dread-wastes
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Li Li's Travel Journal concludes with part 11
Li Li's Travel Journal has just updated with the final installment of Li Li's journeys throughout the wilds of Pandaria. Li Li has finally made it to the Dread Wastes, in search of her Uncle Chen. But there's nothing pleasant to be found in the home of the mantid. Will Li Li find Chen, or become just another casualty in the Dread Wastes? The final chapter wraps up Li Li's journey, but it also explains what the young Stormstout is up to now. Obviously there are reunions to be had, not just with Chen, but with the rest of the Stormstout clan holed up at the Sunset Brewgarden. And there's mention of a particularly touching quest chain in the Dread Wastes, as well. All in all, this was a delightful little series that served as a pretty good overview of what to expect in Pandaria. It didn't have the emotional weight of some of the leader short stories from last expansion, but honestly, it was a refreshing change. I do hope we'll see more short fiction from Blizzard as the expansion continues, however. As with the chapters before, if you like the chapter's illustration of Li Li warily spying on the mantid, Blizzard has made it available as a wallpaper, free for download. Don't miss the latest charming installment of the tale -- you can catch chapter 8, as well as all previous installments of the story, in the Expanded Universe section of the official website. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Gok'lokk's Shell brings beauty to Pandaria
Mists of Pandaria has introduced a tremendous amount of fun vanity items, more so than any expansion before. So many in fact, that many players are begging for a vanity item tab that works much the same way as the pet and mount tabs that were added at the end of Burning Crusade. After all, when you find something that does something cool to your character, you automatically want to keep it. And when it's something truly odd, you want to use it at every possible opportunity. Imagine this: you're in the latest iteration of LFR. A tank has just left the group, and everyone is standing around waiting for a replacement to appear. Suddenly, you are assaulted with the sight of a muscular green orc, proudly standing in his underwear atop a clam shell a la Birth of Venus. He flexes. You boggle. And you think to yourself, where on earth do I get this thing because I need it immediately? It's Gokk'lok's Shell, and it's surprisingly easy to get, once you know where to look for it.
Reputation in review: The Klaxxi
You address your elder ... The Klaxxi are one of the most bizarre reputation grinds in Pandaria, and it has little to do with the mechanics of the process. Your path to gaining reputation remains simple for the most part, completing daily quests with the occasional turn in of reputation-enhancing items. In addition, you'll get the opportunity to complete extra daily quests, depending on what daily hub you happen to be assigned to that day. However, the story of the Klaxxi is anything but simple. You are referred to with the name Wakener by all of the Klaxxi you encounter -- as far as they are concerned, there is no need to give you another name. And although the reputation grind for the Tillers contains friendly faces and nice people, the Klaxxi are all the way over on the other end of the spectrum. Which is actually part of the charm, oddly enough.
Dailies in the Dread Wastes help you Stay Klaxxi
I am a warlock who later gets to look like a Sha, so I might be a tad biased about all the shadowy energy going on in the Dread Wastes, but it's a fun place to do dailies. I love the dailies here since your questing in the zone helps you later do your dailies with the Klaxxi. Then after you've done a ton of dailies for reputation, you can unlock one NPC at Honored and two more NPCs at Revered to finish off a couple of achievements. Bonus points if you're a fan of metal music -- all the Klaxxi NPC buffs you get are taken from song titles. Find each mantid paragon In pursuit of Stay Klaxxi, you will complete Amber is the Color of My Energy, which is to simply awaken each mantid paragon. Some paragons are locked behind reputation and some are locked behind questlines in the zone. Dread Haste Makes Dread Waste will also come easily as awakening the paragons is the major plot of the zone. You'll start by being sent to Bowmistress Li on top of the big wall, Serpent's Spine. Then:
The Warlord's Ashes, hidden daily of the Dread Wastes
One of the more interesting dailies in all of Pandaria is one that won't even be assigned to you by a quest giver. When questing through the Dread Wastes, or later while doing dailies in that zone, you may have spotted a curious tablet propped up at the base of an urn. According to the tablet, Warlord Gurthan, master of beasts and conqueror of men, waits here. He waits for the Earth to LAY before him as beasts once did. He waits for the Sun to KNEEL before him as men once did. Reminds me a bit of the clue to a puzzle in a Resident Evil game or something. Essentially, you (and another warm body) need to arrange yourself so one is lying down in the green circle, and the other is kneeling in the red circle. Doing so will send colored beams directly to the urn, and release the spirit of Warlord Gurthan. Strike the Warlord down, and collect the ashes. This item will begin a quest, which you can turn in at Kil'ruk the Wind-Reaver, which rewards the standard 5 valor points, 2 Lesser Charms of Good Fortune, and a smattering of gold coins. Unfortunately, this isn't available every day. Only on days in which the Klaxxi dailies involve the Terrace of Gurthan, fittingly enough. Nonetheless, it's a great little quest that rewards those willing to explore a little. Considering how there is absolutely no indication from NPCs that this quest exists, I wonder how many more of these hidden gems are just waiting to be found out there. And if there aren't any, there should be, because this is the kind of thing that makes it fun and rewarding to get out and poke around every nook and cranny in Pandaria. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Mists of Pandaria Beta: Reputation rewards for the Klaxxi
The Dread Wastes feature the conflict between the mantid of the region. While some are content to follow their leader, others question her true motives. Because of this, players end up allying with the Klaxxi, a group of mantid that are set on identifying the problem with the mantid populace and eliminating that problem before it causes any further trouble than it already has. And as we know, where there is reputation, there are reputation rewards to be purchased. Players gain reputation with the Klaxxi both through questing in the Dread Wastes and via dailies that are unlocked when players reach level 90. While the Klaxxi don't offer any sweet mounts like the Golden Lotus, they do share in the splendor of neat items with unusual twists. Players can purchase Restorative Amber upon reaching honored reputation with the Klaxxi, and it works just as the name suggests. Using the item will encase the player in amber, restoring 300,000 health and mana over 10 seconds. And though there are no mounts to be found, the Klaxxi offer a ton of options in the form of armor. Legplates, belts and necklaces can all be bought with valor points. For the full list of items, check out our full gallery. And remember -- prices and point values shown on the vendors are not finalized until the game is released! %Gallery-160314% It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Mists of Pandaria Beta: The Dread Wastes
Taking a marked departure from every other zone in Mists of Pandaria, the Dread Wastes presents an alien, twisted, unnerving landscape that is more than a little disconcerting. Stir in a giant helping of mantid, and you've got an entomophobe's worst nightmare. The Dread Wastes is home to the mantid, who generally stay behind the great wall built between the Dread Wastes and the rest of Pandaria. However, the wall doesn't really bar the mantid from flying over. Each mantid generation results in a massive swarm that assaults the rest of Pandaria, devouring everything in its path. Only the strongest mantid return from the journey. In Mists of Pandaria, the mantid are swarming a full 100 years too early, and it's up to the pandaren and players to fight off the swarm while trying to puzzle out exactly what caused the change in the mantid routine. In addition, players will get to interact with the Klaxxi, the elders and keepers of mantid culture. The Klaxxi are oddly enough just as unhappy with recent mantid events as the rest of Pandaria, and they're determined to identify the problem and eliminate it, with player help. Players will likely still be working through this zone at level 90, and frankly it's well worth the time involved. Between the alien landscape and off-putting residents is a zone with a bizarre and fascinating story to tell. Take a look at our gallery for a sneak peek of what the Dread Wastes has to offer. %Gallery-159520% It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Mists of Pandaria Beta: Townlong Steppes
The Townlong Steppes to the southwest of Kun Lai Summit and the west of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms is the next stop while leveling through Pandaria. The problems of the pandaren grow far more dire in Townlong Steppes, where the displaced yaungol's struggle becomes even clearer. Along with the yaungol, players catch their first very real glimpse of the mantid threat that encroaches from the Dread Wastes to the south. Townlong Steppes also features the efforts of the Shado Pan, one of several groups available for reputation gain in Mists of Pandaria. The Shado Pan are beset from all fronts by the yaungol, the mantid, and the mogu. Townlong Steppes is formed by the western side of Pandaria and a series of small islands off the western edge of the continent. Twisted trees and strange constructions eerily reminiscent of Ahn'Qiraj litter the gorgeous landscape, making this one of the first zones to feel truly alien. Townlong Steppes is a level 88 to 89 zone for leveling players; however, after hitting level 90, you'll want to pay the place another visit, as the Shado Pan offer a series of dailies for reputation gaining purposes. Take a look at the full gallery for a preview of this peculiarly beautiful zone. %Gallery-159375% It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Mists of Pandaria: Wowhead previews the Dread Wastes
Dread Wastes is a corrupted version of the previous questing zone, Townlong Steppes. The Mantid Corruption will be the main opponent here, as it is in Townlong, but you'll have allies as you progress through this Sha-damaged land. The Klaxxi Sworn to fight the corruption, this race seeks your cooperation in order to build faction with them. Their quest hub, Klaxxi'vess, is in the center of the Dread Wastes. The Anglers Building faction with these lighthearted fishermen rewards you with items to help you fish as well as the Azure Water Strider mount. Their settlement is in the southern part of the zone. Sunset Beergarden These brewers of a special beer made from amber are fighting the mantid, who are killing the trees they need. Their home is located at the northern part of the Dread Wastes, bordering Townlong steppes. Check out the screenshots and previews of the stories over at Wowhead News. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
