Mount Spotlight: Cloud Serpents

While wandering in the Jade forest at "The Arboretum" I came across some dragon mounts (Cloud Serpent).  The mounts that you can see here are the "Jade Cloud Serpent", "Golden Cloud Serpent' the "Azure Cloud Serpent"

Additionally there are two named Cloud Serpents called "Hyacinth" (obviously someone at Blizzard is a fan of "Keeping up Appearances".

Mount Spotlight: Kite

If you have been playing Mists of Pandaria, you will have come across the Kite which is owned by the Pandarian Flightmasters. Its a very pretty way to fly. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for players on the back of a giant kite if you have not already experienced it. 

This weeks Summer Challenge: Outland Mount Roundup

Blizzard have announced the arrival of the Summer Challenges. This weeks Summer Challenge is known as "Outland Mount Roundup".  And you have a better chance of obtaining a mount known as "Netherwing", the "Talbuck"and the Sha'tari's Skyguard mount, by grouping together and completing the quests in the area. I personally already own the "Netherwing" and "Talbuck" mounts and so have no interest in this expedition. From what I understand all you need to do to gain the best XP and Rep is to group with other players,  go to Outland and start completing quests for the three factions of the area.

The quests have always been there, if you can't find any, then chances are you already completed them when you were levelling up through Outland.

What achievements are obtainable in relation to completing Outland Quests.

Additional to obtaining the mounts there are several obtainable achievements in the Outland areas which include the following:

• Leading the Cavalry (given when you own 50 mounts)
• Mountain o' Mounts (given when you own 100 mounts)
• Flying High over Skettis (given when you become exalted with Sha'tari Skyguard)
• On Wings of Nether (given when you become exalted with Netherwing)
• Skyshattered (given when you defeat Captain Skyshatter in the Dragonmaw race, on Netherwing Ledge)
• Mag'har of Draenor (given when you become exalted with the Mag'har)
• Oh My, Kurenai  (given when you become exalted with the Kurenai)

Summer Challenges Announced

We have recently heard that Blizzard have announced some Summer challenges to give us players another way to pass the time while waiting for the new expansion to come out. Blizzard basically state that its to give us a reason to go out into the near forgotten areas which we once passed while levelling up our characters, such as Outland which has been pretty much forgotten about since Cataclysm was released. Their reason, for us to obtain rare mounts, rare achievements and rare items.

Image from www.wow-europe.com

These challenges encourage players to group up and visit certain areas which Blizzard have announced the "Challenges" are based, and to do things that they do not normally do anymore. (Basically trying to get players to play the game again, instead of hanging out in the cities twiddling their thumbs waiting for Mists of Pandaria).

My opinion on why Blizzard have made the Summer Challenges

My opinion on this is that Blizzard have only done this to try and reduce the number of players that hang around the main cities, such as Stormwind. Prior to Cataclysm most level 80 (the then top level) used to hang out in Dalaran, since Cataclysm was released when you visit or pass through Dalaran in Northrend its basically a ghost town, and most level 85 players have made their homes back in Stormwind or other major cities in Azoroth.

Mount Spotlight: Spectral Gryphon

I managed to convince one of my friends to buy a month subscription for World of Warcraft and I was awarded with several gifts, one being the "Spectral Gryphon". Its an amazingly beautiful Gryphon which is still quite rare to see around the World of Warcraft.

As a note, you have to go into your battle.net account and allocate the mount to one specific character that you have. You do not get this mount for all your characters unlike the ones you buy from the Blizzard Store itself.

I love collecting mounts and to me the Spectral Gryphon is something very special! Its transparent blue body and beautiful wings are just amazing to watch. The Spectral Gryphon is highly rated by myself and its right up there in my favourite world of warcraft mounts with the Spectral Steed.

Its really fun to fly around Stormwind the number of whispers commenting on the mount itself are sometimes overwhelming, mostly positive. Obviously negative comments are also given by players of World of Warcraft who are jealous and want it for themselves. Some not so bright players even ask to buy the mount even though its not tradable.

If you have found this post useful or have any further questions please feel free to comment below and I will update the page with the information that you require. 

Spotlight Mount: Spectral Gryphon

I wanted to let people know that there is a new Mount in the World of Warcraft.
This is the Spectral Gryphon.

The Spectral Gryphon is only obtainable by referring an old player back to the game via the new and updated Scroll of Resurrection. It is only available to Alliance players. I have only currently seen one Spectral Gryphon and so wished to share this with the SimplyWarcraft.com community.

Its basically a Gryphon as you can see with a Spectral Aura around it. Looks pretty cool no matter how you look at it, and considering few people manage to get an old player back to playing the game they are and will be pretty rare to see in the World of Warcraft.

If you have found this post useful or have any further questions please feel free to comment below and I will update the page with the information that you require. 

Heart of the Aspects: Featured Mount

With the poor attempt of Blizzards 7 year anniversary they decided to release a golden glowing dragon mount for players to purchase for £17.00.

Personally I am a sucker for buying mounts from the Blizzard Store and this mount I am not an exception and chose to purchase it a couple days ago.

You can view this item at Blizzard's Store at:
http://eu.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=221005143 

The mount itself is very pretty in my opinion (the option of a girl) and a great way to celebrate the Chinese new year of the dragon. Although a late addition for the 7 year world of Warcraft anniversary its a pretty and cool mount. Shame so many people actually have it.

Tyrael's Charger Mount (Special)

Tyrael's Charger Mount: Featuring Latura (Level 85 - Emerald Dream)

The "Tyrael's Charger" mount is only obtainable by the World of Warcraft account holder choosing to take out a year payment plan with Blizzard known commonly as an "Annual Pass".

This sounds scary however if you are a regular player of World of Warcraft then its not bad at at all. You can still pay monthly if you so wish using your preferred payment method so its no different from a paying each month for your account anyways.

I would like to highlight that with the "Annual Pass" you do not have to pay for a year in advance, you can still pay £8.99 per month.

The mount itself is a flying horse type mount and once you purchase and confirm your "Annual Pass" through your Battle.net account it will be delivered to each of your characters mailbox's.

I am very fond of the horse type mounts however unlike the "Celestial Steed" this mount is a very quiet flying mount, and you do not hear the wings flapping, as they are not physical wings, more elemental.

The "Tyrael's Charger" increases ground speed by 100% and increases flight speed by 310%.

Guaranteed acceptance onto the "Mists of Pandaria"

Guaranteed acceptance onto the "Mists of Pandaria"

So far very little information has been released on the upcoming fourth world of warcraft that is to be known as "Mists of Pandaria". However what we do know is there will be the new panda race, a new monk class and a whole new area. Additionally Blizzard will be adding a pokemon style companion fighting system and increasing the player level cap to 90.

So with very little information to go off we can only hope that when "Mists of Pandaria" is released the only way we will be able to find out more about this interesting expansion before official release is by being accepted onto the BETA testing server when available. 

The only way to guarantee acceptance onto the "Mists of Pandaria" BETA is by signing up for a 12 month subscription for World of Warcraft. You can still pay monthly at £8.99. But you have to pay for 12 months without cancelling the subscription. 

I personally have done this as I hope that being able to explore the "Mists of Pandaria" in BETA will allow me to give a lot of information about the upcoming expansion pack here on SimplyWarcraft so you can hear about it first!

As an additional bonus if you do choose to sign up for a 12 month subscription you will get 

1. An exclusive mount

2. Diablo 3 when released

3. Guaranteed acceptance onto the "Mists of Pandaria" BETA server. 

For more information on the Annual pass and get these great bonus' please visit:

http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/blog/3236609 

Mount Spotlight: Tyrael’s Charger

I just wanted to write a little about this unique looking flying horse type mount now available in World of Warcraft since the release of patch 4.3: Hour of Twilight.
The “Tyrael’s Charger” mount is given to any player that subscribes for a 12 month game play subscription to the World of Warcraft. The payment can still be made monthly but it has to be for a minimum of 12 months, basically you don’t have to pay for the whole 12 months in one payment. Additional to this anyone who signs up for the 12 month gaming will also receive a free download of Diablo III when it becomes available.
This is obviously one of Blizzards attempts to retain its players to the game, as we know that over 1 million users of world of warcraft have simply stopped playing the game due to one reason or another.

Personal Opinion of the “Tyrael’s Charger” mount.

I personally think that the “Tyrael’s Charger” mount looks stunning (from a female perspective) it doesn't seem to have any special perks or anything but its still a pretty mount to take a look at or use. It is one of those things that is not necessary to play the game but would be very nice to own.

The conclusion – its a matter of opinion.

Is this Blizzards way of attempting to retain players by subconsciously tapping into the greed gene built into everyone who plays the game (myself included), thus forcing them into another guaranteed 12 months of payment, roughly working out to £108 a year from each player choosing to take this option, and guarantying them a new mount and the promise of a free download of another of their games if it ever gets released (Diablo 3)?.
Or is it a simple gesture of kindness with a free mount and game for every loyal player who signs up for the next year?

The decision is yours to make – comments are appreciated on this.

Patch 4.3: Hour of Twilight - Darkmoon Faire 2011

Hour of Twilight: Review of the new Darkmoon Faire. 

Well the long awaited 4.3 patch known as Hour of Twilight has gone live on the public realms of World of Warcraft. Personally I have not yet fully investigated or looking into most features of the new patch. However I have noticed that with the new patch the "Darkmoon Faire" has been greatly improved and enhanced in several different ways.

Darkmoon Faire: has been moved to its own little island, where it is... I'm not entirely sure however you can quickly get there from any major town by clicking on a dark moon fair NPC and ask for them to take you there for a small 20 silver fee. I personally do this from Stormwind as that is where my character's home base is (hearthstone) which takes me to the portal to the darkmoon fair located in Eywynn forest.

Brief outlook on the new Darkmoon Faire

The Darkmoon Faire itself is very quirky with lots of daily quests by playing the mini-games such as tossing a hoop onto a turtles back, shooting targets, whacking gnolls with mallets, and even firing yourself out of a cannon to land in a hoop located in the waters edge of the "Darkmoon Faire". At least this time Blizzard are focusing more on the fun factor than the raiding and dungeons, which I'm sure most people play however I am not one of them.

Before you can play the daily mini-games you need some "Darkmoon Fair" tokens which can be bought near the entrance to the fair itself from a vendor in a tent. Apparently there is a cap on how many tokens you can buy but its usually enough to get you what you want from the faire itself. Darkmoon Faire Game Tokens can be purchase from Sazz Coincatcher and Zina Sharpworth.

Darkmoon Faire Tokens: Companions and mounts

Benefits of the "Darkmoon Faire" are your can exchange your tokens for prizes as before however this time there are two mounts up for grabs, a dancing bear and a bird type mount, which the name currently eludes me.

Additional to this there are several companion types also available from the vendor and balloons can be purchased from the balloon seller which is a gnome pushing a cart around.

Sea Pony: A companion obtained by fishing

A bonus for the fishermen and fisherwomen if you fish off the coast of "Darkmoon faire" you have 1 in 1000 chance of obtaining a delightful little "Sea pony" companion which is basically a small sea horse that follows you in a bubble of water.

Darkmoon Faire one time quests

There are quite a few interesting quests also available in the "Darkmoon Faire" area including fishing ones, cooking ones, engineering ones and even archaeology ones all of which give your increase skill points in the profession and of course "Darkmoon Faire" tickets which can be redeemed and one of the many vendors in the area.

PVP Area: 

Yes there does appear to be a PVP area within the Darkmoon fair itself, personally I hate PVP and I am just glad that they didn't focus on that like they normally do with events and patches. The PVP area is located on the right side in a massive tent, you cannot miss it.

Darkmoon Armour and Weapons: Replica Armor

I did notice that there is "Darkmoon Faire" equipment and apparel that can be purchased, I only briefly looked at them sold by the vendor there so I cannot elaborate on what is actually sold. I didn't see anything of interest personally as my own equipment (although not PVP or Epic) was much better than those being sold at the vendor. Im sure they may look sparkly which would encourage players to use the newly added Transmogrification feature of the game but thats all I can really say about that. Equipment and apparel are not personally one of my strong points. They can be purchased from "Baruma" and "Barum" the replica armour prize vendors.

Souvenirs, Toys, Balloons, Fireworks and more!

There are several other vendors of the Darkmoon fair which allow you to purchase fireworks, balloons, souvenir & toys and even a very cool ride on tiger. I think this was originally the "Sandbox Tiger" which was acquired in the Rage of the Firelands Trading cards. The NPC who sells the Tiger that you can ride on is Gelvas Grimgate.

Ride on Tiger: Darkmoon "Tiger"

You can purchase a ride on tiger from "Gelvas Grimgate" during the Darkmoon Faire. When you purchase the item you are given 10 of them and personally I think its awesome!

Zoo and Pony Rides.

As an additional note there is a large Zoo type exhibition ( or petting zoo) near the dock side of the Darkmoon Faire area. There are small ponies, goats and other animals  (which are not in fenced off areas) that you can ride around for free. Its really funny seeing your character dwarf a pony which pelts round the area looks like a million miles a hour due to its small legs but its actually only 100% mount speed. I did notice that the exhibition animals all have their own individual names which is a nice personal touch I think.

Overall opinion of the new darkmoon faire.

Overall I personally think that the new re-vamped "Darkmoon Faire" should be a overall success as it brings back the fun and enjoyment to the game and doesn't focus you just on the fighting and killing of creatures and mythical beings. Im glad Blizzard have realised that not all players of world of warcraft are excited when new PVP, dungeons and arenas are brought out as some of us never do them, its reassuring that they are trying to keep everyone entertained - lets hope they keep on doing this and maybe it will start bringing back people to the world of warcraft.

Hallows End: Still Headless Horseman Mount-less

Well Hallows End has officially ended and for the second year I am Headless Horseman Mount-less. I am seriously considering cancelling my sub with Blizzard again but hopefully the next couple of days I will get back into the swing of things again.

I did however get the Headless horseman's sword known as “The Horseman’s Sinister Saber” which looks really good and glowwy! One thing I didn't realise until posting this, the sword will also allow you to “Summon Pumpkin Soldiers to burn your foes (10 Minute Cool down)” which is an added bonus. But compared to my other weapons – not very good.

Winged Guardian: Obtained

Finally I have managed to obtain a Winged Guardian. This mount is only purchasable from the Blizzard store and at £17.00 I personally feel its a great mount to have. It looks awesome and the MountSpecial is very special indeed. I will be putting together a video of the Winged Guardian in action over the next couple of days which I hope you will enjoy!

Winged Guardian over Stormwind

Spotlight Mount: Winged Guardian

I have been away from World of Warcraft for a couple of months and after playing again I spotted some players riding fabulous lion like mounts which have flames coming from them. After inspecting the characters I came to realise that the mounts in question were called the Winged Guardian.
After further investigation I soon realised that Blizzard had recently released this purchase only mount at the Blizzard Store.
Now I would really like one of these gorgeous mounts in the future and hopefully my character will be blessed with the ownership of a Winged Guardian.

Personally I have seen no other mount like the Winged Guardian. Its head is of a lion with a fiery mane, tail and feet. Whilst having wings of a bird with a flowing and glowing aura about them leaving luscious trails of light behind them.
I strongly recommend the Winged Guardian mount if you would like to stand out in a crowd and get players saying “what a lovely mount” and “where did you get it”.
I personally find the Winged Guardian mount attractive as it looks epic! And will fly at the speed that your maximum flight skill will allow. So if you increase your flying speed, the mount will automatically increase for you!

Winged Guardian Mount

Winged Guardian mount info from Blizzard Store EU:

“When you take to the skies astride a blazing, eagle-winged lion, your comrades will know you mean business.  Serious business.  So saddle up, because the Winged Guardian will travel as fast as your riding skill will take you.”

You can see this mount for purchase at Blizzard Store EU at:
http://eu.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=221004697