Posts with tag jade-serpent

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Last week, we looked at the true origins of the mogu as revealed in patch 5.2. Let's face it -- Pandaria is full of mysteries. It's been feeding us answers to questions very, very slowly, but each answer raises another score of questions as a result. And despite getting answers to the unique origins of the mogu, it still leaves us wondering who Ra-den really was. More importantly, it raises the question of Titan Keepers, and how those Keepers are assigned.

By all rights, Pandaria should have more than Ra-den to watch over it. The mysterious continent is chock-full of Titan technology, and due to the death of Y'shaarj, it presents far more problems than even Ulduar had to offer up in Northrend. With all that said, where are the other Keepers of Pandaria? Do any still exist? Are they in stasis, or guarding something in an area still unexplored? More importantly -- all of Pandaria is connected, but how? And how does Emperor Shaohao fit into all of this?

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition, meaning the following is a look into what has gone before with pure speculation on what is to come as a result. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.

While the continent Pandaria is packed and laggy for Europe's launch, the dungeons seem to be relatively quiet and functional. So if you want your first steps to be lag-free and relatively stressless, the thing to do is to get involved in some dungeons.

WoW Insider is here to help. Whether you want an in-depth guide for the expansion's introductory dungeons or a few lighter tips and tricks, we have you covered.

Stormstout Brewery

The August Celestials are a group of pandaren dedicated to defending the temples of Pandaria from the threat of the sha. So far, there are four known temples and celestials associated with them -- the Serpent, the Crane, the Tiger, and the Ox (or, more appropriately, the Yak.) The quartermaster for the August Celestials couldn't be easier to find; he's located in the lower level of the outdoor tiers for each capital city, one for Alliance and one for Horde.

The August Celestials don't have any trick items with their reputation rewards, but they do have armor. A lot of armor. Boots, gloves and bracers can all be found with the August Celestials, for every class and spec available in the game. And if that isn't enough for you, they also sell the Reins of the Thundering Cloud Serpent to anyone with exalted reputation -- and who doesn't want a cloud serpent?

There are several sets of dailies to gain reputation with the August Celestials. There are dailies that have you defending the various temples around Pandaria, and there is also a really fun quest chain of dailies out at the Cradle of Chi-Ji off the southern coast of Krasarang Wilds. I've written about the quest chain before; it's fun, interactive, and doesn't really feel like work at all. Plus, getting in-game mail from NPCs is always a bonus, in my book.

Take a look at the gallery below for the full run-down of everything the August Celestials have to offer.

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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!

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So, last time on 5 Things You Need to Know, we took you on a rollicking, barrel-rolling, beer-spewing adventure through the Stormstout Brewery. Many laughs were had at the adorable kitty-esque bosses, many a hammer was clicked, fruit and vegetables were hurled, and much drunken japery was had by all.

If the Stormstout Brewery was the chirpy cheerleader, then the Temple of the Jade Serpent is the emo sister, the one with the funky hair and the slightly offbeat jewelery. This is the Daria to Stormstout's Quinn. (Am I showing my age by referencing retro MTV cartoons? You bet I am!)

So just like last time, this is definitely not a full, step-by-step guide (but of course, we already did one of those for you). This is a set of simple facts that will arm you with just enough knowledge to tackle this second dungeon with the panache we expect of our dashing, well-read audience.

Let's get on with it!

1. You can go either right or left at the start. You start in a room with some quest givers, and in beta, the eminent Flaskataur, Esq. fulfills all your needs for glyphs and Tomes of the Clear Mind-- and frankly, your needs for tauren in adorable hats. From there, you have two corridors leading to the first two bosses through some trash. You can go either way. After killing whichever boss you kill second, you will be guided via a ramp to the next stage of the dungeon. I reckon right is easier than left. You may disagree. After you've killed whichever side you start with, you'll need to go back from whence you came and do the other one.