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Remember your Consortium gems
From: The Consortium Ltd., Outland Branch office, Stormspire, The Netherstorm To: All employees and independent subcontractors of the Consortium on Outland Subject: Monthly Paycheck As it is the first day of the month, the gem payments for all fleshing subcontractors located in Outland have been organized and are available from paymaster Gezhe at Aeris Landing in Nagrand, north of the Oshu'gun digsite. We would like to remind you to pick up your gems as soon as possible, as any unclaimed pay will be declared forfeit and void at the end of the month. We expect another quarter of strong growth based on our investments into Ogre obsidian and biodome technology, and as a result, all exalted and revered subcontractors will receive their usual bonuses in recognition for their continued support of the Consortium. Thank you for all your hard work, and we look forward to another profitable month. Signed,Nexus-Prince Haramad
Ask WoW Insider: When to gem and enchant?
Welcome to today's edition of Ask WoW Insider, in which we publish your questions for dissection by the peanut gallery -- now with extra snark and commentary by one of our writers. This week Greta writes in:Hi! After nearly two years of fiddling around with far too many alts, I finally got a rogue to 70. I'm working on gearing to be able to do heroics and maybe some of Kara with friends before Wrath comes out. My question is this: at what point is it worth it to drop money on nice gems and enchants? I'm mostly still in quest rewards and I'm still saving for my epic flyer, so I'm somewhat loath to drop the gold just yet. At the same time, I want to be a solid addition to my group and I know that maximizing gear is part of that. Any advice on when this is a practical expense?Thanks,Greta
Breakfast Topic: Ready for Season 4?
Season 4 of the WoW arena is upon us. In roughly 24 hours, the mad dash to a rating of 2200 will begin. My question for all of you today is... are you ready for it?A lot of my friends who focus on PvP already have their compositions figured out, their team names ready, and a full bank of honor and arena points stored and ready to spend. Even if you aren't the arena type, Tuesday can mean good things for you. What does Season 4 do for you if you don't PvP? Gold, of course! Profit, profit, profit. With the influx of gear into peoples' hands starting Tuesday, gems and enchanting materials are going to spike in price for awhile. I imagine epic gems will feel this especially, as this is essentially the best gear available to PvPers before Wrath of the Lich King. They'll want to make the most of it.So whether you play for PvP or you play for Profit, tomorrow means good things. Are you ready for it? Have you done anything to prepare? Do you go through any start-of-the-season rituals for good luck? Burning a Druid-shaped wickerman, perhaps?
Phat Loot Phriday: Golden Staff of the Sin'dorei
Yup, that's it. This baby is pretty much tops if you are a healer who wants to max out Spirit and healing and all of those other good stats that help you keep others alive. This is the kind of staff that even makes Tanks go all Keanu: "whoah." Name: Golden Staff of the Sin'dorei (WowDB, Thottbot, Wowhead)Type: Epic Two-hand StaffDamage/Speed: 146-338 / 3.20 (75.6 DPS)Abilities: +60 Stamina, +54 Intellect, +57 Spirit. Yeah. Red and two Blue sockets, nicely fitted with some +22 healing gems and/or +10 Spirit gems and you're talking about some real power. +4 Spirit socket bonus. Improves spell haste rating by 32 +550 healing, +183 spell damage. Yes, you read that right -- 550 healing. Not since right before the last expansion has there been a staff this nice in comparison to other gear, and even if you could match the healing on a one-hand/offhand combo (you probably can, if you get the right gear and enchants together), the Spirit bonuses on this baby are going to give that duo a run for the money. Take a good look, because this is the kind of stuff that's going to be dropping in endgame raids at level 80. Sin'dorei, you should know by now (we're almost to the next expansion), means Blood Elves, or "children of the Blood" in Thalassian. And yes, the staff looks just like the one in the BC art, as seen above. This is very BC staff, if not the most defining staff of this expansion. Look for a lot less gold and green and a lot more blue and black in WotLK. How to Get It: This is a Kil'jaeden item yet again -- it drops from the last boss currently in the game. And since we've seen so few drops from Killy Jay so far, we're not sure of the drop rate at all. Not that it matters much -- so few players comparatively are going to get loot from the fight with Kayje, that odds are you'll never see it.You can drool, though. And in ten levels, when we're all working through Naxx again, maybe you can convince your raid to go back and help you get it.Getting Rid of It: Sells to vendors for 20g 54s 93s and disenchants into a Void Crystal. But look how shiny! Have a good weekend.
Show and Tell: Girlified
We have seen some really girly case mods (and cases!) in our time, but this design is near the top of the chickalicious heap. We're willing to bet reader Juri never misplaces her Lite, since it probably reflects any and all light sources and emits beams of pure pink happiness. That's got to be convenient. Juri picked up a DS decoration kit and went to town on the above, though she reports only having used part of the set, which was apparently quite epic. Since each item has to be affixed separately, there's a lot of room for personalization, even with the pre-designed sets (and we'd bet it's tiring). The charms also serve as styli, which is a neat touch.%Gallery-25220% Show and Tell is all about your stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts. Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.
Get your Consortium gems!
Lots of stuff is happening on the First of May today (do we really have to remind you that that video is NSFW? consider yourself reminded) -- not only did Children's Week start and the Diablo3.com countdown end, and not only is it a holiday for some Blizzard employees, but if you're Friendly or higher reputation with the Consortium, it's time once more to grab your free back of gems. Unlike last month, we don't have to refer to them as "gem stickers" -- thank God the whole HKO Insider thing only lasted a day.If you've got the rep, just stop by Gezhe at Aeris Landing in Nagrand, and he'll hand you a bag of free gems, quality dependent on reputation level. You'll still need a Jewelcrafter to cut them up, but hey, free gems is free gems.And rabbit rabbit, by the way. May is here!
Character planning in World of Warcraft
The building of a character in World of Warcraft can be just as painful as balancing a budget by hand without a spreadsheet. The number-crunching side of the game where you have to figure out hit ratings and mana regeneration rates and dodge percentages is something that few people can say they really enjoy. This is especially true when you are nearing the end-game in WoW and you can't just count on your fingers anymore. What if there was a tool that let you play "what if" games with your character (or your planned character) to see how different combinations of gear, talent points, gems, enchants, and even buffs would affect your character? Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that day is here.Chardev.org is not only a fantastic web application, it also has a gorgeous user interface that is simple to use. You can either build a character from scratch or import your existing character from the Armory. Once you've made it that far, it's as simple as pointing-and-clicking to swap out gear, switch gems, redistribute talent points and add or remove buff effects. The display of thirty-five essential statistics remains fixed on the left side of your screen during most phases of editing process. At the present time, it only supports gear from level thirty and up but that's no real drawback. There are way too many customization options on this site to describe every one. You really need to experience it for yourself.The Chardev site is a dream-come-true for people who enjoy playing with numbers, but hate doing the math. Check it out!
Epic gems dropped to 10 Badges?
Among the many fine things that can be bought with Badges of Justice in this post-2.4 world of ours are epic gems, the same kind that drop in the Black Temple and the Sunwell Plateau. They are sold by Shaani, who appears once your realm reaches phase four, and the uncut, un-BoP gems sell for 15 Badges of Justice each. Or at least, that's what we thought. Sharp-eyed tipster Herid noticed that according to the Armory (screenshot above), the price of the gems is 10 Badges of Justice -- a 33% reduction in price before they even go on sale yet!Of course, this could just be an Armory bug, so I did my level best to check it out for myself, by logging on to Proudmoore, the only server yet to have reached phase four. However, I learned that although Shaani spawns when phase four is activated, she doesn't sell gems until the Alchemy Lab is completed, much like Smith Hauthaa and the Anvil. So I can't confirm this with anything more than the Armory data at the moment. Proudmooreans, get going on Discovering your Roots, so we can uncover the truth of this gem-price-drop rumor.If it's true, Badges of Justice might be worth more gold than we thought, depending on what the price of these epic gems stabilizes at.
Insider Trader: Jewelcrafting, the final stretch part 2
Last week, Insider Trader began the journey from 300 to 375 jewelcrafting skill. While we were able to avoid using recipes that required faction reputation or that had to be farmed, the cheapest methods to 375 from about 365 may require a bit more effort to obtain. If you are like so many other craftsmen, stuck with 375 seeming far away and expensive, then carry on through the break to examine ways to not only maximize your skills, but to attempt to make a profit while doing so, rather than running on a loss. Featuring several distinct ways to reach 375, you will find that you have many choices to suit your own needs, your guild's needs, and your server's market. In addition, I've put together some links for further reading that you should find helpful. Each week, Insider Trader takes you behind the scenes of the bustling sub-culture of professional craftsmen, examining the profitable, the tragically lacking, and the methods behind the madness. For more guides to maximizing your chosen profession, check out the final stretches for Leatherworkers and Alchemists alike, as well as part one of Jewelcrafting's final stretch. For a complete list of profession guides, feel free to peruse our directory.
March 12th PTR changes
A new PTR build hit the test realms today, and just in time for the second stress test that'll be getting underway later tonight. A few of the big highlights: The Druid Cyclone spell has had the range reduced to 20 yards, from 30 yards. The newly purchasable epic gem crafting patterns have had their prices dramatically increased. For example, the epic gem patterns used to cost 1.5g each to buy, now they're 50g each. This will make them harder for casual players to acquire. A few BoP crafted items have had a profession requirement of 350 placed on them. All in all, it looks like Blizzard is winding down the changes. They seem to be targeting some very specific areas right now, and the list of changes each week is getting shorter and shorter. This might mean the patch will be going live soon. And remember, as soon as it goes live, we'll select a winner from the Patch 2.4 release date contest we held.Any thoughts on the cyclone change? I for one am happy, considering how I hate being cycloned in arena battles.
Speculating in the gem market
What do you get when you mix up a whole bunch of useless green gems? On the Public Test Realm you get Brilliant Glass. The most recent patch 2.4 notes state "A new jewelcrafting recipe has been added to transform many green quality gems into a single random blue quality gem. This recipe is available from grandmaster jewelcrafting trainers." Good news for those of us with stacks of semi-useless uncut green gems. MMO champion posted more information. Brilliant Glass is created using three Azure Moonstones, three Blood Garnets, three Deep Peridots, three Flame Spessarite, three Golden Draenite, and three Shadow Draenite. The product, Brilliant Glass, can then be opened for the promised superior-quality gem. Bratac of Antonidas stated in the official forum that he created brilliant glass nine times and was rewarded with four Nightseyes, two Stars of Elune, two Dawnstones, and one Noble Topaz.
PTR Notes: Stones, gems, and models
I already went over what's changed for the classes in the latest PTR build (not much); here's what's new in the items: Mats for the new Alchemist Stones have been reduced. Old mats were Alchemist Stone, 2 Nether Vortices, and 16 primals; new mats are reduced by 10 primals, i.e. Alchemist Stone, 2 Nether Vortices, and 6 primals. Which primal is required varies based on the stone in question: Assassin's = Shadow, Guardian's = Air, Sorcerer's = Fire, Redeemer's = Life. The Philosopher's Stone is now a trinket requiring level 35, and gives +5 to all stats. Jewelcrafters can get patterns for four new epic gem cuts (Reckless Pyrestone, Steady Seaspray Emerald, Quick Lionseye, Forceful Seaspray Emerald) both from the Shattered Sun Offensive at Revered and from the Scale of Sands (the Mount Hyjal faction) at Honored. The models have been changed for Vanir's Right Fist of Brutality, Crossbow of Relentless Strikes (pictured), Vanir's Left Fist of Brutality, Vanir's Left Fist of Savagery, Gavel of Naaru Blessings, Grand Magister's Staff of Torrents, Vengeful Gladiator's Pummeler, and Vengeful Gladiator's Bonecracker; see MMO-Champion for screenshots. It looks like the new Philosopher's Stone is a cool little trinket; I don't remember there being much competition for that slot that early in the game. It's an interesting move to make those cuts available from two factions, and should appease the hardcore types who, presumably, are at least Honored with Scale of Sands by now. Looking at the Primal requirements for the Alchemist Stones, most of those are easy primals, but Air is significantly more expensive. Rogues get it easy. And all those new models look groovy; a good set of changes overall.[via MMO-Champion]
Get your gems!
It's that time of the month again, ladies and gents. It's the first of March, so the Consortium has a fresh round of gems to hand out! If you're new to level 70(or Outland in general), each month you can travel to Aeris Landing in Nagrand and receive a packet of gems. How many gems is dependent on your reputation with the Consortium.Personally, I've never had very good luck with these guys. I'm Exalted on two characters and all they'll ever give me is a handful of junk and some slightly better junk. I actually think the game is working against me when it comes to gems. I have the same luck with Prospecting. I know everyone says Prospecting is an amazing source of money, but I'm confident it only works for them because all of the awful gems are used up on me.But enough QQ. Go! Get your gems! Make sure to leave comments lying about those Stars of Elune you got. It'll make me feel better if you just say you got a few Talasites.
Shifting Tanzanite shifts
A minor(but interesting) change was included in the last PTR push: The Shifting Tanzanite has had its stats changed up a bit. Previously a Strength/Agility gem, it is now Agility/Stamina, as you can see above.Previously, this was arguably the best blue gem in the game for melee DPS classes. With the introduction of the Heroic gems no longer being Unique in patch 2.4, it was a little exciting to be able to slot more than one of these at a time, even if blues aren't the most desirable color for physical damage dealers. Now, the Shifting Tanzanite is still desired, but not necessarily to fill that same role or by the same people. One of the few highly sought after Heroic gems has been gutted.Why? Nobody knows but Blizzard. One of my theories is these Heroic gems are not meant to be a "best in slot" but an alternative option, even now that you can socket multiples in your armor. It probably won't bother too many melee DPS because as good as that gem was, it was only the best blue for melee. Most melee do not stack blues at all. Tanks do stack blues, however. While this gem has become a little better for the tanks, it most likely does not outweigh Solid Stars of Elune and most certainly is not better than Solid Empyrean Sapphires for the raiders among us.
New PTR daily quest points to new alchemy or jewelcrafting possibilities
Tipster Aikiwoce points out something intriguing on the PTR for alchemists and jewelcrafters. We've already said some things about Razorthorn Rise and the the new daily quest from the unlocking of the Harbor Phase of the Sunwell dailies that sends you there, but here's a bit more information for you. It is given by an NPC named Mar'nah, an alchemist who needs the roots from the quest to "get started" on her efforts to assist the offensive. Another NPC standing next to her, a Draenei named Shaani who is marked as a jewelcrafting supplier but currently has nothing to sell, says that she believes that once Mar'nah's laboratory is complete, they "will be able create gems that were thought to be lost to time." What exactly could this mean? Let's talk about it after the break.
PTR Notes: Miscellaneous changes
In addition to the big change of Nethers not being BoP anymore, some other changes were pushed to the PTR tonight: Commendation of Kael'thas has had its dodge rating bonus reduced from 380 to 152 Five epic trinket jewelcrafting recipes have been added, all with passive benefits and on use effects. See this MMO-Champion screenshot for materials. Crimson Serpent: +33 Int, + 49 Stam, use: +150 damage/healing for 20 sec (2 min cooldown) Empyrean Tortoise: +42 def rating, use: +165 dodge rating for 20 sec (2 min cooldown) Shadowsong Panther: effective stealth level increased by one, +80 attack power, use: +320 attack power for 15 sec (2 min cooldown) Khorium Boar: +84 attack power, use: summon the Khorium Boar to fight for you for 30 sec (5 min cooldown) Seaspray Albatross: +18 mp5, use: restores 900 mana over 12 sec (3 min cooldown) New gem cut: Regal Nightseye, +4 dodge rating, +6 stam, matches red or blue Warlocks' Drain Mana buffed by 50%; top rank now drains 300 mana per second (was 200). But remember that resilience now affects mana drain, to the tune of -20% at 400 resil. Paladins' Holy Shock damage buffed by about 35%, healing buffed by about 75%. Top rank now deals 721-779 damage or heals for 931-987 (was 530-574 damage or 530-574 healing). That's a lot of changes. And now that I look at those numbers, those are big shifts for Drain Mana and Holy Shock. Is anyone now reconsidering those spells? Do you think those buffs will last through testing?[via MMO-Champion]
Your Consortium bribe, uh payment is ready
Just a friendly reminder for those of you who have Friendly or better reputation with the Consortium that it's that time of the month again to collect your gems. I just got back from my run to Nagrand to hit up Mr. Swirlybandages for my bag. I was particularly excited because I had just hit Honored with that faction. And you know what I got? An Azure Moonstone and a Shadow Draenite. Uh...okay. I guess I'll try not to spend the 40s I'm gonna get for these on the AH all in one place. Hope you all get luckier this month.
Remember your gems
Once again, it's the first of the month, and that means it's your gem payday from the Consortium! Get your butt out to Aeris Landing and click on Gezhe for your Membership Benefits, which means a package of free gems to help you pimp your new season 3 gear or Zul'Aman epics. Depending on your Consortium reputation level, you get one of the following: Friendly: Gem Stuffed Envelope Honored: Unmarked Bag of Gems Revered: Bulging Sack of Gems Exalted: Bag of Premium Gems I meant to get my rogue up at least to Revered since last month, but alas, real life stepped in, so it's another Unmarked Bag for me. What's your haul for December?
Encrypted Text: Enchanting your gear, part 2
Two weeks ago, I discussed how enchanters can make your shiny new level 70 rogue gear sparkle even more. But post-BC, enchanters aren't the only gear-enhancers in the game. Leatherworkers can make armor kits and leg armor that can "enchant" gear that could previously only be enhanced by those stupid ZG enchants that drove everyone nuts. The Aldors and the Scryers are engaged in a constant war over what you put on your shoulders, and many places are offering relatively inexpensive head glyphs. And, of course, the jewelcrafters have a multitude of lovely gems to socket your stuff. So rogues, if you're ready to squeeze the most out of your gear, head onward to glory! Edited to make it clearer that these are rogue suggestions as part of the class column. General
