alt="" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/208406">

Who
wasn’t excited
about World of Warcraft Patch 4.3? I know I was. As the final major
patch for Cataclysm, Hour of Twilight should be huge in scale in order
to bring this expansion to an epic close as has been seen in most
final patches of the past. From the vast amount of information we were
able to garner beforehand about Patch 4.3 it truly looked like it would
be just that. Transmogrification, Void Storage, new instances, and of
course, the crowning jewel of Patch 4.3; the chance to take down the
nefarious Deathwing all point to this a patch worth playing.

However, now that Patch 4.3 has
gone to live servers, and we’ve all had a chance to spend
some time playing it, does it really live up to our expectations? While
I really wanted to love everything about Patch 4.3, there are some
glaring problems that I just cannot ignore. Like most things in life,
Patch 4.3 isn’t perfect, but that’s not to say
there aren’t also good things to be found inside this patch.
To highlight the good and the bad of Patch like most things in life, it
has turned out to be a mix of good and bad all at the same time. Here
are my personal best and worst of WoW Patch 4.3:

Best of Patch 4.3 -
Transmogrification and Void Storage

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width="245">Transmogrification
and Void Storage play to the WoW hoarder in all of us.

Ah Transmogrification, a
perpetual gold sink to some, but to me it is an utter validation of my
hoarding tendencies and thus has made my list of the best of Patch
4.3.
With this new feature I (and other players like me) can switch back to
that epic set of gear we have saved for ages, wishing for one more
chance to wear it. The possibilities of gear combinations with
Transmogrification are nearly endless and there is something to please
everyone, you just need to find it. Not to mention how refreshing it is
that finally the monotony of seeing every raider or PvPer of a
particular class
wearing the same set of gear will be broken.

Going hand in hand with
Transmogrification in Patch 4.3 is Void Storage. For WoW hoarders like
myself, up until now there simply wasn’t enough space to save
all the goodies I have come across in my WoW adventures. Sadly
I’ve had to toss more than a few items that I wish I could
have held on to, even more so now that Transmogrification is available.
Thanks to Void Storage I can hoard to my hearts content and have a
place to put it all, for a small fee of course. My only regret? That
Void Storage wasn’t implemented in game sooner.

Worst of Patch 4.3 - Supply
and Demand

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width="245">AH
prices are out of control in Patch 4.3.

While no changes were made to
the Auction House in Patch 4.3,
big changes have come to it as a direct
result. As in all patches, players everywhere are crafting, raiding,
and leveling up and of course in order to do all of these things they
need things such as herbs, ore, flasks, cloth, gems, and other
consumable materials. The problem is that while demand is high, the
supply of these materials in Patch 4.3 is simply not there. Go ahead
try to buy any of these items and I guarantee you will either find
yourself coming back empty handed or if they are available finding the
need to offer up your firstborn in order to pay for it.

As I mentioned above, the
problem is not exclusive to Patch 4.3 and has been building for some
time. However, the release of the patch has brought the supply and
demand problem to a head and has left many players, including myself
wondering exactly where the Auction House insanity will end.

Best of Patch 4.3 - Raid
Finder

style="padding: 10px; float: right; width: 250px; text-align: center;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/208404" target="_blank"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/208404/preview"
width="245">The
Raid Finder is surprisingly easy and fun to use.

I’ll be honest and
say when I first heard
about the addition of the Raid Finder I was more
than a little bit skeptical. Like most players, I have a healthy fear
of PUGs and the very thought of an entire raid made up of such made me
cringe. Add in the fact that the raids were going to be
“dumbed down” and I was sure that the Raid Finder
in Patch 4.3 was, much like the Hindenburg, going to be a mega
disaster. Imagine my surprise when after Patch 4.3s release that not
only did the Raid Finder seem to be successful, but the horror stories
were far and few between. Finally mustering up the courage to try it
out for myself I found the Raid Finder to be the exact opposite of what
I expected and I was /gasp…actually having fun.

Sure the instance is easier,
but it almost needs to be to assure that your group of varied players
and skill levels can make it through without feeling the need to gouge
your eyes out or bash your computer screen in. Not to mention it gives
the option for more casual players to experience the raid, which I am
100% in favor of. So if you haven’t tried out the Raid Finder
yet, I urge you to do so, you may just be surprised at what you find.

Worst of Patch 4.3 - Dragon
Soul

style="padding: 10px; float: right; width: 250px; text-align: center;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/208403" target="_blank"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/208403/preview"
width="245">The
Dragon Soul raid, where players can face off against Deathwing, can be
found in the Caverns of Time.

I know what you are thinking.
How did the new raid instance where players finally get to face the
epitome of evil; Deathwing, made the worst list? With only 8 bosses,
Dragon Soul in Patch 4.3 is short and sweet and perhaps overly so. With
every boss available except for heroic modes, it feels like though the
instance was just released, it is already over in a way and it is for
many guilds who have already completed the instance. Now you might be
saying “but those guilds are way hardcore”, and you
might be right in that assessment but after my guild (who is on the
very casual end of casual) has managed to basically plow their way
through every boss we may want to start thinking that perhaps the
instance is a little bit to easy.

Don’t get me wrong,
I’m all for casual players, myself included, being able to
take on an instance part of the thrill of the game is working hard to
beat a difficult boss and so far, I haven’t had to work at
all. I also hate the linear feel of Dragon Soul, you basically walk
right through the place without any detours, leaving me missing winged
instances such as Icecown Citadel and Naxx. Not to mention I
can’t help but feel like Blizzard had no idea where to put
the instance, so they shoved it into the Caverns of Time and slapped it
on top of Wyrmrest Temple and called it a day. Overall, Dragon Soul
falls short of the mark when it comes to end game instances and is not
the crowning jewel it should be for Patch 4.3, but at least the 5 mans
are pretty good!

Patch 4.3 - Conclusion

While Patch 4.3 isn’t
a total mess up on Blizzard’s part, I feel it really falls
short on what I envision a final patch to be. Perhaps I’m
just a bit jaded, but the magic I found in Wrath of the Lich King while
taking on Arthas at the top of Icecrown Citadel is missing somehow.
However, the good elements in Patch 4.3 lead me to believe that in
future patches I will be able to find the magic once again. How has
your personal Patch experience been? Does Patch 4.3 live up to your
expectations? Share your thoughts on Patch 4.3 in the comments section
below!


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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