The top 5 things I am doing to prepare for WotLK

1.) Rushing my alts as high as they can get before expansion. A little practice never hurts, and this is especially true about the level grind. Even though DKs start out at 55, a leveling refresher never hurts to carefully plan, and smooth out “Xxlegolasephirothxx’s” journey to 80, AND produce some alts that can earn you gold later through a variety of trade skills. Plus, if you can grind all of your alts through their rested experience, park them in the inn until your main (and your DK if you so choose) reach 80. That way they’ll be fully rested and ready to go when you come back to visit them in a few weeks. (I actually try not to level on my alts unless they are rested – it may not be the fastest way to level, but if you are working on multiple alts you can level through 1-2 levels quickly, and by the time you come back to your last alt, they should be pretty rested. Granted this works better if you play your alts casually…)

2.) Leveling inscription. Even though this new profession is relatively underwhelming (reducing mana cost on ritual of souls anyone?), there are perks. It has the potential to be a real moneymaker once people get used to the idea of swapping out runes. If it catches on anything like Jewel Crafting, then my Jewel Crafter / Insciber is going to be in for quite a treat. Plus in the meantime there are some fun aesthetic runes to sell in the AH, like glyph of penguin. (He’s so cute!)

3.) Saving gold. Not that there is going to be any lack of the yellow stuff in Northrend, (just don’t eat yellow snow…) it never hurts to have extra. Having a nice stash tucked away somewhere can really help give you a head start over other players. Do dailies while they are still available, sell low level gems, play the AH – do something to get ahead of the gold game. Whether it is buying your Mammoth first, or getting ice flying – that extra gold can give you a real competitive advantage during the early stages of the expansion when the playing field is more level, even above most hardcore players.

4.) Pimping out my bank alt. Let’s face it – my bank alt is sexy. Brewfest boots, a red silk jumper interlaced with gold dragons, and a freakin’ monocle to boot! Yes life as the noble steward of your account is good. (If only your characters gained weight as a result of inactivity…) I’ve found that having my bank alt also serve as the GM of [Banko de Morior]has been awesome. I have more bag slots, more room for stuff I may need in the future, and more importantly a place to store mid level trade goods. Why is this important? When the AH is completely void of… Runecloth for example, that is a great time to jump into your storehouse of goods, and sell it for 35g a stack. (So delicious) Now this might not work all the time, as the quantity of things like Runecloth has a tendency to rebound, but it’s still nice to have it as an option, and it will help free up bag space on your other characters. In addition, if you are one of those people who has a hard time not spending every little bit of gold you acquire, you can mail your excess gold to your bank, and set goals for yourself, making that seemingly impossible 15,000g grind just a little more bearable. (Just a little)

5.) Pick out your spec. You’ve selected a race for your DK, named it, gone through the tutorial, plotted out your course through Outland, and Northrend, and are now ready to grind away – right? Maybe, but there is nothing wrong with pre-selecting a spec and referencing it next time you ding. Before you put that hard-earned skill point into “Interpretive Dance: Your /dance now moves other players within a 5 yard radius to bump and grind,” find out which skills will help you reach 80 quicker, and stick with them! There’s nothing worse than accidentally spending a skill point on something you don’t need, running back to the city trainer and spending 15g to retrain. Not only is it a motivation killer, even if it’s just 15g, it starts to add up and can really destroy your momentum.