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Patch 4.3 PTR: Chaos orbs no longer soulbound
An important crafting change has just been pushed live on the public test realms. Patch 4.3 will finally lift the soulbound restriction on Chaos Orbs, allowing players to freely trade them and roll on them at the end of heroic instances. No mention was made of whether or not orbs will be purchasble with valor or justice points, but only that they will be free-rolled for when they drop. Back in Wrath of the Lich King, Frozen Orbs were not initially soulbound but lost their restrictions and need-roll exclusivity over the course of the expansion. It was assumed that the same thing would happen to Chaos Orbs as time went on, and lo and behold, it has. Crafters will have to adjust prices accordingly now that a rare component will become less rare.
Frozen Orbituary: The Death of Rolling 'Greed'
Frozen Orbs matter again. Come Patch 3.3.3, Frozo will be exchanging your frozen orbs for crafting materials used in some of the better Pre-ICC craftables. It is prudent, then, in my mind, to inform the greater playerbase at large about this development. Most people know about the new value of frozen orbs. If you read WoW.com, you've already been exposed to some pretty comprehensive coverage. This post is to address a growing trend I personally see in random heroics -- rolling need on the orbs ahead of the patch. No one should fault people for rolling need on frozen orbs at this point in the game. They have new value. Technically, we all can use them. Frozen orbs are directly convertable into some better cash items. While the items you can buy currently with frozen orbs on the PTR are not set in stone, and their costs are subject to change, we know that they will be useful. Two different solutions to the frozen orb situation present themselves: 1) Blizzard removes the need roll from frozen orbs so everyone gets a chance to get the orb or 2) change the behavior of the populace and everyone roll need on frozen orbs and educate the masses on the new, impending value of frozen orbs. If you've ever been upset at a random pick up group player rolling need on a frozen orb, you have a weapon to fight it -- just roll need, and tell everyone else to roll need as well. Do everyone a favor and educate -- let people know frozen orbs will have a new place in the economy. Now you've got a random chance for frozen orbs and of avoiding the end of instance standoff.
Rhythm Racer is big on fun, short on content
Rhythm Racer [iTunes link] is an interesting take on the growing music/rhythm genre, and while it shows some interesting promise, it's currently a little too thin to become a full-fledged obsession. The basic idea is that you're controlling a ship down a track with different colored orbs on it, and as you hit the orbs in sequence, they play music -- basically, it's Guitar Hero where you're driving an accelerometer-controlled spaceship rather than playing a guitar. And that central mechanic of the game is fun -- you move faster the more orbs you hit, there are occasionally ramps to jump off of, and at its best, the game has that "just one more try" feeling that keeps you addicted. The problem? There's only one track to play. The game is free (and the track is good -- it's actually a song by former Nerf Herder Perry Gripp, who's been doing amazing things with his Song of the Week site), but one track? The idea is that, by paying a little more via in-app purchase, you can pick up more to play, but there's still only one other track to pay for right now in the game. It's too bad; while the game is definitely worth the free download, they don't even have in-app purchases for you to follow up with quite yet. Hopefully, that's easily fixed (and hopefully we'll get at least a few more tracks to play through soon). As it is, the game is more sort of a demo -- a demo for what seems like a fun game, but a demo nonetheless.
Loot Reaver gets his revenge
Void Reaver, after 2.4, is apparently, "wrecking fools," according to Korin on the Silver Hand. We all called him Loot Reaver before 2.4 -- if your guild could finish off Karazhan, and survive VR's trash, he was basically a pushover. But a whole combination of factors, including addon problems (with DeadlyBossMods and VoidReaverAlarm) that killed the addons that made it cake, as well as a few bugs and other problems with the fight after the patch, means Loot Reaver is getting his revenge. He's back to being a real challenge in Tempest Keep.The hardest part of the encounter is avoiding these orbs he shoots out at random spots where a guild member is standing. When he shoots one out, everyone in the guild has to move away from that spot and each other, since getting hit with one is instant death. Those addons were meant to tell you when an orb had been fired, as well as let you keep an eye on the proximity of where it was hitting (so you could easily dodge it). But without the addons, people are back to judging where the orbs might land, and guilds that haven't practiced the fight much aren't that great at judging. Not to mention that there are some bugs, apparently -- some of the orbs are invisible, and others may even be moving through walls and underground.The fight is still doable, but apparently Blizzard wasn't happy with how easy it was to waltz in there with some addons and collect your loot. Whether it's bugs or addon changes, Void Reaver is currently back to "wrecking fools."
Finding every hidden orb in Crackdown
Tracking down the last few hidden orbs in Crackdown can be a daunting task, especially in a city the size of Pacific City. So, that's why Herman Gatevold went through all the work to post a picture of all 300 hidden orb locations as well as conveniently plotting them on a map of Pacific City. Yes, you can thank him later by showering him with gifts or paying his electric bill, but right now you have hidden orbs to find. It's time to unlock the Orb Hunter achievement agent, so start hunting![Thanks, Choob]
