Druid Fire Cat Form - Fandral's Flamescythe
The premade druids on PTRs are now equipped with Fandral's Flamescythe (Majordomo Staghelm Loot - Firelands Raid) and players had a chance to test a very interesting feature of this weapon: the druid automatically changes into a fire cat when in combat!





Patch 4.2 - Updated Valor Points Rewards
Valor Points rewarded were updated in the latest build of Patch 4.2, names have been moved around, item models have changed, and most importantly a couple of stats were changed. Among other things, Relic items now have a Prismatic gem slot instead of a Red one.

See the updated list below, now with item screenshots.

Level Type Spec Slot Name Price
378ThrownMeleeThrownMorningstar Shard700 x
378ThrownMeleeThrownGiantslicer700 x
378ThrownTankThrownDeflecting Star700 x
378WandSpell DPSRangedTrail of Embers700 x
378WandSpell SpiritRangedScorchvine Wand700 x
378PlateMeleeWristGigantiform Bracers1,250 x
378PlateSpell SpiritWristBracers of Imperious Truths1,250 x
378PlateTankWristBracers of Regal Force1,250 x
378MailPhysical DPSWristBracers of Forked Lightning1,250 x
378MailSpell SpiritWristBracers of Misting Ash1,250 x
378LeatherMeleeWristFlamebinder Bracers1,250 x
378LeatherSpell SpiritWristSmolderskull Bindings1,250 x
378ClothSpell DPSWristEmberflame Bracers1,250 x
378ClothSpell SpiritWristFiresoul Wristguards1,250 x
378NeckMeleeNeckStoneheart Choker1,250 x
378NeckPhysical DPSNeckNecklace of Smoke Signals1,250 x
378NeckSpell DPSNeckAmulet of Burning Brilliance1,250 x
378NeckSpell SpiritNeckFiremind Pendant1,250 x
378NeckTankNeckStoneheart Necklace1,250 x
378FingerMeleeFingerSerrated Brimstone Signet1,250 x
378FingerPhysical DPSFingerSplintered Brimstone Seal1,250 x
378FingerSpell DPSFingerCrystalline Brimstone Ring1,250 x
378FingerSpell SpiritFingerSoothing Brimstone Circle1,250 x
378FingerTankFingerDeflecting Brimstone Band1,250 x
378RelicMeleeRelicRelic of the Elemental Lords1,250 x
378RelicPhysical DPSRelicCovenant of the Flame700 x
378RelicSpell DPSRelicSoulflame Vial700 x
378RelicSpell SpiritRelicSinged Plume of Aviana700 x
378RelicTankRelicDeathclutch Figurine700 x


Avengers of Hyjal - Updated Reputation Rewards
The Avengers of Hyjal reputation rewards now seem to be final and it's time for a recap! All the items now have screenshots and I also included prices and reputation requirements for each item.

Level Type Spec Slot NameFactionReputationPrice
391FingerMeleeFingerObsidian Signet of the AvengersAvengers of HyjalExalted500
391FingerPhysical DPSFingerViridian Signet of the AvengersAvengers of HyjalExalted500
391FingerSpell DPSFingerInfernal Signet of the AvengersAvengers of HyjalExalted500
391FingerSpell SpiritFingerQuicksilver Signet of the AvengersAvengers of HyjalExalted500
391FingerTankFingerAdamantine Signet of the AvengersAvengers of HyjalExalted500
378TrinketMeleeTrinketEssence of the Eternal FlameAvengers of HyjalRevered400
378TrinketPhysical DPSTrinketAncient Petrified SeedAvengers of HyjalRevered400
378TrinketSpellTrinketRune of ZethAvengers of HyjalRevered400
378TrinketSpell SpiritTrinketFiery QuintessenceAvengers of HyjalRevered400
378TrinketTankTrinketStay of ExecutionAvengers of HyjalRevered400
378PlateMeleeWaistCinch of the Flaming EmberAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378PlateSpell DPSWaistBelt of the Seven SealsAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378PlateTankWaistGirdle of the Indomitable FlameAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378MailPhysical DPSWaistFirearrow BeltAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378MailSpell DPSWaistFiremend CinchAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378LeatherPhysical DPSWaistFlamebinding GirdleAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378LeatherSpell DPSWaistFirescar SashAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378ClothSpell DPSWaistEmbereye BeltAvengers of HyjalHonored300
378BackMeleeBackBladed Flamewrath CloakAvengers of HyjalFriendly250
378BackPhysical DPSBackSleek Flamewrath CloakAvengers of HyjalFriendly250
378BackSpell DPSBackRippling Flamewrath CloakAvengers of HyjalFriendly250
378BackSpell SpiritBackFlowing Flamewrath CloakAvengers of HyjalFriendly250
378BackTankBackDurable Flamewrath CloakAvengers of HyjalFriendly250


Computers - Setup of the Month (by chaud)
Each month or every 2 months, depending on the hardware evolutions, the lovely chaud will work on a couple of hardware setups for those of you who are thinking of upgrading their computer!

This month
New SSDs are here, faster and more expensive than the current generation. Look for small price drops over the next few months as the last gen is put on sale. New AMD CPUs will be here in August or later, performance is still unknown.

Make sure to keep your AMD and Nvidia drivers up to date. If you experience problems after updating, roll back to the recommended Nvidia Drivers.

New to building your own computer? ArsTechnica recently released a nice guide for new builders (Part 2 and Part 3). They don't talk about it specifically, but Artic Silver 5 is standard for thermal compound, avoid using what came with your heatsink. Usually it is easier to connect the case headers when the motherboard is not in the case, provided the wires are long enough. She does mention a five hour build time, two hours seems more likely.

Don't hesitate to post any feedback in the comments of that news post, and don't forget to visit the Computer Forum for any extra questions!

Peripherals/Monitors

ComponentPuppy Dolphin
MonitorASUS VW224U 22-Inch Widescreen - $130ASUS VW246H 24-Inch Widescreen - $202
KeyboardMicrosoft Digital Media Keyboard 3000 - $25Cyborg V.5 - $38
MouseLogitech MX518 - $45Logitech G500 - $54
SpeakersLogitech S220 2.1 Speaker System - $23Logitech Z313 Speaker System - $40
ComponentNarwhal Unicorn
MonitorASUS VE276Q 27-Inch - $306Dell UltraSharp U2410 24-inch (IPS Panel) - $499
KeyboardLogitech G110 - $65Razer BlackWidow (Backlit)- $74 ($110)
MouseRazer Deathadder - $45Razer Naga (Buttons on the Side) - $69
SpeakersCreative Inspire T3130 2.1 Speaker System - $50Logitech Speaker System Z523 - $70



Puppy and Dolphin

ComponentPuppy Dolphin
CaseNZXT GAMMA Classic - $36NZXT GAMMA Classic - $36
Power SupplyCorsair Builder Series CX V2 500 - $60Corsair 650TX V2 - $80
CPUAMD Athlon II X4 640 AM3 - $100AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - $112
HeatsinkCooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $30Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $30
MotherboardASUS M4A88TD-V EVO AM3 - AMD 880G - $110Asus AM3+ 880G M5A88-V EVO - $127
Memory4GB PNY Optima DDR3 10600 - $424GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3 4GB 12800 DDR3 - $62
Graphics CardXFX 6770 - $130XFX 6850 or EVGA GTX 460 - $145/ $170
Hard DriveSAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $61SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $61
DVDLite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $26Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $26
Total$595$679 / $704


Narwhal and Unicorn
All of these parts can be mixed and matched to create a build between Narwhal and Unicorn. SSDs are always optional.
ComponentNarwhal Unicorn
CaseCooler Master HAF 912 - $60Cooler Master HAF932 - $155
Power SupplyCorsair 650TX V2 - $80Corsair 750HX (7 Year Warranty) - $130
CPUIntel i5-2500k - $224Intel i7-2600k - $336
HeatsinkThermaltake Frio - $58Noctua 6 NH-D14 - $80
MotherboardASUS P8P67-M PRO - $147ASUS Z68 P8Z68-V PRO - $210
Memory4GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3 4GB 12800 DDR3 - $628GB G.Skill DDR3 12800 - $106
Graphics CardXFX 6950 1GB OR EVGA GTX 560 Ti- $245 / $225XFX 6970 OR EVGA GTX 570 - $320 / $330
Hard DriveWestern Digital 1TB Caviar Black - $90Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black - $90
SSDCrucial 128 GB m4 (Review) - $250
OR
OCZ 120 GB Agility 3 (Review) - $210
Intel 510 Series 120 GB (Review) - $285
OR
OCZ 120 GB Vertex 3 (Review) - $270
DVDLite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $26Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $26
Total$972 - $1298$1663 - $1748
This article was originally published in forum thread: Druid Fire Cat Form, Avengers of Hyjal / Valor Points Rewards, Setup of the Month started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 185 Comments
  1. Kuja's Avatar
    And hunters turn into a kitty too?
  1. zakayron's Avatar
    I'm confused... on Jesse Cox's video of this it was just chilling in org with fire kitty form...

  1. Cadell's Avatar
    Welp. Looks like I'm playing my druid again.
  1. Xombo's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by AnotherRogue View Post
    Do you raid to get gear? I thought it's for enjoyment.
    I hate it when people say this. Obviously the "feeling of taking down a boss" is fun enough in progression terms, but then why would you repeatedly kill a boss? Why do you keep showing up for raids when you've already killed those bosses? Maybe cause you're trying to gear up.

    Also, what people tend to look past when people say "the epic feeling is lost" it's not just *seeing* people walk around in epics, it's the excitement you feel when you do get a new piece in a raid. Like when you have 3 other competitors on some trinket you want in a raid for example, when you see your top roll for that piece you've been wanting for weeks, you get a feeling that all your time spent helping out your guild/wiping/farming/putting in raids hours has paid off.

    There's not a single prson out there upon getting the winning roll on a piece of gear they want that doesn't feel some sort of happiness, so don't try and give me this "I don't raid for gear" crap.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sarevokcz View Post
    That is raid rep ala ICC rep, BT rep, etc.

    It probably WONT be fast and who knows, maybe revered > exalted wont even be awarded from trash and possibly even from normal mode bosses.

    Oh and those two trinkets? Suck. From ele PoV, Volcano >> both by large margin and even normal Theralion would be better than the crit one and probably on par with the spirit one... depending on how spirit heavy will be the rest of the 4.2 gear, because honestly, even in 359 gear, you have so much spirit you actually reforge out of it anyway. Heroic Theralion is just flat out better. Even possibly heroic Bell

    For the "easy <faction> grind" you get 365s
    There's no way Volcano will win out vs the spirit one, maybe the crit one, but that spirit + on use: Int will be near, if not the, pre-heroic BiS. Hit is the #1 dps stat obviously followed closyly by haste, reforging that spirit to haste will be incredible, and on use int is amazing for ele shams due to elemental mastery (+ berserking for the troll shams) to be used in conjuction.

    And check it out again, it's not 365 gear, it's all 378 gear according to the post.
  1. mmoc33a43a8ab0's Avatar
    Hunter weapon anyone?
  1. Dazu's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemons View Post
    Wow...this really bugs me. The name of the healing and agility rings are MIXED UP! Viridian should be healing and Quicksilver should be agility. Whatever Blizz lets just name things however we want now. I look forward to my agility dagger called "Blade of Intellectual Wisdom".
    Why cant quicksilver be healing and viridian dps? Viridian has been used before, and it was for plate dps items. It has been used for healing dragons prior only I believe.
    http://www.wowhead.com/item=57264
    Quicksilver has been used for both healing and agility dps items.
    http://www.wowhead.com/item=68776
    http://www.wowhead.com/item=56300

    This to me seems like they have precedents set to use the names like they have.
  1. Xombo's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Dazu View Post
    Of course. Because druids dont use normal tank items. You can use agility for tanking stats, no other tanks can now. You will never see a agility/dodge item come out now because it will be worthless to every class/spec except feral bear druid. Str provides a parry conversion for all other tanks.




    Which has never happened before? Top guilds were selling t1/t2 in vanilla, SWP items were sold in BC, and ICC was sold in Wrath. Its got nothing to do with ease or difficulty of the items to acquire unless you make it take months to gear up and clear content entirely. 5 weeks after ZA came out on my server the bears were being sold for 10k per by multiple guilds. TK/SSC/BT and Hyjal were all run as gold selling runs by high end guilds where you paid 1-2k per item you wanted (or bidded if multiple wanted it aka GDKP).

    Even already in cata, guilds/groups farm trash for BoE's and GDKP runs go into BoT and BWD regularly so your point is completely moot as its never been a problem previously.
    Well of course there were, I remeber nether vortex selling very well for the all-mighty Stormherald. HOWEVER, only a certain number of pieces could be upgraded using them. I believe it was the weapon, boot and a pair of shoulders. In 4.2, EVERY SINGLE VALOR POINT PIECE will be upgraded using the heroic mode drops. Do you not see how this is a massive difference?
  1. Kyiran's Avatar
    Brb, respeccing to feral
  1. Dazu's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Xombo View Post
    I hate it when people say this. Obviously the "feeling of taking down a boss" is fun enough in progression terms, but then why would you repeatedly kill a boss? Why do you keep showing up for raids when you've already killed those bosses? Maybe cause you're trying to gear up.

    Also, what people tend to look past when people say "the epic feeling is lost" it's not just *seeing* people walk around in epics, it's the excitement you feel when you do get a new piece in a raid. Like when you have 3 other competitors on some trinket you want in a raid for example, when you see your top roll for that piece you've been wanting for weeks, you get a feeling that all your time spent helping out your guild/wiping/farming/putting in raids hours has paid off.

    There's not a single prson out there upon getting the winning roll on a piece of gear they want that doesn't feel some sort of happiness, so don't try and give me this "I don't raid for gear" crap.
    Instead of raiding for gear, raid for the enjoyment and be happy when gear comes your way. More and more are actually caring more about gear than the enjoyment of raiding. Which leads to burnout, slower progression and less output. People focus so much on their gear that they blame gear for their failures, pass on upgrades because there might be a more 'visible' upgrade on the next boss (Saw someone pass on a trinket to upgrade a blue 346 to 359 perfect stats for class trinket, because they wanted tier shoulders from last boss when they had 353 in indentical stats to tier I believe so was a really minor upgrade - token didnt drop for them and trinket had already been sharded). Items get sharded/given to others and people performance falls behind - which they then blame on gear. Many will also feel entitled to said item when it finally drops and became upset when someone else fairly wins it over them because they 'havent won a thing for weeks'.

    Dont believe me, watch when you raid with PuG's and friends. See how many dont take the first upgrade that drops because they want XX item from the next boss or 5 bosses further in etc. I see it in basically every raid.
  1. mmocfce925a786's Avatar
    Such a shame that it will only be used for trash and silly stuff. Trash polearm is better for a kitty druid.
  1. Dazu's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Xombo View Post
    Well of course there were, I remeber nether vortex selling very well for the all-mighty Stormherald. HOWEVER, only a certain number of pieces could be upgraded using them. I believe it was the weapon, boot and a pair of shoulders. In 4.2, EVERY SINGLE VALOR POINT PIECE will be upgraded using the heroic mode drops. Do you not see how this is a massive difference?
    I wasnt talking about upgrading items - crafteds etc. Im talking of the actual drops. Nether vortex were common and easily distributed. Vortexes were only used to upgrade the BS weapons, and craft the new drops. As were the Heart of Darkness from BT/Hyjal (crafting not upgrading) and Sunmotes/Hardened Khorium used for crafting and changing/upgrading in SWP.

    People paying many thousands for drops from other peoples raids was still very common (DST from Gruul was going for 15-20k before SWP came out on my server). These shards are not going to be any different really, you can upgrade 5-6 items max per spec, so 10-20 weeks of farming every heroic mode boss for a 10man raid give or take. By that time everyone is in full heroic loot and bosses on farm will be killed with alts/PuGs paying gold for drops. So instead of getting set drops, they now can sell the shard on top of it. So you can upgrade 4-5 items you need to farm the VP to get in the first place (which with a 980 cap will take you weeks upon weeks of capping out to do) All raids usually give something to upgrade items over what you have. Heroic tier tokens for example. Tier was bought with current currency item then upgraded via a heroic boss drop which could be sold etc once the guild no longer needed them. Heroic drops were used for crafting items etc.

    I think your expecting alot more slots to be filled with VP items over what there actually is. Look at the list, only a few select classes will be using alot of those items over drops, as most will get raid drops in those slots much quicker than buying them. 4 Separate slots*
  1. Mercadi's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Passan View Post
    Is this only going to work for druid? If a hunter has this will they transform in combat as well?
    My guess is that it'll proc from melee hits. So you would wanna melee to transform into a fire cat as a hunter.
    But maybe it checks for a cat shapeshift on a caster in order to transform him into a fire cat form.
  1. jibbyjackjoe's Avatar
    I don't play a Druid much. Mains a lock. I'm really excited for you guys. You don't get to ever see any of your gear in combat. I hope blizzard adopts this method for you all permanately, and also something for bears. How hard could it be to attach this kind of awesome perk to an item specifically for feral. Clearly, the fire motif would be the top-end animation, but why can't weaker items do the exact same for you, but at a lesser extent?
    Gratz again! I may make my Druid my main now
  1. Uselessrouge's Avatar
    i hate druids :P
  1. Viziel's Avatar
    makes you wonder if it will do the same model for bear tanks since im sure they'll wana roll on this too...
  1. Kezotar's Avatar
    Hunters will just say, this is so a hunter weapon.. Just make it a DRUID Only .... Fucking hunters are not gonna get this
  1. Maximelene's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by MakeMeLaugh View Post
    "Among other things, Relic items now have a Prismatic gem slot instead of a Red one."

    hum I dont get this.. theres no socket bonus.. why exactly?
    Because there are still people who think a red socket can only be used for red gems.
  1. Kezotar's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyiran View Post
    Brb, respeccing to feral
    funny guy is funny ...
  1. Awe's Avatar
    One thing is troubling me. This will be relatively easy to obtain (normal Staghelm kill) and at some point we will see every single feral turning into flame cat. While I like the looks, it kind of makes me uneasy with lore and immersion. The thing just stands out too much. It should be more unique, like for HC Ragnaros kill.

    The same would be to give every hunter a big chaingun. Just becouse its "cool". Every hunter running around with chaingun would look retarded. Same as it will be retarded that every feral will fight as epic looking cat made of pure liquid flame.
  1. Xombo's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Dazu View Post
    Instead of raiding for gear, raid for the enjoyment and be happy when gear comes your way. More and more are actually caring more about gear than the enjoyment of raiding. Which leads to burnout, slower progression and less output. People focus so much on their gear that they blame gear for their failures, pass on upgrades because there might be a more 'visible' upgrade on the next boss (Saw someone pass on a trinket to upgrade a blue 346 to 359 perfect stats for class trinket, because they wanted tier shoulders from last boss when they had 353 in indentical stats to tier I believe so was a really minor upgrade - token didnt drop for them and trinket had already been sharded). Items get sharded/given to others and people performance falls behind - which they then blame on gear. Many will also feel entitled to said item when it finally drops and became upset when someone else fairly wins it over them because they 'havent won a thing for weeks'.

    Dont believe me, watch when you raid with PuG's and friends. See how many dont take the first upgrade that drops because they want XX item from the next boss or 5 bosses further in etc. I see it in basically every raid.
    Not even really sure if you know what you're arguing here. People who went into a raid not wanting gear, wouldn't give away items because the want another item later on. What you were originally trying to say was that people should "RAID FOR THE FUN OF IT" and the example you've just given shows no evidence to support your theory. I've passed many items on first and second bosses to go for items on later bosses that I would want but I'm still going to the raid to upgrade my gear and chat with the guildies.

    You argument lacks sense.

Site Navigation