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Anne Stickney

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Know Your Lore: Breakers and Primals

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

What is Draenor, exactly? It's a world beset by war on many different levels -- there's the threat of the Iron Horde, of course, and battling clans among the orcs, fighting with the ogres, skirmishes between orc and draenei. But beyond that, there's another layer of conflict on the world, one that seems like a much larger struggle, one far more ancient and primal than anything the orcs, ogres, draenei, or even the arakkoa could conjure up.

In the wilds of Gorgrond, a struggle is taking place that almost seems to serve as a backdrop to the main Iron Horde-centered story we're concerned with. While we struggle with the Iron Horde and their plans, massive creatures both plant and rock are embroiled in a constant battle with each other, either unaware of our presence, or so intent on their purpose that we are simply being ignored. Or, to turn that around, we are so insignificant in the face of this conflict that to these giants of the world, we don't even register as being anything of importance at all.

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Filed under: Lore, Know your Lore

WoW Moviewatch: All About My Base

When Sharm came out with the garrison-themed musical parody All About My Base, I figured it would only be a matter of time before we saw a machinima created for it, and I was right. Music video master Khayllys has done it again, creating another musical machinima that perfectly accompanies Sharm's music. Khayllys' work is always solid -- the video uses the new model and scenery of Warlords to full effect here.

The only minor complaint I have is the choice of the camera-shaking effect in so many scenes. Used once or twice it's fine, but used in swift and repeated succession, it kind of gives me a headache. It's a minor complaint though, as I said, and the video itself is well worth the watch. If you like the machinima, be sure to hop over to Khayllys' Youtube channel for plenty more.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

Patch 6.1 PTR: Customize your garrison music

A new customization option is on the way for garrisons in patch 6.1 -- you'll now be able to change what tunes are playing while you collect your work orders, mine, gather herbs, or just hang out. How? It all begins with a quest to build a boombox big enough to hear no matter where you're at in your garrison. This quest sends you across Draenor to gather the required parts for the jukebox of your dreams, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be fully implemented as of yet -- while I could collect the first piece on the list, a relatively easy to find drop from shredders on the Talador coast, further items weren't fully interactive.

However, from what we've seen so far via datamining on the PTR, your quest doesn't end when you create the boombox. You'll need tunes to fill the thing -- and there are a wide variety to choose from. Most city themes are included, as well as old favorites like Lament of the Highborne and the Karazhan Opera House music. Keep in mind that because all of the sounds are datamined material, there's no guarantee that these options will make it to live servers.

Given the sheer amount of music Blizzard has produced in conjunction with its games over the years, this is honestly a really nice way to bring all those great themes from the past back into relevance, and allow a little more customization as well. Future builds should fix any quest bugs and further reveal what we have to do to obtain all the tunes our hearts desire -- until then, I'm going to try and wrestle with the decision of what I want to hear while I'm hanging out with my followers and friends.


Filed under: News items, Warlords of Draenor

The Queue: Murmur of appreciation

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is answering all kinds of questions today!

Murmur is still one of my favorite bosses from any dungeon ever, solely for the fact that his sound files are so unique, so weird, and strangely satisfying. Plus, he's essentially an elemental lord of sound, which is a really strange concept -- in a land of demons and dragons and giants and other assorted things that can kill you, a creature that can do so with the sheer force of sound is just a really neat idea. The video above isn't exactly the best video of the fight, but you can hear the strange sounds he makes really clearly.

MartinLongpre asked:

What is the big lore question that we don't have an answer to yet that bugs you the most?

What are the naaru? Where exactly did they come from? But honestly if that question were ever answered, I think it would be revealing too much. The mystery is half the fun, after all -- and it does make for some interesting tinfoil-hat lore articles.

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Filed under: The Queue

Breakfast Topic: Have you caught your own mounts?

I decided to retire my War Mill over the weekend, largely because I'd gotten just about everything I could want from the building, and I had little need for the free seal. I'll probably construct it again later just because I like the look of the building, but for now, there are bigger and better things to do. Like catching my own mounts via the stables. It wasn't really a priority when I began leveling -- the War Mill, with its promise of quest upgrades, free seals, follower upgrades and transmog gear seemed like a much more appealing option.

Now that that's all taken care of, it's time for the fun stuff. So yesterday I went out and caught myself a clefthoof and a talbuk, with the promise of more creatures to capture and tame as the days go on. I think I'm going to like the stables. It's more quests to do, and it's eight mounts that are essentially free as long as I put in the time to complete all the associated quests and earn the appropriate achievements along the way. Who could really pass that up?

And that's got me wondering -- have you guys completed the stables quests and caught your own mounts yet? Are you planning to do so? If you've completed the quests, did you keep the building afterward? Is the 20% boost to mount speed in Draenor enough of a reason to keep the level 3 stables around? Or did you replace the stables with another building once you were all done catching your mounts? If the stables added more mounts in the future, what would you like to see?


Filed under: Breakfast Topics

WoW Moviewatch: 4 people you should NOT raid with

4 people you should NOT raid with is the latest video from Nora Sunstrider -- a compilation video with a helpful list of people you should probably try to avoid when running a raid. It's a fairly simple machinima from a technical standpoint, but the jokes and the voice acting are both on point and had me laughing. The last subject in particular reminded me of several people I've raided with over the years -- in a good way.

I have to say I really like how Nora puts her videos together. Her sense of timing is excellent, and her videos are just the right length to get the joke across without dragging out unnecessarily. She's definitely worth keeping an eye on -- if you liked this video, check out Nora's Youtube channel for plenty more.


Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

The Queue: Rise, mountains

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is answering all kinds of questions today!

It's been a long time since we've seen anything from MrVoletron, but man I would love to see some kind of something done with Tectus and the continual drone of Rise, Mountains. Wouldn't you?

Puntable1 asked:

How do you guys handle Seal of Tempered Fate missions? I always grab my 3 weekly allotted Seals on Tuesday, then if I get a mission for a Seal, it goes to waste unless I can time it to complete on the next Tuesday before it expires.

The Seal you get from the follower mission does not count towards your 3 per week cap. It's essentially a bonus. So if you see that mission pop up, feel free to complete it whenever you want -- it's not going to go to waste unless you happen to already be at the cap of 10 total Seals for your character.

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Filed under: The Queue

Breakfast Topic: What kind of transmog items would you like to see?

As a self-proclaimed transmog addict, there are three major things I'd like to see from Warlords of Draenor's transmog offerings -- first, more draenei-themed items. We have a lot of orc clan stuff available, but the only real transmog set for draenei is locked behind one particular garrison building and a rep grind. The draenei have great fashion sense, why not have more of that style of gear available? Second, I really love the standard gear the Frostwolves run around in -- the designs are pretty, evocative, and unique. If the Frostwolves are Horde allies, why can't we dress like them?

Lastly, though, is something I thought we were going to see with this expansion, but seems to have been pulled -- back banners. I love blademaster orcs, and the idea of being able to run around with one of those signature banners on my back all the time was really cool. But although we've got a follower who dutifully carts one around on her back, we don't really have any of our own. Wouldn't it be cool to have, especially given the theme of this expansion?

What do you guys think? Are there particular items you'd like to see made available for transmog? Are there certain NPCs that made you take a step back and ask yourself where you could get their clothes? Is there a particular armor set you'd love to see added to the War Mill for transmog purposes? Or is how your character dresses the furthest thing from your mind while you play?


Filed under: Breakfast Topics

World of Warcraft 10 Year Anniversary gift arrives

The 10 year anniversary of World of Warcraft decided to wrap up in style with a special gift mailed to players that have been with the game since the very beginning. Players who created an account within 60 days of World of Warcraft's original launch and have maintained their subscription for all ten years have been mailed a very special physical gift -- a miniature recreation of the orc statue that graces the courtyard of Blizzard Entertainment's home in Irvine, CA. If you are eligible for the gift, you should receive an email indicating your gift is on the way at your registered Battle.net email address.

This is probably one of the nicer statues I've gotten from Blizzard. It looks very much like cast bronze, but I believe it's the same resin material used for their deluxe line of action figures. And although I say it's a miniature recreation, it's not that small -- the statue measures roughly 9" from base to tip of the taller axe. The base includes a message on the bottom that reads "The orc statue is a constant presence in our life at Blizzard Entertainment. It's where we meet to talk, to eat, to celebrate. As we celebrate ten years of World of Warcraft, we present this token of appreciation to you, stalwart adventurer. Thank you for being a constant presence in our lives as we adventure together."

Head to Battle.net for more information regarding eligibility for the gift, and be sure to check out our gallery for shots of both statue and box.


Filed under: Blizzard, News items

Know Your Lore: Highmaul and the Gorian Empire

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

"Why Highmaul?" is one of the most frequently asked questions I get these days. It does seem a little strange that we are raiding the capital of ogre civilization when one would think we should be facing down the leaders of all of the Iron Horde we've been fighting against throughout the leveling process. But there's method and reasoning as to why we're invading the ogre stronghold, and it absolutely ties back into the Iron Horde.

When one thinks of ogres, one hardly thinks of things like intelligence or cunning -- it's usually the complete opposite. But the ogres of Azeroth are a far, far cry from what they once were, not so long before the events that opened the Dark Portal and began the First War. The Draenor we're currently visiting may be a slightly altered universe, but the history remains by and large the same. And in both instances, there was a point in time where the ogre race ruled supreme.

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Filed under: Lore, Know your Lore