This settings which is to be done in-game can help reduce your WoW loading time and increase your FPS immensely. The trick is to increase the amount of memory used to cache WoW textures in your video card which in returns will reduces your loading time and increases your FPS especially in overcrowded places such as Dalaran.

First off, you need to determine how much RAM you have on your graphic card:
Run -> dxdiag -> Display tab

We’re going to allocate half this value to textures caching which means the following depending on your graphic card:
If you have a 1024MB card, allocate 512MB (write 536870912)
If you have a 512MB card, allocate 256MB (write 268435456)
If you have a 320MB card, allocate 160MB (write 167772160)
If you have a 256MB card, allocate 128MB (write 134217728)
If you have a 128MB card, allocate 64MB (write 67108864)
If you have a 64MB card, allocate 32MB (write 33554432) – Default Value

You can allocate more memory than this but NEVER allocate more than 512MB especially if you overclock your graphic card. The system will use it’s own memory instead which means any beneficial effect will be lost.

The ingame command is /console texturecachesize [value]
[value] being the exact value in octet you want to allocate (you have to convert megaoctet value to octet like I already did above). For example: I have a 256MB graphic card so the command I’ll be using is /console texturecachesize 134217728.  The command is being changed to /console gxtexturecachesize ABC for 3.3, ABC being this time the value in megaoctet directly (no longer need to convert).

Lastly, you have to reboot the game for the change to take effect. If you face any problems, just reset it back to the default value (/console texturecachesize 33554432).

If you have OVER 1024MB RAM on your graphic card, you should type:

Before Patch 3.3 = /console texturecachesize 536870912
After Patch 3.3 = /console gxtexturecachesize 512

Enjoy faster gaming folks!

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The newly launched Kalu’ak Fishing Derby in patch 3.3 is similar to the Stranglethorn Extravaganza Contest except there is just one fish to catch and almost any pool in Northrend can be fished as there are no special pools to be found. Anyways the details for this weekly competition are as follows:

* When: Saturday, 14:00 to 15:00 (realm time, which may not be the same as your local time).
* Where: Northrend. See what to do below.
* Requirements: Fishing skill 1. Wrath of the Lich King (expansion). No known level requirement, but you must be able to visit Dalaran. No quests to accept before the start. Full details »
* Rewards: Earning the achievement “Master Angler of Azeroth” (part of becoming Salty), winning a pair of fishing boots or exclusive (5% experience bonus) heirloom ring.

Here is a simple guide on what exactly to do:

1. Wait for Elder Clearwater to yell, “The Kalu’ak Fishing Derby has begun!”
That happens at 14:00 on Saturday. You do not need to be in Dalaran. There are no quests to accept. Simply be somewhere in Northrend, by a pool, ready to start fishing. Elder Clearwater arrives in Dalaran 1 hour before the contest. 5 minutes before the start he will yell a warning. Yells cannot be heard in The Frozen Sea.

2. Fish from (almost) any pool in Northrend
Fish any pool in Northrend where Pygmy Suckerfish are found. Do not fish in Pool of Blood. Avoid Glassfin Minnow School, which have a low proportion of Pygmy Suckerfish than other pools. You can fish open water in Northrend where Pygmy Suckerfish are caught, but the chance of catching the winning fish is lower than pools. If you are planning to win, fish from pools.

3. Keep moving between pools until you catch a Blacktip Shark
Blacktip Shark are rarely caught alongside normal fish. Blacktip Shark decay quicker than other fish (1 hour duration) and are bound to the angler.

4. Deliver the Blacktip Shark to Elder Clearwater in Dalaran
Travel to Dalaran as fast as possible: Use a hearthstone, Kirin Tor ring, portal, or summon. Elder Clearwater is standing next to the Eventide Fountain. Like the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza, the first angler to deliver their Blacktip Shark each week wins the main prize. The winner will be announced by a yell. Elder Clearwater has a powerful voice!

5. In case you did not win the event
Later anglers can still turn in their sharks to Elder Clearwater for a lesser reward. At 15:00, Elder Clearwater will yell across Northrend that the contest is over. Blacktip Shark will stop appearing in pools. Elder Clearwater remains in Dalaran until 16:00, to allow sharks to be turned in.

The 2 possible rewards are:

Dread Pirate Ring
Boots of the Bay

Last but not least, some tips for preparation:

* Learn the ability Find Fish from a Weather-Beaten Journal. This saves time searching for fresh pools. Requires 100 fishing skill.
* Train epic flight, with Cold Weather Flying. Like Find Fish, you might be able to win without epic flight. But you will waste more time moving between pools than other competitors. Requires level 77 (or 68 if you have a close friend already at level 80).
* Set your hearthstone in Dalaran, unless you use another method of teleportation, such as a portal, Kirin Tor ring, or summon. As soon as you catch the Blacktip Shark, hearth back to Dalaran. Alliance should hearth at the Silver Covenant inn, which is closest to the Eventide Fountain. All Horde-friendly inns are further away from the Eventide Fountain. It is recommended that Horde use a Kirin Tor ring to portal into the city. Basic rings costs 8500g and requires level 80 to use. Hearthstones are free and (with an initial portal to Dalaran) can be set at any level.
* Set graphics to poor quality. Teleporting to Dalaran will be much quicker. You will be able to talk to Elder Clearwater much sooner. Northrend will become very foggy, but you will still be able to find and fish pools. Spell Detail can be set to high to make pools easier to see.

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Sholazar has for the longest of time been known as the best Herbalism/Mining place, but a problem is, it’s way too over crowded similar to Icecrown. Hence the money ain’t that awesome afterall. So I’m going to show you how to make tons of money in Sholazar, even when it is crowded particularly for you Engineers out there.

First of all, you will have to be an Engineer and then you’ll need Zapthrottle Mote Extractor the good old Mote Extractor from TBC. This great device has saved many broke people throughout the years, and it will now save you from being broke.

Second, you may like to have herbalism/mining as a secondary profession, just for a little extra money.

With the path I use below, I spend about 10 minutes around Sholazar, every run results in 2-3 Eternal Fire and 1-2 stacks of Saronite, a few Crystallized/Eternal Shadow, earth and water. And maybe a few gems/titanium ore if I’m lucky with mining as my second profession.

The spawn rate for Gas Clouds and Mining/Herb nodes is surprising not that long. You can probably reduce the size of the path by 50% (cutting down on a few nodes/clouds) and still you won’t have to wait for the respawn.

The difference between the Gas Clouds from Outlands and those in Northrend is that the ones in Northrend usually doesn’t move more than maximum 10 yards away from their spawn-point. Thus making it a lot easier to follow a route as you won’t have to fly in a 30 yards radius around each spawn point.

And here is the route:

Typically I start off from Dalaran -> River’s Heart (Middle of Sholazar) since it saves me the amazing amount of 60s or something, since I’m not flying to Nesingwary. And from there, I fly straight South till I get to the path, then I just start following it to the east, and circle around Sholazar, following the path. (Note: This is the best path to follow, I’ve tried modifying it many times, but still this is the best trust me.)

The pinpoints on the map are pretty much accurate of where you can find Gas Clouds, I have decided not to tag Saronite/Herbs on the map, seeing as this is mainly for Engineers. (Please feel free to modify the map with Saronite/herb spawns.)

Each Gas Clouds contains 2-4 Crystallized Fire and 1x Crystallized Water. The Clouds are Named Steam Cloud, you cannot find them on Wowhead, seeing as they aint “objects”. You can track them on the map if you ahve the mote extractor in your backpack, you can track both gas Clouds and Ores/Herbs at the same time.

Stats from one single run - Time spent: 09:28
Crystallized Fire: 28
Crystallized Water: 10
Crystallized Earth: 7
Crystallized Shadow: 16
Saronite Ore: 42
Titanium Ore: 3
Green Gems: 4
Blue Gems: 1

Grand Total: 203g – Based on Current AH Price

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