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World of Warcraft Patch 3.2 Loot Guide
WoW.com has covered patch 3.2 extensively. Everything from the surprising changes to flying mounts, to the latest and greatest loot, and all the changes in between. In our patch 3.2 class, raiding, and PvP guides we take a look at exactly what changes and how the changes will affect your playing.New instances and raids are fun and all, but let's not forget what we're all here for: the loot. With the new patch out on servers, there's a whole slew of new items and gear to win and collect. Here's a quick roundup of everything we know about the new loot coming in patch 3.2, from the badges you pull from dead bosses' bodies, to the sweet epics you can turn them in to get.
Thorim, remixed, in the mountains
Here's a great way to start off the weekend for sure. lockexenocide on WoW LJ points out this remix of Thorim's "In the mountains" speech, and I like it a lot. It's part of a speech Thorim gives when you first pull him, thrown in with some phat beats and cuts. Unfortunately, LJ doesn't know who put it together, but even stranger, a search reveals a another Thorim remix in the Youtube video above.I'm surprised there aren't more remixes of Blizzard's music and/or audio -- these sound really good, and it'd be fun to hear someone like The Maiden of Virtue ("Cast out your corrupt thoughts!") or Noth ("Rise, my soldiers! Rise and fight once more!") get this treatment. There's probably a whole bunch of cool ways aspiring DJs could cut up and remix some of Blizzard's audio.Update: Here's a cool Yogg Saron mix from Thebum in our comments.
Guildwatch: Just don't say "priceless"
We got quite a few good photoshopped victory pictures in the email after our suggestion that you send us some a few weeks ago, so you'll probably see a few of them here in the column over the next few weeks (assuming, that is, we don't get any hilarious chat logs that we need to show you). This one's from Tyranis, GM of The Arcane Council on Bloodhoof, who adds in some fun stuff to every screenshot his guild puts together. Go see more of them on their website.More downed news, as well as drama and recruiting notices, in this week's Guildwatch, which starts below. If you have news to send in, please do: drop us a quick note (the more you can emulate the format of the news below, the better) at guildwatch@wow.com. Meanwhile, read on for this week's column.
Hard modes and raider morale
Karl, writing over on the WoW Livejournal, has an interesting set of thoughts about hard modes and just how they work with raiders' morale. Hard modes are designed to give raiders something extra -- if you've conquered the normal modes of raids like Ulduar, hard modes are put in there by Blizzard to offer you some extra risk for a corresponding reward. But as they've become more and more routine, some raids are taking on the hard modes even before they've cleared the whole instance, leading up to a night of wiping on early hard modes, and then wiping on later progression. And wiping all night is never good for any raid's morale.Of course, this is one of the causes for the way the Crusaders' Coliseum in patch 3.2 is designed: instead of having both hard and normal modes constrained to one instance, you can run a 10 or 25-man instance in normal mode all the way, leaving the Heroic mode open when you're ready to do some wiping.But then again, think about what the mindset is here -- players are throwing themselves on early bosses' hard modes even when they haven't beaten the end bosses yet. It seems like most raids will take any opportunity they get for more loot, no matter how tough it is, and that's what's leading to all of this "glass chewing" Karl is talking about. Even if Blizzard gives players the option to run a normal instance without worrying about hard modes, won't players still just run Heroic anyway, for the better gear?
Guildwatch: They should ninja a dictionary
Blizzard's "new" approach to the endgame is nowhere more apparent than right here in Guildwatch: final endgame bosses use to only be the domain of world firsts and sponsored guilds, but one look through our Downed section this week shows that even casual guilds can now roll all the way up to Yogg-Saron and take him out. Sure, Algalon, that "destroyer of raids," is still no pushover. But the endgame is definitely much more accessible than before.That downed news can be found after the link below, along with all of the drama and raiding news we've received lately from around the realms. Click on to read this week's Guildwatch, and feel free to send us your tips at guildwatch@wow.com -- you might see them right here next week.
Guildwatch: That little extra something
It's been a while since we've seen a fun screenshot like this, so here you go: Lawlessness of Norgannon-H saw fit to add a little text to their kill picture of the first boss in Ulduar. If you want to send us an exceptionally cool screenshot your guild has done, feel free to send it (and any other tips you have about drama, downed, or recruting news) to guildwatch@wow.com, and you might see it here in the future.Meanwhile, click the link below to see this week's Guildwatch column. Enjoy!
Tips on using Recount for tanks and others
Just in case you missed this excellent post about how to use Recount to its full potential (we also snuck it in our Daily Quest column a little while back), it's definitely worth a look. Most players just use Recount to check their own damage numbers, but as 4 Haelz points out, there's definitely a lot more to it than just that. Not only can it be used to examine overall output on fights and instances, but you can use it as a tool to monitor what kinds of spells are producing the most for you, and how your damage or healing output changes over time. You can also have it track who you've healed the most, or which targets you've really gone to town on, and you can then make adjustments to your play style from there.Now, Honor's Code has another great post about the addon, this one specifically for tanks. Recount will actually let you bring up a "Death Report" feature that will allow you, as a tank, to suss out exactly what went wrong on that last wipe, whether it was something you were late on, or whether your teammates should have done something that they didn't. You can even broadcast that Death Report, so you can show the person at fault (of course you have to be tactful with this -- you have to make sure the person you're "correcting" understands that you're just trying to get better, not attacking them) exactly what happened and when.Recount is such an excellent addon, and so many of us just use the top level functions of watching the meters (sometimes to the point where it isn't helpful at all). But used in the right way, Recount provides a treasure trove of information on what you've done during a boss fight, and how you can make yourself and the rest of your raid even better.
Guildwatch: Dodge this
Sorry for the low resolution on the pic above, but we thought it was still funny enough to share -- the guildleader of the guild (unfortunately, we weren't told the name or server) was a little unhappy when one of the raiders decided to leave a "whipefest" on General Vezax, and he decided to pull off a WoWBash-style /gkick.Lots more drama, downed, and recruiting news in our weekly Guildwatch column, which starts right after the break below. Have a tip for us? Send it along to guildwatch@wow.com, and you might see it right here next time.
Guildwatch: Paydirt in the drama mine
Picture it: you're raiding along with a PuG run by a guild called, say, Logos et Ethos. Things are going well -- your first piece of loot drops, and people start rolling on it. But then the master looter from the guild throws this in guild chat: "we will begin the bidding at 100g." Yes, apparently it's an auction run, and they didn't tell anyone. The scene above unfolds -- people curse out the guild, leave the raid, and Poemaster pulls out the caps lock to try and keep his guild's secret fundraiser going.That drama and more in this week's Guildwatch, along with stories of downed bosses and recruiting from around the realms. Send us your tips (especially drama, we always love a good chat screenshot) to guildwatch@wow.com, and click through the link below to read more.
Patch 3.2: Argent Coliseum raid story and encounters (SPOILERS)
There's been a lot of speculation as to what Patch 3.2's new raid instance, the Argent Coliseum, will contain. We got a taste of what bosses we might fight a little while back when the 3.2 PTR launched and some Achievement information was datamined, but I've taken it all one step further. As with my previous post on the 5-man content in the Coliseum, I've datamined a ton of information from the PTR game files, including NPC and spell data (another massive thanks to Boubouille of MMO-Champion for his help), to determine not only who we're facing up against (for sure), but how exactly the encounters will go down once we've gotten our epicly-clad heinies into the octagon Coliseum.The same disclaimer as last time applies. The encounters could change at any time, datamining isn't an exact science, I could be misinterpreting files, etc, etc. But I'm pretty solid on what I've written down, and anything I'm speculating on will be noted as such.Any spell or ability listed in this guide will likely be a random rank, given the spell database's knack for throwing me 10-man and 25-man spells in the same area! Don't assume that the damage values are accurate until you get killed by them!Remember: MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!Ready? Let's go!
Patch 3.2: Argent Coliseum 5-man story and encounters (SPOILERS)
Okay, gonna say this right now.This article is so full of spoilers you'll think you're in a movie with Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. The Argent Coliseum will be so spoiled that its parents bought it a car before it could drive. There will be less mystery to the Argent Coliseum than in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village." There. So. Thanks to Boubouille of MMO-Champion's help, I've spent the past few days digging through the spell and NPC data in patch 3.2's current PTR game files, slogging through thousands of new entries to find out how exactly the new encounters in the Argent Coliseum will be like (and who they'll be!). Well, I've been mostly successful in that regard, and I'm prepared to spoil about 90% of the Coliseum's encounters for you. But that's not all! This latest PTR patch was also kind enough to provide me with a ton of sound files related to the Coliseum and its set of instances, which has given me a very firm insight into what happens around the encounters. This particular article will focus on the 5-man instance. Basic caveats apply: The encounters could change at any time, datamining isn't an exact science, I could be misinterpreting files, etc, etc. But I'm pretty solid on what I've written down, and anything I'm speculating on will be noted as such.Any spell or ability listed in this guide will likely be a random rank, given the spell database's knack for throwing me 10-man and 25-man spells in the same area! Don't assume that the damage values are accurate for your favored raid size! Remember, BIG SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP. But if you can't contain yourself, then go right ahead, dear readers. Let's go down the rabbit hole.
Guildwatch: System error beep bop
We have no idea why Coridane is so against Warlocks getting made fun of in the game (he must not be a fan of our very own Warlock-hater, Christian Belt), but apparently it's serious -- serious enough for him to kick you from a raid. We do especially like that the need to assault downed Warlocks is actually a system error ("beep bop"): we would just have assumed that was normal protocol. It sure is in our raids.More drama like this, along with downed and recruiting news, in this week's Guildwatch. If you have tips for us, feel free to send them in -- just drop us a note (please keep it short, sweet, and clear) at guildwatch@wow.com, and you might see it here next week.
Guildwatch: We're not even in his guild
Ulduar is getting toppled, guild by guild. We've heard about quite a few Yoggy downings already, and everybody else seems to be working their way around six or seven out of fourteen. There are still definitely a few guilds still working on Naxx and Malygos (nothing wrong with that -- my guild has Malygos on notice), but we'd say the majority of folks are finding Titan treasures in Ulduar. Which is probably just the way Blizzard wants it.Lots more downed news, not to mention both drama (a Downfall parody!) and recruiting notices from around the realms in this week's Guildwatch. Click the link below to read on.
Phat Loot Phriday: Fang of Oblivion
We haven't done a dagger in a while, if my memory serves. Plus, this one is made of stars.Name: Fang of Oblivion (Wowhead, Thottbot, WoWDB)Type: Epic Unique One-hand DaggerDamage/Speed: 271-407 / 1.80 (188.3 DPS)Attributes: +47 Agility, +54 Stamina, and a Yellow Socket, which will probably let you add to crit, hit or haste, depending on what you need more of, with a +4 Agility socket bonus. +1869 Feral attack power, so you can do more damage in your new kitty form. %Gallery-33600%
Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite raid boss?
Here's a good question from the official forums: What's your favorite raid boss, and why? The original poster chose C'thun, from classic WoW's second-hardest raid, AQ40; Bornakk agrees. I haven't actually seen C'thun, but from what I hear it was both incredibly frustrating and incredibly awesome. Crygil picks Doomwalker, but he might be a little biased. As for me, picking out of the fights I've done, I'm going to say Hodir. I don't remember classic raiding very clearly, and I only got through Karazhan and most of Zul'aman in BC. Ulduar is probably my favorite raid instance out of all the ones I've done, and the Hodir fight is really fun and demands a good amount of coordination from your group. What's your pick?
Guildwatch: He's really, really sorry
You've got to hear this guy included in our drama section this week -- he accidentally ninja'd a piece of loot, and he was so sorry that he not only apologized on the forums, he actually made some YouTube videos to apologize in virtual person. And they are terrific -- the music is amazing, and he just keeps talking and talking and talking. We could listen to him all day, actually. Definitely check it out.That story and many more in this week's Guildwatch, back up to full strength after a short version last week. If you have drama, downed or recruiting tips to share with us from around the realms, send them right along to guildwatch@wow.com. Click the link below to read on.
Blizzard launches Ulduar Bosstiary
Although this comes a little late for a few players, not everybody is raiding Ulduar yet, and those that are haven't necessarily cleared it. To help appease your curiosity about what creatures lurk within the latest raid, or if you simply want to know a bit about the background of the guys that have been handing you purples recently, check out Blizzard's latest web feature, the Bosstiary. It's an interactive map of Ulduar (same graphics as the in-game map), and if you click on any of the boss icons, it pops up a little paragraph about the boss. For instance, did you know that Auriaya is Ulduar's archivist? Makes sense - librarians love cats. Also, apparently Kologarn was created by Ignis. I guess Iggy must have been a big Monty Python fan. I think this is a neat way to learn a little more about the story behind the bosses. I hope they continue doing this for raids to come.
Guildwatch: Min-E3 edition
Apologies for this week -- I'm at E3 working like crazy, and Guildwatch has ended up on the low priority list. But I'm not going to leave you with nothing: though it's a little shorter than normal, we've still got your downed, recruiting, and dramatic news of the week. Click below to read on, and we'll be back to full strength next week.Got more tips for us? Just send them along to guildwatch@wow.com, and you might see them right here soon.
Guildwatch: Ninjas are mammals
Lots of great guild news in this week's column -- many guilds, like OpEx above, from Scilla, are making their way through Ulduar and dropping lots of bosses as they go by. And many more guilds are recruiting: way more, unfortunately, than we have space for in this column. Business is booming if you're a raiding guild, apparently, and we have a feeling that's exactly what Blizzard planned.There's also drama in this week's GW, as there is every week, and don't worry: we included the rap battle. Don't miss that one. If you've got tips for us about drama, downed news, or recruiting (though we are still overflowing on recruiting -- at this point, you're probably better off just on your realm forums), send us an email at wowguildwatch@gmail.com. Click the link below to read on.
Dragonica Online screens show off boss battles
We haven't heard a great deal about Dragonica Online before now, but it seems as though it's been cruising through its testing phases quite successfully under our noses. The game is an English adaptation of a fairly new Chinese MMO called Dream Dragon, and features 3D side-scrolling combat in a free-to-play format. Embedded above is an old video we found on Youtube that will give you an idea of how it works -- comparisons to MapleStory are inevitable. The game's publishers THQ*ICE have sent along some screenshots of a few of the bosses you'll find in-game, and we've put them in a new gallery for you to check out. The main thing to point out here is that a boss wolf, for example, doesn't just look like a slightly-different-colored regular wolf, which is always nice to see. If it's starting to look like your kind of game, make sure to visit THQ*ICE's official Dragonica Online site and register an account, as there's a preview beta test coming very soon.%Gallery-63222%
