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The Queue: Lacking in chronology
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. After Rich in Dextrose, I decided my next header for The Queue should be something a little more grounded. Naturally, I chose a dragon. That flies. I guess I'm using the dwarven flightmaster definition of grounded. Ron2 asked: Could a Warlock and two other people with legendary capes summon somebody to Ordos's area?
The Queue: Rich in dextrose
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. It's Monday. Have an antique porcelain candy bar advertisement. You deserve it. @hstein3 asked: What does the Shaohao reputation do in 5.4?
Patch 5.4: Answers to Frequently Re-Asked Questions
We here at WoW Insider see a few questions pretty much every time a new patch is announced. Often, we see these same questions asked repeatedly, many times after we've answered them. So, out of a desire to be helpful (and to have a place to point folks) here are a few of those questions, answered for you here. Q: What is happening to my Valor/Conquest points in patch 5.4? A: Your Conquest points will be converted to Honor. If you have 4000 honor already, or will be pushed over the 4000 honor mark by the conversion, they will be converted to gold. All other points, be they Valor, Justice, or Honor points will not be converted. Q: What new gear can I get for Valor points? A: None. There is no new Valor gear. Shado-Pan Assault gear will still cost Valor, but will be discounted by 34%. All other current Valor gear (from the original reputation gear to the Patch 5.1 items) will now cost Justice Points instead. More questions answered following the jump.
Patch 5.4: Blizzard's official round-up post
Are you wondering how to gear up once patch 5.4 drops? Looking for information about the Timeless Isle? Curious about the raid? Well, Blizzard has all the information you'll need on patch 5.4 all rounded up in one location on the official site, just waiting for you to click madly away at it. Some of the information isn't in there yet (the armor previews, for instance) but just knowing where it will be is useful for when it finally arrives. I generally like having one consolidated place to point people when they ask questions like "Why did they make this class change?" or "What's going on with arenas in 5.4?" So head on over to the official site and gorge yourself on patch 5.4 information.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Shaohao reputation preview on Wowhead
You've heard about Shaohao, the last Emperor of Pandaria, and patch 5.4 brings us an Emperor Shaohao faction on the Timeless Isle. No, this isn't another painful series of daily quests you'll have to grind through: instead Emperor Shaohao faction will be gained by killing things on the Timeless Isle and offers vanity loot in exchange for Timeless Coins, which you also collect by killing things on the Timeless Isle. For those hungry for more info, Wowhead has posted a guide to Emperor Shaohao reputation as it exists on the PTR. So check it out and be ready to dive into Timeless Isle grinding when patch 5.4 hits the live realms on September 10th.
Blizzard's guide to gearing up for patch 5.4
With an exciting new raid on the way, one question sure to be on many people's minds is that of gearing. How to make sure that you're ready to step into the Siege of Orgrimmar the moment it drops? Our own Olivia Grace covered that very topic earlier this week with this comprehensive guide, but today Blizzard released their own, as well. If you want the truncated version, it looks as though the Timeless Isle will offer the most diverse and quickest potential ways to upgrade your gear, however, it could be difficult for fresh level 90s or certain classes to solo there, so keep in mind other options--like intro ilevel 476 PvP gear, reputation gear, Valor gear, and Battlefield Barrens gear (while it still lasts!). The full Blizzard post is available behind the cut, and good luck gearing up for the Siege of Orgrimmar!
What to expect when you're expecting patch 5.4
You might not be completely familiar with all that's coming in WoW's next major content patch, set to be released on September 10th. That's understandable, because there is quite a bit coming; this one is surely a doozy. To make sure that you've got all your mechanical chickens in a row as patch 5.3 draws to its inevitable close, Community Manager Daxxari has posted a nice, comprehensive guide of all the things you can expect from the patch and how to be properly prepared for them. There are class changes, new currency, a new PvP season, the Timeless Isle, some changes to professions, as well the end of the stories of Battlefield Barrens and the current incarnation of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. With the end of this patch, and all the big changes that the new one is bringing, it makes sense to have perhaps a small bucket list of things to accomplish before the 10th. A few things in particular you might want to do include: Get your "Hordebreaker" or "Darkspear Revolutionary" title before it's gone for good! Make sure to pick up one of the unique items from the Darkspear Rebellion: Gahz'rooki, Griftah's Authentic Troll Shoes, Xan'tish's Flute, and more! The Mantid Artifact Sonic Locator is going to become more difficult to acquire, might want to get it now. Justice and Valor will NOT convert, so feel free to stock up! However, Conquest will be converted to Honor as usual, and Honor will now be 250 per 500 Justice. The post also includes some useful tips on how to make sure the patch update goes smoothly, and where to go for help if it doesn't. Be sure to check out the entire thing over on the WoW official site, and good luck getting ready for patch 5.4!
Patch 5.4, flexible raids, dailies and more with Tom Chilton
Patch 5.4 is nearing completion, and soon we'll see the Siege of Orgrimmar and the fate of Garrosh Hellscream on live servers. But 5.4 has much more to offer than the raid itself -- we'll have plenty of other content to play through as well. Featuring new pets, new mounts, a new raid difficulty and much, much more, patch 5.4 is shaping up to be a substantial addition to an already massive expansion. We had the opportunity to chat with Lead Game Designer Tom Chilton regarding all of the above, as well as plenty of other topics of contention in regards to both patch 5.4 and Mists of Pandaria as an expansion. Read on to hear what he had to say about Flexible raiding, the upcoming Connected Realms feature, the future of daily quests and the challenges of creating a raid out of a capital city.
Blizzard previews the Timeless Isle
There's something to be said for open-ended exploration in World of Warcraft. One of my favorite experiences so far has been bopping around the Isle of Giants, just sort of looking around at all the dinosaurs (cause, well, you know, dinosaurs) and it seems that in patch 5.4, we're going to get an even more involved place to check out with The Timeless Isle. World bosses? Check, including one that requires a legendary cape to access (and who drops a pair of shoulders I'm invested in) as well as rare mobs that anyone, even Horde and Alliance, can work together to bring down and get some loot. If you want to make friends with Emperor Shaohao, run around attacking everything in sight, or just check out a new landscape the Timeless Isle has things for you to do. If you want, you can even click the Censer of Eternal Agony and flag for PvP even with people in your own faction. By necessity I'm leaving out tons, so head on over to Blizzard and check it out for yourself.
Video: 6 things you need to know about patch 5.4
In this Geek Week special, there's so much going on in World of Warcraft Patch 5.4 that we thought we would put together a brief summary of all the new features we know about so far. We've got the in-game store, virtual realms, the timeless isle, cross-realm arenas, flexible raiding and the proving grounds... and we haven't even talked about the new raid! If you want more information on any of the content discussed in the video, WoW Insider has a ton of material for you to peruse, just check out the links below: In-Game Store Virtual Realms Timeless Isle Cross-realm Arenas Flexible Raiding Proving Grounds
WoW Insider Round Table: The Timeless Isle
In a special Geek Week edition, the WoW Insider Round Table is taking on the Timeless Isle. This new zone, located to the south-east of Pandaria, is a max-level content area, crawling with rares, chests, puzzles, gear and exciting items for all and sundry. The Round Table, this week comprising of Matt Low, Olivia Grace and Sarah Pine, had all been out on the new island, soaking up the scenery and enjoying the sights it had to show them. They discussed, variously, the new rares, the breadcrumb and exploration quests on the new island, the lore quiz content, the many, many ways to get the Timeless Isle's new currency, what you could spend it on, the drops that you could get from mobs to gear alts, and much much more of all the content the Isle has to offer. We hope you enjoyed the WoW Insider Round Table, and as ever if you have any suggestions for future topics or specific questions for the panelists, let us know!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Play with the Blues on the Timeless Isle
If you've been holding off on exploring the delights that the PTR servers -- and the Timeless Isle -- have to offer, you might want to pencil in some time to do so soon. This Tuesday, August 6, the Community Management team will be taking to the PTR servers from 2-4pm PDT to play, explore and test content alongside the community. Players can copy characters to either the Anasterian or Broxigar servers to participate, and of course leave feedback for the new area on the PTR forums afterwards. Want to participate in the event? Simply log into your Battle.net account and use the PTR Character Copy service to copy your main over, or if you're feeling really adventurous, you can just download the PTR client and create a pre-made level 90 character to play with. The Blues will be playing both Alliance and Horde, so be sure to log on and join in on the fun!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Countless cosmetic items on the Timeless Isle
If you're one of the many players who don't like to spend real cash on virtual items (like Blizzard's recently added cosmetic helms), you'll be glad to know that patch 5.4's Timeless Isle is packed with cool cosmetic items that won't cost you anything but time. And by time, we mean grinding -- though with the array of interesting events and rare spawns to be found on the Timeless Isle, it could be more entertaining than your average grinding experience. So what's on offer? Mounts, pets, vanity gear, disguises, and odd gizmos of all sorts. There's so many, in fact, that it's hard to narrow the list down to our favorites, but these are some of the most interesting: Weather stones -- which come in sunset, rain, blizzard, and ashen varieties -- can be used to change the weather in the area. Cauterizing Core, an item with 20 charges which allows you to resurrect on death with 20% health and mana. Pi'jiu Brews, which summon a spectral monk -- mistweaver, windwalker, or brewmaster -- to fight for you for 10 minutes. Faintly-Glowing Herb, which restores 50,000 health per second for 10 seconds. If that sounds overpowered, it's probably because it's a BoA and has a duration of only a day -- so if you want them, you'll have to farm them yourself. As to how to get this gear, a lot of it comes from rare drops, rare spawns, or events, but some is bought with Bloody Coins or Shaohao reputation. And this list is only scratching the surface -- check out Wowhead for the full list of vanity items you're likely to find on the Timeless Isle as well as how to get them for yourself come patch day.
Patch 5.4 PTR: The ever-burning fires hunger for sacrifices
Yesterdayay, WoW Insider posted a round-up of all the fun things coming out of the latest build of the patch 5.4 PTR, but there was one item that particularly caught my bloodthirsty fancy. The Censer of Eternal Agony grants a buff with a similar name, that makes you hostile to all players, in return for 90% of your health. Not only that, but it allows you to earn a currency called Bloody Coins when you kill players while under its effect. We're not sure right now just what those are, or what they're used for, but rest assured that you can earn them using this item! The flavor text on the buff itself is pretty great, too: "The ever-burning fires of Ordos hunger for sacrifices to the flame." Tickled me, at least. And for all the players who are worried about low-level ganking and DK-style killing sprees, bear two things in mind: it's only useable in the Timeless Isle, and you're a shadow of your former self at 10% health. Fear not, citizens of Azeroth. This is not the end of days. Good fun though!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Timeless Isle rare spawns and events
Blizzard Lead Encounter Designer Ion Hazzikostas has already told us that the Timeless Isle, coming in patch 5.4, is meant to be a different sort of experience for gamers: Watcher Note that the Timeless Isle is largely a self-directed experience, which diverges somewhat from our recent practice. You aren't going to find a hub of daily questgivers or NPCs who will assign you specific tasks to complete. There is a ton to do on the Timeless Isle, and countless secrets to discover, so go explore! source But that begs the question of what exactly we should expect on the Timeless Isle -- and, fortunately, Wowhead has come to assuage our curiosity with a look at the rare spawns and events to be found in this strange new place. So far they've found more than 20 rares as well as a number of events. The island has a heavy pirate focus, with plenty of spectral sailors as well as the ability to summon the Dread Ship Vazuvius and help the ghostly Tomb "Tom" Bone Apart find his body. But pirates aren't all there is on the Timeless Isle and, if we trust Hazzikostas about there being tons to do, we may find even more before 5.4 launches.
Breakfast Topic: Gearing up your alts
Gearing up new alts -- or even just alt specs -- can be a huge nuisance requiring countless dungeon runs that you've already done plenty of times to gear up your main. Blizzard is, perhaps, working to make this a bit easier with the Timeless Isle, which offers a number of bind on account epics that could be just the thing for making gearing a lot less of a headache. But can our alts wait for 5.4? In my case, yes, they can, because I'm too easily distracted to have gotten any of them to max level lately. But your alts could be a different story -- and certainly plenty of people (even me!) have had max level alts in the past. So tell us, readers: how have you gone about gearing up your alts? (Or do you even bother with the hassle?) Is the Timeless loot on Timeless Isle going to help get your alts or alt specs into gear?
Patch 5.4 PTR: Legendary Cloak restriction lightened for Ordos
Ordos is a new world boss located on the Timeless Isle zone, a new island zone added in patch 5.4 to the south-east of the Jade Forest, out in the sea. Where islands usually hang out. According to previous information, Ordos was a boss only accessible by players who had the Legendary cloak. This restriction has now been lifted somewhat, as Blizzard Community Manager Lore notes in the forums: Lore Just as an update to this: We're planning to change the restriction for access to Ordos to be account-wide. Basically, as long as at least one of your characters has a legendary cloak, all of them should be able to access the encounter. source This, it seems is a vast improvement, and will make it an awful lot easier for players to find groups to kill Ordos. He's not the hardest boss to take down, but he does have a five-minute soft enrage, so you'll need to be putting out some considerable numbers to get through his health pool, or to have a group that's on the larger side. As a result of this, it seems like a good plan to make it easier to put groups together. What's more, it means you might be able to take out Ordos with your friends. He seems to be a little bugged on the PTR at present, as I was able to pull him several times with a group, and certainly do not have a legendary cloak on any character! I had fully expected to be kicked off the platform, but wasn't. This will definitely change for live, though!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Timeless BoAs give 496 gear to alts and offspecs
Whilst out killing rares on the Timeless Isle, which, by the way, seems to be the Timeless Isle's principal purpose: a hunting ground for rare mobs, I happened upon some interesting purple pieces. If you have a look at the header image, the left-hand tooltip is a Timeless Curio, an item dropped by several rares on the Isle. There are also Timeless legs, Timeless cloaks, and many more Timeless items that I haven't found yet, but they're a really interesting gearing item. You'll note, first and foremost, that they are BoA, so they can be posted from character to character. Once they arrive in another character's mailbox, it seems that they detect that character's loot spec, so the specialization you have selected from the drop-down menu on your portrait. Using the item will create an item level 496 soulbound piece of gear that is appropriate to that spec, so you can see from the header image that in this instance it has made a ring that is nice for my elemental spec. The drop rate of these, on the PTR at least, is relatively high, in about 10 minutes of rare-killing I had amassed two curios and a boot item, all BoA. It's a really good catch-up item, as it can be sent to any alt that needs gearing, and create items specifically tailored to them. In my opinion, at least, Mists of Pandaria really needs better ways to gear alts, particularly tanks who don't benefit from PvP gear, and depending on the drop rate, this might just be one of them!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Celestial Tournament details
If you want to battle in the Celestial Tournament, you better be prepared! With the opening of the Timeless Isle, the Celestial Tournament is now available for testing -- for those that qualify. In order to compete, you must have 30 pets at level 25. For Pet Battle enthusiasts, this likely isn't much of a task -- for those of us not quite as dedicated, it may take a little longer to unlock the content. Players that prove themselves strong enough to succeed at the Celestial Tournament will be rewarded with Celestial Coins, which can then be used to purchase items from Master Li. This is also where you'll obtain the miniature August Celestial pets -- each costs 3 Celestial Coins to purchase. Along with the pets, Master Li has a few other items, including a Marked Flawless Battle-Stone that will allow you to upgrade any pet to Rare quality, regardless of pet family. Check out the gallery below for all of Master Li's goodies -- and if you're planning on playing with the Celestial Tournament when patch 5.4 goes live, make sure you've got as many pets leveled as possible! %Gallery-194132%
Patch 5.4 PTR: New PvP cloud serpent models
The intrepid folks over at Wowhead have continued to dig up tons of pretty cool new files and models from the patch 5.4 PTR. New mounts have been added to the files -- three new armored cloud serpent models, presumably for PvP participants, and the Stormcrow mount. Along with the now-familiar red and gold varieties of cloud serpents shrouded in intimidating armor, there's also the gorgeous onyx variety pictured above. While there aren't any details yet on how these serpents will be obtained, it's safe to assume that they're PvP related, as pretty much all of the PvP reward mounts have been armored versions of current expansion models. As for the Stormcrow, Adriacraft has a video of this impressive steed in motion. It bears a resemblance to the Reins of the Raven Lord, but unlike poor Anzu, this bird can fly -- and it's got crackling lightning aura to boot. While there is no news at all yet on where this unique mount will be obtained, it doesn't seem to be related to the Siege of Orgrimmar at all. Perhaps a lost relic on the Timeless Isle? A new pet store mount? Only time will tell.
