blackfang-battleweave

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  • Encrypted Text: Top rogue gear in patch 4.3

    by 
    Chase Christian
    Chase Christian
    11.23.2011

    Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. If you studied my Excel usage patterns, you would be able to easily predict when a new patch is scheduled to drop. As soon as the release date is relatively fixed, I start working on my gear acquisition plan. My rogue takes priority when it comes to gearing up quickly. I'll spend as much gold or as many valor points as necessary to make sure I'm ahead of everyone else. I typically spend my holy paladin's first batch of available valor points on the BoE valor piece for my rogue. Healers don't need gear anyway, right? If I can get my gear faster, my raid will be able to down bosses faster, and I'll get my hands on the Fangs of the Father sooner. It's a win-win scenario, and so when it comes to my rogue, I spare no expense. Please note that there are now three different levels of gear available, with the introduction of the Raid Finder difficulty level. The gear is identical between all three tiers and is simply scaled up or down appropriately.

  • Encrypted Text: Blackfang Battleweave, or Deathwing is the Joker

    by 
    Chase Christian
    Chase Christian
    09.28.2011

    Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. Blizzard has been posting previews of the upcoming tier 13 sets, allowing us to see what our new sets will look like visually. When describing the tier 13 set for rogues, Blackfang Battleweave, it was said that the armor is bat-themed. When I think of bats and bat-themed armor, I immediately think of the Caped Crusader. Not to worry, as the preview also claimed that they "were careful to skirt the more obvious inspirations." Oh, that's good news -- so they're not designing our next tier set in such a way that it would warrant a cease and desist letter from DC Comics. The only real similarity between our gear and the Dark Knight's is the pointy cowl; I don't see any shaped abs on our leather tunic. As soon as I let my guard down, the WoW Facebook page posts an image of a rogue soaring through the night air on a pair of dark wings. Our new legendary daggers, the Fangs of the Father, apparently, give us wings. You can't see this picture and not immediately see the resemblance to the Masked Manhunter himself. I can only think of two possibilities: Either I accidentally started playing DC Universe Online at some point without realizing it, or Frank Miller has replaced Samwise Didier as Blizzard's art director.

  • Patch 4.3: First look at the rogue legendary daggers

    by 
    Mathew McCurley
    Mathew McCurley
    09.23.2011

    Blizzard loves rogues in patch 4.3. 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. First revealed in Blizzard's Facebook album "Glimpses," the picture depicts a night elf rogue in full tier 13 Blackfang Battleweave 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 Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest? 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 patch 4.3. Look at what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

  • Patch 4.3: Rogue tier 13 is "Bat"man-inspired

    by 
    Mathew McCurley
    Mathew McCurley
    09.20.2011

    Tier 13 continues to be one of the most intriguing raid tiers in terms of aesthetic armor sets that Blizzard has ever put out. Every set this tier has been a labor of love based either on some cool story character or a cool idea kicking around inside of the designers' heads. Rogues will be sporting the new Blackfang Battleweave in the upcoming patch 4.3, fusing together concepts of an Azerothian-styled Batman complete with bat shoulders, a cowl, and a nice patterned outfit. I think this is going to be the most controversial armor set this tier among players, and I do not understand why. Personally, the rogue set just looks cool, no matter what it is based on. Tier 13 is the fantasy tier, as has been mentioned by Blizzard over and over in each of the tier 13 reveals. At this point in the expansion, the designers and artists are having fun making their versions of cool armor and fun ideas that they've been kicking around. From Time Wizards and tentacle faces to Deathwing look-a-likes and Azerothian bat men, I think this is one of the most unique tiers yet. And really, who epitomizes rogues better than the Dark Knight himself? %Gallery-134409%