WoW.com

Good Tuesday morning, everyone. As we announced earlier, it's an extended maintenance day today, which means the servers will be down from 3 AM to 11 AM PDT. However, do not despair. There's plenty of Wrath of the Lich King news to keep you busy, especially with the Beta servers live and a new build having been pushed only yesterday.
Here's a list of some of the major Wrath Highlights from the Beta servers and elsewhere this past week:

Hot news and features

• You got Beta questions? We're aiming to answer them.
• The Calendar system and the new pet and mount skill tabs are now being tested on Beta servers.
• We also have a first look at the new token storage system.
• That whole two specs per character idea that was tossed around at the WWI is still coming, says Bornakk.
• Be sure to check out our hands-on preview of Inscription on the Beta server.
• We're all getting ready to upgrade that old and busted level 70 gear, but the question is, does the new stuff look any good? See for yourself, with a gallery of some of the new green quest rewards in the starting zones.

Class news

• In major Death Knight news, Runeswapping is gone, but runeforging is still around and still powerful. Be sure to join us in speculating a bit about Death Knight PvP too, and see said PvP action up close and personal with another Jadefury video. Also, you might want to take a look at the new cosmetic changes for DKs, as well as a possible class-specific flying mount.
• Our Hunter columns tackled the down and dirty of Hunters in the Wrath Beta, with an overview of the Marksmanship and Beastmastery talents and a tongue-in-cheek look at the possibilities of exotic pets. In further awesome Beast-related news, Blizzard's promising to fix Hunter pet aggro -- which means all these new pets will be even sweeter.
• Arcane Brilliance continues to delve into the possibilities for Mages in Wrath, this time with a little fire.
• Shamans, be sure to check out our analysis of the changes to elemental combat in Wrath. Restoration changes were also discussed this week.
• Druids got a lot of Inscription love with this Beta patch, with lots of new glyphs, including one that provides a Polar Bear form for Druids!

Tradeskills, Items, and other miscellany

• Remember those awesome motorbike screenshots? How'd you like to see some video?
• Wondering when, where, and how you'll get the ability to fly back in Northrend? We have all the answers..
• Wondering what the WotLK CE special pet will look like? Click here.
• Here's a sneak peek at some of the new stuff for Alchemy and Herbalism.
• You can also check out some information on new gem cuts. +Parry gems for your Death Knight tank, anyone?
• Okay, so Badges of Justice are still Soulbound, but it is nice to dream.
• Wintergrasp is coming along, says Zarhym, and the Blizzard is aiming to fix up World PvP.
• Here's some information how various new vehicles might work.
• In Achievement news, see what they reveal about dungeon bosses in Wrath.
• Our good friends over at WoW Radio (listen to the WoW Insider Show!) have run Utgarde Keep, and they have the video to prove it. While you're at it, check out their Nexus run too.
• Check our guided tour of the new Stormwind Harbor.

In other news...

Of course, some people are hoping to wait until Live so they can see Wrath of the Lich King as fresh as possible. Do not despair, we have some less spoilery content for you as well:

• See our exclusive interview with WoW comic artist Jon Buran!
• Ready Check discusses the world of PuG raiding.
• Rogues rejoice, Encrypted Text is back with a vengeance.
• Is the Authenticator as fool-proof as it seems? Maybe not.
• If out of game collectables strike your fancy, you might want to check out this sneak peek of the newest round of WoW figures.
• Our crack live team was at the San Diego Comiccon this past week, and believe it or not, there was a World of Warcraft panel. Check it out.
• Hey there, Retribution Paladins. Looking to get a crack at Karazhan before it goes obsolete? Be sure to check part 2 of our gearing guide.
• In the theorycrafting arena, here's an interesting series of tests that may provide some insight into the zen of Lifebloom.

Of course, there's always much more to be found here at WoW Insider. Please do feel free to browse. The categories to the right are always a good place to start. And do stay with us throughout today's maintenance and beyond, as we continue to deliver all the best news and analysis from the Wrath Beta servers and all around the world (of Warcraft)!

Tags: downtime, extended-maintenance, roundup, scheduled-downtime, scheduled-maintenance, server-downtime, server-maintenance, tuesday-morning, tuesday-morning-post, wotlk-beta, wrath-beta, wrath-of-the-lich-king-beta

Filed under: Realm News, Realm Status, News items, Expansions, Wrath of the Lich King