The Classifieds: Beat the heat with the Ironman Instancing Challenge
The Classifieds brings you weekly updates on news from around the WoW community. Have guild news or a Random Act of Uberness to share? Send it to TheClassifieds@wow.com.
Looking for a refreshing, silly and utterly engaging way to slip through a sweltering summer of pre-expansion doldrums? We have just the thing: the Ironman Instancing Challenge. Ever heard of naked Deadmines races? It's like that -- on steroids. Here's the best version of this event we've yet seen, from <The Risen> (Thorium Brotherhood [US-H]):
<The Risen>'s prizes include a special guild ranking for the winners -- a guild tradition and year-round reminder of the fun. Send us your best screenshots from your own Ironman Instancing Challenges and we'll share them here in The Classifieds.
And speaking of, let's crack open The Classifieds ...
Random acts of uberness
Who rocks your PUG world? Send in your shout-outs to theclassifieds@wow.com. Keep 'em short and sweet (150 words or less, please), and be sure to list everyone's character names and home realms or battlegroup (armory links earn you hugs!).
Dejavu (Norgannon [US-A]) I'm dragging my feet on The Test Of Righteousness and was up late one night prowling around Westfall. My Pali was a lvl 29 at the time and I could get quite far into Deadmines but not all the way to the Mast Room for some oak. So I started chatting up people landing at Sentinel Hill, looking for some assistance. I was met with a lot of silence and a couple of "Sorry, no time now. GL"'s, but no help. Finally, Dejavu, a Night Elf (I think) around my lvl ran by to catch a bird to Duskwood. My request for assistance was met with silence until she landed, then she responded that she'd be right back. Dejavu backed me up all the way to the Mast Room and kept the excess varmints off my back. Now I need to get over to Shadowfang Keep for a bloody hammer! Thanks, Dejavu! Your're cool! -- Eamardrick, <Rogue Guardians>, Norgannon (US-A)
ToGC PUG, Illidan (US-A) I would like the chance to again thank all the folks I raided with this past Friday. I joined a 10 ToGC pug and the entire raid went unbelievably smooth. So smooth in fact that we ended up getting "A Tribute to Insanity". This was all due to a group that kept cool headed and pointed out the differences in the fights before each pull. No yelling in vent, only calm direction and tips. I cannot remember their names but if they read this I'm sure they will know who they are. -- Mandalore, Illidan (US-A)
Shaae, (Cenarion Circle [US-H]) Hi, I've just gotten back into WoW after a rather lengthy hiatus to finish up my degree. I was nervous about starting in on heroics again with random healers, I'm a tank, but made the jump anyway. I was lucky enough (or random enough) to have Shaae from Cenarion Circle pop into my group. With her assistance we were able to finish 3 randoms with some undergeared dps, including an Oculus run that saw a blue drake drop. I was sad when we had to quit because of connection issues, but wanted to share what an awesome healer I had found. Shaae, if you're ever on Ravenholdt, I'd love to tank for you. Hope to see you in randoms again! Thanks -- Khaorashim, Ravenholdt (US-H)
Agonize (Dawnbringer [US-A]) Well, I don't know if this really counts as an act of uberness, but I did want to pass along a story. After months of grinding heroics--and subsequently getting really burned out on it--as my guild tries to build it's first ICC10 team, I got in a random with Agonize, Dawnbringer US, a fresh 80 DK who's enthusiasm reminded me why grinding heroics can actually be fun. Namely, those rare times that we get into groups with people we actually like. It seems Agonize had never run Culling of Stratholme, even on regular, and when she not only won the roll for the mount, but also got her Dungeonmaster of Northrend achievement, her profuse thanks to the rest of the group (she told us she felt like a princess--a nice change of pace from the standard "ty for the run") has given me a more sunny outlook on future randoms. So I'm just using this opportunity to tell Agonize I should be thanking her. And also apologizing for having to let her die that one time. If we weren't on different realms, I'd probably let you bill me for the repairs. -- Chanis, Galakrond (US-A)
<Nethergard Watch>, (Burning Blade [US-A]) After a long day of not-so-successful Alliance pvp in Arathi Basin (The Call-to-Arms), I decided to hit one last BG in the hopes of getting the daily BG bonus. Contained in this AB was a group of <Nethergard Watch> from US-Burning Blade who were bored and decided to semi-premade. Well, sufficed to say that after a long day of getting crushed by horde, it sure felt good the be the one dealing out the hurt. Thanks <Nethergard Watch> for making my day! -- Tyradar, <The Illuminati>, Earthen Ring (US-A)
News: Around the WoW community
Death march Interested in becoming part of something ... larger? Chamber of Aspects (EU) will be holding a death march for death knights on June 19-20 at 12:00 server time. Level 80 DKs are invited to gather outside the gates of Orgrimmar for an organized procession on their Acherus' Deathchargers from Razor Hill to Orgrimmar, where the entire group will then summon their Armies of the Dead. The event, open only to level 80 DKs, will be recorded on YouTube. Contact Solostaren in game for more information or visit this thread on the EU forums.
Celebration of Life If something a little more lively is more your style, enjoy the video above from the recent Fandu'talah lo Shar -- Celebration of Life festival on Argent Dawn (EU).
Survey says ... Sadie Cole, a grad student in psychology at Harvard University, is seeking respondents for her research into who becomes an MMO gamer and who doesn't. Take the survey if you're interested in contributing.
Kicking off this week's round of anniversary announcements is <Thunderbrew Guard> of Steamwheedle Cartel (US-RP-A), celebrating its fourth year together this month. "Thunderbrew Guard does a little bit of everything: 10-man raids, heroics, PvP, achievements, old-school raids and instances and in-game social events, all on a casual schedule and with the understanding that fun, friendship and good brew comes before loot and progression," writes their rep. ... Turning five this month is <Dawn of the Undead> of Turalyon (EU-H). "We're a guild that has over 100 active accounts and tries to keep a nice balance between being a 'social guild' and also one that enjoys a couple of raids a week," writes officer Kazilk. "From the days back in MC, pvping in Southshore / Tarren Mill, the sad passing of our founding Guild Leader Zombina, clearing TK & SSC, we have seen an awful lot in our time. But lets not mention the weeks / months we spent on the first two Molten Giants all those years ago :)." ... And look who's turning one: It's <Elwynn Police Dept> on Rexxar (US-A) -- who's celebrating, of course, in Elwynn Forest!
Employment: Guild recruiting
ICC-10 <Meatball of War> (Spinebreaker [EU- H]) seeks one or two healers and the same number of ranged DPSers to solidify its weekly raiding schedule. Raids three nights per week plus low-numbers retro raiding (BWL four-manned, Kara soloed, Mag two-manned, etc). "We're all adults and have a somewhat risque sense of humour," writes their rep, "so you'd need to be fine with that."
ICC raiding <Method> (Dragonmaw [US-H]), with members from across the U.S. as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is looking for ICC-experienced and -geared raiders. Raids ICC-25 Tues./Thurs. 8:30-11:30 p.m. server time, ICC-10 other evenings.
Semi-casual ICC-10 <Scare Bears> (Firetree [US-H]) is progressing through ICC-10 with a weekly ICC-25 PUG. Raids Tues./Thurs./Sun. 9 p.m.-12 a.m. server time. "We're looking for fun, outgoing people who are serious about progression," writes their recruiter. "We desperately need healers and a tank or two, but all classes and specs are encouraged to apply. We run an EPGP loot system."
Personals: Looking for more
Here's an irresistibly friendly entry for the Personals section from a player on Azjol-Nerub (US):
The Classifieds brings you weekly updates on player and community news, help finding the right guild, who's making waves in the WoW community and more. Email your news and Random Acts of Uberness to TheClassifieds@wow.com.
Looking for a refreshing, silly and utterly engaging way to slip through a sweltering summer of pre-expansion doldrums? We have just the thing: the Ironman Instancing Challenge. Ever heard of naked Deadmines races? It's like that -- on steroids. Here's the best version of this event we've yet seen, from <The Risen> (Thorium Brotherhood [US-H]):
- Start with your character completely naked in Ragefire Chasm. Using only the gear you pick up during these runs, clear your way through every 5-man instance in WoW.
- You can Ironman alone or with a group. Eventually, groups become necessary.
- Any class abilities (like pets) are available at all times.
- Any mats needed to use class abilities/buffs are also fine.
- Screenshot every final boss you kill; it's on the honor system. All kills should be accomplished according to the gear rules of Ironman Instancing.
- You are welcome to farm instances for gear -- but again, you can only use gear picked up during Ironman Instance runs.
- You cannot instance with anyone not participating in the Ironman contest.
- The winners are the first five people to successfully clear every instance.
<The Risen>'s prizes include a special guild ranking for the winners -- a guild tradition and year-round reminder of the fun. Send us your best screenshots from your own Ironman Instancing Challenges and we'll share them here in The Classifieds.
And speaking of, let's crack open The Classifieds ...
Random acts of uberness
Who rocks your PUG world? Send in your shout-outs to theclassifieds@wow.com. Keep 'em short and sweet (150 words or less, please), and be sure to list everyone's character names and home realms or battlegroup (armory links earn you hugs!).
Dejavu (Norgannon [US-A]) I'm dragging my feet on The Test Of Righteousness and was up late one night prowling around Westfall. My Pali was a lvl 29 at the time and I could get quite far into Deadmines but not all the way to the Mast Room for some oak. So I started chatting up people landing at Sentinel Hill, looking for some assistance. I was met with a lot of silence and a couple of "Sorry, no time now. GL"'s, but no help. Finally, Dejavu, a Night Elf (I think) around my lvl ran by to catch a bird to Duskwood. My request for assistance was met with silence until she landed, then she responded that she'd be right back. Dejavu backed me up all the way to the Mast Room and kept the excess varmints off my back. Now I need to get over to Shadowfang Keep for a bloody hammer! Thanks, Dejavu! Your're cool! -- Eamardrick, <Rogue Guardians>, Norgannon (US-A)ToGC PUG, Illidan (US-A) I would like the chance to again thank all the folks I raided with this past Friday. I joined a 10 ToGC pug and the entire raid went unbelievably smooth. So smooth in fact that we ended up getting "A Tribute to Insanity". This was all due to a group that kept cool headed and pointed out the differences in the fights before each pull. No yelling in vent, only calm direction and tips. I cannot remember their names but if they read this I'm sure they will know who they are. -- Mandalore, Illidan (US-A)
Shaae, (Cenarion Circle [US-H]) Hi, I've just gotten back into WoW after a rather lengthy hiatus to finish up my degree. I was nervous about starting in on heroics again with random healers, I'm a tank, but made the jump anyway. I was lucky enough (or random enough) to have Shaae from Cenarion Circle pop into my group. With her assistance we were able to finish 3 randoms with some undergeared dps, including an Oculus run that saw a blue drake drop. I was sad when we had to quit because of connection issues, but wanted to share what an awesome healer I had found. Shaae, if you're ever on Ravenholdt, I'd love to tank for you. Hope to see you in randoms again! Thanks -- Khaorashim, Ravenholdt (US-H)
Agonize (Dawnbringer [US-A]) Well, I don't know if this really counts as an act of uberness, but I did want to pass along a story. After months of grinding heroics--and subsequently getting really burned out on it--as my guild tries to build it's first ICC10 team, I got in a random with Agonize, Dawnbringer US, a fresh 80 DK who's enthusiasm reminded me why grinding heroics can actually be fun. Namely, those rare times that we get into groups with people we actually like. It seems Agonize had never run Culling of Stratholme, even on regular, and when she not only won the roll for the mount, but also got her Dungeonmaster of Northrend achievement, her profuse thanks to the rest of the group (she told us she felt like a princess--a nice change of pace from the standard "ty for the run") has given me a more sunny outlook on future randoms. So I'm just using this opportunity to tell Agonize I should be thanking her. And also apologizing for having to let her die that one time. If we weren't on different realms, I'd probably let you bill me for the repairs. -- Chanis, Galakrond (US-A)<Nethergard Watch>, (Burning Blade [US-A]) After a long day of not-so-successful Alliance pvp in Arathi Basin (The Call-to-Arms), I decided to hit one last BG in the hopes of getting the daily BG bonus. Contained in this AB was a group of <Nethergard Watch> from US-Burning Blade who were bored and decided to semi-premade. Well, sufficed to say that after a long day of getting crushed by horde, it sure felt good the be the one dealing out the hurt. Thanks <Nethergard Watch> for making my day! -- Tyradar, <The Illuminati>, Earthen Ring (US-A)
News: Around the WoW community
Death march Interested in becoming part of something ... larger? Chamber of Aspects (EU) will be holding a death march for death knights on June 19-20 at 12:00 server time. Level 80 DKs are invited to gather outside the gates of Orgrimmar for an organized procession on their Acherus' Deathchargers from Razor Hill to Orgrimmar, where the entire group will then summon their Armies of the Dead. The event, open only to level 80 DKs, will be recorded on YouTube. Contact Solostaren in game for more information or visit this thread on the EU forums.
Celebration of Life If something a little more lively is more your style, enjoy the video above from the recent Fandu'talah lo Shar -- Celebration of Life festival on Argent Dawn (EU).
Survey says ... Sadie Cole, a grad student in psychology at Harvard University, is seeking respondents for her research into who becomes an MMO gamer and who doesn't. Take the survey if you're interested in contributing.
Kicking off this week's round of anniversary announcements is <Thunderbrew Guard> of Steamwheedle Cartel (US-RP-A), celebrating its fourth year together this month. "Thunderbrew Guard does a little bit of everything: 10-man raids, heroics, PvP, achievements, old-school raids and instances and in-game social events, all on a casual schedule and with the understanding that fun, friendship and good brew comes before loot and progression," writes their rep. ... Turning five this month is <Dawn of the Undead> of Turalyon (EU-H). "We're a guild that has over 100 active accounts and tries to keep a nice balance between being a 'social guild' and also one that enjoys a couple of raids a week," writes officer Kazilk. "From the days back in MC, pvping in Southshore / Tarren Mill, the sad passing of our founding Guild Leader Zombina, clearing TK & SSC, we have seen an awful lot in our time. But lets not mention the weeks / months we spent on the first two Molten Giants all those years ago :)." ... And look who's turning one: It's <Elwynn Police Dept> on Rexxar (US-A) -- who's celebrating, of course, in Elwynn Forest!Employment: Guild recruiting
ICC-10 <Meatball of War> (Spinebreaker [EU- H]) seeks one or two healers and the same number of ranged DPSers to solidify its weekly raiding schedule. Raids three nights per week plus low-numbers retro raiding (BWL four-manned, Kara soloed, Mag two-manned, etc). "We're all adults and have a somewhat risque sense of humour," writes their rep, "so you'd need to be fine with that."
ICC raiding <Method> (Dragonmaw [US-H]), with members from across the U.S. as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is looking for ICC-experienced and -geared raiders. Raids ICC-25 Tues./Thurs. 8:30-11:30 p.m. server time, ICC-10 other evenings.
Semi-casual ICC-10 <Scare Bears> (Firetree [US-H]) is progressing through ICC-10 with a weekly ICC-25 PUG. Raids Tues./Thurs./Sun. 9 p.m.-12 a.m. server time. "We're looking for fun, outgoing people who are serious about progression," writes their recruiter. "We desperately need healers and a tank or two, but all classes and specs are encouraged to apply. We run an EPGP loot system."
Personals: Looking for more
Here's an irresistibly friendly entry for the Personals section from a player on Azjol-Nerub (US):
A month ago I had decided that I would make my dormant Blood Elf Rogue a level 60 twink with both of the PvP sets available and whatever items I could to fill in the gaps (such as BoEs from Old-World raids or jewelery from Hellfire Ramparts). Since then I have thoroughly enjoyed dueling many different classes and specs as they move on past my level into the heart of Outland and have even met a few others who have stopped at the vanilla level cap to enjoy PvP with me.
The reason I'm emailing the classifieds is to look for others like myself in WoW who are about the PvP side of Old World content, not just raiding Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, or what have you. This past week I have asked friends if they would like to join me so that eventually, hopefully before Cataclysm, there could be a little mini-army of level 60s (twink or no twink) to have whatever fun we can. Raiding? Sure if we get enough people (or some level 80s to help out.) Big cross-faction grudge matches in the Old World PvP locales such as Eastern Plaguelands and Silithus? Absolutely. Just friendly duel-centric tournaments outside of Orgrimmar/Stormwind? You bet!
Oh did I fail to mention that because I enjoy playing my rogue so much that I am leveling up a Feral Druid to do the same on the opposite faction?
So if anyone wanted to join in on the soon to be awesome PvP fun, already eight Horde and two Alliance strong, we would love to have them on Azjol-Nerub US (Normal server). If they would like to join the Horde side then please send a message to "Momentarily" a Blood Elf Rogue. Alliance? Then whisper or send a letter to "Sandcruz" a Night Elf Druid.
Once my friends get their characters to 60, events will be held weekly probably at the same time. By the way, there's a secret item given to any members of the "60 Twinkage Association" (not a guild name) to prove their membership. It's pretty awesome.
Filed under: Guilds, The Classifieds







Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
woweggtube Jun 9th 2010 1:22PM
The Ironman challenge sounds pretty fun.
Should be pretty smooth till BC Heroics.
Ardougne Jun 9th 2010 1:33PM
Awesomesauce! I'm going to do this on my lvl 18 warrior on The Sha'tar - Largo. I know it's supposed to be 15, but what the heck. Three levels higher I can live with, over starting him fresh again only to hit 15.
Adegan Jun 9th 2010 1:49PM
Awesome! Wish I'd known about this before the downtime.
John Forrest Jun 9th 2010 1:52PM
The Ironman Challenge sounds fun, but I have some questions. When it says, "clear your way through every instance", does that mean kill every mob in the instance? or just every boss? In addition, are heroics included in the requirements? And I'm assuming that all consumables (bandages, food, potions, etc) must come from drops in the dungeon, correct?
Dreamstorm Jun 9th 2010 2:05PM
Good to see EU servers respresentin' for a change :)
Mr. Tastix Jun 9th 2010 2:03PM
This is gonna be fun!
Dralanna Jun 9th 2010 2:07PM
A problem I can see with the Ironman Challenge is with regard to hunters.... it's not like a lot of ammo drops in instances. I would think you'd make an exception and allow hunters to bring a supply of ammo
Roy Jun 9th 2010 2:53PM
Ammo was already covered as a reagent needed for a class ability or spell. You can buy it outside and bring it along :-)
Getting a gun or a bow however... that's a completely different subject!
Qot Jun 9th 2010 2:07PM
Warning: that survey is over 200 questions. I'm at 201 right now and developing a bit of carpal tunnel. Oh well, onward, for science!
zubbiefish Jun 9th 2010 2:25PM
I got a, max # of participants reached, message when I tried to do the survey.
Bob Dewane Jun 9th 2010 2:25PM
At least you got to get started. I got the message that the survey had the maximum number of participants and it wouldn't even let me begin. =(
Although it did say that we could contact the person running the survey to have them add more spots. Soooo.......whaddya say? Can we get more spots? I'd love to take the survey. =)
Nighthavk Jun 9th 2010 2:36PM
Ironman sounds found, but aye, if it includes TBC Heroics, good luck!
Some of the heroics were so damn hard, when I asked tanks in our guild (t4-5) if they could thank Hillsbrad/BM, they would shake their faces and exclaim they weren't feeling suicidal.
slartibart Jun 9th 2010 6:50PM
Some like SLabs/MgT were hard, but heroic BM? Phhbbt, not so much.
Rubitard Jun 9th 2010 2:38PM
"Honor system" they say... BWAAHAHAA!! Good luck with that!
Eli Jun 9th 2010 10:33PM
With the changes to the Armory in the past few months, it won't be hard to determine whether someone picked up a piece of gear that they should not have.
GhostWhoWalks Jun 9th 2010 2:43PM
For those wanting something a bit less hardcore than the Ironman, simply running a bunch of dungeons with a small level-appropriate party is also a lot of fun. A friend of mine and I have:
-2-manned the entirety of Scarlet Monastery and a few other mid-30s dungeons with a Prot pally and Beastmaster Hunter, which went well until we screwed up the pull on the Cathedral and got flattened by 20 mobs at once. Oops.
-3-manned half of the Maraudon with a Ret pally, Enhance shaman and Resto druid who had stuck around with us after our random dungeon run had ended. When the druid dropped, we pressed on and managed to clear up to Celebras until we ended up flattened by those thorn elementals. Entirely melee DPS + damage reflection = pain.
-2-manned Shadowfang Keep with a Holy pally and Ret pally; the place was tough but manageable right up until Arugal, who kicked our asses several times until we actually ran him out of mana on the third attempt. I swear, the amount of time it took us to clear the place and how psyched we were after finally beating Arugal, you'd think we had been in a raid.
Neuropox Jun 9th 2010 4:03PM
I did that with 2 level 23 druids, one specd restro other balance. Pain at the end with the MC but a blast none the less!
Gusshanks Jun 9th 2010 5:18PM
I don't see anywhere what level your character is supposed to be for the ironman challenge. Ardougne's post seems to suggest level 15, but there is no level mentioned in the wow.com post
Killik Jun 9th 2010 5:28PM
You start as a naked level 80 and use only gear that drops. If you start at 15 there's not enough xp available running dungeons for you to hit the level for Wrath instances.
EaterOfBirds Jun 9th 2010 4:02PM
ironman sounds seriously fun, might try it with black sabbath namesake in the background ^ ^