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Patch 5.4 PTR: Sound files rife with spoilers

by Olivia Grace on Jun 19th 2013 (9 hours ago)

Our friend Stevan over at Adriacraft has been busy doing what he does best, and trawling the patch 5.4 PTR build that just went live, and he's unearthed some sound files that can only be described as spoiler-heavy. They're so spoiler-heavy that we've put the whole lot after the break, so head on down if you are OK with some seriously heavy spoilers. If you are not OK with spoilers, do not hit the break, do not listen to the audio, do not read the comments. Instead, enjoy this lovely shaman.

And what's more, this is datamining. Datamining is encouraging players to draw conclusions from files found in the game's systems. The developers have been known to put things in there which are red herrings, things which are never used, things which aren't even meant to be in there. So take it as read that that could well be what's going on. And take all this with a hefty pinch of salt. If, however, you love datamined spoilers, read on.

Filed under: News items

Enter to win World of Warcraft: Dark Riders

by Anne Stickney on Jun 19th 2013 (9 hours ago)

Have you ever wondered just what's up with the Dark Riders of Deadwind Pass? Now's your chance to find out. We've got not one, but two hardcover copies of World of Warcraft: Dark Riders to give away. The latest graphic novel to hit the shelves courtesy of DC Comics, Dark Riders is written by Mike Costa and features some amazing art by Neil Googe. It's 144 pages of Alliance entertainment, filling in the gaps in the story of the mysterious Scythe of Elune, as well as the mystery of the Dark Riders themselves.

Thanks to Blizzard Entertainment, we've got a couple of these graphic novels to give away. Take a look at our spoiler-free review if you'd like more information on the graphic novel -- it's a amazingly well-done book, well-deserving of a spot on the bookshelf.

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m. ET, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. You must be 18 years of age or older and a legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). You can only enter once. Two winners will be chosen at random and we will contact you via whatever method you've used to comment. Official rules here.

Filed under: Blizzard, Contests

Congressional report says you 'may' owe taxes on your WoW income

by Fox Van Allen on Jun 19th 2013 (10 hours ago)

If you're a World of Warcraft or Diablo 3 player, the federal government would like to have a word with you. Congress's U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), at the request of Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), just wrote and filed a 23-page report on the tax implications of earning gold in MMORPGs. Seriously.

The report, titled "Virtual Economies and Currencies," focuses on buying, using, and selling virtual currencies like WoW gold. The key takeaway for World of Warcraft players is that the in-game economy is a "closed-flow system" -- because you can't exchange your gold for U.S. dollars, you don't need to worry about claiming those 26 gold pieces from completing a quest on your 2013 income taxes. If, however, you decide to sell your accumulated WoW items through a third-party exchange (Don't do it! It's against the Terms of Service and could get you hacked!), then you "may have earned taxable income from the sale of these virtual goods."

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, News items, Economy, Gold Capped, Diablo 3

Eight Years in Azeroth: Slaying internet dragons and guild management

by Lisa Poisso on Jun 19th 2013 (11 hours ago)

One of the hottest reads in the World of Warcraft communityright now is Shawn Holmes's Eight Years in Azeroth. Old-school players chuckle along with details that today's players wouldn't recognize as coming from WoW. Guild leaders nod in agreement at scenarios that replay over and over in guilds throughout WoW. New players gawk at raiding conventions and gameplay that feels entirely different from the game we know today.

"It was 'slaying internet dragons' mixed liberally with a crash course in leadership and team management," Holmes told WoW Insider. "I went from a player who barely understood the necessity of officer-only forums and a guild bank to dealing with the complexities of interpersonal conflict, player politics, the psychological effects of the social ladder, and keeping players both motivated and loyal in the constantly changing landscape of WoW."

As Holmes blogs his way through his eight years of blood, sweat, and tears in Azeroth, has he come to any realizations along the way?

"Staying true to a moral compass is one thing; keeping an entire guild aligned with those ideals is hard work," he observes. "It's a battle I both won and lost, repeatedly."

Filed under: Interviews, 15 Minutes of Fame

WoW Moviewatch: Nobody's Quest Episode 4

by Michael Gray on Jun 19th 2013 (12 hours ago)

The fourth episode of Nobody's Quest brings us some more sweet, sweet, difficult-to-animate combat. Not only does Ninth Batter step up with more humor and plot action, but we finally see the dark heritage of our gnome protagonist. More importantly, we get some conflict with the villain.

It'll be interesting to see where this story ends up going. There's been such a lack of story-driven machinima for so long, I hope that Ninth is getting enough of a reception to keep going for a while. This kind of weekly series is a huge amount of work, and I'm thankful to see something a little different each scene.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

World of Warcraft summer sale

by Olivia Grace on Jun 19th 2013 (13 hours ago)

The entire of World of Warcraft has gone on sale, and for once, the non-ironic use of the word "epic" is entirely justified. For this week only, you can get from naught to Mists of Pandaria for $30, or €30 or £25, depending on your local currency, and this is a pretty amazing deal when you consider the regular prices. As the EU store is still only handling digital goods, those will only be available in the EU as downloads. The US, however, can pick up the boxed versions for the same price, which is pretty remarkable.

Don't forget that the Battle Chest has included Wrath of the Lich King for some time, so you're not missing out there. This is a really, really cheap way to get yourself a character leveled with Recruit-a-Friend, and indeed to pick up an Obsidian Nightwing into the mix. Or, of course, get your friends involved in the game!

Filed under: Blizzard

Registration for the 2013 Arena Pass now open

by Olivia Grace on Jun 19th 2013 (14 hours ago)

At long last, registration for the 2013 Arena Pass has opened. This pass, which you have to purchase for the princely sum of $20. Once you're in, you can create brand new level 90 characters with full sets of PvP, and usually some PvE gear, and join arena teams to duke it out with your friends and enemies. There are various rewards to be gleaned from getting good ladder positions, such as titles, but there's also a Murkimus pet that players can earn just for participation in 50 rated games.

The tournament is done in phases, starting off with a practice phase, then moving into the ranked phases. After the practice phase ends, after about 5 weeks, there is a rating penalty of 150 for team roster changes, so be sure to have your teams set by that point. Once the rated phase is over, Blizzard will leave the realms open for players to practice and try comps for the rest of the year. It's a great place to go to just have a play around with characters, classes and comps, and do some PvP!

Filed under: PvP

Know Your Lore: Patch 5.4 and the legacy of Y'Shaarj

by Matthew Rossi on Jun 19th 2013 (15 hours ago)

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

So I was going to write about Med'an again this week, but with patch 5.4 on the horizon it felt like now was the time to talk about Y'Shaarj, the single most active dead god we've ever seen. In case it needs to be said, yes, there's going to be spoilers and lots of spoilers too. We will be talking about the patch 5.4 storyline, and pretty much everything other patch since Mists of Pandaria debuted.

It has been a presence in Pandaria since before it was Pandaria. The mantid served it - indeed, they still revere its memory. The Sha are a result of it. The Titans destroyed it, yet it will not be destroyed. Ancient and terrible, its seven heads proved immortal, its dread essence exhaled out across the very land, bringing the darkest emotions of the mortal heart into stark existence. It is Y'Shaarj. It is dead. And being dead has proved no hindrance. One of the Old Gods, Y'Shaarj has shaped the land in death, and even now, it threatens to return to life.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Lore, Know your Lore, Mists of Pandaria

Jimmy Fallon's Late Night: We are the World of Warcraft

by Olivia Grace on Jun 19th 2013 (16 hours ago)

In honor of Video Game Week, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon's team collaborated with Felicia Day, Chris Hardwick and the WoW community to put a video together of a parody song, as you can see above. The video was aired last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and shows off not only the three aforementioned stars, but also several podcasters, streamers, and content creators, all members of our WoW community.

As one of those people, specifically the one swaying gently with the gryphon plushy, I can give you a little bit of background! Blizzard sent out an email a couple of weeks back, asking for people to create a video of themselves singing along to the chorus. There were no other stipulations, and, as Blizzard had no control whatsoever over the finished product, there were no guarantees that your clip would be included. And, of course, we had to keep it under our hats. Luckily, they didn't use our audio. Hope you like it, I was honored to be included!

Filed under: Blizzard

The Queue: No more cheese, please

by Alex Ziebart on Jun 19th 2013 (17 hours ago)

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

Ravyncat1 said:

Tomorrow's queue will be a challenge to write due to a hundred plus comments about cheese.

Yep.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue

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