Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.4: Siege of Orgrimmar is set to release this week and it will bring several changes to existing zones and the way some gear will be obtained. This week on the WoW Factor, we’re going to make sure you’re aware of what will be changing once 5.4 goes live so you won’t be caught off guard. Let’s get to it.
The Vale Has Changed
If you watched the trailer for the Siege of Orgrimmar, you’re aware of how radically the Vale of Eternal Blossoms will change. As seen in the trailer, Garrosh’s Goblin dig team discovered an ancient artifact buried deep beneath the Vale, the heart of Y’shaarj, which provoked the defacement of the Vale (I recommend level 90 characters partake in the Dark Heart of Pandaria scenario if you haven’t already to participate in this discovery). When the patch goes live, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms will be renamed to the Vale of Eternal Sorrows as a majority of it has now become Sha infested. The quest achievement Eternally in the Vale is being removed along with all the related quests. However, all achievements tied to daily quests are still available.
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Two large quest hubs have been destroyed, the Golden Pagoda and Whitepetal Lake. It’s important to note that reputation can still be earned with Golden Lotus by killing enemies within the Vale. With the Golden Pagoda now gone, the Mogu have increased their presence in the area as there is less resistance against their forces. The Setting Sun Garrison quest hub has gone unharmed and still offers daily quests but the system has been simplified with some quests being removed. All quest achievements can be completed from the quests offered at this hub.
Other areas in the Vale will also be untouched by these land-shaping events. The Lorewalkers remain overlooking the vale as well as Alani, the elite cloud serpent flying high above the Vale. Aki, the grand master pet trainer in the Vale is also safe where she was before.
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Quests leading into the Vale for players who have to step foot in it will be slightly different than what they were before these events took place. It’s important to know that this zone will not be phased for new characters so if you haven’t seen the Vale in it’s former glory, you won’t be able to after the patch goes live.
Battlefield: Barrens Concludes
The Battlefield: Barrens event which was introduced in the last update will be ending when patch 5.4 goes live. The weekly quest and all rewards will be removed from the game including the Latent Kor’Kron gear. The Hordebreaker and Darkspear Revolutionary titles will also become unobtainable. Kor’Kron forces however, will remain.
Currency and Gear Acquisition Changes
Let’s start with PvE. Valor Points will not be downconverted into Justice Points in this upcoming patch. In addition, all purchasable gear introduced in Mists of Pandaria that once had a reputation requirement will no longer have such a restrictriction. Additionally, this gear can now be purchased with Justice Points instead of Valor Points. The exception is Shado-Pan Assault gear which will still require Valor Points for purchase but at a significantly discounted price. Any gear sold for Justice Points prior to Patch 5.4 has had its cost reduced by roughly 75 percent. For those of you who collected Lesser Charms of Good Fortune to convert into Mogu Rune’s of Fate for bonus rolls on bosses in the Throne of Thunder raid, you will now be exchanging your Lesser Charms for Warforged Seals, which will will allow for bonus rolls on all upcoming Siege of Orgrimmar raid bosses. Also worth noting, there will be no new items for purchase with Valor Points but item upgrades will still be available for you to spend your Valor Points on.
For PvP, all Conquest Points will be down converted into Honor Points as a new season with new rewards is going to begin. The conversion rate of Justice Points to Honor Points is also changing. The cost will increase - the new conversion rate is now 500 Justice Points for 250 Honor Points, up from 375 Justice Points for 250 Honor Points.
Sieging Orgrimmar
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The hour is at hand. At long last the siege of Orgrimmar has begun. A monumental event we’ve all been waiting for. To begin queueing for the LFR difficulty you will need an average ilvl of 496. The quickest way to achieve this average ilvl will be from gear drops on the new Timeless Isle zone as well as purchasing gear with Justice Points as mentioned earlier.
Here is the release schedule for all difficulties (LFR, Flex, Normal and Heroic) of the Siege of Orgrimmar raid:
September 10
- Normal
- Flex Wing 1 “Vale of Eternal Sorrows”
September 17
- Heroic (Normal Garrosh kill required)
- Flex Wing 2 “Gates of Retribution”
- Raid Finder Wing 1 “Vale of Eternal Sorrows”
September 24
- Raid Finder Wing 2 “Gates of Retribution”
October 1
- Flex Wing 3 “The Underhold”
October 8
- Raid Finder Wing 3 “The Underhold”
October 15
- Flex Wing 4 “Downfall”
October 22
- Raid Finder Wing 4 “Downfall”
Good luck to all of you. See you at the gates.
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Let me know what you think about the upcoming content changes in the comments below!
This week’s throwback item: Dagger of Veiled Shadows
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Reza Lackey / Reza is a giant nerd who loves video games, board games, film and way too many other things. Works in the film industry, on some startups and thinks science is cool. Also launches rockets.
