Fires of Outland Preview: The Loot

By Mike Hummel (Upper Deck Entertainment)

At the end of my last article, I mentioned that this week's preview would be written by Fires of Outland lead developer Ken Ho and would feature a new spoiler from the set. Well, some exciting stuff has happened since then, and we're moving Ken's article back a week so I can tell you about the three new Loot cards that are now live in the game.

Landro Longshot, International Goblin of Mystery is known for many things. He's the leader of the Black Flame, an infamous gambler, a purveyor of exotic animals, and a master chef. Before leaving on his first adventure, Mama Longshot passed along her secret recipe for Goblin Gumbo.

Now you too can enjoy Landro's spicy gumbo. Be warned, though—it's known to have adverse effects on those with "delicate" constitutions. The most common Loot card in the set, Goblin Gumbo creates a steaming pot of gumbo that serves up to five helpings. As an in-inventory item, the gumbo does not take up an equipment slot and is usable indoors and outdoors.

Anyone in the user's party can click the pot to receive one helping of gumbo. The pot will remain until all five helpings are taken. The gumbo food item will stay in the user's inventory until he or she logs out and is tradable to other players of the same faction. Eating the gumbo will grant the consumer a five-minute buff. At random intervals during that time, the player will belch out a stream of noxious green gas with a loud, audible, "Burp!"

The second Loot item in Fires of Outland is the Fishing Chair. Usable outdoors, the Chair is another in-inventory item that creates a wooden chair with an umbrella that the owner can sit in by right clicking. Additionally, the player can use a fishing pole to fish while sitting in the chair. It's great for catching Mr. Pinchy or watching two paladins duel for an hour. With the hibachi blanket and umbrella Loot item from Through the Dark Portal, you can now set up your own portable picnic.

Speaking of the Fishing Chair, let's look at the matching Fires of Outland TCG card, Gone Fishin'.

Notice something new? In Fires of Outland, we're introducing foil versions of the Loot cards with a modified card template. Now, after you scratch the code off a Loot card and slide it into your deck, you'll have even more bragging rights. In case you were wondering, the Orc on Gone Fishin' is indeed Pugg. He's become our poster Orc for the TCG, and we try to find ways to incorporate him into at least one image per set. In Through the Dark Portal, you can see him on the Rest and Relaxation card.

The game mechanic speaks directly to the theme of the card. Sometimes you just have to get away from the fury of combat, break out your fishing pole, skip a turn, and go fishin'. When you're done, you'll return relaxed, refreshed, and up three cards richer. Worried about what your opponent plans on doing while you're out fishing? Look at stacking your deck with protectors or cards like Ice Block or Battle "Preparations".

Finally, we come to the rarest Loot card in Fires of Outland, the Spectral Tiger. Our second Loot mount, the Spectral Tiger is available at the standard level 40 mount speed and at epic level 60 mount speed. Like a standard mount, players will need the appropriate riding skill to use it. When you turn in the code for this card to Landro, it will allow you to open up a standard merchant inventory menu where you can buy either the level 40 mount or the level 60 mount. You can go back and purchase another mount later. So, if you first get the slower mount at 40, you can go back at 60 and purchase the faster version, too! These mounts are so awesome that I'm going to stop writing now so you can look at some in-game images.

These items are live now in the game, so if you pull any of them during the Fires of Outland Sneak Preview, you can run home afterward and put them on your main, or your alt, or your 19 twink, or your bank, or your girlfriend's night elf, or . . .

As a reminder, if you do pull a Loot card, be sure to go to www.ude.com/loot and follow the instructions on that page to receive the digital code that you turn in to Landro Longshot at Booty Bay. It's pretty easy to find Landro these days, as he's surrounded by a menagerie of exotic pets and Black Flame bodyguards (see image below).

That's all for this week. Be sure to check back next week for our final once-per-week Fires of Outland preview article by lead developer Ken Ho. After that article, we'll be switching to daily spoiler articles for the two weeks leading up to the Sneak Preview Events on August 11–12.