Project Lore

Hot off of the @Warcraft Twitter feed, we have news of the next new Heirloom piece: rings! And they come from an unexpected source: the Kalu'ak fishing derby. From the patch notes:

The all-new Kalu’ak Fishing Derby, a test of fishing skill with a healthy dash of luck, has come to Northrend! Every Wednesday beginning at 8 PM players can try to catch the elusive Blacktip Shark. Elder Clearwater sits in Dalaran for one hour awaiting the return of the quickest, most experienced fisher to bring him this shark. This champion fisher will be rewarded in-kind for returning with the first catch. Those who aren’t able to return with the first catch will still receive just reward for getting the Blacktip Shark to Elder Clearwater before he takes his leave. It is said that these sharks’ favorite meal are the bite-sized Pygmy Suckerfish. Perhaps a hook in their waters will do the trick.

This seems pretty random. Unlike the Stranglethorn Vale fishing contest, which requires precise planning and a strategy, this one has more of a factor of luck involved. In addition, we have this tidbit as well:

“Master Angler of Stranglethorn” has been changed to “Master Angler of Azeroth” and can be achieved by winning either the Kalu'ak Fishing Derby or the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza.

This is great news for anyone aiming for the Salty meta-achievement. The Stranglethorn contest is very competitive and really encourages subversive behavior to win. As far as the ring, I'd kind of like to see it be a reward for the fishing contest to make it rare, but having it as a consolation prize as well could be great for gearing up my alts. There was recently a new buff data-mined that showed a +5% XP bonus from an heirloom, and as no current heirlooms provide 5%, I think its a safe assumption that it will be on these rings. This is a great incentive to work on fishing!