Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. I'm going to be honest here. Downtime this week doesn't bother me. Do you know why? I'll tell you why. It's because I am just going to be mesmerized by gnomes. The gnomes have me in their grip, and they will not let go. Join me.

If gnomes aren't your thing, there's plenty of other stuff here on the site to tickle your fancy, such as the unveiling of Nozdormu's (frankly pretty damn hot) mortal form. I want to know when we PCs get to look like him. Of course, downtime is minimal this week, lasting only one hour, but all the same, it's enough time to take a break and skim a few articles. Check after the break for our usual roundup.

Hot news and features

• Our Guide to Patch 4.2 has been freshly updated with all the latest news.
• The cross-realm Dungeon Finder will soon have a premium service allowing you to group with Real ID friends on other servers.
• The keyring will be gone in patch 4.2, along with most of your keys.
• There's new Brewfest and Hallow's End loot on the patch 4.2 PTR.
• Patch 4.2 is bringing some welcome quality-of-life changes to jewelcrafting and inscription.
• WoW Archivist heads back three versions ago to take a look at patch 1.2.
• We have a spoiler-filled first look at patch 4.2 Firelands boss Alysrazor. We also have a look at another Firelands boss, Rhyolith.
• Check out our review of the Razer Anansi MMO Keyboard.
• SwagDog will discontinue all Blizzard-licensed merchandise on June 1. If you want something from SwagDog, order it now!

Class news and guides

• Shifting Perspectives discusses the new restoration mastery and the latest balance druid DOT changes.
• The Light And How To Swing It continues our Blackwing Descent paladin tank guide. We also look at the latest paladin healing changes from patch 4.2.
• Lichborne elucidates on the some patch 4.2 death knight changes.
• Totem Talk looks at the latest patch 4.2 restoration shaman changes and editorializes on enhancement AoE (or the lack thereof).
• Encrypted Text takes a look at the rogue tier 12 bonuses.
• Spiritual Guidance waxes philosophical about the state of the shadow priest in patch 4.2.
• Scattered Shots offers a patch 4.2 hunter wish list.
• Arcane Brilliance has a grab bag of patch 4.2 mage discussion.
• Blood Pact covers the warlock leveling grind from 60 to 85.
• The Care And Feeding of Warriors looks back on six months of Cataclysm.
• Raid Rx has a guide to prioritizing combat ressurections.

Dungeons, items, professions, PVP, and more

• Blood Sport helps you stay on the offense in PVP, even when you're on the defensive.
• The Overachiever discusses some possibly spoilerish patch 4.2 achievements.
• WoW Rookie offers some tips for choosing what characters to play in a partnership.
• Addon Spotlight offers some addon utilities.
• Ready Check has a few words on damage meters.
• Gold Capped discusses pricing Cataclysm glyphs and Cataclysm glyph addons.

Odds and ends

• Know Your Lore relates the sad story of Archdruid Fandral Staghelm and guides you through the cosmology of the world of Warcraft.
• All The World's A Stage guides through the lifespan of a draenei.
• 15 Minutes of Fame talks to some WoW-playing vampire novelists.
• World of Warcrafts engages in some moonkin taxidermy.
• The Lawbringer has some account management advice.

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Tags: downtime, maintenance, realm-downtime, realm-maintenance, roundup, scheduled-downtime, scheduled-maintenance, server-downtime, server-maintenance, server-status, tuesday, tuesday-morning, tuesday-morning-post

Filed under: Realm Status, News items