ScarletMonastery
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Mists of Pandaria Beta: Scarlet Monastery revamp
While the level 90 heroic versions aren't available on the beta servers yet, MMO-Champion and Wowhead both took a look into the lower level version of Scarlet Monastery to see all the revamps. The current four wings of Scarlet Monastery have been slimmed down into two wings, the Scarlet Cathedral and the Scarlet Halls, removing most of the unnecessary trash while keeping what made the monastery a great set of dungeons to begin with. Scarlet Cathedral now starts with the graveyard. Interrogator Vishas is no longer there; it's just Bloodmage Thalnos, now outside the mausoleum. Before Thalnos among the mobs are Scarlet Flamethrowers, who drop explosive cannisters that players can use to damage other mobs.
Around Azeroth: Arcane Explosion ftw
Reader Marty sends us this shot, showing off the how impressive it can be running through lower-level content at level 70. Here we have a level 70 mage bringing down dozens of mobs in Scarlet Monastery at a time. There's something very satisfying about seeing an Arcane Explosion cause all of your enemies to drop instantly to the ground.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
The least visited instance... and why
Overpowered on the forums wonders what the least popular instance is, and I'd say his guess of Blackfathom Deeps is probably pretty close-- it's a long run away for pretty much everyone but Night Elves, and at 25-30, there's so many more quests and things to do that BFD usually gets passed up. The other good guesses, I'd say, are the "old" late game instances like Naxx and LBRS. Unfortunately, while Blizzard tells us all about the most popular stuff in the game, they are pretty mum on what players don't like, for obvious reasons.So how do you make an instance that makes players want to visit? Relmstein walks us through his idea of what makes a perfect instance ambiance: music, visuals, interactive features (the Chess Event is one of my favorite dungeon features, although almost all the dungeon dialogue "cut scenes" are fun for me), and memorable boss encounters.But then again, BFD seems to have all of them-- it's a very pretty dungeon (I especially like the temple at the end), and while it might be a little short on interactive features, I really like the lore and the unleashing of the monster at the end. The last ingredient, I think, to a good dungeon, is just a storyline that drives you there. I'm sure Scarlet Monastery (except the Graveyard), and Deadmines are definitely among the most popular instances, and both of those have huge amounts of lore and mystery to make them interesting. Maybe if more players realized that Aku'mai was actually a pet of the Old Gods (or, you know, if there was a quest to kill him that explained that), BFD would see more traffic.
Collect the whole set!
My little blood elf pally has finally hit 40 and got her free mount, and with it comes a new goal -- collecting the entire Chain of the Scarlet Crusade set from Scarlet Monastery. I probably would have never thought of doing it until I got the only BOP part of the set during my first Cathedral run. Then I got the Aegis of the Scarlet Commander and Herod's Shoulder, and realized that I was starting to look pretty cool. At that point, it became a quest. I knew it would be difficult -- and that I'd even have to go back at 70, most likely -- but I still want to do it. As I write this, I'm off to tag along in Armory with a 70 rogue from my guild who is doing silk farming in hopes of getting the Ravager or the mail helm from Herod. All in all, I only need the helm, chestpiece and boots to look like a real Scarlet Crusader. The tabard would be nice but not necessary. The boots are extremely rare, so I'm either going to have to do a lot of farming or plunk down some money from my epic flying mount fund. But it'll be worth it when I can stand in the lobby of Scarlet Monastery and taunt the Alliance. Hmm, the Ashbringer would also be a nice fit ... Have you ever wanted to collect the full set of something, whether it be from BRD or Naxx? Have you ever bought an item just because it was cool to have it?
Around Azeroth: Scarlet rainbow (of lootable goodness)
Kellhan sends in this shot of a pristine Herod kill in Scarlet Monastery. I'm really not sure you could get it any prettier, unless you actually manage to complete the smiley face of dead Scarlet Crusaders. But until we see a screenshot of that, this one is awfully pretty!Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part. See more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
WoW Moviewatch: Paladinypse Now
Paladin Regis of Sunstrider (EU) offers us this sample of a paladin's abilities at level 70. And while you may believe that Scarlet Monastery isn't the most challenging place to test your skills, I'm not certain which classes, other than the paladin, have the ability to take out the whole instance at once, even at level 70. Warriors could equal them in damage mitigation, but don't have the same AoE options. And mages could certainly best paladins at the AoE game, but probably couldn't take that much of a beating. Am I wrong? You're welcome to prove it with a video of your own!Previously on Moviewatch...
Around Azeroth: Into the cathedral
Reader Joanna sends in this nice view of the cathedral section of Scarlet Monastery. As unfriendly as they are, those Scarlet Crusade fellows know how to decorate, fountain, fish and all. (They probably never meant for adventurers to go wading through their lovely fountain in an effort to avoid aggro from patrols along the sides, but if they didn't want us to do it, they shouldn't have made it so cool and inviting!)Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part. See more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Fighting teenagers in Scarlet Monastery
Scarlet Monastery is one of the most-loved instances in the game, partly because the bosses in there are so memorable-- who's ever going to forget Harod yelling "Blades of Light!" or High Inquisitor Whitemane shouting "Arise, my Champion" (along with the ensuing realization that you're now fighting two bosses at the same time)?That why it's so cool to see, in the first Caverns of Time instance in Old Hillsbrad, all our favorite Scarlet Monastery minions running around as children. I ran CoT for the first time last week, and I spent a long time wandering about Old Southshore, listening to the conversation in the inn, and checking out all the old lore. I saw both Herod as a boy, and little "Sally Whitemane" as a pigtailed girl running around oblivious of her distant future.Except, wait a minute. Apparently the future isn't as distant as it seems. Zerolimite points out on the forums that Old Hillsbrad is really only the Hillsbrad of seven years ago. Which means that even if Sally Whitemane, blonde and pigtailed, is even thirteen, that only makes her at most 20 in Scarlet Monastery. So what's with the white, err... mane? Likewise, Herod is just a kid seven years ago, so that makes him like 15 when he's hulking and yelling in the Armory. All this time, we've been killing teenagers.And as an interesting sidenote, seven years ago means it's very likely our characters were alive as well. Our guild's main tank, Paws of Thunderhorn, has said that he was actually interred in Durnholde Keep with Thrall, but even though we poked around the camps there, we never saw him (or at least recognized him-- this was a whole seven years ago). As for my Orc Shaman, he definitely was held in an internment camp, but it was further north, near Lordaeron. I tried to head up there and see if I couldn't pull off a little Back to the Future action, but for some reason, I couldn't seem to leave Old Hillsbrad...
A Guide to Frustration-Free Instances
Sehojan from Khaz Modan over on the forums says he likens most of his ST runs to hell itself. A few others mention Gnomer, and I've had my share of bad runs in there, but lately BRD has been giving me headaches left and right. Here's a few tips to make your runs through instanced dungeons (some of my favorite stuff in the game) a little easier.-Forget PUGs. I know, you've heard this before, but if you really want your instance runs to go well, pick up groups just aren't going to do it, period. Get yourself a guild (make sure it's not a "pickup guild"-- a quick test is to see if they have a website and forums), and it'll make instance runs much, much easier and more fun. If you have to have a PUG, try to stick to friends and people you've grouped with before. Random LFG is more like "looking for trouble."-Study up. There are guides, maps, and strategy all over the place for every instance in the game (yes, even RFC). Look at them. Know the routes, know the mobs, know the quests-- where to go and what to do. Not only will it help the group go smoother, but it'll help you with looting, too. Things are much more fun when you know what loot to hope for-- and you get it.-Have a leader. If you've done the studying, it's probably you, but the best way to make sure an instance goes well is to choose one person to lead and have everyone follow them. One person chooses a route, one person assigns targets, and one person calls pulls. Organization is the key (which is usually why PUGs don't work).-Prepare! The boy scouts were right: Repair before you go into an instance. Get together to share quests and buff. Make water and food, make healthstones when needed, keep an eye on soulstones, shaman bring ankhs, locks bring shards, and hunters bring arrows.-Be patient. There's a lot of reasons to get frustrated in instance runs: wiping, not getting the loot you want, people making mistakes, people leaving early. Don't let it get to you. If you do a few instance runs and things go south, go solo for a few levels, come back, and it might make all the difference in the world. Instances, especially high lore stuff like Maraudon, Scarlet Monastery, and the Sunken Temple can be some of the most fun parts of the game. Have fun in there, and don't fret the small stuff.Instances can be tough, but when you're in there with a great group and you know what you're doing, they're definitely worth it. Following these tips will help you do just that.
