WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Top Tier Hunter Talents: Trueshot Aura]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/top-tier-hunter-talents-trueshot-aura/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/top-tier-hunter-talents-trueshot-aura/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/top-tier-hunter-talents-trueshot-aura/#comments Trueshot Aura is my current favorite 31 point talent available to Hunters. It's in the Markmanship tree. At level 60 this increases the attack power of the entire party the Hunter is grouped with by 100, as long as the party members stay within 45 yards of the Hunter.

More attack power means more base damage on the Hunter's Aimed Shots, Multishots, and Autoshots. (Attack power doesn't modify Arcane Shot or Serpent Sting.) This feeds into larger critical strikes too.

Trueshot Aura has the benefit of being a passive ability. Once you flip it on, you don't have to worry about it. It's just there, doing its damage-enhancing goodness all the time.

Continue reading Top Tier Hunter Talents: Trueshot Aura

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Top Tier Hunter Talents: Trueshot Aura originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 13 Dec 2005 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Tue, 13 Dec 2005 23:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Top Tier Hunter Talents: Wyvern Sting]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/top-tier-hunter-talents-wyvern-sting/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/top-tier-hunter-talents-wyvern-sting/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/top-tier-hunter-talents-wyvern-sting/#comments
What Wyvern Sting does is sleep the target for 12 seconds and then drops a DOT (damage over time) effect on the target when it wakes up. The DOT does 900 damage for a level 60 Hunter.

It's actually a really nice talent, especially in a group setting. It's the Hunter's contribution to keeping a target out of the fight for a bit in the same way a Rogue saps and a Mage polymorphs. In solo encounters it is helpful also, as it lets the Hunter set up for an aimed shot that will awaken the target and start the 900 damage DOT ticking.

Continue reading Top Tier Hunter Talents: Wyvern Sting

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Top Tier Hunter Talents: Wyvern Sting originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 13 Dec 2005 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Tue, 13 Dec 2005 22:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Top Tier Hunter Talents: Bestial Wrath]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/the-top-tier-hunter-talents/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/the-top-tier-hunter-talents/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/13/the-top-tier-hunter-talents/#comments Are these even worth getting? Which one is best? Ever since the Hunter class was revamped, Hunters have had a pleasant problem -- each talent tree has some nice and useful stuff, and you can make a variety of Hunter builds. Before the revamp most Hunters put 31 points into the Marksmanship tree and that was that.

The Beast Mastery tree 31 point talent is Bestial Wrath. This is the talent that makes the pet turn red and huge for 15 seconds and do 100% more damage. It's likely that the pet will also Frenzy, increasing attack rate by 30%. You get an enraged pet on you and its like someone dropped you into the lion cage wearing a meat suit. It's not pretty. An enraged pet will chew up a rogue and just about any caster most of the time.

Continue reading Top Tier Hunter Talents: Bestial Wrath

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Top Tier Hunter Talents: Bestial Wrath originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[BlizzCon Costume Contest Winners]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/12/blizzcon-costume-winners/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/12/blizzcon-costume-winners/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/12/blizzcon-costume-winners/#comments Proving that a picture is worth a thousand Murloc gurgles, Blizzard has posted some photos of the winners and runners-up of the BlizzCon Costume Contest. Some great photos and proof that some people have a little too much time on their hands (says the guy who plays so much WoW he has an impulse to say "LOL!" instead of laughing at office jokes).

You can even see a slideshow of the winning costume as a work-in-progress, compliments of the mother who spent three weeks working on it. "It was the hardest costume I had ever created. I used hockey equipment, car parts, stove pipe and yes even dog Frisbees." Dog frisbees! Someone's bucking for mother of the year awards!

Check out the great costumes in the photos. Looks like a fun time for contestants and attendees alike. And for all you guys enamored with the cutie in the Starcraft Ghost costume, just remember how Kerrigan turned out with that permanent bad hair day courtesy of the Zerg. That, and if you hit on her she'd probably just vaporize you or something.

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BlizzCon Costume Contest Winners originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 12 Dec 2005 18:52:50 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Mon, 12 Dec 2005 18:52:50 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New enchanting formulas in 1.9?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/new-enchanting-formulas-in-1-9/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/new-enchanting-formulas-in-1-9/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/new-enchanting-formulas-in-1-9/#comments

This is by no means official, but I thought I'd pass along some comments from players having some fun on the Test server. One player, Mykia, has discovered a number of new enchants.

Rare:
(Ahn'Q 20man Drop) Enchant Gloves-Shadow Power: +20 shadow dmg
3x Nexus Crystal | 10x Large Brilliant Shards | 6x Essence of Undeath

(Ahn'Q 20man Drop)Enchant Gloves-Superior Agility: +15agi
3x Nexus Crystals | 8x Large Brilliant Shards | 4x Essence of Air

???(Unknown)Enchant Gloves-Frost Power: +20 frost dmg
3x Nexus Crystal | 10x Large Brilliant Shards | 6x Essence of Water

Continue reading New enchanting formulas in 1.9?

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New enchanting formulas in 1.9? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 09 Dec 2005 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Fri, 09 Dec 2005 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Murlocs go Michigan J. Frog]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/murlocs-go-michigan-j-frog/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/murlocs-go-michigan-j-frog/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/murlocs-go-michigan-j-frog/#comments "Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime murloc doll...."

WoW fan Pendrake has given the baby murloc from Blizzcon the Michigan J. Frog treatment. It seems so right.

From being a one-hit wonder in the Chuck Jones/Warner Brothers 1955 cartoon One Froggy Evening, to being made the mascot of the Warner Brothers network in the '90s, and finally being transmogrified into a baby murloc, what a long strange trip it's been for Michigan J.

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Murlocs go Michigan J. Frog originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Heroes of WoW comic strip]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/heroes-of-wow-comic-strip/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/heroes-of-wow-comic-strip/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/09/heroes-of-wow-comic-strip/#comments WorldofWar.net has a collection of German comic strips set in WoW (translated into English, stop sweating!). Heroes of WoW is quite funny and worth the look.

The comic strips follow the adventures of Shakes and Fidget, a human Warrior and gnome Mage. Some great stuff about WoW, including a strip on taunting, one on a rogue trying to gank these two, and more.

 

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Heroes of WoW comic strip originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 09 Dec 2005 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Fri, 09 Dec 2005 07:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Another week, another Warcraft Weekly]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/another-week-another-warcraft-weekly/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/another-week-another-warcraft-weekly/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/another-week-another-warcraft-weekly/#comments Blizzard has compiled another list of links to "Blue" posts in the official WoW forums over the last week. (Blue is the nickname players have for anyone from Blizzard who posts since their posts appear in blue. "Please answer this Blue..." is a common plea.)

This week's compilation is large, so grab some peanuts and sit back and read about rogue talents scheduled for review, how intellect affects spell critical strike chance, mage water, and more.

 

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Another week, another Warcraft Weekly originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 08 Dec 2005 16:55:42 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Thu, 08 Dec 2005 16:55:42 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Why Hunters roll on everything]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/why-hunters-roll-on-everything/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/why-hunters-roll-on-everything/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/why-hunters-roll-on-everything/#comments Ok, they don't really, but that's the running joke among four million WoW players. I have two level 60 characters--a Rogue and a Hunter, so I know the class well. I'm going to explain to you non-Hunters why almost every item is a "Hunter item".

The answer is simple: items in WoW are statistic-centric, and just about every character statistic helps Hunters. Other classes tend to be more heavily fixated on a few stats and don't need items that boost the rest, but Hunters benefit from almost every stat boost. Lets take a closer look:

There are five attribute statistics in WoW:  intellect, spirit, strength, agility, and stamina. Of those five, strength and maybe spirit are the weakest attributes for Hunters.

Continue reading Why Hunters roll on everything

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Why Hunters roll on everything originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 08 Dec 2005 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Thu, 08 Dec 2005 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Ventrillo for Mac released]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/ventrillo-for-mac-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/ventrillo-for-mac-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/ventrillo-for-mac-released/#comments You may love it, you may hate it, but if you're in a guild chances are you've used it -- voice chat.

One of the most popular programs for voice chat is Ventrillo, and finally a version that works with Macs has been released. Revel in the new-found knowledge that Konan, the uber level 60 tank in your guild sounds like a 13 year old who's voice is cracking, because that's exactly what he is!

I'm not crazy about voice chat because the chat tends toward the inane and reminds me of a phone call that never ends, but it will increase your effectiveness in team situations, such as taking on Molten Core or fighting in the battlegrounds. I'm willing to use it for that, but I keep it turned off otherwise.

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Ventrillo for Mac released originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 08 Dec 2005 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Thu, 08 Dec 2005 10:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[How to fix Paladins]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/how-to-fix-paladins/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/how-to-fix-paladins/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/08/how-to-fix-paladins/#comments You can't kill them, but they can't kill you either. That's been the conundrum of the Paladin class since release. Non-paladins scratch their heads and wonder what Paladins complain about, what with their 37 different protective bubbles, heals, lay on hands, ranged stun, plate armor, and more.

Meanwhile Paladins are frustrated because the amount of damage they output is so low relative to some other classes that players tend to ignore them in PvP fights. I know I do.

The fix is in, according to Blizzard, with the new 1.9 Paladin talents, but Gamepro doesn't think so. "It's not that Paladins are underpowered, weak, or even dull (Shaman dropping totems in PvE is almost as bad). At 1.9, Paladins are by no means a pushover. The problem is Blizzard poorly designed the class--and worse yet, doesn't know what to do with it."

Gamepro goes on to argue that Blizzard never has understood the role that Paladins should play in group situations. "An off-tank in PvE? A defensive hybrid? A Diablo II melee fighter?"

I think Gamepro makes some valid points, but in defense of Blizzard I think a class flexible enough to at least step into different roles isn't a bad thing -- it gives players more variety in play style. I think the real problem is just that players all want their characters to do a lot of damage and Paladins, with their superb self-preservation abilities, just can't hit as hard for balance reasons.

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How to fix Paladins originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 08 Dec 2005 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Thu, 08 Dec 2005 07:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[A rogue's paradise: Tyr's Hand]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/a-rogues-paradise-tyrs-hand/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/a-rogues-paradise-tyrs-hand/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/a-rogues-paradise-tyrs-hand/#comments I knew they were there, the enemy rogues. They glided all around me, the "whoosh" of their fading back into the shadows betraying their presence. All around me too were the elite troops of the Scarlet Crusade.

I had no quarrel with the Crusade at this point, though doubtless in the future I would have some dealings with them. No, today my mission was to interrupt the supply chain of gold being filched from the Scarlet Crusade by Alliance rogues and then funneled to vast, shadowy organizations in the Far East, laundered, and then used to resupply the Alliance efforts against my Horde.

We're talking gold farmers working the plough nonstop in Tyr's Hand, turning around selling the gold for real cash on any one of several world markets -- eBay, IGE, etc. On my server, Frostwolf, it was just nuts at Tyr's Hand. I could go there with my Horde rogue and see 15-25 Alliance players, most of them rogues, killing Scarlet Elite mobs non-stop. These were the killing fields.

Continue reading A rogue's paradise: Tyr's Hand

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A rogue's paradise: Tyr's Hand originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Dec 2005 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Tue, 06 Dec 2005 23:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Insider Exclusive! New Reindeer Mount!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/wow-insider-exclusive-holiday-pics-from-blizzard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/wow-insider-exclusive-holiday-pics-from-blizzard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/wow-insider-exclusive-holiday-pics-from-blizzard/#comments

We're not sure what this fella's name is -- Prancer or Dancer or Comet and Blitzen -- but we'll just call him Cool Beans!

Thanks to Blizzard for these exclusive screenshots of a reindeer mount players can get in the game. How great is that!

Click on the Continue reading link below to see a few more screenshots of this handsome mount. We have no idea what players will have to do to obtain this "pimp ride", but we're sure everybody will want one.

Thanks again Blizzard!

Continue reading WoW Insider Exclusive! New Reindeer Mount!

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WoW Insider Exclusive! New Reindeer Mount! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Dec 2005 22:28:36 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Tue, 06 Dec 2005 22:28:36 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW pen and paper games]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/05/warcraft-pen-and-paper-games/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/05/warcraft-pen-and-paper-games/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/05/warcraft-pen-and-paper-games/#comments Blizz Planet has an interview with Luke Johnson, the freelance writer and designer of the World of Warcraft RPG books from White Wolf Publishing. (White Wolf is the company behind the Vampire game, as well as several others.) These books use the D20 game system from the latest version of Dungeons and Dragons.

The interview touches on how Johnson works closely with Blizzard to ensure that World of Warcraft lore in the pen and paper RPG books he creates is in line with Blizzard's vision. How involved is Blizzard? "They are very involved, Chris Metzen especially. They (and some other fine folks at Blizzard) are always available to answer our questions. Totally random ones; I'm sure some of them they haven't even really thought of before. (For example, what do murlocs speak? How long do satyrs live? What do you call that crazy weapon that shadow hunters wield?) They're very nice and patient about it."

In fact, these books may reveal some upcoming content in WoW before it is in the game. Lands of Mystery, which is due out in January of 2006, includes lots of information on the South Seas and Northrend that hasn't made it into WoW yet. The book is also narrated by dwarven explorer Brann Bronzebeard, so that could be entertaining for WoW players even if you don't ever plan on playing a pen and paper version of WoW.

[Via Blizz Planet]

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WoW pen and paper games originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:21:16 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:21:16 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[World of Warcraft novel on the way]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/world-of-warcraft-novel-on-the-way/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/world-of-warcraft-novel-on-the-way/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/world-of-warcraft-novel-on-the-way/#comments Looks like that World of Warcraft cow has a lot of milk in her. Blizzard and Simon and Schuster will publish a WoW novel in Januaury 2006. The book is being written by Keith R.A. DeCandido, a writer who has penned Star Trek, Andromeda and Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel books.

The plot will center on the Horde's Thrall and the Alliance's Jaina Proudmore attempting to avert all-out war between their respective sides, and will lead Jaina to an "encounter with a legendary, long-lost wizard" -- we're guessing Medivh, who made his appearance in the original Warcraft game that started all this madness back in the early '90's. Who knew orcs would be so popular?

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World of Warcraft novel on the way originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 04 Dec 2005 23:37:19 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Sun, 04 Dec 2005 23:37:19 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New Flintlocke comic strip at Gamespy]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/new-flintlocke-comic-strip-at-gamespy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/new-flintlocke-comic-strip-at-gamespy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/new-flintlocke-comic-strip-at-gamespy/#comments
There's a new Flintlocke adventure starting. The first episode, The Scarlet Hootenanay, is up at Gamespy. Looks like the Scarlet Monastery is going to get the Flintlocke treatment!

Flintlocke is the creation of longtime Gamespy writer Dave Fargo. He follows the comic misadventures of an Azerothian dwarf who has the kind of personality that will ensure a life of bachelordom. If it's "susceptible to being shot, blown up, or pounded with a mace" then Flintlocke is your man, er, dwarf.

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New Flintlocke comic strip at Gamespy originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 04 Dec 2005 22:54:10 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Sun, 04 Dec 2005 22:54:10 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[World of Warcraft Weekly]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/world-of-warcraft-weekly/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/world-of-warcraft-weekly/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/04/world-of-warcraft-weekly/#comments Blizzard has posted their weekly list of links of official posts made by Blizzard staff on the WoW forums. This handy list is a good way to avoid the Cthuluian madness that would result from any single human being attempting to read all the posts generated over a given week.

You can read about changes being made to the 1.9 patch currently in testing, Blizzard comments on raid dungeons, weather changes, and so on.  

World of Warcraft Weekly originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 04 Dec 2005 20:45:52 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Sun, 04 Dec 2005 20:45:52 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New armor art designed by Elton John]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/02/new-armor-art-designed-by-elton-john/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/02/new-armor-art-designed-by-elton-john/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/02/new-armor-art-designed-by-elton-john/#comments What's with the crazy new art for some of the best armor sets in the game. The picture to the right is the new art for the Dragonstalker set for hunters, the top tier armor for hunters currently available in WoW. It's not just hunter armor either. Many other sets have gotten the Rupaul treatment.

So the dilemma we face is if we're willing to look like the Ringling Brothers bus left us behind in exchange for the uber stats of this armor, or we go for something a bit easier on the eyes but live with being less powerful.

Hmmm...wonder where I can buy a red rubber nose to go with my Dragonstalkers?

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New armor art designed by Elton John originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:23:26 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:23:26 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Heart of Tauren Darkness]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/sir-gank-a-lot-and-the-young-alliance/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/sir-gank-a-lot-and-the-young-alliance/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/sir-gank-a-lot-and-the-young-alliance/#comments The Escapist, a slick webzine devoted to gaming, has an interesting article about a WoW player who was griefed and the conversation he eventually had with his tormentor.

Yep, this guy got camped a bit: "What happened next went beyond mere ganking. I was killed a total of 19 times over the next hour-and-a-half by this Tauren druid and whatever low-level Horde he could recruit." Ouch.

The writer borrowed a friend's account and made a Horde character on this server and asked the druid why in the heck he killed him over and over. The dialog went as you might expect, but it's still interesting reading the back and forth dialog between the two.

This was my favorite part, when the druid admitted he was corpse camping because he had been corpse camped when he was leveling. The writer said, "Ah, you were enacting revenge on my character for perceived wrongs against you? This is the proverbial gauntlet we all must run through in order to have played the game successfully and reached 60?" The druid's reply to this rather philosophical musing?

"?"

That got an LOL from me. Good read at The Escapist, and other good articles as well. Kind of a high-toned magazine though.

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Heart of Tauren Darkness originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 01 Dec 2005 23:22:50 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Thu, 01 Dec 2005 23:22:50 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[World of Warcraft: The Board Game]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/world-of-warcraft-the-board-game/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/world-of-warcraft-the-board-game/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/world-of-warcraft-the-board-game/#comments

Forget to pay your utility bill and you realize you can't play WoW without electricity? An asteroid crashes into your local power station and you find yourself WoW-less? Your computer is emitting wisps of blue smoke and beeping at you and you have a sinking realization that you won't make that Molten Core run tonight? Never fear! You can still get your WoW jones in by playing World of Warcraft, the Board Game!

This $80 board game (yikes!) is due out in a few weeks from Fantasy Flight Games and does look rather neat. You play as Horde or Alliance and are part of a team trying to be the "...first to defeat the invincible Overlord - be it the lich-king Kel'Thuzad, the dragon Nefarian, or the demon Kazzak - or, failing that, to be the last faction standing when it comes to all-out war!" according to Fantasy Flight's website.

The game certainly looks handsome and you get plastic figurines to push around on the board while you create the appropriate sound effects -- practice those murloc gurgles. Eighty bones is a lot to put down for a board game, but look at the bright side -- no monthly fees!

World of Warcraft: The Board Game originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 01 Dec 2005 22:46:16 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Thu, 01 Dec 2005 22:46:16 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[NPR looks at WoW's virtual economy]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/npr-looks-at-gold-farming/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/npr-looks-at-gold-farming/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/12/01/npr-looks-at-gold-farming/#comments National Public Radio ran a story about players paying real money for virtual goods and characters the other day. There's an accompanying text story at the NPR website which is rather mundane, but the broadcast story is much more in depth and interesting, including claims that sales of gold and items is a $200M - $1B yearly industry.

The story is broad but it does tend to focus on WoW, probably because NPR's game reviewer plays WoW"every day, sometimes for three hours a day". He's in a guild named Pirates of the Cove so a wave of the hand to his fellow guildies from NPR.

The story both reports and editorializes, coming down on the side of getting your stuff the old fashioned way: "For me, the point of playing these games is not to win -- it's to be immersed in the worlds, and to interact with fellow players. You miss out on truly experiencing the world if you don't earn your items and character abilities."

If you go to the story you can hear a replay of the broadcast. It's worth a listen. You can even hear the commentators talking about the game and getting interrupted when one of them has to fight a mob in the game. He gets nearly two silver from it!

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NPR looks at WoW's virtual economy originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:34:09 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:34:09 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Dear Stabby]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/dear-stabby-installment-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/dear-stabby-installment-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/dear-stabby-installment-1/#comments Our roguish Azerothian advice columnist, Stabstab, answers your questions, often before you even ask them!

Dear Stabby, far too often I find my friends and guildmates referring to me as a "rouge". Should I correct them or would that be rude?

-- Perplexed in Orgrimmar

Dear Perplexed,

A rogue worrying about someone else's feelings? That's like the Unabomber sending postcards instead of packages and hoping someone gets a nasty papercut. Rogues don't worry about being polite. They worry about landing their ambushes when their victims least expect it. It's called "backstab" for a reason.

Given that, I think calling you "rouge", "lipstick", or even "powder puff" is entirely appropriate.

My other advice is to reroll as a shaman -- everyone else is. Of course, in your case they'll probably call you a "sheman"....

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Dear Stabby originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 30 Nov 2005 03:40:26 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Wed, 30 Nov 2005 03:40:26 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Casual content came first, says Blizzard]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/casual-content-came-first-says-blizzard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/casual-content-came-first-says-blizzard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/casual-content-came-first-says-blizzard/#comments Tigole, one of the big kahunas on the World of Warcraft development team, recently defended the game on the official message boards against complaints that it was tilted towards large raiding guilds.

Tigole noted that casual gamers' interests were served first with the addition of Mauradon and Dire Maul patched in after release before any new raid content was patched in. "Rather than rushing to get Blackwing Lair, ZG or AQ done, we then focused our attention on Maraudon and Dire Maul. We prioritized those two dungeons OVER raid content even though we were lacking in the latter department, because we wanted to fully flesh out our casual experience first."

There's quite a bit more in his post and I think anyone who's fair-minded will see that he makes many valid points. Still, as a long-time level 60 who doesn't like to raid in Molten Core, I see the other side and understand some of the discontent. All the really cool stuff drops in the big raid dungeons, and I feel a bit shut out of that.

And it's not as if I don't play as much as the guys in the raiding guilds. I do. I don't even want to do a /played and see how many hundreds of hours I've spent in Azeroth. I'd rather not know. Think of all the potholders I could have knitted instead of playing WoW. Think of all those burns I could have prevented! Oh the shame....

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Casual content came first, says Blizzard originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 30 Nov 2005 03:06:20 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Wed, 30 Nov 2005 03:06:20 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[World of Porncraft]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/world-of-porncraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/world-of-porncraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/30/world-of-porncraft/#comments In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man will pluck out his good eye after seeing this stuff. We're talking World of Warcraft porn, more specifically topless pictures of Helga the dwarf. If only we could be mercifully turned into a pillar of salt after viewing this!

Hey Helga, honey -- put a little something on, will ya? Like maybe a couple hundred pounds of platemail?

Although our evil twin gaming blog site Joystiq reported this first, we felt a need to pile on too. It's not often we get to link to naked cartoon characters and claim we're working.

This skin and many others can be found at the World of P0rncraft forums. 

[Via Joystiq]

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World of Porncraft originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:07:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blizzard player, I am watching you!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/27/blizzard-player-i-am-watching-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/27/blizzard-player-i-am-watching-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/27/blizzard-player-i-am-watching-you/#comments If you've ventured into Zul'Gurub and come up against Bloodlord Mandokir, you've heard him announce that he's watching a player in your group: "Sneakythief I am watching you!" Then he kills that player. Usually.

Fortunately, Blizzard's anti-cheat software that runs while you're playing WoW doesn't attempt to actually kill you while it watches, but it is checking your computer for hacks and programs that violate the EULA.

Some players feel it goes too far and violates their privacy. The anti-cheat program is known as Warden and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has declared it spyware and is making murloc noises of outrage: "Blizzard calls this an "anti-cheating system." We call it a massive invasion of privacy."

Continue reading Blizzard player, I am watching you!

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Blizzard player, I am watching you! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 27 Nov 2005 17:59:49 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Sun, 27 Nov 2005 17:59:49 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Eggheaded WoW stuff: Price-fixing]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/did-you-pay-too-much-for-that-firefin-snapper/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/did-you-pay-too-much-for-that-firefin-snapper/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/did-you-pay-too-much-for-that-firefin-snapper/#comments Wondering why wool cloth is so expensive? Solid stone? Maybe flasks of big mojo? There may be someone manipulating the auction house market on your server, according to an article at Terra Nova, an MMO blog for brainiacs.

Terra Nova posted an interview with a price-fixer in WoW. The guy scans the auction house for items he thinks are being bought by bots. He then turns the tables on the bots by artifically inflating the price of the goods in question and outwitting the bots.


Continue reading Eggheaded WoW stuff: Price-fixing

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Eggheaded WoW stuff: Price-fixing originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 23 Nov 2005 19:45:15 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Wed, 23 Nov 2005 19:45:15 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Happy Birthday to you World of Warcraft!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/happy-birthday-to-you-world-of-warcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/happy-birthday-to-you-world-of-warcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/happy-birthday-to-you-world-of-warcraft/#comments One year ago today, World of Warcraft was released in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

That opens WoW Lead Producer Shane Dabiri's remarks on the one-year anniversary of the launch of World of Warcraft. Dabiri goes on to thank the community and briefly touch upon upcoming content, including the 1.9 patch and the Burning Crusade expansion.

If you're interested in seeing a timeline of the past year's events, Blizzard has provided one. It's been a fun year for me in the game -- I've tallied more than 40,000 kills of Alliance players and loved every minute of it. Now if only they would stay dead....

So happy birthday World of Warcraft! Let's blow out the candle on that birthday cake -- er, not you dwarves -- no one wants dwarf  slobber on their cake. Ssh, you'll still get a piece.

Happy Birthday to you World of Warcraft! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 23 Nov 2005 19:00:59 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Wed, 23 Nov 2005 19:00:59 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW 1.9 patch notes released]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/wow-1-9-patch-notes-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/wow-1-9-patch-notes-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/wow-1-9-patch-notes-released/#comments Blizzard has posted the WoW 1.9 patch notes. The notes include the expected Gates of Ahn'Qiraj content (two new raid instances), the paladin class changes, other class tweaks, and a number of other changes. The patch is now live on the test server but as always, the notes are subject to change before going live. My favorite part?

Nida Winterhoof in Thunder Bluff now sells Flowers for the sensitive Horde player.

Flowers! Aw...that brings a tear to my undead rogue's eyes, or it would if my undead rogue still had tear ducts! About the only thing that would make this very sensitive undead rogue even happier is if Alliance players got baby seals as pets and I could club them to death.

Ok, I'm kidding. I wouldn't do that. I'll settle for clubbing level 20 baby Alliance players to death. I'm getting all verklempt just thinking about it.

WoW 1.9 patch notes released originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:45:05 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mark Asher) Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:45:05 EST WoW Insider