Mists of Pandaria Beta: New archaeology items
by Josh Myers 
Mar 27th 2012 at 2:00PM
Items such as the Manacles of Rebellion, Cracked Mogu Runestone, and Petrified Bone Whip are relics of the depraved Mogu Empire, focusing on their love of torture and slavery. The Spear of Xuen and the Standard of Nuzao show us that the pandaren aren't the naive, comic race that some people are assuming; they've fought in and won their own wars. And in classic pandaren fashion, the Empty Keg of Bewmaster Xin Wo Yin and the Twin Steins of Brewfather Quan Tou Kuo highlight the race's love of beer.
As it's still beta; things are still subject to change. For one, I'm hoping Blizzard adds in more pandaren lore items. Beyond that, I'd like to see some new on-use vanity items like the Last Relic of Argus, as these datamined items all lack any on-use effects. Finally, I think Blizzard may want to revisit the rarity of some items; the Edicts of the Thunder King make very little sense as a common item when you realize they're essentially the same as finding the stone that holds Hammurabi's Code or the tablets of the Ten Commandments.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!Filed under: Archaeology, Mists of Pandaria
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
devilsei Mar 27th 2012 2:06PM
Any news on fixing the system to be more bearable? I mean god... the archeology nodes for me greyed out at 50 (after I heard it was supposed to happen at 100), and I'm sick of having to fly all around the continent just to net 5 points.
I'm stuck at 120 or so, and I can't really get myself to do anything more.
It is nice they are adding in fun items for the 525-600 range (I'm guessing), but it's not gonna matter much when everyone is sick of the system just trying to reach 500.
Ilmyrn Mar 27th 2012 2:32PM
There's a little bit about Archaeology in Fargo's 'A Night in Pandaria' blog entry or whatever.
They mentioned being able to dig at individual sites for longer, so at least when you get the site you want you can hopefully get more fragments from it. Fargo also mentioned getting an item that allowed him to teleport to a new digsite; it wasn't clear, however, whether it was consumable or where it came from.
Ilmyrn Mar 27th 2012 2:35PM
Well, I guess it was actually Bashiok, but whatever.
http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/blog/3889809/A_Night_in_Mists_of_Pandaria-19_03_2012#blog
Shinae Mar 27th 2012 3:24PM
Cata released with the ability to level to 100 in archaeology by just digging alone. In 4.1, it was lowered to 50.
I have 2 maxed-skill archaeologists. One is an alchemist because I was trying to get Vial of the Sands (no luck there). The other is my main/achievement hunter. Neither of them have found all the rares.
You can level archaeology if you have a few free afternoons and some TV/movies to watch.
Cephas Mar 27th 2012 3:28PM
If you think grinding for skill points is bad you should try grinding for an actual rare artifact. All I want is the Tol'vir mount and pet! (Seriously, it's rediculous how many common Night Elf artifacts you have to burn through just to get the privelige of being able to dig in Uldum and have your soul crushed yet again by another common Tol'vir artifact)
Drahken Mar 27th 2012 4:11PM
Cephas, I feel your pain. I still need the Tol'vir mount, pet and staff. (And that's not even taking into account the one rare i still need for nelf, troll, fossil and dwarf. [but it's kalimdor, so forget dwarf]) and all I get it friggen Nelf commons day in and day out. I have probably around 200 of those alone. If I see one more [Carcanet of the Hundred Magi] I'm going to shove it up Harrison Jones's -ahem...
Joakim Mar 27th 2012 7:53PM
While on the long long quest* - that is hunt - for Vial of the Sands I managed to, probably by accident, dig up Zinrohk (wich my mage had very much use for ... lucky it was BoA). Alas, still no Vial of the Sands, or mount.
Ring of the Boy Emperor carried me all through iLvl 380'ish (I had a blue ring, a blue!) to the start of RF and only recently I replaced it, so it is a good item.
The staff ... and the mount ... and the pet ... I doubt I will find them. Ever. I have almost given up hope on Vial of the Sands (in fact, archaeology made my mages Creator to "roll" a warlock - the horror!).
Now, I do like the hard bit. Finding an epic item should be hard. But c'mon! Give us some "playability" too.
(Don't make it too easy. I would hate Stormwind getting crowded with bug mounts. It's enough with all the raptor skels :D )
*Obtaining Vial of the Sands is, this must be stressed due to my poor lack of words, NOT a quest. It is NOT a quest. Okay? not a quest. Not. At. All.
Matt P Mar 27th 2012 2:06PM
I was excited when I saw the header image because I thought WoW Archivist was back. Ah well. The items sound fun, though!
Blayze Mar 27th 2012 2:23PM
I hope Blizzard fixes the RNG. I've got four artefacts left to get--three are tol'vir and one is Zin'Rokh, Destroyer of Lives. I have no desire to grind Night Elf and Fossil digsites for hours on end to get just enough cat-people fragments to make a worthless vendor-bait sandcastle.
Nina Katarina Mar 27th 2012 2:34PM
I'm excited to find out just what those blues do - it says you can cast it while mounted, whatever the effect is. A shapeshift, an illusion?
I love archeology.
(cutaia) Mar 27th 2012 6:16PM
I think they all pretty much say that, but I think that just means you can cast the "create archeology item from fragments" spell while mounted.
bMarsh Mar 27th 2012 2:36PM
I've only ever been interested enough in Archaelogy from a completionist's standpoint. I'll do it just max my skill out in the profession. Although some of the items I've gotten through it were indeed pretty cool, when I have actually tried to farm for certain items, I found I've gotten bored very quickly, and the payout seems minimal. I'd love for Blizzard to add something more compelling to Arch, but given that its a Secondary Profession, that would likely just be a waste of resources.
CDave Mar 27th 2012 2:37PM
Woah, everyone pay close attention to the description of the Cracked Mogu Runestone. Symbols similar to those of the Titans? Mogu are experts of flesh shaping magics? I'm thinking we might be getting some more information on the Curse of Flesh in Mists.
Though I'd be excited to hear more about the Curse, I would be kind of disheartened to hear that Mogu are afflicted Titan constructs (which might also open the door to the "Sha being Old Gods" reveal we're all worried about).
haggi.battlecrows Mar 27th 2012 5:49PM
of COURSE they're going to drop another little tidbit or two about the titans, to keep everyone clamoring for either old gods or titans.
because, despite every indication and public statement that they're moving away from that stuff, they recognize just as we do that the old gods were the pinnacles of the game's raiding for a great many players, and that a large portion of the player base is just rabid for blizzard's take on lovecraftian material.
and so thusly we keep getting little teaser bits of old ones/old gods in our warcraft. it's entertaining but it's starting to feel a little... jordan-esque*.
*referencing the wheel of time, which was a drawn-out overly-milked turkey of a series that favored character non-development and emotional melodrama to plot advancement, and thusly is being finished by another author as the original writer has a very serious case of the not-alive.
haggi.battlecrows Mar 27th 2012 5:52PM
rant about blizzard drawing out the whole elder ones thing excessively, one thing i would like to see if the puzzle box of yogg-saron opening one of these days.
triggering a special event on the server it opens on, each server in turn as one opens.
you know, faceless ones attack, old god awakens, and hey wouldyalookitthat... a new raid instance! SCORE.
Nina Katarina Mar 27th 2012 2:44PM
It makes sense for the Thunder King to have ordered a number of copies of his edicts made - it was probably what they set apprentice stonemasons to doing until they had the form correct. I would suspect that Hammurabi ordered more than one set of his laws carved. If you have a multi-city empire you have to.
Bobby Earl Mar 27th 2012 4:42PM
Don't I know it.
haggi.battlecrows Mar 27th 2012 3:06PM
try as hard as i can i can't get behind the new archaeology model and rewards.
whoo, we get to contribute to stuff? yay a few lines of text, maybe one little phased part in the museum in ironforge, and 50-100 gold.
yay.
now i don't expect every dig i start to reward something cool, but archaeology has felt like an even more asnine version of fishing, something for the obsessive-compulsive to do.
it'd be neat to see archaeology skills translate into effects usable in-combat. stacking buffs to one combat ability or another, or against various races even. or maybe a greater probability of scoring sweet random loot off members of the various races, as you're more familiar with their culture, etc.
but something, ANYTHING to be a more tangible reward than the bupkiss we have NOW.
Chris Mar 27th 2012 3:20PM
Archeology never bothered me, though I did manage to get every rare weapon that was sought after except the one I needed (dwarven staff). Though I did also get every mount, pet and other fun things I wanted. If you want the rewards bad enough then its a very bare able profession, just pop in a movie, fly around till its done then quit for another day so not to get burned out.
roseclown Mar 27th 2012 4:22PM
Pretty much. I just watch TV while I travel around on my priestess. It helps when you aren't dying for certain things. I figure she will get them eventually.