Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsThe Queue: Thank the ancestors
by Michael Sacco 
Mar 25th 2012 at 2:00PM
I'm so happy to finally have new questions to answer in The Queue. Thank goodness for beta -- long may it reign! (But not too long.)
techno-warrior6 asked:
When mop actually comes out will i be able to do the panda starting zone with my none panda toons? Or is it like Kezan?
Only low-level pandaren characters will be able to quest on the Wandering Isle, much like Kezan with goblins. Once you complete the zone, you can't go back, either.
bballrees asked:
Will Monk class sets be incorporated into the non-90 game much like DK's got (PvP) armor sets at 60 and 70?
No, monks will only have armor sets in MoP endgame content and beyond.
djdavis1420 asked:
I have two 85 mages on my server. At what point will I be able to race change one of 'em into a panda? Has Blizzard mentioned anything about race changes to Pandaren?
Blizzard hasn't mentioned anything, but it's safe to assume that it'll work the same way as it did with worgen. If you purchase a race change ahead of time and just don't use it, you'll most likely be able to race-change to a pandaren immediately upon launch.
Blayze asked:
Has anyone used the Avatar ability yet? Is it awesome?
Not yet, because it's a level 90 talent and no one has access to Pandaria on the beta yet. Hopefully soon!
ragecage asked:
Do you think Blizz will launch the talent revamp ahead of the launch for MoP, much in the way they did prior to Cata? I remember it was much easier to get going in Cata after having reworked and set up my talents in the weeks prior to the launch. Do you think we'll see any other MoP changes added to the game early, like mass loot, removal of min range for hunters, etc.?
Blizzard's done this for every expansion so far, so there's no reason to assume it'll be different for MoP. We'll be able to enjoy new talents, features, etc. a few weeks before launch.
eliascarlos90 asked:
has anyone seen the panda shaman totems? ive been looking all over the internet, at first I thought they were those little big headed spirits, but i guess thats what they are... spirits, not totems, all I could catch was a screen shot of a female pandaren shaman with a dwarf totem (probably a placeholder)
The graphics for pandaren shaman totems aren't implemented yet. The spirits you saw are part of the quests on the Wandering Isle.
Caylynn asked:
So what is Chi like in actual practice? More like combo points, holy power, shadow orbs, none of the above?
Chi doesn't really work like combo points or holy power in that your moves aren't amplified based on the amount of chi you spend. Each move costs a (usually low) set amount of Chi, and will only ever use that much. It's possible that, like rage, you might accidentally build up a little more than you need, but it's not really a problem; it just means you can get some more attacks in.
tatertots4life asked:
I've seen pictures of the new cloud serpents and they look amazing! Are we thinking these will be faction mounts that you get from grinding rep with someone? And and if so, what are the racial mounts for the Pandaren? I saw some adorable yaks and heard something about an awesome turtle. Although, I know that Pandaren hunters have a dragon turtle as their starter pet, so maybe that's where the turtle fits in, I'm not sure.
Also, I saw a picture of a kite type mount; what's that all about? I'm giddy at the prospect of my Pandaren handgliding through azeroth on their adorable kite mount.
Cloud serpents are a faction mount anyone can get with enough time invested, à la netherdrakes. The pandaren racial mount is the dragon turtle. Pandaren kites are the flight point mounts in Pandaria.
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, Mists of Pandaria
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 8)
Possum Mar 25th 2012 4:35PM
They have very nice new tiger models that I'm positive will be tameable.
Nathanyel Mar 25th 2012 4:54PM
Judging from what we've seen:
- new turtle models
- cranes could be a new tallstrider model
- there are cricket-like bugs that could fit in the silithid/beetle family
- I'm hoping for porcupines, can't think of a family though (the German name translates to "spike pig", but of course it's actually a rodent)
Mergetvs Mar 25th 2012 2:17PM
I would really like to know, now that the beta is going. Do hunter pets still have talent trees? Have they gotten rid of the ranged slot yet? If they have not, why have I seen newer (albeit nonstatted) thrown weapons in the mmochampion item files. So many hunter things I wish to know... I wouldn't bother with these questions if I had gotten my invite.
Jerry Mar 25th 2012 2:29PM
Warriors and rogues still have ranged slots I believe, purely for cosmetic (in the future) purposes. It was in the media day presentation somewhere, saying that they didn't want to get rid of the ranged slots and make warriors and rogues angry that they couldn't equip items they have anymore.
Lankey Mar 25th 2012 2:42PM
Hunter pets do not currently have talent trees, though I think this is unfinished. Recall a mention of pet talents mimicking the new talent selection (a few tiers, select one ability per tier).
The ranged slot is now part of the "weapon slot". You can either have a 2H weapon (including Polearms and Guns) or 2 1H weapons (swords, daggers). Titans Grip being an exception. I think the throwing weapons are there to give a ranged option for when you just cant get in range and want to swap weapons.
pinteresque Mar 25th 2012 3:40PM
The remaining cosmetic ranged weapon slots for warriors and rogues are there so that they can equip legendaries those classes may already have - taking away that ability would be a PR NIGHTMARE.
Katherine Mar 25th 2012 2:27PM
Will you tell us when the next wave of people are given access to the beta? I want to be able to stop compulsively checking my emails and logging into battle.net to see if I have beta access yet (I bought the annual pass pretty much as soon as it came out).
Rob Mar 25th 2012 3:09PM
Me Too...
Henri Poincaré Mar 25th 2012 5:16PM
It's not the sort of information anyone has. (If they tell you they know, they're either guessing or lying.) It's frustrating but truth is, "Soon (tm)" is the best anyone can do. Try to think of nail-biting-anticipation is building up the excitement for when you get in!
Noyou Mar 25th 2012 6:24PM
From what I have been reading, there hasn't even been a whole wave yet. It's been like 10-20% of the first wave, if that. I don't think they want, or will say what wave it is. You will just get in when you get in. I've kind of given up on the checking multiple times a day. I don't think I will check until they open up the 86-90 content.
zackwbrandon Mar 25th 2012 8:17PM
They email you when they make it so. Just check your email, and hit battle.net every other day or so. That's what I will be doing once we hear about more invites!
Katherine Mar 26th 2012 2:27PM
I didn't say tell us when it is going to be, I said tell us when it happens? It won't be as fast as neurotically checking my email, sure, but it does mean I won't miss it for long.
fdaapprovedd Mar 25th 2012 2:34PM
So as far as the Glyph of Demon Hunting goes, are warlocks seriously a viable tank spec in the beta? Or just a test? What are your thoughts on whether or not this is going to stick around.
I don't want to get my hopes up just yet. Blizz knows how many times they ditched me at the prom for another date that I never got to see... I'm looking at you, different gendered-demons.
Boobah Mar 25th 2012 3:45PM
In case you missed it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGgi341JXQo was linked in yesterday's Queue; it's a warlock tanking End Time.
Whether that means a lock who's actually geared appropriately (any character that's gotten any significant amount of gear in the 4.3 heroics is overgeared for them) can tank raid bosses... I dunno.
Warlocks are still missing some of the otherwise universal tank abilities, though. Specifically, they lack a short-cooldown interrupt; they lack a long-cooldown interrupt, too, if they don't have the felhunter/beholder out. They also have to talent for their 50% damage reduction cooldown, although it's quite possibly better than the equivalent on other tanks; and swapping Dark Bargain out for the other talents that tier can give even more survivability, at the cost of healer mana.
On the other hand, Warlocks do bring some nice self healing to the table, the possibility of Howl of Terror as a ghetto damage reduction cooldown for trash, and Archimonde's Vengeance to make old-style paladins look on in envy as they truly lay down some serious reflective damage.
mitch_b_666 Mar 25th 2012 3:54PM
I hope it stays, i'm already keen to get my beta invite and solo Morchok like i've seen in a couple of videos!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9UFM2RDNUo
monotype Mar 25th 2012 4:48PM
It's really a very interesting design paradigm that they've got in place for (potential) demo tanks. You completely give up on dodge/parry, in exchange for baseline damage mit that makes the protadin in me weep with envy, and you have some nice active tanking tension going on between the desire to ramp up your DF and keep your mit high, and your need to generate threat/spend DF as a resource. I still say it's about 50/50 at this point -- Why would Blizz go through the headache of creating another hybrid tank/DPS spec when they just split catbears apart? Would demo tanks be slated for future "if you're specced like this your bonus is this, if not, it's this" tier sets, ala catbears? -- but a lot of the necessary tanking tools are there. The beta is them testing the idea out, so hopefully, if the community reacts positively enough, they'll implement it in live.
FWIW, I've never even remotely considered playing a lock before (all my toons are lawful good, even my DK), but...well, the world needs more tanks, and I need to be a giant purple demon meat shield. It all balances out nicely.
Reklisc Mar 26th 2012 12:07AM
Um... Is it gonna be weird for us Draenei if we go into a dungeon or
raid with a Warlock now that they can control a Wrathguard? I mean,
y'know, since they're Eredar?
Revynn Mar 25th 2012 2:33PM
What do we know so far about account-wide achievements and mounts? I've heard several things that contradict each other and everyone claims to have seen it in a blue post or confirmed it some other way.
Pata Mar 25th 2012 2:37PM
Currently, only account-wide pets are slated for MoP. They're still working on account-wide achievements, and if they can refine the pet system and make it perfect it'll some day be carried over to mounts (and maybe heirlooms!).
Domintal Mar 25th 2012 2:53PM
From what I have seen achievements -should- come in with MoP, meaning achievement mounts will go across all characters. Mounts themselves most likely won't come with MoP but in 5.1 or later.