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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Queue: I am 25 minutes older than Alex
by Adam Holisky 
Jan 25th 2010 at 11:00AM
On January 24th, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. central I was officially welcomed into the WoW Insider family. At 9:52 p.m. central that same evening Alex Ziebart was brought on board. Between the 25 minutes that I was on staff and Alex wasn't, I had already leaked three Blizzard secrets, pissed off Blizzard PR four times, got an angry email from Ghostcrawler about calling warriors the redheaded step children of WoW, and was fired and rehired at least five separate times by Liz Harper.
Alex, my friend, you have a lot of catching up to do. Get crackin' you whipper snapper!
In all seriousness, between my first post and this one, the two years I've spent writing here have been awesome. It's a job that I never thought I'd have, and definitely one that I never thought I'd stay in this long. And out of all the columns I write, penning The Queue twice a week for you all is some of the most fun I have. So let's get to it!
Justin asked...
"What's Frostmourne doing in the armory?"
It was a demo item at BlizzCon a few years ago, which is why it's named Frostmourne Art Demo. It's not the real thing.
Outlier asked...
"Are mobs tougher to tank now in 3.3? They seem to be harder to position."
There was a bug with positioning just as patch 3.3 came out, but that was hotfixed a couple days later. Everything should be fine now, and I haven't noticed any troubles in my daily heroic tanking.
DarkSide asked...
"What's the best tanking shield I can get from running heroics?"
You'll want to get the Splintered Door of the Citadel from killing Marwyn in regular Halls of Reflection. Have fun farming it, it's only got a 15% drop rate and never seems to come up for tanks that need it.
Mrs. Rossi lamented...
"Do you guys have That Guy in your guild who reads the guild apps and immediately turns everyone down?"
During the time I spent as an officer in a big high end raiding guild, we had several people who fit that bill exactly. I never really appreciated their input. Often times they'd pass up exceptional candidates because they'd misspell a complicated word, or forget to list that they cleared Kara even though they were five bosses into Sunwell. Those silly things never do anyone any good. And they never got a chance to even comment on the applications that were just down right bad -- like the rogue in all greens claiming he can do 2000 dps.
One got so bad that I had to talk with him about it, and gently ask him not to post on applications for a bit. He didn't take it too well, but the rest of the guild was getting pretty angry about it. Eventually he gquit and left the game, but it was pretty obvious from the get go he wasn't happy with it anymore.
The moral of the story here, if there is one, is that people in general need to have a level head and be calm when reading over guild applications. Hot heads and quick decisions never do anyone any good.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW.com crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column! Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!Filed under: The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 7)
Thon Jan 25th 2010 11:42AM
Can someone explain to me what min/maxing means? I've seen the word several times but have yet to figure out the use/meaning of it.
Ray Jan 25th 2010 11:43AM
Min/Maxing is the playing a game with the intent to have the "best" character by minimizing undesired stats and maximizing the desirable ones.
JR Jan 25th 2010 1:16PM
As I understand it, minmaxing means fine-tuning your character's stats to the maximum (or minimum), even when it envolves changing things (talents, gems, enchants etc) to gain very little out of it. Some people will argue that these changes won't even make a diference during fights, but for some people minmaxing is kinda like a game in itself.
Hoggersbud Jan 25th 2010 3:14PM
Well, in WOW it doesn't really apply that much, as there's little you can do to disadvantage your character, so there's little that truly applies as much as it does in other games.
Here's the wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Min-maxing
In terms of WOW, well, it's really just optimization. In games where you could sacrifice something, then it'd apply more IMHO.
Artificial Jan 25th 2010 5:46PM
A min/maxed character, properly speaking, is exceptional in every single attribute he has, albeit as often exceptionally bad as exceptionally good. It was the bane of traditional RPGs, where actual role-playing was involved. A realistic character might have one or two exceptional traits, and just be around average at most other things, whereas a min-max character would have the highest possible strength and agility and the lowest possible intelligence and charisma, for example. Nothing is average because the player is mining every trait he doesn't value (making it exceptionally bad) in order to spend the mined points on those traits he does value (making those exceptionally good). These characters are so wildly improbable that it strains credulity to include them in any actual role-playing scenario, thus, min-maxing was the bane of real RPGs, something only "munchkins" did, not real, serious, mature role-players.
It computer RPGs, it actually tends to be the norm, and min-maxing is just a strategy for optimizing your character for a particular role. If you don't spend a single point in any defensive or utility talent (minimizing) in order to have as many point as possible to put into DPS talents (maximizing), you're min-maxing. Computer RPGs are generally designed in such a way that doing this doesn't cripple your character in these other areas, just making them "average" rather than "too crippled to live", tacitly blessing this strategy and making sure you don't suffer for using it. WoW is such a game.
Deadly. Off. Topic. Jan 25th 2010 11:40AM
Given that a lot of the land is gonna change in the Expansion, are we going to see any changes to areas where rep farming might be inadvertently altered? For example the 'furbies' in Felwood as well as Winterspring.
Shibdaddy Jan 25th 2010 11:48AM
When 3.3 came, raid members who have an assist are no longer able to call Ready Checks. Was this something done intentionally or a bug, and if its a bug is there any indication that they plan to fix it. It can be very frustrating as Tank when you're not the party leader and you have to wait or ask for a /readycheck.
TNBDM Jan 25th 2010 11:58AM
Long time reader, blah blah blah. I've been playing WoW since shortly after release, but I've spent my time almost exclusively Horde-side; I've never leveled an Alliance character past about 20 or so. With Cataclysm on the horizon and major changes to most of the leveling zones in Azeroth looming, my question is this: what have I missed by playing Horde only that I should try to get done before Cataclysm drops? I'm thinking mostly lore and quest lines that could change or evaporate with the new expansion, but anything else important that might be prone to reworking could be included too. My new little dwarf buddy needs a to-do list!
Vickitt Jan 25th 2010 12:36PM
The most awesome Alliance questline is the Defias Brotherhood chain. You start in Westfall at ~ lvl 15. You'll kill a bunch of Defias and get a quest to go into Deadmines. When you kill the boss Van Cleef, he'll give you a letter that will start you on another chain of quests to kill infiltrators to the SW court and bad guys in the Stockades. Just follow the human quests for a while, and then you'll get another chain that will take you to Duskwood, then Menethil, then over to Theramore. This whole thing will get you up to level 35 or so.
JR Jan 25th 2010 2:07PM
Some pointers to you:
-As far as I know, the longest Alliance quest chain is the one that starts with The MIssing Diplomat in Stormwind. It even has a kind of sequel, that starts with A Disturbing Development in Theramore. These quests go on for about 15 to 20 levels. It's kind of a pain to do because it has you traveling back and forth, but it's worth it.
-I am a big fan of Duskwood lore-wise. Some people hate it though, so check out for yourself wether you like it. There are three major questlines there: The Legend of Stalvan, the Mor'ladim quests (starts with The Weathered Grave) and the Sven/Jitters quest (starts with Sven's Revenge).
-Of course a big a part of Duskwood are the Worgen and the Scythe of Elune. This story is unfortunately fragemented, and it looks like Blizzard never got around to finishing it. Its origin is told in the quest line that starts with The Howling Vale in Ashenvale. The Scythe of Elune is somwhow related to the Sven quests in Duskwood, and it finally makes a comeback in Grizzly Hills.
-If you have done the Forsaken quests in Hillsbrad and Arathi, you should do the quests in Southshore dealing with the Forsaken incursions (like Hints of a New Plague?). It's basically a look on the same events through the Alliance eyes.
-There is also a small quest line explaining the creation of the moonkins. The quests are: Favored of Elune? --> Moontouched Wildkin --> Find Ranshalla --> Guardians of the Altar --> Wildkin of Elune
-Finally, there are quests in FIzzcrank's Airstrip in Borean Tundra explaining the creation of the gnomes; quests in Valgarde in Howling Fjord that tell how the humans came to be; and the Explores' League quests in HF relating to Yogg-Saron.
Shade Jan 25th 2010 3:03PM
You've missed a lot! JR has some good pointers, although you've already missed out on your chance of completing the really epic Onyxia key chain from old school days that culminates in a march through Stormwind to confront Onyxia herself.
Duskwood is one of my favorite ally zones to play through, however, and the questlines there are a lot of fun - although the surprise at the end isn't as much of a shocker as it used to be. But that zone only requires level 25 or so to head into, so it won't take you long to get to it, or play through it.
I have to say, the alliance quests in Howling Fjord are much more interesting from a lore standpoint than the Horde versions - I haven't played through Borean Tundra yet (although I'm headed back that way), but I've heard the quests there are pretty amazing too.
Alliance didn't really get much in the way of amazing lore quests in Burning Crusade - it seemed to be the Horde's expansion lore-wise, which only makes sense as the Outlands were originally the orcs homeworld, but Wrath seems to be a little more alliance weighted in terms of lore and stories that are uncovered. It's definitely worth playing through.
Oh! As for personal favorites - There is a quest that people rarely find - when you're heading over the bridge from Arathi to the Wetlands, dive into the water below. There's a corpse down there that starts a quest chain that's really lovely. It's ally only.
dawnseven Jan 25th 2010 3:13PM
I think Shade is on the money. If you only play one faction and have never played the other to max level at least once, you've only played half the game.
thinkasumtinb3tr Jan 25th 2010 12:05PM
Speaking of jobs here, when are we going to hear back about our applications to WoW.com?
Alanid Jan 25th 2010 12:50PM
this is relevant to my interests
erines Jan 25th 2010 12:13PM
Five ? LOL , I am sure there will plenty as long as Blizz has the audience to deploy them to. I mean really you do not kill that which makes Arthas the Lich King the essence of that old Orc Shaman could find another vessel say Thrall or Varian. Old Gods I suspect there are more than the two we know about C'Thun and Saron. Three if you count the husk at the Masters Glaive. I also would suspect that they were mainly underlings left behind to guard something or see plans through. Titans, Sargeras the unanswered questions of Queen Azshara , Alleria Windrunner, and gee do you really think you have heard the last of the Burning Legion? When it comes right down to it the did invent the scourge. The Emerald Dream and the whereabouts of Malfurion Stormrage. If you want to pick randoms how about the little girl in Ruan Wead who says she is from some place called englund? And geee what is Ysera exactly dreaming about? The Old Gods encountered so far imo are nothing compared to those in real control. Before the Titans left Azeroth.., hmmmm have we heard the last of these? Besides the low caste Titan members 'left behind' in Ulduar? I think not and I think this story of Azeroth could go on for a very long time if it has the audience.
Avan Jan 25th 2010 12:28PM
Well, Malfurion makes a comeback in Cata. We'll be seeing him at Mount Hyjal. The husk at the Masters Glaive was retconned to not be an Old God, I believe. Azshara is in the Abyssal Maw (bottom of the Maelstrom) which is one of the places we're going in Cata.
As for the girl in Ruan Wead, it's obvious that she's from England. It's likely just an egg and has nothing to do with any story that will ever be told in Warcraft.
Tuktuk Jan 25th 2010 12:20PM
I read some weeks ago that heirlooms doesnt work for 80+ but do they still work as normal to lvl80 when cataclysm is out?
Malkavos Jan 25th 2010 12:38PM
Any plans to revive "Ask a Lore Nerd"?
omedon666 Jan 25th 2010 12:49PM
With the heated debates that have predictably ensued, do you think Blizzard's "class, not role based" cross server NBG is intended to re-program a community used to unwritten community loot guidelines that have failed to update themselves to acceptably accomodate a game with dual spec? Many have pleaded for the "role in this group" to be coded into the loot rights determination, do you think they dodge this option on purpose? Yes I know that's two questions, feel free to answer either or both, if any. :)
Fate Jan 25th 2010 12:56PM
2 questions, 1) Has anything new been said about 280% flying mounts scaling to 310% if you have a 310% mount? I would like to use the black drake from OS 10 if it were scale to match my fugly rusted proto.
2) What is expected/do you think will happen to land mounts come Cat? If we are able to fly over everthing (asuming there is another cold winter flying type thing you will need that first) but everyone will just fly and land mounts would only be used in BG's it seems.