Preparing for the Wrath of the Lich King Expansion

Most prognosticators suggest World of Warcraft's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK), will be released somewhere between late October and late December of 2008. With the expansion looming, many WoW gamers have felt a bit of gaming fatigue with their favorite pastime. This article gives those who may be feeling a bit down on the game in this late stage of the expansion cycle a few ideas on how best to prepare for the launch of WotLK.

Build a Bankroll
We all would have liked to have had 5000g in the bank at the launch of The Burning Crusade. The cost of the epic flying mount was a shock to many, and though gathering that 5000g was much easier in Outland zones than it would have been in the old-world, to many it still felt like a grind that got in the way of experiencing other elements of the new expansion. In that light, it will pay to expect one or several large gold-sinks in Wrath of the Lich King. And hey, if you are wrong, it's not like that gold will go to waste. There is almost always a way for a player to use gold to improve their character and to aid their enjoyment of the game. As one evidently omnivorous Tauren said matter-of-factly in an interview at World's End Tavern, "There are three things in life you can't have too much of: gold, green grass, and beer-battered gnome."

Now is the time to build the bankroll you think will see you through WotLK and its related money sinks. As soon as a release date is announced, the Auction House will become more volatile and the prices on some easily farm-able items have the potential to crash. In essence, you need to decide before the masses that it is time to save some gold for the expansion--and time is quickly running out.

So, how much is "enough"?

Bare-minimum = 1,000g

Tolerable = 5,000g

Decent = 10,000g

Ahead of the curve =15,000g

Solid = 20,000g+

Exceptional = 50,000g+

It's recommend that if you don't want to worry about farming gold during early-WotLK for all the new enchants, inscriptions, gear, and various other money sinks that may be required to "complete" your character that you enter "Ahead of the curve" at 15,000g or more. In the long run, having these reserves will help you immeasurably more than going in with a tiny bankroll after spending the months prior to WotLK pvp'ing (or raiding) for gear that will be quickly outdated after the release of expansion.. Mudflation (the relative worth of items dropping) is severe between expansions and, unlike some MMORPGs in the past, it's reasonable to expect that most gear that you will be wearing at the beginning of WotLK will soon be relatively worthless.

As an aside, it's important to remember that this advice only applies to those caught between expansions and who may not want to make a big push toward some of the PvP'ing and raiding at level 70. "Fun" ought to be the goal of your time spent in any MMORPG, and if you are having a blast raiding or pvp'ing or twinking out alts, more power to you.

As another aside, many gnomes were lost in retrieving and calculating these numbers.

Level Your Alts
The next few months are a great time to level your alternate characters. At the end of an expansion cycle, levels are more important than gear given that everyone is put onto a relatively level playing field again with the exceptional new gear that comes with an expansion. Thinking about making your main character a new class? If you've forgotten, leveling is much faster than it used to be! Not only are quests worth more than they used to be from levels 20-60, it takes less experience to get through each level. A developer recently indicated that leveling 60-70 will enjoy the same benefit in an upcoming patch, or with the outright release of WotLK. Not only could you be leveling that alt you've always wanted to try, but you could be farming gold with him to fund your main character as well.

Collect Honor and Marks
While the exact logistics of post-70 pvp Honor is not yet known, it's reasonable to assume that Honor and marks will translate into the expansion. Should you bank 75,000 Honor and 100 marks in each battleground? That's up to you, but it probably wouldn't hurt. There's certainly a small risk that the developers will revamp the honor system with the new expansion, but, given the relative stability and success of the current design, it seems like banking honor might be a good bet toward scoring a few nice upgrades once you hit 80. Same could be said for Arena Points. Calculations indicate that banking 40,000 Honor and 60 marks of each battleground will be sufficient for a pvp-oriented player.

Collect DPS gear and prepare to Re-spec
It seems logical, but you'd be surprised how many players leveled through The Burning Crusade as a non-dps spec. Unless you have a dedicated group who plans to instance their way from 70 to 80, or, you are comfortable constantly respecializing, it is imperative that you consider what your class's best dps build is and use it. A feral druid in green gear is going to level faster than a restoration druid in epics. Obviously, some classes do not have a decision to make as all trees are formidable dps.

Study new talent trees, try new specs
Check out Wowhead Talent Calculators and play around with the classes that you will be bringing into Wrath of the Lich King. With 71 talent points to spend, unique builds may become as normal as cookie-cutter builds. If you see an upcoming talent in WotLK that catches your eye but may be outside your specialization tree, now is the time to switch specs and give that tree a go. See if you like being a holy priest instead of a shadow priest in a battleground. See what makes a Moonkin tick. You obviously won't be decked out in your ideal gear, but it wouldn't be hard to get a feel for how a specialization plays. Making these decisions early will allow you to plan that much more efficiently.

Switch to a gathering profession
This suggestion is only recommended for those who may want to switch from one non-gathering profession to another during WotLK. While you are leveling through WotLK, having a gathering profession will help immensely with gold generation, or with gathering the materials needed for your other or intended non-gathering profession.

Vacation Time, Studies
Perhaps a whimsical suggestion, but why not bank some vacation time between now and WotLK so you can take a few days off guilt-free at the beginning of the expansion when excitement and energy is high. Similarly for those still in college or even high school, when that release date approaches, put in the extra time and effort with your studies so that you can enjoy playing WoW without that impending smell of doom wafting from your book bag. It might not hurt to have a few Hot Pockets in the freezer at release day either!

Find a New Guild
As has been stated often by the wisest Shamans, devoutest Paladins, and the most clueless Hunters (well, perhaps not the Hunters), success on the PvE side of the moat in WoW is not measured by what bosses you've killed, what gear you've attained, or whether you've achieved a high rank among the members of the guild. Success is merely finding a group of players who you like and who like you, and who play well together. That this is the only way to "win" at WoW. Now is as good a time as any to find a group of players who share your values. It may seem daunting given the immaturity and inhumanity we witness daily in the World of Warcraft, but there are good people out there too--it's up to you to find them.

There are many more things you can do to prepare for WotLK. Hopefully this article has sparked the thought process toward getting ahead in the expansion, and that from here you'll be able to get ahead before the expansion goes live Please feel free to comment and add your suggestions or opinions related to this article.