Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Queue: Sad Mat is sad
by Mathew McCurley 
Jan 25th 2012 at 11:00AM
We've all heard the news that there will be no BlizzCon 2012, which has left me sad. No, friends, I am not sad because I will not be in the crowd for the next big announcement this year. No, I am not sad that I won't get to bask in the Californian autumn sun. I am sad because I will not get to see you, my best friends, until 2013.
Everyone just asked:
Will there be no BlizzCon in 2012?
That is correct. Blizzard has just announced that due to the amount of work left to be done in the triple game lineup for 2012-13, it will not be hosting BlizzCon this year and instead holding the Battle.net Championship rounds in Asia near the end of the year.
Why is Blizzard canceling BlizzCon this year? I've got a few of my own reasons, and I'm sure the community is ready and willing to speculate on what exactly is going on over at Blizzard in the wake of this decision. BlizzCon could be a very nasty red mark on the spreadsheet for costs this year while three products make their way through crunches. The resources could be tied up in other places. There are a million reasons, but the one that definitely isn't the case is attendance, as BlizzCon 2012 was bigger than ever and filled to the brim. There's definitely more to this story, and I hope we'll hear more about it soon.
Fuzzl asked:
In your opinion, what's the best piece of WoW music (from Vanilla or any of the expansions)?
My favorite pieces of WoW music came from Wrath of the Lich King in Howling Fjord and the Storm Peaks. Both of those zones had such epic and scenic music that set the tone and beautifully captured how gorgeous those places were. Blizzard works incredibly hard on its music, and it shows.
The new Horde and Alliance themes from Cataclysm, however, are the new de facto best music, because they take from the past to create a brand new medley of old favorites and new pieces. It's a wonderful mashup of old, new, and different, with pieces of music from all of the expansions so far. I loved those themes.
Blizzard music doesn't always get the same appreciation as Blizzard art, but fret not, stalwart musicians -- we love you and your work because it is amazing.
El Oreo asked on Twitter:
whatever happened to the WoW and Facebook integration? And do you think wow will ever integrate with twitter?
As many know, I am a proponent of the idea that a "social Battle.net" is in store for us in the future and that those features will all be rolled out together with the new Battle.net service. It is my best guess that we will see hints of those features in 2012 and then a full announcement at BlizzCon in Octo -- aww...
Zachariahs said:
I certainly hope we get mounts to be account-wide. It's always disheartening to think about the 100+ mounts I have on an alt.
Definitely. One of the hardest reasons for me to stop playing one character and pick up another is the feeling that I'm somehow neglecting my main character in terms of time farming for cool titles, mounts, and other character-specific rewards. If these were opened up to all of my characters, I would feel comfortable playing any character as long as their progress would contribute to the rest of my squad of alts. Pets, mounts, and titles would all make excellent account-wide systems, but so far we really only know about pets for the Pet Battle System.
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 10 of 10)
Velina Jan 25th 2012 2:53PM
I'm one of the many hoping for account-wide mounts in the future. I know Blizzard said they'd consider doing it if account-wide pets and achievements work out well. With 151 mounts currently on my main, it's difficult for me to really play other characters sometimes.
Drahken Jan 25th 2012 3:07PM
So wait. What was the point of the Wednesday maintenance? I figured the reason was to drop 4.3.2 today. But if not, then why?
Jack Woodward Jan 25th 2012 3:47PM
I stopped playing right after 4.3 came out but I have heard that it will be the final patch before MoP. Is there any incentive for me to start playing again before the expansion? I wasn't entirely thrilled with 4.3...
Nathanyel Jan 25th 2012 5:33PM
No further raids and likely no dungeons either (it seems they're always tied to raid tiers these days) but there will be story events. Like the pre-Cata Elemental Invasion, but (so promised Blizzard) at a larger scale.
Kyrt Jan 25th 2012 4:05PM
Has there been a problem with the Alliance in Cataclysm?
The short answer is yes. There has. A massive problem.
Keeping it very simple...they were ignored. Cataclysm was supposed to be a Horde v Alliance XPac in many ways. But while the Horde got lots of epic quests, epic storlines and massive revamps - the Alliance got stuck with a lot of content that was cut, extended and lengthy pop culture references and zones that had their quests tided up but otherwise were essentially unchanged from Vanilla.
While Horde leaders were often to be found working with their troops, Alliance leaders didn't set foot outside their encampments after the starter zones. While Horde players got to expoereince story and timeline progression and take part in the beginnings of a new world war...the Alliance got to see towns destroyed by NPCs. Often, it was even the manner in which such losses came about that was problematic....Andorhal is a classic example here. No reason is ever given for the farmers premature attack and the sudden reversal of fortune thanks to the val'kyr has all the feel of a Deus Ex machina move. It felt like a cheat. Given the Alliances killing of the val'kyr, its never really explained why they had to retreat either.
The list of problems with the Alliance story continues...the Gnomes, Dwarves, Worgen and Draenei are ignored. The content is glitched and rushed. Darkshire, Duskwallow and other zones a remain mostly unchanged since Vanilla. They aren't truly involved with the war against the Horde at all, and the hints that they were holding back to deal with bigger threats removed. The Benedictus storyline, while farcical on its face, was given to Thrall denying Varian and the Alliance even more screen time. Horde content was used as Alliance filler, even when it made no sense - such as with the into to the Vermillion Redoubt. The Worgen storyline dealing with the war against the Forsaken was removed in favour of a tree in Darnassus.
And lets not talk about the inane focus on Thrall...as pointed out before, Blizzards decision to move Thrall into a more "world" and neutral role and someone whom even the Alliance could look upto as a hero was misplaced. As Warchief for several years, Alliance players don't want to see the second coming of Thrall. They want an Alliance hero, just as the Horde players want a Horde hero. Its probably too late to salvage Varian for that role, but Thrall was never going to be a good fit.
Of course, we are never told why the Alliance tried to capture him at the start either.
In terms of quality and pure imagination, the Alliance storyline as a part of the Cataclysm stank. Its hard to think of any truly epic Alliance stories in Cataclysm.
And yes...some of this is also true for Horde races.
Matthew Jan 26th 2012 2:58PM
It's interesting to note that the books are FILLED with Alliance Heroes too! Like Tularyon, The Windrunner sisters (not sylvanas), Ronin, but in game, they don't get epic treatment.
tturff Jan 25th 2012 4:26PM
QFTQ: Is it a code thing or a lore thing that some portals dismount you and others don't?
Nathanyel Jan 25th 2012 5:41PM
I'd say it's just different people implementing them.
Sure, there were some bug in BC that allowed you to stay on a flying mount when taking a portal to Azeroth from Shattrath, but those should be ironed out or simply not matter anymore.
I say, don't make portals dismount you, instead you stay on the mount, let the destination zone handle whether to dismount you (no flying allowed or purchased for that area, or you arrive inside a building)
Paciphae Jan 25th 2012 6:00PM
Q4TQ: With no Blizzcon in 2012, when do you think we'll finally hear something about "Project Titan"? The last I heard, it was going to "eclipse" WoW. With certain other MMOs biting at its heels, you'd think getting this 'Titan' thing ready would be pretty important.
healingghost Jan 25th 2012 6:04PM
Question for the Queue..... I am almost to the point that I feel ready to try the raid finder raid. This for me is the first time I have raided in Wow.... and I was wondering, where do I go to get the basics of the boss fights? I see on you tube for 10 mans and 25 mans, but not for Raid Finder. I don't want to end up looking like a total noob.
marblex Feb 8th 2012 10:10PM
Yes, I too felt Cata was very uninspired and too much like Molten Core II. I wish Blizzard would focus on making long time players happy instead of this flashy but empty new content. The Mists of Pandaria sounds perfectly horrid and the fact that Blizzard feels compelled to incorporate Pokemon into WOW speaks to how weak an expansion the designers tacitly acknowledge it will be. The sad thing is there is enough lore to support more and better expansions. New design team, anyone?
Pyromelter Jan 25th 2012 7:54PM
Quick Poll:
Wowinsider comment system:
a. Herp
or
b. Derp
sakura_kiss284 Jan 25th 2012 10:05PM
Hard one to call but I'm going with: Derp
thehoff234 Jan 25th 2012 8:45PM
Really? You guys sound like battleground QQing. Okay, so the Horde saw a ton of plot advances while the Alliance didn't see as many. But don't act like you did nothing the entire expansion. Let's see:
1. Alliance Navy takes Thrall captive.
-They also assault the Horde presence in the Goblins starting experience.
2.Alliance gets Worgen.
-Their city gets blown up, sure, but unlike Goblins, there are lore reveals in humans becoming Worgen. Goblins simply have their home blown up and have to go.
3. Leader Development
-Everyone remembers Garrosh raging about something or other, and then throwing someone off a cliff. Wait... didn't Varian have a fight with Anduin and isn't Anduin training with Velen in the priesthood? Has Malfurion returned from the Nightmare? Didn't he also get involved in saving Auberdine (or whatever the hell that NE town is)? Oh, let's not forget his involvement in Hyjal, fighting with everyone against the goddammned Firelord. Oh, and then there's Vol'jin: he went to Stormwind seeking assistance against the Zandalari uprising. Wait... I'm sure Velen made a prophecy in Swamp of Sorrows about a future war of light and darkness. That's not mentioning Crowley and his heriocs, Genn, and even Lord Godfrey "killing" the Dark Lady and conquering Shadowfang Keep for his own (or the Council of the Three Hammers). My point being simple: Alliance leaders recieved just as much development as Horde leaders did.
4. War and "Horde Bias".
-Before you all get pissy, realize something: maybe everything in Cataclysm happened because there were logical reasons for it.
-One of the reasons Thrall left the Horde was because the Orcs favored Garrosh's millitarism. Most of the Orcs today did not live through the Blood Curse and the subsequent demonic battle-lust. These "Azerothonian" Orcs are green in color. Therefore, they are not like Saurfang and Thrall, and they remember humans like Admiral Proudmoore, who saw them as unholy beasts, trying to blow them to shreds. They remember being forced into concentration camps. Thrall lead them forth from that. He made their homeland a reality. But, his lack of millitarism is not helping his people maintain their home. That's where Garrosh comes in, people. That's why you see him waging war everywhere and making demands. Garrosh Hellscream is fighting to preserve an Orcish way of life, and maintain the honor and integrity of the Horde while doing so. What does he get in return? Fanatical devotion and undying resolve. Hell, some Orcs will go so far as to drop nukes, but Garrosh doesn't approve of that.
Sylvanas faces a dire predicament. Her lands have been infested with the remanants of the Scourge, Scarlet Crusaders, and still-living members of the Alliance. Of course she's going to start a massive offensive. She has the interests of her capital at heart. Would you want the Gilneans to start capitalizing in your backyard? No.
-Finally, let's not act like you aren't responding. Ashenvale is at war. The NE's attack splintertree and have spies at the logging camp. Southern Barrens is at war. Not only have the Alliance strong-armed Camp Taurajo, but they assault Desolation Hold from Fort Triumph across the Battlescar, in addition to threatening Mulgore itself. Northwatch Hold is still an Alliance stronghold. Theramore still stands (yes, yes, we all know it's getting sacked). The Alliance has done its fair share of bloodletting (Swamp of Sorrows, anyone?) and heinous acts (last I checked, there are still looters in Taurajo). It would not be surprising to see the Horde driven back. Remember, the Alliance has greater numbers than the Horde. Everyone needs to stop crying over this supposed "Horde bias" on the part of Metzen and his peers. You don't see any Tauren complaining about losing Cairne. These things happen, and if you can't accept that, then you need to either roll Horde now, quit WoW and play SWTOR, or keep it to yourself, because it's bloody annoying. In conclusion: It's not Horde bias, it's Alliance moaning. Live with it.
"The eyes of Hellscream are upon you." - Garrosh Hellscream, Warchief of the Horde
Al Jan 26th 2012 2:04AM
"1. Alliance Navy takes Thrall captive." For 5 minutes, and only the Horde got to see it
"They also assault the Horde presence in the Goblins starting experience." Said Navy promptly get spanked by shipwrecked, starving Goblins
"2.Alliance gets Worgen.
-Their city gets blown up, sure, but unlike Goblins, there are lore reveals in humans becoming Worgen. Goblins simply have their home blown up and have to go."
Whereas Worgen simply have their home Plagued and have to go. What lore reveal? Some random Night Elf 'curing' them, even though Genn had already figured out how to do that? Or waiting 6 years to see Velinde's story wrap up, only to be told she's dead in a ditch somewhere, and the Scythe was there all along, so forget about ever seeing the Dark Riders?
"3. Leader Development
Wait... didn't Varian have a fight with Anduin and isn't Anduin training with Velen in the priesthood?"
In a book.
"Has Malfurion returned from the Nightmare?"
In a book.
"Didn't he also get involved in saving Auberdine (or whatever the hell that NE town is)?"
Nope. He smack-talks a Naga for one quest further down the coast.
"Oh, and then there's Vol'jin: he went to Stormwind seeking assistance against the Zandalari uprising."
Wasn't your point about Alliance leaders?
"Wait... I'm sure Velen made a prophecy in Swamp of Sorrows about a future war of light and darkness."
The one he mentioned 2 expansions ago, in Helfire Peninsula?
"and even Lord Godfrey "killing" the Dark Lady and conquering Shadowfang Keep for his own"
Only Horde got to see that.
"(or the Council of the Three Hammers)."
Who only appeared in a website short story, with zero mention in-game?
"My point being simple: Alliance leaders recieved just as much development as Horde leaders did."
Tyrande appears once, at Thrall's wedding. Jaina appears once, at Thrall's wedding. Gelbin appears in the starting zone, to lose yet again. Velen appears once, at a funeral.
Varian's the same raging idiot he was last expansion.
"4. War and "Horde Bias".
-Before you all get pissy, realize something: maybe everything in Cataclysm happened because there were logical reasons for it.
-One of the reasons Thrall left the Horde was because the Orcs favored Garrosh's millitarism. Most of the Orcs today did not live through the Blood Curse and the subsequent demonic battle-lust. These "Azerothonian" Orcs are green in color. Therefore, they are not like Saurfang and Thrall, and they remember humans like Admiral Proudmoore, who saw them as unholy beasts, trying to blow them to shreds. They remember being forced into concentration camps"
If they didn't live through the blood curse and war, how the hell would they "remember being forced into camps."
"Sylvanas faces a dire predicament. Her lands have been infested with the remanants of the Scourge, Scarlet Crusaders, and still-living members of the Alliance. Of course she's going to start a massive offensive. She has the interests of her capital at heart. Would you want the Gilneans to start capitalizing in your backyard? No."
She had troops landed within 5 minutes of the first earthquake, just in case anyone was even alive behind the wall. Know why she has so many enemies? Because she's batshit insane and fired first at each group out to get her.
"-Finally, let's not act like you aren't responding. Ashenvale is at war. The NE's attack splintertree and have spies at the logging camp. Southern Barrens is at war. Not only have the Alliance strong-armed Camp Taurajo, but they assault Desolation Hold from Fort Triumph across the Battlescar, in addition to threatening Mulgore itself."
Wow, the Elves are barely holding Ashenvale. What a 'response'. The Dwarf fortress got blown up, the Southern Barrens are pretty much Horde territory again.
"The Alliance has done its fair share of bloodletting (Swamp of Sorrows, anyone?)"
Gee, only took us 20 years to react to that zone.
"It would not be surprising to see the Horde driven back."
It kinda would be, why would we start winning now?
"You don't see any Tauren complaining about losing Cairne."
When it was announced, you bet your arse we did.
thehoff234 Jan 25th 2012 8:50PM
I could go on, but for the sake of time and my own good mood, I cut it a little short.
Randolf Jan 25th 2012 9:46PM
I had a question about how Blizzard tells if someone is botting. I farm quite a lot of herbs and ore and was wondering what would happen if someone reported me if they thought I was botting? Would a GM just whisper me to make sure I was actually playing my character?