New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic. What's with the curlicue dragon graphic wrapped around the portrait of that mob? Aren't they usually gold? This one's silver. Hmmm ... And whoa, why does that Gnoll over there have a name? He's got one of those gold dragon things, too. Do you think -- CRUNCH! Special names, special graphics ... Special attacks, special ZOMGWTFBBQ levels of health ... It's unobtrusive little details like these that might, just might, have something to do with the fact that you just got epicly pwned. Make no mistake: these are special mobs, the elites, nameds and rares of Azeroth and beyond. WoW Rookie would never allow you to wander about the wilderness unaware of the dangers that lurk. Let's go over a few signs that suggest you may want to look before you leap. Named mobs Named mobs are just that: monsters that have names. Most of them play key roles in quests, and their names serve no more than to alert you that this is who you've been searching for. Others, though, may be rare or elite mobs that will clean your clock if you attack them before you're prepared for something ... more. If a named mob is larger than average, you can usually (but not always) bet that he may be a little more difficult to kill. ...