Ask a Beta Tester: The mystery of Crystalsong and other things
by Alex Ziebart 
Oct 31st 2008 at 1:30PM
I've got possibly the most important question ever asked in this column! Are we going to see NPCs rocking the new hairstyles now available? I don't think it's fair only PCs should get them.
Yep! You'll spot the new hairstyles on NPCs here and there. Not super often yet, but you definitely see them. A lot of the guards in the Argent Crusade camp are rockin' the new styles. They're very progressive!
Also, if Dalaran gets mage trainers because it's the mage city, how come Shattrath doesn't have paladin trainers? Huh?
Because Shattrath sucks.
Roscoe asked...
I have a question about the blacksmithing sockets. When a blacksmith adds a socket to an item, is there any rule as to what color the socket is? And does the item get a socket bonus that's randomized, or do they not have a socket bonus at all?
The new socket has no color whatsoever. It also has no impact on socket bonuses. It doesn't add new ones, it doesn't alter old ones. It's just a free gem slot, nothing more, nothing less.
Kolo asked...
Do Reputations from TBC instances scale down? For example, doing Scholo at level 70 grants almost no reputation with Argent Dawn. Does this apply to doing level 70 heroics at level 80?
I'm pretty sure level doesn't effect reputation gains anymore, but if I'm wrong hopefully someone will correct me. I think you're just seeing what reputations were like before The Burning Crusade. Rep was truly a grind. If you think TBC reps are grindy, they pale in comparison to what we had to do before. You didn't run Stratholme or Scholomance for the reputation you got from killing things. You ran it for the Scourgestones. The white drops, and the green Corruptor's Scourgestones which you had to pray you won the roll on. You turn those in, and that's where the bulk of your reputation came from, not the actual mobs after Honored or so. I'm pretty sure that's what you're experiencing, and rep gains from TBC instances won't change as you level.
Timothy asked...
Regarding the nether drakes now... Will we still be able to complete the questlines and get a nether drake mount after Wrath hits?
Yes.
Magrresha asked...
I've noticed on Wowhead and Wowwiki that there aren't any quests under a Crystalsong Forest Category - nor is there an achievement for completing quests in this zone. Yet there are two camps, one for the Silver Covenant and one for the Sunreavers - if there are no quests here, then what are they for? Or are the quests simply not implemented yet?
This is one of the most nagging mysteries from beta for me. I like the look of the zone, I have a thing for Blood Elves and High Elves (though I don't play a blood elf, oddly) and it sits right in the middle of Northrend with various battles on all sides. And there are no quests here. Well, that's kind of a lie. There are quests you pick up in a couple of other zones that you fly back to Crystalsong to finish, but there are no quests you pick up in the zone itself.
I can only assume this zone is being reserved for a content patch, because it absolutely hasn't been touched. It was populated with NPCs and mobs, but that's about it. It's very confusing, and oddly tranquil. People are in the zone, but they're not really... doing anything. Everyone just sort of wanders around wondering what the deal is with the place. Maybe it opens up later on and I haven't seen it yet, but then Wowwiki would have some information. Wowhead might not, because phasing does some screwy things with it sometimes, but you never know. It's all very strange.
The Wrath of the Lich King beta is in full swing, and the WoW Insider crew is here to sate your curiosity with Ask a Beta Tester! Leave your beta questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em! And if you can't get enough Wrath, don't forget to check WoW Insider's Wrath Roundup page for anything we haven't answered here!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Expansions, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ed (Sindarin, Hydraxis US) Oct 31st 2008 1:37PM
I believe that killing grey mobs grants about 1/5th of the reputation you would have got before.
But you definitely have a point with how grindy old reputations were.
plc001 Oct 31st 2008 1:41PM
Maybe the zone is completely phasing. Meaning you have to complete quests to open it up?
Bigsageowl Oct 31st 2008 1:43PM
Do you think its possible that Naxxramas isn't the only raid content that is gonna be revamped?
Well all I'm saying is isn't the fifth Great Tree/Portal to the Emerald Dream situated in Crystalsong?
With a lot more dealings with Dragons in Northrend, is it possible we could see the Four Dragons become Five and retuned to level 80? Maybe as a late patch to lead into what could be the eventual wind down of Wrath and set up for.... The Emerald Dream?
Sorry, I'm a diehard Druid and I want it so bad.
Tseran Oct 31st 2008 2:50PM
It is possible that one of the crystal trees has a connection, but I get a feeling with the blue dragonflight's activities around these trees, if there was a connection to the dream, its gone now. Either that or when Arthas came in, he hijacked it. Its also possible that the portal is under the glacier, or that Arthas is abusing it.
Sorano Oct 31st 2008 1:44PM
Is there still reputation gains and factions involved with raids? Does Naxxramas, the first raid, have a faction(s) attached to it?
I remember when firs starting Karazhan that even if things didn't work out on some nights, I had still gained some reputation towards an item or pattern I wanted in the long run.
Kolo Oct 31st 2008 1:46PM
No Alex, the bosses give like 1-10 rep in Scholo (something along those line), which I'm pretty sure is less than what we got at 60. So anyone know if a Steamvault heroic will still net 2.5k for example, or is it less? The main reason I'm asking this is because some reputations are still doable (like CE you can still hand in Coilfang Arms, or with Scholo/Strat you have Corruptor's Scourgestones), but most TBC instance reputations don't have anything to turn in...down scaled rep would be one hell of a grind for those.
Stormscape Oct 31st 2008 6:33PM
Funny because when I killed Baron Rivendare the other day I got 330 rep both times.
Kolo Oct 31st 2008 7:41PM
I didn't include the Baron.
zappo Oct 31st 2008 1:47PM
"It's just a free gem slot, nothing more, nothing less."
I believe that meta-gem requirements only require you "have a gem equipped" so these would still count towards meta-gem requirements.
Skwiz Oct 31st 2008 1:49PM
can you put meta gems in the blacksmithing belt sockets?
Reignstorm Oct 31st 2008 1:56PM
If Crystalsong was all phasing i am sure Beta people would have said something. Have you seen Azshara? That is the one of my favorite zones as far as scenery and there is not a whole lot there. They have added some over the years but in the early days there was hardly anything to do there but herb.
Also Duskwallow Marsh had nothing but Tabitha's Cabin and Ony, but now it has lots including Mudsprocket
h8rain Oct 31st 2008 3:28PM
"Have you seen Azshara?"
Ewww. It's pretty, but that place is a PITA if you fall off a cliff. If you could fly, then it would not be so bad. It's like you auto run and look away for one sec, you could be facing a 5-10 run just to get back up....
Strongshield Oct 31st 2008 2:05PM
What are the airships for?
Xabora Oct 31st 2008 2:10PM
The two airships are questing platforms that move across the entire zone.
Really awesome.
RogueJedi86 Oct 31st 2008 2:19PM
To elaborate, it's because the ground in Icecrown is covered in Scourge, so the only way for the Alliance and Horde to have bases for attacking the Scourge there is via airships floating over the zone.
Salty Oct 31st 2008 2:26PM
Icecrown questing and a major hub for LV80 dailies.
Xabora Oct 31st 2008 2:07PM
Crystalsong forest has quests, however many of these quests come from Icecrown and Stormpeaks.
Originally Crystalsong was part of Stormpeaks in alpha.
bugmaster Oct 31st 2008 2:34PM
the emerald dream will be touched upon in another expansion(i thinks its the next one not sure tho), blizzard already had all their expansions and content patches planned out years ago
Cy Oct 31st 2008 4:29PM
Not sure where you get that from, but recent interviews suggest that Blizzard has, at best, extremely vague ideas of what they might want to do in upcoming expansions, and that nothing gets decided about the direction of a next expansion before the current one ships.
kuri Oct 31st 2008 5:19PM
I'm pretty sure they know where they're going with their flagship product and not riding by the seat of their pants.
Now what they choose to announce is much different, since course correction likely happens often in the development cycle.