legendary-cloak
Latest
Reminder: Get your content cleared before 6.0.2
Blizzard posted a reminder earlier this week regarding several features that will either be changed or removed from the game entirely in patch 6.0.2. While we don't at present time have a release date set for the introductory patch of Warlords of Draenor, it would still be in your best interests to complete the content now, rather than waiting and possibly missing out for good. And of course, removed content means those achievements you've gathered will be filed away as either Legacy achievements, or Feats of Strength in the upcoming expansion. Challenge Modes should be top priority if you've got your eyes on those Mists of Pandaria sets, because they will no longer be available as of 6.0.2 -- the phoenix mounts will also be going away, although players that have earned one of the mounts will have access to all variations. Players looking for heirloom weapons from Garrosh Hellscream should hop to it, as those will also be removed once Warlords of Draenor is released in November. In addition, the Brawler's Guild will be taking a hiatus once patch 6.0.2 hits -- the bosses and encounters in the Brawler's Guild will be re-tuned for level 100. However, if you've already gained access to the Brawler's Guild, you'll still retain that access when the new expansion launches -- no need to dig up another invite. Lastly, if you have not started the legendary cloak quest chain by patch 6.0.2, you'll no longer be able to obtain it. Players already on the chain will still retain the quests, although they will be slightly altered, as the section of the chain that requires players to collect Valor Points will be gone altogether with the removal of Valor Points in 6.0.2. For more information on changes and removals with the arrival of both patch 6.0.2 and Warlords of Draenor itself, take a look at Blizzard's full post on the official site.
WRUP: How many legendary cloaks do you need?
It's the weekend once more, which means it's time to forget about the stresses of the work-week and dive into the delightful escapism of video games... which usually means playing some Warcraft. This week, we're all looking towards the end of Mist of Pandaria's legendary cloak quest chain, so in addition to what we're playing this weekend, we talk about where we are on our legendary goals. So just what is the team up to this weekend? Read on to find out -- and let us know what you're playing in the comments.
Patch 6.0.2: Ordos cloak requirement removed
One of the unique quirks of the Timeless Isle, introduced in patch 5.4, was the means in which players accessed Ordos, Fire-God of the Yaungol and the world boss located at the highest heights of the Isle. In order to even get to the temple in which Ordos was located, players needed to either fly very carefully on one of the Isle's many flying albatross taxis, or have a legendary cloak that would glide them right on over the broken bridge that led to the Ordon Sanctuary. And even if you took the albatross, fighting Ordos required the legendary cloak -- you could not engage the world boss without it. But according to developer Jeremy Feasel on Twitter, that's about to change in patch 6.0.2. @perculia @nite_moogle Yes, you will not need the cloak to fight Ordos in 6.0.- Jeremy Feasel (@Muffinus) September 16, 2014 Later tweets clarified that the cloak wouldn't even be needed to get over the broken bridge -- the Celestials will send everyone flying to the other side, regardless of whether they have the legendary cloak or not. For those that don't really do any raiding, Ordos has quite the loot table of gear. Every item he drops is ilvl 559, and although we won't be able to upgrade gear with Valor when the patch hits, it's still some pretty good gear for getting a head-start on leveling in Warlords. If you don't have a legendary cloak, or don't plan to obtain one, you might just want to focus your attention on Ordos for a few last pre-Warlords upgrades once patch 6.0.2 goes live.
Gaze of the Black Prince returns Thursday
After weeks of Heart of the Valorous, the Gaze of the Black Prince buff will be returning for a two week period. Beginning Thursday, August 14 at 10:00 a.m. PDT and running through Tuesday, August 26 at 9:00 a.m. PDT, Gaze of the Black Prince will increase all reputation gained with Wrathion, the Black Prince, by 100%. The buff will also increase the droprate of all items necessary for the legendary cloak quests. If you're short on Secrets of the Empire, Sigils of Wisdom, Sigils of Power, or Titan Runestones, make sure you get your playtime in.
Gaze of the Black Prince returns
Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday July 15th, at 9:00 am PDT, the Gaze of the Black Prince buff will reappear on live servers. This game-wide buff increases reputation gains with The Black Prince by 100%, and increases your chance to earn Sigils of Wisdom, Sigils of Power, Secrets of the Empire, and Titan Runestones. The buff will last two weeks and end at 9:00 am PDT on July 29th. If you've got a toon working on that legendary cloak questline, you just might be able to push through and finish it up in the next two weeks. Make sure to check out Anne Stickney's guide to getting that fancy orange piece of gear if you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed, there are some great tips there for using your time as efficiently as possible. For those of you aiming to get your legendary cloak--be it your first or fifth--good luck, and may the Gaze of the Black Prince help you out.
Legendary quest boosts on the way?
Wowhead dug up some interesting new information this past week, largely in regards to the legendary quest chain offered by Wrathion. These changes are not for patch 6.0 -- they are for patch 5.4.8, which should be coming to the PTR soon. Two new spells of note have been added to the PTR -- one, called Gaze of the Black Prince, increases your reputation earned with the Black Prince by 100%, which might sound a little like the Grand Commendations for other Pandaria reputations that unlock bonus reputation for all characters on your account. But that doesn't seem to be the case with this particular spell. In fact, Gaze of the Black Prince also increases the chances of getting a Secrets of the Empire, Sigil of Power, Sigil of Wisdom, or Titan Runestone from enemies. How much of a chance isn't directly stated, but frankly, gathering the needed drops is far more time-consuming than simply earning the required reputation with Wrathion, so that's fantastic, right? Well ... there's more.
How to get a legendary cloak on your boosted 90
I just finished getting my legendary cloak on a second level 90 this week. It wasn't really necessary -- after all, I've got the cloak on my main character and I don't really need it on a second -- but I wanted to complete the chain again. The first time I went through this extraordinary, expansion-long chain was as the expansion itself played out, waiting between patches for the next leg of the chain to be introduced. This time around, there was no waiting in between stages. I could simply barrel through the chain as quickly as possible, a fresh level 90 against whatever Wrathion chose to throw at me. And let's face it -- the chain has changed in parts along the way. It still takes some time to complete, so you're not going to have your cloak tomorrow if you start today. But the rewards are well worth the effort, and it's quite a bit easier than it used to be. So if you have a recently boosted level 90 and you're interested in getting a legendary of your own, here's how to get that cloak with minimal stress.
Why Warlords of Draenor needs a legendary chain
Mists of Pandaria was unique in a variety of different ways, but none quite so unique as its approach to legendary items. While prior expansions offered legendaries in the form of random drops from bosses or craftable items that required -- you guessed it -- random drops from bosses, Mists paved the way for a new type of legendary. It was a legendary that anyone could get, provided they put in the time and effort required to obtain it. Coming from a long line of raiding going all the way back to vanilla, I have to say that Mists' approach was the best I've ever seen. No more arguing over which class deserved the legendary more, no more officer headaches as they tried to decide who got the legendary first. No more accusations of favoritism, no more guild explosions. Just you, the character you play, and a decision to make: do you go for the legendary chain, or do you ignore it? You choose. We need this in Warlords.
Breakfast Topic: How legendary should legendary be?
Has WoW's latest legendary item become a mandatory checkbox on the raid recruitment circuit? The legendary cloak has been called "the people's legendary" based on its relative ease of acquisition. "As long as you put in the time there is literally no barrier to entry," explains WoW Insider's Adam Koebel. "It's the most powerful item you will equip this expansion -- sometimes the proc alone is over 10% of my damage on a boss fight, and that's not counting its enormous stat budget or the metagem." Sounds like a pretty key piece to acquire, doesn't it? Apparently, so goes the thinking of guild leaders across Azeroth. Tales from the field indicate that a legendary cloak has become a prerequisite for players seeking entry into a raiding guild. It seems reasonable enough: Completing the cloak quest is a pretty good benchmark of persistence and basic game knowledge, and the cloak is certainly a powerful piece in its own right. Still, how legendary can a cloak be if the community at large establishes it as the bottom line for endgame participation? "I must state that this cape and all its associated quests and grinds still do not make it feel 'legendary' IMO," wrote WI commenter shaw.sbst. "But, I do applaud Blizzard in trying to find ways to emulate the epicness of what was trying to get a legendary weapon, or an equivalent in terms of personal importance, like what it was to get the class mounts." What does it say when a supposedly legendary item becomes an expected prerequisite for endgame play? Does that dilute its status? What makes a legendary item "legendary," and did the so-called people's legendary cloak achieve that goal? How much value does the term "legendary" itself hold for you?
August Celestials hotfixed to accomodate smaller groups
Just one hotfix was released last night, but it was a doozy for those looking to complete their legendary cloaks. All four Celestials on the Timeless Isle have had their health reduced to 25% of their original giant-raid-worthy health pool. If more than 10 players from the same faction engage with a Celestial, its health will scale up to compensate. The scaling will stop at 100% of their original health once 40 players are engaged in the encounter. The last step of Wrathion's expansion-long chain to obtain legendary cloaks was easy enough when patch 5.4 went live, but these days fewer players are killing the Celestials each week. I know my server usually sees a lot of Celestial kills on Tuesday, but that number drops rapidly as the week wanes on, making it far more difficult for players that are trying to catch up and get their cloak. This change should hopefully make it a little more feasible for players to complete the quest. While it's nice to see this change applied to the Celestials, I wish we'd see the same technology applied to the rest of Pandaria's world raid bosses as well. The Sha of Fear, Galleon, Oondasta, and Nalak all drop mounts, but it's difficult to find a raid group to take these bosses on so late in the expansion. As the expansion's end draws near, it would be nice to see that technology put in place for older content as well as the new. What do you guys think?
Community Blog Topic Results: Continuing to mix PvP with PvE
For our last Community Blog Topic, we asked about continuing to mix PvP with PvE. bengstra would like PvE and PvP completely separated. I have long held they need to keep their PvP out of my PvE. It is simply impossible to balance and one side or the other is constantly being impacted by the side they want, and have, no part in. This makes for constant ping ponging and frustration (think Stampede for a text book example of ping ponging).
Breakfast Topic: Do you want another 'people's legendary'?
The legendary cloak, often dubbed as the people's legendary, is a drastic departure from the legendary items of the past. As long as you put in the time there is literally no barrier to entry. It's the most powerful item you will equip this expansion -- sometimes the proc alone is over 10% of my damage on a boss fight, and that's not counting its enormous stat budget or the metagem. I've had some friends express frustration with the quest chain because they're the type of player who takes frequent breaks from the game. If you sit out for a few months it's very easy to fall behind, and then you're stuck running old content to play catch up. Quest item RNG was a cruel mistress to some as well. I was lucky to get 10 of each sigil at roughly the same time, but I know guildies who had 50+ of one type before getting 10 of the other. There was also the PvP portion of the quest which was not popular. I'm afraid to admit how many attempts it took me to get that Silvershard Mines win. I enjoyed the cookies along the way: the sha-touched gem, the weapon socket, the metagem, the epic cloak, and then finally the legendary. It was definitely worth the time investment for me. What about you? %Poll-85397%
Zarhym on the legendary cloak and its boss
There's a number of people are concerned about needing the legendary cloak to fight the Fire-God Ordos, a special boss accessible on the Timeless Isle. Those people with the concern raise the point that this is essentially cutting off a significant portion of the game to those without the cloak -- or at least what they feel is a significant portion of the game. Except, it's not a big portion of the game. It's one boss, and a rather insignificant one (in the grand scheme of things) at that. Further, players that have put in the year long effort to actually get the legendary cloak deserve some sort of reward for their troubles. And while the awesome cloak is certainly part of that reward, getting to experience a different boss is a nice added bonus. Zarhym makes this point well in a post on the forms, and it's worth taking a few minutes to read his words. He also makes a great point at the end -- getting the legendary now through SoO farming is just as viable as working on it over the past year (and it's entirely possible to do that). Now it might be a point of pride to have worked on it over the long haul, but still, he is correct in saying it's just as cool no matter when you pick it up. Zarhym's full post after the break.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Legendary questline walkthrough from Wowhead
Looking to finally be finished with Wrathion's lengthy quest chain and walk away with your legendary reward? When patch 5.4 hits the live realms, you'll have your chance with Judgment of the Black Prince. If you've kept up with the questline, CM Lore has already told us that anyone who's caught up with the quest should be able to grab a legendary of their own fairly quickly, but if you aren't caught up now's a good time to get working on it. Wowhead's quest walkthrough will guide you through the quest chain from start to finish, including the latest patch 5.4 steps as they currently exist on the PTR. So what do you have to look forward to? Hitting up the Timeless Isle to collect 5000 Timeless Coins and then defeating 4 world bosses. While we wait for patch 5.4 to arrive, why not get ready to pick up your legendary by catching up on the legendary questline? Your own legendary cloak will be a big help through the Siege of Orgrimmar.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Celestial Tournament and legendary questline details
Wowhead's brought us more details on the Celestial Tournament and legendary questline. The tournament, live on the patch 5.4 PTR now, has some added details: the stands are full of spectators and decorated with banners, vendors sell booze and noodle bowls, and brightly-colored Sky Lanterns are available for purchase for the steep cost of 7500 Timeless Coins. In legendary questline news, Wowhead has compiled some useful updates from Lore that clarify questline questions. The most interesting, we think, is that players who have been keeping up with legendary questline from patch to patch should be able to quickly complete it to get their legendary cloak once 5.4 has been released. This will let players use the cloaks to progress through the Siege of Orgrimmar raid. Handy!
Lichborne: Death knight tips for Wrathion's epic cloak quest
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. This past week, I finally got my final titan Runestone after a couple very horrible dry spells, and was able to get my epic cloak from Wrathion. To do so, of course, one has to defeat one of the celestial challenges during the Celestial Blessings quest. After reading a couple excellent strategies, including, of course, WoW Insider's guide, and wiping a few times on the DPS challenge, I settled on doing the tanking challenge. I'd actually recommend the tanking challenge for any death knight looking to finish the legendary quest. As long as you have a tanking set that's made up of Throne of Thunder Raid Finder gear or better (maybe add a few pieces of valor or heroic scenario gear in there), you should be able to do it. I do this primarily because it's easier to control everything. Being able to tank adds straight on helps, as does being able to lead the Vision of Deathwing around rather than trying to strafe Wrathion. With this in mind, I'm using today's column to offer a few death-knight specific tips to defeating Niuzao's challenge and getting your cloak.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Legendary Cloak restriction lightened for Ordos
Ordos is a new world boss located on the Timeless Isle zone, a new island zone added in patch 5.4 to the south-east of the Jade Forest, out in the sea. Where islands usually hang out. According to previous information, Ordos was a boss only accessible by players who had the Legendary cloak. This restriction has now been lifted somewhat, as Blizzard Community Manager Lore notes in the forums: Lore Just as an update to this: We're planning to change the restriction for access to Ordos to be account-wide. Basically, as long as at least one of your characters has a legendary cloak, all of them should be able to access the encounter. source This, it seems is a vast improvement, and will make it an awful lot easier for players to find groups to kill Ordos. He's not the hardest boss to take down, but he does have a five-minute soft enrage, so you'll need to be putting out some considerable numbers to get through his health pool, or to have a group that's on the larger side. As a result of this, it seems like a good plan to make it easier to put groups together. What's more, it means you might be able to take out Ordos with your friends. He seems to be a little bugged on the PTR at present, as I was able to pull him several times with a group, and certainly do not have a legendary cloak on any character! I had fully expected to be kicked off the platform, but wasn't. This will definitely change for live, though!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Legendary spell effects for all (druids included)
In case you were thinking the legendary cloaks in patch 5.4 weren't really flashy, think again. MMO-Champion has discovered new spell effects for the legendary cloaks that are pretty gorgeous. The cloaks are not available on the PTR as of yet, but it appears that they are some kind of spell effect proc similar to the procs displayed by Challenge Mode armor sets, rather than being on and flashy all the time. Although discussion about the fact that we're getting legendary cloaks rather than weapons has been pretty heated, a lot of the discussion boils down to the fact that cloak graphics are regularly turned off by many players, leaving them feeling a little uninspired by Wrathion's last offering. Are the ultra-flashy spell procs just the thing to change the minds of players? Good question -- but MMO-Champion has put together a video of all four spell procs, available after the break. Please note that this is datamined material. Spell effects, visuals, and the procs themselves may change over time before patch 5.4 hits live servers.
Lichborne: Patch 5.4 set bonuses and legendary cloaks
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. While we haven't seen many major death knight class changes for death knights on the patch 5.4 PTR since the last column, we have seen a lot of information on items that we have yet to cover. With that in mind, today we are going to examine the new tier 16 set bonuses for death knights, along with Wrathion's new legendary rewards. Celestial Blessings Rather than weapons (unless Gorehowl gets made into a legendary, which seems possible), we'll be getting legendary cloaks this patch. The final reward from Wrathion's quest line will include cloaks with some very intriguing procs. Flurry of Xuen is a proc that will let DPS do extra damage as weapon damage over time. While the language suggests its channeled, it looks like it won't prevent you from using other abilities. It does, however, require the enemies to be in front of you, so once you have this, you will need to pay more attention to your positioning -- which you should be doing already, to be fair.
A legendary for all, courtesy of Wrathion
It's confirmed -- everyone does indeed get a legendary, if they manage to finish Wrathion's expansion-long chain of requests. However, unlike any prior legendary to date, Wrathion's offering won't be a new set of weapons to wield ... and that's making some players a little irritated. Rather than the usual arming with weapons, Wrathion has instead chosen to give everyone legendary-quality cloaks, enhancing the cloaks received in patch 5.3 with some extra power -- and a little orange text -- in patch 5.4. Yes, some may have been expecting weapons -- but really, Wrathion's offering makes a lot more sense in terms of gameplay, balance, and possibly Wrathion's true motives in this little endeavor as well. In fact, the legendary offered in Mists of Pandaria manages to break every single perception we had about what a legendary is to date.
