Why is Chillwind Yeti a Good Hearthstone Card?

When discussing Hearthstone cards, one would be hard pressed not to hear reference to a card's value.  A card with good value is a card that gives you a lot of oomph and advantage for the mana invested.  In many circles, the Chillwind Yeti stands as a shining beacon of a card with deceptively high value.  The value of the Yeti is somewhat deceptive because this heavy hitter lacks any of the bells and whistles commonly found on its competitors such as Charge, Divine Shield, or Deathrattle.

What then makes Chillwind Yeti such a "high value" card and why might it merit a place in your deck?  Find out after the bump!

Upgrade: Swap Your Bloodfen Raptor

Hearthstone actually does a decent job of giving you starter cards that can be worked into a serviceable deck.  However, some of the starter cards have next to no place in a competitive deck.  These cards are always ripe for an upgrade and today we will be focusing on one such card: Bloodfen Raptor.

One might be forgiven for thinking that this meaty 2 drop has a shelf-life outside of the early game.  After all, the Raptor's 3 attack allows him to trade well and his 2 health lets him dodge some wipes and ping attacks.  The problem is that there are just substantially better cards available for the same mana cost.  So many so, in fact that Bloodfen Raptor has no real place in competitive play outside of very specific Hunter decks.  If you are running a Bloodfen Raptor in your Hearthstone deck, it is time to upgrade.  Find out how after the bump!

The End of the World... of Warcraft

So, I haven't been playing World of Warcraft much these days.  In fact, I have probably only played Mists of Pandaria for an hour or two total.  I still keep up with the game through my favorite Warcraft websites and by following a handful of active players on Twitter.  World of Warcraft's lore remains a major draw for me and it is certainly interesting to see how the story underlying the game is developing as we rush headlong toward Warlords of Draenor.  However, I just don's play anymore.  There are a number of reasons playing World of Warcraft has fallen by the wayside for me.  If you are interested, check them out after the break.

Blizzard Now Selling Gold for Cash... In Pet Form

The good folks over at Blizzard announced yesterday morning that a new pet will be arriving in the World of Warcraft Pet Shop in the near feature.  He seems to be a cuddly miniature version of the Winged Guardian mount already available for purchase.  In reality, however, the new Guardian Cub pet is nothing more than a stack of gold that you can purchase straight from Blizzard itself.  Check out a picture of the pet below and the insidious truth behind those big doe eyes after the bump.

Feral Druid Guide to Hit and Expertise in Cataclysm

Hit Rating and Expertise are important stats for Feral Druids to keep tabs on.  Unfortunately, they can also be rather confusing.  To help take some of the mystery out of these stats, I have put together a brief guide laying out everything you need to know about these stats and your performance as a Feral DPS or Feral tank.  Read on after the bump to find the answers you have been looking for.

Reforging for Feral Tanks in Cataclysm

Cataclysm introduced a new form of item customization called Reforging.  Through Reforging, a player can take a certain percentage of an items secondary stats, such as Mastery, Haste, or Crit, and trade them for another.  The system is still new, however, so many players are left confused as to which stats should be Reforged out of and into.  For Feral Tanks, read on after the bump to find out how you should Reforge your gear to get the most our of every piece of equipment.

Warcraft New Year's Resolutions

It is a time honored tradition that at the beginning of a New Year, people make pledges to do or stop doing things so as to make the coming year better than the last.  In keeping with that trend, I decided it might be entertaining to put together my list of World of Warcraft New Year's resolutions.  Feel free to read them through and maybe even adopt them as your own after the bump.

Druid Digest Mailbag: Archeology Digging and Gearscore Rigging

Happy holidays everyone! I get a lot of questions from readers via email and respond to every one. The other day, however, I was thinking that other readers might have the same questions and might just not have taken the time to ask. Towards that end, I have decided to start a new segment on the blog called the Druid Digest Mailbag.

Your questions will be the stars of these posts, so please submit any questions you might have to me at DruidPathis@gmail.com. Put "Druid Digest Mailbag" in the subject line and I will do my best to work your question into my next post. Check out our first group of reader submitted questions after the bump.

Cataclysm Heroics: Making Better Raiders?

Let me say right off the bat that I do not believe that Cataclysm Heroics are overly difficult.  I also, however, do not side with the camp that argues they are too easy.  Can they be rolled by a well geared raiding guild?  Of course they can.  Do they pose a significant challenge to a randomly assembled crew fresh out of the normal dungeons?  You better bet they do.  With that in mind, are these five player instances serving their purpose?  I think they are and find out why after the bump.

Cataclysm Faction Rewards for Balance Druids

World of Warcraft Cataclysm introduced a number of new Factions that players can improve their standing with through questing and/or wearing special reputation tabards while running level 85 instances.  The other day I presented a list of all the Cataclysm Faction Rewards for Feral Druids.  Today I will be giving Balance Druids the same treatment.  Find out what faction gear every Moonkin will want to get their hands on after the bump.

Cataclysm Faction Rewards for Feral Druids

World of Warcraft Cataclysm introduced a number of new Factions that players can improve their standing with through questing and/or wearing special reputation tabards while running level 85 instances.  Each of these Factions offers a variety of powerful rewards, but it can be tough to sift through them to decide which Faction has the most to offer your particular class and spec.  To make things easier for my Druid brothers and sisters, I have done all the leg work for you.  Check out my list of Faction reputation gear for Feral Druids as well as my recommendations for advancing your factions after the bump.

Best Feral DPS Spec in 4.0.1 and Cataclysm

In light of all the positive response to our post on the Best Feral Tanking Spec for 4.0.1, I decided to give our friends on the Feral DPS side of the coin the same treatment.  As with Feral tanking, there is currently one clearly superior spec for cats in Cataclysm.  There is, however, a little wiggle room especially in terms of which talents to pick up before reaching 85.  Find out why I choose these talents and which you should pickup today after the bump:

New Moonkin Pet Now Available

A couple of new additions have just arrived in the Blizzard Store, one of which will be of particular interest to all the Druids out there.  Head on over to the Store now to check out the Moonkin Hatchling.  You can even feel good about your purchase as 50% of the sale proceeds go to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation.  Check out the little bundle of joy in the video below.



Along with the Moonkin Hatchling, holiday shoppers can also get their hands on Lil' Ragnaros.  Following in the tradition of Lil' XT and Lil' Kel'Thuzad, this raid boss turned companion makes an adorable addition to any pet collector's stable.  Unlike the Moonkin Hatchling, this pet's sales don't contribute to any cause besides Blizzard's coffers.  Feel free to take the tiny Fire Lord home, but don't think your doing anyone else a favor.  Check out Lil' Ragnaros' hammer tossing skills in the video below.



Would you ever spend your hard earned cash on an in game pet?  Do you plan to pick up either of these offerings?  Let me know in the comments.

Cataclysm is Coming

We are now officially only one week away from Cataclysm's release, so it is time to nail down your plans for the opening days of the expansion.  Some people may elect to race to level 85 as quickly as possible, either to simply get straight to the new endgame or to compete for prestigious Realm Firsts.  Others might be planning to take their time, soaking in all the new content.  Still others may still be unsure of what exactly they want to do come Cataclysm.

For my part, I have a couple goals for the expansions early days.  At one point, I had toyed around with the idea of racing to level 85.  My best estimate is that a competitive run from level 80 to 85 would take me about 36 hours of marathon play.  I seriously considered it, but have decided against it for a couple reasons.  First and foremost, I'm not as young as I used to be.  At one time, a 36 hour gaming marathon would have been no big deal.  I could have managed it without excessive fatigue or headaches and could have bounced back after just a few hours sleep.  These days, however, I could see the process becoming agonizing.  I would also probably render myself useless for the next week.

Another reason I have elected not to rush to 85 is that I really do not want to trivialize all the new content.  I was in the beta and toyed around with it enough to know that there is a ton of fantastic content coming our way in Cataclysm.  Blasting through to level 85 would make that content more of an obstacle than an experience.  I remember racing to level 70 when Burning Crusade was released and, when I was done, being stripped of any desire to go back and actually experience that content.  Further, I was so burnt out from the process of getting to level 70 that I was not all that into raiding for the month or so that followed.  I plan to learn from that lesson in Cataclysm.

Now that I have gone over what I will not be doing in Cataclysm, I guess it is time to write a bit about what I actually will be doing.  Just because I will not be racing to 85 doesn't mean I do not plan to do any racing.  I hope to race to max out my Herbalism and maybe, depending on how things are going on December 7, to max out my Alchemy as well.  That way I can land (or at least compete for) a "Realm First" Achievement without losing a whole day and my sanity.

After my profession blitz, I plan to approach Cataclysm the same way I approached Wrath of the Lich King.  I will gradually quest and instance my way to 85.  When WotLK came out, I pledged to read every piece of quest text as I pushed to 80.  The result was one of the best leveling experiences I have ever had.  For anyone who is interested in World of Warcraft's story, I would encourage you to make the same promise to yourself.  You will be setting yourself up to really stretch the value of Cataclysm and also to have a rich and fulfilling leveling experience that will have you good to go when you reach endgame.

What are your plans for Cataclysms early days?  What is the first thing you will do come release?

Deathy the Murlock Video

Those who attended Blizzcon this year or who paid for the digital download were treated to yet another in game Murloc companion.  This years pet is Deathy and he is clearly a fan of Deathwing, Cataclysm's main antagonist. 

Currently on the live realms, Deathy shares animations with the Murloc Space-Marine, but Blizzard has promised unique animations are on the way.  Thankfully, the good folks over at MMO Champion have put together a video showing us what to expect from this pint-sized world destroyer.



Is this one of the coolest pets ever?  I think so, but be sure to tell me what you think in the comments.

Balance Druid Rotation in 4.0.1

In World of Warcraft Patch 4.0.1 Balance Druids were given a new resource to manage in the form of an updated Eclipse mechanic.  As a result, Moonkins find themselves quickly trying to smooth out a new rotation.  Lucky for you, I have already done the heavy lifting.  After the bump, you will find everything you need to know about the Balance Druid spell rotation in Patch 4.0.1.

Best Feral Tanking Spec for 4.0.1

Now that we have gone through how to Feral tank in patch 4.0.1, now it is time to make sure our talents are in the right place.  At the moment, there appears to be one clearly superior spec for Feral tanking.  Though there is some room to tweak the talent layout to suit your preferences and play-style, this spec will serve you well in terms of survivability and threat generation.  Find out why I choose these talents after the bump:

Blizzard Has Plans to Save Inscription in Cataclysm

For those of you who were worried that the new glyph changes would drastically harm Inscription as a profitable enterprise in Cataclysm, it's time to worry slightly less.  Blizzard has just announced that after level 80, swapping out a glyph will require a new reagent called Dust of Disappearance. 

Though Dust of Disappearance will be sold by NPC Inscription vendors, it may also be made by scribes.  Unlike with Vanishing Powder, however, Dust of Disappearance's 10 gold vendor price should still leave room for scribes to turn a profit by undercutting the greedy NPC's.  Feel free to check out the official announcement on the forums.

It will be interesting to see how the dust settles for Inscription.  Theoretically, the same number of Glyphs will continue to be produced as scribes level up their profession.  Unfortunately, however, since the small market of players who swapped glyphs on a regular basis has been eliminated, demand will ultimately drop.  This should tank prices.  I am skeptical that Dust of Disappearance will make a huge impact on scribes' wallets, but Blizzard has frequently implied that they are none too concerned with the ability of the crafting professions to turn huge profits.  Thankfully the current glyph boom should last well into the early months and diligent scribes may be able to make an expansion's worth of profit in the coming weeks alone.

Feral Tanking Guide for 4.0.1

After a brief sabbatical, I have returned to Druid Digest just in time to help you sort through the confusion that is Patch 4.0.1 for World of Warcraft.  As anyone who has logged onto the realms recently can tell you, World of Warcraft's mechanics have drastically changed.  This is particularly true for everyone's favorite fur balls: Bear Tanks.

Don't panic though.  Many have speculated that these changes may lead to the extinction of Feral Tanks, but I am here to help put those rumors to rest.  Feral Tanks are every bit as viable as they were before the pre-Cataclysm patch.  Are things more difficult?  Absolutely, but using the tips I have outlined below, you will be back out there as a clawed threat machine before you know it.  Read on after the bump.

Cataclysm Druid Armor Set Bonuses

I am a big fan of armor set bonuses.  They present Blizzard with the opportunity to gift new and interesting class mechanics upon dedicated raiders.  When we review the List of Druid Set Bonuses, we see that the developers have frequently taken advantage of the chance to flex their creative muscles.  The transformation of Enrage into a defensive cooldown in tier ten, the instant cast Starfires in tier eight, and critical Rejuvenation ticks in tier nine; each succeeded in changing the way a particular spec played.

The problem with tier bonuses, however, is that each new one must be bigger and better than the last.  An inferior set bonus can easily turn a new raid set into a total dud.  With Cataclysm on the horizon, Blizzard once again has the challenge of crafting a new set of mechanical goodies to accompany the expansion's first raid set.

Unfortunately, no word has yet been released on what Cataclysm's tier set bonuses will be.  Nevertheless, what's to stop us from coming up with our own tier bonus ideas.  Seeing as this is Druid Digest, I thought it might be fun to come up with some hypothetical Druid set bonuses for as of yet unreleased tier eleven.  Check out my ideas after the bump and feel free to leave yours in the comments.