WotLK Beta Blog for 22 July 2008
All of the images for today's post can be found in the gallery album for today.
I recently went through and edited the last beta report to include links to screenshots referencing the events.
From now on I probably will not be doing huge write ups like the last blog but instead will just being doing a light of highlights from my play period. If you ever want more information on any events, just leave a comment. 
When I logged out last night, I was about 80% to level 71. It really does not feel like it has taken that long, and I havebeen spending a lot of time just running around or pvping.
On the subject of PvP, I have been trying it out with my paladin as retribution since ret is so bugged still. Melee swings are refreshing judgement of justice so you're getting back to back to back crits of JoJ for 5k+. When dueling that warrior who was in full season 3 gear, I was doing 5k crits. I did an 9k crit on an elemental shaman last night. A lot of people have said things along the lines of "well geared warlocks and mages can do that too!" but the difference is that I am not well geared. I am mostly in Northrend greens with a couple blues and a couple epics from Black Temple. The initial quest greens and blues from Northrend are inferior intro Karazhan gear but I didn't have but like four pieces of gear for ret to start so I'm taking anything I can get. All in all, I would say that my gear as a whole is just above tier 4 gear. Tier 4 mages/locks won't be critting THAT hard. On a clothie I could hit them for 12k+ crit. The Sunwell geared retribution paladins are critting for 20k+. I know this first hand, unfortunately.
I did have one lucky even last night. A level 75 frost mage failed a polymorph on me, so I promptly ruined his night.
Also, I saw Blizzard released new news now that vanity pets and mounts will no longer be items you use but instead be items that teach you spells (and disappear after you've learned the spell) so you can summon any one of your pets at any time. This is a better solution than anyone could have hoped for.
So anyway, time to get to the highlights of my recent days playing (ordered chronologically):
I did some exploration of Howling Fjord.
Watched Vy'kul and protodrakes burn down some forest.
Went to a Taunka encampment. (They are still using a Tauren skin instead of having a buffalo head)
Went to Warsong Hold in Borean Tundra. First off, let me say this place is HUGE. When you first come in via airship you cannot even see outside. High Overlord Saurfang and Garrosh Hellscream are both there and Garrosh talks about the Razing of Orgrimmar (WotLK release event?!). The inside is a city to itself so check out the gallery for more pictures.
The first quests in Borean Tundra consist of mainly saving captured peons and killing spiders that are attacking the hole perimeter of the hold. The whole area feels like the Horde is on a complete defensive and barely holding their ground.
One quest line has you go take a, I kid you not, magic carpet ride (check out the hold in the background! HUGE!) to the coastline because they don't want to loose anymore windriders to enemy fire. Wow, thanks. That makes me feel safe.
The coastal quest lines consist of going into the mist that is apparently taking over the coastline. It is said those that go in never come out. A goblin wants us to go in and collect some scrap metal to patch up some orcish siege tanks. In the mist are the spirits of dead Vy'kul.
SIEGE TANKS ARE A BLAST! After collecting some items for the goblin, you get sent on a quest to go obliterate the Scourge forces in the areaand find out their leader (because we couldn't see when we flew in that it is Kel'thuzad, right?). The siege tank has three attacks: it can throw cannon balls, it can drop a bunch of mines in all directions around it, and it can grind up anything in front of it. All of these attacks cost fuel (mana) but there are a bunch of barrels of fuel on the field. This tank was also a four seater. Part of the quest had me pick up some wounded soldiers (I grabbed the mage, the warrior and the elemental shaman scattered through the battlefield). When you retrieve the soldiers, they just stand in the front seats and cast spells. I wonder if you can do this with other players in Lake Wintergrasp.
The siege tank questline gave me my first choice of blues from a non-instance quest. You can see them all here. They seemed just slightly inferior to Karazhan epics. I took the axe to replace my Hammer of the Naaru. I lost 2 dps but gained 2% crit.
Later when exploring and questing, I came across a giant, an orc that keeps alliance deserters in pens with the pigs, some druids that REALLY hate Nessingwary, and later a large red dragon as well as some Dalaran mages.
Before logging out last night I went back to Warsong Hold where I experienced a dialog between Saurfang and Hellscream. It was one thing that I really enjoyed. If you want to spoil it for yourself, read the chat logs on this page of the gallery.
Until next time, post any comments for anything you'd like to see more in depth or anything. Also, let me know if you'd prefer huge synopsis posts like this one or would prefer a multitude of smaller posts.