Ask a Beta Tester: Death Knight-free edition
Have beta questions? We've got beta answers right here on Ask a Beta Tester! Today I'm going to start out with a few questions that we've answered before -- but people seem so desperate to know, that I feel I have to at least point them in the right direction.
Aracross asked: Is CoT3 (old Stratholme) in the beta?
The outer instance is, but the you can't zone in yet. It's supposed to be a level 80 instance, though, and the level cap is set at 77 right now.
Samman asked: Is the epic flying mount training 5,000g?
There are currently no changes to any mount training costs in the beta. Sorry!
Now, on to the questions of the day! (Surprisingly Death Knight free!)
How are paladins shaping up in the Beta? Is actual playability living up to the hype?
All I can say that I've never been so happy to be playing this class. The new seal/judgment system (touched on in a previous episode of Ask a Beta Tester) really streamlines fights and makes soloing less tedious and more fun. I'm doing more damage (without needing to take the time to judge Seal of the Crusader) and the fact that I can use Judgment of Wisdom at all times (without needing the seal up) means I rarely run into mana problems. As a holy paladin, I have ranged judgments, instant cast holy damage (in Holy Shock -- now with a reduced cooldown), gain a 10% haste buff from judgments, can instant-cast Holy Light after my Holy Shock crits, and I have an AoE heal over time spell to make up for my AoE healing weakness. Though the changes took a bit of getting used to, I now have trouble with my Paladin on the live realms, whose abilities seem awkward and tedious. There simply aren't words in the dictionary that are suitable to express my absolute glee over the current state of the class.
You may judge for yourself whether or not that means they're living up to any hype.
marck asked several questions, but I only have an answer to one of them at this point (and it's not a terribly good one)....
Have any of the rewards from achievement points been revealed yet?
Nothing yet, but I can assure you we'll get the news out as soon as there is any!
Blayed asked...
How are warriors holding up? They haven't really gotten the nerf-hammer, but every other class seems to be getting something awesome, while we're stuck with surprisingly less-than-awesome abilities...
I can't speak to this personally, so I consulted our resident Warrior expert, Matt Rossi. He informs us that, "To answer: Warriors are good. They need a few tweaks and I've yet to test Prot, but yes, they're good." As Matt has just joined the legions of beta testers, expect to see a more in-depth look at warriors' status in the beta from him soon and in the meantime, remember that it is a beta, and things are changing every day. (For more discussion of Titan's Grip, specifically, see the recent Ask a Beta Tester dedicated to the subject as well as our article on whether Titan's Grip is worthwhile.)
Sean Martinez asked....
How has the change to a unified spell power affected enchants like Enchant Weapon - Major Healing? Also what are the differences now between the runic and golden spellthread leg armor kits?
Runic and golden spellthread are now completely identical, except for their names. Both add 35 spell power and 20 stamina.
For enchants, not all enchants have been updated to reflect the spell power changes (in fact, no enchants that add to healing seem to have had their text updated for the spell power changes), but I can report that previously enchanted gear has some odd numbers on it. For example, a weapon in my inventory that had been enchanted with Major Healing (formerly +81 healing) now shows as enchanted with +43 spell power. A weapon in my inventory that had been enchanted with Major Spellpower (formerly +40 damage) now shows as enchanted with +40 spell power. I'm sure it will all get sorted out and finalized at some point, but it's not done yet.
Riph asked....
I know that level 80 arena hasn't been opened up yet, but how have disc priests been fairing in PvP now that the whole "don't die" aspect of the tree has been messed around with (especially with the huge Pain Suppression nerf)? Also, is Penance viable in PvP at all, or is it just a big ol' pointer saying "CS/kick/pummel/spell lock/etc. me please!"?
I can't address the entire question as, well, you've pointed out that the new arenas haven't been opened up and beta battlegrounds aren't exactly heavily populated, but as to Penance... well, it's a channeled spell and while it doesn't draw as straight of a line to your location as Mind Flay does, it does draw a line back to your location.
As you can see from the screenshot to the right, while you channel Penance, you're hurling brightly colored balls of light at your target. I'm guessing in a PvP situation these would scream, "Priest over here!"
Ian R. asked....
How does spellpower affect +shadow damage or +fire damage gear? Is any of the new 71+ gear school specific or is there only spellpower now?
Gear that you may have had with school-specific damage on it now has school-specific spell power on it. I haven't yet seen any drops in Northrend that have school-specific spell power on them, but it's early yet to say for certain that they don't exist.
Dightkuz asked....
Does Netherweave drop from mobs in Northrend, just like Runecloth drops from mobs in most zones in Outland?
All I've seen in Northrend so far is the next level of cloth: Frostweave.
The Wrath of the Lich King beta is in full swing, and the WoW Insider crew is here to sate your curiosity with Ask a Beta Tester! Can't get enough Wrath? Don't forget to check WoW Insider's Wrath Roundup page for anything we haven't answered here!
