Alterac Valley will be getting a few more changes in the upcoming patch 2.3 for Blizzard's World of Warcraft. This was revealed by Blizzard poster Salthem on the official European World of Warcraft forums. The changes include changes to the mines which, as said by Blizzard poster Nethaera earlier, will make capturing them more worthwhile.

Here's Salthem's post verbatim:

• If a side controls a mine, then every 45 seconds they will gain 1 supply. If they control both mines, then they'll get 2.
• No side can ever have more than the max number of supplies (currently the max is 600)
• The Herald yell text for taking a mine includes a line about getting reinforcements for owning it.
• The 45-second ticker is on an independent timer (i.e. the first "+" a side gets for controlling a mine won't be 45 seconds after they take it. It'll be somewhere between 1 and 45 seconds -- whenever the ticker ticks).

These changes will appear on the Public Test Realms for patch 2.3.0. Earlier this month, Alterac Valley also went through a few changes.

When you're investing some of the harder-to-obtain armor sets in World of Warcraft, it always pays to seek advice before trying anything out. Such is the case of player Almalodaka, who's currently asking for advice on how to socket the hunter's Ebon Netherscale armor set.

We understand the concern, actually, given that this leather set requires rare drops like Nether Dragonscales, or Primal Shadows. The thread's picked up of helpful hints we think the guys here may also find useful. Here are some of the more interesting suggestions:

• Also, since the Ebon Netherscale set has a nice amount of stamina on it, you could put 8 agi/16 AP gems in those slots. And your current weapon enchant, +4 weapon damage, it does not work with ranged attacks, so slap a nice savagery/35 agi on the spear, if you're going to buy it. - By Monya
• Not sure if this is too late to get back on topic, I suppose I'd focus on Ranged Attack Power too if I was you, but I'm no expert on jewelry - not much call for it in the swamps of Zangarmarsh. - by Blizzard blue-texter Salthem.
  

Guys who happen to have their own Netherscale set may also want to visit the thread for the rest of the suggestions on how to properly spec their equipment out.

Some players on the World of Warcraft forums have been asking about any user interface (UI) and bag changes to be implemented in Wrath of the Lich King. The best we can give you at this point is that any changes slated still haven't been finalized.

Blizzard Community Manager Salthem has stated that it's still too early to say if there will be any changes. However, don't expect a major UI overhaul, since the developers prefer to make gradual changes to the existing interface. Salthem further explained why this is their current stand on the UI:

There are a lot of players who are used to the standard interface and changing it dramatically overnight would be unfair to them. If players want a completely different interface there will always be add-ons to accommodate that.

For bags however, Salthern has said that "a self-sorting bag would be somewhat counter intuitive to any new players finding a bag for the first time". He then added that advanced players always have the option of installing add-ons to handling the hum-drum of placing equipment in the right locations.

So it doesn't look like we'll be getting auto-bagging or any major changes in this World of Warcraft expansion. Don't feel bad though since MVP Schwick has given word that built-in boss warnings, threatmeter(s), itemrack/closet-gnome, and mass-mail might be available for the coming expansion.

 

Our trusty internet hamsters recently picked up on this useful nugget of information on the boards. Apparently, Solipsist of Stormrage has conjured up a new Mage guide, focusing on tactics and tips to increase the power of mages in both PVP and PVE.

Solipsist's handy guide talks about the basics, from how to use Blink (keep moving while using Blink!) to the basics of using lag to your advantage (also called Lagcasting), as well as the best way to pull two mobs with a polymorph-able target. One thing that's especially useful for mages-in-training is that Solipsist has included videos that show the different tactics in use.

The useful information, coupled with the helpful videos, lead Solipsist's guide to be noticed by Blizzard community manager Salthem. It's now in Vaneras' list of useful mage threads, making it the latest addition to the compendium of mage-related knowledge available for World of Warcraft players everywhere. Enjoy!