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WoW Archivist: Talisman of Binding Shard, the lost legendary
This edition of WoW Archivist was originally published May 24, 2011. Given Blizzard's recent retrospective on Molten Core, we felt the piece of Warcraft history was worth another look. All references to time, space, and current content should be viewed through the lens of this piece's initial date of publication. Last week, we finally escaped the morass of World of Warcraft's beta to discuss patch 1.2, the first major content patch of the post-release game. We're going to take a break from patches for a while to examine some other myths and legends that arose in vanilla WoW. Today, we're going to look back to one of the legends of Molten Core. Molten Core is rather unique in that it's the home of more than one legendary item. Both Thunderfury and Sulfuras have their roots in Molten Core, though one does require items from Blackwing Lair to complete; Blackwing Lair hadn't even been implemented yet when players started receiving the first pieces of these legendary items. Everybody knows about Thunderfury and Sulfuras, though. Not as many people know Molten Core once had a third legendary.
Patch 5.3 PTR: Epic cloaks point at a legendary reward
Some fascinating new cloaks have been dug up in the patch 5.3 PTR by the intrepid explorers over at Wowhead -- and they may be more than they seem. There are six cloaks in all, each named with an indicator that points to the August Celestials as their inspiration. But what's really astonishing about these cloaks is the ilvl and stats. Each cloak has been designated with an ilvl of 600 -- far above anything we've encountered in game to date. And each has a whopping +918 to every secondary stat minus hit and expertise. So what does it all mean? It means that these things are powerhouses of bonus stats -- and if you have a spec that doesn't use one particular side stat, you can reforge it to gain a healthy chunk of hit or expertise on the side. Because of the August Celestials influence in the cloak designs and names, Wowhead has pointed out that these cloaks likely tie into the latest branch of the Wrathion chain. Wrathion's achievement for patch 5.3 has been changed on the PTR as well. Now called Chapter IV: Celestial Blessings, the achievement requires players to accompany Wrathion on his journey to obtain blessings from all four August Celestials. The reward for the achievement is a Cloak of Virture, and all the new cloaks carry this designation, so it looks like Wowhead's assessment is dead on. But what's curious about all of this is that despite the ilvl, despite the method of obtaining the cloaks, and despite the stats, the cloaks are still designated epic quality. Given Wrathion's penchant for handing over orange quality items, it does make one wonder if this will be changed as the PTR moves on. If these cloaks are indeed designated legendary quality, they'll be the first piece of legendary armor we've seen in game since the ill-fated Talisman of Binding Shard removed in vanilla. While we don't know yet exactly what the future of these cloaks happens to be, it would be wise to keep in mind that as with anything else on the PTR, it's all subject to change at the drop of a hat until it goes live. We may see the ilvl reduced, we may see the quality change, or we may see them appear exactly as they are now -- it's all up in the air until 5.3 officially drops. Until then, have a look at Wowhead for a glimpse at these gorgeous models.
What does legendary really mean?
Legendary. The color orange was once one of the most revered, whispered-about intangible things in vanilla WoW. People had heard rumors of legendary weapons, but nobody knew how to actually get them -- they were just as much a source of speculation as any lore in Warcraft today. When those legendary items finally first began to appear, it was a moment of sheer joy for those lucky enough to receive them. And for those that were not that lucky, it was a source of constant envy. People got really, really ticked about legendaries, how it was determined that they were rewarded, and who they were rewarded to. In the end, when it boiled down to it, anyone who watched someone else get a legendary immediately questioned what made that other player worthy, when they themselves had put it so much more perceived effort. Legendaries had the power to tear guilds apart -- or, in some cases, the power to pull a united guild into an even stronger front. The history of legendaries is pretty fascinating in and of itself, but more fascinating is the evolution of the color orange. It's changed over the years, and in Mists of Pandaria anyone can start a chain to get their very own legendary -- and that's got some bloggers talking.
Phat Loot Phriday: Talisman of Binding Shard
As per your requests, last week we went a little "husky" and had an item that everyone could get. This week, we go Orca Phat, and show you an item no one can get-- anymore. The only legendary amulet in the game really is legendary nowadays, in that no one's seen it in a long time.Name: Talisman of Binding ShardType: Legendary NecklaceArmor: N/AAbilities: +13 Strength, +5 Agility, +8 Stamina +24 Fire and +24 Nature Resistance, which in the old days of raiding, was a huge deal for tanks in MC and AQ. Equip: When struck in combat, inflicts 4 Nature damage to the attacker. That's not much, but it was a nice little bonus back at level 60 (which is when this Talisman dropped) in terms of damage and threat for tanks who are getting attacked all the time. Also, the effect puts the lightning shield graphic on your character, which is fun. All in all, a nifty neckpiece for tanks at level 60. At least it was, before it got pulled from the game! *insert scary musical sting here* How to Get It: The year was 2005, and Molten Core, the 40 man raid, was big stuff. Not only did Tier 1 gear drop there, but Tier 2 gear did as well, and all the bosses had almost completely different loot tables than they do now. In Patch 1.4, Blizzard decided to even this all out, buff a lot of the gear down in the raid, and have only Tier 1 gear drop in MC (most of it anyway-- I think Rag may have still dropped Tier 2 gear).Anyway, none of that matters anymore, right? So while they were tweaking around the loot tables, one of the devs accidentally put this legendary necklace in Baron Geddon's table. It wasn't, we're told, even intended to go live, but since so much work was being done on the MC loot, it accidentally went out there anyway. And of course, it dropped.Noktyn, an Undead Warrior from Nurfed (yes, of the UI) got the drop, and you can see a screenshot of the raid above. As soon as it dropped, the GMs realized something had been given out that shouldn't have, and took it off the loot tables. But they let Noktyn keep the necklace. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find him on the Armory (there are no 60+ Undead Warriors-- Nurfed is a US guild, right?), but even if he was still playing, odds are he would have taken it off long before now, as it's not really Legendary grade any more. And of course, no one else can ever get the item, because it's never been seen on the loot tables since.But it is cool to think that the Orange necklace is still out there somewhere, waiting to fall into the lap of some boss we may someday face. Of course, if it ever does show up again, Blizzard will have to rename it. "Noktyn's Talisman" has a nice ring to it.Getting Rid of It: You can't. because you don't have it. But if you did, a vendor would give you 3g 36s 25c for it. And while it probably disenchants into a Nexus Crystal, we just don't know for sure. Because no one's ever disenchanted it, you'll never know-- maybe it disenchants into a beautifully tasty piece of Key Lime Pie.
