Tuesday Morning Post: Festive reflections edition
Happy new year, everyone. The feast of Winter Veil is finally over, and though all I really did for it this year was loot my presents on one or two characters, I have to admit I'm still a little sad to see it go. It was fun to see all the festivities. Even poor shipwrecked sailors huddling in damp caves and praying for rescue couldn't resist putting up elaborate Winter Veil trees. That's holiday spirit, my friends, and we could all learn from that. Luckily, we don't have to wait too long for a new holiday. The Lunar Festival will be up before the end of the month. Will we have to go find dwarven ancestors in the depths of Grim Batol? Will zerging Omen at 85 be any different from zerging him at 80 or 70? We'll find out!
For the time being, though, we still have a few weeks free of holiday distractions to continue the Cataclysm grind. You'll be rudely interrupted this morning by a series of rolling restarts at 5 a.m. Pacific time, which gives you some to catch up the latest news right here at WoW Insider. Read on for our usual roundup of all the hottest news and best guides from the past seven days.
Hot news and features
Lead World Designer Alex Afrasiabi offered some juicy insights into the future of the expansion and patch 4.1 recently.
The Tol Barad honor gravy train has left the station, but the PvP imbalances remain.
Ever thought that playing WoW was a bit too sedentary? Maybe you could start using your Kinect to play.
Are you geared enough to raid in Cataclysm?
Hey, folks -- maybe we should all be a little kinder to newbies. Even Ol' Grumpy agrees.
Rated battlegrounds now offer honor points if you've already hit your conquest point cap for the week.
Want to get into the Cataclysm daily grind? We have a guide to the basics.
The Best of WoW Insider wraps up the 2010 retrospective. Did your favorite article get mentioned?
Class news and guides
Lichborne offers a pre-raiding gear guide for DPS death knights.
Scattered Shots looks back at 2010 and takes a look at hunter specs and class balance in the present.
Spiritual Guidance calculates optimal hit rating for the Cataclysm shadow priest. We also have the first part of our new Holy Priest 101 guide.
Shifting Perspectives has a guide to gearing a level 85 restoration druid, as well as part two of our balance heroics guide.
Encrypted Text has an analysis of hit and expertise for the Cataclysm rogue.
Totem Talk looks at restoration shaman healing in Blackrock Caverns and the problem with spellpower weapons for enhancement shaman.
The Care And Feeding of Warriors has a look back at 2010.
The Light And How To Swing It looks back at 2010 for holy paladins.
Raid Rx looks back at raid healing in 2010.
Items, dungeons, professions, PvP, and more
Gold Capped reveals the secrets of the Mysterious Fortune Card.
Interested in playing the Battle for Gilneas PvP battleground? We have a strategy video that can help.
Blood Sport looks back at arenas in the year 2010.
The Overachiever looks back at the history of achievements.
If your side is lucky enough to hold Tol Barad, Ready Check will help you raid Baradin Hold.
Odds and ends
Know Your Lore looks at Un'goro and Sholozar Basins. We also look at the mysterious new Forsaken figure Lillian Voss.
The Lawbringer wonders what the restriction against talking to the other faction in the ToU really means.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
