🚀 go-pugleaf

In <5e972916-22c3-4689...@googlegroups.com> Jimbob <richard.b...@gmail.com> writes:

> Anything major gone on in the time i've been away?

Yes, quite a lot.  Where to start?

Specializations and talents
---------------------------
Instead of arbitrarily choosing talents from a deep tree system, you now
choose an overall specialization which largely defines your abilities,
and on top of that you customize your character by choosing from a limited
set of extra abilities (now called talents.)

For example, Warriors can choose to specialize in Arms, Fury or Protection.
Each specialization comes with a predefined set of abilities.  Some
abilities (such as Hamstring and Sunder Armor) are shared by all three
specs, and some abilities are only available to one spec (i.e. only
Protection warriors can Shield Slam, and only Arms warriors can Mortal
Strike.)

Every fifteen levels, you get to customize your character a little bit by
choosing one of three related talents.  For example, at level 15 Warriors
can choose to reduce the cooldown on Charge, or be able to Charge twice in
a row, or root the opponent when Charging.

Specializations also define your role for organized group content: Tank,
Healer or Damage.

Dungeon and Raid Finder
-----------------------
If you don't want to spend time sitting in trade chat looking for a group,
Blizzard added an automatic matchmaking system that assembles an
appropriate group and whisks you away directly to the dungeon.

Generally it works well and is very convenient, although some people
complain that it has eroded WoW's sense of community, because the groups
are cross-realm and thus it's likely that you will group with someone and
then never see them again.

Currency
--------
Badges of Justice have been renamed to Justice Points, and are displayed
under the Currency tab on your character screen instead of being actual items
in your bag.

Phasing
-------
In an attempt to make players feel that their actions have a permanent
effect on the world, Blizzard added Phasing, which allows areas of the
game to have a different appearance for different characters.  For example
a character who has completed a series of quests to rebuild a destroyed
village will see a vibrant, healthy town, complete with an inn, merchants,
and a flight point; but a character who hasn't done those quests will see
a deserted, burned-out ghost town.

Mastery
-------
Starting at level 80 items can have a new stat: Mastery.  This stat behaves
differently for all classes and specializations.  

Achievements
------------
Achievements are in-game recognition for accomplishing various feats.  Some
are lighthearted and silly, like getting your first haircut at a barbershop,
and others are more serious like defeating a raid boss for the first time.

Pet battles
-----------
Companion pets aren't just for show anymore; now you can train them up and
battle against other players Pokemon-style.

Transmog
--------
If you don't like the look of your armor, you can visit a Transmogrifier and
change its appearance.

Item upgrade
------------
At high levels, you can spend Justice or Valor points to improve your items.

Reforging
---------
If an item has a stat you don't like, you can visit a Reforger to reallocate
that stat into a different one.

-- 
John Gordon         Imagine what it must be like for a real medical doctor to
gor...@panix.com    watch 'House', or a real serial killer to watch 'Dexter'.