Project Lore

I'm sure most everyone who's gotten through the WotLK content can relate. You've been in Northrend for a while and cruising through the journey to level 80. And finally, one of those landmarks that you've been waiting for -  Level 77: the level you become eligible to train Cold Weather Flying. And if you play it right, it's also a transition to some quick leveling. I've been questing in Northrend since level 68, so I skipped over expert and artisan riding that became available at level 70. But regardless, flying has been something I've really been looking forward to. Leading up to hitting 77, I had been questing in Zul'Drak, then headed back to Borean Tundra to catch some quests I missed earlier. When I dinged, I headed straight away to Dalaran and paid a visit to Hira Snowdawn at Krasus' Landing to buy the skills, and Dama Wildmane in Shadowmoon Valley to pick up my swift purple wind rider. About 7,000 gold later, I was ready to fly. The only problem? It takes some getting used to. I summoned the wyvern and started off with a jump. Flight practice. I tried aiming for the top of a tower in Shadowmoon Valley, and started the flying climp up. Much, much faster than I anticipated, I had overshot the roof and was hovering above it. I changed tactics and decided to aim with the mouse. Just like swimming. I aimed again, and touched down on the tower. Not too bad. I got the hang of getting around, but still am perfecting the art of picking out the perfect spot to touch down when near mobs. And running off the side of a cliff still makes my stomach flop over as I expect to start falling. But the wind rider's got my back. For now, the act of flying is still somewhat of a luxury for me because it's still so new. But I know soon enough, it'll become just another aspect of the game that I take for granted - that's the natural course of things. I remember how paying for my first trip between flight paths also seemed pretty magical, and quickly was only a means to get around. Especially with all the changes to mounts coming for patch 3.2, it seemed the appropriate time to reminisce a bit about the thrill of first flight. Do you all remember your first jaunt on a flying mount?

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You now can add another significant mount change to the ones already announced for Patch 3.2. Earlier this week, Wow.com discovered a nifty new item on the Public Test Realm. The Tome of Cold Weather Flight, a bind to account item, teaches Cold Weather Flying at level 68. Blue poster Zarhym confirmed the upcoming addition in a thread that linked to the post, and he also elaborated a bit on how the tome will work:

Just to confirm, Tome of Cold Weather Flight is actually a new heirloom item planned to go into patch 3.2. At level 80 players can buy this heirloom item from the Cold Weather Flying Trainer in Dalaran for 1,000 gold and send it to an alt of the same realm, faction and account. The tome can be used to learn Cold Weather Flying at level 68, consuming the tome in the process. Please note this feature is not yet in the newest version of the public test realm patch notes updated today. The item and its functionality are subject to change during the testing process.

So this clears up one thing: You only will be able to get the Tome of Cold Weather Flying once you've already gotten at least one character to level 80. This is something I can get behind, knowing that players will (hopefully) be able to fully appreciate all the wonderful lore in the Northrend area before plowing through the content as quickly as you'll be able to on a flying mount. In subsequent posts, Zarhym responded to questions about whether an alt would still have to buy the flying skill if they have a tome:

You just have to buy the tome. The cost for the player is the same. It just means if you have an alt and can afford it, you can get yourself flying in Northrend by level 68. ...The tome costs 1,000 gold. It is not meant to bypass the cost of the training, but only to allow for level 80 players with alts the ability to fly in Northrend once they arrive at level 68. It's a small perk for those who have reached level 80 and like leveling new races or classes. :)

I still have a couple of questions that I haven't seen answered, and likely won't be answered until we see how it works when Patch 3.2 goes live to all realms (things may change by then anyways, since the PTR is subject to change). Mostly - if this is BtA, but a players has level 80 characters of both factions, are they required to choose only one faction to use this new ability (since it only can be sent to players on same realm, same faction)? Or, since the tome is consumed when used, perhaps that means that we'll be able to buy the item multiple times, but only have one active at any one time? It'll be interesting to see how this one unfolds. I've heard a lot of complaints from players about what they see as nerfs to a lot of the WoW content coming in 3.2. So what do you guys think - would you consider this a nerf, or does the fact that you have to have a level 80 to get the tome help negate that? Personally, I'm a long distance away from having an alt to level 68. But I'd be all for taking advantage of the change once that time comes.

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The Dusty Lands Of Tanaris It's been a long time since I went traversing Azeroth, and the Outlands.  Normally we players are just trying to get from point A to point B in the fastest way possible.  We could be in a rush for a heroic run, trying to clean up our dailies, farming or even heading to a raid.  Outside pissing off the party or raid group, a few extra seconds don't matter.  Yet I, and probably we, race to each destination with reckless abandon, and a pair of blinders on.  A secondary effect of the just completed Midsummer Fire Festival was the removal of those blinders, and a re-discovered appreciation of the world I spend so much time in. In my continued obsession with non-combat pets I spent the better part of last week flying around Kalimdor, Northrend and Outland (and a little Eastern Kingdoms) in search of flames to urinate on and praise.  In doing so I was reintroduced to the scope of the Old World, something that was lost upon me after flying around Outland, and later Northrend.  If there's anything that can impress upon you the vastness of the old continents it is the inability to fly on your own.  If you thought flying around Northrend for the Argent Tournament dailies was bad, image a five, seven, even eleven minute flights.  Flights that you can't abandon when your mini map shows a precious mining/herbalism node.  Oh the pain. A Midsummer's Desecration I'm not hear to talk about the pain though, it's just hard to forget.  What we are here to talk about is the lush locales, the cohesive zones and traversing landscapes.  Traveling through all four continents back-to-back is something I have never done, and likely wouldn't have if it wasn't for the Midsummer Fire Festival's second pet (that little bugger is the only reason I collected Burning Blossoms, and I am glad I did).  The trip down memory lane wasn't all bright spots though, it reminded me just how much I hated The Burning Crusade's zones.  The zones are so self-contained, so drastically different from those adjacent to themselves as to make one wonder how they could ever come together.  Then it hit me, the realization that my dislike for the Orc's homeland is misplaced. I don't see how I didn't come to this realization before, but the disjointed menagerie makes perfect sense.  After all, the Outland is a collection of fragments of Draenor's former glory.  It isn't a continent in the normal sense, it is what's left of a ruined world.  A stew of lands if you will.  I could be rationalizing, but it's a perfect explanation and something I should have seen long ago. After being steamrolled by blatantly overlooking a key piece of lore I headed to the lands of Northrend for additional easy blossoms.  Unlike Outland, Northrend reminded me a lot of the original continents and is likely why I was so drawn to the territories.  Blizzard did a wonderful job creating a barren wasteland for many of the zones, but the artists blended those expected areas with some diverse starting territories.  Only after getting used to the chill were we thrown into the cold, wind-shaped lands of Dragonblight and Icecrown. Swamp of Emo After collecting nearly enough flowers from the two expansions Solidsamm ported to Darnassus and began his trek through the Old World.  The little gnome trotted the streets of Astranaar, a former favorite raiding area of the Horde, clambered through the snow of Winterspring and sweat his body weight in Gadgetzan.  He even climbed aboard a boat to Feathermoon Stronghold in the lush oasis of Feralas.   Although the goal was getting to the fires, taking in the sites and sounds of the lands, all of them, were a nice flashback.  Even if it was a lot of wasted time.  Hopefully the upcoming expansion can pick up were the old world left off, vast, flowing, yet diverse, lands full of unassuming and aggressive beings. I never did get my drop off Ahune, but with my Captured Flame in the pet bag, and some nostalgia in my mind, I consider this year's Midsummer Fire Festival a small victory.  How many got the title and continue on your way to your Proto Drake?  Did anyone have their streak broken?  Enjoy the flights?

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I still remember my first encounter with the terror of a Fel Reaver. It wasn't long after my first trip through the Dark Portal at a respectable level 58. I was heading along the main road - usually a fairly safe route. Then, I took the fork up toward Thrallmar, and stopped along the way to kill a Helboar annoyance. And made the unfortunate decision to turn my back on my destination. Then, it came. The ground started shaking; first slightly, then more and more jarring. By the time I heard the Fel Reaver's loud, train-like warning sound, it was too late. I couldn't run. All I could do was fail at my feeble attempts to defend myself as the Fel Reaver stomped my tiny figure into oblivion. My fate was the same of that Helboar that happened into my path. I think Blizzard has taken up some kind of sick fascination with terrorizing the comparatively tiny folk that take up residence in Outland and now Northrend. The torment started with the Fel Reaver and continued with the Storm Giant roaming in the Howling Fjord and Thrym the Hope Ender, who patrols the first major corridor you come upon in Zul'Drak. With a name like that, you know what to expect. All of them are giant; all are significantly higher level than the rest of their zone; and all are elite. A combination that makes them basically impossible to fight off when caught alone. Which, if you're not careful, can happen way too often. We've faced similar creatures in Azeroth, too, such as the Devilsaurs that bludgeon unsuspecting questers in Un'Goro Crater. And every time I meet a new behemoth, I make a vow. The tyrants must pay - I will have my revenge. It already has begun. The Devilsaurs that once frightened my pre-Outland rogue are now no more menacing than a Helboar. Upon my return to Un'Goro recently for the Noblegarden requirements, the dino learned my wrath. Now, a quest line in Zul'Drak has furthered my vengeance. After your assistance with freeing the captured Storm Giant Gymer, he allows you to ride his back for some fun from the perspective of a giant. The best part - slaying Thrym, the prowling, undead menace stitched together from the corpses of other storm giants.

Die, Thrym, die!! Revenge is not a pretty thing. But it sure is satisfying. Anyone else enjoy going back to terrorize the elite giants that once had you cowering in fear? What are some of your own tales of getting beat-down by behemoths, then returning a later day for pay back?

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Now you see me...

When I first rolled Locomomo, going rogue was an easy choice. I thought the idea of having stealth right from level 1 was absolutely brilliant. I loved it, and reveled in it. From the start, I embraced the cunning practice of disappearing into the shadows and pick pocketing my enemies before ambushing them with poisons. By the time I was seen, my dagger already was bloody with my opponent's innards. Just like most other elusive rogues, I didn't mind using crafty, violent and yes, even straight up vile methods to down those who would stand against me. The power consumed me, and I grew stronger.

Now you don't!

My deception also was my entertainment: I took comfort in harassing those who couldn't see me. I would stealth, and choose a friendly, lower-level target to distract while they puzzled at a puff of smoke exploding, and then laughter echoing in the seemingly empty street in front of them. But slowly, the novelty wore off. Sap and Cheap Shot became routine, and my daggers rusty. I was eager to level, and I traded in the backstabbers for two shiny new swords. A quick respec for dual-wielding swords, and I was ready to go. No more backstab or ambush, my two key skills requiring daggers. No hopes for mutilate, either. And not as much need for stealth, since I didn't have to get behind my enemy. But level, I did. Soon, I reached Outland, and then Northrend. It was the Borean Tundra that brought me back to my stealthy roots. First, a series of quests led me to the Fang of the Desolate Soul. Then, east to Dragonblight where I was asked to kill Magister Keldonus and in exchange, take possession of the Backtwister. A free respec for patch 3.1.1 solidified my conviction - it was time to  regain my close quarters combat specialization and rediscover my love for stealthier gameplay. So far, I'm having a bloody good time. Now I wouldn't say that rogues are the best class for everyone. And I can't leave out the fact that we've gotten nerfed from time to time. But I'm in it for the fun. And, damn. Stealth is fun. I think iTZKooPA knows what I'm talking about, and also has some good tips for the muti spec. So now you all know one of my favorite aspects of being a rogue. Based on a thread in our forums, I know I'm not the only one. So, what is it that drives you to play your class?

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It has been nearly a week since the Argent Tournament launched alongside patch 3.1 and there remains much confusion about the new addition to solo gameplay.  Solidsamm started the festivities late last week, but Blizzard created the contest in such a way that progression through the various stages moves at a smooth pace.  You never feel that the next step is out of reach, just a few days away.  Damn them knowing how to dangle that carrot so perfectly! You're a bit behind if you haven't started your dailies by now, as the first Champions will be crowned today, but don't let that stop you.  To help you on your journey we have compiled all you need to know about the Argent Tournament's daily quests in a neat little post, rather than spread across the great reaches of WoWHead.  Since many of the new NPCs are still unknown to WoWHead, we will also present you with their locations where needed. Before we dive into the daily quests we need to get you situated and out to the tournament grounds.  The grounds are located in the northeastern part of Icecrown, directly above Sindragosa's Fall.  As you fly into the area you'll be greeted by the first two dailies that are sheerly for monetary gain, A Chip Off the Ulduar Block and Jack Me Some Lumber.  They have nothing to do with the tournament, outside the illusion that you will be helping the crusaders build the actual Coliseum.  At this point you should familiarize yourself with the new camp, as it is quite large.  Fly around and pick up all the quests you see, you should find the following four quests in addition to the previous pair: 1.  The Black Knight of Westfall/Silverpine - This begins the Black Knight quest chain that progresses throughout you tournament ambitions.  Just do the damn quest chain, it's a pop culture reference that shouldn't be missed. 2.  Mastery of Melee/The Charge/The Shield-Breaker - These three quests are designed to teach you the basics of horse combat.  Grab your steed and head to the dummy location noted on the above map.  They are a cakewalk.<br> 3. Up To The Challenge - Now that you've mastered the basic moves of jousting, you can begin your run to Champion.  This quest forces you to collect Aspirant's Seals, which are rewarded from the following quests.  You can complete this in three days time if you do all the dailies offered to you.  *NOTE* One of the last three quests will be assigned, not all of them. 4.  Aspirant's Challenge - When you turn in your 15 Aspirant's Seals for Up To The Challenge you will be given that challenge, defeating your first jouster.  Head over to Squire David by the training dummies to begin you battle.  Your first battle will be an easy one, use Shield-Breaker and then Melee for the easy win. 5.  A Valiant of Capital City - Yay, you won!  Now you can head to the next level of jousting, the Valiant rank.  Fly to your faction's tent, locate your race's tournament rep and begin your ascent as a Valiant.  The rest of your dailies will be given by this representative or the buddies surrounding him/her. 6.  The Valiant's Charge - Time to collect some newfangled Valiant's Seals. At a maximum of 5 seals per day, you'll need a full business week to finish off this rank.  Don't worry, there aren't many new quests to participate in, so it should mostly be on cruise control.  The three random dailies from the Up To The Challenge section return with no changes.  Training in the field is repeated, but bumped up to ten kills instead of just eight.

• The Grand Melee - I hope your original jousting match was incredibly easy, because if it wasn't than this may be difficult for you.  You're tasked with taking down three Valiants in this feat of strength.  Be aware that you Shield (hotkey 4) can stack up to three times.  Before you go into combat get it stacked and allow the cooldown to pass, then start the battle.  Shield Break your opponent until they come into melee range and then melee.  While in melee keep your shield active, as the attack and buff are on separate CDs.  If you can keep a shield up while you opponent's is down during the melee skirmish, then it'll be an easy victory.
• At the Enemy's Gates - Here's another easy traveling quest.  Head down to Corp'rethar in southern Icecrown - clearly marked on the map - and smash some Scourge skulls.  The combat is exceptionally easy, just make sure you are attacking the Lieutenants and not the Commanders.  The Commanders are far more difficult and not part of the quest criteria.

7.  The Valiant's Challenge - The same as step four, but a bit more difficult.  Chalk it up as another Grand Melee battle. 8.  A Champion Rises - At this juncture you as essentially done with the quest line.  From here on out it is just about grinding additional reputation, seals and coin to use for those delicious rewards.  Oh, and of course those achievements and titles, how could I forget those.  In association with that, the Valiant's Charge quest will re-open for all of the other races.  If you so chose, you can re-run them for added Achievements. 9.  Eadric the Pure/The Scourgebane - I haven't gotten to this point yet, so I don't know exactly why you do one and not the other of these.  Perhaps it is a simple choice or it has something to do with your reputation for Ebon Hold vs Argent Crusade?  They don't appear to be faction related at all.  Either way, both NPCs are on the tournament grounds themselves.

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Here at Project Lore, the last week has had us evaluating the balancing act that is playing WoW and still maintaining a social life. ITZKooPA pointed out the difficulties of doing just that, and how indeed, RL should always come first. So for those of us who readily take on this challenge of balancing the two, I thought it'd be fun to talk a bit about what challenges casual gamers face when playing WoW, and what steps we can take in-game to maximize our limited playing time. I've never been able to commit to playing WoW, or any game for that matter, on much more than a casual basis. On my relatively obligation-free days, like on the weekends, I can maybe play for a few hours. Most days during the week, I'm lucky if I can play at all. Since I'm working on leveling my main, one of the most important aspects to keep up with is getting that needed experience through quests. When I log off for a few days at a time, I oftentimes forget what I'm working on by the time I log on again. This past weekend, I went back to the Borean Tundra to catch up on some easy XP quests I had skipped over when I first made it to Northrend. But it takes a little while to get on the ball again. I read back through my quests, and refreshed my memory on several that I had awaiting in the dreaded mist. Then there's the matter of remembering where everything is located. Maybe I just have a poor memory, but when I log back on after a few days and am in an area where I haven't been for very long, I have a difficult time finding my way around. Especially in areas where I still haven't discovered a significant portion of the map. Thankfully, both the problem of not remembering quests and a poor sense of direction can be assisted with AddOns. My favorite quest and direction helper is TomTom (which you can see in use in Dorkins' soloing escapades). Not only can you read comments that give specific instructions for each quest, but the addon also puts an arrow on your screen pointing you to different quest objectives. Also, don't forget to read up on comments that let you know if you can complete any other quests in the same area. That helped me complete four quests in the mist in only one trip and, in the end, I got a fun parachute ride back to Warsong Hold after beseiging the Scourge army. Now, there are other plenty of other difficulties with playing WoW on a limited basis, and I find a lot of that comes in the area of housekeeping - keeping track of your professions and reagents, listing your auctions, remembering to use your new abilities or items that you may have gotten just before logging off a few days before etc. I have a few tricks beyond addons to keep it all straight - mainly in the way I sort my bags. I group all my leatherworking together, all my quest items together, all my gear for guildies in one spot, all my unwanted BOP to vendor in another, and any BOE items to auction someplace else. My main backpack is strictly for the items that I must keep with me always. And whatever isn't sorted tends to be grays that I can sell to the nearest vendor. And anytime I get a level, I take a few minutes right away to spend my talent point, get any new skills and put them on my action bar so I don't forget about them. With a little organization, I find that my time playing is more fun and less confusing. What could be better? So does anyone else have trouble keeping up with the wide World of Warcraft? What addons or tricks do you use to keep track of everything?

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Maybe they’re just bitter about being killed by the plague. Or they could still be holding a grudge against the Lich King and his Scourge legions. Perhaps they just love torturing people with their creepy, oozing concoctions. Whatever it is, apothecaries and all the messed up lore surrounding them gives me the chills. Now, I’ll cheer on my Horde comrades any day, but these witch doctor guys only seem to remain allegiant out of convenience. Within the first few levels of rolling a Horde character, toons are tasked with completing numerous quests for these macabre NPCs. As a Forsaken starting out in the eerie green haze of Tirisfal Glades, you’ll be asked to turn a captured mountaineer into a ghoul, cause the flesh to rot off a Scarlet Zealot, and, of course, contribute to the spread of a new plague. How’s that for payback to those nasty humans who condemned you to undead life? And that’s all just in the starting area. At least if you roll undead, you have some good motivation for causing all this mayhem – revenge. What about the rest of us unsuspecting Horde toons? Many of us aren’t even aware of the Dark Lady’s ulterior motives to wipe out all civilization. But when members of the Royal Apothecary Society are offering sweet gear in exchange for our deeds, it’s not hard to lure us into poisoning the occasional captured human. Or two. Even when the reward is quite satisfying, I can’t help but feel tainted. So it’s not hard to see why I wasn’t sad to leave my old home of the Undercity and put some distance between my rogue blood elf, Locomomo, and Master Apothecary Faranell’s dungeon of bubbling vials and experiments gone awry. I dinged level 58 and got the hell out of there. But lo and behold, the Forsaken have brought their grudges with them to Outland, and then again to Northrend. Where will the madness end? These Royal Apothecary dingbats still weird me out. But I guess it’s the greedy, sneaky rogue in me that just can’t help but complete even the darkest of quests in exchange for upgraded gear. I’m in Howling Fjord, and working toward earning a nice Featherweight Claymore simply by contributing to a new plague specifically targeting the giant vrykuls.  I’m also helping Plaguebringer Tillinghast create a new and more sinister plague that will infect humanoids and creatures alike. I can’t wait to see how that one turns out. At least “Hacksaw” Jenny seems to understand. All this plague business has ruined her prospects for finding bones suitable for her own questionable uses. So she’s asked me to go collect some from reanimated skeletons on Shield Hill, and is paying me handsomely for it. This is the last time I'll work with these hooligans. Honest.

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Here is the latest version of our WoW Web Comic, Random Heroes. If you haven't already, check out the previous Random Heroes comic or all of the Random Heores comics.

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Sometimes I have to stop and think that I made the wrong choice as far as my professions go. Being a tank I have grown accustomed to always being out of gold due to massive repair bills, but if I had made the smart choice I would have picked a profession to help balance that out. I didn’t. I am an enchanter/engineer, so I have two crafting professions. This means I don’t gather up mats, I have to buy them to level my professions. So it is safe to say I have spent a fair bit of time trolling the auction house looking for good deals. With the expansion being so new, there are lots of spikes and valleys as the market settles on a price for these new materials, but there is one trend that holds true no matter what. You gatherers are making a killing selling your mats! Prices on some of the more sought after mats have been just mind blowing. I know prices vary highly from server to server. But I am guessing we are all seeing the same trends. Being an engineer I’ve had to buy up lots of cobalt, saronite, and titanium bars to level up high enough to craft my goggles. This was an expensive process for me. The prices were just sky high, early on I saw stacks of lower level bars going for hundreds of gold each. Prices for herbs and leather haven’t been particularly low themselves. I imagine that those that are supplying these mats are getting very wealthy from them. I have several gathering friends that have straight up told me they have more gold then they know what to do with. That sounds like a good problem to have? I am pretty jealous of you guys that have built in income everyday from smelting titansteel. I’m fully aware that enchanters don’t have it so bad, and that enchanting mats are fetching a small fortune as well. My priority was leveling enchanting with those mats. Perhaps now that I am at 450 I can start to get some money back there. As far as my engineering goes, I am looking for clouds and gathering eternals… but these income methods seem to pail in comparison to the true gathering professions. It’s clear that there is gold to be had in Northrend if you know how to do it. So how are you doing? Are you gathering up a small fortune? Or are you the one lining the gatherers pockets?

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