Tuesday Morning Post: It's still not patch day, is it?
So we have a 3 AM to 11 AM Pacific downtime today. But honestly, I'm sort of hoping it's not for patch day, because I have a Death Knight column going live later this morning that assumes testing's going to go on for another few weeks. Besides, they just added a few new tweaks to the PTR, so they probably want more time to test them. But just in case today is patch day, here's a pre-emptive mea culpa on that column.
But regardless of whether today is patch day or not, we're still talking at least 8 hours of downtime here, and as usual, I choose to take the optimistic view on it. That's right, it's a perfect time to catch up on your World of Warcraft news.
As usual, you'll find a list of some of the best content from the past 7 days or so here on WoW Insider after the break. Don't be afraid to dive in and start browsing categories or clicking buttons on the sidebars or the menus above, too. You won't break anything. I think.
Hot News and Features
If you care about that sort of thing, Arena season 5 started last week. We have a few answers to your questions and a quick overview of getting PvP gear (Yes, welfare gear is back) to get you started on the road to riches and fame, or at least to a cool title and some resilience gear.
If you like to PvP, but Arenas aren't quite your thing, check out our latest Wrath 101 installment on Wintergrasp. If that's not enough, The Art of War(craft) has even more Wintergrasp info for you.
As always, be sure to check The Queue for the answers to questions varied and sundry, weird and commonplace alike. And remember, if you don't see your big or small WoW question answered yet, you can always ask in the comments of the latest edition of The Queue.
Here's a sort of loaded question: Do WoW players make bad employees? Apparently, some corporate headhunters think so.
But seriously, if you really want some controversy, how about those ads on the official forums?
Okay, one last controversial thing: Is Shoe Shock the answer to Elemental Shaman balance woes?
Class News and Guides
Druid tanks are getting some extra attention from the devs this week. Among the new changes for them is a massive increase to Swipe threat. But is it enough? That's still up for debate.
Encrypted Text this week chats with a few pillars of the Rogue community.
For Shamans, Totem Talk looks at some of the high end Northrend 5-man dungeons through a Shaman's eyes.
Here's some good 3.0.8 news for non-tanking Paladins: Judgment of Light's threat will be going bye-bye. Also in welcome non-tanking Paladin news: Yes, you can has plate healing goggles.
Mages may find this news more of an annoyance than a joy: Slow Fall will be castable on others in 3.0.8.
On that note, Mages, maybe you'd rather just show this Mage gift guide to anyone demanding you cast Slow Fall on them.
Here's some interesting news for Death Knight tanks, and maybe for the odd crazy Fury Warrior: Tanking-oriented 2-handed weapons are coming in 3.0.8.
Professions, Items, Dungeons, and More
Here's a daily you'll want to get good at if you plan to do some raiding: Aces High!
Yeah, Loken's still deadly. If he's got your number, see if Ghostcrawler's tips help you out.
There's been some issues with certain profession mounts acting more like vehicles, which some people find overly burdensome and clunky. Luckily for them, 3.0.8 should change them all back to normal mounts.
Ever wondered what the point of cooking is, or wanted to get into it but weren't sure how? Let us enlighten you.
Engineers looking to get the most out of Northrend Engineering, you'll want to see the latest Insider Trader.
Odds and Ends
If you use Firefox, here's a nice collection of Greasemonkey scripts to help you browse the armory on the sly.
Ever wonder how doctors and paramedics and firefighters unwind?
Do your kids play WoW? WoW Rookie this week discusses limiting their play time -- after all, you need some WoW time to yourself, right?
Winterveil will be over before you know it, so be sure to grab those achievements. WoW, Casually shows you how even a casual player can get in the spirit.
Murlocs? In your lunch box? It's more likely than you think.
