New Races, Onyxia's Return! Oh My!

Where's the fast forward button when you need it?!?

So I have been away from WoW and the internet in general since Friday and look at what happens! Ok, actually it seems the only big thing I *missed* was the announcement on WoW.com that the new races which will be coming in the next expansion, apparently called Cataclysm, have been leaked! I was skimming through the blog yesterday on my iPod while feeding off a wireless connection I found at the mall (I know, sad, but I really needed to check my e-mail, srsly...) and I saw some mention of the new races being confirmed, I quickly skipped a few pages back into the older posts and found that one! The rumors are true?! Worgen and Goblins!? OMG! Yea, so I'm pretty pumped about that, I am definitely rerolling a Worgen when the expansion hits, even if I am thoroughly into the Horde character I am starting this fall. I'll go back to Alliance for a Worgenm for sure. Of course I'll also make a Goblin Bank Alt, because, duh, Goblins--->Money, hello? I have no idea what class I would want to play as a Worgen, obviously I don't even know what would be offered (aside from the token warrior which every class gets) but I'm sure something would be pretty epic as a deadly looking wolf-man-thing. But I'll figure that out when the time comes. For now, I'm a lot more excited about something which I just saw announced on WoW.com that's in the much nearer future......

ONYXIA IS BACK!
Oh...my...god....Awesome. As a casual player who started after Wrath was launched, I have always been very interested in going back and playing some of the older content. I have done almost all of the BC and PreBC 5 mans, since most of them are solo-able or duo-able pretty easily. And I have actually even done Onxyia once with a fellow level 80 Paladin and Warrior. (Cake walk by the way.) While blowing through old stuff and getting the old school gear just for looks (or even for functionality) is plenty of fun. I have always wanted to be able to do some of these encounters the way they were supposed to be done, even if I didn't get gear or anything useful, I wouldn't care, I have just always thought it would be fun to be able to go do all this stuff.

Well apparently my prayers, and the prayers of many of my fellow WoW players, I'm sure, have been answered. Blizzard just announced that in patch 3.2.2, coming this November, they are bringing back the Onyxia encounter as a level 80 10 and 25-man encounter. Not only that, but they are updating the loot to have new items, matching the look of the old gear, including the tier 2 set! Wait a second, holy shit! I just realized what set the tier 2 set is for rogues! It's the freaking Bloodfang Set! Hands down the coolest looking set of armor I have ever seen in the game, and a set I have wanted to complete since I first saw it. Wow...I need a moment to let this sink in... Not only do I actually get a chance to do the old Onyxia raid the way it was supposed to be (except with less people) but I will be able to make a new, and probably actually viable, set of the Bloodfang Armor!?!?? Wow, I have never been so excited about a patch. Seriously, I can't wait until November. I'll probably be well into my new horde character project then, but I'll be damned if I don't take a break to come run some Onyxia, and have a shot at some of that Bloodfang gear. Oh, also, they're adding a 310% speed flying mount called 'Onyxia Broodling' that's modeled after Onyxia herself. And since this patch will come on the 5th anniversary of WoW, players who log in on (or apparently near) the anniversary will receive an Onyxia Whelpling pet too! Awesome. But in my opinion, not nearly as awesome as getting the Bloodfang Set.

Ok, so now that I've had some time to think about this there's only one thing on my mind... Call me selfish, but my god do I hope that Blizzard doesn't make this even with the highest tier of raiding. I barely do any Naxxramas raiding as it is and god I hope that this doesn't end up being the type of thing you can't just try to PuG. I really, really, really hope this is more like a VoA or OS type of raid. Something that can be, and regularly will be PuGed. I really don't think I'm stretching too much to think that this is the way the new Onyxia Encounter might end up either. I mean, assuming it is the same as I remember the old one, then it's really a lot like VoA and OS are now, one or big trash pulls, and then the boss. Get in, get loot, get out. Or something like that. I, for one, really hope Blizzard does something like this. I honestly think that the type of people who are the most excited about something like this, bringing back old instances, really aren't going to care if the gear they get is gear of the highest level available in the game. Although, the way Blizz seems to be going of late, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they made this an encounter that was as easily accessible as OS and VoA are, but dropped gear around Ulduar, possibly even higher, level. Seeing as you can get Emblem of Conquest gear from Heroics now, would it be entirely ridiculous to make a PuGable raid that drops 219-232 gear? I don't think so. I mean I'm sure it would make a lot of people complain, but so did the EoC in Heroics change, and it still came. But like I said before, I would still be perfectly happy with 200-213 gear, and I'm guessing most people would be just as happy given the chance to go back and fight a PreBC with a chance at any kind of somewhat usable gear, something I don't think anyone ever really expected!

So whether it's to make my new Worgen (insert class here), or build a revamped set of Bloodfang Armor with stats I can actually use, or do something else equally or almost as cool, I can't wait for the next patch!