q&A shall we?Flint asked...Is it possible for a level 80 hunter to solo any of the lowest level Outland instances, or will the boss fights be way too much for one person to handle by himself?
Insider Trader: Gather in Northrend
Insider Trader is your inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.As more of the player base steps into Northrend, the demand for goods and services rises. Craftspeople are especially concerned with developing their skills, and for this to be possible, there needs to be a decent supply of gathered raw materials available. This is where you gatherers will shine. Of course, you will have to level your skills as well, and this week's edition of Insider Trader will have you maximized and making cash in no time.
