Mostly posting this for the people that still play and might not be aware of all the cool stuff coming in the next patch (and because I am bored and need to write something here at work to get out some extra energy).
So in a week or two we will be seeing the release of 4.3. This release is going to do much to fix a few of the issues I have with the game while adding a few new features I have been waiting awhile to see. Here is a list of the changes and additions.
1) Transmogrification - We talked about it a bit before, but they are adding a method for us to alter the look of our gear. If you own another piece of gear, you can put it in the slot of the transmogrification vendor, and he will convert it to that look. Have an old Judgement set in the bank? You can now wear it again at end-game. There will be some exemptions, like Legendary and goofy items (no slapping raid bosses with fish or hunks of meat), but most items are up for grabs. I can finally reuse my
2) Void Storage - This was something I hated until they adjusted the price to be more reasonable. It basically is designed to be a second bank system, allowing you to store gear that would be (mostly) used for Transmogrification. It costs 100g to unlock, and 25g per item you deposit, but they made withdrawing items free. You would still have to pay the 25g to put the item back in, however, so don't expect it to be super cheap if you transmogrify a lot (you can still use the old bank is using Void Storage holds no appeal).
3) The Raid Finder - Much like the Dungeon Finder, they have added a new system that allows you to queue for Raids. The raid finder utilizes a new "easy" difficulty level for raids (as opposed to normal and heroic, which have been the standard for awhile) and mostly exists for players to get themselves understanding raid mechanics while gathering decent gear upgrades (the gear will be a tiny bit better then most dungeon heroic gear). Right now, only the new Dragon Soul raid will be part of this system, and is split into two different raid paths to make them a bit shorter. You will have to do the full raid if you for normal or heroic.
4) New Raid and Dungeons - They are adding three new dungeons and a new raid. The new dungeons are basically heroics on the same level as the troll dungeons, maybe even a bit easier. So far I have tried out the Well of Eternity heroic and I loved it. My only annoyance if they are not adding a normal version. Have yet to attempt the new raid, but from what it looks like it will be pretty fun once entirely finished and tuned.
5) The Darkmoon Isle - This more then anything is making me excited. I know it sounds silly but I got to try this out on the PTR yesterday and it was much more fun then I anticipated. You really feel like you are at a carnival, with different games like Whack-A-Gnoll, Turtle Ring Toss, CannonBlast, and even a Shooting game. The music and atmosphere is amazing and it even has profession based dailies that are not only easy, but give a GREAT boost to your profession or secondary skill. (+5 per, though a quick correction, it looks like they will be weekly quests, DOH).
You can also collect prize tickets that you can use to get two new mounts (one is a bear that you can make dance), new pets, some new vanity items and even old dungeon set replicas (only the only dungeon 1 tier and dungeon 1.5 tier) that can be used for Transmogrification. There is even a Deathmatch Arena that you can enter and try and dominate, and nearby a stage for L90ETC so you can rock out while PVPing.
The only downside is, much like the old faire, it will only be open one week at the beginning of the month, before closing down until the beginning of the next month. You will not be able to take advantage of it everyday. Thankfully, prize tickets are not hard to get (I had close to 40 after one day, and even the mounts only cost 180 or so), so getting at least one reward over that week shouldn't be a chore. I will be going there on all my tunes just for the nearly free profession levels.
6) Other small friendly changes. The UI has a few more light improvements, including more control over the tracking ability. From what I hear Archaeology, one of the most boring secondary skills around, is getting a light buff so that fragments are more plentiful when a relic is found. They also added a window that allows you to search your bags or bank, so no more getting mods to quickly find items.
All-in-all this will probably be the one patch that gets me out of the battlegrounds and back into dungeons again. I have been rather bitter about the game after getting cockblocked so hard by heroic dungeons, but after using a character in the new heroics I know it will be possible for me to go into them with relative ease. The raid finder will give me an easy way to try out raiding at my own pace and "leave" if the group is being douches, without the blanket labeling many would get when dealing with server pugs. The Darkmoon Isle and Transmogrification may not add much to overall gameplay, but they are extremely fun.
Anyways I think that got out my extra energy, so back to work again. Also to those that don't play anymore and have given up the game, be gentle guys, I just wanted to post what excites me and hope others of similar leanings can share in it.
So in a week or two we will be seeing the release of 4.3. This release is going to do much to fix a few of the issues I have with the game while adding a few new features I have been waiting awhile to see. Here is a list of the changes and additions.
1) Transmogrification - We talked about it a bit before, but they are adding a method for us to alter the look of our gear. If you own another piece of gear, you can put it in the slot of the transmogrification vendor, and he will convert it to that look. Have an old Judgement set in the bank? You can now wear it again at end-game. There will be some exemptions, like Legendary and goofy items (no slapping raid bosses with fish or hunks of meat), but most items are up for grabs. I can finally reuse my
2) Void Storage - This was something I hated until they adjusted the price to be more reasonable. It basically is designed to be a second bank system, allowing you to store gear that would be (mostly) used for Transmogrification. It costs 100g to unlock, and 25g per item you deposit, but they made withdrawing items free. You would still have to pay the 25g to put the item back in, however, so don't expect it to be super cheap if you transmogrify a lot (you can still use the old bank is using Void Storage holds no appeal).
3) The Raid Finder - Much like the Dungeon Finder, they have added a new system that allows you to queue for Raids. The raid finder utilizes a new "easy" difficulty level for raids (as opposed to normal and heroic, which have been the standard for awhile) and mostly exists for players to get themselves understanding raid mechanics while gathering decent gear upgrades (the gear will be a tiny bit better then most dungeon heroic gear). Right now, only the new Dragon Soul raid will be part of this system, and is split into two different raid paths to make them a bit shorter. You will have to do the full raid if you for normal or heroic.
4) New Raid and Dungeons - They are adding three new dungeons and a new raid. The new dungeons are basically heroics on the same level as the troll dungeons, maybe even a bit easier. So far I have tried out the Well of Eternity heroic and I loved it. My only annoyance if they are not adding a normal version. Have yet to attempt the new raid, but from what it looks like it will be pretty fun once entirely finished and tuned.
5) The Darkmoon Isle - This more then anything is making me excited. I know it sounds silly but I got to try this out on the PTR yesterday and it was much more fun then I anticipated. You really feel like you are at a carnival, with different games like Whack-A-Gnoll, Turtle Ring Toss, CannonBlast, and even a Shooting game. The music and atmosphere is amazing and it even has profession based dailies that are not only easy, but give a GREAT boost to your profession or secondary skill. (+5 per, though a quick correction, it looks like they will be weekly quests, DOH).
You can also collect prize tickets that you can use to get two new mounts (one is a bear that you can make dance), new pets, some new vanity items and even old dungeon set replicas (only the only dungeon 1 tier and dungeon 1.5 tier) that can be used for Transmogrification. There is even a Deathmatch Arena that you can enter and try and dominate, and nearby a stage for L90ETC so you can rock out while PVPing.
The only downside is, much like the old faire, it will only be open one week at the beginning of the month, before closing down until the beginning of the next month. You will not be able to take advantage of it everyday. Thankfully, prize tickets are not hard to get (I had close to 40 after one day, and even the mounts only cost 180 or so), so getting at least one reward over that week shouldn't be a chore. I will be going there on all my tunes just for the nearly free profession levels.
6) Other small friendly changes. The UI has a few more light improvements, including more control over the tracking ability. From what I hear Archaeology, one of the most boring secondary skills around, is getting a light buff so that fragments are more plentiful when a relic is found. They also added a window that allows you to search your bags or bank, so no more getting mods to quickly find items.
All-in-all this will probably be the one patch that gets me out of the battlegrounds and back into dungeons again. I have been rather bitter about the game after getting cockblocked so hard by heroic dungeons, but after using a character in the new heroics I know it will be possible for me to go into them with relative ease. The raid finder will give me an easy way to try out raiding at my own pace and "leave" if the group is being douches, without the blanket labeling many would get when dealing with server pugs. The Darkmoon Isle and Transmogrification may not add much to overall gameplay, but they are extremely fun.
Anyways I think that got out my extra energy, so back to work again. Also to those that don't play anymore and have given up the game, be gentle guys, I just wanted to post what excites me and hope others of similar leanings can share in it.
