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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Queue: When is the MoP beta starting?
by Adam Holisky 
Feb 23rd 2012 at 11:00AM
Today's Queue has a question for you, as well as some of my thoughts on the issue. When is the Mists of Pandaria beta starting?
A press tour is happening next month. Some sort of internal alpha testing is going on now, and assuming a mid- to late-summer release, my guess is that the beta test will happen some time in April, which would give three to four months of testing before it's released (July or August).
And that leads directly to the first question in The Queue today ...
Skozz asked:
Any chance that the press event might be the time that Blizzard says, "Hey, it's Mists of Pandaria Beta time!"? Seems like a decent enough reason to not leak information. Something like how, at E3, companies go, "And you can download it TODAY!"
I doubt it. We know Blizzard's got an internal alpha going on that's most likely only accessible within Blizzard HQ, and we know that Mists was in a nicely polished state at BlizzCon 2011. However, that's a long way off from a public beta, especially one that more than 1 million players from the Annual Pass are going to be playing. As I said above, I'd think April (or May at the high end).
Puntable asked:
Why can't all loot be deposited directly into your bags, like it does with loot from bosses?
There are a couple of good reasons.
First, it stops gold farmers and botters from easily farming massive piles of mobs. Of course, computer-aided clicking gets around this, but that kind of behavior is detected a lot easier than one click to loot everything would be.
Second, it provides a natural pause in the gameplay. While you might not like such breaks, the pauses are necessary in order to have a good flow. You want action, then a break, then some action, then a break, and so on ... Without it, you'll get constant killing and play, and that will lead to burnout both in the short and long term. It's to Blizzard's advantage to have some natural low points in the action, and this is one of them. (So are turning in quests, transportation, selling grays.)
Saikoujin asked:
Whatever happened to WoW x64? I know there was a big hullabaloo about it when the patch dropped a few weeks ago, but was it ever *actually* released? I seem to recall it being pulled. Or is it there, but only as a 'use at your own discretion, not yet fully supported' feature? I'd love to use the x64 version, but only once it's been fully vetted.
It's out, but it's just in a beta state. Take a look at our post for the download links. I've been running it constantly, and I'm having no problem. In fact, I've noticed a frame rate increase and overall faster loading times. Quite nice for my raids.
Puntable also asked:
Do you think the portals to the Cata zones will be removed from Stormwind and Orgrimmar when MoP launches?
No. They're necessary to get to the places without having to pull your hair out. Think of trying to get to Vashj'ir on your own, without a portal. I'd rather not, in a big way.
Blizzard removed the other portals from Shat and Dalaran so players wouldn't use them as their home cities anymore. Players are never going to use Vashj'ir as their home base, so there's no real reason to remove them. They'll end up being used in MoP in the same way the portal to the Dark Portal is used now.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column. Leave your questions in the comments, and we'll do our best to answer 'em!Filed under: The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 8)
Gosten Feb 23rd 2012 1:32PM
Both Rift and SWTOR, the two most recent big budget competitors in the MMO market have AoE looting, which is a major driving force behind us wanting it now. We've tried it, we like it, and now we wonder why all games don't have it.
My guess is that this is something WoW wouldn't mind having, but it's a low priority.
eat Feb 24th 2012 6:11PM
"but I'd settle for a command that was, essentially, a "Loot Nearest Lootable Mob" that I could spam until everything lootable in range was looted. "
this. Brilliant compromise, this.
icepyro Feb 23rd 2012 4:57PM
@slim
Blizzard has made vast improvements to the loot bugs of which you speak. Lootable corpses are always on top now, at least for me.
I am in agreeance that lootable mobs should be a little more... sparkly? But I disagree with SW:TOR's HEY BIG LIGHT THAT I CAN'T SEE AROUND.
And also, DISRUPTING the game flow was exactly what Adam was saying as a desired effect. If you could just auto loot as you go (interesting fact, bosses aren't always auto-looted), then I feel you would burn out faster than you may think. Gold farmers are just an excuse, but the real reason is in many regards any breath you can catch is nice after any battle. It's not slowing you down too much, except in farming situations, which has been given as a reason of what they don't want people to do.
If I had my looting rules it would be thus: if any lootable corpses are touching each other (or within, say, 5 yards), then one right click will suffice for any gathering. So if you gather every mob in Scarlet Monastery and AoE them down in one spot, you can loot once. If you kill them as you go, then you have to loot as you go. That adds the pause of looting, and really if you need more of a break then that, chances are you need to eat/drink as well. I would also gladly accept a "loot nearest mob button" as long as "nearest" is a fairly short range (say, 5 yards).
brian Feb 23rd 2012 5:01PM
If you are an engineer there is an item you could use to loot corpses at range!
slim1256 Feb 23rd 2012 5:26PM
Icepyro -
I agree that "loot nearest mob" would be a short range type thing. I'm not picturing blowing through an instance, then standing at the end and spamming that key til it breaks, and then porting out. My biggest complaint is having to play the mouseover game to figure out which mobs are lootable and which aren't (particularly in a trash pile).
As for flow of the game, I guess that's a question of taste. Adam says, "While you might not like such breaks, the pauses are necessary in order to have a good flow." To me, picking out lootable mobs in trash during a raid or instance ruins the "good flow" of the game. I can't tell the number of times I've done a last pass mouseover of dead mobs, realized that one 50 yards away is mine, and run over to get it... just to have the rest of the group head on to the next group without me. It's annoying and tedious.
Finally - Adam implies that, without something to pace ourselves, we're going to rush madly forth, killing and looting without pause or interruption, until we arrive at the end of the instance, breathless and white-knuckled. While I'm not saying that some people might feel that compulsion, for me personally it would simply allow my group and me to go at a comfortable pace for *us*, without hindrance from artificial constraints.
Can you tell I feel passionately about this? I just want to be able to ENJOY the game, and the act of looting is cumbersome and annoying. The result is nice, but the mechanism to accomplish it outright sucks.
Homeschool Feb 24th 2012 12:15AM
I imagine the gameplay without dragging my cursor through corpse after corpse, and y'know... It actually seems LESS burny. More fluid and natural.
Now that said, I'm willing to concede to, say, a 10-yard loot range. If you INSIST on maintaining that aspect of immersion, I can accept once every 10 seconds. But I do so under extreme protest. Just be aware of that.
Kurick Feb 24th 2012 8:16AM
On the looting issue, I like to loot everything (completionist I know). But my pally is a tank/healer. As a tank its not much problem - as the group waits for you, well mostly. But as a healer (as i have been 'persuaded' by friends as they have multiple tanks) I have problems. Combat ends, and theres sparklies on the floor, I also need mana. I end up looting or drinking, but by then, someone has pulled, and now I have to run to get to the combat before someone dies. This is especially galling when you find out you missed quest items because of it, and have to rerun the whole dungeon.
My solution to that? Well aoe looting may help, or say have proxy looting, so everyone can loot a corpse, but the person whos 'mob' it was gets the physical loot.
Chances of it happening - less than a snowball in hells unfortunately.
exogenesis. Feb 23rd 2012 11:24AM
I still use Dalaran as my home city.
/stubborn
Nina Katarina Feb 23rd 2012 11:31AM
Questions I'm hoping to have answers (or hints at answers) for at the March press availability:
Are they going to carry over the valor point/justice point system?
Are we going to do a item level/hit point squish for Mists?
Give us some background on pandas other than Chen Stormsnout
Screenshots of the various levelling zones
More screenshots of the new instances
Hints at the new raids, perhaps names or descriptions of the new raid bosses
More details on monk levelling/playstyles
More information on that whole 'destruction of Theramore' thing
Are we going to be seeing updates to the troll kingdom plotline or the naga plotline in this expansion?
Nick Feb 23rd 2012 11:44AM
Answers I'll be hoping for:
Yes (it beats the old badge system)
Yes (health pools are insane, going back sub-10k would be nice)
Yes (I couldn't care less, but for people who dig the lore, its kinda needed)
Yes (not for me though)
Yes (as above, I've avoided existing screens)
Yes (as above)
Yes (I can't decide if I need to delete one of my 85s or not)
Yes (same as Chen question)
Yes (Trolls, I really enjoyed the Zul'Again dungeons, hopefully this time when they are implemented they'll be of equal difficulty, but perhaps give us 4 or 5 rather than 2)
You're Monk question reminds me, with 11 classes they really have to lift or alter then 10 characters per server rule.
kritorwow Feb 23rd 2012 11:41AM
The beta will happen in the July-September time frame. Why? Because the release will not happen til November or December. I'm unconvinced that Blizzard will manage to get the expansion out before then. Remember faster/smaller/more frequent content patches? Yeah...that didn't happen.
Shinae Feb 23rd 2012 11:56AM
True, low expectations means less likeihood of disappointment.
Yet, don't begrudge those of us who like to have high hopes.
Noyou Feb 23rd 2012 12:09PM
Beta will start between March 27/April 3. No particular reason. Just my gut feeling. They are about 3 months earlier than Cata (as far as Alpha starting and MoP info extravaganza). There is no way they wait until july-Sept. No way. Read my lips, "No Way. (if your name is Jose, you get extra points)
Revynn Feb 23rd 2012 4:29PM
As I see it, they just can't afford to wait that long. Even with the artificial gating on a tier with more bosses, as well as a filler raid, people still pissed and moaned about spending a full year in ICC.
DS isn't gated, has almost half as many bosses and has no filler raid coming.
They just can't afford to make us wait a full year in one tier again, especially with real competition from TOR and (possibly) GW2.
Puntable Feb 23rd 2012 11:47AM
I'm getting a lot of low-level "green" armor drops while leveling a new character. How can I tell if armor is one of those "skimpy on a female" pieces that sells for 5000 gold, when my character is male?
Shinae Feb 23rd 2012 11:54AM
Roll a female banker/auctioneer toon and send them to her. It's what Jim at "Power Word: Gold" does.
Or you could be like me and memorize what all the attractive common gear sets are called. :D
John Feb 23rd 2012 11:56AM
Maybe link it in guild chat or a whisper to someone who has a female character and ask them to ctrl-click it to preview it for you?
I don't think you can get a SS on wowhead for greens.
Shinae Feb 23rd 2012 12:08PM
@John
Actually most greens I've looked up on WoWHead do have screenshots, especially if it's one of the models that's revealing/unique on female toons.
WoWHead also has the 3D viewer.
Luotian Feb 23rd 2012 12:22PM
Not a particularly good 3D viewer, as far as I can tell, since I can only view one piece at a time, but it is there. There are also lots and lots of screenshots, which is handy when I'm trying to build a set but a lot of the matching pieces are the wrong armor type.
Drakkenfyre Feb 23rd 2012 12:28PM
Click "Compare", then "Save for later" on each item you want to look at. At the last item, click "Save and view", then drag each item by it's bar, ontop of the first item. Click the down arrow on the item, then View in 3D.
All items, at one time, on one character.