Here's an interesting game mechanic that hasn't been picked up by the Wrath of the Lich King expansion's beta patch notes. Player Malan over at the WotLK beta forums reports that Blizzard has apparently revised how the game translates agility into attack power. Here was Malan's exact post over in the Shaman class section of the WotLK beta forums:

I happened to roll my mouse over the Agility line of the char screen and was surprised that it says I'm gettting 250 Attack Power from Agility and I definitely have more AP than I do on live with the same gear. (I am not spec'd into Mental Dexterity so its not Intellect doing it)

Anyone able to verify this?

For reference: with my full kit on my AP shows 1888. I remove the exalted hyjal ring (29 Agility and 60 AP).

My AP on the char sheet drops to 1799, a difference of 89. 29 + 60 = 89. Its definitely giving me AP for my agility.

Blizzard poster Koraa further confirmed that a new agility mechanic was indeed implemented - the developers just forgot to include it in the current patch notes:

Sorry about that, it should of been in the patch notes. The idea is for DPS mail (with AGI and AP) to be viable for both Hunters and Shaman. Strength is mostly now only a stat for Death Knights, Warriors and Ret Paladins.

When this this change gets finalized, it will have some far-reaching consequences for World of Warcraft's Shaman class. For one, there's the possibility of increased demand for "hunter gear," equipment that focuses heavily on agility buffs over other stats.

On the other hand, this could spell very bad news for shamans who have already invested heavily in strength-based gear. Those interested in reading the rest of the discussion regarding WotLK's changes to Agility mechanics will want to visit the official forums, via the source link below.