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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsAsk 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 3 of 3)
Aerei Oct 31st 2008 10:17PM
I find the protodragons disturbing. They look almost like some kind of zerg, which sends my brain on weird, uncomfortable tangents.
Oh, and there's all sorts of horrifying undead. Geists are especially creepy.
Azri Nov 1st 2008 9:32AM
As Aerei said, Geists are freaky! However I've developed a certain fondness or them because there are so many running around the Death Knight starting area. Haha
There are also some incredibly large, intimidating titanesque things in Storm Peaks. Flesh giants and other huge monster roam the hills of Howling Fjord and other areas. They can nearly give you a heart attack if you're not paying attention. And of course the multitule of roaming ugly bugs and scourge creepies all over the darker zones. D:
Zarfay Oct 31st 2008 8:23PM
Since when was shat a pally city?
Aerei Oct 31st 2008 10:13PM
It's a city devoted to the Light, founded by the most devout followers of that faith, governed by the very beings that grant paladins their power and turned into the base of operations for all dedicated to thwarting the Burning Legion. How is that NOT a paladin city? No, it's not ever outright called the city of paladins, but it does have far more resonance for them as a whole than any other place known of in lore.
(But yes, it does suck.)
Anyway, thanks, Alex! :D I'm glad the Argent Crusade are trendy. I'm going for the Argent Champion title as one of my main goals in Wrath (already got Exalted with the Dawn), and I like knowing I'll be in stylish company.
Zarfay Nov 1st 2008 2:36AM
Paladin =/= the light
yes they do use the light but aren't priests more or less the traditional holy class?
Balius Nov 1st 2008 3:53AM
My understanding was that priests are dedicated to a god, and channel that god's power. Paladin are dedicated to the light itself, with power granted in at least two races by the Sha'tar, who rebuilt Shattrath (I don't play Alliance, so I can't speak to the humans or dwarves lore). Trolls and undead, for instance, can be priests, but have no connection at all to the light.
Thus, Priests have holy abilities, while paladin wield the light.
Aerei Nov 1st 2008 3:53AM
Priests can be Shadow too. In fact, for a priest to never use any Shadow is crippling.
Paladins are the only purely Holy class. Besides, you've missed the point where I mentioned that the naaru are the ones responsible for empowering all paladins (even if indirectly in the case of human/dwarf ones). The same naaru ruling Shattrath.
Toclafane Nov 1st 2008 8:07AM
Does it matter which of the starting zones in Northrend you choose to start in, in terms of quest rewards for a certain class? I don't want to start in one zone with my pally, & end up discovering that quest rewards are mainly for cloth wearers for example. Should specific classes lean toward certain starting zones?
Azri Nov 1st 2008 9:26AM
From what I have found, the rewards for many classes are pretty good and balanced. However, you might want to head over to WoWHead and look up the quests by zone. It'll give you a big list and you can skim through the rewards and each side and compare. :)
Mark Nov 1st 2008 12:14PM
I've got a question that might have been answered before but I can't find it. Specifically about the bind-on-account items.
After reading about the Ripper and how good it was, the text "And in the next expansion, there'll be an heirloom item bound to account called the Bloodied Arcanite Reaper, so all of your two-handed melee characters can relive the old days as they level up." made me wonder if Blizzard is completely giving up on early content.
If you start the game at level1 essentially twinked from your other chars with scalable awesome equipment, aren't you completely removing all reason for everything? Oh look, VanCleef dropped the Cruel Barb..yawn
is that the way it is going to work?
Amak Nov 1st 2008 12:59PM
Yes, that's the way it will work. Remember this is an alt or a level 80. You typically aren't going to grind lowbie dungeons with it to get phat loot. Since these heirlooms are purchased with the new badges, you probably won't bother in the near future to spend them on alls anyway.
BiggusGeekus Nov 1st 2008 12:55PM
What is WotLK's equivalent of Arakkoa Feathers, Sanguine Hibiscus, Firewing Signet Rings, etc.? What are the dropped items in WotLK that are turned in for reputation, yet are still sellable on the auction house?