Tricks of the Trade: Macros

What is a Macro?

A macro in its most basic definition is "A set of instructions that abbreviates the need to preform each task separately". For World of Warcraft specifically the term stands for a set of slash commands that are preformed together when you click one button. Blizzard allows us to have a total of 36 of these "macros" which can be available to ALL of your characters, on ALL the servers you play, on each account. In addition to that each specific character may have an additional 18 macros giving a grand total of 54 macro slots PER character.

Some players are afraid to use macros because they consider it "cheating". While there ARE macros that Blizzard considers "illegal", they themselves provide a wide variety to enhance the game. The thing is to be able to identify what is an "illegal" macro verses a "legal" one. The biggest hint that a macro may be "illegal" is that it preforms an action outside of those provided by the standard game client. If you are unsure check sites such as wowmacro.com, your specific class forums or Elitist Jerks.

What you will most likely discover is the vast majority of macros you find for rogues today are geared toward the Pvp player, specifically the ARENA pvp player. Why? Because in pvp time is EVERYTHING. Being able to be the FIRST to get a shot off and then getting the most effective use of ALL your abilities will mean the difference between a win and becoming a smear on the floor. That doesn't mean that the PvE player should ignore these valuable tools.

I personally don't use a great many macros, but the ones I DO use I find extremely valuable and provide either convenience or allow for more dps. The nice thing about macros is that you can key bind them to further increase their usability. The one BAD part about them is when you execute a macro, for the duration of the sequence you have no control over your character, so you can't STOP it once it starts unless you create ANOTHER macro to disrupt the sequence. As long as your macros are not really LONG this usually is not an issue.

How do you write a macro?

First log into one of your characters. Then you need to open the macro window. This can be accomplished by either opening up the main menu and selecting the heading "Macros" or by simply typing in /m in the chat box. (/m can also be more completely spelled out to /macro or /macros.) Once you have opened the macro window you will notice two tabs. The first will be your general macro tab, this should contain all the macros which you wish to be shared by ALL of the characters contained on that account.

The next tab is for the macros specific to that particular character. You may want to use this tab for class specific macros unless you have several of one type. It really doesn't matter.

Directly below the tap heading are 18 visible boxes. Along the side is a slider bar which allows you access to all 36 of the macro boxes in the General Tab. As mentioned before you will notice that the character specific tab will only have 18 boxes available.

Directly below this section you will see a red ? in a box or the first macro in your inventory selected. Next to that box is a button which says "change name/icon". If at any time you wish to select a new picture to represent the selected macro, or re title it, you need only to push that button. If you can't decide on an icon you can simply leave the question mark and an icon will be selected for you based upon the spells used in that specific macro.

Beneath this is a text box labeled "Enter Macro Commands", pretty self explanatory. All macros are limited to 255 characters, these characters also include the NAME of the macro. The reason for the limit is that every macro written is stored on the servers rather than your individual pc. This means you will have access to these macros no matter WHAT machine you are playing on.

At the very bottom are three buttons, Delete (which allows you to remove a macro from your inventory), New (which allows you to create macros), and Exit (which allows you to leave the macro window).

Go directly to the bottom of the macro window and push the New Button. A side window will pop up with a line called "Enter Macro Name". Your macro title can be no longer than 16 characters. Directly below that is a box containing 20 icons. There is a slider bar along the side which allows you to scroll through all 1101 icons available for use. Clicking on one of the arrows will move the selection by 10 icons. Simply click on the picture you wish to use to represent that specific macro or leave it blank. Once you have completed this section click on the "Okay" button.

You will notice the new icon immediately appears in one of the boxes mentioned earlier. Over the picture will be displayed either the first word in your macro title or as much of the tile as can fit. It is never a good idea to name two macros the same thing so be creative. Use words, abbreviations or whatever will assist you in remembering what this specific macro does. Macros are listed in alphabetical order for ease of organization.

Now click in the "Enter Macro Commands" box and you can begin to start typing. Once you have completed your macro test it out to make sure it is working as you intended. A simple thing like a miss spelling, missing space or punctuation mark can make all the difference. Every time there is a new patch you will also want to double check your macros to make sure they are still working as intended as changes to spells, commands, etc can also effect their functionality.

Using Macros.

Once you have created your macro and have it working as you wish drag the icon into an action bar. From there you can proceed to key bind or just click on the macro icon whenever you wish to use it. Macros can be created for casting spells, using specific items, targeting, or preforming multiple actions. Just figure out what would be most helpful for you. The other thing of note is that every time there is a patch double check your macros to determine if they are still working as intended.

I mentioned before that I don't really use a lot of macros but here are a few of my "Must Haves".

TotT before Killing Spree

#showtooltip Killing Spree
/target [target=target, help] targettarget; focus

/cast [help] Tricks of the Trade; [harm] Killing Spree

Pick Pocket before opener
/cast Pick Pocket
/Stopcasting
/cast Garrote

Refreshing Poison on weapons
#showtooltip [modifier:shift]  Instant Poison IX; Crippling Poison
/use [modifier:shift] Deadly Poison IX;
/use [button:2] 17; 16

Feel free to share any you may have that you can't imagining living without.

Rep: The Ashen Verdict

Well here we are, at the end of this LONG series. To be honest I never realized just how long this would end up being. I started this whole thing back when getting any information about Rogues was few and far between. Not wanting to break a routine I was attempting to establish I came up with the idea of doing a series to keep me busy. This topic was suggested by a guildmate who was looking for a quick reference while working on their Exalted achievement. Since I already HAD that achievement they figured I should be willing to share. It started out fine, but by the time I got to the Burning Crusade I was getting a little bored with it, which reflected in my writing. So without further adieu lets discuss the final faction we have available to us.

The Ashen Verdict is a collection of the greatest fighters and craftsmen selected from the Argent Crusade and Ebon Blade ranks. Together, under the combined leadership of Tirion Fordring and Darion Mograine they have broken through the gates of Icecrown Citadel and established a base they call Light's Hammer. It is here that players will discover a collection of individuals who can provide them with items specifically crafted for their class in exchange for Emblems of Frost. These items can later be returned for upgrading with the addition of a Mark of Sanctification located in 25 man or Heroic modes.

In the tradition of the Brood of Nozdormu from AQ 40 and The Violet Eye of Karazhan players are allowed to select a ring which can be upgraded as their reputation with the faction improves. The first is granted by Darion Mograine at friendly reputation. Unlike the previous two factions however the Ashen Verdict has an additional ring to select from beyond the traditional Tank, Healer, Spell Dps and Physical Dps Agility, a Physical Dps ring based on STRENGTH. In addition to this, where in the past if you mistakenly selected the wrong ring or chose to change your specs you were stuck until you hit the exalted reputation cap, the Ashen Verdict allows you to trade your ring at any time for the simple cost of 200g.

While progressing into Icecrown they have also discovered that the Scourge have created a way to refine Saronite or at the very least have a unique mine within the Citadel which produces Primordial Saronite. This ore can be randomly located on any of the bosses within the 25 man raid or purchased with Emblems of Frost from specific vendors. Craftsmen can present ore to Alchemist Finklestein stationed at Light's Hammer in exchange for Patterns or Plans which teach them how to work with this substance. Many of the items they will be able to create are considered some of the best in the game for many classes making it a worthwhile endeavor to secure them.

Gaining reputation for this faction is a simple matter of grinding your way through Icecrown Citadel killing undead mobs and bosses. Some of the greatest reputation gains come from setting off various traps scattered through out the Citadel and the mobs those traps release. When Icecrown Citadel was first introduced many players would farm the mobs preceding the first boss to obtain their rings without locking themselves to a specific instance id. However the reputation gains provided by this were quickly reduced to slow this trend.

So there we have it, for the time being this series is at an end. I am sure I will revisit it when Cataclysm comes out but for now I can take a well deserved break. As to what I will be discussing on Tuesdays, that is still somewhat up in the air. For now I plan to keep it open ended, leaving my only series the Know Your Rogue Lore each Thursday.

Happy Grinding!

Rep: Knights of the Ebon Blade

I'm not sure where I want to start with the story of The Knights of the Ebon Blade, a faction that some feel is truly the heart of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Not since Vanilla and the Cenarion Circle have we seen a group in which the CLASS you are can effect your reputation gaining abilities. There is no way you can discuss these guys without looking at Death Knights in general so lets begin there and move forward until we get ourselves to present day.

The Death Knights for Blizzard have undergone several reworkings. When they were first introduced in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness they were really little more than mounted Liches. At that point in time Death Knights were the souls of fallen orc warlocks residing in the claimed bodies of Alliance Knights. With Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos they decided to get rid of the middle man and just go about corrupting former Paladins turning them into puppets of the Lich King. Unlike the original Death Knights this new incarnation were apt at both close quarter combat as well as ranged increasing their ability for terror on the field.

This brings us to their PRESENT incarnation. Now the ranks of the Death Knights are filled with both the fallen as well as the willing and deceived from various disciplines. Gifted fighters, their present abilities reflecting the previous two incarnations with a new twist. Their ability to control their own actions have been greatly increased, to the point that some of them have managed to escape the grasp of the Lich King and now work independently.



After the Battle of Light's Hope Darion Mograine gathered those willing to defect with him and took the floating necropolis Acherus over the Scarlet Enclave in the Easter Plaguelands as their new home. Once that base was established as a neutral ground for ALL Death Knights he sent representatives back to their original factions with letters from Tirion. With the former heroes once again welcomed amongst the Alliance and the Horde the Death Knights of the newly formed Ebon Blade fixed their eyes on Icecrown and gaining retribution for all that they have endured.

If you play a Death Knight you will reach friendly with the faction shortly after you gain your freedom from the Lich King, all other classes begin at neutral and really won't encounter the Knights of the Ebon Blade until Northrend. Most players will first begin gaining reputation with this faction at their quest hub in Zul'Drak. Here the Knights of the Ebon Blade are working in conjunction with the Argent Crusade but it is still VERY early in their relationship so distrust and disdain between the two factions is evident.

By the time you get to Icecrown and encounter the Knights of the Ebon Blade again Darion Mograin and Tirion Fordring are BOTH present so the everyday troopers are on their best behavior. However if you manage to take the time to listen to Darion (disguised as the Ebon Watcher) and Tirion discussing tactics at the Argent Vanguard you will quickly realize that the two have VERY different ideas about what it will take to win against Arthas. This divide is further demonstrated at the Argent Tournament where Death Knights have their own SEPARATE quest givers from those of other players. (Though the quests given are exactly the same.)

Aboard the flying ships the Skybreaker and Orgrim's Hammer players will encounter representatives of the Ebon Blade working with the Alliance and Horde military. Again the basic troopers express their discomfort with working with the Death Knights but by this time the specific representatives have earned their grudging respect. Thassarian and his friend Koltira Deathweaver start players on the quest chain to create a Ebon Blade stronghold, this time in the recently purged Shadow Vault. Once players complete the "Its all fun and games" quest line you gain access to both the Ebon Blade quartermaster and a wide range quests which will quickly get you to exalted reputation.

In total the Knights of the Ebon Blade offer 112 quests. Of those only seven are Death Knight specific. Eleven are daily quests all located in Icecrown. What this means is that while you won't really be able to work on gaining reputation with this faction until about level 77, it is VERY easy to get after that point. Once you have access to the quartermaster in the Shadow Vault you can also obtain a tabard and gain reputation while running dungeons as well.

Why is gaining reputation with these guys even important? Because at Revered you can purchase the helm enchant Arcanum of Torment which for the vast majority of dps classes is the enchant of choice. When Wrath was first released they also sold some of the best introductory epics available, however with the introduction of the tier gear for badges system this isn't as much the case any longer.

Happy Grinding!

Rep: Kirin Tor

The Kirin Tor is a faction literally under attack. The Blue Dragon flight, not content to allow the "lesser races" mess with magic any longer is actively attempting to removed this faction whose very existence relies on magic. The Kirin Tor is more than a governmental body for the kingdom of Dalaran. Yes Dalaran is more than just a city, it is a small kingdom created independent of all the other human kingdoms. Originally located in a small valley between the human Kingdoms of Alterac and Lordaeron. Dalaran came about early in human history.

When the various human city states began encountering the trolls one of them, The Arathi, out of Stromgarde realized that if they didn't band together they stood a chance of being wiped out completely. So through the act of both might and diplomacy they managed to band all of the various human tribes together into a sweeping empire, building a new capital city which would become Lordaeron. At the same time the High Elves had immigrated to the Eastern Continent and were also at war with the Trolls as they attempted to establish a foot hold of their own. In desperation the elves sent ambassadors to the humans asking for assistance, in exchange they proposed teaching 100 of the humans most promising scholars magic. Together they were able to defeat the trolls and those students along with some of their High Elf teachers became the seed of the kingdom of Dalaran.

The idea was that as the Strom empire was declining into various smaller kingdoms at the end of the Troll Wars the mages created of ALL their peoples needed to be independent of the politics and able to focus more on study. Further more there was concern about the unregulated use of magic drawing the attention of the Burning Legion again. (Something the High Elves were very familiar with.) So the hope was if ONE "kingdom" contained and taught ALL of the mages this risk could be countered and circumvented.  Seven of the the most promising magic users of each of the races formed into the governing council of the kingdom of Dalaran's governing body the Kirin Tor.

For the next few generations the experiment appeared to be working. Dalaran became a beacon for any desiring to learn the use of magic. A haven of study for the magi and those who chose to make their homes among them. When demons began to make an appearance rather than give up their paradise the leaders instead chose to create a champion, a human vessel to combat any demons who managed to arrive and prevent any more from entering. Since the magi were quite aware that the general population would not look favorably upon demons coming as a direct result of their over use of magic they kept their actions secret, creating the Order of Tirisfal to both teach and select this "guardian".

Things continued somewhat quietly for the next little while, baring the occasional demon attack the Kirin Tor over all managed to remain neutral in the general political landscape. Each of the various kingdoms continued to send their best and brightest to Dalaran for in depth study. Then came the invasion of the Orcs. At first the Kirin Tor attempted to remain neutral, declaring this to be a "human nation" issue but eventually they to joined the Alliance of Lordaeron. Even this was not enough to protect them as they discovered a small bad of Orc death knights were able to break into the Arcane Vault and steal the Eye of Dalaran. Still reeling from that unprecedented act Dalaran later found itself utterly at the mercy of Prince Arthas as he lead his scourge forces through completely decimating the city.

The Kirin Tor were not willing to give up on their dream however. Months later they returned, encased their beloved city in a protective bubble and began to rebuild. For years no one could enter the city, some even questioned if the Kirin Tor still existed.  Shortly after the Lich King made his presence known once more to the people of Azeroth by moving Naxramass and attacking the general populace, everyone awoke to discover the entire city was gone, only a huge crater remained.

Upon their arrival in Northrend it was discovered that rather than blowing itself up as some feared the Kirin Tor had instead MOVED the entire city NORTH so that they could more effectively counter the madness of the Blue Dragonflight as well as the Scourge. In an astounding feat of defiant magic Dalaran now floats above the Crystalsong Forest where it continues to act as a neutral staging ground for the peoples of Azeroth.

While the Kirin Tor may be neutral that doesn't mean that everyone is in agreement. Rhonin the present leader must deal with two opposing factions who make Dalaran their home. The Silver Covenant and the Sunreavers are continuously at odds over the presence of the Horde in Dalaran. What makes the tensions even more profound is that one of the faction leaders also happens to be be his wife Veressa Windrunner. However at this point the Kirin Tor has decided to welcome the Horde in face of the greater threats they all face.

When this faction was first introduced as reputation granting it was NOT an easy thing to say the least. The Kirin Tor really only have a few quest hubs outside of Dalaran itself, Amber Ledge in the Borean Tundra as well as some along the rift in Dragonblight. Those quests which were contained in Dalaran are either trade specific daily quests or based on dungeon runs. As a result the majority of people had to get their reputation up via using the faction Tabard while running level 80 dungeons. For the majority of magic users who needed access to the Kirin Tor's Helm enchant it was considered a nightmare. In total there are only 71 reputation granting quests for the Kirin Tor of those 34 are faction specific and 21 are daily quests of varying availability.

Tricks of the Trade: Potions, Flasks and Elixirs

You won't play the game long before you encounter your first healing potion. This is your introduction to the wonderful world of potions, flasks and elixirs. So what are they? What are they for? Most importantly how can you most effectively make use of these wonderful treasures?

Potions:

Potions are consumables that offer a short term boost or repair to an individual player. The most commonly seen are those dealing with replacing mana or healing instantly. There are several ways for individuals to obtain these little gems, as drops off of things you kill, purchasing them from vendors or most regularly and with the greatest variety, from someone who has learned the trade Alchemy. Alchemists take materials (most generally herbs) and craft specific potions based upon the recipes they know. An alchemist of the potion specialization will be able to create two to five times as many potions from the same amount of materials.

Now once upon a time players would time when to use these potions based on the cool down. This is no longer the case. Now a days as long as you are in combat the cool down will not reset once you use the potion. You will need to wait until combat completes before you will be able to start the cool down and use another. This drastically changed how we used potions and the ones that rogues carried around with them regularly.

So what potions are of interest to a rogue?

Health Potions - These instantly restore your health or life. The first you will encounter is at level 3, the lesser healing potion. From there you will notice an new "upgraded" version will appear about every 10 levels. Since rogues have no way of healing themselves during combat (unless they happen to be an herbalist) healing potions are something you need to have on hand "just in case". As a dps class you are going to be lower on the priority list for heals so having something that can keep you alive until such a time as a healer can spare you some attention will allow you to keep doing your job that much longer.

Resistance potions - These increase your resistance to specific types of spells for a short duration (usually no longer than a couple of minutes at most). Once upon a time these guys were something we carried around for those specific fights in which we knew that a boss would throw a very specific type of spell at a set time. Now, since they share a cool down with healing potions their use is rare especially since they most commonly have to be crafted by alchemists to obtain.

Buff potions - These instantly increase a specific stat for a short duration (usually no longer than a couple of minutes maximum) or until the buff is used up. For rogues the types of potions of this nature we would be interested in are those dealing with haste. Again, once upon a time these would be the type of thing you would carry around for those "just in case" pushes since it shares a cool down with healing. Now a days having a couple around is handy if you are running an Assassination spec.

There is one other thing we should mention here, Thistle Tea. This is a beverage that ONLY rogues can get the recipe for and use. It comes from a quest at level 20 (though you can use the tea at level 5). If you happen to destroy or sell the recipe you can get another from the vendor in the basement of Ravenholdt Manor. Now before you reach level 60 this beverage will restore your energy by 60, however after that point its effectiveness is decreased so that by the time you reach level 80 it will only restore 20 energy. It also shares a cool down with warlock health stones. Even now this tea can still be useful. Twinks adore it, and raiders sometimes use it for that last little push or quick kick if they miss judge a cool down. The materials are simple but Swiftthistle can at times be rather pricey since it is a secondary herb (meaning that rather than growing independently it comes from either Briarthorn or more rarely Mageroyal.) There are two other items which will do the same thing for us Crimson Steer and Pure Energy but since these are both quest rewards they really don't count.

Flasks and Elixirs:

A flask is a consumable which increases one or more specific stats or resistance for an hour but has the added benefit of persisting through death. The only difficulty is that you can only use one flask at a time and they take the place of elixirs. In addition to this flasks only become available as you near level caps for the various games (meaning levels 60, 70 and 80) . Both they and elixirs are created by Alchemists or more rarely obtained as drops or quest rewards. An alchemist of the elixir specialization will be able to create twice to five times as many for the same amount of materials.

An elixir on the other hand increases a specific stat for an hour but WILL NOT last through death. There are two types of elixirs Guardian and Battle. Guardian elixirs deal with such things as resilience, spell resistances, and health. Battle elixirs on the other hand focus on such things as attack power, armor penetration, expertise, haste, and hit rating.

What is nice about both of  these is they stack with abilities like Savage Combat. Why would you go for an elixir over a flask? Usually the deciding factor is that you are after a SPECIFIC type of buff, for example expertise rather than attack power or multiple buffs such as agility AND health. The other thing is that elixirs are available AS you level (you can get your hands on Elixir of Minor Agility as early as level 2.) A less common influence is that the materials needed for flasks tend to be a tad more expensive than those for elixirs.

So what types of flasks and elixirs are useful for rogues? Generally we go for those that provide attack power and/or agility, occasionally you may need one that provides more health. Haste elixirs have also gained a foothold for a great many rogues of the Assassination discipline. If things go as we anticipate haste may become even MORE important come Cataclysm as they are proposing changing it to where it will increase our energy regeneration rates.

Determining which specific potions, flask or elixirs will be BEST for you to use greatly depends on your level. At this point level 80's are using the Flask of Endless Rage most frequently but at level 70 the Flask of Relentless Assault is the preference. I am certain that come Cataclysm, even though we will only see a five level increase there will be a NEW flask we will all be making use of. I hope this general guide will be helpful for those who are just starting out and attempting to determine just what these items are and how to best utilize them.

Know Your Rogue Lore: Linzi Redgrin

Our diminutive topic of today's Know Your Rogue Lore is another member of the infamous Player NPC gang of Dalaran. Named after the euphemism for a slit throat, Linzi Redgrin seems to enjoy spending her days stalking Horde players.

She wanders the streets and shops but seldom speaks to anyone save at one of her two favorite hang outs. The first is the Ledgierdemain Lodge, where she can be seen speaking to the inn keeper and setting up her  hearth stone. Her second most popular location is The Bank of Dalaran, or as players more commonly refer to it  "The Horde Bank". There she often will visit the guild bank vault before logging out. We can only hope it is to make a deposit and not to ninja it clean.

Dressed in Merciless Gladiator's Vestments Linzi makes no apology that the death of Horde is something she strives for. Despite this she is IMMENSELY popular with players who often follow her around commenting on how "cute" she is. (Much to her GREAT disgust as with Dalaran's armistice she can not respond directly.)  She is also known to show up in multiple locations as once, so don't be TOO shocked if you see her step into the Ledgierdemain Lodge only to watch her walk out of the Bank a moment later.

Rep: Explorers' League

Also known as the Explorers' Guild this Dwarven lead branch of the Alliance Vanguard is really more interested in pursuing their personal agenda of uncovering the origins of the dwarven people than going after the Lich King. However since their research has managed to provided the Alliance with detailed maps, along analysis of all new resources discovered, they do not begrudge them their obsession.

Headquartered out of the Hall of Explorers in Ironforge the Explorers' League has been around since the very beginning of the World of Warcraft on line game and can be found scattered across every part of the globe even reaching into Outland. However it was only with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion that players gained the opportunity to finally earn reputation with this faction. (Much to the joy of many of us.) But prior to patch 3.3 it was NOT easy.

While you will find Explorers' League members scattered all about Northrend, reputation providing quests are located in only two zones, Howling Fjord and Storm Peaks. Of the 36 quests this faction gives only ONE is a daily, Steel Gate Patrol. Thankfully it is a low level one. So prior to patch 3.3 if you wanted to reach exalted reputation with this faction you could expect to do Steel Gate Patrol about 122 times. (That was if you were human, non humans it was even more.) Thankfully that is no longer an issue. Players will now get this reputation as spill over from doing Argent Tournament Daily quests as well as from running level 80 dungeons.

Does this mean that when you enter the Hall of Explorers after you've reach exalted they will greet you with great enthusiasm? Sorry, no. As one commenter put it: "I just try to imagine their indifference as stunned silence."
Lets say you want to try to fit in, look more like the most famous of the Explorers' Leagues Members Brann Bronzebeard. What would you need? It is actually rather simple. The basic uniform consists of a Russet Hat, Rugged Trapper's Shirt, Rugged Trapper's Pants, Rugged Trapper's Boots, and a Thick cloth belt.

In all honesty it looks very similar to my fishing outfit but that is neither here nor there.

Know Your Rogue Lore: Brann Bronzebeard

When I started this series I invited readers to request rogues they would like for me to feature. One name came up that kind of surprised me. Brann Bronzebeard. As was stated in the request "He is stealthy, picks locks, despite being the brother of an Alliance King will take help from ANYONE to get the job done...IF that isn't a ROGUE what is?" As all these things are INDEED true,  Brann would seem a prefect candidate, there is just one major problem....he is a HUNTER.

For Horde players who have really only been introduced to Brann in Northrend via the Halls of Stone and then later Ulduar all they will have witnessed is really his more roguish tendencies so the confusion is understandable. Alliance players on the other hand have been falling over King Magni Bronzebeard's youngest brother through out most of their leveling experience. Even with that, it is STILL easy to get confused about Brann because it wasn't until Northrend that anyone actually SAW him...instead we were always finding his STUFF. (Brann has a NASTY habit of LOSING things, HIMSELF included, though he will NEVER call it that.)

So lets take this time to clear up the confusion and cover this fascinating individual that we already know we are going to be seeing even MORE of in the NEXT expansion.

As I mentioned before Brann is the youngest of the three Bronzebeard brothers. King Magni, realizing there was nothing he could to to control his younger brother's wandering feet, rather than even attempt to try instead channeled it into official lines. With Magni's backing Brann was able to start the Explorers League with the help of his friend Samul Strangehands. It was as a direct result of Samul's influence that Brann became so engrossed in learning any and all languages that he stumbles across.

Earlier in his life Brann was directly involved with helping out his eldest brother. Since Brann is was conversationally fluent in Orcish as well as being an accomplished fighter he and his brother Muradin were sent during the Second War to guide and assist Anduin Lothar as he lead the Alliance Army, following Lothar's death he continued to work with Turalyon resulting in the destruction of the Dark Portal.

It was after the Third War that Brann's life as the Great Explorer that we know today truly began. Commissioned by his brother Magni to create a map of the Eastern Kingdoms, this eventually expanded to included Kalimdor, the South Seas and Northrend. For Alliance players Brann's name will first creep up in Stranglethon Vale. It was here that EARLY in the game players followed his trail into the Zul'Grub. All they knew at the time was that he had gone "missing" leaving the message that he would be "traveling east".

This would become Brann's trade mark, disappear, leave a trail of STUFF, then pop up again in a completely DIFFERENT region leaving another trail behind him. This trail often leads to raid instances. Case in point: After their first encounter with Brann in Stranglethorn Vale Alliance players won't see anything of him again until they get to Silithus. Here you will actually discover one of Bronzebeard's Encampments being manned by some of his colleges as well as his pet gorilla Glibb.

You recall how I stated that Brann was a HUNTER right? Well there are several reasons why this is the prevailing thinking though Glibb is only the beginning of it. In addition if you ever take the time to read his Journal you will see him comment about his "Rifle, Dwarven-hand cannon and Battle Axe". Now while Rogues CAN use guns, up until recently they were unable to use axes. In fact one of the quest rewards from Silithus is to get Brann's Trusty Pick.

After players follow Brann's trail into the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj he disappears again. There was some speculation that he may have headed through the Dark Portal into Outland but no evidence of that ever surfaced. The only thing that he clearly communicated was that he was going to head off to Northrend in an attempt to discover more about his brother Muradin's death.

It is not until you get to Grizzly Hills that you know for sure that Brann ever made it to Northrend. Once again his trail of stuff speaks for him. Both Alliance AND Horde players will discover his tattered journal and need to put it back together to have a better idea as to what he may be up to now. From there his trail disappears into Storm Peaks.

It is in Storm Peaks that Alliance players for the VERY FIRST TIME will actually catch up to the allusive Brann and help him to escape. Horde players will also encounter him for the first time...but their experience is a little more frustrating as Brann is not NEARLY as fluent in their tongue as he believes himself to be. For the Alliance I can only say that this chain has become one of my all time favorite lore ones. While I guessed the ending early on I was STILL moved by the completion. (If somehow you have not done it yet I won't spoil it for you.)

Brann turns up again in the Halls of Stone and it is HERE that his class confusion comes up as he certainly SEEMS to be a rogue. There he will challenge players to accompany him into the Tribunal of the Ages to attempt to gain more information about the Titans and the history of the Dwarves. From there we know he goes to gather his forces for his assault on Ulduar.

Those who may have only seen the Ulduar trailer can easily miss the significance of what is going on. Many focus more on Varian and Gorrash's battle so Gorrash's comment to Thrall goes completely unnoticed. Brann is the ONLY ONE in that room to have EVER faced an Old God before. Gorrash wants to see "the fear in his face" so he can judge the seriousness of the threat finding it all a joke. Jaina, Rhonin, even Thrall are VERY aware of what is at stake but Varian is not willing to risk his people one more time only to be betrayed, leaving them at a stalemate.

Brann again heads into Ulduar this time with the PLAYERS as his helpers, everyone now knowing what is at stake. If you listen he will continue to give you information about each of the towers as you progress toward the first boss of Ulduar via radio. Once you reach and defeat the Iron Council if you wait long enough he will enter the room and trigger a cinematic that will give you a basic run down on each of the guardians as well. If you are one of the few guilds who is downing Algalon you will also see him briefly when you turn in the Reply-Code Alpha quest in Dalaran.

At BlizzCon 2009 it was also hinted that we should expect to see more of our intrepid adventurer in Cataclysm's Uldum. I am very much looking forward to this as only hints of it can be seen in the Cataclysm trailer.

So there you have it, I hope you have enjoyed this insight even if it is only to burst some bubbles by correcting a miss belief. While I would happily love to call Brann a Rogue, he really is a class all unto himself when it comes right down to it. If it were a PLAYABLE class, it would CERTAINLY be over powered.

Rep: Sha'tari Skyguard

Finishing up the Last of the Shattrah City Reputations this week we look at the Sha'tari Skyguard. Again like the Shattered Sun Offensive while the Skyguard is CONNECTED to Shattrah City their major base of operations is not located WITHIN the city. Some consider the Sha'tari Skyguard as the "Air Defense" of Shattrah City as they are really just the winged portion of the Sha'tar. However that is not entirely accurate in that the Skyguard really focuses on totally different threats to the city.

Their main base of operations is located in Blackwind Landing just north of Skettis, a mountain valley located in the south east of Terokkar Forrest just above the Alliance outpost of Allerian Stronghold. You will first be sent here via a quest located near the flight path in Shattrah City. One of the major requirements for this reputation is that your character MUST have both the 225 flying skill AND a mount, there is no other access to the quests otherwise.

Once you have completed the introduction quest and are sent to Blackwing landing a few repeatable daily quests will open up to you as well as some grinding repeatable quests and a limited number of lore based quests that will explain a little more of what is going on with the Arakkoa. In addition to this if you happen to have completed certain quests in Ogri'la (The Crystals and Our Boy Wants To Be A Skyguard Ranger) then you will also have access to additional daily quests in the Blade's Edge Mountains area.

This is what makes how quickly you can gain Skyguard reputation so tricky. What daily quests will be available to you will depend on what other reputations and quests you have also completed. So it will take a little research to get things done.

So why go to all this bother with these guys ANYWAY? Pet collectors are after the pet. Mount collectors are after the FIVE epic level flying mounts. And of course those who like reputations enjoy the fact that this is one that can be gained without having to enter a raid or dungeon. While it may take a little more time the cash pay outs over all are not bad.

In the end there are 4 daily quests, 2 that you can pick up at in Terokkar  Escape from Skettis and Fires over Skettis with the other 2 in Blades Edge Bomb them again and Wrangle More Aether Rays. If doing Daily quests just takes to long for you there is also the option of the repeatable More Shadow Dust and if you can get some friends to help you do some of the group quests. As a level 80 you may be able to solo many of them.

Happy Grinding!

Know Your Rogue Lore: Timothy Daniels

Today I am going to be doing something a little different. Rather than look at one of the "Major" lore figures for Rogues I want to focus on a "Minor" one. SO minor in fact he is not really a lore figure at all. Rather he is just one of those interesting little characters you stumble across from time to time that can just make you laugh.

His name is Timothy Daniels and he is located in Zangermarsh in the Outlands. More specifically near the flight path at the Orebor Harborage. No one knows exactly what he looks like because one of the most striking things about Tim when you meet him is his fashion sense...The fact that he is wearing a Dive helmet and his gear is the Madcap's set. Tim is a quest giver as well as regent and poison vendor for Alliance players and when many of us rogues first hit Outland there was much excitement over one of his quest rewards.

Crimson Steer Energy Drink. Like Thistle Tea before it is the ONLY way for rogues to INSTANTLY restore energy to themselves in one shot. (If you didn't catch the joke Crimson Steer = Red Bull.) Rogues were OH so hopeful that FINALLY we were going to have a way to PURCHASE an energy restorative rather than having to brew our own but it was not to be. Now of course with the changes to energy regeneration the stacks of  Thistle Tea that many of us use to carry with us for raids are but a memory.

So what all do we know about Tim? He actually tells us quite a bit about him self and we can defer even more. He tells us that he was trained by Master Rogue Lee Sparks (and Lee does indeed claim him as a student.) There is also speculation that he may be related to Barkeep Daniels from Redridge Mountains but since we really can't see him it is hard to say. (Though Daniels IS human.) We can also defer that Tim is extremely self confident, perhaps a tad lazy and also rather self involved, (not that this is TO surprising of a quest giver) if he can get someone else to do his work for him and take the credit, he has no problem with that at all.

Tim calls himself "The Specialist". There is speculation that this could be in reference to two things. A movie  about an Assassin called "The Specialist" or a Blizzard Employee by the name of Timothy Daniels who handled Burning Crusade QA in regard to Content. Most likely BOTH are correct.  In addition to this Timothy also makes the comment "There are some who call me Tim..." Which is a quote from the Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie from Tim the Enchanter.

The Specialist was just one of those NPC quest givers that sparked my imagination as leveled through Outland and I never forgot him. One of the reasons for this part of his response at the completion of the quest he gives you. "Including ragveil in a poison is like a rogue wielding two maces. Sure, you can do it, but it isn't true to the essence of your calling!" That is EXACTLY how I feel about mace wielding rogues.

I hope you enjoyed hearing more about him.

Edit: Sorry guys, when I returned this morning after being away this past weekend it was to discover that for some reason this post didn't post last Thursday. So if you are wondering why you may have missed it that is it. Huge apologies for the delay.

Rep: Shattered Sun Offensive

The Shattered Sun Offensive (or SSO) is a group that was added later in the Burning Crusade (patch 2.4.0) as the result of Prince Kael'thas resurrection after his defeat in The Eye. Specifically its is the combined forces of both the Scryers and the Aldor under the direction of the Naaru to deal with Kael's ministrations at the Sunwell Plateau. While this is considered a Shattrah City Reputation due to its forces make up the Offensive's Main base is not located in the city at all.

Instead, the SSO makes its home on the Isle of Quel'Danas, ground zero for its main objective, countering Prince Kael'thas. Getting to the Isle is easy, just take the one way portal from Shattrah located near all the other faction portals. When it was first introduced players had to assist in capturing the various sections of the Island, it is only by gaining complete control by a server that players will gain access to every reputation granting daily.

There are a total of 41 rep giving quests but you will want to concentrate on the 19 different daily ones. Reputation can also be gained by doing dungeon runs in Magisters Terrace, even now it is not difficult to find individuals willing to run the instance on both normal AND heroic modes because of the pet and mount drops. Unlike other factions which require you to reach honored in order to be able to do Heroic mode, Magister's Terrace is unique in that you only need to complete a QUEST chain first. Once that is done you are ATTUNED. No key or reputation level required.

Of all of the Outland reputations this is by far one of the easiest ones to gain quickly. There is even a title you can purchase once you reach exalted if you are truly so inclined. For someone who is leveling a Death Knight and wishing to make cash quickly before heading to Northrend, I would not pass this faction up. One of the nice things about them was they were the introduction of a new method of daily quest concept for Blizzard, the idea of a LARGE HUB of daily quests with a fairly good cash pay out. Not only that, their Tabard was one of the more attractive ones in the game.

Happy Grinding!

Know Your Rogue Lore: Ravenholdt

You can not call a Blog "Daughter of Ravenholdt Manor" and then do a series on Rogue Lore with out covering one of the most unique rogue organizations within the World of Warcraft universe Ravenholdt  also known as  The Assassin's League. What makes them so unique? They are TOTALLY faction neutral and class specific. Despite that, due to a seasonal quest just about everyone in the game has the opportunity to stumble across them at some point.

Rep: The Sha'tar

One of the most IMPORTANT factions lore wise in Shattrah City is The Sha'tar which means "Born of Light". The Sha'tar are none other than the Naaru who assisted the Draenai from escaping the Burning legion and later the Orcs, now they have helped to rebuild the city and turn it into a place of refuge for many displaced peoples, most notably the Bloodelves who arrived with Voren'thal.

However building reputation with them is no easy feat, even now, both Alliance and Horde players will start out as Neutral with the Sha'tar and can easily get themselves to honored by doing nothing more than gaining reputation with either The Aldor or The Scryer factions via their repeatable signet and mark turn ins. Once you reach this point however your options become much more limited so be sure to pick up your heroic key.

There are only 41 quests total that will give you Sha'tar rep and of those 41, 4 are Horde only and 6 are daily dungeon/heroics. This means that the MAJORITY of your rep can only be gained within the dungeons of  Tempest Keep and Tempest Keep can only be reached via a flying mount. The nice thing is that you can gain reputation in both normal AND heroic modes so a well geared level 80 could conceivably solo an instance like Botanica or Mechanar with little difficulty. Arcatraz on the other hand DOES require a key to enter (or it can be lock picked) which comes at the end of a rather long and involved quest chain. The chain begins with the quest Consortium Crystal Collection and will require completing both Bot and Mec as part of the process.

Happy Grinding!

Know Your Rogue Lore: Edwin VanCleef

The average player will first encounter Edwin VanCleef in Deadmines (at least if they are Alliance, Horde players may miss him all together.) His significance is easily lost as much of the detail of his lore is only touched on with in the game. What WOULD be known is that he is the leader of the Defias Brotherhood , a rag tag band of cut throats who are out to over throw Stromwind. It is his MOTIVATION for this that is frequently lost to players and it why VanCleef feels his cause is just that makes him SUCH an interesting figure.

Sources outside World of Warcraft the Video game will tell you that Edwin VanCleef started out his life the son of a Stonemason who learned every trick of the trade at this father's knee, but in addition to that Edwin had a gift with creating hidden rooms and mechanical devices as well as a childhood friendship with one Mathias Shaw. It was from Shaw that Edwin learned all there was to know about the rogue craft showing a natural aptitude for it. Deciding that a life of crime was more lucrative than a life of hard labor working for his father he used these gifts to become one of the most wanted Criminals in Stromwind. But then came the invasion of the Horde and the destruction of Stormwind.

When the call went out for Stonemasons and artisans after the Second War to help rebuild VanCleef was one of the FIRST to volunteer. He is credited with being the major architect behind the majority of the grander buildings in Stormwind, most notably Stormwind Cathedral.

Now while the rebuilding was taking place King Varian was away helping to round up the last of the Orcs from the Second War and place them in Interment camps. King Llane had been murdered during the war so Varian needed to meet with the other monarchs and strengthen ties, in addition to this he and his young wife had just had their first child, Anduin, named after the recently killed Sir Anduin Lothar another Father figure in Varian's life. (Now I know you are asking, what does Varian lore have to do with VanCleef? Bare with me, it had a BIG impact.)

With Varian off overseeing clean up efforts he left the rebuilding project in the hands of the Nobles of Stormwind. They were to make sure the project was handled in a speedy fashion but most importantly they were to see that the workers got PAID. Unfortunately through means both of the usual greedy kind as well as the more sinister work of a Lady Katrana Prestor while the work DID get done the PAYMENTS never materialized. Apparently while the King was away the Nobles decided to raise the taxes to "pay for the repairs" but then never bothered to pass the money along.

The King and his young family return to find Stormwind on the verge of a Riot. When he attempts to discover WHY the payments never took place and make things right, pandemonium breaks loose and in the confusion his young queen Tiffin is killed. Devastated at this final loss after so many Varian falls into a depression (fed by Lady Prestor) and basically is nothing more than a figure head for the next 10 years.

VanCleef and the REST of the Stonemasons, artisans and workers who the Nobles have cheated are tossed out, accused of killing the queen and disrupting the stability of the nation. With his means of making a legitimate living now removed, as well as being cheated out of what is rightfully his VanCleef swears revenge. Gathering up those others who will follow him he begins to lay a foundation of a completely different kind. The Defias Brotherhood is born.

VanCleef is an interesting character because he gets back to that idea of the "noble thief". He really feels he is "righting a wrong" a "Robin Hood" if you will. And it is really for this reason that I think he was chosen as the Alliance Rogue Armor set. The fact that his organization is all about "Over throwing the government" has lead a lot of people to really question this choice. But really he is all about "vengeance to settle the score" at least in his mind and in Lore. Even the quest givers who ultimately ask for his death are saddened that it has come to that point.

Couple of other interesting things of note with VanCleef. His Armor that he is wearing in Deadmines is the Madcap's set along with his classic Red Defias mask.

Rep: Lower City

Last week I mentioned how Shattrah City is the home of the Refugees of Outlands...well Lower City is the REPUTATION of those refugees. Located in the lower most portion of Shattrah , Lower City is actually the outer band and it is here where players will locate the majority of the trainers, vendors, battlemasters, etc.

The largest population of these refugees visually in this area is made up by the Arakkoa or "Bird People". If you are serious about getting this reputation to exalted the best thing you can do before doing ANY other quests that give Lower City Rep is pick up The Outcast's Plight from Vekax. (He is one of the Bird men who that pats up and down the ramps in the Tree house located at the North End of Shattrah.) This will open up a repeatable quest for 30 Arakkoa Feathers which can be done until you reach Honored. These feathers are NOT soul bound so they CAN be purchased off the Auction house or easily farmed.

Once you have reached Honored pick up your heroic key from Nakodu because there are only two options available to you. Quests and Dungeons. While you will find quests for Lower City, there are not many (only 59) and some are seasonal. Others are only occasionally available, and some are faction specific. This means that the MAJORITY of your reputation will have to be obtained in dungeons. Specifically within the Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls and Shadow Labyrinth. Crypts will only give you rep while on Heroic mode after you are honored but Sethekk and Shadow Lab will give rep on both normal AND heroic. Your BEST bet will actually be finding runs for Heroic Sethekk Halls with individuals who are farming Anzu for the mount if you are not level 80 yet.

For those who ARE level 80 and reasonably geared out (with the new system something that is VERY easy to do.) I doubt you would find it difficult to solo Sethekk Halls, even Shadow Labyrinth should be doable if for nothing more than all the trash mobs.

Happy Grinding~

Know your Rogue Lore.

I had a rather distressing conversation today with another rogue. They just could NOT understand why the Alliance tier 9 gear was named after a "puny low level boss", further more why the Horde gear was called "Garona". After scraping myself off the floor I proceeded to bore the poor chap to tears with WHY these two were SO important to Rogue lore. As a result of this I have decided that since school will soon be beginning again and the all my little minions will be out of the house for at least the morning. I will be starting a new series on Thursdays called "Know your Rogue Lore".

The plan is to cover all of the Rogues of note as well as some of the more obscure ones. In addition to this I want to cover the Rogue organizations that we find scattered through out Azeroth perhaps even those in Draenor. We rogues are a sneaky lot, for many of us hiding in the shadows is what we do best, so finding out about these individuals takes a little more time than the average player may have to invest. However I truly believe knowing a little more detail about the world around us can make the roles we play rather fulfilling, plus sometimes is can answer the question as to WHY that ring you got in Karazhan might have come to be there.

Where does all this "lore stuff" come from anyway? Well besides the games created by Blizzard there are also Novels, short stories and Magna which Blizzard has commissioned authors and artist to make to expand or fill some of the "holes" in the World of Warcraft Universe. At times these "books" may even change or redirect previously understood lore for reasons of clarity.

One of the greatest figures in Rogue Lore, Garona Halforcen under went just such a "clarification" in the past year because her time line just didn't make sense. How could she BE a half orc/half human? She couldn't because humans weren't on Draenor yet, but she COULD be a half orc/half Draenei who just happened to LOOK more like a half orc/half human. Having HER not know the truth about her origins made it flow a little more smoothly. Things like this do not ALWAYS happen with such ease but it is an example of the type of detailed attention that Blizzard gives to the world we like to wander around in.

Every race on Azeroth has rogues scattered about their society save those of the Hoof baring kind. While Tauren and Draenei may CLAIM it is because the way of the rogue is just "to foreign a concept to their noble kind" we all know the truth....It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to stealth when one is naturally large and has hooves. Some of these rogues we never see, but only the results of their work in the game. Lets take the time to step out of it and get a deeper understanding as to this society of which we are a part.

If you have any particular rogue lore information you would like me to cover sooner rather than later please feel free to let me know.