World of Warcraft at Ten Ton Hammer

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.1 was unleashed upon live servers today, bringing with it a slew of new additions and changes. The first major content patch after the release of Mists of Pandaria, Patch 5.1 has a little bit of something to keep the game interesting for everyone. With new ways to improve your gear, new scenarios, and much, much more, Patch 5.1 is nothing short of exciting.

Yearning for more information about the newest content patch? Check out the summary of Patch 5.1 below!

General Changes

In game tool-tips have a brand new look. Secondary stats are displayed in a lovely shade of green, while the items upgrade level is located at the top. Other basic information has also slightly changed position.

Raid groups are no longer needed to enter pre-Mists of Pandaria raid dungeons.

Cooldown timers of more than 5 minutes will reset between attempts on Challenge Modes.

Lesser Charm of Good Fortune now takes up no bag space, instead they are displayed on the Currency Tab.

Enchantments such as Enchant Weapon – Dancing Steel, Enchant Weapon – Jade Spirit, Enchant Weapon – Colossus and Enchant Weapon – River's Song have been changed to use the PPM system used by other enchantments such as Enchant Weapon – Windsong.

Reputation Changes

In Patch 5.1 farming reputation has become just a tad bit easier. Players can now purchase special commendations once they reach Revered with a faction. These commendations unlock a 100% bonus to reputation gain for ALL charterers on that account, with the primary character also earning double reputation. Currently only Mists of Pandaira factions have this system in place.

Class Changes

Changes for all classes have come into effect in Patch 5.1, some big and some small. Listing them all here would take more than a short summary. As such, be sure to check out the full patch notes found on Blizzard's website for all the class changes coming in Patch 5.1.

New Factions

If the new Mists of Pandaria factions weren't quite enough for you, then be prepared to celebrate as Patch 5.1 introduces two brand new factions. The two new factions are:

• Operation Shieldwall
• Dominance Offensive

The Alliance hub is located in eastern Krasarang, which the Horde hub can be found in western Krasrang. These two factions introduce not only new daily quests but an epic storyline centering around a Mogu artifact that the Horde are desperate to control. Not enough to interest you? Completing the storyline will reward you with either a Gryphon and Wyvern mount that is not to be missed out on.

Currency Upgrades

In Patch 5.1 players may upgrade their gear using a brand new currency system. Using spare currency (Justice Points, Honor Points, etc.) players can visit one of the Ethereals and cash in the currency to increase the ilvl of any gear that already has an ilvl of 458 and above. Equipped with a handy user interface to help you plan your upgrades, enhancing your gear has never been easier.

Brawler's Guild

Get ready for some serious solo PvE action. The Brawler's Guild is basically a little piece of Fight Club brought to World of Warcraft. Fighting rings are set up in both Orgrimmar and Stormwind and it is here that brave players can take part in solo PvE challenges. The best part? You get to take on these challenges in front of a group of your peers. Participation will be exclusive at first, however, hopefully sometime soon we will all get to take part in this exciting new addition. Learn more about the Brawler's Guild by reading our Brawler's Guild Guide.

Pet Battles

Patch 5.1 has introduced several new wild pets to flesh out some of the pet families. Also, players will find themselves revisiting some old-school dungeons such as Blackwing Lair, Molten Core, and Naxxramas all to capture 12 BoE pets that drop from bosses inside. Collecting all these pets gives players a special achievement as well as the chance to own their very own Mr. Bigglesworth.

A new item; the Battle-Stone, has been introduced to ugrade the quality of your Battle Pets. Available in two basic types and qualities these Battle-Stones can either be won by winning matches or purchased by using Justice Points.

New Scenarios

Mists of Pandaria is all about the ever present conflict between Horde and Alliance. This conflict is outlined in the five new scenarios introduced in Patch 5.1.

• Assault on Zan'vess

Alliance

• Krasarang Wilds
• A Little Patience

Horde

• Domination Point
• Dagger in the Dark

Legendary Quest Chain

Wrathion has upped his game and taken an interest in the events taking place in the Krasarang Wilds. Those that have already had dealings with the Prince will find new quests available to them dealing with this area.

Warlock Quests

Class quests are back with the introduction of Warlock only quests in 5.1. The quest chain will send Warlocks back inside the dreaded Black Temple where they must undergo trails unknown. If completed the Warlock will be rewarded with Akama's Seal of Courage, a bad ass ring that most Warlocks won't want to pass up.

PvP

Patch 5.1 brings us a ton of PvE changes, but there are some changes and additions for PvP fans as well:

• Level 90 players can queue up for Wintergrasp and Tol Barad.
• Arena match time limits have been reduced from 45 minutes to 25 minutes.
• Rated Battlegrounds share the same spell restrictions as Arenas.

Darkmoon Faire

The Darkmoon Faire will also see a few new additions in Patch 5.1:

• A new pet tamer named Jeremy Feasel has been added for players to try to defeat to obtain the Darkmoon Eye pet.
• Other pets have also been added to the Isle, including wild pets and those bought with tokens.
• A carousel has been added that provides players with a buff that increases reputation and experience games after they have ridden it.

Sunsong Ranch

At Sunsong Ranch, Portal Shards, a new type of seed has been added. These shards grow into consumable items which can be used to open a portal from the ranch to a major faction city. Portal Shards can be purchased from Barnaby Fletcher, an occasional visitor to Halfhill Market.

Professions

Fishing

• The Stranglethron Vale Fishing Tournament is back on for every Sunday and now three winners can be crowned.
• Speckled Tastyfish pools no longer spawn during the tournament.

Cooking

• A new profession bag has been added specifically for Cooking and can be purchased with Ironpaw Tokens.

Mining

• All mineral nodes now despawn one minute after they are mined, even if items remain in them.

Let us know what you think of the new changes that Patch 5.1 has brought.

Check out the full version of the patch notes here.