Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! This week has actually been pretty good for news that is not directly game related. BlizzCon ticket frenzy is nearly upon us. They'll go on sale June 2nd and June 5th, which means you only have around a week to get ready to click madly to get into that queue and get another chance to see Jay Mohr. In possibly even cooler news, Aron Eisenberg, better known to geeks like us as Deep Space 9's Nog, was the subject of this week's 15 Minutes of Fame and our special guest co-host on the podcast.

The usual 5 AM to 11 AM pacific downtime is go, so you'll have plenty of time to join us in geeking out with Nog, or read the rest of the latest news. We have the usual roundup after the break.

Cataclysm Leaks and Spoilers

• Shifting Perspectives takes a look at the latest leaked Cataclysm druid talent changes and discusses the state of mana for balance druids with the upcoming Cataclysm changes.
• Blizzard's let slip a preview of the new worgen female models.

Hot News and Features

• The WoW Armory iPhone app's remote auction house feature is now in beta testing.
• Buff(ing) for BlizzCon continues the quest to get in shape for the best convention of the year.
• Blizzard's decided to specifically break the popular AVR AddOn in Patch 3.3.5.
• So where did Patch 3.3.4 get to anyway?

Class News and Guides

• Lichborne has a 101 guide for the soon to be lost art of unholy tanking.
• Totem Talk continues discussing AddOns for the restoration shaman and enhancement weaponry.
• TheoryCraft 101 has an introduction to caster haste.
• Encrypted Text looks at getting your rogue geared for raiding.
• The Light and How to Swing It has a guide for gearing a new level 80 tankadin and further advice for gearing a new level 80 healadin.
• Arcane Brilliance has more gearing advice for the new level 80 mage.
• Spiritual Guidance advises shadow priests on how to tweak their spec, and gives healing priests a quick rundown of their tanks.
• The Care and Feeding of Warriors takes a new warrior to level 20.
• Blood Pact discusses the judicious use of Soul Shatter.

Dungeons, Items, Professions, PvP, and More

• WoW Rookie looks at coexisting with elite raiders as a newbie.
• RaidRx has a checklist for healing raid team leaders.
• AddOn Spotlight takes a look at IceHUD.
• The OverAchiever looks at the best achievements in WoW.
• Gold Capped discusses waiting for the opportune moment.
• The Art of War(craft) discusses the future of battleground guilds with the new Cataclysm guild leveling system.

Odds and Ends

• The Drama Mamas discuss letting go of your departing friends.
• Know Your Lore discusses the politics of the Gnomish race.
• See how WoW's geography stacks up to other video game worlds.
• The unofficial Armory data mining site has updated its info for Patch 3.3.3
• The official WoW magazine now has forums on Wowhead where one of the editors is answering questions about the publication.

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Filed under: Realm Status, News items