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Posts tagged World of Warcraft
Breakfast Topic: The feral bond
Jul 21st
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com.
There’s obviously a certain understanding based on shared experience among the various WoW races, classes and specs, no matter what your faction. When you meet, even if you can’t understand each other in chat, you might tip your hat, wave or do some other emote that signifies your recognition of a fellow traveler who is just like you were, are or will be. True, sometimes it’s more of a rivalry, with the occasional threat, challenge or insult. But just as often (if not more so), there is flirting, cheers and exchanging of baby spice and hugs.
I think this is even more true for druids and particularly feral druids. My main is an Alliance bear/cat, and often when I bump into another druid while going about my business, we start dancing or roaring at each other, or some other emote/interaction occurs that doesn’t normally happen with every passing stranger (if it did, we’d never get anything done, I guess). The resulting hijinks are often quite comical, but even more so if we are both in an animal form.
This seems to More >
Cataclysm Beta: New sound clips for Thrall, Vol’Jin, Nefarian
Jul 21st
The latest Cataclysm beta build has dropped and there are some massive spoilers with some of the sound files that have been uncovered. I’m keeping the files themselves after the break for those of you who want to avoid any lore leaks.
First is a talk between two leaders of the Horde on the direction things have been going. The second is from an upcoming raid boss taunting the players as well as revealing his greatest triumph. Yeah, that’s vague, but I’m trying to leave spoilers out from before break.
Continue reading Cataclysm Beta: New sound clips for Thrall, Vol’Jin, Nefarian
Cataclysm beta patch notes build 12539
Jul 21st
A new build of the beta has just been deployed, implementing some of the changes the developers discussed during the recently concluded chat on Twitter, as well as a slew of new spells and abilities. There are no official patch notes yet — and it may take a while considering this is merely a beta build — but Nihilum has cobbled together some of the confirmed changes and put them up as a work in progress. Everything is still being collated at this point, so keep checking this post for updates. Here are some of the interesting points from the patch so far:
- Holy Power for paladins has been implemented
- New talent trees are up
- Warriors get their own version of Consecrate
Check out the rest of the changes after the jump.
Continue reading Cataclysm beta patch notes build 12539
For Gnomeregan!: Refugee Party live stream
Jul 20th
For Gnomeregan! is where the members of <B.L.O.G.> on Shadow Council (US-RP-A) roleplay guild meetings as part of an in-blog and in-game RP campaign. The rules for this campaign are: no ERP (Erotic RolePlay) and no vampires (though death knights are welcome). Everyone is invited to participate. Assume that to get into the guild, you at least pretended to be in full use of your faculties and are willing to fight for the cause. You are all welcome to join us here in the comments and those who wish to play with us in-game should friend Peenk and ask for an invite on Shadow Council (US-RP-A).
Hello! Peenk Sparklebolt here. In order to efficiently lead tonight’s Refugee Party, the Operation Gnomeregan engineers have provided me with this gadget thingee. I’m not sure how it works, but it seems that people outside of our guild can actually hear me and see what we are doing tonight. Fascinating. I will be dismantling it to see how it works after this shindig is over.
Anyway, you can hear and see what is happening on my gadget thingee right now, or you can join us at the Refugee Party in Coldridge Pass. But hurry! We’re starting immediately.
(( Watch More >
The Daily Quest: RP edition
Jul 20th
Here at WoW.com, we’re on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere.
While we’re all skulking about waiting for our servers to come up — or skulking about on Shadow Council waiting for tonight’s RP event — it seems as good a time as any to talk about pretending to be people we aren’t in places we aren’t. (Secret: I’m not actually a troll shaman. But do keep it quiet.)
- Some oldies but goodies from Too Many Annas, covering being left out of RP and the many places RP can go.
- The Lazy Sniper talks about choosing names for characters.
- It may not be WoW-centric, but the latest issue of The Escapist is all about roleplaying.
Icecrown raid buff now at 30%
Jul 20th
Good news, everyone! Your faction specific Icecrown Citadel buff is now 30%, meaning things just got a little more lenient in ICC. Now’s your chance to capitalize on the content in there to get alts ready for Cataclysm, finish off those drakes you’ve been lusting after, or just proudly wear that Kingslayer title.
The Urban Legends of Warcraft: Ashbringer
Jul 20th
One of the more interesting facets of playing a game as extensive as World of Warcraft are the legends and mysteries surrounding the game, both inside and out. A lot of these legends, mysteries and unsolved puzzles have developed over time into urban legends — stories that sound just true enough to be plausible, but usually end up being untrue, dead ends or simply unsolved mysteries that were never meant to be puzzled out. Today we’ll be talking about a weapon whose origins were so mysterious and carried so many loose ends that it left players in a tizzy for years: Ashbringer.
The legend of Ashbringer started when World of Warcraft was originally released. The orange legendary weapon was discovered in the game files by data miners, and the stats and proc on the weapon were truly amazing. At the time, even epic weapons were extremely rare, so seeing something with an orange tag on it was more than a little unique and awe-inspiring. However, other than the datamined weapon, there was no indication of it appearing in game — that is, until players slowly leveled from launch to their first steps into the Plaguelands.
Continue reading The Urban Legends of Warcraft: Ashbringer
Shifting Perspectives: Pulling 101: Assessing the group
Jul 20th
Every Tuesday, Shifting Perspectives explores issues affecting feral/restoration druids and those who group with them.
For a long time, I’ve been kicking an article around on the art of the 5-man pull. Knowing how and when to pull is arguably the foundation of a smooth dungeon run, and it’s certainly among the first skills that any tank needs to develop. While a not-insignificant portion of one’s ability to pull cleanly only arrives courtesy of experience with a wide variety of players, there are a few rules that approach universal status. Moreover, I expect them to be equally useful when I hit the new Cataclysm dungeons and have to figure out how to tank for a group safely in a new environment with new mobs.
The more I wrote on pulling, the more I realized that the subject can be divided into two very distinct categories: what happens before you pull, and what happens while you’re pulling. This week’s column addresses the former. Everything I am about to tell you in this column is something that you, as an experienced tank, will eventually do in the space of a second without even realizing you’re doing it.
Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Pulling 101: Assessing the group
15 Minutes of Fame: Herding roleplayers with a feather
Jul 20th
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We’re giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame.
The popular saying about leading a raiding guild is that it’s somewhat like herding cats with a feather. Imagine then, if you will, tickling players through day-to-day game life amidst the friction of potentially volatile in-character roleplaying. Arialynn, the GM of <Templars of the Rose> on Earthen Ring (US-RP), leads an established troupe of roleplayers that’s spent the Wrath era not besieging Arthas but running medieval-style market days in Dustwallow Marsh. Headquartered in Theramore Harbor, the Templars most assuredly exemplify the road less traveled, both literally and figuratively.
What’s it like to lead a guild that spends more time tossing back stiff ones in the inn than it does wrestling with Defile before the Frozen Throne?
Continue reading 15 Minutes of Fame: Herding roleplayers with a feather
Reader UI of the Week: Foofy’s UI
Jul 20th
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you’re using and some background information, to readerui@wow.com.
My condolences to those of you on 24-hour downtime. I’ve been there, and I feel your pain. Hopefully, some Reader UI of the Week can cheer you up a little bit. We are taking a look at Foofy’s UI, which is anything but, emphasizing good color contrast and an interface that is heavy on information, but not so busy that it’s distracting. Everyone sit around the campfire, join hands and let me break out the ol’ guitar for a little camp song I like to sing called Reader UI.
Continue reading Reader UI of the Week: Foofy’s UI