WoW: What I’m looking forward to in 4.1

Patch 4.1 while not bringing in a new raid tier (which means all your Valor Points stay Valor Points until 4.2 launches), I’m looking forward to several new features.

• Level 85 quest line in Stranglethorn Vale which features Hemet Nesingwary & gives a panther pet for completing it. With my main character I’ve always done the Hemet Nesingwary quests as they usually gave good loot and/or good xp. But I missed that he wasn’t anywhere in Cataclysm. But then again I don’t know where he would fit in. Hyjal? The Guardians would skin him. Uldum? Not great hunting in the desert. Twilight Highlands? Do you really want to start poaching near a fanatical end of the world cult?
• Battle.Net Account Bound Heirlooms. I confess my alts are decked out in heirlooms where applicable. My level 84 warlock has the heirloom helm & cloak which my priest will soon be inheriting. My alts have it all. Weapons, trinkets, chest pieces, shoulders, cloaks. But my second account which holds my Hunter, Mage & Shaman don’t have the cushy life of extras. Until now. I’ve been buying up Shoulders & Chest pieces as Book caps out on Justice Points in her daily dungeon runs. She no longer needs them. After Bad & Booktoo get geared up enough not to need Justice Points their JP will go to fund this as well. But I was going to account transfer a lowbie to move gear for my Hunter, Mage & Shaman, but it now looks like I won’t have to.
• Zul’Alman & Zul’Grub coming back as 5 man dungeons. They require a minimum average iLevel of 346 so currently I only have Book geared enough for these instances. Badbook will continue to get the beginning Cataclysm level heroics. Plus the ZA & ZG instance give 140 VP per random with a maximum number of Valor Points per week being 980 (weekly VP cap from all sources is 1280).
• 7 Random Dungeons per week for Valor Points instead of 1 daily. This is a huge relief for me. I work 12.5 hour shifts (not counting drive time) 3 days per week. I currently either cannot do my daily random dungeon or have to only do it on my main before or after work & with a 35+ minute wait for a rogue I’m not always sure I’ll have time to FINISH the dungeon. Especially if it’s Deadmines. Now on my 4 days off I can chain run the 7 dungeons with Book, Badbook & (soon)Booktoo.
• Everyman for Himself (human racial) is getting a new graphic
• Raise Ally for Death Knights is going to actually be a battle rez instead of weak ghoul dps that no one knows how to do.
• Opening of Old Ironforge. Even if there isn’t much to do down there it will still be cool.
• A new statistic for the Elevator Boss (in Blackwing Descent) Deaths. I laugh so hard at this idea. Many many raiders who can take out the most vicious raid bosses still die on the elevator. This ranks right up there with # of deaths to Hogger.
• New archeology rare items. While I’m still looking for the Troll epic sword, It will be good to find a few more fun things.
• Heirloom guild tabards! While they won’t give xp bonus, they will give you an increased amount of guild reputation! I’m about 1/4 the way through revered with my guild & really lacking the motivation to grind guild rep.
• Burning Crusade dungeon maps. While I currently don’t have a character in the BC content this is something I missed while leveling my warlock & druid through BC dungeons.
• Wintersaber rep grind is going to be changed to dailies taking approximately 20 days. I need to do this for the mount as I’m sitting at 90/100 mounts. I also need to do the Argent Tourney dailies for my last 3 mounts from there.
• Not quite as excited about it but it looks like some of the holiday events are going to get some love. Including upgraded cloaks from Midsummer Fire Festival. The cloaks from the boss will be the same level epics as from ZG & ZA. Guess where my alts missing cloaks will be chain running on opening day? Also really need to get the pet on my main. My DK got the pet twice last year, but my rogue never got it.