transmogrification
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The top five things you need to know about patch 5.3
Patch 5.3 has arrived, and there are a truly staggering number of changes to the game, many of them with significant effects to gameplay. You can check out Blizzard's complete patch notes on their blog, but for the sake of brevity, WoW Insider has compiled a list of the top five changes that are most likely to be of the biggest interest to the average player. If you haven't been paying much attention, this is the stuff you probably really want to know! 1. The experience required to go from level 85 to 90 has been reduced by 33% Mists of Pandaria has been called very alt-unfriendly, and while this particular change won't entirely fix that, it does help. Along with the changes to reputation factions -- the Shado Pan and August Celestials dailies are no longer hidden behind the gate of "Revered" with the Golden Lotus -- this will make it easier to get your army of alts up to speed to hop into max-level content.
Four transmog sets for today's retro-bution paladin
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Seasoned ret paladin Dan Desmond is here to answer your questions and provide you with your biweekly dose of retribution medicine. Contact him at dand@wowinsider.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions! Before we jump into our completely serious, no-nonsense discussion this week, I suppose we better touch on the one piece of retribution-related news coming from the 5.3 PTR: Sword of Light now increases damage with two-handed melee weapons by 30%, up from 15%. source Naturally I, like many of you, got a warm fuzzy feeling reading that particular sentence. Higher overall damage from weapon-based attacks? Sign me up! While I don't mean to bite the hand that feeds, I am concerned that this is merely a bandage meant to keep ret from lagging too far behind until 6.0 and, as such, ultimately fails to address the cause of the problem. I'm just spitballing here, but there was talk at the tail end of Cataclysm and the very beginning of Mists that in our calculated stat weights for T14H BiS, strength was already somewhat devalued in comparison to secondary stats, especially haste, and that this could lead to ret scaling much less efficiently than other melee using similar gear. Regardless, the buff is appreciated, but I'm more looking forward to what the next expansion has in store for our spec.
Patch 5.3: Transmog to be available from bank and void storage
If you're a fan of mogging whose bags are already full to bursting, then MMO-Champion brings good news: in patch 5.3, you'll be able to transmogrify using items that are currently in the bank or void storage. The ability is actually already in the game for void storage, but there's no UI elements that let you access it. However, anyone wanting to get ahead of the curve can download the VoidTransmog addon, and transmogrify away without the bother of actually pulling your items out of storage. While it's a small change, we're sure transmog fans will appreciate the convenience of this tweak. Of course, patch 5.3 is still far on the horizon and it's likely that eager transmogrifiers will be waiting on this for quite a while.
What optional means in World of Warcraft
There are a few things I do in World of Warcraft. I raid. I do dungeons and scenarios for valor points and also to test out specs and gear optimization for use later in raids. I run LFR for gear to use as a stopgap in later raids, or to supplement my bad luck (for instance, I really really need a trinket). And I do a lot of older content, because I am a transmogrification junkie and I always have a hankering for a new look. Every few months, I get the urge to PvP because I remember the six months I spent PvPing at the end of Vanilla and the on and off arena days of The Burning Crusade with equal parts fondness and loathing, and when fondness overwhelms loathing I go give it another shot. These are the things I do in World of Warcraft. Everything else, I either don't do, or I do haphazardly. I don't do cooking anymore at all -- I used to, but one look at the current state of cooking and how intertwined it seems to be with the Tillers completely soured me on it. I don't do the Tillers. I only do dailies until I no longer need the rep to buy something and then I never do them again. I have two professions that I like to keep maxed, but I rarely do anything with them for profit, I just have them for the raiding benefits. In short, I play World of Warcraft to kill things and to look good while I do it. And that's enough for me. But I know it's not enough for everyone. Mists of Pandaria will be six months old this April 21st, and for a lot of people, it's the expansion that increased choices -- the expansion that expanded their options. And in fact, it did so for me, as well. Because one of the great things about options is that they are optional, and you can choose not to do them. So for me some of the greatest aspects of Mists of Pandaria have been all the things I haven't bothered to do.
What if all raids were end game raids?
Sometimes the forums come up with some interesting discussions. Poster Locomonkey over on the EU forums posted this doozy of an idea, which Taepsilum then responded to in detail. They both have me thinking about the idea as well -- what if every raid, from the original 60 raids to the Cataclysm level 85 raids, was updated to level 90? What if, when the next expansion came out, all the Mists of Pandaria raids as well as all those previous raids were in some fashion made current with level 95, or 100, or whatever current endgame happens to be? What are the pros and cons of this idea? I'm not going to dredge over every point already made, you can go read Locomonkey's original post, and Taepsilum's well reasoned list of what the pitfalls to avoid in such a system would be. Instead, I'm going to speculate on how you could address those pitfalls. How do you make a system with so many potential raids tuned and balanced, deal with all the updated loot from those instances, and keep from drowning raid groups in choices? My suggestions are as follows:
Breakfast Topic: Would you be caught dead looking like this?
Would you be caught dead in this outfit? Apparently, the answer is emphatically a yes for Rubedo of Draenor (US). With his rather flavorful mog, Rubedo seems willing not only to be caught dead but also to be caught in public and caught with his pants down. "That's uh, quite an outfit," remarked an admiring Community Manager Daxxarri about Rubedo's flamboyant outfit. "The socks with sandals are a nice touch." Personally, I love Rubedo's game sense of humor, but not everyone can pull off such a look. Check out this Darkmoon Faire-esque look on Mathryn of Wyrmrest Accord. There's nothing overtly goofy about it, but I'm afraid my main would feel foolish questing and doing business in town looking like a carnie. I'd wear it in a heartbeat on the right alt, but wearing something this offbeat on a full-time basis feels awkward to me. How far are you willing to take your daily mog? Do you want an look that lends your character dignity or deepens your immersion, or are you more interested in poking a bit of fun at the whole thing? How silly do things have to get before you start feeling a little ridiculous?
How to get started with transmogrification and be the most stylish newbie on the block
When I first created my gnome monk, I immediately noticed that while the other class options had stylish starting gear, my monk had a sleeveless black shirt, plain black pants, and no shoes. I assumed that, as a monk, my gnome valued simplicity over flash -- but, really, a sleeveless shirt and bare feet in the endless Dun Morogh snow just seemed impractical. Wouldn't she get cold? Did I need to be concerned about frostbite? What if my poor gnome stepped on something sharp? Fortunately, I soon found a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of boots and was able to stop worrying about it. Until level 64 when, questing in Hellfire Peninsula, I received a pair of boots that was a huge upgrade from my old boots, but weren't quite boots. Instead, they were bright green bands that wrapped around the ankle and covered the top of the foot, but left the bottom bare: Hardly practical footware for exploring the demon-infested Outland. It was this that finally drove me to figure out WoW's transmogrification system, which lets you make one piece of gear (armor or weapon) look like another. Though this feature seems primarily designed for high level players who have had the time to collect numerous pieces of gear, you can start transmogrifying at any level. The only downside to starting early is that you'll be tempted to find and buy gear just for its looks -- which can be pricey! But if you're a savvy auction house trader, you can use everyone else's transmogrification obsession to make some cash.
What is the meaning of gear?
The forums are a constant source of interest. I was browsing their pages this morning, and came across this gem, not the writing of the blue, but a quotation from elsewhere. Draztal Quote: Looking at people with epic gear should be a motivator to get yourself into raiding, and if you don't have the time for it, then to bad for you. Get over it. You can't control people's motivations. For many players out there, gear is not the objective, just the mean to an end (defeating more difficult foes). source This got me thinking about what gear means, simply because my attitude to it was so different to that of the person Draztal is quoting. I love things that generate different opinions within WoW, and it seemed fairly likely that this was one of those things. The person who originally wrote this is quite feasibly someone who sets great store in the importance of raiding, probably at a high level, such as heroic raiding, and sees gear as a trophy which he or she has won from their exploits. It's a token of remembrance, almost, something to show the world that you have achieved great things. There are plenty of elements of WoW that cater to this view, such as achievements that award titles for long-gone feats of strength, or mounts, anything that says "I was there. I did this."
5 things Blizzard has done I thought they'd never do
Transmogrification. That's the first and biggest thing Blizzard did that I thought they would never do, frankly. I not only never believed they'd do it, I didn't want them to do it. I argued against it. And now it's probably my favorite part of the game, bar none. It turns out I absolutely love playing dress up with orcs. And while transmog is my number one choice for this list, it is by far not the only surprise Blizzard has given me over the years. So what else surprised me? What else did they do that I didn't see coming? To be honest, there are so many that narrowing it down to five is a bit hard for me. I never expected playable pandaren, for one thing. That's not going on the list, but it did surprise me. I'm going to do five aside from transmog, because I natter on about that one a lot.
A wish list for features in 5.2 or beyond
I'm greedy. Oh, not in a monetary sense - I'm notoriously bad at even pretending to care about money - but whenever Blizzard puts out a cool new feature it immediately gets me thinking about other cool new features I'd like to see added to the game. I know, I know, I should be happy with what I have. But since I'm not, here comes a list of features I wish they'd add to World of Warcraft, be it in patch 5.2 or in some future patch. All of these are based purely on my selfish desires, and are in now way promised or even hinted at by Blizzard, so please don't start asking Blizzard why they haven't delivered on any of them. That would be like going to McDonald's and demanding that Bacon Sausage Egg McMuffin (with Canadian Bacon) that I dreamed up when I was 20. Seriously, how has that never actually been a thing? My cardiovascular health dodged a bullet there. The Revenge for Southshore battleground/World PvP hub Seriously, how is it this hasn't happened yet? It seems like a natural to me. While the World PvP might be a bit too disruptive to leveling characters (relatively easily fixed with a phasing change, but it might be better to just make it a battleground up front) the actual idea seems simple enough - Alliance landing craft disgorge a massive force on the beaches south of the ruined Southshore and begin their push north. As players, we either defend Tarren Mill, or take part in the drive for revenge northward. Victory is achieved by claiming a series of important strategic points and then taking the other faction's starting zone and successfully destroying it. Perhaps it's just nostalgia for all the times we ran into Tarren Mill back in the day only to discover we couldn't really do anything, but I'd love to finally set it on fire.
Patch 5.2 PTR: Transmogrification restrictions relaxed
The changes that were being discussed back in December seem to have been fully implemented. I've transmogrified a 1h axe into a 1h mace and sword, a 1h sword into a 1h mace and axe, and a 2h sword and axe into maces, plus a 2h axe into a sword and a 2h sword into an axe. There were two things I was unable to transmog: a polearm onto a 2h sword, axe or mace, and a fist weapon over a sword/axe/mace. It seems that the main hand/off hand restrictions are entirely gone as well, but I had a difficult time testing it for certain since I had no off-hand weapons in my collection at present. I tested a fist weapon and could not transmog it over an axe or sword or mace, which was a mild disappointment, but I'm still very excited over the changes. At last, everything will be Ashkandi forever. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
How WoW's content offerings progressed in 2012
2012 is nearly over. If you were playing WoW on this date in 2011, you were playing a significantly different game, raiding the ultimate raid of Cataclysm with the Dragon Soul, or... probably not doing much else. One of the biggest changes between then and now is one that's often commented on, namely that there's a much wider variety of content in Mists of Pandaria at the endgame level. Level 90 players can choose to run scenarios, heroic dungeons, use the Looking for Raid tool, engage in pet battles, pursue one of a wide variety of daily quests which allow for the gaining of reputation with various factions, run challenge mode dungeons, or get involved in 10/25 man raiding. One can even step into older raid content with or without a group for the purposes of collecting gear for transmogrification or simply for fun. I've said before and will say again that quests like Welcome to the Machine demonstrated real mastery on the part of the development team behind Cataclysm. To my mind, the real lesson of the Cataclysm to Mists transition is threefold. Cataclysm was extremely well designed, but the majority of its best content is in those revamped 1 to 60 jones, or to coin a term, is in vertical content, a pillar of content that players ascend. Mists content is horizontal -- while there are several zones to level from 85 to 90 in, the true flowering of the vast majority of Mists content is a plateau, an expanse that blossoms outward. Once you ascend those five levels, you get more to do, not less. However, it must be said that this isn't a trend that Mists invented. Pretty much every innovation in Mists of Pandaria's content delivery is built on the edifice of Cataclysm, which itself built on previous expansions.
Transmog your way into the Kor'kron Overseers of Undercity
Are you a proud orc, or just like to dress like one, and you want to show solidarity with the Kor'kron Overseers who've been watching Undercity since Varimathras pulled his attempted coup? Well, we have a look for you! It actually comes fairly close to matching up with the Kor'kron. Now, this is a plate set, because that's what the Kor'kron wear, and it's designed around the use of a 2h weapon for the same reason. Also note, this is specifically designed to look like the Kor'kron Overseers that guard Undercity - it's not a match for the old Kor'kron who guarded Thrall in Orgrimmar, or the ones you see in Northrend, Cataclysm's zones or Mists. Despite the fact that this is a set modeled after the Kor'kron, it's technically speaking not a Horde specific set. It can be mostly replicated by any Alliance players who just want to feel Hordely for a day. Yes, I know that's not a word. What's interesting about the Kor'kron Overseer look is that it can be approximated fairly closely with in-game items and you can even vary the color on several of the pieces if you don't like the original for whatever reason.
The limits of transmogrification
I love transmogrification. I'm ridiculously enamored of it. I transmog all the time. Like, three, four times a day some days. I have specific looks for my DPS and tank sets, I work constantly on gathering that one iconic piece or weapon to tie a set together. I have sets based on old tier sets, sets recreating old looks from WoW's history, and sets I just made because I thought they looked cool. I am potentially a transmog junkie. With that in mind, please take this as it is intended -- I think it's a good thing that there are some limits to what you can and can't transmogrify. Rygarius' response to a recent post about letting players transmog from grey items made me start thinking about how much is too much when it comes to transmog. Now, our own Anne Stickney made a post about whether or not we should lift transmogrification limits, and her post is well worth reading, because I think there's an ideological tension between the two conceptions that is worth discussing. In short, there's a difference between the idea of lifting some transmog limits, and not having any limits, and I'd argue for erring on the side of caution.
Should transmogrification limits be lifted?
I love transmogrification -- it seems like every week I have a new arrangement of armor. But there are limits to what I can and can't do with this feature, limits that simply can't be worked around. As a rogue, I'm limited to leather items -- and there aren't a ton of really fashionable leather items out there. Some of the best sets I've seen and craved have been druid tier, or druid restricted PvP items. As for weapons, as an assassination rogue, I'm limited to daggers. I can't use any other weapon in that particular spec choice, and that's frustrating. We had a brief hint earlier this week that we might see some changes to transmogrification limits in future patches. Nothing set in stone of course, but the thought of being able to transmogrify weapons with similar animation styles is a pretty cool one. A sword and a dagger are fairly similar in animation style, right? Well ... maybe not so much. Still, it's nice to see that they are considering stretching the limits of transmogrification as far as weapon choices go. But is that enough?
What's the perfect transmog?
When Mists of Pandaria was first released, my boyfriend asked me if I'd put together a transmog outfit for his pandaren monk. He didn't give me any guidelines on what he wanted to look like though, so I settled on gathering him all the appropriate pieces for an Orgrimmar Grunt's outfit. I figured since he's an officer in an Alliance guild, he'd find it funny. Unfortunately, he didn't even recognize what the outfit was supposed to be when he put it on (/cough Alliance noob) and as such, didn't really like it all that much. He opted to just wear the chest piece (he enjoyed how the male pandaren's belly stuck out the front) and left the rest in his bank. Sigh, silly boys. Though mildly annoyed, I wasn't especially bothered by my boyfriend's rejection of the outfit I sent him... At least, I wasn't initially. A few weeks later he sent me a link with the proclamation that this was, "the best transmog ever." I curiously brought up the link, wondering what would make him respond in such a way. Would it be a recreation of a recognizable character he liked? Maybe it would be something he thought looked cool? Unfortunately, it was nothing like that and honestly, what I saw made my heart sink. The "best transmog ever" was just a mismatched outfit. Yellow leaf shoulders, silly red hat, there might have even been a piece of Wrath-era frost resist in there. Was this all it took to impress him? Sigh, stupid, silly boys! So the question is, what kind of transmog do you like? What kind of transmog outfits do you want help putting together? Answer the poll below, or give us some ideas in the comments so we can make them for you! %Poll-79239%
Patch 5.1: Transmogrify your cloak with your guild reputation cloaks
Many people think their cloaks are ugly. Blizzard acknowledges this by allowing players to turn the display of their cloaks off. Now in patch 5.1, cloaks can be mogged to look like the cloaks awarded via guild reputation. This change is not included in the patch notes, but game designer Dave Maldonado tweeted the news. Do you have a cloak you're going to mog into your guild tabard? If so, which cloak? Editor's Note: Post contents updated for accuracy. This new feature uses guild reputation rewards in transmogrification.
Transmogrifying a Maiev lookalike set
One of the most frequently requested sets for transmogrification has to be the unique look of Maiev Shadowsong. Unfortunately, it's also one that is impossible to duplicate. Although Maiev's armor and weapons are utterly stunning, there are no player equivalents anywhere in game. The only place you can find the armor is on NPCs, and they aren't going to share their wardrobe. That hasn't stopped players from trying to recreate it, however. And this week we got an email submission from reader Krainz, who managed to put together a surprisingly reminiscent version of Maiev's unique look, using in game armor with the same color palette. Although it's not an exact match by any means, it's close enough that it definitely looks like a Warden outfit. And it was honestly too cool not to share with you all.
Challenge Mode Armor: Special effect videos
We've all been keeping a close eye on Challenge Modes, but we've said very little about the rewards. Challenge Modes don't offer any real upgrades in the stat department. It would be a tad counterintuitive if they did, given that the whole idea behind Challenge Modes is a level playing field, and your stats are scaled down accordingly. Challenge modes do, however, award gear that is used purely for transmogrification. The original models were released a while back, with static models, but now Blizzard has posted videos of animated shorts of each challenge mode set, and add the following on their official YouTube channel: These gear sets behave like nothing before, activating and reacting to their wearer's combat actions. And they really do! Some are better than others, of course, and this is purely subjective, but I really like the Death Knight ones. You can find all of the others right here: Death Knight Warrior Warlock Shaman Rogue Paladin Priest Monk Mage Hunter Druid Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Transmogrify your monk (or leather wearer) into a member of the Shado-Pan
Any monk who's taken a look at the goods sold by the Shado-Pan quartermaster has probably already seen the Replica Shado-Pan Helmet. Upon seeing it, many of those monks undoubtedly thought to themselves "I should make a Shado-Pan transmog outfit." Well, my good monks, let's get to it, shall we? Oh, druids and rogues, you can come too. So the bad news is that aside from the helmet, most of the armor models worn by members of the Shado-Pan aren't yet available to players. I have hopes that as the expansion goes on we'll see more of those armor models used for player armor, but for now we'll have to use substitutes with similar colors and shape to the gear worn by the Shado-Pan.
