shrine-of-two-moons
Latest
Siege of Orgrimmar Tier vendors
Patch 5.4's new raid, the Siege of Orgrimmar, has been available on normal and flexible difficulties all week this week, but today's maintenance update heralds the release of the first wing of LFR difficulty. That said ... where the heck does one go to get cash in their tier pieces from Siege? If you've been wondering that very question, the answer is much closer than you'd think -- and a lot easier to handle, this time around. Four new tier vendors have been placed in both the Alliance and Horde shrines in patch 5.4. Each vendor handles a particular difficulty of gear -- LFR, flexible, normal, and heroic. These vendors are all in the same area as the challenge mode gear vendor, making them ridiculously easy to get to. If you have tier tokens from any difficulty, simply visit the appropriate difficulty level vendor and turn them in. I have to say, after an entire expansion of flying back and forth to the far reaches of Pandaria just for some tier gear, it's nice to see these guys are in someplace well and truly immediately accessible. After a day's worth of raiding, the last thing I want to do is travel around hunting for the rewards I'd already obtained. That said, it would be nice if they'd add a vendor that carries all the old tier from this expansion as well -- might as well move everyone in close, now that we're nearing the end of the expansion. Good luck to those intrepid souls stepping into LFR today, and remember -- this time around, your gear is closer than you think.
Blizzard confirms no Auction House in Pandaria
Blizzard Community Manager Brennvin has confirmed that the developers have no current plan to introduce an Auction House to the new Mists of Pandaria cities, Shrine of the Seven Stars and Shrine of the Two Moons. The current auctioneers are only for engineers, just like the one in Dalaran during Wrath and much of Cataclysm. Brennvin It was the same with Wrath of the Lich King and Dalaran (including an Auction House for Engineers). Keeping them in the main cities for most players helps spread out the population but also keeps them relevant. Personally, I don't mind traveling back there when I need to make a purchase. I just plan ahead when I know what I'll be looking for or when creating new auctions myself.. source He later added, in reponse to another forum user, Brennvin Quote: It might be true that it was the same in Wotlk but doesn't mean it was a good idea. Also, The portal to Pandaria is only in SW meaning that other cities aren't much of an option. If you really want to spread the population out then make a portal to Pandaria in all major cities. For the most part, we actually feel the method used in previous expansions and again here in Mists of Pandaria works well. We also don't believe it's very demanding asking most players to take just an extra few minutes to access an auction house. Obviously some players will want the most accessibility as quickly as possible, but to avoid overcrowding and to disperse the population, this is the best method of meeting those goals.. source The post he responded to here makes a valid point. Were Blizzard to place more portals to Pandaria in other cities such as Ironforge or Undercity, those hubs would see far more use. Certainly, it is reasonable to state that a few moments longer to use an Auction House is no big issue. However, given the choice between an Auction House from which they can portal back to Pandaria, and one from which they cannot, players will likely choose the former. This leads to Stormwind, Orgrimmar and the two Shrines being heavily populated, but other cities remaining empty. Does this warrant new portals to Pandaria in other cities? Is the change worthwhile? Would players shift their Auction House activity to other locations if they could easily portal back to Pandaria? Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
What do you want in a city?
Nestled on the eastern half of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, players will find two nearly identical shrines, the Shrine of Two Moons and the Shrine of Seven Stars. In the next expansion, these two locations will serve Horde and Alliance players as miniature capital cities, conveniently located in the heart of Pandaria for easy access to the rest of the continent. Both shrines currently offer most of the usual commodities you'd find in a capital city: Auction House, bank, profession trainers, and arcane reforging. Unfortunately, the shrines also appear to lack other basic essentials, such as class trainers, portals, transmogrification, void storage, and the ability to mount up on a flying or ground mount. The good news is the shrines still appear to be under significant development. City chat channels (such as trade chat) were only just added yesterday with the latest beta patch, and most of the vendor and trainer NPCs still can't be interacted with. Additionally, you're not currently considered at rest while within the confines of a shrine, meaning you have to sit through that annoying pop-up for 20 seconds before you can log out. It also looks like the mount issue will be handled by an NPC in the shrines who casts Cyclonic Inspiration on you, allowing you to move about the city at high speeds, but the buff doesn't always take and falls off before you can run simple errands between the bank and Auction House. Since I didn't participate in the Wrath of the Lich King beta, this is the first city I've seen while it was in development, which got me wondering: What would the perfect city be? What would I want a new city in the game to have? Maybe a transmogrification ethereal right next to the bank so it's easier for me to swap outfits? I bet players who deal in lots of buying and trading on the Auction House would want the bank right next door, if not inside the Auction House itself. What kind of features do role players want? How about raiders and PvPers? What do you want in a city, and why? It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
