That's what I expect, yes. Alchemists already have Gem Transmutes. Earthstorm and Skyfire Diamonds. Those are being made out of several cheaper green gems and yield a blue gem. So if that is actually continued, then we would have to expect blue gems to epic gems transmutes.

This would stabilize or even raise the price on (supposedly) all blue gems but due to fact that the transmute can't be done more than once a day per alchemist, it wouldn't flood or devaluate the market for epic gems. This would then create epic gems for all, however at a probably quite high price. Never the less, it would create further gear progression. Which I guess would be a win - win for everyone. JC's get more work and if they aren't in T6 content, new recipies. Alchemy gets its value heightened a bit (though no personal bonus so you might just keep it on an alt) and everyone gets access to the epic gems which up until now, aren't really well available if your realm doesn't have a truckload of Illidan killing guilds. And even then, there might not be a single Crimson Spinel in the AH anyway.

Doesn't sound too unprobable to me. However, just the unlinking of the "global transmute cooldown" into 3 different parts is step long overdue.

I was an Alchemist ever since TBC, by the way, and just a few weeks ago I dropped it in favor of Enchanting as this provides far more personal gain with the ring enchants than the ability to chug Mad Alchemist's Potions. I have moved the profession to an alt though as I want to be able to build myself Mana Pots whenever I need them. (Curse of being a Shadow Priest)

Blue quality gem + sunmote = epic quality same color gem?

If they do allow blue to epic gem transmutes it will not be with a sunmote. With the JC patterns on SSO reputation the ideea is to give non raiders a way to get their hands on epic gems. It might be blue gem + nether / primals or maybe 2-3xblue gem => epic gem but not with 25 man only drops.

I could see that. The formula that will enable an enchanter to break a single void crystal into two large prismatic shards provides an example of this. Well, in terms of intrinsic value anyways (1 purple = 2 blues).

I believe the reason the Hyjal recipes are available with SSO rep is because the gems drop in Sunwell too. They simply do not want to force people to raid Hyjal to make use of Sunwell gems. Same reason you can buy near T6 loot off the badge vendor there.

Ahm... shouldn't people have all ready raided the living hell outta Hyjal by the time they are ready for sunwell any why ?

Maybe If you meant that they can provide the recipies with an easier alternative other then farming the rep for hyjal (Which got boosted a bit in the same patch) then I would have passed the comment .

I find this an odd statement, since SPlat is very clearly geared towards those who have been farming the ever-loving crap out of BT/Hyjal. So, why again do we need another method of obtaining the cuts?

Now, further on down the road, similar to some of the old-world enchants, I can see this making sense. Or perhaps there will be even more, non-raiding ways of obtaining BT gems, necessitating a more 'casual-friendly' method of obtaining the cuts.

I would expect the gem transmutes to be actually direct upgrades to the meta gem sockets, rather than new epic gems, or new ways to obtain old epic gems. It fits the Alchemy transmute traditions quite nicely, and it fills a little hole in the scheme of gems.

It could make sense. The flavour text does read something along the lines of "Gems that were thought lost..."

Even guilds that are unable to kill Kalecgos can farm the trash leading up to him for gems, sunmotes & epics. I think this is exactly why there's that amount of trash in front of him. So it's a good idea to have another way of obtaining the cuts, especially the rare versions which may elude you for a long time in Hyjal. This also helps guilds who might only have 1 raiding JC for example, not having to funnel all your gem cuts through 1 person.

I dont know about you, but that makes me think of random people who cant even kill a boss in BT or in Sunwell, running around with the best chest piece in the game simply because they can kill some trash and are a tailor/LWer/blacksmith...

Good comparison, but i cant say i was a fan of that either :/

Guess I'm also still annoyed at the fact that its the best item and I cant get it because I'm a silly alchemist...

Then drop the profession and skill up another one in exchange for gold. There's no limitation to the number of times you can retread the profession grind for BoP items without limitations on them and as far as I can tell none of the Sunwell pattern items are bound to the profession that creates them. I have blacksmithing right now myself and plan to drop it once I make the paladin chest. I plan to pick up jewelcrafting for the amazing new healing neck, which I've actually skilled to 375 before and dropped for other things I wanted. It might be a little painful, but professions exist to turn additional game time into additional abilities in game.

Trash drops are one of the few and best ways to make trash feel interesting. I know I've always been a little more excited to do Black Temple trash in the hopes of getting another [Blessed Band of Karabor] than I would otherwise, which adds to the game and makes BT more enjoyable for me.

And on that note, how many people cleared SSC/TK trash just to get vortices and patterns back when those made some of the best items in the game? No one who couldn't kill a boss in the instance. I'd personally rather have a couple people get items they "don't deserve" in some people's eyes then give up the minor excitement of trash drops.

If they can kill the trash that drops it... well then they deserve it.

PTRs are back up, by the way

The difference is that Black Temple had an attunement.

The Naxx comparison is valid, but items like [Kingsfall] are superior to the trash dagger. By contrast, [Sunfire Robe] is clearly superior (and equal ilvl, if you look at it that way) to [Robes of Ghostly Hatred], which is probably a M'uru drop turn-in.

I don't see how removing the ability of Kalecgos trash to drop epic patterns and items would seriously hinder anyone's enjoyment.

Should they take the epic patterns of out the essence of immortals turn ins too? You just said it yourself, if Blizzard decides people are farming the trash epics too easily they'll change it. Why freak out about it?

Sunblade Dawn Priests now have an animation or I didn't see it before, when they have Holyform active. It gives a faint sound, too. Looks like yellow fire around them. See screenshot:

It was always there.

51 point holy talent? =D

Not yet

Either they do plan on giving us that in Wotlk or it is a very very cruel way of them to say "stop suggesting a holy form already"

In my mind that flavor text actually supports the idea of gem transmutes into epic ones. Where else do you mine the epic gems but Hyjal a place set back in time.