Grand-Expedition-Yak
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Warlords of Draenor Alpha: Mystic Birdhat's new job
If, like me, you bought the Grand Expedition Yak (at an obscene price) because you just had to have a reforger on your mount -- maybe you have as big a problem as I do with the concept of monetary value, I don't know -- you were probably slightly saddened to discover that reforging was leaving the game. For it meant that you would no longer have a reforger right there on your mount for that one time you used it for yourself before ending up the entire raid's reforge buddy when they all got new gear. But now with reforging gone, we've all been asking what Mystic Birdhat's ultimate fate would be. Would he simply be removed? Would he be replaced with someone else? No and no. Instead, he's now apparently a transmogrification vendor, and there was much rejoicing. Now, be warned, this is the Alpha. Things are subject to change. I couldn't actually get Mystic Birdhat to transmog any of my gear - he just sat there, smug about his new job description.
Gold sinks and entitlement in WoW
I recently published a news piece about the price hike of the Grand Expedition Yak from 60,000g to 120,000g in the Mists of Pandaria beta. I was not overly surprised by the reaction to the piece at first; I had expected something of an outcry, as there often is at the introduction of gold sink items. But then I began thinking about why. Why do gold sinks promote such ire in the WoW community? I first approached the question from the angle that it's hard to earn that sort of gold. Whatever you think, for the beginning Auction House player, it is. It's hard to transform 500g into 120,000g. And it's hard to imagine that such a transformation would ever be feasible when you're the person with 500g across all their characters or even the person who's always sat at about 30,000g -- no more, no less -- despite having a go at playing the Auction House. That latter one is me, by the way. I do try at playing the Auction House; I'm simply not very good at it or very dedicated! Worrying, really, when you consider I used to work for a hedge fund. I was managing real estate, in my defence.
Mists of Pandaria Beta: Grand Expedition Yak price doubles to 120,000g
WoW Insider has received a tip that in the latest beta patch, the Grand Expedition Yak (the new MoP mount with a portable reforger) has had a substantial, above-inflation price hike. Its price has gone from "Blimey, that's a bit steep" at 60,000 gold to "How much?! That's insane!" at 120,000 gold. My 85 mage took the screenshot in the header, but I took my 85 shaman up to the Grummle Bazaar to re-check the price and found it to be 108,000 gold rather than 120,000. I'm assuming this is because of reputation discounts; my opinion reinforced by how Uncle Bigpocket referred to my shaman as a "friend of the Grummles." A Battle.net forum thread indicates the same, saying that the price can come down to a far more reasonable (ahem) 96,000 gold. I can only imagine that this price increase is in response to the decision to make all but PvP reward mounts account-wide, including the jewelcrafting mounts and the Grand Expedition Yak itself. I'm not sure whether this is good news or bad overall. The gold sink of the jewelcrafting mounts was certainly compromised by rendering them account-wide, so perhaps the Grand Expedition Yak was upgraded to gold sink status. However, what with this mount being so much more than a vanity choice, the punitive price seems prohibitive to its principal market: raiders. Sure, the Basil Berntsens of this world will consider 120,000 gold small change, but for most of us common folk, that is more gold than we're likely to have our greasy paws on at any one time. I can see a few people irritably scrubbing out "earn 60,000 gold to buy yak" from their Cataclysm bucket lists! Does the price increase mean you are ruling out this mammoth as part of your mountable menagerie? Or is 120,000 gold well within your reach? [Thanks for the tip, Tesliana!] 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: Finally, a portable reforger
Deep in the heart of Kun-Lai Summit, at The Grummle Bazaar, lies a vendor named Uncle Bigpocket who, at some point, will sell the Grand Expedition Yak, this expansion's version of the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth. It's a beautiful beast, but what caught my attention were the vendors on the side of it. One of them is named Cousin Slowhands, a NPC who seems like he probably sells water and food and the like. The second vendor, on the other hand, is named Mystic Birdhat, Arcane Reforger. Many players have posted on the forums (we've even floated the idea), pleading for some type of portable reforging tool. Well, it seems Blizzard was listening! While the price for the mount would appear to be about 60,000 gold, the possibility of account-wide mounts makes this purchase worthwhile. Hopefully, someone in your raid or dungeon group has some deep pockets! [Thanks to Runek for the heads up!] 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!
More mounts in the Mists of Pandaria beta
The most recent beta patch has added a handful of new mounts -- including yak mounts, which are automatically super-awesome because they're shaggy ol' yak mounts, and that's awesome. Don't argue with me. And if for some reason you're not willing to clutch a yak mount to your bosom (perhaps you're cruel, wicked, evil and wrong as wrong can be -- I don't judge), you can content yourself with the Amber Scorpion or the Crimson Riding Crane. The Crimson Riding Crane is going to be a frontrunner in the Mounts That Look So Wrong with a Tauren Perched on Their Back contest. I just know it. Personally, I want both the Grand Expedition Yak and the White Riding Yak, and I want to ride them by standing on their backs, one foot on each. But I'll settle for just being able to ride them -- because, yaks. Did I mention that yaks are awesome yet? Sorry if I left that out. Yaks. 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!
