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I spent how much on my alt?
Just this weekend I did something I never expected I would do: Spent 5,000 gold on epic flight. On my main? Oh no, I've had that for months now. I spent 5,000 gold on my alt. My alt! Good gravy!Honestly, I don't really regret it, it's mostly the shock of spending that much gold on an alt that gets me. I'll definitely be putting the epic gryphon to good use, I play my alt quite a bit. Like I mentioned in another recent post, my alt is almost my second main. Pretty much full epics, has seen the insides of Zul'Aman, Tempest Keep and Serpentshrine, capped Blacksmithing, all of that. The fact remains, though, it is an alt. 5,000 gold on an alt!I can't be the only one crazy enough to do this, am I? Surely there are others with alts that have epic flight? Most of my friends poked fun at me about it, but besides waiting for Wrath of the Lich King, what am I going to use that money for anyway? I suppose I could feast on Stormwind Brie instead but I have a feeling an epic gryphon is a little more useful, no?
Incoming dragonhawk mounts?
I love new mounts. When the Shattered Sun Offensive rewards from patch 2.4 were first posted, I combed through the listing searching for some sort of new faction mount reward, and was disappointed not to find any. There ought to be a new mount in this patch somewhere, right? So imagine my surprise when opened up Mania's Arcania and saw a picture of some elf riding a dragonhawk!Apparently, there is no dragonhawk mount available for players to purchase just yet, but when you take the flight from Quel'Danas island back to the mainland, you fly on the back of a dragonhawk. Also, there is a dragonhawk-riding bombing quest you can run (which Mania says is kind of annoying). Finally, there are new enemy elves who ride dragonhawks, and new silvery-grey ones at that!If you ask me, it's just a matter of time until Blizzard puts dragonhawks into the game as the latest and greatest flying mount you can get. They'll probably make it an exalted Shattered Sun Offensive reward which is unlocked as that faction's presence on the island grows stronger, or else make it a rare drop from one of the bosses, like the bear mount from Zul'Aman. It would be a true shame indeed to taunt us with all this other dragonhawk riding if we couldn't also get one of our own, after all, and Blizzard isn't that mean... are they?
The Daily Grind: Getting there
We have to say, one of the things that we've enjoyed in games was watching the evolution of travel systems. Now, this isn't to poke too much fun at the old way -- after all, a lot of friendships were started while sitting in Butcherblock Mountains or Qeynos in EverQuest and waiting for the boats to show up. (You know, when they actually worked.) But there's something to be said for having your own personal way of getting around quickly -- be it a horse, a super travel-power, a spaceship, or a pirate ship! As games evolve, there are more and more options; Warhammer Online has some pretty cool-looking mounts coming up. On the other hand, games like Perfect World do utterly bizarre things with them like piling people on top of tigers on top of giant flying manta rays like the one in the picture above. Today we'd like to know what your #1 personal method of travel has been in your game? Are you addicted to Flying or Super Jump? Is the Skeletal Warhorse your pick of choice? Is there nothing better for you than a high-end spaceship or a nice heavy pirate ship? How do you get around?
First Ashes of Al'ar drop bought for 190k gold in China
MMO Site is reporting that the very (server-- see update) first drop of Ashes of Al'ar (aka Peep the Pheonix mount) has appeared in China, and that it was subsequently bought for 190k gold.You'll have to take this with a grain of salt until we get further confirmation: the epic flying mount is obviously bind-on-pickup, and so it's not like such a thing can just be thrown on the AH for the highest bidder. But it could be that the guild the mount dropped for somehow sold a raid spot, or it could even be that one guildie paid another just so they could have it (someone in my guild did the same thing with Attumen's mount when it dropped, although it was far less than 190k gold).But that is definitely a mind-blowing amount of gold. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether it's legit (by my calculations, it's not-- to collect that much gold, a player would probably have to be running their 10 daily quests for years), and also to decide whether or not it was worth it. Guess he just really, really wanted a mount without feet.Update: Commenter Wisely lives up to his name and wisely contributes some insight: This is not the China-first drop of the mount-- it is the server first on China's Molten Core server. Also, Wisely says that it was an "auction" among guild members-- instead of DKP, they pay gold to the guild. He also claims that for 190k gold, she would have had to have spent about $960 USD, but I'll remind everyone that spending even $1 on gold is against Blizzard's Terms of Use. Rampant or not, that doesn't mean goldselling isn't against the ToU, in China or elsewhere.[Via WoR]
Everything known (and unknown) about patches 2.4 and 2.3.2
MMO-Champion has compiled two handy listings of information about upcoming patches: everything we know so far about patch 2.4, as well as patch 2.3.2.WoW Insider, of course, has covered all the upcoming content in patch 2.4, as well as the changes in 2.3.2, but for those who would love to see a concise summary of the information, laid out in an easy to understand format, these pages at MMO-Champion are handy indeed.Of course the obvious question one must ask whenever we see a list of "everything we know about X" is: "what about all that stuff we don't know?" I for one am particularly looking forward to finding out what sorts of rewards will be made available from the new Shattered Sun Offensive faction. Some sort of new mounts perhaps? Will there be a flyable dragonhawk at last? What sort of items would make people start drooling at the mouth enough to devote all kinds of time to all those daily quests?
Warhammer Online player-mounts displayed in concept art gallery
A recent newsletter for Warhammer Online gave us a glimpse at the concept art for some of the player mounts that the game will have, and TenTonHammer has posted these up in a handy gallery. Featured are mounts for the Greenskin, Dwarf, High Elf, Chaos, and Empire armies. For some races, we see a Light, Heavy and Medium version of the mounts, and the Greenskins have two different kinds of mount shown, boars and wolves.The newsletter that these images came from gave us a few scraps of information on some mount mechanics. There will be temporary mounts for rent, aimed at lower level characters, and riding into water will throw you off your mount. Similarly, you can be shot off your mount if you ride into battle (though no word yet on whether mounted combat will at all be possible). Missing from any of the concept art shown was a mount for the Dark Elves. The newsletter promises more details soon on mounts in general, and perhaps we will learn about their mode of transportation at that time.
PTR Notes: Wintersaber reputation easier
Testers are reporting on the official PTR forums that the gains for Wintersaber Trainers reputation have been drastically increased. This Alliance-only grind has long been the worst in the game, with quests originally rewarding 50 reputation points at a time. Considering the fact that players start at neutral with the faction and receive their one and only reward at exalted reputation, that's about 42,000 points to earn (or about 840 quests to complete) without any motivational incentives gained along the way. It retained this infamous status even when the reputation gain was raised to 75 points in patch 2.0.1, but now it has reportedly been raised even further to 250 points for each quest completed.Befitting the grueling nature of the grind, there has been a lot of solidarity between those undertaking it, inspiring "Wintersaber Support Group" threads on the WoW forums for as long as I can remember. Understandably, a lot of the players that have already earned their "stripes" are concerned that their dearly won Winterspring Frostsaber mount will become more common, thus lowering its uniqueness and invalidating their hard work. On the other hand, many players, like myself, are relieved that this grind has finally become realistically achievable. Where do your opinions lie on this issue?
Brooms not going bye-bye (yet)
Everyone is having so much fun with their Headless Horseman brooms these days during the Hallow's End event in WoW, but with an incorrect tooltip and heaps of confusion (including our own) about just how long they'll last, most players aren't quite sure just how much fun they're going to have.Bornakk clears up some of the confusion (which he also had a hand in creating), saying that "the items with a duration on them won't all vanish on November first, you just won't be able to get any new ones." So now here is the factual summary of the official words on blizzard regarding your beloved broom mounts: They last for 14 days, not just for one ride. They last for 14 days of played game time on the character that possesses them, not 14 days of real time, and extending beyond the Hallow's End event for however long you keep them on an unplayed character. Just think about how those of you who were patient and saved up your brooms on an alt can try and sell them later on when Hallow's End is over, but people still wish they could ride in witchy (or Quidditchy) style. Do you think they'll be worth something?
Around Azeroth: Stupid mount tricks
Reader Sader of Stormreaver (EU) sends us this shot taken of... well, the title says it all -- stupid mount tricks in Garadar, Nagrand. Sure, it's really just a graphical glitch in which a tiny piece of the terrain is oddly oriented, but you have to admit: it's not just every day you see a Kodo walking on two legs.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com, with as much or as little detail as you'd like to share with the world! %Gallery-1816%
WoW Moviewatch: Engineering flying mount
Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for! (All of you engineers, anyway.) And I think it looks pretty awesome. It definitely looks more gnome than goblin, but I always liked the gnomish stuff better anyway. This video was linked recently, in a post about the mats list; however, it may have passed some people by, and I think it could use more exposure. Thoughts?And if you're looking for a way to level up your (newly acquired?) engineering skill in order to make this fine piece of machinery, Lisa has a dynamite article (no pun intended) on that very topic, posted earlier this morning, so have at it. Check out our screenshot gallery of the engineering mount!
The dark legacy of engineering mounts
More good news for engineers everywhere! Those clever gnomes over at Dark Legacy have figured out what the engineering mount should look like, and they've told us the whole story about how they came up with the idea for designing it. Next, they should really design some more trinkets and bombs and other gadgety items for us to use!... or should they?Click here to read their comic, then come back and tell us what you think of their design.
Upper Deck shows off the new loot cards
Upper Deck has confirmed those three loot items we mentioned the other day, coming in the Fires of Outland booster set. Goblin gumbo is a summonable pot that conjures a tradeable food (that makes you burp). There's a fishing chair as well (and Upper Deck has posted the first pictures of it-- looks like you're able to actually sit in the chair while you fish, which might make all that repetitive clicking a little more fun). And of course there's the much awaited Spectral Tiger Mount, available in both regular and Epic flavors (strangely enough, they're making you pay the regular mount price for it, even after getting the special loot card code.And if you're actually playing the game (not just using the codes for the cool in game stuff), Mike Hummel also reveals what each card does in game-- the Spectral Tiger card provides a buff to allies in your party with the Elusive and Ferocity qualities. Cool stuff. All of the cards will be foil cards, so if you're planning on grabbing some of the Fires of Outland packs (coming to stores in late August, we're told), keep an eye out.
Around Azeroth: What are the color options on that mount, again?
Wow -- I hadn't realized the Alliance's flying gryphon mounts came in such a brilliant shade of yellow. However, Zelphyne of Muradin was under the effect of the Lambent Blood debuff given by the Bogflare Needlers in Zangarmarsh. The color change isn't terribly obvious on a player character, but on Zelphyne's lovely Snowy Gryphon? Yikes!Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
WoW Moviewatch: First look at the broom mount
No, the broom mount isn't a joke, because MMO-Champion has some nice video of it flying around in Shadowmoon Valley. And for my part, I'd much prefer it to the standard wyvern -- but we still don't know just how to acquire them.Previously, on Moviewatch....
Fly away on your broom, Harry Potter
Warlocks rejoice, or at least I am rejoicing for the possibility of a new flying mount for my Warlock. Palm over at Worldofraids sent us some additional information about what is loaded into Patch 2.2, and although armor and weapons are always interesting to me, I was totally giddy when I saw the above image. I would love to be able to say that this means that there will be a warlock-specific flying mount, but I actually doubt it. These days the trends more towards cool mounts like these being drops from instances, available to anyone. In a way the ability to fly away a la Harry Potter would be just as cool if it were available for anyone, I just hold on to the idea of Paladin and Warlock specific flying mounts tightly. Like death-grip tightly. If druids can have flight form, I don't see why locks and pallies can't have a quested flying mount. It only makes sense since they quest for their epic mounts.Until further evidence comes to light keeping my hope alive, I will keep my eye out for more info on the Broom Mount. Perhaps that Grynfinndor guild you've been thinking about creating will now be able to soar through the skies in Quidditch formations soon.
Three new loot cards for the WoW TCG
We actually heard from Upper Deck last month that there would be new loot cards coming in the "Fires of Outland" booster release from the WoW collectible card game, but now PHD Games has announced exactly what they'll be. Strangely enough, PHD is a distributor, and there's no word on Upper Deck's site about this, so this may actually be an unapproved leak-- wonder if PHD might face consequences for apparently telling us all of this early.At any rate, here's the random cards that will be showing up in Fires of Outland: Goblin Gumbo, which will make you "burp outlandish gas" A Fishing Chair, for relaxing while angling And the best one: A Spectral Tiger mount (!). MMO Champion has actual pics, which you can see above. Pretty! Also, all the loot cards will now be foil cards (which is a first for the WoW TCG), and they'll have a different design as well. Fires of Outland, says PHD, is coming in late August.Update: Commenter boulee points out there were foil cards in the Onyxia raid deck. Thanks!
Ecamm Network's iPhoneDrive: how-to and review
People used to iPods were fairly miffed when they discovered there would be no access to the file system on the iPhone – at least for the time being – but thankfully Ecamm Netork's iPhoneDrive sorts this oversight for just $9.95. iPhoneDrive is a really basic tool, no muss, no fuss, just plug your iPhone into your Mac – no Windows version yet friends -- start iPhoneDrive and presto change-o, a gui opens for adding files to your iPhone. Read on, and we'll show you what all the fuss is about.
Get an epic mount already!
Malleus from Wildhammer says he's found WoW's Bigfoot. He saw a level 70 on a non-epic mount, and for some reason, thought it was so rare that he just had to have a picture of it.Frankly, a level 70 on a non-epic mount isn't all that rare. My level 66 rogue is still riding around on a slowpoke Undead pony (just because he's an alt I was never willing to spend that much money on), and lots of Paladins and Warlocks just never got the chance or resources to get their epic mount quests done. For a main, it might be a priority to get a fast mount, but for alts, most people are usually pretty apathetic about it.Not that there are any excuses any more. With money flowing the way it is in Outland, 900g is no more than a few days' work. And while a flying epic mount is really the best for gathering professions (nothing more fun than dropping in, grabbing a mine node, and jumping back into the air), an epic ground mount really helps with both grinding and questing-- the faster you get somewhere, the sooner you can start earning XP. Not to mention that for the BGs, it's practically a must. Not having an epic mount after 60 doesn't make you a total freak (Malleus didn't really need to take a picture), but there isn't any really any excuse not to get one either.
Around Azeroth: Stunt flying
Reader Sylvina from Argent Dawn is clearly a trained stunt pilot -- so don't try this at home, people! Though, honestly, this is a trick you can do by messing with your camera settings in the console. If you type /console pitchlimit 900, you'll be able to turn your you camera angle completely around and upside down -- and if you happen to be on a flying mount at the time, well, you'll look something like this.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: It's a bird eat bird world
Liquidis of Dethecus sends in this shot taken from Netherwing Ledge in Shadowmoon Valley. Al I have to say is that you'd best be careful trying this trick at home -- those teeth look sharp, and the laws of gravity have to come into play at some point in time, don't they? (Well, in Outland, we're not sure if the rules of physics apply, are we?)Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
