Not sure which WoW faction you should be playing? King Varian Wrynn explains just why you should become part of the Alliance in this new machinima from Nixxiom. Beyond the photogenic statues of Varian looking heroic, there are also tons of great people in this open-minded alliance that fights for justice and the good of all.

Though, in hindsight, perhaps Varian should have pre-screened some of these interview candidates. While talking about the everyman about the glory of the the Alliance may have sounded like a good idea, it hasn't exactly demonstrated the Alliance's selling points. (Which are gnomes, obviously.)

---

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

Welcome to the weekend, everyone! For many of us, the weekend means it's time to game and that means World of Warcraft. This weekend, we're also abuzz about just what the recently announced Veteran Edition of WoW means -- is it a useful tool to help Blizzard bring back former players, or simply a stepping stone towards a free to play future?

Only time will tell for certain what Blizzard plans to do... but in the meanwhile, there's no reason we can't speculate. And, of course, talk about our weekend gaming plans. Read on to see just what team WoW Insider is up to this weekend -- and be sure to let us know what you're playing in the comments!

Read more →

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion

There are some talented WoW players out there, like Bangoo H who built this LEGO Infernal that not only looks spot-on for the original, it lights up. Building the body half from gray bricks and half from semi-transparent green bricks allowed Bangoo to wire the model up with LEDs to make it glow for the appropriate fiery appearance. Though most of this looks like it could be put together with fairly stock LEGO parts, the head is the challenge: Bangoo used a the head of the Crystal King from the 2009 Power Miners set, to which he added light-up eyes to complete the Infernal effect. However, the set is a bit hard to find and would probably be the snag in recreating this Infernal for yourself.

You can check out more pictures on Bangoo H's Korean-language blog or admire a full-sized image below the break where you can be dazzled by its light-up glory.

[Via: io9]

Read more →

Filed under: Arts and Crafts

Update: We've gotten an official announcement from Blizzard saying that Veteran Edition is coming with patch 6.1 as a way for players who have ever had a subscription to log on, chat (with restrictions) and play (also with restrictions) even after their subscription has lapsed. This version of the game will have all of the restrictions the Starter Edition has, but let you check in with the game (and your friends) without paying for subscription time.

Original post: Since the patch 6.1 files well and thoroughly datamined, another rumor about free to play WoW has started making the rounds. Hidden in the patch data is a new account type called Veteran Edition which is set up to have similar restrictions to the Starter Edition, in which you can play for free up to level 20. However, just what those restrictions are aren't yet defined: all we know now is that there are new strings in the patch file that refer to a Veteran Edition.

Though there are plenty of military personal who play and love World of Warcraft, we really can't say what this Veteran Edition is -- but if it gave military or veterans a chance to revisit WoW that only seems like a good thing. However, it might yet turn out to be nothing at all... or just an idea that wound up in the patch files that may vanish by the next PTR release. Though Blizzard has expanded the game's microtransactions, sparking rumors that WoW itself would be going free to play, Blizzard has said before that there are no plans to make the game free to play. So even if we do get a Veteran Edition, it's probably not a segue towards a free to play game -- but we're definitely curious as to where this is headed.

[Via Cnet]

---

Filed under: News items

There are some addons that we all know, love, and use -- and have for numerous patches and expansions now. I'm talking about mainstays like Deadly Boss Mods or Recount. But with the new features in Warlords of Draenor (not to mention new addon development), it's worth taking stock of your current addon collection to see if there's something new that might make your gameplay a little easier.

This collection of addons is the WoW Insider team's favorites -- and must-haves -- for tackling Warlords of Draenor content. It doesn't list every addon we use, just our personal favorites and the mods we find particularly useful this expansion. Have your own necessary addons? Let us know about them in the comments!

Read more →

Filed under: Add-Ons, WoW Rookie

Murlocs may not be your favorite characters in World of Warcraft, especially when you're just having a pleasant walk down the beach only to find yourself swarmed by them. However, beyond just being annoyances, there's some interesting lore behind these creatures, though you have to cobble together lore from a number of different sources -- or watch this video by BellularGaming, who's already done the research for us.

So will we be seeing more of these many-finned creatures in a future expansion? As with most Blizzard projects, we'll only find out when it's done.

---

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

Admittedly, all classes have their oddities... but it's possible that rogues have more oddities than most. After all, how many other classes have an invisible friend/troll to call up for quests? It makes our rogue friends a bit hard to trust. (Well, that and the pickpocketing.)

So can you (or should you) really trust that rogue standing next to you? Slightly Impressive tackles this particular issue with their latest machinima, "The Problem with Rogues." Of course, the only thing worse than having an imaginary friend/troll is arguing with your imaginary friend/troll. And the only thing worse than that is someone seeing you arguing with your imaginary friend/troll. Rogue life is full of challenges.

---

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

Though there's no telling when Warlords of Draenor will get its first big content patch, we've started to hear whispers about patch 6.1 which will no doubt be heading our way "when it's done." But that's no reason that we can't start talking about it -- and what it might include -- now. So today in addition to what we're playing this weekend, we're breaking out our patch 6.1 wishlist.

Why don't you join us? Jump into the comments to tell us what you're playing this weekend and also let us know what you're hoping to see when patch 6.1 comes around.

Read more →

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion

A lot of music video machinimas set appropriately themed or paced WoW imagery to music, but this video by Chriskon Machinima (which uses "Leaving Tonight" by The Birthday Massacre for a soundtrack) also aims to tell a rather complex story. Sure, it has the gorgeous visuals and spot-on timing you'd expect from a music video, but the story you're watching is an original tale of an undead waking for the first time without realizing just what she's become.

Admittedly, it's tough to tell a full-fledged story with nothing more than visuals and music -- and I probably wouldn't have gotten all of the plot without scrolling down to read Chriskon's description. However, the animation and music work together to present the story beautifully, and it -- and Chriskon's other videos -- is well worth watching.

---

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

Today's music video machinima comes from Sharm and WoPairs -- Sharm did the singing and WoPairs set it to machinima of some of Warlords of Draenor's gorgeous scenery (with a cameo from Pepe). The song itself is a cover of "Walking in the Air" from the children's movie The Snowman, but it honestly works perfectly in a WoW setting (yes, even the mention of a sea monster is in the original).

The scenery in Warlords, combined with the new high-rez models, seem like ideal fodder for machinima-makers, and it's great to see them taking advantage of the world's new settings -- here's to more machinima in the new year!

---

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