The Queue: Braggosh Day

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mathew McCurley (@gomatgo) will be your host today.
It's apparently Braggosh Day here at WoW Insider, where I just keep getting articles scheduled and keep including pictures of my orc warrior Braggosh as the title image.
Enjoy.
Twowolves asked:
1. Do beta mobs drop loot? I'm curious about the Cata to MoP stat jump. Although I hate having to wait until 80 to leave Northrend, the Cata gear that becomes available at 77 provide a crazy power and survivability boost.
2. Do we indeed have to wait until 85 to enter Pandaria?
3. Aside from monk, what other class do you think will be a big hit with the panda crowd?
1. Beta mobs do drop loot unless they are not itemized. I know, that's a cop-out answer, but it's true. Some mobs have generic loot tables -- like humanoids will always have gold, cloth, and some other items on their tables, and then rares and quest items are added into the mix. As for the stat jump, it's significant but, again, relative. For gear progression, in the limited time I've spent in beta, it feels as if you were entering Cataclysm zones with some pretty decent Wrath gear.
2. Yes, you will have to be 85 to enter Pandaria content, excluding the Wandering Isle, of course.
3. Pandaren warriors have some of the best warrior animations in the game, hands down. Ask Rossi. It's not an opinion -- it's fact. There will be many pandaren warriors. Also, pandaren rogues. Everyone wanted a tauren rogue for the fun factor, and here it is, ready for your consumption. Go forth and race-change, friends.
Fuzzl asked:
Does Ka Pao the Portal Panda mean Captain Placeholder is probably never going to come back? :(
Oh, I hope Captain Placeholder returns soon. However, Ka Pao the Portal Panda is growing on me pretty quickly. Who will write the first song about Ka Pao, hm?
Shrikesnest asked:
Do you think we'll see any updates to the riding profession in MoP? Or arewe riding and flying as fast as we're going to be?
I do not believe we will be flying or riding any faster in the near future.
Mattgibb asked:
How big is the Pandaren model compared to existing characters?
Pandaren are taller than orcs and shorter than tauren.
christopher asked:
As I understand it, a good portion of the quests for Pandaria are already completed. Does this include the Panda starting zone? I was thinking that when I get into the beta I could play through the starting zone and take my time and read quests. Then when it comes live, I could just blow right through it. Do you think the starting expereince will go through any drastic changes at this point?
The Wandering Isle starting area feels complete. There are tweaks and stuff, maybe texture things and quest flow or whatever, but it's ship-worthy. It's a whole lot more ship-worthy than some MMOs I've played in my lifetime, that's for sure. When I put my player hat on, that's what I like to do -- soak up the story when time isn't of the essence and plow through the stuff when launch hits. Less so these days, since I play much more casually, but that was our MO back in the day. You can certainly do that.
When you put on your tester hat, though, don't forget to stop, smell the roses, check them for bugs, and report your flower findings.
Filed under: The Queue
Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria news





Reader Comments (Page 4 of 8)
Tauren Fan Mar 30th 2012 11:39AM
I'd suggest checking out www.wow-professions.com/wowguides/wow-blacksmithing-guide.html. I'm not sure what level your blacksmithing is at, but from a quick glance at the guide I'm guessing you're around 335 and need to go track down a vendor recipe or two to keep leveling efficiently.
eirinefrostblade Mar 30th 2012 11:42AM
There's a vendor(Aaron Hollman, in Shattrath Lower City) that sells the inbetween patterns. You can also find them from Arras in the Exodar or Eriden in Silvermoon, near the trainer.
Revynn Mar 30th 2012 11:43AM
Remember, Darkmoon Faire this weekend. 5 free skill ups for a quick and easy quest.
Ullaana Mar 30th 2012 11:44AM
There's an NPC at Telredor in Zangarmarsh that has, I believe, 3 patterns for Smiths, all adamantite.
The Dewd Mar 30th 2012 11:48AM
There were a TON of profession recipes scattered around on vendors and also available as rep-based rewards from the various factions. Make sure you check every town in every zone and all of the rep vendors. You're probably missing an "obvious" craftable that isn't obvious since you aren't leveling as slowly as we used to.
Noyou Mar 30th 2012 1:51PM
STOP your leveling BS at 345- even if you have the mats to go beyond! Get the easy 5 from the faire as suggested. At 350 you get a bunch of recipes for 4 cobalt bars. Now you only problem will be farming the cobalt :P Unless you have a higher level toon who can fly- or the AH has it cheap, you are in for slow going. The good thing is, not much cobalt needed to level for a bit. I am also leveling another blacksmith. Kudos on all the wow-professions.com mentions. Very nice guide. If anyone is using it to level JC, make your little statues until the skill turns green. Especially if you have more rocks then you know what to do with (and you probably do).
mibu.work1 Mar 30th 2012 3:42PM
Haha, yea, thanks for all the comments folks! I'm gonna follow all this advice! One thing though: I'm something of a completionist, my BS/mining character is currently frozen at level 70, and I'm only going to move him on to Wrath once he has a full set of epic gear that's thematically concise. I remember all the old epic Blacksmithing patterns from back in the day, and am trying to get 'em all. Just seems weird that so many vanished.
Gendou Mar 30th 2012 11:20AM
I'm already planning to race-change my Orc rogue to a Pandaren.
Twowolves Mar 30th 2012 11:24AM
This is actually a WoWInsider technical question, do I have an avatar picture? All I see, whether my own post or my profile, is a black square. I'm getting a little jealous of all the avatar pics and no matter how often I try to update, I end up with a void.
Thanks.
Caylynn Mar 30th 2012 11:28AM
At least you have a black square. No matter how many times I've tried to update mine, I still am stuck with the ugly default. :(
Puntable Mar 30th 2012 11:40AM
How did you get a black square? I would give my right arm to have a black square! Please Joystik allow us to pick colored squares! I want blue!
Shyster Mar 30th 2012 11:47AM
There once was a poor, forsaken comment system.
Now that system had seen it all,
from rage to QQ, and from praise to PewPew.
One day that comment system grew tired,
and it could think of just one thing to be desired,
To screw with posters until the day it retired.
Jimpse Mar 30th 2012 3:28PM
You appear to actually have a transparent box, not a black box, on my screen.
Tortheldrin Mar 30th 2012 1:58PM
It tends to work when it want to. I try to change my pic a thousand times but in the end i just gave up. I remember the first time it went through it was blank, Then it pick an avatar i didn't even want.
Philster043 Mar 31st 2012 6:01AM
I'm sort of amused that the avatar you didn't want is a picture of Neji. (Yes I'm a Naruto reader.)
evoxpisces Mar 30th 2012 11:35AM
Being a Destro Lock I am most excited about the changes they are bringing to the class and spec. For those who have played the beta, how to the Fel Embers size up as a secondary resource? It is fun? I remember Blizz describing the spec as a "caster rogue", where you build up the embers which work like combo points. The other day I read on the official WoW forums that Life Tap is getting removed for Destro... is managing mana still a problem for the spec? Or do the fel embers make up for that? Any other tidbits you guys can provide would be appreciated!
Revynn Mar 30th 2012 11:49AM
I asked a lot of the same questions below, but I can answer this one:
- "The other day I read on the official WoW forums that Life Tap is getting removed for Destro... is managing mana still a problem for the spec? Or do the fel embers make up for that?"
Destro won't need Life Tap. Instead, we're getting a passive ability called Chaotic Energy that "substantially increases your mana regeneration". I'm not in Beta so I have no hands on experience, but the impression is that your mana will regenerate at a speed similar to Focus or Energy.
rhodo Mar 30th 2012 12:10PM
I'm not much of a warlock player but the destro changes look great to me, flavour-wise. They seem to emphasize the idea that the warlock is powered-up by a source of energy that he/she can't fully control, and which is just waiting for the moment to consume them. I'm very intrigued.
evoxpisces Mar 30th 2012 12:25PM
@ Revynn: :-O That's awesome actually! Who needs Life Tap? :D
The more I hear about the changes coming to Destro the more I can't wait!!!
Batleth Mar 30th 2012 11:38AM
Have we been shown anymore of the Sha? I've seen pics of the "Sha of Doubt" and it reminds me a lot of Carnage and Venom in the Spiderman Universe: Sentient beings that can attach themselves to (and control) a host body. Will we have a Sha for every negative emotion??