It's been exactly one week since the launch of patch 4.2. As we've all come to expect from the high-end raiding community, raiders have already ground Ragnaros into the dust time and time again on normal mode. As of today, we'll start to see legitimate hard mode kills, and it should be interesting to see which guild comes out on top this time around.

Most of us are content with much more humble progression, though. My guild finished the week at 3/7, having taken our usual Monday evening raid night off to celebrate some wacky thing called "the 4th of July." I think it's a holiday commemorating Gilneas' shrugging off the hegemony of the Alliance of Lordaeron and striking out on their own? I'm not really sure, honestly.

Today's maintenance will be ongoing for a few hours more as of this posting, so if you're feeling particularly bored, don't worry! WoW Insider had some great content this past week that you can catch up on today.

Hot news and features

• World of Warcraft went free-to-play this week! Well, up to level 20, anyway.
• If you hear your guildmates yammering on about a so-called Vengeance of the Void expansion, don't get excited. It's fake. Like, super-fake.
• After only a few short days of the new Firelands raid being opened, Blizzard needed to nerf recipe drop rates.
• Bashiok says previous raid tiers are meant to be puggable.
• Check out WoW Insider's first impressions of the Firelands.
• WoW Archivist took a close look at the legacy of Leroy Jenkins.
• If you haven't even logged into the game since the launch of patch 4.2, WoW Rookie tells you what to expect.
• Ready Check walks you through the process of acquiring patch 4.2's caster legendary.

Class news and guides

• Lichborne lays out why blood death knights need tweakin'.
• Totem Talk talks restoration cooldowns in patch 4.2 and how an enhancement shaman should approach Firelands bosses Beth'tilac and Lord Rhyolith.
• The Light and How to Swing It delves into tanking in the Firelands as a protection paladin and the retribution changes and gear of patch 4.2.
• Shifting Perspectives does not seem enthused with the state of the balance druid in patch 4.2.
• Encrypted Text is not a big fan of Blade Flurry. In fact, Chase thinks it's broken.
• Want to know what your warrior should be wearing in the Firelands? The Care and Feeding of Warriors has you covered.
• Blood Pact examines the balance between warlock talent specs.
• Arcane Brilliance has a Firelands gear guide for mages, too.
• Spiritual Guidance schools you on the basics of shadow priest PVP and the gear woes of the Firelands healing priest.

Odds and ends

• Addon Spotlight outlines the best and the worst performances from addons at the launch of patch 4.2.
• Gold Capped: How patch 4.2 broke the auction house.
• Know Your Lore speculates on tauren origins and studies the events of the Badlands in Cataclysm and what they may mean for Azeroth.
• About the Bloggers profiles Tyler Caraway, moonkin and warlock extraordinaire.

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The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new tier 12 armor!

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