The Queue: That dog
by Michael Sacco 
Apr 8th 2011 at 11:00AM
Hey! It's that dog!
Udderpowered asked:
This'll probably make me sound stupid after all these years of playing, oh well.
What is assisting? What does "attack on assist" mean?
"Assist" generally means "target whatever (x player) is targeting and attack it." If you type "/assist (player name)" or attach it to a macro, you'll automatically target whatever that player is attacking. So, if you're in a group and Grumptank says "assist Fatmage," now you know what to do!
Sir Broose asked:
In archeology, why is it I can sometimes use keystones, and sometimes I can't -- the box to insert one isn't there?
Generally, keystones are only usable on projects that require more than 30 fragments, with more slots being available the more fragments the project requires. This isn't always true, like in the case of the Fossilized Raptor, but it's more likely an anomaly due to the fact that fossil keystones don't exist.
Bvannas asked:
Is there any lore behind what animal parts quests have you collect to prepare different rituals or counters to spells? It just seems that bear hearts are freakishly OP when it comes magic rituals.
Not really; Blizzard tends to hold stuff like that close to its chest, either a.) because it's not really that important to disclose or b). because it doesn't have a comprehensive list of what wolf organs have magical powers.
In general terms (and this holds true for pretty much every "magical item" in the game), items are only as magical as a quest needs them to be.
Razion asked:
Has Blizzard ever commented on the idea of adding additional talent trees (a fourth) to classes in the future? Is it something they're interested in doing?
I highly doubt it, and I hope for everyone's sake that Blizzard doesn't add any more talent trees. Ghostcrawler recently said that the game essentially has 30 classes already, and trying to balance and avoid too much homogenization in the existing classes and specs has been a difficult task as it is. Adding another 10 specs would be an awful lot of work for questionable gain. We're likely to see another class before we see 10 more specs.
Arizor asked:
I know some prominent and helpful people in the WoW community have already gotten tributes either through in-game items or NPCs - and with the latest addition of Grandpappy Frostheim's cloak, it got me thinking: what would you implement to the game as a shout out to each individual WoW Insider columnist?
I'd leave that decision up to each particular columnist, but I know that for me, all I want is my damn Belfaire's Party Horn!
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider 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 1 of 9)
grenalden Apr 8th 2011 11:04AM
Question:
Now that Blizzard has pretty much linked Priests and Paladins together through the Tauren and their "Sunwalkers," have they given an excuse as to why other classes that can be Priests (as well as warriors,) can't be Paladins?
MattKrotzer Apr 8th 2011 11:08AM
Because the sheer awesomeness of gnome paladins would destroy everything.
razion Apr 8th 2011 11:20AM
The universe is not ready for Troll Paladins.
fallemwarrior Apr 8th 2011 11:21AM
Undead Paladins are oxymorons
Just like Sophmores
Shanic Apr 8th 2011 11:22AM
The simple reasoning is that the race doesn't value the abilities of a Paladin. In the case of Gnomes, it has only been very recently they even began to tolerate Priests. In the case of Night Elves and Trolls, rather than have Paladins they used more Hunter-based faith classes (Priestess of the Moon and Shadow Hunter, respectively). In the case of the Forsaken, Paladins more embody their enemies rather than themselves - a similar reason as to why there are not playable Human Shamans. Finally, in the case of Goblins, I think they see a Paladin as a Priest with more expensive armor.
So, in short, either Paladins are too new to the race, they already have something to act in a similar fashion, or they view Paladins as their foes.
Vaeku Apr 8th 2011 11:25AM
You misunderstand the Sunwalker thing. Paladins in the warcraft universe are restricted to, in simple terms, warriors that also wield the Light. Tauren paladins do not fit this, as they are Sunwalkers. But Blizzard did not want to create a whole new class for just one race, so for game mechanics they are paladins.
So basically, priests and paladins are not linked together as tightly as you assume. The trolls for example, while in game mechanics they use the light and shadow, in lore it's more of a voodoo religion. Gnome and goblin priests... Well I'm not entirely sure, I think some kind of tech-religion for gnomes and basically a "gold" religion for goblins.
TL;DR... Any religion can have priests, but paladins are restricted to wielding the Holy Light.
Cyrus Apr 8th 2011 11:27AM
Two thoughts: First, some races (I'm looking at you, with the mold in place of hair) are physically incapable of using the Light (vitalist!). Priests of those races can use Holy power in WoW (mumble mumble gameplayandstorysegregation) but not in the lore and storyline, where they are limited to just the Forgotten Shadow. Paladins, though, don't use the dark powers at all, so that's right out.
Secondly, maybe there's no theoretical reason it couldn't happen, but it's caused by the cultures of the respective classes. If a young troll feels like fighting in melee range, healing, or being a caster with more protection than a dress with stunning décolletage, he already has several other well-known disciplines to pursue, so paladin-hood just would never take off in Darkspear culture.
MattKrotzer Apr 8th 2011 11:28AM
It's not a matter of gnomes "tolerating" priests... gnomes pick this stuff up via curiousity about it. Until the Cataclysm, few of them focused on the study and use of holy magics.
However, their lack of attention span DOES lend good reason why they wouldn't generally become paladins, which is considered to be disciplined and highly-committed to certain ideals. Of course, that's a generality. I certainly think it's more likely that a few gnomes would be curious enough to stick with the paladin's path, as they'd continually find it more and more interesting.
Ricohardt Apr 8th 2011 11:32AM
well as you just said, Tauren don't have paladins, they have sunwalkers. Why can't trolls have Voodoo warriors, or gnomes have battle medics?
razion Apr 8th 2011 11:35AM
Of course social acceptance never stopped warlocks...
CaryEverett Apr 8th 2011 11:37AM
Close Vaeku. Priests and Paladins of other races are noy linked together. But Tauren Priests and Tauren Paladins are very similar, and if hypothetically, Blizzard had made a separate class for Sunwalkers, it's pretty safe to say that they would be two different trees of the same class.
Taurens tend to have a blending of roles in their society, the lines are very blurred. For example, the difference between a Tauren Hunter and Tauren Warrior is likewise hard to identify. They are both Tauren Braves. They both the "warriors" of their tribe, fighting in war. As well as the "hunters" of animals to feed their tribe. The difference is that one focuses on ranged, and the other focuses on melee. But from a role within their culture, the two classes are essentially identical.
The same is true of Tauren Priests and Paladins. Both are Taurens who draw power through An'she. It's just the way they use their powers, for magic or for melee, that differs.
Ricohardt Apr 8th 2011 11:40AM
I like Cary's response.
Gnomes, after the last expansion, are suddenly curious about the light and their race's history. The 'medics' are able to harness the light, their lore doesn't have to be ultimate devotion to the light to use it. They are just smart enough to figure it out.
Blayze Apr 8th 2011 11:42AM
Gnome Paladins? Easy.
Even if it's just a case of channelling their Holy spells through their vibroblades and doing physical and combat training to the point where they're strong enough to wear platemail and skilled enough to use said vibroblades...
Bring on the Noamadins!
Also, I'd love to see the Forsaken get Paladins of their own--just Shadow Priests smacking fools in the face with axes and Mind Blasts.
grenalden Apr 8th 2011 11:43AM
So basically you're saying that Blizzard is discombobulating their own Lore (beyond justification) just for gameplay reasons? I guess that's nothing new.
The simple fact remains that "Priests" aren't just Shadow (in the case of the Forsaken.) They also use "The Light." And if you claim it's not the Light they're using, you're wrong. Trolls have Voodoo, Tauren have the Sun God, whatever. 90% of the Forsaken are former humans. The fact that they still use the Light is undeniable, regardless of what Blizzard states in the Lore.
I know that Wowpedia or Wowwiki aren't the best websites to cite for information, however it does say under the Priest category that the Light abandoned them, but they do believe where there is Shadow there is also Light. So in order for them to be a Priest they must not only harness their newly given powers of Shadow, but they must also relearn how to wield the Light..
I don't know. The whole thing seems too convoluted to me.
CaryEverett Apr 8th 2011 11:48AM
If you really want an easy way to think of Tauren Priests and Tauren Paladins, you just have to understand that Sunwalkers aren't traditional Priests or Paladins. It would be more accurate to call them...
Magic Sun Druids
Melee Sun Druids
There. That sums them up in 6 words.
grenalden Apr 8th 2011 11:49AM
Also, I think it's a case of tomatoes and to..mott..oes?
Just because the Trolls call it Voodoo and the Tauren call it a Sun God, doesn't mean it all doesn't derive from the same place (e.g. the Light.)
Ricohardt Apr 8th 2011 11:53AM
I think we're getting to the point of all classes for all races. Which wouldn't be such a horrible thing. The whole point of keeping certain races out is because it isn't common, not because there's no chance they could do that job.
For instance, in the newly Argent-occupied Hearthglen, there are orcs as a part of their group. And there's always been the undead guy in Light's Hope Chapel. Gnome medics casting renew in Gnomeregan since in was first released. If we're going pure lore, there's no alliance warlocks allowed in the cities, male druids only and female priests only when it comes to Night Elves. And so on.
razion Apr 8th 2011 11:56AM
The only thing that prevents any race from wielding the Light is their faith in their ability to use it. Period.
If an old fallen paladin of Lordaeron is raised and believes with all their heart that the Light hasn't abandoned them, they will find out that the Light never abandons its champions. The Light is incapable of not being used by anyone who has the faith to use it. The Light does not discriminate against those who would take upon it to vanquish the evil from this world--regardless of how they perceive it or what they are, or even what they perceive the Light to be. The set of ordeals that revolve around protecting one's comrades and believing that those ordeals will protect them is the very power that the Light is and uses.
radda Apr 8th 2011 12:22PM
The Forsaken do wield the Light, but it hurts like hell. Imagine what it would feel like if you were wielding the OPness of a Pally. I think they'd hurt themselves more than they'd hurt whatever they're fighting.
@Ricohardt
There are female druids in lore, actually (See: http://www.wowpedia.org/Elerethe_Renferal, a minor character in Stormrage and The Shattering that also chills out in Alterac despite being dead). Nelf culture has become increasingly de-segregated since the end of the Third War. Women were the only warriors because all of the men were too busy being druids and sleeping (I WOULD like to know why Malfurion only trained men to be druids though. You'd think he'd be more open since his wife takes a level in badass every time she's forced to actually do something).
Smokex365 Apr 8th 2011 12:55PM
Holy Trolls Batman! Here they come! No, seriously....there's Holy Trolls....and some stupid ret too!