Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsThe Queue: Never say no to panda
by Anne Stickney 
Mar 15th 2012 at 11:00AM
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is taking this thing over today.
Look, you can say no to panda if you want to, but we're not going to be responsible for the consequences, OK?
Knob asked:
What happens if Alex sleeps through the entire MoP presentation?
You see that video up there? Something like that.
thedoctor2031 asked:
In line with the breakfast topic, do you think we are going to get any information on the whole Theramore burning thing? It would be nice to find out if the Alliance is going to play catch-up the entire expansion as well.
Look, you can say no to panda if you want to, but we're not going to be responsible for the consequences, OK?
Knob asked:
What happens if Alex sleeps through the entire MoP presentation?
You see that video up there? Something like that.
thedoctor2031 asked:
In line with the breakfast topic, do you think we are going to get any information on the whole Theramore burning thing? It would be nice to find out if the Alliance is going to play catch-up the entire expansion as well.
I suspect that little Jaina novel that's coming out later this year will have plenty to say about that, among other things ... Seriously though, we haven't got any answers to what's going on with Theramore, just speculation. Whether Blizzard gives us more answers or not is up in the air -- however, given the amount of attention that particular announcement drew, I think it would probably behoove Blizzard to simply leave all the events surrounding the matter as a surprise. Because surprises are super fun.
Ullaana asked:
Mentioned this in the Breakfast topic this AM, but am also expanding on it here.
Why is there a depiction of a Worgen in the following screenshot from Pandaria if they have been out of touch for 10,000 years?
Did Worgen appear to the Pandaren or is this just an artistic error?
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/media/screenshots/mop?keywords=&view#/wowx4-screenshot-26
That actually looks a lot more like a tiger than a worgen. If you take a look at the screenshot from the day before, you'll see tiger statues on pedestals in front of the building. This might be an image from the interior of the Temple of the Tiger in Kul-Lai Summit ... maybe. In any case, it's definitely not a worgen -- worgen don't have stripes!
AquaWrench asked:
Q for the Q...
(This one has probably been asked a 1,000 times, so sorry... but it's been bugging me for ages)
Why are some birds unskinnable? It seems birds would be much easier to skin than some other mobs that are skinnable.
Thanks.
... what exactly would you do with the bird skin once you had it? I can't imagine it'd make anything remotely useful. I mean, around here we don't even eat the skin when we have birdies for dinner. I don't think there really is such a thing as bird leather. I'm pretty sure trying to cure it would just disintegrate it, you know?
@oathblade asked via Twitter:
Was the High Chief of the Tauren invented by Cairne/Thrall or did it exist before the Horde?
That's actually a pretty good question. There's not a cemented, in-the-lore answer for it, but here's my best guess. We know that the tauren, prior to the construction of Thunder Bluff, were largely a nomadic people. Each tribe out there had its own chieftain; Cairne was the chief of the Bloodhoof Clan. It was Cairne's idea to build Thunder Bluff in the home of the ancestors and unite all the wandering tribes into one. That is probably the point where a high chieftain was established; until that point, the tribes weren't united, so it wasn't really necessary to have one.
Keep in mind, this has nothing to do at all with Thrall or the Horde. When Thrall first encountered Cairne, Cairne was already on his way to try and build Thunder Bluff, but the centaurs were giving him issues. Thunder Bluff and the united tribes of the tauren were something that Cairne wanted long before he met Thrall or joined the Horde.
@Muscraft asked via Twitter:
Q for the Q: What was the most surprising moment in Vanilla/BC/WotLK/Cata for you?
In vanilla WoW, it had to be the moment Katrana Prestor was exposed right in the middle of Stormwind's throne room. In The Burning Crusade, probably when the whole Kil'jaeden angle popped up and the Sunwell was restored by Velen, of all people. In Wrath, the whole chain in Icecrown with the little ghost boy was just full of surprises for me, and it still remains one of my favorite chains to date.
You can start that chain with Exploiting an Opening on Alliance side or Opportunity for Horde. In order to begin the chain, you must open the Shadow Vault in Icecrown, and then head back to your respective airship for the quest.
In Cataclysm ... there were plenty of surprises in Cataclysm, but I think the biggest shocker to me was the first chapter of Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects. I definitely was not expecting what went down, and it took me completely by surprise.
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!
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Reader Comments (Page 5 of 9)
johnthediver Mar 15th 2012 11:29AM
"I don't think there really is such a thing as bird leather. I'm pretty sure trying to cure it would just disintegrate it, you know?"
Never heard of ostrich skin boots?
Snuffey Mar 15th 2012 11:33AM
That "worgen" screenshot is of a a quillboar.
Ata Mar 15th 2012 12:30PM
What? In this, the image Anne linked? http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/media/screenshots/mop/wowx4-screenshot-26-full.jpg
On the wall? That's a tiger, dude. Not a quillboar.
slim1256 Mar 15th 2012 2:02PM
I don't know about y'all, but I just see one of the Lion Force Voltrons.
That's canon, right?
fudge Mar 15th 2012 11:31AM
I find surprises to be mostly exhausting. In general, I don't enjoy them.
slim1256 Mar 15th 2012 11:37AM
Reminds me of a movie quote:
"A burp is spontaneous. A burp is NOT romantic."
Parallelism with surprises:
"A bucket of water perched on a partially opened door is surprising. A bucket of water perched on a partially opened door is NOT fun (assuming you're the next person to walk through said door)."
Just sayin'.
zackwbrandon Mar 15th 2012 11:42AM
I agree with slim. Blizz did damage with that announcement among the more sensitive Alliance members (I roll Alliance only, but don't mind losing a little ground if the story is good). At this point, retaining and gaining subs is the goal of the media event. I would detail EXACTLY what comes of destroying Theramore that is 'Alliance awesome' rather than vague platitudes - this would go a long way to smoothing that friction over and exciting the fans.
fudge Mar 15th 2012 11:45AM
I also enjoy vanilla ice cream, the New York Yankees, Volvos and I prefer Goliath over David.
I really don't like surprises.
Drakkenfyre Mar 15th 2012 1:54PM
The more sensitive members? After having an entire expansion where we got loss after loss, having no story compared to the Horde, helping Thrall while the Alliance got nothing, but a wedding, and where quests flat-out tell you you lose in some cases, the promise of "story" for us and the beginning of the next expansion starting on the DESTRUCTION of our only Kalimdor port city?
It doesn't take a sensitive member to see that's bullshit. Horde get plenty of story written about them, but it takes the destruction of one of our cities to get one for us?
Arrohon Mar 15th 2012 3:37PM
Theramore=Jaina gets pissed and kills Gallywix. Why? Well, why not?
bjorn9486 Mar 15th 2012 11:32AM
I agree with Hierakles. They also need a strong leader that will push their race out of Gnomeregan! They need to do more than just focus on taking their city back (I know that it is a big deal, but Gnomes are all but forgotten except for punching bag moments once you leave Gnomer)
Brandon Lincoln Mar 15th 2012 11:35AM
I eat the skin on my chicken....
zackwbrandon Mar 15th 2012 11:37AM
I want Panda Cheese now and I have never even heard of it here in the States.
TonyKP Mar 15th 2012 11:38AM
"Whether Blizzard gives us more answers or not is up in the air -- however, given the amount of attention that particular announcement drew, I think it would probably behoove Blizzard to simply leave all the events surrounding the matter as a surprise. Because surprises are super fun."
Unless they're of the "Surprise!! Theramore got smooshed offscreen while you were sleeping!! Go buy this book from us and you can find out what happened!!" variety. Then surprises are frustrating and annoying.
Killik Mar 15th 2012 12:26PM
Just think - they could have an NPC there, with the first-ever in-game amazon link.
Arrohon Mar 15th 2012 6:26PM
Pfft. Buy? If you just want to get the info, there IS a way to get ahold of it for free. It's actually a pretty old method. Something about a skull and crossbones... just kidding! There really is a tried and true method that's worked long before the birth of Christ. The library. /gasp! Some libraries either don't get the books in quickly, or at all. However, I believe that most are just fine, and you still can buy the book otherwise. They aren't really that expensive. Don't eat out as often, and you've already saved more than enough to buy it. If you don't like to read, tough luck. You're already missing out on a lot of really amazing stories, this one won't be the exception.
Summary: Check your local library (see if they have some of the more recent ones to get an idea for Tides of War)
Just spend the $15-20 on the book if that's your only legal option.
Take some time away from WoW to read it.
If you don't already, get into the habit of reading. There's almost certainly something out there for everyone.
TonyKP Mar 15th 2012 6:46PM
I read quite a bit. Spending some of my precious book time reading poor quality fiction based on a game that I'm already paying to experience doesn't appeal to me.
Ullaana Mar 15th 2012 11:46AM
Thanks for answering my question.
I went back and looked at the picture closer and can see the tail that was mentioned yesterday. Also the stripes on the neck and back area I thought were the mane(oops) and the ones on the side were leg armor. It DOES look like a tiger now that it has been brought to my attention.
Mind poor confused mind can rest easier now. Whew.
redwinger_6 Mar 15th 2012 2:46PM
There are some birds that are skinable, plainstriders and the owls in Twilight Highlands for example. My guess as to why we can't skin other birds is that Bliz decided later on to let us skin flying birds, and didn't want to bother updating dozens of mobs to make them skinable.
katarokkar80 Mar 15th 2012 12:12PM
Q for the Q: I find interesting the fact that when I read forums that the mentioning of Draenei monks sends some to question lore authenticity (with monk trainers "going back in time" to participate in TBC questline). Are people forgetting the Draenei monks in the Auchindoun dungeons? I think I remember them knocking me back into oblivion a few times.