Patch 3.3.3 Goodies!

MMO Champion put up their summary of the PTR 3.3.3 patch notes today, and there are a lot of interesting things in there.

• [Frozen Orbs] may be less useless in the coming patch, as they will be used as currency, but to buy what, we don't know yet. There are some conjectures that things like [Frost Lotus] or even emblems may be purchasable in this manner. The bottom line is, HANG ON TO YOUR ORBS! I know some people have gotten in the habit of VENDORING these items because they sell so badly on the AH these days. Keep them, they may just be useful!
• Cooldowns will be removed for crafting [Titansteel Bars], [Moonshroud], [Spellweave] and [Ebonweave]. These items will probably be dropping drastically in price, so try to sell the ones you've got now.
• Some fun changes to battlegrounds on the way, including the random battleground feature. Marks will no longer be used to buy stuff, so use em up now! This is good news for me, since I will be farming my battleground mounts in the future!
• Deserter debuff buffed! I really hate this change. This means that, if a tank bails in HHoR and the group doesn't want to find another, everyone but one of you is out of luck for not 15, but now THIRTY minutes!
• Inability to need items clarified. I still call this bullshit, Blizz. If I'm on my tree and a cloth upgrade drops that no one else needs, I should be able to need it. I understand that the rules are in place to protect lower armor type wearers, but it seems ridiculous to force players to shard items that are huge upgrades. This system is clearly broken and needs to be fixed.
• Improvements on the vote to kick system. I like this.
• World event bosses added to dungeon finder! Yay!
• Quest tracking improvements. They seem useful.
• Various class changes, but none involving druids.

Overall I'm looking forward to 3.3.3. What about you folks?

New Toys

If you've been following me on Twitter, you already know of one of my new acquisitions from this weekend. I've added a second as well, and here are the pics for your enjoyment!

[Reins of the Raven Lord]

Spirit Coyote summoned from [Don Carlos' Famous Hat]

I love toys and collectibles, so this was awesome! I'm still going for several of the other rare mounts in the game, I'll post if I ever get one.

For those who don't know:

[Reins of the Raven Lord] is an extremely rare drop from Anzu, an optional boss who can only be summoned by a druid who has completed their epic flight form quest. The boss can be summoned in heroic Sethekk Halls. To access this instance, you must purchase the key, which requires honored with the Lower City. The instance can be solo'd by a bear tank in decent gear.

[Don Carlos' Famous Hat] is a 100% drop item from Don Carlos in heroic Old Hillsbrad Foothills. Though only one hat drops at a time, and it does save you to the instance, the hat can easily be farmed for everyone in your group by leaving the instance and reseting it. Don Carlos will reset. Note that HE WILL DESPAWN if you complete the instance events, so make sure you get your hats first if you plan to complete the instance. You must be honored with the Keepers of Time to purchase the key allowing access to heroic mode. Don Carlos was quite easy for me to solo as a tank in decent gear.

Paladin Power!

I just wanted to share the amazingly awesome event that happened to me and two friends last night. Two "real life" friends and I queued up for normal Forge of Souls. I was playing on Deedlet in her new healing spec, and my two friends were both recently 80 paladins, one a tank and the other ret.

The group we pugged into contained two other ret paladins. It was a group of all paladins! We completed the instance in good order and would have gone on for more if it wasn't so late. The whole time I was cracking up every time I glanced at Grid and saw all pink boxes.

In summary: Paladins rock.

Many Roles

Last time I talked about tanking with different classes. Today I'd like to talk about branching out in a different way: Trying out each possible talent tree for your characters.

On Honani, my main, I've filled every role a druid can fill. I've found that I dislike Boomkin, because I like to be up front and in the action when I DPS. I've healed extensively, and now I tank and kitty DPS as my main two specs. I feel like I have a very solid understanding of all that a druid can do, and I think it has greatly benefited my playstyle.

On Deedlet, my second level 80, I have both tanked and DPSd, and am now building a healing set. I want to try out that last talent tree just to see what it's like. Who knows, what if I really love healing as a paladin? And it seems a shame to have a level 80 character and not try out everything they have available.

On the other hand, during BC, I played a rogue named Jiyambi and never set foot outside of combat daggers spec. She's assassination now, but I've never ever seen the subtlety tree. If she ever gets to level 80, I hope to grab a duel spec and make a PvP spec just to try out that last tree.

Do you find it fun and interesting to try out many different options for your characters? Or do you pick one and stick with it? Have you ever been asked by your guild to change specs only to find that you really like your new one?

In other news, I am hoping to work on a new guide this weekend. We'll see if I manage to finish it!