zulgurub
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Breakfast Topic: Soloing your way to a new ride
As Elizabeth observed a few days ago, there are certain pleasures to being 80. Even if you haven't gotten a shiny drop from a raid or a heroic yet, or finished grinding your way to exalted with a Wrath faction, you have one thing that absolutely no one can take away from you: an ever-increasing chance to leave classic and Burning Crusade-level mobs swinging fruitlessly at the air, completely unable to hit you.Just writing that gives me a disturbingly evil smile, because one of the things I've enjoyed most since hitting 80 is soloing heroic Sethekk in pursuit of the Raven Lord mount. Hi there, Syth. Remember the days when you used to mop the floor with my furry ass? I do, and this dish of revenge is being served to you at the proper temperature, courtesy of the frigid Northrend climate. How does it feel to be killed just because you're on the way to something bigger?
The Queue: Overkill and delicious tears
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft.The image I used for yesterday's The Queue raised some eyebrows, with a lot of people wondering what it was or where it was from. It's just one of a series of paintings throughout Dalaran of the various player races. There are some hanging in the inns, some in the shops, et cetera. My plan was to cycle through them all over the next week or so, and random selection gave me the incredibusty human female first. It might be interesting to note that I'm pretty sure that painting is a nod to Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy 7. It could also just be a regular ol' human female wearing the level 1 Warrior starting gear. Who knows?Today you get the Female Blood Elf, and now let's get the Q&A started.Plaguenog said... Any chance they'll let me use Badges of Justice to buy new badges? Or possibly a reduction in prices for lvl 7o badge gear? I'm basically looking for any reason NOT to use as many of my lvl 70 badges for gems to Auction off.
Due for more Polymorph options
Here's a good idea from the forums: more sheep choices! Polymorph was one of the most beloved spells in the Warcraft RTS games, and so players were thrilled to see it come to World of Warcraft, and even more thrilled when two other variations on the spell were learned: instead of sheeping, players can either polymorph pig or turtle with two learned spells from quests or drops in the game.But since the introduction of Zul'Gurub, we haven't seen any other options for mages in game. And there are plenty to choose from by now-- Polymorph: Ravager, Polymorph: Clefthoof, or Polymorph: Elekk would all work great. Polymorph: Willy would even be lots of fun. Oh, and yes, as players in the thread say, since we're headed to Northrend, Polymorph: Penguin would not be out of order in the next expansion.Blizzard has done a pretty good job of taking mounts, both flying and ground-based, towards a little horizontal progress-- giving more options on one level instead of setting up a few options over multiple levels. But hopefully Polymorph will get a little love, too-- even though mages are the only ones who benefit directly, my guild has always had fun making sure our mages have all the Polymorph options possible.
One Boss Leaves: Moam vs. Hakkar wrap-up
For the second time in our Two Bosses Enter competition, Zul'Gurub's Hakkar emerges victorious over a lesser World of Warcraft raid boss. Leaving our competiton is Moam, whom our readers determined would simply be overwhelmed by Hakkar's Blood Siphon ability. (Though, seriously people, how do you siphon blood from construct made out of stone?) But skipping past the blood/no blood argument: Hakkar is a God, and Moam a mere construct. In terms of raw power, it's clear Hakkar should have the upper hand in this fight, as our readers determined: Though last week's match is over, this week's match has yet to begin! Look for the next edition of Two Bosses Enter later tonight!
You can't go home again
When the expansion came around, we did a lot of speculating about what would happen to the "old" raid instances, now that the items were so much better in Outland. So now that people are working through the level 70 instances (that guy to the right isn't just Murmur on fire), what has happened back in Azeroth?I've only been back through old instances a few times, and every single one was just depressing. My guild, a few weeks ago, decided to run MC with about 30 people, just so some alts could get geared and we could spit in the face of mobs who'd given us trouble in the past. But I was glad I had to leave for some real life stuff halfway through-- we were taking down bosses without even blinking, and trash mobs dropped too fast for me to even get a cast off. We fought for weeks over this?I've also done one run of UBRS (to get some people attuned to BWL, which I passed on after that bad MC experience), and one of Stratholme just the other night-- my 61 rogue, a 65 priest and a 70 hunter farming Runecloth and Righteous Orbs tore both sides of that place apart so quickly that I was bored the whole time (the Eye showed up, and we just killed the adds it brought). The one place I'd actually gain something from, Zul'Gurub (I've got quest pieces that I need rep to turn in yet), I haven't had the guts to go back to yet-- I liked running the instance so much when it was challenging that I feel like going back there now with ten or even five people and tearing it apart would be like visiting the house you grew up in: everything just seems so much smaller and more depressing.Have you been back to the old content? Is there any challenging fun to be gotten from it at all? Originally, I was thinking it would be nice if Blizzard could reinvigorate these old instances, and I guess some kind of heroic mode would still be fun. But at this point, I'm almost of the opinion that they should just be put out of their misery.
Whither Zul'Gurub?
We used to run Zul'Gurub weekly, if not more often. The loot was OK (a couple of GREAT tanking swords drop there, and not a lot else), the reputation rewards were fantastic, as were the enchants. Since Burning Crusade, we haven't even gone to Stranglethorn Vale. Is it less fun? I'm not sure. With the boss scaling issue, and trying to get everyone up to level, we just haven't taken the time to check it out. Since the shoulder enchants and head slot enchant are still very good, I may try to get a group to go back on a bijou and coin farming mission. We might just go back to see if we can run the place with 5 people for kicks.That said, if I never set foot into Molten Core again, I'll be happy. I'd like to finish Blackwing Lair and poke into Naxxramas since I never managed to get there, but the new 5-man instances and new raids are keeping me adequately busy for now.Any plans to go back in time now with new and improved gear and abilities?
Get a Pet: Son of Hakkar
I know you've seen this pet. It seems like every hunter at 60 is trying to get this crazy red Wind Serpent. If you head into Alterac Valley, you're practically SWIMMING in Wind Serpents! No? Well, if you're not, you soon will be. The Son of Hakkar is the best pre-Outlands pet, or so I'm told. I wanted to know more, so I hit up some fellow hunters to get the low-down, and find out how to get this elusive yet wondrous beast into my stable. I talked to Forge and Taerek, and they've let me know that yes, the Son of Hakkar really is the best pet going into the Outlands. It does great damage, it has Lightning Breath 6 (the mother of all Lightning Breaths?), and actually holds its own as a tank. We were actually taking out Dukes in Silithus using 2 hunters, 2 Sons of Hakkar, and my paladin to heal. Using the guide below, I was actually able to single-handedly (with a guildie to group me into a raid group) head into Zul'Gurub and get my very own Son of Hakkar. It took me two tries, it only took Taerek one. Let me know how you do. Video and Instructions are after the jump.
Phat Loot Phriday: Darkmoon Special Reserve
Yes, there's lots of things to do in Azeroth, and fortunately, getting drunk is one of them. Our expansion finally shows up next week, so before then, let's have another round on the best tasting stuff you can find.Name: Darkmoon Special ReserveType: BeverageDamage / Speed: Messes you up but quickAbilities: "An extremely potent alcoholic beverage." Yup, this is the hard stuff. When you want to get virtually drunk, settle for nothing less. It's the official beverage of fishing superstar Nat Pagle! You know how when you get a few in you, it feels like you can take on the world? This beverage is no different-- after consuming it, not only do you get the normal blurry vision (seen above), but mobs will actually look lower in level to you. Get smashed on this stuff, and a level 50 mob will actually look level 45 or 46. Careful though-- this stuff packs a heck of a hangover. Too bad you can't find a chocolate milkshake anywhere in the game (trust me, that's the best hangover cure ever). How to Get It: As the name implies, you can get it at the Darkmoon Faire-- the beverage vendor there sells it cheap. The Faire shows up either outside Thunder Bluff or Stormwind, depending on where it happens to be at a certain time. But the vendor will sell it to you anytime, no matter what faction you are, as long as you make your way over there.But the other, better way to get it is to stop by the most legendary fishing spot in all of Azeroth. Nat Pagle, fisherman extraordinaire (named after Blue's Pat Nagle), has a nice little fishing spot hidden in none other than Zul'Gurub. At the camp (where you also summon Gahz'ranka). There's a few boxes there, and you can stock up on the Special Reserve to your heart's content. Pagle fished in style, baby!Getting Rid of It: Drink the stuff-- it does a body good. If, for some reason, you've decided to cut down on the consumption, a vendor will buy it back for 12 copper. Cheers! Here's to the Burning Crusade! See you in Outland!
Breakfast Topic: A wipe to remember
Mostly, full group or raid wipes are lame. Really, really lame. But sometimes, every once in a while, you'll have a wipe come along that is so spectacular, so fun, and so memorable, that it almost makes the repair costs worth it.So let's hear your best wipe story. The shot above wasn't actually a wipe (we finished the Tiger boss in ZG with one solitary hunter left, and it was awesome), but my guild will always joke about the time our Warlock lead accidentally fell off the bridge in MC and onto the head of Golemagg-- who then proceeded to make his way all the way around the instance, grabbing every lava pack and puppy on the way, and crushing every single one of us out of existence. TS was just full of people screaming, yelling, and laughing the whole time. Oh, the Horde-anity!
Taking a PVE guild to the expansion
So the endgame guild I'm a part of (shout out to Gothic Bunnies on Thunderhorn-H!) is doing really well lately. We just got a nice influx of new members right around the time we started getting serious about MC and ZG, and just this last weekend, we finally made it to Domo (Rag, you're on notice) and, later the same day, downed Hakkar (that was an experience, let me tell you). So we're rolling right along-- we're already getting set for Onyxia, and by the time the expansion hits, we'll be ready for BWL.Oh, right-- the expansion. I'm not in a position of leadership in this guild (or any guild), but you have to think the sudden influx of great items, new instances, and ten more levels (I just kind of assume everyone in the guild plays WoW enough to buy it as early as possible) might throw things off a bit. What's the point in farming MC for tier 1 stuff when even quest rewards in the expansion look better? And how can you get a group of 20 together for AQ Ruins when everyone has to work up ten levels again, will be starting new alts with the new races, and LFGing (with the new system) for PVP and the new instances?In short, how do you keep a "mid-endgame" guild together when all the cool new stuff hits?Now, if you're in Naxx already and half the guild is dressed in Tier 3, I'm sure it's not that big a problem-- you'll probably all go to Outland and level up together. And if you haven't made it to 60 yet, you're probably not worried at all-- you haven't invested enough time in this raiding system to care too much. But it seems to me that things are going to be pretty scattered when the expansion hits, and it's coming right at a time when a guild like mine is hitting our stride on the old stuff. I do trust our leadership-- I'm sure that if anyone can strike a balance between leading the guild into the new content and staying busy on the "old" content, they can. But I expect it to be pretty tough. I don't think we're wasting our time on the "old" content-- even if my ZG gear will be outdated by the end of the year, downing Hakkar was an experience I'll never forget. But with all the new instances calling, along with the phat lewts and new encounters, will current "mid-endgame" guilds ever feel the need to go for C'thun? Or will AQ become the new Dire Maul-- an instance that has some cool stuff and fun encounters, but often gets overlooked on the way to endgame?
Undocumented ZG boss tweaks in effect
You alert players have noticed a few undocumented changes in Zul'Gurub lately. Reader Ajax (or "Ajaxthegreat," his choice, I guess) writes to say that his guild noticed tonight that the bat boss seemed buffed. Actually, that's not new as of 1.12.1-- my guild went in there a few weeks ago after 1.12 came out, and noticed exactly what Ajax did-- that High Priestess Jeklik had a little more bounce to the ounce. She's got more HP for sure, her mind blast seemed harsher to us, and Ajax's guild guesses that there's more bat spawns coming out with each wave.But the newest news is this: with 1.12.1, the bats leading up to Jeklik are now exploding again. That's right, one of the great joys of running ZG-- avoiding the exploding bats-- got nerfed on a previous patch, but apparently, according to Jenn over on lj, the bat-splosions are back. OMG run away from the bats! You have to love the exploding flying rodents.Makes you wonder if the whole non-exploding thing was really a nerf or just a bug. The only other unlisted change I can think of lately is that hitting V no longer works to find the real Jandice Barov in Scholo-- you've got to use a macro ("/target Jandice") or just hit Shift+Tab to focus on last target. Anyone else notice any undocumented mob buffs or nerfs, in ZG or anywhere else?
