Ask a Beta Tester: Crystalsong and downranking

What exactly is going on in the screenshot above? Well, if you really want to know, there's only one answer: keep reading!

slicertool asked....
Any idea what these 'focusing lens' things are for Jewelcrafting?

In the latest beta build, Jewelcrafting got a little love in the form of these focusing lenses and a few other patterns. At present, nothing interesting. They have 20 charges and when you use one, it sends a beam of light to your target, regardless of range or line of site. Perhaps they have a real use coming and maybe they're just in the game for the pretty light show effect -- either way, time will tell!

For more on of your questions -- and our answers -- read on! But if you're the sort who wants to avoid spoilers, turn back now. We're aiming to avoid major story spoilers, but this feature is all about beta content and we can't talk about the beta without giving a few things away.

Dightkuz asked....
All the screenshots I see of Crystalsong Forest look like the same brain-frying purple effect that the eco-domes in Netherstorm have. A whole zone can't be as painful to look at as it seems, right? It can't be just me that has to close his eyes flying through those domes.

Though the "brain-frying purple effect" is what gets recorded in most of the screenshots, a large portion of the zone is fairly ordinary forest, as indicated by the orangy trees in the foreground of the screenshot above. As you can see, they sort of pale in comparison to the neon glow in the distance, which is why you get oh-so-many screenshots.

max attack asked....
For those of us that have not received a beta invite is there still any kind of hope?

There's always hope! Though Blizzard is fickle and the list of who has and who hasn't been invited is somewhat inexplicable, I can say that if Blizzard follows the same beta invite pattern that they did with The Burning Crusade, the beta is going to become more and more open as time passes. (By the time BC was released, it seemed as though there weren't any players who hadn't gotten into the beta.)

Sallix asked....
Is there a Fel Reaver/Devilsaur like creature that patrols around and will jump you when you least expect it?

I haven't encountered anything I'd consider in quite the same league as the Fel Reaver or Devilsaur in Howling Fjord or Borean Tundra (the two starting zones). However, I did run into Thyrm, The Hope Ender, a level 80 elite, patrolling through Zul'Drak. (If the name doesn't disconcert you, he is a patchwork monster who's probably the height of Stormwind Cathedral -- no one I'm interested in picking a fight with!) He walks right up to the instance of the zone and after seeing him, I was not particularly encouraged to explore further.

Meethan asked...
How does Anti-Magic Zone look currently? Have you tested it at all to see if it works? If so, is it good for real PvP? Probably on against spell casters but still. What about PvE?

I can assure you that it looks completely awesome, like a miniature version of Dalaran you can conjure around your friends -- as you can see in the screenshot above of it being used by an NPC in the Death Knight starting zone.

Robert W asked...
In TBC, we had our max quests increased by 5 to 25. Is that happening again in beta yet to a max of 30?

I'm afraid it's still 25 in the current beta build.

archangel723 asked...
I wonder if you get penalized for using a lower rank while not training the max rank? Does the downranking nerf come in to effect by level? Does the game track the top rank that you've trained?

Since all spells seem to be moving to a percentage of base mana rather than a specific cost, their cost is based on your level, not what you have or haven't trained. (However, spells below max level, at least on my Paladin at present, cost more than my max rank versions. Whether this is done based on your level or based on the max rank of a spell you've trained is unclear.)

Also, if Blizzard didn't want us downranking at all (which seems to be the case when you consider the nerf plus the increased mana strain we're likely to be facing in end game) then why don't they just take out the previous rank spells?

That's a great question that only Blizzard could answer for us. Though our spellbooks do now have an option to hide lower-than-max rank spells, they are certainly still there.

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! Leave your beta questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em! And if you can't get enough Wrath, don't forget to check WoW Insider's Wrath Roundup page for anything we haven't answered here!