The best of WoW Insider: August 12-19, 2008

This gigantic, bladed, slashing monstrosity is one of the most coveted weapons in all of the World of Warcraft, spoken of in whispers by some of the most epic characters in the game: the Ashbringer. And it's set to feature pretty prominently in Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion coming to the biggest game in the world later this year. Joystiq's site covering all things Azeroth, WoW Insider, has the story on this sword and much, much more. Here's our biggest posts from the past week in Warcraft.

News

• Latest Beta build kills spell downranking
  No more downranking spells to save mana in-game, says Blizzard.

• How Blizzard mishandled the BlizzCon ticket situation
  Our long look at what exactly happened last week with the BlizzCon tickets.

• This is a very fast rug
  More cool mounts and items coming out of the Wrath of the Lich King beta.

• First look at tailoring in Wrath
  What cloth wranglers will be able to make in the next expansion.

• Looking for ladies in Outland
  Have you ever noticed that there don't seem to be that many females among NPCs in Outland? Why is that?

Features

• Ask a Beta Tester: Dalaran and UI updates
  Our Ask a Beta Tester column covers everything you've ever wanted to know about what's happening in the beta, and then some.

• Know Your Lore: The Ashbringer
  Everyone's all giddy about Frostmane finding its way into player hands, but Know Your Lore takes a long look at the other side of the "Awesome Two-Hand Sword" spectrum.

• Scattered Shots: Pet talent trees in the Wrath beta
  Our starting Hunter column checks out how pets might spec when Wrath comes to town.

• The Colosseum: Stormie of Shadow Council
  We interview one of the best Arena players around.

• Ask a Lore Nerd: Skeletons, slavery and shadows
  Experts talk about what they know. And the Lore Nerd talks about lore.