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Insider Trader: Love is in the Air edition
Love will soon be in the air, and it's time you worked out your game plan. Chances are that it won't be just the city guards and leaders that will catch your eye (or eye socket). Whether you're looking to reel someone in, set up a romantic excursion, or send an enemy a delicious surprise, you'll find that preparation is the key. This year, crafted items are the hot new trend. What better to say, "Darling, I can't get enough of the way your eyes puss" than with handmade?First, you have to look the part. For all of you gents out there, I recommend seeking out a tailor for your very own Tuxedo Jacket, Tuxedo Pants, and coordinating Tuxedo Shirt. Alternatively, a Festival Suit will have you standing apart from the crowd, while a Colorful Kilt will set up some easy access to um, cultural traditions.For the gals, we have the lovely and sophisticated Festival Dress, or the elaborate and vaguely desperate White Wedding Dress. If you want to attract a different sort of attention, then try the Red Winter Clothes on for size! They aren't just for Winter Veil, and are snazzier than anything Victoria keeps secret.
Sharpening Stones, Mana Oils gone in Wrath
It didn't really hit me until I saw this post about it, but there are no sharpening stones, weightstones, or mana or wizard oils in Wrath of the Lich King. Verimonde, a blue name that's unfamiliar to me, confirms that this is by design, saying "While they were something nice to use once in a while for most people for many raid guilds they were simply another burden to the cost of raiding." This is essentially my reaction to the change, although some other Insiders are of the opinion that it's another step in the oversimplification of WoW. I'm happy that typical raid consumables will be down to flasks and food.There's another problem with this plan, though. Unless they remove the current stones and oils, progression-oriented raiders are going to be running back to Outland and farming up the mats for old stones and oils all the time. This is nothing new really; dedicated raiders have been going to great lengths for buffs since the days of mind-controlling fire resistance off UBRS mobs to go to MC and BWL. Still, I don't think it's what Blizz had in mind in removing them, so my bet is that old stones/oils will either be removed, or prevented from working on players over level 70 (like the Riding Crop).Update: Looks like they went the latter route. Stones/oils will not work on post-70 items.
Insider Trader: The Oil Industry
Insider Trader is your inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.While the world outside WoW contemplates the future of the petroleum industry, casters nurse their own form of oil dependency: mana oils and wizard oils. Heck, if you're an enchanter, you may even be hooked on both! These weapon-buffing beauties boost various combinations of healing, mana regeneration, spell damage and spell critical strike rating ... juicy stuff for casters. As with many consumables, The Burning Crusade era ushered in an enhanced rung of these weapon-buffing oils. Yes, they're higher level than the older versions ... But as Blizzard is so fond of reminding us, bigger is not always better. Most players seem to prefer the older oils, which offer the stronger oomph of two effects instead of one. However, today's shift away from Old-World components (in this case, the relative difficulty of obtaining Large Brilliant Shards in a post-Burning Crusade economy) stymies many an enchanter seeking to make and market oils, as well as many a consumer seeking an affordable way to buy them.
