Next month, lucky members of the press will get a sneak peek at Mists of Pandaria. The upcoming WoW expansion pack is set to bring a glut of new raids, bosses, armor sets, quests, trinkets and enough WoW gold to sate even the most ardent adventurer’s hunger.

According to Blizzard:

“Since the announcement of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria at BlizzCon 2011, we’ve been hard at work on all of the new game features, environments, dungeons, and other content that awaits adventurers. Today, we’re inviting members of the press worldwide to get an updated sneak peek and some hands-on time with the latest version of World of Warcraft’s fourth expansion at an event taking place March 13 – 15.”

For three days those lucky press peepz will get to test out, drool over and get their greasy gamer hands all over Pandaria. I’d trade my left arm (ok, maybe just a pinkie) and a sack-full of cheap WoW gold to get in on that action!

Sidenote: Am I the only one who thinks the names are kinda hokey? The new continent, Pandaria is home to a new playable race, the Pandarens, which are, gosh, pandas! It’s like Harry’s school being called “Wizardia” instead of Hogwarts; it’s obvious and dare I say it, kind of lazy and unimaginative. Having said all that, I wish I wish I wish I were invited to that press event. (No really, that sack of cheap WoW gold is yours, Blizz, for an invite!

In other WoW news, Patch 4.3.2 is now live on all realms, with some pleasantly unexpected fixes. An unintended consequence of Patch 4.3 prevented druids leaving flight form from performing their trademark graceful arcs over mountainsides. Instead, they dropped straight down as soon as they left flight form, hitting the earth like a ton of WoW gold falling from the sky. But now patch 4.3.2 has corrected that and druids can go back to enjoying the aerodynamics of Newtonian physics. All’s well that ends well.

More news soon. In the meantime, keep your friends close and your WoW gold closer.

With the launch of Patch 4.3, World of Warcraft players got a hold of a Raid Finder feature but it will screen out players who do not meet a minimum item level 372.

This means that level 85 toons will most likely have to run the new endgame 5-mans to gear up and earn WoW Gold to push their gear power to the required minimum.

“Raid Finder is below normal and Heroic modes in terms of rewards and difficulty, but the new tier of five-player dungeons should still be stepping stones into the raid,” said Blizzard community manager Zarhym in response to concerns that the item level 372 is “a little excessive” as an entry barrier.

Zarhym also shot down the notion that it will hard for casual players to gear up for the Raid Finder version of Dragon Soul, the only one available content for the said feature as of Patch 4.3.

“It shouldn’t take the average player ‘hundreds of hours,’” he said.

For those who expect to reach the milestone item level soon and begin attempting Deathwing raids in this easier difficulty, you can start browsing through the Raid Finder Q&A to get familiar with the calibrated Need Before Greed loot system and the more lenient boss lockout rules.

The conclusion to the Deathwing saga begins tomorrow with the official launch of World of Warcraft Patch 4.3.

The regular Tuesday maintenance on November 29 will signal the release of the content-heavy update, said Blizzard community manager Bashiok in a confirmation blog post. He also has a few reminders when downloading the patch tomorrow:

• Realms will be unavailable from 3:00 a.m. PST until approximately 11:00 a.m. PST.
• If your launcher states “World of Warcraft is up to date. Downloading data for the next update” please allow the Background Downloader to continue downloading the 4.3 data.
• If your launcher only states “World of Warcraft is up to date” then you’ve already obtained the 4.3 pre-download data and will only need a small update before logging in.

Rumored to be the final major content update for the Cataclysm expansion, Patch 4.3 ushers in:

• New Darkmoon Faire Island
• Three endgame 5-mans
• Dragon soul raids
• Raid Finder
• Transmogrification
• Void Storage

These bucket list features should prove popular despite their WoW Gold cost.

Some fans predicted Blizzard to use Patch 4.3 as a buffer against Star Wars: the Old Republic, but it seems Blizzard blinked first and decided to steer clear of what is setting up to be the biggest MMO launch in recent memory. Our SWTOR Credits is on the success of the mega beta test over the weekend, which confirmed the immense popularity of the sci-fi game.

How about it, Tooners – will you be playing Patch 4.3 or are you holding out for SWTOR coming in a few weeks?

The new island of Darkmoon Faire offers games and distractions aplenty, but the real main attractions are the redeemable rewards that resemble a gypsy menagerie!

All players who travel to the Darkmoon Island to participate in parlor games (tokens run for two WoW Gold per sack) can earn Darkmoon Prize Tickets and turn them in for more than just the usual plushies:

• Previous level 60 5-man dungeon sets. For Transmogrification and nostalgia purposes.

• Two mounts. Darkmoon Dancing Bear and Swift Forest Strider.

• Companion Pets. Darkmoon Cub, Darkmoon Turtle, Darkmoon Monkey, Darkmoon Balloon, Darkmoon Zeppelin and Darkmoon Tonk.

• Heirlooms. More than two dozen leveling Heirlooms that provide boosted XP

For those who just can’t wait for the Darkmoon Island to open up in Patch 4.3, MMO-Champion also reports that the test servers are now conducting test runs of the Tonk Commander, Darkmoon Cannon and Whack-a-gnoll mini-games.

Questers can also start scouting the easiest of the mini-games for leveling Darkmoon Faire reputation, as well as their unmaxed professions. (Fans of Blacksmithing and Engineering might opt for this method than all-out grinding.)

The Guardian Cub, the first tradable pet and supposed harbinger of Blizzard-sanctioned gold selling, is available now for adoption at the Blizzard Store for $10 each.

We’ve already explained why the cute flier will be an ineffective mule for WoW Gold trading, but we have absolutely no qualms about its appeal as a collectible.

For one thing, the Guardian Cub counts towards the pet count achievements like Plethora of Pets and Lil’ Game Hunter. Plus it’s quite adorable! Be careful though of looking too coordinated when whipping it out while riding its related pay-to-own cousin, the Winged Guardian mount. (Available separately here for $25 each.)

Guardian Cub traders and owners should also keep these in mind:

• 24-hour BoP restriction. You’ll need to wait a day before the bind-on-pickup wears off, and you can put it up for auction.

• No refunds. You can’t sell it back to Blizzard if and when you can’t sell the pet for much WoW Gold, so check the AH prices first before getting one for trading purposes.

• One-time use. Once the pet is unboxed, it permanently binds to the character and cannot be traded anymore. Add this caveat when gifting the pet, so they know whether to keep it or encash it.

Do you plan to get a Guardian Cub? Will you buy one straight from the Blizzard Store? List it down on your Christmas wish list? Or will you wait for it to drop in price and snatch one at a bargain at the AH?

With all the talk of sailing to the mystical land of Pandaria, World of Warcraft fans have been wondering: Where exactly is this long-lost continent?

Blizzard put on their cartographer hats and pointed to the only cardinal direction with no big land mass yet: The South.

“Pandaria is located on the south side of Azeroth,” confirmed lead content designer Cory Stockton during the Mists of Pandaria live developer Q&A during BlizzCon 2011, the full transcript of which was posted over the weekend.

“Think the exact opposite of Northrend. Come to think of it, we should have named it Southrend.”

The Northrend continent was added to the game during the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, to the north of the existing western Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms, and became the leveling destination from 68 to 80.

In the same way, the Pandaria continent will draw in high-level players, hosting Horde and Alliance players eager to complete WoW Gold quests and hit the new cap of 90. Blizzard has also unveiled a working map of Pandaria, consisting of five major zones and smattering of Mists of Pandaria dungeons.

Look it over and tell us which one you’re most excited to explore. (Ours is the scenic-sounding Vale of Eternal Blossoms.)

Your death grip of a wait is over, Death Knight fans.

MMO-Champion dug up the Tier 13 armor set for our hero class, rounding out the raiding gear previews for World of Warcraft Patch 4.3.

Mind you, these Model Viewer grabs aren’t official official. Blizzard should be posting a definitive version soon, complete with a WoW Gold-worthy explanation on the set’s inspiration. (Like they did with the other nine classes here and here.)

But from these early grabs, the Death Knight Tier 13 armor seems inspired by exoskeleton and continues the devil horn trend seen in previous sets. The helm itself is underwhelming – maybe Blizzard will explain why it looks so cat-like – but the lack of facial ghastliness is made up for by ghoulish green accents on the shoulders, head, chest, belt and even knee caps.

If you need further proof that World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria will be heavily Eastern-inspired, look no further than these latest dungeon previews.

Blizzard uploaded three videos that take a sweeping tour of three of the nine initial dungeons to be released for the fourth expansion – the Temple of the Jade Serpent, the Shado-pan Monastery and the Stormstout Brewery – all located in the idyllic new continent of Pandaria.

Keep in mind that these are initial environ sweeps and designs might change given that the expansion is a long ways off, but it’s obvious that Blizzard will push the Chinese mystic vibe until we’re all practicing meditation and Kung-Fu.

Temple of the Jade Serpent

Welcome to Chinatown, aka the Temple of the Jade Serpent said to be the first level 85-90 dungeon available in Mists of Pandaria. The Sha of Doubt, an elemental faction intent on pulverizing the Pandaren’s peaceful existence, invades the temple and it’s up to players to stop the threat. The video shows off an ornate dungeon area filled with intricate wooden carvings, indoor pools and waterfalls, and ancient scrolls.

Shado-pan Monastery

With an obvious Tibetan inspiration, the Shado-pan Monastery sits atop the Kun-Lai Summit, and is supposedly the training hideaway of the Shado-pan Clan, “a ninja-like pandaren faction dedicated to protecting Pandaria” and now threatened by the Sha. I guess this is the part where Blizzard explains how a race as rotund as the Pandaren can take up the Rogue and Monk professions.

Stormstout Brewery

Pandarens have a long history in the WarCraft lore, and the past converges with the present in the Stormstout Brewery dungeon. WarCraft III pandaren Chen Stormstout tasks players to help him rid his ancient brewery of Verming and Hozu, pests that have taken control of his familial holding with a promise of WoW Gold compensation. The dungeon has a Deadmines feel to it, with dark patches of light coming through the cracks but with the distinctly Eastern elements of water streams, glowing lanterns and kegs of Pandaren ale.

Keep playing World of Warcraft for a year and you can download Diablo 3 free.

That’s the deal Blizzard is offering when you sign up for the WoW Annual Pass, a 12-month subscription commitment to the MMO.

Annual Pass members will also receive two more perks: the Tyrael’s Charger mount inspired by the legendary archangel in the Diablo series, and beta access to just announced fourth WoW expansion, Mists of Pandaria.

WoW Annual Pass rewards

• Diablo III FREE – Download the digital version via Battle.net for free when the game launches early next year. This is the full game, not a trial edition.
  

• Tyrael’s Charger WoW Flying Mount – Ride for the Archangel of Justice on all current and future characters on a single World of Warcraft account. Tyrael’s Charger will arrive via in-game mail with the upcoming launch of patch 4.3.

• Access to the Next WoW Expansion Beta Test – Get a guaranteed spot in the beta test for the next World of Warcraft expansion (at a time to be announced in the future).

Is the WoW Annual Pass Worth It?

It’s a fantastic deal all-around, especially when we can pay for the subscriptions on a monthly basis instead of a one-time sum payment.

It might even give pause to WoW players planning to switch to Star Wars: the Old Republic. Of course the question now is: Why should I continue to hang out in Azeroth for the next 12 months?

Well, there are the Deathwing raids, filled with loot and WoW Gold rewards, due to roll out of the Public Test Server any month now. Next year should also deliver the pre-Mists of Pandaria world events that will introduce the lovable Pandaren race and set up the Horde-Alliance conflict at the center of the next expansion.

Convinced enough? Then sign up for the WoW Annual Pass now.

Everybody goes kung-fu fighting in the next World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria!

Blizzard confirmed the new panda-centric expansion over the BlizzCon 2011 weekend, along with a new level cap to 90, a playable Pandaren race for both the Horde and Alliance factions, and an eleventh class option – the barehand-fighting Monk!

Watch the trailer below to glimpse the forgotten land of Pandaria, an idyllic and Eastern-inspired continent that will be our main playground for the fourth expansion:

Aside from flooding our screens with fuzzies, Blizzard will also be tinkering with the class talent system, giving us more freedom in the talents we choose every 15 levels. A pet battle system, seemingly inspired by the likes of Pokemon, should also bring a cuddly new combat experience to WoW players.

There will be additional ways to farm WoW Gold as well, from beating group PVE scenarios and running Challenge Mode dungeons.

So what are you most excited about in Mists of Pandaria? The rotund new race, the more flexible talent system or maybe the chance to finally make like a Pokemon trainer in World of Warcraft?