Tuesday Morning Post: Panda skeptics edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. By now, I'm sure most of you know the big news of the week: Blizzard's registered Mists of Pandaria as a trademark related to computer games. Could this be the title of our next expansion? Can we all expect to be rolling monks or deciding whether to make our new panda on the Alliance or Horde side within the next year or two?
It's tough to say for sure. Faked leaks aside, I'm on a wait and see approach. As it is, I don't think this guarantees anything. It could be for something completely different, or it could be a "just in case" thing. I've seen enough trademarked Harry Potter titles that never saw the light of day not to be wary. Then again, it could just be my own bias creeping in. I'm still hoping for an expansion that's pure Alliance vs. Horde. But hey, if nothing else, at least we got that sweet panda sketch from Anne.
So we definitely have more Mists of Pandaria speculation than you can shake a stick at, but there's plenty of other news to peruse as well, such as the debut of patch 4.2.0a. Maintenance today will be the usual 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT, so you should have time to browse. Check it all out after the break.
Hot news and features
Check out the latest patch 4.2 hotfixes for Aug. 4.
The BlizzCon Virtual Ticket is now on sale. There have been a few bugs with it, though; some purchasers have received last year's BlizzCon pet.
Our Cataclysm post-mortem series continues with a discussion of Deepholm.
Know Your Lore has a special look at the possibilities of a Mists of Pandaria expansion.
WoW Archivist looks at the nightmare dragons and patch 1.8.
The numbers are in, and they pretty good. The Cenarion Hatchling pet has raised more than $1.9 million for Japanese earthquake relief.
Class news and guides
Scattered Shots assures you that yes, beastmastery hunters can raid.
Encrypted Text has more rogue tips for Firelands.
Spiritual Guidance has shadow priest tips for Lord Rhyolith. We also answer your Twitter balance questions and offer some more feral cat strategies for Firelands.
The Light And How To Swing It has a guide to tanking Beth'tilac and Rhyolith. We also offer a paladin's guide to healing Alysrazor.
Lichborne has a guide to patch 4.2 death knight tank raid gear.
Shifting Perspectives has more advice for gearing a bear druid in patch 4.2.
The Care and Feeding of Warriors offers a guide to protection leveling.
Totem Talk answers more of your restoration questions and offers a guide to elemental leveling.
Raid Rx discusses using audio cues in raid healing.
Arcane Brilliance discusses the state of the frost mage.
Blood Pact offers some advice to new level 85 warlocks.
Dungeons, items, professions, PVP, and more
Ready Check has a guide to Baleroc.
Addon Spotlight looks for ways to spruce up the Blizzard Raid Frames.
WoW Rookie shows you how to record game footage on a Mac.
Gold Capped looks at balancing your inventory in the TradeSkillMaster addon. We also discuss the possibilities of getting rich off of an official RMT AH.
The OverAchiever looks at grabbing mounts from the Argent Tournament.
Odds and ends
Know Your Lore tackles the continuing saga of the humans.
Check out the latest installment of Safe Passage.
Look out, Minecraft -- Ragnaros is coming to your world.
15 Minutes of Fame talks to a WoW-playing grandma. Yes, she knits, too!
Looking to get into the lore? We have a chronological guide to all the WoW-related books, short stories, comics and manga.
The Lawbringer answers your questions about the Diablo real-money auction house.
The Guild has yet another new episode for your approval.
All The World's A Stage offers tips for tauren roleplay story hooks.
