Breakfast Topic: How has reading WoW Insider changed your game experience?
by Aiden James Kosciesza 
Mar 1st 2011 at 8:00AM
Long, long ago, there was a time when I didn't read WoW Insider. When I started playing the game in vanilla WoW, I didn't read anything -- I didn't even know there were WoW sites on the Internet. I got all of my information by word of mouth, and when someone finally told me about Thottbot, it was a game-changer for me. It wasn't until late BC, however, that I even heard about this blog, and I don't think I read it regularly until Wrath.
Keeping track of World of Warcraft news and changes has completely changed how I play the game. Rather than wandering through the world until I come across something interesting, I get a heads-up about new reputation factions, daily quests, mount drops, and craftable items that I can then go searching for. I've learned more about my class, become a better player on my alts, and been assured that it's not just me who hates heroic Grim Batol. I even have an auction addon now, and though I don't play the auctioneer game, I am impressed by those who do.
When did you first start reading WoW Insider? Has the game changed for you as a result? What have you learned about here that you never knew before?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
jealouspirate Mar 1st 2011 8:07AM
I honestly spend more time reading news and blogs about WoW than I do actually playing it.
mads.teilmann.rasmussen Mar 1st 2011 8:27AM
+1
Darky Mar 1st 2011 8:28AM
This.
Nina Katarina Mar 1st 2011 8:29AM
If this site was ever blocked from my office network productivity would go up several hundred percent around here. So shhh, don't tell anyone.
Mr. Tastix Mar 1st 2011 8:38AM
This. But sites like WoW Insider have taught me a lot. I even learned about things like Wowpedia (WoWWiki at the time) and MMO-Champion via WoW Insider.
Honestly? I've probably learned more from websites than from playing the game itself. Playing the game shares it's own experiences but it's less important when everything can be calculated and predicted.
Adam Mar 1st 2011 8:49AM
@Nina - with how often they change the name of the site, it probably wouldn't stay blocked for long ;)
Sleutel Mar 1st 2011 8:50AM
@Nina Katarina:
You'd think so, wouldn't you? I can't get to anything directly WoW-related from work (WoW Insider, Elitist Jerks, Wowhead, Wowpedia, WoWWiki...). However, I can reach quite a few forums. And at the one I'm most active on, the longest threads in the history of the forum are the general WoW discussion ones. And guess where a lot of my posting is done? :D
Craig Mar 1st 2011 9:11AM
Agreed, I get more value of reading stuff now...I feel like such an uber nerd when I log in. I just want to find a newbie and tutor them from everything I read...to bad that's not really possible because most people are long time players in my opinion.
Ice Mar 1st 2011 9:49AM
@Adam
All jokes aside, I wish that was the case. Sadly our school has some BS blocking system that blocks every single site that has meta search texts (the ones that search engines uses as keywords and all that) about "game, gaming, mmo, social website, tech news(yes, tech news blocked in tech school, go figure!), proxy sites" and all that. Oddly, facebook works but not any flash games in it (maybe because teachers are in facebook too..hypocrites).
Gladly its pretty weak for someone who knows something about computers (basically it seems to be simple program to rip money off from people who think it works).
Just go to google translator and translate the site and "show original".
Bam, thats that.
You can thank me later.
Adam Mar 1st 2011 11:37AM
@Ice
Given how simplistic yours sounds, they usually miss other methods like SSH tunneling and anonymizing proxies too, which at least once configured give you the option for uninterrupted browsing.
I've had some success just changing the IP address of the machine too - a lot of these things are only applied on specific IPs, leaving the staff/teacher machines to go their own way but are not segregated properly at the netwokring layer to prevent a simple change from circumventing the whole thing.
Major Caveat: in these ridiculous times you can get into major trouble for "hacking" even if you are doing something as simple as guessing at an unprotected path in a browser or guessing the admin password because they left it as the default (or set it to password etc.) - just because the "security" is dumb or essentially non-existent does not mean you won't get into trouble for circumventing it anyway. Common sense does not apply.
woshiernog Mar 4th 2011 8:48AM
Same here, but mostly because I stopped since I got my Rogue up to 85 in January and I haven't even seen Twilight Highlands yet :( But I usually go on while I'm having lunch. I'm sure even I do end up not playing anymore, I'd still come on. Yeah, it's that good.
MusedMoose Mar 1st 2011 8:10AM
I'm not sure when I started reading WoW Insider, but I know that it's changed pretty much everything. This site has helped me with talent builds, ability rotations, achievements, reputations, and probably every other aspect of the game. I wouldn't be getting nearly as much out of WoW if not for this site - this place and Wowhead are part of the reason I've done as much as I have, and they're largely why I've actually gotten better at the game instead of still fumbling around and getting dozens of alts to level 20 or so before deleting them and trying something else.
Also: the podcast. ^_^ Listened to it for the first time way back in the early Wrath era while beating the hell out of ogres for rep in Nagrand, been hooked ever since.
Without this site and the awesome people working here, I wouldn't enjoy the game nearly as much. Thank you, everyone.
Adam Mar 1st 2011 8:51AM
+1 on this - it's nice to have a site more geared toward casual reading. The EJ threads are great but they can be a *lot* of work to understand, adopt into your playstyle and available time etc.
Kolonus Mar 1st 2011 8:10AM
I could almost copy and paste this article and switch out the by-line. But that's distasteful. But I went from a casual rogue who just liked making alts to name them cool things to a ilvl 350 rogue who still feels like a casual player. I blame this site. I just know too much.
I recommend this site to my guild at least once a week, if not because it's awesome, then because I'm constantly asked, "Oh yeah? That's awesome. Where did you hear that?" For lack of more interesting anecdotes, I believe I first found this site when someone used the phrase Hit Cap and it went right over my head. Also, I made over 50,000 gold last month after I read over a mention of the Resale feature in Auctioneer in Gold Capped. So, thanks folks.
Roguesan Mar 1st 2011 8:12AM
I stumbled across this place about 6 months ago when I started my new job. I've worked for this company a few times now and each time I've come back the place has a new, more severe internet filter. It has managed to slowly weed out every method of proxy avoidance that I've thrown at it. Then while looking for updated patch notes and clicking each and every link google could throw at me, one answered my plea - WoW Insider.
There were the patch notes I wanted and beneath them sat a wonderful mix of comments - some insightful and considered and others that appealed to my extremely nerdy sense of humour. Ever since that afternoon, I have logged on daily and read pretty much everything the website has on offer, even things that have nothing to do with my regularly-played classes. It has given me a new insight into class mechanics that I had no knowledge of before. Sure, I knew anything you could wish to know about Rogue's and regularly kept up to date on them at all the usual spots, but ask me which abilities a Resto Shaman and Marksmanship Hunter was using? Not a clue.
That has all changed now, making me (I like to think) a more well-rounded and knowledgeable player and I have the writers and users of WoW Insider to thank for that.
Cheers guys.
Necromann Mar 1st 2011 1:57PM
I like to know every thing about all the classes that I can. It lets me play my legion of alts better and I can answer mire questions in case people need help.
istaro Mar 1st 2011 8:13AM
After playing and eventually quitting WoW long before they ever even talked about bringing out expansion packs, I came back at the very end of Wrath and went looking for a good WoW site to catch up on all the changes. I did the simplest thing possible: just typed in "www.wow.com", figuring that any website with that URL must be old and well-established. Obviously I ended up following WoW Insider through the subsequent URL change.
As far as the effect it's had on me, it gives me something to do while eating lunch (glad for the mobile site), and I'm generally one of the first in my guild to know about upcoming patch changes. It's hard to say whether that's always a good thing though, because the earlier I find out about the next round of nerfs the longer I have to fume about it ;)
lsprof4 Mar 1st 2011 2:37PM
Mobile site?!?!? NOW my life is complete.
Tim Mar 1st 2011 8:14AM
Not sure how its changed it. I mean I loved the 101 segments; started a warrior and mage due to a few of the bloggers, I watch A LOT more mecha. videos; and made WoW Insider my home page and check it 6 or 7 times a day. So, yeah, hasn't changed much of anything really...
Saslic Mar 1st 2011 8:14AM
I remember first reading the bear gearing guide for level 70 nearly 2 years ago, back when druids all wore a Stylin' Purple Hat. That's quite a fun read still: http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/shifting-perspectives-gearing-your-bear-tank-from-70-to-karazha/
Since then I always catch up on the class changes here. Especially for classes I don't play much, the summaries are really useful.