WoW Rookie: Rookie and Casual guide to patch 4.2
by Michael Gray 
Jun 23rd 2011 at 7:00PM
Patch 4.2 is nigh, patch 4.2 is nigh. It's so nigh that's we're highly likely to see it this coming Tuesday. Like the Joker, Ragnaros just wants to watch the world burn. So we're putting on our Batboots and trotting off to stomp a 10-man or 25-man hole in Ragtop's chest. The thing is though, if you're a casual or new player, and thus aren't likely to be globe trotting into the Firelands, do you care about patch 4.2?
Kinda. You care a little. There's a new quest hub for daily quests, and there are other ramifications to a casual player, but that stuff is mostly focused on getting you into the Firelands. Don't get me wrong; the new daily quests are really cool. But they won't last you all summer. You're expected to screw your courage to the sticking place and sally on to the new raid.
All that being said, there are definitely things you should know about patch 4.2.
Class changes
Detailing every class change is somewhat beyond the scope of this particular article because enough balance issues are addressed in patch 4.2 that it'll take some reading to get caught up. The most important note, though, is that Blizzard Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street addressed many of the reasons for changes in a direct, informative way. It's always nice to know why things are happening, so take the time to check out his explanations.
You should take note of the changes to crowd control. Using a CC spell on an enemy NPC will no longer automatically aggro that mob to you. This is a huge quality of life change that will help PUGs and raids alike. Your repair bills (and tank) will thank you.
Professions updated
New recipes will be hitting the ground in patch 4.2 and a whole new raid tier is being opened. That means that tradeskills will see some heavy use in the initial weeks of patch 4.2.
- Consider stockpiling materials. Volatiles, chaos orbs, leathers, ores, and bars will all sell very well in the opening weeks of patch 4.2.
- Cut gems will stack (thank the Light).
- Uncut green gem prices have been nerfed at the vendor.
Encounter journal
With the changes to Mt. Hyjal and even the new Firelands zone, poking your head in new and exciting places will be novel again. The Encounter Journal will allow you to look up bosses while in the game; you won't be forced to go to a 3rd party website to look up boss abilities. Its interface even looks pretty cool.
Window dressings
There are new little fun items being added with the new patch as well. These are (usually) things that are still amusing touches to our game play, but don't radically shift your character's power level.
- New vanity items, like faction-specific balloons.
- Don't forget the new non-combat pets.
- Achievements will get some additions for the patch zones and new pets.
- Hunters have "taming challenges" which add a layer of depth to finding the coolest pets.
- The keyring is being removed from your UI. Gozer is saddened.
The new daily quests in patch 4.2 will probably be the biggest deal to casual and new players. Daily quests allow you to enjoy the questing experience every day. More importantly, the new quests in Mt. Hyjal will advance the story in the zone, allowing you to personally take a role in healing the burned land. Advancing your reputation by doing these quests will allow you access to some pretty cool rings.
- You get to punt turtles and deal with the Echoes of Nemesis.
- To find the power of Malorne, look Between the Trees.
- When Sethria comes home to roost, you'll leave a nasty little surprise.
- We'll still just be rats in a cage, despite all our rage against the flame.
Tier 11 raids nerfed
We talked about it before, but it is worth repeating: The extant tier 11 raids will be nerfed by about 20% in the patch. That means you'll be able to get together a relatively casual group to quickly clear those instances.
This is a big deal for people who didn't have the time to clear this content already. While the hardcore move on to Firelands, tier 11 raids will become our playground.
Visit the WoW Rookie Guide for links to everything you need to get started as a new player, from how to control your character and camera angles when you're just starting out, to learning how to tank, getting up to speed for heroics and even how to win Tol Barad.Filed under: WoW Rookie
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Necromann Jun 23rd 2011 7:14PM
Has it been confirmed where we get the balloons yet?
Kuro Jun 23rd 2011 7:32PM
Quest!
http://ptr.wowhead.com/search?q=blown+away
Necromann Jun 23rd 2011 7:57PM
That's cook thanks.
Necromann Jun 23rd 2011 7:58PM
Cool rather.
WTB edit
vertigobliss86 Jun 23rd 2011 7:24PM
"Using a CC spell on an enemy NPC will no longer automatically aggro that mob to you."
Good, now it'll go straight for the healer as he'll be the only one with aggro X_x
JattTheRogue Jun 23rd 2011 7:41PM
It shouldn't be going anywhere if it's CCed, and neither should the other mobs now. All CC will now work like Sap does: you can use it before pulling without having all the mobs charge you. So instead of having to Polymorph after the tank pulls or have the tank pick up aggro when the mage Polymorphs as the pull, you can use all that CC before the pull and then have the tank pull like normal. So everything like Polymorph, Hex, Bind Elemental, etc., will be usable without pulling.
I haven't seen this questioned asked before, but does anyone know if a Druid's Roots will pull the group since it actually does damage?
Zankoku Jun 23rd 2011 7:45PM
Roots damage is being removed, to fall inline with the CC changes. So no, Roots will not pull.
Boobah Jun 23rd 2011 8:00PM
Not so sure that they'll work JUST like sap does; sap eliminates facepulling, too, and from what I recall of the description of the changes, you'll still be able to facepull non-sapped CC'd mobs. They'll be impotent, since they're CC'd, but you'll still end up on their aggro table, and the aggro tables of any friends the CC'd mob is linked to.
On the other hand, I've not tested it on the PTR, nor read any first-hand experiences with the new CC, so maybe it is exactly like sap. Except for the ability to apply it in combat.
Arrohon Jun 23rd 2011 9:36PM
Sadly repentance will still pull. More exactly you have to be so close to the mob that you'll facepull. I don't see the point of it only having a 20 yard range but I'm not a game designer.
mikebulko Jun 23rd 2011 7:26PM
"Advancing your reputation by doing these quests will allow you access to some pretty cool rings."
Last I saw, the dailies only give rep for Guardians of Hyjal.
JattTheRogue Jun 23rd 2011 7:37PM
Another comment system fail. I post my comment about this only to see yours ahead of mine. Oh well.
That's what I heard too: dailies give Guardian rep, not Avengers.
Boobah Jun 23rd 2011 8:03PM
Yeah, I'll third this: Avengers is the raid-only faction. There are some nice rewards for doing the new Firelands dailies, but those rings aren't part of it.
Doing the Firelands dailies earns you tokens, and the last stage features three final steps; each of those unlocks a vendor with some ilevel 365 rewards, some pets, and/or some recipes.
JattTheRogue Jun 23rd 2011 7:36PM
"Advancing your reputation by doing these quests will allow you access to some pretty cool rings."
From what I've heard, I thought the only way to get Avengers rep was by doing Firelands raids, not the daily quests. I'm fairly sure that's the case, but I could easily be mistaken. Anyone have official word on that?
Selgar Jun 23rd 2011 8:32PM
"if you're a casual or new player, and thus aren't likely to be globe trotting into the Firelands"
"You're expected to screw your courage to the sticking place and sally on to the new raid."
And how is this wagging finger supposed to be helpful to the casual/solo player? This is not about courage, it is about what one is willing to put up with.
And there is the rub. For those of us who HATE pugs, who are in a tiny guild with only a few close friends, who are solo players, who have limited play time, or for those who just like to see content, we will never see the good stuff. The game has become less about the story and adventuring and more about being thick-hided enough to group with others to see the content. I find the fact that we are forced to, as you say, "screw your courage to the sticking place and sally on to the new raid", offensive to say the least. There are many reasons why people do not group with others. I have had to bite my tongue long enough and put up with rude PUGs just because I want to see endgame content.
I admit there are those out there with thicker skin, but a game should not be about how much abuse one puts up with.
Allow the flames to begin, the gasoline has been poured.
shades Jun 23rd 2011 8:42PM
"We talked about it before, but it is worth repeating: The extant tier 11 raids will be nerfed by about 20% in the patch. That means you'll be able to get together a relatively casual group to quickly clear those instances.
This is a big deal for people who didn't have the time to clear this content already. While the hardcore move on to Firelands, tier 11 raids will become our playground."
Did you miss that last part?
MusedMoose Jun 23rd 2011 8:52PM
"...or for those who just like to see content, we will never see the good stuff."
'Never' is a strong word. If you don't want to raid when things are current, there's nothing stopping you from going back to older stuff and barreling through it with a higher-level character. A few guildies and I hit Molten Core, AQ20, and Blackwing Lair a while back, and we had a great time - it wasn't a challenge, no, but it was fun to see the places and imagine what it must have been like to head there with a huge group of people.
John Robinson Jun 24th 2011 9:01AM
"The game has become less about the story and adventuring and more about being thick-hided enough to group with others to see the content."
Because it was so much better in Vanilla and TBC?
40 man raids.
No cross-server groups.
No Dungeon Finder.
Not quite sure the game is worse now for the so called casuals than it used to be.
PAC_MAN Jun 23rd 2011 9:25PM
And how do you expect a casual to Sally on down to firelands over the summer? All this patch has for non raiders is more dailies. Stop pretending otherwise!
Boozard Jun 23rd 2011 10:53PM
i don't think blizz ever intended for casuals to be non-raiders. quite the opposite actually... they want raids to be more accessible to casuals. that said, i am going to love the encounter journal. enough info to know what to watch out for but no spoilers as to how to handle them.
as for the CC... i'm not sure i like it. if 3 mobs out of 4 can be CC'd before a pull with out aggroing, we may as well just put 1 mob and get rid of the other 3.
Zabrah Jun 24th 2011 9:40AM
@Boozard
You're assuming that at least 3 people in your group of 5 have CC abilities, as well as the awareness and intelligence to use it correctly. LOL. I'm willing to be that you'd still only be able to get 1 mob CC'ed in a PuG.