Archive for December, 2009

Maybe it speaks to the nostalgic Horde members more than the rest of us, but I think the Interactive Horde Onyxia Attunement Chain is probably Wowcrendor’s best work yet. It has the same subtle sense of humor shown in his previous work, but then takes it up a notch by speaking to one of the single most prominent, painful moments in any Horde member’s life.

Like so much of Wowcrendor’s work, it’s not only the in-game references that make his work relay so much truth. It’s also the subtle nod to universal experiences. (For example, my favorite part is when you choose to not do the quest. If you go down that path, your guild leader yells at you to get your act together. C’mon, haven’t we all been there at one point or another?)

As a note, make sure you do not simply play this video. The experience is best if you visit Wowcrendor’s start page for this adventure.

Nazgűl of <TheHiWay> on Runetotem is still bugging me with his non-standard-character name, but he does know how to take a nice action screenshot. “The poor Scarlet Miner sees only a mining cart, but the shadows never lie,” he writes. “A dread Tauren Death Knight hides in secret, waiting for the right moment to strike.”

Do you have any unusual, beautiful or interesting World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We’d love to see them on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!

Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. Please include the word “Azeroth” in your post so it does not get swept into the spam bin. We strongly prefer full screen shots without the UI showing — use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more battleground scoreboards, Val’kyr on mounts, or pictures of the Ninja Turtles in Dalaran. Older screenshots can be found here.

Gallery: Around Azeroth

Two Bosses Enter … but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com’s series of fantasy death matches. Welcome to the end of the current round of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let’s get ready to rumble!

It wasn’t much of a contest this week, as Skadi the Ruthless swept to a whirlwind victory over Svala Sorrowgrave. Sixty-three percent of the spectators roared their approval of the spear-wielding, undead Frost Vrykul, undoubtedly moving him into a solid position for the upcoming semi-finals. But however one-sided its ultimate conclusion, this matchup offered the opportunity for a number of interesting scenarios.

Dominika: Let’s review the facts. Skadi doesn’t do his own fighting. Skadi throws Vargul at his opponents, slows them down with his Proto-Drake … It’s only when you really piss him off that he jumps down to take you on one on one. Now, what are these Vargul he throws at you? Vargul, of course, are the Vrykul judged as unworthy by the Val’kyr.

There’s but one reason a Val’kyr would fight a Vrykul: to prove his worth. And he’s not going to do that by hiding behind the unworthy. Skadi’s hands are tied. He has to take her More >

Some instances and raids, you understand why you’re there. Icecrown, for instance, makes a lot of sense to me. I get why we’re running the five mans (trying to sneak into the Citadel while the Scourge is focused on the front door) and the raid (that didn’t work out so hot so brute force it is!) I always enjoyed Scarlet Monastery and had no difficulty with why I was running the place either as Alliance or Horde. Alliance, you were cleaning out a nasty pack of gibbering mouth-breather sociopathic xenophobes who were totally freaking insane, and Horde… same deal, plus they were killing people you actually knew.

Continue reading Breakfast Topic: We’re doing what now?