WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogobig.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. View our terms of service here: http://legal.aol.com/terms-of-service/full-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Do you con?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/08/06/do-you-con/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/08/06/do-you-con/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/08/06/do-you-con/#comments This past weekend I made a 5-hour drive to San Francisco for the inaugural run of GaymerX. If you're not familiar, the gay gaming convention made pretty big news in tech circles when it successfully Kickstarted itself into existence this year. And it's still making news after the fact thanks to the unbelievably rad live rendition of GLaDOS's Still Alive making the rounds on the Interwebs (above).

I met up with a lot of awesome people there and helped moderate a panel on podcasting with the dudes from Horde House, WoW Insider regulars Spike and Slagkick of Game Buoy, and some other great folks from Qoopa Klub and Gayme Bar. I ran into nerd heartthrob Orkchop and his wife, played a killer game of Cards Against Humanity, and made a lot of gaming friends from around the country that I'll hang out with again. This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: "Huge success." It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.

So, the question of the day is this: Do you guys love going to conventions as much as I do? Have you gone to any memorable ones lately? And are there any you're really looking forward to (*cough, cough* BlizzCon)?

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Do you con? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> BlizzConconconventionsfeaturedgame-buoygame-discussiongamer-discussiongaygayme-bargaymergaymerxhorde-houseLGBTorkchopqoopa-klubworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Fox Van Allen) Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Congressional report says you 'may' owe taxes on your WoW income]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/congressional-report-says-you-may-owe-taxes-on-your-wow-income/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/congressional-report-says-you-may-owe-taxes-on-your-wow-income/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/congressional-report-says-you-may-owe-taxes-on-your-wow-income/#comments Image If you're a World of Warcraft or Diablo 3 player, the federal government would like to have a word with you. Congress's U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), at the request of Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), just wrote and filed a 23-page report on the tax implications of earning gold in MMORPGs. Seriously.

The report, titled "Virtual Economies and Currencies," focuses on buying, using, and selling virtual currencies like WoW gold. The key takeaway for World of Warcraft players is that the in-game economy is a "closed-flow system" -- because you can't exchange your gold for U.S. dollars, you don't need to worry about claiming those 26 gold pieces from completing a quest on your 2013 income taxes. If, however, you decide to sell your accumulated WoW items through a third-party exchange (Don't do it! It's against the Terms of Service and could get you hacked!), then you "may have earned taxable income from the sale of these virtual goods."

Continue reading Congressional report says you 'may' owe taxes on your WoW income

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Congressional report says you 'may' owe taxes on your WoW income originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> congressdiablo-3diablo-3-auction-houseeasy-goldfarming-guidefeaturedGAOgoldgold-buyinggold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-sellinggold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipsreal-moneyreal-money-transactionsworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guide (Fox Van Allen) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[World of Warcraft loses 1.3M subscribers since February, down to 8.3M]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/wow-loses-1-3m-subscribers-since-february-down-to-8m/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/wow-loses-1-3m-subscribers-since-february-down-to-8m/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/wow-loses-1-3m-subscribers-since-february-down-to-8m/#comments WoW loses 13 million subscribers since Feb down to 8 mil Today's Activision-Blizzard financial reports states World of Warcraft took a subscriber hit this quarter, losing 1.3 million players since February.

The loss brings the total number of WoW players down to 8.3 million, its lowest level since the launch of the Burning Crusade expansion in 2007. Subscriber levels have fallen by about a third since WoW's post-Cataclysm peak of 12 million subscribers. The loss is hardly unusual -- you have to remember that WoW is a 9-year-old game, and we're at a pretty uninteresting time in the expansion cycle.

Have we mentioned yet that we're really excited to see if Blizzard is announcing a new MMO at BlizzCon?

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World of Warcraft loses 1.3M subscribers since February, down to 8.3M originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> activisionbreakingexpansionnumberssubscribersubscriber-numberssubscriptionsubscription-numbersWorld-of-Warcraft (Fox Van Allen) Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[What advice do you have for a player just returning to WoW?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/07/what-advice-do-you-have-for-a-player-just-returning-to-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/07/what-advice-do-you-have-for-a-player-just-returning-to-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/07/what-advice-do-you-have-for-a-player-just-returning-to-wow/#comments What advice do you have for a player just returning to WoW Hello there. You probably don't know me because I haven't been around these parts for a while. My name is Fox Van Allen. Normally, I'm the one who writes advice in 1,000 word chunks to help make your game-playing experience better. But today, I'm the one who needs a hand. Care to lend one?

I have a dirty little secret (that's not much of a secret): I haven't played World of Warcraft in quite some time. My characters -- two shadow priests, an elemental shaman, and a boomkin -- are sitting at level 85. None of them have left Stormwind (or Orgrimmar) since MoP launched. My account is a blank slate.

So I'm asking all of you who are enjoying your 104-day head start and all the insight it provides: What should I do first? What are the must-complete quest lines? Should I roll a panda monk and experience the new expansion from the very start, or should I start with the content for my existing level 85 characters? What talents do you love more than any other? And, most importantly: Where all the fun stuffs at?
Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.

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What advice do you have for a player just returning to WoW? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> beginners-guidefeaturedguidehow-to-play-wowmists-of-pandarianew-to-world-of-warcraftnoob-guidereturning-to-wowrookie-guideworld-of-warcraftworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-helpworld-of-warcraft-noobsworld-of-warcraft-rookieswow-guidewow-helpwow-noob-guidewow-noobswow-to-play-world-of-warcraft (Fox Van Allen) Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Are MMORPGs addictive? East Carolina University wants to find out]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/are-mmorpgs-addictive-east-carolina-university-wants-to-find-ou/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/are-mmorpgs-addictive-east-carolina-university-wants-to-find-ou/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/are-mmorpgs-addictive-east-carolina-university-wants-to-find-ou/#comments Are MMORPGs addictive East Carolina University wants to find out Certainly there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that people are addicted to the Internet, and even more specifically, addicted to World of Warcraft. But what leads people to spend 10, 20, or even more hours per week playing WoW? Is the urge to play a very specific addiction, like that of a drug, or is it just an outlet for human beings who harbor an innate tendency towards addiction? The Department of Addiction and Rehabilitation Studies at East Carolina University (the crown jewel of the State of East Carolina's educational system) wants to find out.

Clinical instructor, WoW player, shadow priest, and WoW Insider reader Andrew Byrne is running a study on gaming addiction as part of his Doctoral dissertation. He needs to survey 200 respondents (some kind of Nate Silver nonsense), so if you want to do your good deed for the day, head on over to mmorpgresearchstudy.com and take the questionnaire.

Research participants needed for a study on healthy and unhealthy use of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games like WoW. Your identity will not be collected. If interested, please click on this link: http://www.mmorpgresearchstudy.com/

The survey is a set of 20 questions; completing it takes about five minutes.
Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.

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Are MMORPGs addictive? East Carolina University wants to find out originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 10 Nov 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> addictionaddiction-and-rehabilitationandrew-byrneeast-carolina-universityinternet-addictionmmorpgmmorpg-hot-topicsquestionnaireresearchwow-addiction (Fox Van Allen) Sat, 10 Nov 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Yet another lazy glued-to-a-handrail kind of afternoon]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/09/22/wrup-yet-another-lazy-glued-to-a-handrail-kind-of-afternoon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/09/22/wrup-yet-another-lazy-glued-to-a-handrail-kind-of-afternoon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/09/22/wrup-yet-another-lazy-glued-to-a-handrail-kind-of-afternoon/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Yawn -- oh, hi. Welcome to a lazy What aRe yoU Playing on a lazy late summer (super early fall?) afternoon. We're just hanging out here, looking all awesome. Also, someone glued us to a handrail, and it's kind of unpleasant.

Anyway, you all know the drill. Let us know what you're playing this weekend, and we'll return the favor. Got a great game you want us to all know about? Maybe you've got a hot new chicken recipe? Or you found a great new way home from work on Thursday? You can share all that too, we're not picky. After all, those who are glued to handrails can't really be beggars.

This week, we have a question for you guys (and for our columnists): This is our last weekend without Mists of Pandaria. How are you spending it?

Continue reading WRUP: Yet another lazy glued-to-a-handrail kind of afternoon

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WRUP: Yet another lazy glued-to-a-handrail kind of afternoon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> gamingmists-of-pandariamopweekendwhat-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Mike Sacco visits The Fourth Hour]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/09/07/wrup-mike-sacco-visits-the-fourth-hour/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/09/07/wrup-mike-sacco-visits-the-fourth-hour/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/09/07/wrup-mike-sacco-visits-the-fourth-hour/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Hey everyone! Welcome to What aRe yoU Playing! And, at the same time, welcome to episode three of The Fourth Hour!

Today's The Fourth Hour takes us to Irvine, California (but still somehow still in The Fourth Hour studios, according to Michele), where we visit with Mike Sacco, smell his hair, and then kill him. You don't want to miss this one, because Michele and I may not be available to make another one for another 10 to 20 years (court case pending).

After you're done subscribing to The Fourth Hour YouTube channel (cough cough, do it, cough), you can follow us after the break for a breathtaking round of WRUP! Oh boy!

Continue reading WRUP: Mike Sacco visits The Fourth Hour

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WRUP: Mike Sacco visits The Fourth Hour originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 4th-HourFox-Van-AllenMichele-MorrowMike-SaccoTFHThe-Fourth-Hourwhat-are-you-playingWRUP (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 07 Sep 2012 20:15:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: "Tammy Calls Queen a Racist"]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/26/wrup-tammy-calls-queen-a-racist/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/26/wrup-tammy-calls-queen-a-racist/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/26/wrup-tammy-calls-queen-a-racist/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

I love Canadians. I don't know what it is, but there's something very appealing about having a culture so similar to that of the United States but so different at the same time. I mean, do you know what they do to french fries up there? They put gravy on them. Madness.

Of course, I learned everything I know about Canada from one place: the early 1990s comedy series Kids in the Hall. It was so delightfully absurd and yet so delightfully Canadian. The sketch above with Bruce McCulloch (as Tammy) is one of my all-time favorites. Not the all-time favorite -- but one of them.

Anyway, that's what's been amusing me for the last few weeks -- watching Kids in the Hall on Netflix. I know what'll amuse you, though: a hearty round of What aRe yoU Playing! So let's mosey on past the break and all share our lives with complete strangers, shall we?

Continue reading WRUP: "Tammy Calls Queen a Racist"

WRUP: "Tammy Calls Queen a Racist" originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> kids-in-the-halltammywhat-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: Is Fox leaving forever?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/21/the-queue-is-fox-leaving-forever/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/21/the-queue-is-fox-leaving-forever/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/21/the-queue-is-fox-leaving-forever/#comments Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Fox Van Allen (@foxvanallen) will be your host today.

Hey everyone! Gather the kids, because it's one of those "special event" things. Fox Van Allen is doing The Queue today and that's pretty darn exciting. OK, sure, it's not "hit the jackpot" exciting. It's a more gentle kind of exciting. Like the kind where if for a day Pat Sajak hosted Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek hosted Wheel of Fortune.

Anyway. Because I'm an egotistical jerk who has only been made even more insufferable by the blazing Los Angeles sun, I'm going to start this Queue off by answering a question about myself.

@thebmatt asked:

I just saw on @WoWInsider you [Fox] won't be writing the Shadow priest column anymore. True?

Continue reading The Queue: Is Fox leaving forever?

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The Queue: Is Fox leaving forever? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blackfallow-inkink-tradinginscriptionpatch-5.0.4world of warcraftWorldOfWarcraftwow (Fox Van Allen) Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: AFK getting married]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/18/wrup-afk-getting-married/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/18/wrup-afk-getting-married/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/18/wrup-afk-getting-married/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Oh, hi. I wasn't expecting anyone here today -- we're closed. Closed for business. Yes sir, no WoW Insider today. Just a ship on autopilot until the next sunrise.

Why? Oh, you know, someone here at WoW Insider's just "AFK getting married." That's a pretty big deal. And while none of us were actually invited to the wedding (nah, whatevs, that's cool, I didn't want to go anyway), we did want to take the day off and pretend that was the reason. So yeah, this wedding here is kind of cool. And it's happening ... I don't know, somewhere in the Upper Midwest? Also there are puppets here? I don't know, I may just have had too many mimosas.

Continue reading WRUP: AFK getting married

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WRUP: AFK getting married originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> adam-holiskymarriageweddingwhat-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Sat, 18 Aug 2012 21:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Let's get physical]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/11/wrup-lets-get-physical/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/11/wrup-lets-get-physical/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/11/wrup-lets-get-physical/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Those of you who have been following my personal life know that I just moved to Southern California a month or two ago. There's been quite a bit of culture shock -- everything in LA is so pretty (minus the architecture) that even I, a relatively good-looking dude, felt a little insecure.

But did I wallow in despair? No, I did not, my friend -- I did something about it. I got a gym membership and a personal trainer. I went out and I got physical. I wanted to let them hear my body talk, my body talk.

I mean, I've been patient, I've been good, tried to keep my hands on the table. It's gettin' hard this holdin' back, you know what I mean? I'm sure you'll understand my point of view, we know each other mentally. You gotta know that you're bringin' out the animal in me.

So strap on your finest leg warmers, and envision this page covered with bright neon colors, unusual moving shapes, and the occasional '80s-style squiggle. After all, it's time to get physical with this week's WRUP!

Continue reading WRUP: Let's get physical

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WRUP: Let's get physical originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> pat-benetarwhat-are-you-playingworld-of-warcraftwowwow-insiderWRUP (Fox Van Allen) Sat, 11 Aug 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: On the subject of getting your own NPC]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/04/wrup-on-the-subject-of-getting-your-own-npc/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/04/wrup-on-the-subject-of-getting-your-own-npc/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/08/04/wrup-on-the-subject-of-getting-your-own-npc/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

We were supposed to give it to you last month. We teased you about it for weeks. But no more teasing; no more waiting. Episode 2 of The Fourth Hour, staring actress Michele Morrow and yours truly, is finally available for viewing. We talk about getting an NPC in game, WoW-related birthday presents, and some other cool stuff. Also, Michele and I are pretty, so there's that.

But what's that, you say? That's not enough for you? Well fine, jerk, I guess we'll also give you some "What aRe yoU Playing" action today. So follow us after the break and let us know what games you're going to be playing this weekend. And take a swing at our bonus question for the week, too: If you were to be honored with an in-game NPC, what would it be? What would your NPC do? Where would it be located?

Continue reading WRUP: On the subject of getting your own NPC

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WRUP: On the subject of getting your own NPC originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fox-van-allenin-game-NPCmichele-morrowtfhthe-fourth-hourthe-fourth-hour-episode-2 (Fox Van Allen) Sat, 04 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Fox Van Allen and Michele Morrow return to The Fourth Hour]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/28/wrup-fox-van-allen-and-michele-morrow-return-to-the-fourth-hour/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/28/wrup-fox-van-allen-and-michele-morrow-return-to-the-fourth-hour/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/28/wrup-fox-van-allen-and-michele-morrow-return-to-the-fourth-hour/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

About a month ago, Michele Morrow and I teased you with the first episode of The Fourth Hour, what we hoped would be a really epic, regular video series on gaming. And indeed, we still have plans for it. It's just that life happened in a very severe and intense way over at the Morrow household, and we had to put off taping for a while. (More about that later.)

Thankfully, though, Michele has worked through the personal cataclysm, and we finally got a chance to sit down this week to tape a new episode of The Fourth Hour. It's still in editing, but we didn't want you to go without. That's why we're going to share with you our camera test that we ran as a warm-up. And if last time's outtakes were any indication, it's going to be just as good as the full episode -- if not better.

This week's bonus question: Now that the Mists of Pandaria release date has been announced, it's time to decide. Are you buying a physical copy of the game, or are you going to just grab a digital download this year?

Continue reading WRUP: Fox Van Allen and Michele Morrow return to The Fourth Hour

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WRUP: Fox Van Allen and Michele Morrow return to The Fourth Hour originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 28 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> collectors-editiondigital-collectors-editionfox-van-allenmichele-morrowmists-of-pandariamoprelease-datesnoop doggsnoop-doggSnoopDoggthe-fourth-hourthe-green-pageswhat-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Sat, 28 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: The WRUP Fun Kit!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/20/wrup-the-wrup-fun-kit/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/20/wrup-the-wrup-fun-kit/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/20/wrup-the-wrup-fun-kit/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

HEY KIDS!

Do you love What aRe yoU Playing? Then get your free WRUP Fun Kit!

("The WRUP Fun Kit?")

You get an official certificate, awesome WRUP trading cards, and a sweet ID card. Even a special surprise on your birthday from Fox Van Allen!

(weird 1980s squiggle line pattern descends at a weird angle)

And the best news is you don't need to wait six to eight weeks for shipping and handling -- you can join in the WRUP fun now! Just follow us after the break and tell us what you're playing this weekend. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be able see what your favorite WoW Insider writer is playing, too! ("Oh, boy!")

Continue reading WRUP: The WRUP Fun Kit!

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WRUP: The WRUP Fun Kit! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> mr-belvedere-fun-kitwhat-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Special secret WoW cheat codes and trikks(TM) to the x-treme]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/13/wrup-special-secret-wow-cheat-codes-and-trikks-tm-to-the-x-tr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/13/wrup-special-secret-wow-cheat-codes-and-trikks-tm-to-the-x-tr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/13/wrup-special-secret-wow-cheat-codes-and-trikks-tm-to-the-x-tr/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Welcome to WoW Insider, your source for all sorts of Tips N Trikks(TM) for the World of Warcraft game for your PC or Mac entertainment console. Are you ready for the coolest tricks? And the hottest cheat codes?! We won't tell Mom you're cheating if you don't!

(Radical!)

But hey, enough delay. Let's get to those Tips N Trikks(TM)!

(Tips N Trikks ... to the x-treme!)

In the mystical world of ... Azeroad ... you're tasked with beating all the bad guys and saving the princess. But do you know the best way to kill those bad guys?
  • Use spells to attack. Spells cause damage! (Awesome!)
  • Use physical abilities to attack. Use that sword, bro! (Whooooooooaaaaaaahhhhhh!)
  • And when you need to pause the game, just press the power button! (Coooool Trikks ~)
What's your favorite Tip and/or Trikk? Let us know by writing us at "WoW Insider Tips N Trikks," P.O. Box 20283-B, Alameda, CA 94502. Or you can just leave a comment after the break telling us what you're playing this weekend. And you can read what all these other WoW Insider folks are playing, too! (Maxi-tota-rad!)

Continue reading WRUP: Special secret WoW cheat codes and trikks(TM) to the x-treme

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WRUP: Special secret WoW cheat codes and trikks(TM) to the x-treme originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> secretstips-and-trickstips-n-trikkswhat-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Tailoring]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/09/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-tailoring/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/09/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-tailoring/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/09/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-tailoring/#comments First look at Mists of Pandaria Professions Tailoring Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him.

Tailoring has always been a solid profession choice, especially for casters. You can create some of the best, epic-quality gear for your character with your own two (digitized avatar's) hands. You can even create some serious bank notes by selling leg enchants and bags. It's never been the most profitable profession -- but in every expansion, it's been a solid money maker.

A number of tailoring patterns have finally started appearing on the Mists of Pandaria beta. But is the outlook for the upcoming expansion as golden as it's been in the past? The outlook is a bit cloudy (misty? haw haw haw), but we'll still see if we can make some sense of some of the major changes coming to the profession in just a few months' time.

Just how major are these changes, you might ask? Major enough that it's worth considering whether or not it's time to give tailoring up for good.

Continue reading A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Tailoring

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A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Tailoring originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> easy-goldfarming-guidefeaturedgoldgold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betamists-of-pandaria-professionsmoptailoringworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guide (Fox Van Allen) Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Is camping a rare spawn actually worth the effort?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/07/breakfast-topic-is-camping-a-rare-spawn-actually-worth-the-effo/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/07/breakfast-topic-is-camping-a-rare-spawn-actually-worth-the-effo/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/07/breakfast-topic-is-camping-a-rare-spawn-actually-worth-the-effo/#comments Breakfast Topic Is camping a rare spawn actually worth the effort My roommate Mike is a pretty awesome clothing designer, but first and foremost, he's an ultra-dedicated WoW player. Whereas I'm more interested in the raiding and economic aspects of the game, he spends hours on end grinding and camping in an effort to collect fun items. He loves collecting transmogrification gear. He loves grinding on-use archaeology items.

But what he really loves is mount collecting. It's the only thing that explains why he'd waste so much of his youthful life farming in Storm Peaks. He'd been hunting the Time-Lost Proto Drake for years -- since the 2008 release of Wrath, really. Yesterday, he finally struck gold. The elusive beast was right in front of his eyes. It wasn't dead. It wasn't tagged. It was finally his. After three long years, my roommate scored the crown jewel of mounts.

Two hours later, he sent me a text message:
Breakfast Topic Do you mind the grind
To each their own, I suppose. But what about you? Have you been on the hunt for ye olde Time-Lost Proto Drake? Have you camped some other rare? And after all the time you invested into the effort ... was it all worth it? I'm not allowed to share my phone number with you guys here, so you'll have to comment after the break in lieu of texting.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Breakfast Topic: Is camping a rare spawn actually worth the effort? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> campingfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionrare-spawnstime-lost-proto-drakeworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Fox Van Allen) Sat, 07 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: The first annual WRUP caption contest]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/06/wrup-the-first-annual-wrup-caption-contest/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/06/wrup-the-first-annual-wrup-caption-contest/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/07/06/wrup-the-first-annual-wrup-caption-contest/#comments WRUP Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Why hello, everyone! Happy weekend to you all! I mean, it's almost the weekend, right? The time to spend an hour expertly styling your hair, dress in a mask, and leer at some acrobat dude who's not wearing a shirt. Oh, wait. No. That was last weekend.

Anyway, my friend Michele Morrow needed a little bit of a break from her The Fourth Hour hosting duties this week. She's got a sick cat, you see, and a flooded apartment. So we needed some lovely bit of filler for WRUP. (Filler?! In WRUP?! Can you believe such a thing?!)

Adam Holisky suggested I take that terrible picture of myself and open it up to a caption contest. Winner gets to attend a live taping of The Fourth Hour. Airfare, hotel, meals definitely not included. TFH has a budget of $0, thank you very much. And while you're entering that non-binding fake contest, be sure to let us know what you're playing this weekend. Because that's just how WRUP rolls.

Continue reading WRUP: The first annual WRUP caption contest

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WRUP: The first annual WRUP caption contest originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> what-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Fox and Michele Morrow present: The Fourth Hour]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/wrup-fox-and-michele-morrow-present-the-fourth-hour/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/wrup-fox-and-michele-morrow-present-the-fourth-hour/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/wrup-fox-and-michele-morrow-present-the-fourth-hour/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Many of you know that I recently moved from Boston to Los Angeles. And now that I'm living in the entertainment capital of the world, it's time to kick up the Fox Van Allen experience a notch. After all, writing is cool, but all the really awesome people are making videos. So I hooked up with my friend Michele Morrow (writer! actress! Spirit Hood ambassador!) to create a new show, The Fourth Hour. And if it's cool with all of you, we'd like to premiere it here on WoW Insider. Like, right now.

Why call it The Fourth Hour? It's an homage to the final hour of NBC's Today show, when serious journalism takes a sideline to the alcohol-fueled antics of Kathie Lee and Hoda. An unintentional homage, to be sure, but one filled with WoW, gaming talk, special guests, and pretty people you're evolutionarily predisposed to want to mate with. This week's special guest is a familiar face -- or at least familiar voice -- to all you WoW Insider folks: former writer Mat McCurley.

You should totally subscribe to The Fourth Hour's YouTube channel. Then tell all your friends about it. Like it on Twitterbook. Write your congressman about it too, just in case.

In addition to the pilot episode above, you can check out the outtakes video -- all the good stuff that just didn't fit the 10-minute format -- after the break. You can also peek into the lives of my fellow WoW Insider writers, since this is WRUP. Oh,and you can share with us exactly what you're doing in the World of Warcraft and what other games you're playing, too.

Continue reading WRUP: Fox and Michele Morrow present: The Fourth Hour

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WRUP: Fox and Michele Morrow present: The Fourth Hour originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Fox-van-allenmichele-morrowmichelle-morrowTFHthe-fourth-hourwhat-are-you-playingWRUP (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite new minor vanity glyph?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/24/breakfast-topic-whats-your-favorite-new-minor-vanity-glyph/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/24/breakfast-topic-whats-your-favorite-new-minor-vanity-glyph/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/24/breakfast-topic-whats-your-favorite-new-minor-vanity-glyph/#comments Breakfast Topic What's your favorite new minor vanity glyph Ravens. Dude, I am so excited. Ravens. Shadow priests got friggin' ravens! If I were there with you in person, I would be violently shaking you, screaming "Ravens!" into your face until my nurse came along to medicate me.

A few of you may have no idea what I'm talking about. See, Blizzard is overhauling the glyph system (again) for Mists of Pandaria, and they're making a real effort to giving us a bunch of cool new minor glyphs. The stuff being added, like the Glyph of Shadow Ravens that turns shadow priests' shadow orbs into shadow ravens, has no impact on DPS at all. All it impacts is fun, and by a totally measurable +30%. Maybe even 300%. I dunno, I'm having too much fun having shadow ravens to actually do the math.

Certainly, there are a lot of cool new minor glyphs being added, and shadow priests aren't the only ones feeling the love. What's your favorite? Is it something your class is getting? Or is it something another class was given that's making you totally jealous you play a lousy boomkin?
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite new minor vanity glyph? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 24 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionminor-glyphmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-new-glyphsnew-glyphsnew-minor-glyphsshadow-ravensworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Fox Van Allen) Sun, 24 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Reading What are You Playing? What a chore!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/22/wrup-reading-what-are-you-playing-what-a-chore/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/22/wrup-reading-what-are-you-playing-what-a-chore/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/22/wrup-reading-what-are-you-playing-what-a-chore/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Has this ever happened to you? Driving is important (cut to black-and-white image of woman driving a car), but trying to make out other vehicles in standard definition? What a chore! (Woman crashes, throws hands up in despair.)

Or how about this? All your friends have new MacBook Pros with Retina Displays, and here you are (cut to black-and-white of man shaking his head at his laptop with frustration), looking with your own two non-HD eyes at a MacBook Air? (Man throws MacBook Air in trash, puts hands on hips, lets out exasperated sigh.) There has to be a better way!

Well, there is! Suffer through non-HD reality no more! Introducing new HD glasses! They can be yours for just $19.95, plus a massively punitive shipping and handling charge. But wait -- act now and we'll throw in this week's WRUP absolutely free. Think that's all? Oh no, you even get a bonus question: What's your favorite level 90 talent?

Continue reading WRUP: Reading What are You Playing? What a chore!

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WRUP: Reading What are You Playing? What a chore! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> what-are-you-playingWRUP (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 22 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Spiritual Guidance: Mists of Pandaria and the evolution of a shadow priest]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/21/spiritual-guidance-mists-of-pandaria-and-the-evolution-of-a-sha/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/21/spiritual-guidance-mists-of-pandaria-and-the-evolution-of-a-sha/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/21/spiritual-guidance-mists-of-pandaria-and-the-evolution-of-a-sha/#comments Spiritual Guidance Mists of Pandaria and the evolution of a shadow priest Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. On alternate Wednesdays, shadow priesting expert Fox Van Allen comes from out of the shadows to bask in your loving adoration.

Ladies and gentleman, I have returned! I know the wait was absolutely excruciating, and though Dawn Moore was an apt replacement for a week, it's like getting a hit of methadone instead of your pure Fox Van Heroin.

This week, I hope you'll bear with me, because I'd like to tell you a bit of a story: the story of how one Fox Van Allen found a game called World of Warcraft and of how his approach to the game changed throughout the year. There's a message buried in there somewhere, I promise.

Anyway, think back to it -- your first day of WoW. Maybe you played a priest since the very beginning, but for me, it was a warrior. Priests, so far as I was concerned, were a healing class. And I wanted to break stuff.

So, there me were. Me Fox. Me smash! But me no happy. Warrior make Fox sad. No like fight boomchicken close up. Want ranged attack! Control chicken mind! Make fall off cliff! Boomkin sadness fun for Fox!

Continue reading Spiritual Guidance: Mists of Pandaria and the evolution of a shadow priest

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Spiritual Guidance: Mists of Pandaria and the evolution of a shadow priest originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-priestsmistsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betapriest-guidepriest-infopriest-shadow-spiritual-guidancepriest-talentsshadowshadow-priest-dps-spiritual-guidanceSHADOW-PRIEST-SPIRITUAL-GUIDANCEshadow-priestsspriestswow-priestwow-priest-infowow-priests (Fox Van Allen) Thu, 21 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Mists of Pandaria Beta: Raid testing to begin Friday, June 22]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/mists-of-pandaria-beta-raid-testing-to-begin-friday-june-22/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/mists-of-pandaria-beta-raid-testing-to-begin-friday-june-22/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/mists-of-pandaria-beta-raid-testing-to-begin-friday-june-22/#comments Image If you're itchin' to get your hands on some new beta raids -- and we're sure that applies to none of you, because everyone in the world is totally content just running Dragon Soul again -- there's good news: MoP raid testing begins this Friday, June 22. Testing begins with the 10-player normal version of -- aw heck, I'll just let Blizzard Game Designer Daelo tell you:

Raid Testing - Starting Soon
We plan to start Mists of Pandaria Beta raid testing this Friday, June 22. We'll begin testing with the 10 player Normal difficulty version of the Stone Guard in Mogu'shan Palace. Available testing times for testing will be posted soon. 25 player Normal difficulty testing should begin next week, with Raid Finder and Heroic difficulty testing to follow in the weeks ahead.

You must be level 90 to participate in the raid test, and level 90 character templates will not initially be available. We do have some new technology that automatically raises or lowers your items to the appropriate level for testing. So as long as you have a Mists of Pandaria quest or dungeon item in every slot, you'll be fine.

Note that player interface add-ons are disabled on the beta at this time while we work through some technical issues. They'll be available once again at some point in the future.

As always with raid testing on beta or public test realms, the schedule is subject to change or cancellation with very little warning. Server issues, build issues, newly discovered encounter, combat, or class bugs, and many other reasons could prevent testing. While I will endeavor to provide warning about future tests, this will also not always be possible. Whatever I do know, I'll post here in the Beta Dungeons forum as soon as possible.



Well, you heard the blue! If you want to get in on the action, you'd better start grinding out that MoP gear now. And if you're looking for raid partners, there are guilds actively recruiting for raiding on the beta -- just keep your eyes on trade chat for details.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Mists of Pandaria Beta: Raid testing to begin Friday, June 22 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> beta-raidingbeta-testingblueDaelomists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-raidingmogushan-palacemopmop-betaraid-testing (Fox Van Allen) Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[When WoW friendships become real friendships]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/18/when-wow-friendships-become-real-friendships/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/18/when-wow-friendships-become-real-friendships/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/18/when-wow-friendships-become-real-friendships/#comments When WoW friendships become 'real' friendships Internet friends are weird and creepy. If that person you're talking to online isn't a pedophile out of central casting, then they're probably a murderer instead. That was pretty much the general take on the internet as offered up by 1999 news coverage -- news coverage that's probably best remembered in grainy black-and-white, with Chris Hansen and skulls and crossbones edited in.

Of course, that's just how the media works. There are a bunch of set narratives that people seem to love (like "OMG Becky did U hear a murderer played WoW and it probably drove him to murder 'n' junk?"), and the news media is thrilled to reinforce them whenever possible. But here in the real world, the people you meet online through World of Warcraft are pretty much the exact opposite of bloodthirsty murderers and rapists. Crazy, right?

Continue reading When WoW friendships become real friendships

When WoW friendships become real friendships originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> awkward-the-price-is-right-momentskasilalook-chester-kasila-is-actually-a-tag-on-wow-insider-isnt-that-wmeeting-people-through-wowwarcraft-friendsworld-of-warcraftwowwow-friendships (Fox Van Allen) Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: This workplace has gone 7 days without a retirement]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/wrup-this-workplace-has-gone-7-days-without-a-retirement/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/wrup-this-workplace-has-gone-7-days-without-a-retirement/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/wrup-this-workplace-has-gone-7-days-without-a-retirement/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

I have terrific news you guys. No one left WoW Insider forever this week. No one went off to start a new life across the country. Yours truly is here, in charge of WRUP, and sharing with you a nonsensical video to get your weekend started right.

It is as it was meant to be. Mostly because everyone here has spent the last seven days locked in cages to prevent their escapes.

Anyway, ladykin and menfolk, it's time to get out your NES Advantage knockoff, enter your favorite cheat codes, and tell us: What are you playing this weekend?

Continue reading WRUP: This workplace has gone 7 days without a retirement

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WRUP: This workplace has gone 7 days without a retirement originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> what-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:45:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[8th annual LGBT Proudmoore Pride celebration to be held this weekend]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/8th-annual-lgbt-proudmoore-pride-celebration-to-be-held-this-wee/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/8th-annual-lgbt-proudmoore-pride-celebration-to-be-held-this-wee/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/8th-annual-lgbt-proudmoore-pride-celebration-to-be-held-this-wee/#comments Proudmoore hosting its 8th LGBT Proudmoore Pride celebration this weekend Here in the United States, the month of June is traditionally known as a month of celebration of pride by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Around the country, major cities are erupting in parades, dance parties, and excellent interior design. But it's not just the real world that celebrates -- June is a time for celebration in Azeroth, too.

Sponsored by The Stonewall Family (Alliance) and Taint (Horde) guilds, the eighth annual Proudmoore Pride celebration will be held this Saturday, June 16 on the Proudmoore (US) server. Lineup for the Proudmoore Pride parade begins at 11:00 a.m. server (2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific). Horde characters will line up at the Mor'Shan Ramparts in Northern Barrens; Alliance will meet at Honor's Stand in Southern Barrens. The parade begins at 11:45, with both factions scheduled to meet up in Booty Bay at 12:30 p.m. for a massive Disco Dance Party.

There will be a special Pride edition of the WoW Factor transmog contest at 2:30 p.m. at the Stormwind Cathedral. All Alliance characters are encouraged to attend to show off their fiercest fashion and try to win a share of the 100,000 gold prize pool.

If you haven't been to a Proudmoore Pride celebration before, I would recommend it -- it's quite the spectacle. Full details about Proudmoore Pride can be had at the official website, ProudmoorePride.com.

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8th annual LGBT Proudmoore Pride celebration to be held this weekend originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bisexualgaygay-guildsgay-prideGLBTlesbianLGBTmogfatherpridepride-2012queertaintthe-stonewall-familytransgenderwarcraft-gay-pride (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The day Fox's account got hacked -- and how you can learn from his mistakes]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/the-day-foxs-account-got-hacked-and-how-you-can-learn-from-h/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/the-day-foxs-account-got-hacked-and-how-you-can-learn-from-h/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/the-day-foxs-account-got-hacked-and-how-you-can-learn-from-h/#comments The day Fox's account got hacked and how you can learn from his mistakes
Ladies and gentlemen, hello. My name is Fox Van Allen. I've been playing World of Warcraft for nearly four years. And despite all I know and all my warnings I've given you, the reader, it still happened. Last week, I, Fox Van Allen, had my account hacked.

The first question I'm inevitably asked is, "You? What excuse do you have to not have an authenticator?" Well, truth is, I do have an authenticator. I use my iPhone. But one day a few weeks ago, that ever-changing number display just somehow fell out of sync with what WoW was expecting me to enter. Trying to re-sync did nothing. To get back into my account, I had to have the folks at Blizzard take my authenticator off the account.

And that's how it happened. I foolishly forgot to reattach it right away -- I really haven't played a heck of a lot of World of Warcraft on account of my move to Los Angeles. It just wasn't on my mental list of things to do. And wouldn't you know it, barely a week after I had my authenticator disconnected from my account, I started getting emails from Blizzard. Not the usual spam, but legit receipts. Receipts for $105 worth of server transfers and faction changes that I didn't authorize.

That's when the pit of my stomach gave way. I knew immediately the emails were legit. And if the emails were legit, then I had to have been hacked. It's one of the worst feelings in the world.

Continue reading The day Fox's account got hacked -- and how you can learn from his mistakes

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The day Fox's account got hacked -- and how you can learn from his mistakes originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> account-compromiseaccount-compromisesbanninggold-buyinggold-sellinghackingrecovering-from-hackingworld-of-warcraft-account-theftwow-hackingwow-hacks (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Inscription]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-inscription/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-inscription/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-inscription/#comments A first look at Mists of Pandaria professions Inscription Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him.

I know there's some disagreement between myself and Basil over this, but inscription is hands down my favorite profession. That's not really because I like the process of finding or buying herbs, and I absolutely detest the whole milling procedure. It's because I like money. Inscription made me stupid rich.

So, it would only follow then that I have great interest in what scribes will be up to come Mists of Pandaria. After all, Cataclysm brought the advent of the ultra-profitable and high-demand Mysterious Fortune Cards, so Blizzard must have something cool up its sleeves for this next expansion, too, right?

Well ... sort of! I mean, let's face it, Mysterious Fortune Cards are a pretty big bar to set. That being said, there's some serious love coming scribes way in terms of new things to sell, new items to equip, and new, fun things to have fun with. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself.

Continue reading A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Inscription

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A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Inscription originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> easy-goldfarming-guidefeaturedgoldgold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipsinscriptioninscription-guideinscription-in-mopmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betamists-of-pandaria-inscriptionmists-of-pandaria-professionsscribeworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guide (Fox Van Allen) Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: A farewell to Mr. Mat McCurley and Ms. Kelly Aarons]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/wrup-a-farewell-to-mr-mat-mccurley-and-ms-kelly-aarons/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/wrup-a-farewell-to-mr-mat-mccurley-and-ms-kelly-aarons/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/wrup-a-farewell-to-mr-mat-mccurley-and-ms-kelly-aarons/#comments WRUP A farewell to Mr Mat McCurley Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Hello, everyone! I've finally returned from my pseudo-vacation roadtrip across the country. It was a lot of fun. I got to meet Anne Stickney (again), see a dude freak out on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives, go skydiving, check out the Art of Videogames exhibit at The Smithsonian, survived being stranded for 10 hours in the blazing California desert, and -- well, it was pretty damn action-packed.

But as much as I'd love to regale you with tales of my adventure, we have some sadness today. Beloved WoW Insider columnist Mat McCurley has gone to a better place. (The better place, in this case, being a totally rocking job with Riot, the folks who make League of Legends.) If you're the type who reads WoW Insider without checking out the bylines, it's hard to fathom how much of a loss this is. Mat is a huge part of what makes WoW Insider what it is.

I first met Mat as part of a somewhat impromptu one-day trip. Mike Sacco and I drove from Massachusetts down to New York city, meeting up with McCurley and (then writer) Rich Stoneybaby Maloy for a really awesome evening or drinking and WoW talk. By the next morning, the groundwork for one of the most amazing working friendships I've ever had was laid.

My favorite thing about Mat was his almost child-like enjoyment of WoW. He shows such an incredible enthusiasm for the game that it's infectious. If you met him at BlizzCon or saw him perform at PAX East, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It really sucks that we're losing Mat as a columnist. The only consolation: He's going to go on to do even more amazing things for Riot. And also he's going to come out to live in Los Angeles, right down the street from me. Awesome.

And making matters worse, we're also losing Kelly Aarons here at WoW Insider as well. I wish I knew Kelly as well as I knew Mat, but I never got a chance to drive up to Canada. From what I do know about her, though, she's awesome. Her drawings were awesome. Byron rules.

As a farewell, I figured I'd republish Mat's Birthday Wish one last time. It was an epic effort on my part -- a children's book I wrote to pay tribute to one of the coolest dudes out there in the WoW-verse. And while we're WRUPing, we'll all answer this week's bonus question: What's your favorite Mat McCurley/Kelly Aarons moment?

Continue reading WRUP: A farewell to Mr. Mat McCurley and Ms. Kelly Aarons

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WRUP: A farewell to Mr. Mat McCurley and Ms. Kelly Aarons originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> kelly-aaronsmat-mccurleywhat-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: A moment of silence for 38 Studios]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/25/wrup-a-moment-of-silence-for-38-studios/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/25/wrup-a-moment-of-silence-for-38-studios/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/25/wrup-a-moment-of-silence-for-38-studios/#comments Image Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

In case you've been living under a rock the last 24 hours or so, one of the biggest stories in the gaming world right now is the collapse of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. We didn't really cover it, since we're a World of Warcraft-focused site, but we're all gamers here. It stings to see an MMORPG crash and burn, but it hurts even more to see the devastation that the sudden fall of two companies in the industry has caused.

The situation for folks at 38 Studios is somewhat grim right now, though that's nothing new. Most of them had been working without pay since the beginning of the month. A lot of them were depending on the health insurance their job provided -- coverage which has since expired. All of them were just like us -- gamers at heart who just wanted to do something really cool to entertain you. Twitter has been rallying to help, but it's impossible to look at the situation without wishing there was something more you could do.

Beyond the employees, there are a lot of other victims of this debacle too. The taxpayers of Rhode Island are on the hook for a massive loan made to keep 38 afloat -- a loan which could total over $112 million by the time all is said and done. That's a $100 charge to every man, woman, and child currently living in the state. A number of Rhode Island officials who stuck their necks out for 38 have resigned in disgrace, though arguably, they had a lot to be disgraced over. I guess what I'm saying is that it's a bad situation all around.

Well, almost all around. One of the few people who got away clean, ironically, is company founder Curt Schilling, the baseball player who inexplicably started a video games company. He wrote himself a $4 million check from the 38 Studios bank account a few months ago, money that could have -- and should have -- gone to pay his employees that he watched work without pay. As someone from "Red Sox Nation," I feel I have the right to say this: Screw that guy.

So yeah, before we head into this week's WRUP, I want to have a brief moment of silence for 38 Studios and all the folks who were hurt by its downfall.

Continue reading WRUP: A moment of silence for 38 Studios

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WRUP: A moment of silence for 38 Studios originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 25 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 38-studiosbig-huge-gamescurt-schillinggaming-industryrhode-islandscrew-that-guywhat-are-you-playingWRUP (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 25 May 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Engineering]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/21/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-engineering/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/21/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-engineering/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/21/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-engineering/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- if you're not having fun while playing World of Warcraft, you're doing it wrong. Sure, raiding is great, and so is having pockets full of gold. But if you don't find either of those fun, then why bother? Find something that is fun.

Fun, of course, is what the engineering profession is all about. It's certainly not about money, after all -- engineers make very few things that non-engineers can use. But while you're struggling to make money in MoP, you'll at least be getting a lot of new perks to enjoy while doing all that struggling. There are cool new pets, new conveniences, new gear, a new world-altering device, and even new mounts -- yes, mounts with an s!

Exciting times are most definitely ahead for engineers. So strap on your goggles and have a robot roll up your sleeves -- we're going to dive right in.

Continue reading A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Engineering

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A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Engineering originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blingtron-4000depleted-kyparium-rocketeasy-goldengineeringengineering-previewfarming-guidefeaturedg91-landsharkgeosynchronous-world-spinnerghost-iron-dragonlinggoblin-glidergoldgold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipsmechano-hogmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-engineeringmists-of-pandaria-professionsmoprainier-wolfcastleretinal-armorsteam-filled-balloonthermal-anvilworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewormhole-generatorwow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guide (Fox Van Allen) Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/18/wrup-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/18/wrup-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/18/wrup-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3-diablo-3/#comments Image Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Diablo III, man. Diablo III.

Diablo III Diablo III Diablo III Diablo III, Diablo III. Diablo 3? No, no, no: Diablo III.

So, Diablo III -- What aRe yoU Playing? This week's Diablo III: What's your preferred Diablo III class?

Continue reading WRUP: Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3

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WRUP: Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> diablo-3everyone-is-playing-diablo-3what-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 18 May 2012 19:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Spiritual Guidance: The new shadow priest trend of backtracking]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/16/spiritual-guidance-the-new-shadow-priest-trend-of-backtracking/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/16/spiritual-guidance-the-new-shadow-priest-trend-of-backtracking/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/16/spiritual-guidance-the-new-shadow-priest-trend-of-backtracking/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. On alternate Wednesdays, shadow priesting expert Fox Van Allen comes from out of the shadows to bask in your loving adoration.

I spent a long time trying to come up with the perfect word for what's happening to shadow priests on the beta right now. At first I thought up déjà vu, but that didn't seem quite right (and shut up, I know that's a phrase, not a word). Then I got bored and played Civilization 5 for a while. Then I made a sandwich.

I don't know where I'm going with any of that, but I did eventually settle on a word: backtracking. That's what happening with shadow priests -- Blizzard is revising the class and hastily making a retreat on just about every unpopular decision it's made over the last few months in the beta. Two weeks ago, Blizz did it by backing down on its decision to axe Devouring Plague. This week, it's backtracking again, giving us back yet another thing it had axed going into MoP.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? In a sense, both. But we'll get into that shortly.

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Spiritual Guidance: The new shadow priest trend of backtracking originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> devouring-plaguedivine-insightfeaturedglyph-of-dark-bindingguide-to-priestsmists-of-pandariamoppriest-guidepriest-infopriest-talentsshadowshadow-priestshadow-priest-dps-spiritual-guidanceSHADOW-PRIEST-SPIRITUAL-GUIDANCEshadowy-apparitionwow-priestwow-priest-infowow-priests (Fox Van Allen) Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Fox Van Allen's Getting Your Kids into Commercials!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/wrup-fox-van-allens-getting-your-kids-into-commercials/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/wrup-fox-van-allens-getting-your-kids-into-commercials/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/wrup-fox-van-allens-getting-your-kids-into-commercials/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

There are only two weeks left until yours truly packs up and moves cross-country from Boston to California. But not just anywhere in California -- Los Angeles. Hollywood! The next time you see me, I'll be a star! Why? Because I've been watching Mel Kane's Getting Your Kids into Commercials nonstop. I think I finally have all the know-how it takes to be a showbiz kid!

Do you look at your child as a financial burden? Then you're doing it wrong. It's time to take that toddler and monetize him through the magic world of commercial acting!

Don't know where to start? Well, no worries -- Mel Kane's Getting Your Kids into Commercials is here to help. Mel will teach you all the key aspects of being a showbiz parent: how to punish your child when they mess up their lines, how to punish your child when they miss their mark, and how to punish your child when they look bored and clearly don't want to be there acting. And most importantly, Mel will teach you how severely to punish your kids when they don't read that week's WRUP. (Very severely! WRUP is totes important!)

So, that's that. While you get your kids browbeat into shape, the rest of us will be here What aRe yoU Playing our hearts out to avoid the wrath of our own showbiz parents. This week's bonus question: With the recent announcement that cross-realm zones are coming to Mists of Pandaria, I've been in a very nostalgic mode. So, I want to know: What's your favorite low-level zone?

Continue reading WRUP: Fox Van Allen's Getting Your Kids into Commercials!

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WRUP: Fox Van Allen's Getting Your Kids into Commercials! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 11 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> what-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 11 May 2012 19:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Should you change professions for Mists of Pandaria?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/should-you-change-professions-for-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/should-you-change-professions-for-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/should-you-change-professions-for-mists-of-pandaria/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him.

Last week here in Gold Capped, I gave you a sneak peek at the alchemy profession in Mists of Pandaria, including some of the new potions, flasks, and transmutes available to those willing to put in the work. That column apparently got a lot of you thinking, because immediately afterward, I got no fewer than three emails from players asking if they should change their professions to alchemy -- or more generally, whether or not they should switch to a better profession.

It's a question to which there's no easy answer. Each profession has the potential to be profitable -- some more so than others, sure. But one person might make millions of gold from inscription, for example, while another player struggles to make a few silver.

Aside from knowledge (which you're all getting right here from Gold Capped, natch), what's the biggest factor regarding a profession's profitability? It's your playstyle. Certain professions lend themselves to the weekend Auction House warrior, while others reward daily persistence. So what profession is right for you? And should you change to that profession for Mists of Pandaria?

Continue reading Should you change professions for Mists of Pandaria?

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Should you change professions for Mists of Pandaria? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 08 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> easy-goldfarming-guidefeaturedgoldgold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipshow-to-make-money-in-mists-of-pandariamists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-professionsmopnew-professionsprofessionsswitching-professionsworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guide (Fox Van Allen) Tue, 08 May 2012 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: Final Jeopardy!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/wrup-final-jeopardy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/wrup-final-jeopardy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/wrup-final-jeopardy/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

I know how it is. All week long, you've been workin' for the weekend. You want a new romance. You're going off the deep end. You need a second chance. Well, don't worry. We've been looking to see if it was you. We've been wanting you to come through. We're hoping it will all work out. We've been waiting for you to hold out. I have no idea what any of the above means -- but man, was it catchy when Loverboy said it.

Anyway, it's time for WRUP, the magical part of that weekend you've been workin' for. Our writers are just itching to tell you what games they're sitting down to play this weekend. What's that? You want to be a part of the show? Well, c'mon baby, let's go. Feel free to share with us what you're playing, too.

It's not a true WRUP without a bonus question, so this week's category is ... [20TH-CENTURY LITERATURE]. Think about that and write down your wager. We'll be back with the question right after this.

Continue reading WRUP: Final Jeopardy!

WRUP: Final Jeopardy! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 04 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 04 May 2012 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Spiritual Guidance: The return of Devouring Plague, and our new shadowy friend]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/spiritual-guidance-the-return-of-devouring-plague-and-our-new/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/spiritual-guidance-the-return-of-devouring-plague-and-our-new/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/spiritual-guidance-the-return-of-devouring-plague-and-our-new/#comments Image
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. On alternate Wednesdays, shadow priesting expert Fox Van Allen comes from out of the shadows to bask in your loving adoration.

In case you haven't noticed, the shadowformed Spiritual Guidance is a once-every-other-week thing now. Normally, I'm cool with that. But man, these past two weeks have been killing me. Last week, there were changes. Big changes. Huge changes! And this week -- more huge changes! Groundbreaking changes! Stunning, jaw-dropping changes! Unbelievable ...

Okay, I digress. But there's no exaggeration here. The changes over the past two weeks have been huge. Old friends are making a comeback. New friends are on the way. Shadow priest PvP is changing forever. And shadow priest mastery has been completely overhauled -- twice.

We've got a lot of catching up to do, kids. I'll introduce you to our new friend in just a bit (not that Dawn Moore and Matt Low haven't already let the cat out of the bag), but first, an old friend has been waiting to say "hi." Ladies and gentlemen, make our oldest of friends feel welcome -- a round of applause, please, for Devouring Plague.

Continue reading Spiritual Guidance: The return of Devouring Plague, and our new shadowy friend

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Spiritual Guidance: The return of Devouring Plague, and our new shadowy friend originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> archangelDevouring-Plaguefeaturedguide-to-priestsmindbendermists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betamists-of-pandaria-talent-changesmoppriest-guidepriest-infopriest-talentspsyfiendshadowshadow-priestshadow-priest-dps-spiritual-guidanceshadow-priest-spiritual-guidancewow-priestwow-priest-infowow-priests (Fox Van Allen) Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[A first look at Mists of Pandaria professions: Alchemy]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/30/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-alchemy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/30/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-alchemy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/30/a-first-look-at-mists-of-pandaria-professions-alchemy/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him.

One of the most common questions I get as WoW Insider's (other) resident Auction House guru is this: What professions are going to be the best in Mists of Pandaria? Arguably, there's no absolute right or wrong answer to the question -- after all, each profession is going to have its pros and cons. (I like to hedge my bets by giving different alts different professions to have a max level of each profession.)

That said, one of my favorite professions for the early days of any expansion is alchemy. It's likely one of your favorites, too, and there's no mystery as to why -- transmutes. In the earlier days of Cataclysm, it wasn't rare to see Truegold sell for more than 1,000 gold apiece. That provided a small profit to any alchemist, but for those lucky enough to see bonus procs, a single transmute could turn a 4,000 gold profit or better. Not bad for about 20 seconds' worth of work.

Of course, that was then; this is now. Will alchemy remain as stupidly profitable in the early days of Mists of Pandaria? Only one way to find out -- ladies and gentlemen, it's time to datamine! To the beta!

Continue reading A first look at Mists of Pandaria professions: Alchemy

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A first look at Mists of Pandaria professions: Alchemy originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alchemistalchemyalchemy-specializationseasy-goldelixirsfarming-guidefeaturedgoldgold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipsmaking-money-through-alchemymists-of-pandaria-elixirsmists-of-pandaria-flasksmists-of-pandaria-potionsmists-of-pandaria-transmutesmop-eliixrsmop-flasksmop-potionsmop-transmutestransmuteworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guide (Fox Van Allen) Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WRUP: The WoW Insider TV show]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/wrup-the-wow-insider-tv-show/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/wrup-the-wow-insider-tv-show/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/wrup-the-wow-insider-tv-show/#comments Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Here's a question, ladies and gents: What's your favorite TV show? Are you a fan of the recently renewed Fringe? Perhaps you're more the American Horror Story type? Maybe you British blokes care for Coronation Street, Blue Peter, or The Chase? (Look at the American pretending he knows stuff about British culture -- isn't that cute?)

Surely none of you said your favorite show was TMZ, even though that's an actual show that really exists on TV in real life. Apparently, someone thought it would be a great idea to take a celebrity gossip site and turn it into an awful TV show. (P.S.: I am so sorry for sharing the above clip with you.) But that's not the only terrible idea floating out there on television -- after all, someone is turning that I Can Haz Cheezeburger nonsense into a TV show, too.

So, that got me thinking -- if any website out there can wind up being a poorly rated TV show, why not ours? Why can't there be a show that revolves around our wacky escapades? We literally could not be worse than TMZ. Never mind that it's a bad idea to put folks like Mike Sacco and Mat McCurley on TV. I'm ready to be famous. Not like I-write-for-the-internet famous, but B-list reality show famous. It's time.

While you're waiting for good ol' Fox to make his TV debut, why don't you WRUP with us? This week's bonus question: What kind of parties have you been to ... er, I mean, what are you doing in the MoP beta right now?

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WRUP: The WoW Insider TV show originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> what-are-you-playingwrup (Fox Van Allen) Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Spiritual Guidance: My least favorite ability in the game and the MoP beta]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/spiritual-guidance-my-least-favorite-ability-in-the-game-and-t/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/spiritual-guidance-my-least-favorite-ability-in-the-game-and-t/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/spiritual-guidance-my-least-favorite-ability-in-the-game-and-t/#comments Image Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. On alternate Wednesdays, shadow priesting expert Fox Van Allen comes from out of the shadows to bask in your loving adoration.

The big news of the week is, of course, the launch of patch 4.3.4. But for us shadow priests, there's nothing interesting under its hood. Our rotation doesn't change; our stat weights don't change. It's just business as usual.

But what's going on over at the Mists of Pandaria beta -- well, there's plenty of shadow priest news coming from there. New buffs are in the mix. There are new talents as well, and one buff that was long missing from the beta has finally returned.

With the good comes the bad, though. One new talent that shadow priests are likely going to be pressured to take closely mirrors my least favorite ability currently in the game. Well ... really, "least favorite ability" doesn't go far enough -- let's call it my most despised ability. Can you guess what it is?

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Spiritual Guidance: My least favorite ability in the game and the MoP beta originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> detonate-mushroomdruid-talentsfeathers-from-heavenfeaturedguide-to-priestsleast-favorite-talentmists-of-pandariamopmost-despised-talentmost-hated-talentpriest-guidepriest-infopriest-shadow-spiritual-guidancepriest-talentsshadowshadow-priestshadow-priest-dps-spiritual-guidanceSHADOW-PRIEST-SPIRITUAL-GUIDANCEshadow-priest-talentswild-mushroomwow-priestwow-priest-infowow-priests (Fox Van Allen) Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider