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[Hearthstone hits 20 million registered players]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/15/hearthstone-hits-20-million-registered-players/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/15/hearthstone-hits-20-million-registered-players/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/15/hearthstone-hits-20-million-registered-players/#comments Hearthstone header Blizzard hit a milestone recently with the free-to-play digital card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft breaking 20 million registered players. For scale, that's double the number of players WoW had at its peak during Wrath of the Lich King in 2010. The most amazing thing about that is Hearthstone has yet to release on all intended platforms: Android tablet, Android phone, and iOS phone versions are still forthcoming.

All in all, the registration numbers indicate that there is very widespread interest in Hearthstone indeed, and for good reason. It's a ton of fun to play!

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Hearthstone hits 20 million registered players originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 15 Sep 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hearthstone-heroes-of-warcrafthearthstone-subscriberssubscriber-numberssubscribers (Sarah Pine) Mon, 15 Sep 2014 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Lords of War part 3: Durotan]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/12/lords-of-war-part-three-durotan/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/12/lords-of-war-part-three-durotan/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/12/lords-of-war-part-three-durotan/#comments Hot on the heels of Lords of War: Grommash Hellscream, comes the story of Thrall's father, Durotan of the Frostwolves, along with somewhat of a change of pace. As with the previous two installments of the series, part three begins with Maraad and Varian conversing over a tactical map, deliberating on how to handle the Iron Horde threat. Maraad assures Varian that not all orcs are monsters, and tells the tale of Durotan, who braved the harsh winter of Frostfire Ridge alone, without his clan, in an attempt to save his mother. His efforts exacted a harsh toll, a lesson Durotan has never forgotten.

Check out Lords of War Part One: Kargath, and Lords of War Part Two: Grommash Hellscream. The series still has one more episode remaining, and we look forward to its completion!

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Lords of War part 3: Durotan originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> durotanlords-of-warwarlords-of-draenor (Sarah Pine) Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Alterac Brew Pup 40% off this week]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/alterac-brew-pup-40-off-this-week/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/alterac-brew-pup-40-off-this-week/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/alterac-brew-pup-40-off-this-week/#comments Alterac Brew Pup Pet collectors, if you've been waffling over whether or not to pick up the adorable, fuzzy Alterac Brew Pup, this might be the week to do it. This shaggy little critter will not only keep you warm during the cold, mountainous nights, it will carry your beer for you, too. A dwarf's (or pandaren's) best friend, truly. The Alterac Brew Pup will be available for 40% off until September 6th, 2014. Get 'em while they're hot, and while the beer is cold.

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Alterac Brew Pup 40% off this week originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 11 Sep 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alterac-brew-pupblizzard-store-salebrew-pupbrew-pup-on-salepetssalewarcraft-pets (Sarah Pine) Thu, 11 Sep 2014 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Tanaan stress test today at 3:00 p.m. Pacific]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/10/warlords-of-draenor-tanaan-stress-test-today-at-3-00-p-m-pacif/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/10/warlords-of-draenor-tanaan-stress-test-today-at-3-00-p-m-pacif/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/10/warlords-of-draenor-tanaan-stress-test-today-at-3-00-p-m-pacif/#comments Tanaan intro If you've got the free time and access to the Warlords beta, consider lending a hand to the development team and joining the Tanaan Jungle stress test, today, September 10th, at 3:00 pm Pacific time. The level 100 realms will be turned off for the duration of the test, and the Blues are encouraging us all to create new level 90s in order to test the server load on the Tanaan Jungle introductory quests. This is an important aspect of Warlords of Draenor, particularly because everyone will have to do these quests at the beginning of the expansion. The more accurate data Blizzard has on what their servers can handle, the better they can make the early expansion experience for all of us.

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Warlords of Draenor: Tanaan stress test today at 3:00 p.m. Pacific originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> betabeta-testbeta-testingquestsstress-testtanaan-junglewarlords-betawarlords-of-draenor-beta (Sarah Pine) Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Undermine Journal returns]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/09/the-undermine-journal-returns/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/09/the-undermine-journal-returns/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/09/the-undermine-journal-returns/#comments Undermine Journal header Back in July, we reported on the sad news that The Undermine Journal, long a staple resource for WoW's Auction House enthusiasts, was closing down. In their corresponding blog post, they did mention that if they were working on an Undermine Journal 2.0, and hoped to have it up and running eventually. That eventuality became reality earlier this week, when The Undermine Journal reopened it's doors. The new site is still a work in progress--there's no EU support yet, for example--but they plan on having that ready to go by the time patch 6.0 arrives, so never fear.

I'm sure that news of The Undermine Journal's rebirth will be happily received by many, and may all of your auctions always be profitable. Welcome back!

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The Undermine Journal returns originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 09 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> auction-housegoldmaking-goldthe-undermine-journalwow-enconomy (Sarah Pine) Tue, 09 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Getting resources for your Garrison]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/06/warlords-of-draenor-getting-resources-for-your-garrison/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/06/warlords-of-draenor-getting-resources-for-your-garrison/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/06/warlords-of-draenor-getting-resources-for-your-garrison/#comments ​Alliance garrison The player's Garrison is one of the central features of Warlords of Draenor, coming with its own special Hearthstone, and in many ways taking the place of a faction hub. Depending on what kind of structures you choose to build in your Garrison, you can have your own crafting centers, bank access, auction house, PvP center, and more. However, to build any of them, you need resources.

In fact, to do just about anything with your Garrison you need resources. You need them for buildings, for crafting, and in order to send your followers on missions. So, just how do you get Garrison Resources? Well, I'm glad you asked. There are a variety of ways to earn your Garrison Resources in Warlords of Draenor, some easier than others.

Continue reading Warlords of Draenor: Getting resources for your Garrison

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Warlords of Draenor: Getting resources for your Garrison originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 06 Sep 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> currencydropsgarrison-buildingsgarrison-resourcesgarrisonsmobswarlords-of-draenorwarlords-of-draenor-betawarlords-of-draenor-featureswarlords-of-draenor-garrisonsworld-of-warcraft (Sarah Pine) Sat, 06 Sep 2014 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Lords of War Part Two: Grommash Hellscream]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/05/lords-of-war-part-two-grommash-hellscream/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/05/lords-of-war-part-two-grommash-hellscream/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/05/lords-of-war-part-two-grommash-hellscream/#comments The second installment of Blizzards animated short series Lords of War debuted today, shedding more background on the leader of the Iron Horde: Grommash Hellscream. There's not doubt that Grommash is a pivotal figure in the upcoming expansion, with his son, Garrosh, having been a central figure in the Mists of Pandaria. Like the previous installment of Lords of War, the new episode opens with Maraad urging Varian to take the offensive and march through the new Dark Portal to face the Iron Horde head on. He then goes on to tell the tale of the events that earned Grommash the undying loyalty of his Warsong clan and how he, against incredible odds, bested the ogre nations united against him. We also get a glimpse of Grommash's mate, Golka, and her fate at the hands of the retaliating ogres.

Check out Lords of War Part Two: Grommash, and learn more about the senior Hellscream, and what makes him who he is.

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Lords of War Part Two: Grommash Hellscream originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> animationcinematicgrommashgrommash-hellscreamlords-of-warlorevideowarlords-of-draenorwow-animation (Sarah Pine) Fri, 05 Sep 2014 15:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: No more Tier vendors]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/warlords-of-draenor-no-more-tier-vendors/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/warlords-of-draenor-no-more-tier-vendors/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/warlords-of-draenor-no-more-tier-vendors/#comments Vaelastrasz One of the more irritating and frustrating aspects of winning Tier loot from bosses is having to take the token to a vendor in order to actually get the piece of armor you won. Nowadays it's rare for me to equip a piece as soon as I get it, unless it's a truly huge upgrade, but I still find it annoying to have to take a token to a vendor in order to get the actual piece of gear. In addition, as a druid, there are four versions of everything available for each token, and scrolling through page after page of nearly-identically named armor pieces makes my eyes cross. Minor complaints, really, but nonetheless the following announcement by Lead Game Designer Ion Hazzikostas, aka Watcher, on Twitter really made my day:
This is a fantastic quality of life change for raiders. No more running to vendors and no more waiting to get your new piece of Tier gear. I'd say "no more accidentally buying the wrong piece" with your token too, but in Warlords, your primary stats will auto-change when you shift specs anyway, so that's no big deal. In any case, this new system will be more convenient for players, and I'm certainly thankful for that!

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Warlords of Draenor: No more Tier vendors originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 02 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ion-hazzikostaslootquality-of-lifequality-of-life-improvementsraid-lootraidingraiding-in-warlordstier-geartier-tokenswatcherwatcherdev (Sarah Pine) Tue, 02 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Tank changes]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/29/warlords-of-draenor-tank-changes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/29/warlords-of-draenor-tank-changes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/29/warlords-of-draenor-tank-changes/#comments Tank Technical Game Designer Chadd Nervig, aka Celestalon, has been answering some inquiries on Twitter lately, and hinted at a few of the changes we can look forward to with tanking. It seems all tanks are up for tweaks, in some fairly overarching ways.

If you're not familiar with Resolve, it's essentially what Vengeance has become in Warlords of Draenor, albeit with some changes. Currently, Resolve improves self-healing and absorbs done by the tank to the tank and partially converts mastery to attack power. How it will be further tweaked in Warlords remains to be seen, but the overall change itself should help tanks be tanks without overshadowing the DPS.

The rest of the tweet is much more intriguing, but does fit with the overall theme of scaling down we're seeing in Warlords. Lowering tank health and mitigation seems risky, but if boss damage is also reduced, then it shouldn't be a problem. For a long time, Blizzard has made noises about how they wanted to slow down the pace of boss fights, especially in the final tiers of an expansion. Damage that's less devastating, healing that is slower pace and choices that are more meaningful. To me, these changes read as being in line with that philosophy. I will be interested to see them implemented, and how they affect gameplay in the beta.

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Warlords of Draenor: Tank changes originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 29 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> mitigationresolvetankingtanksvengeancewarlords-changeswarlords-of-draenor-betawarlords-tanking (Sarah Pine) Fri, 29 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Diablo Season 1 launches Friday, August 29]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/diablo-season-1-launches-friday-august-29/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/diablo-season-1-launches-friday-august-29/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/diablo-season-1-launches-friday-august-29/#comments Diablo 3 Transmog The first Diablo III Season is scheduled to launch this coming Friday, August 29. If you're not familiar with the concept of Diablo III Seasons, it's a system designed to encourage rolling new characters and tackling specific types of challenges in the game. Season challenges include Conquests, accomplishments similar to Achievements but often more difficult in nature and only able to be completed by a Seasonal hero. There are also a new set of leaderboards documenting Seasonal heroes' accomplishments throughout the Season, as well as special gear and transmog rewards for participants. You can learn more about the first Diablo III Season in Blizzard's Patch 2.1.0 previews. Good luck to all the participating players!

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Diablo Season 1 launches Friday, August 29 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 28 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> diablo-3diablo-3-season-1diablo-3-season-onediablo-3-seasonsdiablo-iii-season-onediablo-iii-seasons (Sarah Pine) Thu, 28 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Rob Kazinsky says Azeroth sets "exceed every expectation"]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/rob-kazinsky-says-azeroth-sets-exceed-every-expectation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/rob-kazinsky-says-azeroth-sets-exceed-every-expectation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/rob-kazinsky-says-azeroth-sets-exceed-every-expectation/#comments Warcraft move actor Rob Kazinsky talked a bit with website zap2it about his impressions of the movie's set, at it's all positive. He gave a glowing review of the interiors, saying that they "were some of the most amazing grandiose things I've ever seen in my entire life." Kazinsky asserted that it was clear the Warcraft team "spared no expense on quality, on building things to be representative of the game and of the highest realism." He explains that there were plenty of green-screens in filming as well, and that plenty of the creatures involved absolutely needed to be digitally rendered, and couldn't be done with makeup. That probably comes as no surprise to those of us who play the game--it would be pretty tough to create a flying dragon outside of a computer!

It's good news to hear about how excited Kazinsky is about the Warcraft movie project. He was once an avid WoW player himself, and I'm sure it was a real thrill to be part of the project. Many of us are eagerly awaiting the film's release, so it's good to know that the people involved share our enthusiasm.

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Rob Kazinsky says Azeroth sets "exceed every expectation" originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 28 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> rob-kazinskywarcraft-filmwarcraft-moviewarcraft-movie-castwarcraft-movie-newswarcraft-movie-sets (Sarah Pine) Thu, 28 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Amazon acquires Twitch for $970 million]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/25/amazon-acquires-twitch-for-970-million/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/25/amazon-acquires-twitch-for-970-million/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/25/amazon-acquires-twitch-for-970-million/#comments cantorstudyimage Today Emmett Shear, the CEO of Twitch.tv, announced that Twitch has been acquired by Amazon. In his letter, Shear explained that they went with Amazon in the end because "they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster." We'll see what kind of changes this development brings to our favorite streaming service, and hopefully they will all be welcome ones.

Amazon's interest in the streaming platform initially came as somewhat of a surprise, considering that initial reports cited Google's Youtube division as potentially interested in purchasing Twitch.

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Amazon acquires Twitch for $970 million originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 25 Aug 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> amazon-buys-twitchstreamingtwitchtwitch-tv (Sarah Pine) Mon, 25 Aug 2014 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: The Drake Collector achievement (updated)]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/21/warlords-of-draenor-the-drake-collector-achievement/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/21/warlords-of-draenor-the-drake-collector-achievement/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/21/warlords-of-draenor-the-drake-collector-achievement/#comments Onyxian Drake If you want dragon mounts, WoW is choc full of them. There are all kinds of dragon mounts, including one from four of the five main Dragonflights, the conspicuous gap in the collection, of course, being and Emerald drake. Now, if you're like me, you've been dreaming of a green dragon mount since you knew dragon mounts were a thing. Thus far, us green drake mount enthusiasts have been left out in the cold. Until Warlords of Draenor, at least, it seems.
On Tuesday, Senior Game Designer Jonathan LeCraft tweeted the above image--a meta-achievement called "The Drake Collector," the reward for which is a coveted Emerald Drake. The meta itself is surprisingly comprehensive. In addition having to collect all of the drakes from the other dragonflights, it also requires the rare and difficult-to-obtain Onyxian Drake, Blazing Drake, and Sandstone Drake. Honestly, I'm surprised at how tough the requirements are for this achievement, particularly the inclusion of the Blazing Drake. The Onyxian Drake might have a lower drop rate, but getting to Onyxia is a lot easier than getting to Deathwing. Though, you could always amass a horde of gold and haunt the Black Market Auction House instead. Both drakes are known to appear there from time to time for a whopping 100,000+ gold. Oh, and I suppose it's time to go level my alchemist.

If you've got a particularly strong opinion on this meta-achievement one way or another, be sure to let Jonathan know via twitter or the official forums. His tweet did ask for feedback, after all!

Update: I somehow missed the tweet yesterday that clarified that the Sandstone Drake part of this meta will be replaced with the Purple Netherwing Drake for quality of life purposes. In my opinion, this is a nice change and will make the collection aspect significantly more straightforward!

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Warlords of Draenor: The Drake Collector achievement (updated) originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 21 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> achievementdragon-mountdragon-mountsemerald-drakemountsthe-drake-collector (Sarah Pine) Thu, 21 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Old school questing]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/21/breakfast-topic-old-school-questing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/21/breakfast-topic-old-school-questing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/21/breakfast-topic-old-school-questing/#comments Mankrik's Wife In the WoD beta, if you choose to put a Barn on the first available medium plot in your Garrison, as I did circa level 92, you immediately receive a quest from the NPCs there to head to Nagrand and trap an animal. So off I went, west out of Shadowmoon Valley, through Taladar and toward Nagrand, seeking my quarry. This was a mistake. All roads in Taladar lead to Shattrath, and Shattrath is under siege by both level 100 Iron Horde soldiers and demons of the Shadow Council. If you try to run south around Shattrath, you'll end up in Auchindoun, also overrun by Shadow Council demons and a load of other nasties who are way above level 92. Once you've finally made it into Nagrand, you'll discover that it's a level 98-100 zone. Oops.

After many deaths in Nagrand, I finally managed to successfully trap a clefthoof and returned, bruised, battered, but at least triumphant, to my Garrison, where I vowed never to set foot in Nagrand again for at least another five levels, Barn resources be damned. Upon reciting my tale of woe to sympathetic colleague Liz Harper--who went through the same thing when she too chose to put a Barn in her Garrison--I realized that I felt almost like I was picking up my swim form quest in Moonglade as a level 16 night elf druid, only to find that half of the amulet I needed was off the coast of Westfall. I had the same sense of apprehension about the unknown zones I had to head through, frustration when I found I wasn't quite up to the task, and eventual elation as I managed to finish the quest anyway. I thought, "Would I want this kind of questing experience to be a regular WoW feature again?" Is the fist-pumping moment of triumph worth the reckless blundering through two zones full of red-leveled, hostile mobs? Honestly, I'm not sure. What about you? Would you be eager to rise to the challenge, or frustrated to be handed a task so far beyond your current means? How old-school do you want to go?

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Breakfast Topic: Old school questing originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 21 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> auchindounbreakfast-topicsdying-a-lotfeaturesgarrisongarrison-barnnagrandquestingshadowmoon-valleyshattrathtaladarwarlords-beta (Sarah Pine) Thu, 21 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Five days to qualify for the North American Arena Tournament]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/20/five-days-to-qualify-for-the-north-american-arena-tournament/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/20/five-days-to-qualify-for-the-north-american-arena-tournament/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/20/five-days-to-qualify-for-the-north-american-arena-tournament/#comments Arena PvP The deadline is fast approaching for those PvP enthusiasts who wish to take part in the North American Arena Tournament. This competition will determine who goes on to represent North America in the WoW Arena World Championship at BlizzCon 2014. To qualify, teams must have an individual 3v3 Arena rating of at least 2,500 on the live realms by 10:00 am PDT on Monday, August 25th. The tournament itself will use a double-elimination format to determine the top three teams from North America, who will then move on to the competition at BlizzCon. The total purse for this year's event is an impressive US$250,000, with a winners' share of US$120,000. Not bad at all! Good luck to all those who are working to qualify!

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Five days to qualify for the North American Arena Tournament originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arena-tournamentarena-tournament-2014blizzcon-2014blizzcon-arena-tournamentnorth-american-arena-tournamentpvp-qualifierspvp-tournamentwow-arena-world-championship (Sarah Pine) Wed, 20 Aug 2014 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor beta: Play with the blues August 21]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/19/warlords-of-draenor-beta-play-with-the-blues-august-21/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/19/warlords-of-draenor-beta-play-with-the-blues-august-21/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/19/warlords-of-draenor-beta-play-with-the-blues-august-21/#comments Holinka For those in the Warlords of Draenor beta, this coming Thursday you'll have the opportunity to potentially test directly with some Blizzard Blues. From 3:00 to 5:00 pm PDT on Thursday, August 21, members of Blizzard's Development team, Community team, Quality Assurance, and Customer Service will be available on both the PvP and PvE level 100 premade realms to test 3v3 Arena matches and 5-person dungeon groups. Depending on faction, you'll be able to identify Blizzard representatives by their guild tag: <Blizzard Horde> or <Blizzard Alliance>. The event will be a great way to test out some dungeons and arenas while mingling with both your fellow WoW players and creators. If you can make it, I'm sure the event will be worth your while!

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Warlords of Draenor beta: Play with the blues August 21 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 19 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Play-With-The-Blueswarlords-of-draenorwarlords-of-draenor-beta (Sarah Pine) Tue, 19 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Final boss revealed]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/warlords-of-draenor-final-boss-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/warlords-of-draenor-final-boss-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/warlords-of-draenor-final-boss-revealed/#comments In his interview with Vanion.eu at this year's Gamescom, Tom Chilton has revealed the identity of the final boss for Warlords of Draenor. Watch the embedded video to hear it from Chilton himself (this spoiler begins at 11:00), or click on to read about it behind the cut. You ready for some spoilers? Okay!

Continue reading Warlords of Draenor: Final boss revealed

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Warlords of Draenor: Final boss revealed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 14 Aug 2014 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> gamescomtom-chiltontom-chilton-gamescom-interviewtom-chilton-interviewvanion-euwarlords-final-bosswarlords-of-draenor-spoilers (Sarah Pine) Thu, 14 Aug 2014 17:55:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Another still from Warlords cinematic released]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/another-still-from-warlords-cinematic-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/another-still-from-warlords-cinematic-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/another-still-from-warlords-cinematic-released/#comments Warlords Still 3 Blizzard has released another still from their upcoming Warlords of Draenor cinematic trailer. Like yesterday's release, it features Grommash Hellscream, but this time we're up close and personal. This is one ominous-looking orc. It also seems like there are some sort of rockets or artillery going off behind him--tools of the Iron Horde? I guess we'll find out when the full cinematic is released tomorrow. Click the image above for the full resolution version.

Also, Grom? Dang, you need a new facial cleanser. Whatever you're using now isn't doing anything for your pores.

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Another still from Warlords cinematic released originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakinggrommash-hellscreamwarlords-cinematicwarlords-of-draenor-cinematic (Sarah Pine) Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Transmoggable farm implements]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/warlords-of-draenor-transmoggable-farm-implements/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/warlords-of-draenor-transmoggable-farm-implements/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/warlords-of-draenor-transmoggable-farm-implements/#comments Farmer Our friends over at Wowhead have uncovered a new feature in Warlords of Draenor that should make dedicated transmog enthusiasts very happy--transmoggable farm weapons. These include a Garden Hoe, Garden Shovel, Garden Pitchfork, Garden Scythe, and Garden Sickle. The Garden Hoe and Garden Sickle are classified as one-hand maces, all the rest are two-hand staves. They are vendor items sold by the NPCs around your Garrison's Herb Garden, and the cost is surprisingly steep--2,375 gold plus 500 Draenic Seeds for the one-handers, and 4,750 gold plus 1,000 Draenic Seeds for the two-handers. Draenic Seeds can be either grown in your Garrison's Herb Garden, or farmed out in the world by Herbalists.

If you've ever dreamed of an amazing farmer transmog, these weapons are sure to complete the look along with the Red Lumberjack Shirt and the Blue Overalls--for clothies, at least. Who'd have thought that a warlock could look so convincingly nurturing?

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Warlords of Draenor: Transmoggable farm implements originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 12 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> currencydraenic-seedsfarmer-transmogoutfitstransmogwarlords-of-draenor-betaweapon-transmogwowhead (Sarah Pine) Tue, 12 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: The Iron Horde invasion, Alliance edition]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/warlords-of-draenor-the-iron-horde-invasion-alliance-edition/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/warlords-of-draenor-the-iron-horde-invasion-alliance-edition/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/warlords-of-draenor-the-iron-horde-invasion-alliance-edition/#comments Blasted Lands Maraad One of the newer additions to the Warlords of Draenor beta is the Iron Horde invasion of the Blasted Lands. I'm a bit unsure as to whether this is a permanent change or if this is a testing phase for a temporary event, but the new flight point makes me lean toward permanent. You can grab the breadcrumb quest into this series from the Hero's Call Board in Stormwind, where you are told that Vindicator Maraad awaits you in the Blasted Lands. There's a convenient portal right next to the board so you can just hop on in and head over to the new quests.

Beyond this point lie some fairly hefty spoilers for the early part of Warlords of Draenor, so if you're trying to avoid those, pass this article by!

Continue reading Warlords of Draenor: The Iron Horde invasion, Alliance edition

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Warlords of Draenor: The Iron Horde invasion, Alliance edition originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alliancealliance-questsblasted-landsiron-hordekhadgarquestingquestsspoilersvarian-wrynnvindicator-maraadwarlords-of-draenorwarlords-of-draenor-betawod-spoilers (Sarah Pine) Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Anzu cosplay takes first prize at China Joy]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/anzu-cosplay-takes-first-prize-at-china-joy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/anzu-cosplay-takes-first-prize-at-china-joy/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/anzu-cosplay-takes-first-prize-at-china-joy/#comments Zhang Lu's winning Anzu cosplay The annual China Digital Entertainment Expo, also known as China Joy, is known for its cosplay, and for Blizzard Entertainment's cosplay contest. This year's winner was Zhang Lu, a well-known China Joy cosplayer who has placed in the contest before. Her winning costume is pictured above, an incredible, intricate Raven Lord Anzu. Lu created the costume herself, carving and painting each piece. As part of her prize, she and the runner up Xu Rujunn will be flown to BlizzCon later this year to stand on stage. It's an honor well-earned, because this costume is simply stunning. You can check out more pictures of the costume plus Lu's creation process over here--it's all in Chinese, but the pictures speak for themselves.

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Anzu cosplay takes first prize at China Joy originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Anzuanzu-cosplaychina-digital-entertainment-expochina-joychina-joy-cosplaycosplayraven-lord-cosplayzhang-lu (Sarah Pine) Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[World of Warcraft's 10th anniversary preview]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/06/world-of-warcrafts-10th-anniversary-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/06/world-of-warcrafts-10th-anniversary-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/06/world-of-warcrafts-10th-anniversary-preview/#comments Molten Corgi Ten years is a long time. Ten years ago, in 2004, I was 20 years old and entering my third semester of college--also entangled in endless piles of paperwork while I prepared to spend a year studying at the University of New South Wales in Sydney for the calender year 2005. Ten years ago, in November 2004, World of Warcraft officially launched.

The mark that WoW has left on the gaming industry is indisputable--but we're not here for musing retrospectives. At least, not yet. We're here because there's going to be a whole bunch of fun in-game events to celebrate WoW's first decade of existence, and Blizzard has given us a lovely preview of what at least a few of them are.

Continue reading World of Warcraft's 10th anniversary preview

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World of Warcraft's 10th anniversary preview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 10th-anniversaryanniversary-battlegroundanniversary-eventannouncementannouncementsbattle-petsbattlegroundslfrmolten-coremolten-core-lfrmolten-corginew-battlegroundpetspvpsouthshoretarren-milltarren-mill-southshorewarcraft-10-yearswarcraft-annworld-pvpwow-10-yearswow-10th-anniversarywow-anniversary (Sarah Pine) Wed, 06 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Updates to Darkmoon Faire]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/05/warlords-of-draenor-updates-to-darkmoon-faire/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/05/warlords-of-draenor-updates-to-darkmoon-faire/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/05/warlords-of-draenor-updates-to-darkmoon-faire/#comments The Darkmoon Faire has come to the beta servers, and with it, a bunch of updates and additions including games, pets, and vanity items. There are new ways to earn Darkmoon tickets, new ways to spend them, and new discoveries to be made on the mysterious Darkmoon Island. Our friends over at Wowhead have tested out the new games, and they seem like a ton of fun. The first is the Firebird's Challenge, where you have to fly through rings of fire in the air. If you miss, you lose the debuff that keeps you aloft. There are a series of achievements for staying aloft, and earning the last and most difficult of them rewards you with the Blazing Wings, a vanity item that gives you a pair of fiery but non-functional wings for an hour.

The second game is a racing game around the island, with a series of quests to go with it. You have to make it to certain markers along the western part of the Faire, while zeppelins shoot at you to slow you down. There are a number of power-ups to be had along the way, from simple sprint shoes to a sack of bunnies that will distract a zeppelin from shooting at you.

In addition, there is a new pet trainer--Cristoph VonFeasal--and a new pet you can win in the bag of goodies you get for defeating him. There are a bunch of new vanity items, including both skirt- and pants-set versions of NPC clothing items found only in Gilneas. Sadly, these clothing items are white-quality, which means they cannot be transmogged. Finally, there are, as ever, a whole set of new epic-quality Darkmoon deck trinkets--the Iron Deck, Moon Deck, Visions Deck, and War Deck--which I'm sure will be hot commodities come WoD. I'm glad to see the Faire getting an update, it's one of my favorite regular events, and new things to do there are always welcome.

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Warlords of Draenor: Updates to Darkmoon Faire originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 05 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blazing-wingscristoph-vonfeasaldarkmoon-cardsdarkmoon-eventsdarkmoon-fairedarkmoon-questsdarkmoon-trinketseventsin-game-eventspet-battle-trainerpet-battlespetssyd-the-squidtoysvanity-items (Sarah Pine) Tue, 05 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: No two birds are not on fire]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/02/breakfast-topic-no-two-birds-are-not-on-fire/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/02/breakfast-topic-no-two-birds-are-not-on-fire/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/02/breakfast-topic-no-two-birds-are-not-on-fire/#comments Flaming Gryhopns
The above screenshot stands, to me, as the funniest one I have ever taken. Eagle-eyed readers might recognize the location as the flight tower in Nethergarde Keep, with some colorful flames added to make the Blasted Lands extra unappealing. Without spoiling things too much, the flaming flight tower is part of a series of introductory quests in Warlords of Draenor. Apparently those poor gryphons still haven't got the memo that they are literally on fire. They're just hanging out in their straw beds, cool as cucumbers, while they presumably burn to death in the onslaught. What's the use in having the power of flight if you won't even use it to not be on fire?

I have seen many odd and interesting things in my time in the World of Warcraft, but I think that this one right here takes the cake--so far at least. I mean, who knows what Warlords of Draenor has in store? What are your best, most bizarre moments in WoW, and what would it take to top them?

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Breakfast Topic: No two birds are not on fire originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 02 Aug 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakfast-topicsdiscussionfeaturesfireflight-pointsgryphonshumorscreenshotswow-screenshots (Sarah Pine) Sat, 02 Aug 2014 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Spend your gold to get the Alliance Chopper in Warlords]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/01/spend-your-gold-to-get-the-alliance-chopper-in-warlords/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/01/spend-your-gold-to-get-the-alliance-chopper-in-warlords/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/01/spend-your-gold-to-get-the-alliance-chopper-in-warlords/#comments Alliance chopper In a move that will come as a surprise to absolutely no one, the losing bike design from Azeroth Choppers will in fact be added to the game. Currently, the winning Horde-themed bike will be given, for free, to any account that logs into the game before September 30th. The Alliance bike, however, will be added to the game sometime after the launch of Warlords of Draenor, and be available for in-game purchase.

Blizzard is being coy on the subject of cost, but their article emphasizes that it will cost "a pretty hefty sum of gold," so if you want it, best start saving now.

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Spend your gold to get the Alliance Chopper in Warlords originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 01 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alliance-bikealliance-chopperazeroth-chopperazeroth-choppersbreakingcollectionmountsvanity-itemvanity-itemsvendor-mounts (Sarah Pine) Fri, 01 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The battle for Warsong Gulch continues in Wowcraft]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/31/the-battle-for-warsong-gulch-continues-in-wowcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/31/the-battle-for-warsong-gulch-continues-in-wowcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/31/the-battle-for-warsong-gulch-continues-in-wowcraft/#comments CarBot's latest Wowcraft episode continues to focus on our Horde and Alliance friends as they battle for the flags of Warsong Gulch. This episode pokes fun at lots of the typical mechanics and behavior you'll see in a battleground--the spring boots, the rez timer, and of course those infuriating, blinking mages. The game's still afoot, however, and despite the ominious (for the Alliance, anyway) ending to this short, nobody's yet won. We'll see how things continue in part four!

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The battle for Warsong Gulch continues in Wowcraft originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> carbotcarbot-animationcarbot-animationscarbot-wowcraftwowcraft (Sarah Pine) Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: New blood elf models delayed]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/30/warlords-of-draenor-new-blood-elf-models-delayed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/30/warlords-of-draenor-new-blood-elf-models-delayed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/30/warlords-of-draenor-new-blood-elf-models-delayed/#comments sad belf priest In a quick announcement over Twitter, Blizzard Senior Art Director Chris Robinson has confirmed that updated blood elf models will not be ready in time for the launch of Warlords of Draenor. Blood elves are indeed scheduled for an update just like all the player character models, but they will now be scheduled for addition into Warlords post-launch; perhaps along side another content patch. Robinson did quickly add that the new troll models are still scheduled to be in place at Warlord's launch, and we can expect to see an Artcraft preview of them as early as next week.
As unfortunate as it is that the blood elves are being delayed, I think it's understandable. As far as the older models go, the blood elves have held up rather well. There are other player character models in far more need of updating, so if something had to be pushed back, it's no surprise that it's the blood elves. Then again, blood elves are one of the most popular choices for player characters, so I'm sure there will be at least a bit of disappointment surrounding the decision. Never fear, though, we will get new versions of our favorite mana addicts soon enough, and until then, I'm on pins and needles to see the new trolls. Will my hunter finally be able to blink? I certainly hope so!

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Warlords of Draenor: New blood elf models delayed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artcraftblood-elfblood-elf-modelsblood-elvescharacter-model-revampcharacter-model-revampscharacter-modelschris-robinsonmodel-updatetroll-models (Sarah Pine) Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Recruit Nat Pagle for your garrison]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/28/warlords-of-draenor-recruit-nat-pagle-for-your-garrison/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/28/warlords-of-draenor-recruit-nat-pagle-for-your-garrison/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/28/warlords-of-draenor-recruit-nat-pagle-for-your-garrison/#comments Anglers The folks over at El's Extreme Anglin' have provided a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to obtain legendary fisherman Nat Pagle as a follower for your garrison in Warlords of Draenor. Over the years Nat Pagle has become somewhat of a beloved figure in World of Warcraft, and has been the focus of numerous fishing quests -- some obscure, some mundane. In Warlords, you're going to have to have him as a follower if you want a shot at fishing up the rarest and most difficult fish in the expansion: Lunkers.

To get Nat, you'll first have to unlock the garrison Fishing Shack, which becomes available at level 96. From their, your garrison fishing vendor will send you on a quest to catch a specific type of fish from a specific place. Once you turn that in you'll get a quest to go find Nat Pagle, and from there begins his recruitment questline. Once you complete all his requirements -- to fish up various Lunkers throughout Draenor using special bait -- you'll be rewarded with Nat as a level 100 rare-quality garrison follower. You'll also be able to start catching Lunkers throughout Draenor without using bait. No word yet on what Lunkers do, but my guess is that they'll be required for certain high-level cooking recipes, so devoted raiders or guild suppliers probably want to make sure to schmooze Nat into their garrisons! Happy fishing!

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Warlords of Draenor: Recruit Nat Pagle for your garrison originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 28 Jul 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cookingcraftingfishingfollowersgarrison-followersgarrisonsnat-pagle (Sarah Pine) Mon, 28 Jul 2014 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Claws of Shirvallah cat form datamined]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/26/warlords-of-draenor-claws-of-shirvallah-cat-form-datamined/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/26/warlords-of-draenor-claws-of-shirvallah-cat-form-datamined/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/26/warlords-of-draenor-claws-of-shirvallah-cat-form-datamined/#comments New female tauren aren't the only shiny new player character models this week -- our friends at Wowhead have datamined the new druid cat forms that will go along with the level 100 talent Claws of Shirvallah. The talent allows druids who take it to cast all non-damaging druid spells while in cat form, and the half-humanoid half-cat model is a visual indication of the talent's hybrid nature. The animations are fluid and certainly make the model look intimidating. The worgen snow leopard version is my favorite, however, I do wonder if the models will be available in all the same color variations of the normal cat form models, or if the colors displayed are the only ones.

While I can appreciate the skill and care put into these new cat form models, I'm not entirely feeling it, at least not yet. I just can't imagine my druid looking like that! Fortunately, it doesn't seem as if the talent is really relevant to my personal playstyle -- Lunar Inspiration seems more my speed -- but I can see how it may be very important for PvP'ers in particular. What about you? Are you going to grab Claws of Shirvallah at level 100? Is the model part of the reason why or why not?

Check out Wowhead for the full 3D models of all four forms in their modelviewer, as well as video of the new forms in action.

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Warlords of Draenor: Claws of Shirvallah cat form datamined originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 26 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cat-formcat-form-modelsclaws-of-shirvallahdruid-formsdruid-talentslevel-100-druid-talentslevel-100-talentsnew-modelstalentswarlords-of-draenorwarlords-of-draenor-betawowhead (Sarah Pine) Sat, 26 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The 2014 North American WoW arena tournament]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/25/the-2014-north-american-wow-arena-tournament/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/25/the-2014-north-american-wow-arena-tournament/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/25/the-2014-north-american-wow-arena-tournament/#comments Arena qualifying tree BlizzCon 2014 is on the horizon, getting steadily closer every day, and thus so is the 2014 World of Warcraft Arena Invitational World Championship. If you're a player on the North American servers--which include North America, Oceania, parts of Southeast Asia, and South America--your chance to qualify for the tournament is coming up in the next few weeks. In order to be eligible for the North American Arena Tournament your 3v3 team must have a minimum rating of 2500 by August 25, 2014. The tournament will be a double-elimination with teams competing in a best of five match format. At the end of the tournament, the top three teams from North America will be invited to BlizzCon to compete against five additional teams from around the world for the championship title.

Think you have what it takes to compete at BlizzCon for a piece of the $250,000 purse? Time to get your teams ready and push for that 2500 rating by August 25th. Good luck to all the competitors!

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The 2014 North American WoW arena tournament originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arenaarena-invitational-world-championshipsarena-tournamentarena-tournament-2014blizzconblizzcon-2014world-of-warcraft (Sarah Pine) Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: Westfall Pumpkins]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/24/wow-moviewatch-westfall-pumpkins/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/24/wow-moviewatch-westfall-pumpkins/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/24/wow-moviewatch-westfall-pumpkins/#comments Westfall Pumpkins is a tale of not-so-friendly competition between two determined farmers entering into a pumpkin-growing contest. Like any good rivalry, the pair are in no way content to let the other do their thing, and just can't bear to be outdone. In Azeroth, though, we know that nobody is content to let nature simply take its course, and so alchemy, magic, and an impressive judging panel rule the day in this entertaining tale of gardening gone wrong. Whose pumpkin will take home the blue ribbon? You'll have to watch to find out.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

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WoW Moviewatch: Westfall Pumpkins originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 24 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuresmachinimawestfall-pumpkinswow-machinimawow-media (Sarah Pine) Thu, 24 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New female tauren model]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/24/artcraft-previews-new-female-tauren-model/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/24/artcraft-previews-new-female-tauren-model/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/24/artcraft-previews-new-female-tauren-model/#comments Female Tauren The latest artcraft post has been released on the WoW official website, and it previews nothing less than the new female tauren model. This model update in particular has been highly anticipated, because the old female tauren models are...well, they're not all that expressive, are they? Fortunately, their blank bovine stares are all set to be a thing of the past. The new models take full advantage of newer texture-rendering capabilities, featuring gorgeous detail in the fur, a full range of facial expressions, and far more natural-looking hair. In addition, their hands have also been scaled-down, as Senior Art Director Chris Robinson notes that female tauren hands were particularly huge, even by WoW standards.

Head on over to the official site for the full preview, it's well worth your time.

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New female tauren model originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artcraftfemale-taurenfemale-tauren-modelnew-female-tauren-modelnew-modelnew-modelsnew-wow-modeltauren-model-update (Sarah Pine) Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:15:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Hearthstone: Curse of Naxxramas livestream]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/22/hearthstone-curse-of-naxxramas-livestream/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/22/hearthstone-curse-of-naxxramas-livestream/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/22/hearthstone-curse-of-naxxramas-livestream/#comments Check out WoW Insider's live stream for the new Hearthstone expansion pack: Curse of Naxxramas! Our own Robert Wing will give you the scoop on all the new cards and how they play. If you're interested in Hearthstone, here's your chance to get a glimpse of all the new features in action. Happy card slinging!

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Hearthstone: Curse of Naxxramas livestream originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 22 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> curse-of-naxxramashearthstone-curse-of-naxxramashearthstone-expansionhearthstone-heroes-of-warcrafthearthstone-livestreamlivestreamwow-insider-hearthstone-livestreamwow-insider-livestream (Sarah Pine) Tue, 22 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Heroes of the Storm: New hero announced]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/22/heroes-of-the-storm-new-hero-announced/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/22/heroes-of-the-storm-new-hero-announced/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/22/heroes-of-the-storm-new-hero-announced/#comments Today a new hero option was announced for Blizzard's MOBA Heroes of the Storm: Rehgar Earthfury. I'm not surprised that Blizzard is giving us a shaman hero--after all, shaman are an iconic group in WoW lore and gameplay--but I am surprised that they've chosen Reghar as the shaman's representative. Compared to more well-known shaman in WoW such as Thrall, Rehgar tends to fly under the radar. He does, however, have his own history and tale to tell. Rehgar is one of the older generation of orcs and was born on Draenor. When Thrall came to power he eventually served as one of his advisors but before that Rehgar was a slave master who owned a particularly infamous gladiator: Varian Wrynn.

Rehgar is a support character who posseses an ability set that goes along with his shaman class: he can turn into a spirit wolf, drop totems, and call upon the elements to aid him in battle. He seems to use a fist weapon for his basic physical attack, and I'm certain he'll have a range of fun shaman specialist attacks to go along with that. Frost Shock had better be on the cards! I'll also be interested to see what additional skins he gets--maybe a Thrall makeover, complete with epic braids?

The announcement of Reghar as a hero makes me very sad that Varian isn't a playable hero option. If you've been playing the alpha or watching streams, you may have noticed that heroes with lore connections in their respective franchises often have more personalized banter when they interact on the battlefield. I would love to see what Rehgar and Varian have to say to each other, but it doesn't seem to be on the cards just yet. Here's hoping for the future!

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Heroes of the Storm: New hero announced originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> heroes-of-the-stormheroes-of-the-storm-alphaheroes-of-the-storm-heroesheroes-of-the-storm-trailerheroes-of-the-storm-videonew-heroes-herorehgar-earthfuryshaman-hero (Sarah Pine) Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Beasts of a savage land]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/20/warlords-of-draenor-beasts-of-a-savage-land/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/20/warlords-of-draenor-beasts-of-a-savage-land/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/20/warlords-of-draenor-beasts-of-a-savage-land/#comments Beasts of the savage lands Zone previews have become an expected and anticipated facet of the news surrounding Warlords of Draenor, and now mob previews are being added to that mix. The first of them highlights some fearsome new creatures--some familiar, some not--that are to be found in Shadowmoon Valley. The hulking, rocky-skinned Riverbeasts are reminiscent of hippopotamuses, with their square snouts, pillar-like feet, and bad attitude. Podlings are creepy-cute evil flowers that will forever haunt my nightmares, and of course, the elekk should be familiar to anyone who's ever played a draenei--though these new models are definitely a step up in intimidation. Draenor ancients are tree-based forest guardians, the draenic equivalents of the treants we all know and love.

I love this little sneak peak into the roaming creatures of Shadowmoon Valley. The zone previews have been some of my favorite promotional items for Warlords of Draenor, because they give you just enough information to let your imagination fill in the gaps. This mini-beastiary adds a few more set pieces to the landscape of Draenor, and I hope that some versions of these mobs are rare spawns that drop loot or at least bragging rights for the intrepid players who bring them down. I'm also hanging on every word about the draenei rangari, because so far we know relatively little about them but they sound like the most fascinating sect of the draenei by far. Check out some of the beasts of Shadowmoon Valley, and I'm certain we will see more from other zones in the future, as well.

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Warlords of Draenor: Beasts of a savage land originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> beasts-of-the-savage-landsdraenor-ancientselekksmob-previewpodlingsriverbeastswarlords-of-draenorwarlords-of-draenor-betawarlords-of-draenor-mobswarlords-of-draenor-models (Sarah Pine) Sun, 20 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Talador preview]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/17/warlords-of-draenor-talador-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/17/warlords-of-draenor-talador-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/17/warlords-of-draenor-talador-preview/#comments Talador The Warlords of Draenor zone previews continue with Talador, the heart of the draenei civilization on Draenor. Associate Quest Designer Johnny Cash provides an overview of what promises to be a stunning zone. Talador is the original, pre-Burning Crusade version of Terokkar Forest, a lush, forested zone home to both Shattrath City and the sacred Auchindoun. In Warlords, we'll see Shattrath and Auchindoun in their full glory, along with other draenei outposts such as Tuurem and Telmor, however all is not well. Shattrath is under occupation by the Iron Horde, and it will be the player's job -- along with allies, of course -- to liberate the city. Similarly, Auchindoun is being threatened by the brutal Teron'gor (you may know him better as Teron Gorefiend, the very first death knight), as well as being threatened by demons from the Burning Front. Players will fight alongside Exarch Maladaar, leader of the Auchenai, and Lady Liadrin in defending the draenei's sacred mausoleum.
In addition, Talador will provide players with a choice between building an Arcane Sanctum or an Arsenal for their garrison outpost. Each will provide a means of support for the player--either an arcane orb that zaps enemies who get too close, or artillery strikes from mounted arsenal cannons. Furthermore, Talador holds plenty of secrets, like rumors of mythical Arakkoa, who have left their shadowy, ancestral homes in the Spires of Arak for reasons we can only guess at.

Talador is the zone I'm probably looking forward to the most, because Terokkar was my favorite zone in The Burning Crusade. I can't wait to see Shattrath and Auchindoun the way they were meant to be seen, and to fight alongside great heroes of the draenei in order to protect these precious cities. I'm sure Talador holds many exciting adventures for us denizens of Azeroth, and I look forward to experiencing them.

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Warlords of Draenor: Talador preview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> taladortalador-previewwarlords-of-draenorzone-previews (Sarah Pine) Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:35:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Heroes of the Storm: New battleground revealed]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/16/heroes-of-the-storm-new-battleground-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/16/heroes-of-the-storm-new-battleground-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/16/heroes-of-the-storm-new-battleground-revealed/#comments Heroes of the Storm Heroes The Heroes of the Storm official site has released a new interview with Senior Technical Designer Meng Song all about the game's new battleground map: the Garden of Terror. The Garden is a three-lane map that cycles between daytime and nighttime, with corresponding changes to both lighting and map features. During the day, there are the usual mercenary camps for players to capture, but they disappear when night falls, and instead night horrors will appear in the garden sections of the map. The night sequence ends when all night horrors are killed.

In addition, players can gather seeds by killing certain mobs scattered around the map. Once 100 seeds have been collected, players can summon a Garden Terror in their base. Much like the Dragon Shire map, the player that summons the Garden Terror becomes it, granting you two powerful abilities: Plant Horror Overgrowth, which disables and damages enemy buildings, and Spore Queen's Curse, which turns your enemies into piddling little Plant Zombies.

It's great to see a new map being added to Heroes for some extra variety. I'm really interested to see how the day/night cycle works out in gameplay, particularly because the transition is player-controlled. I'm sure there will be a variety of strategies for when and why to try and shift the map into night, and for how long to leave it there. Mostly, it will just be nice to have another possible option on the battleground roulette wheel.

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Heroes of the Storm: New battleground revealed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 16 Jul 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> garden-of-terrorheroes-of-the-storm-alphaheroes-of-the-storm-battlegroundheroes-of-the-storm-newshots-battlegroundmeng-songnew-heroes-battleground (Sarah Pine) Wed, 16 Jul 2014 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: Jumping puzzles abound]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/16/warlords-of-draenor-jumping-puzzles-abound/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/16/warlords-of-draenor-jumping-puzzles-abound/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/16/warlords-of-draenor-jumping-puzzles-abound/#comments Warlords beta drinking nelf Our friends at Wowhead have uncovered something I can honestly say I never thought I'd see in WoW: jumping puzzles. Well, I guess you could call those really annoying spots in Blackfathom Deeps and Wailing Caverns "jumping puzzles" but really, they're just jumps. So far three separate jumping puzzles have been spotted in Draenor. You'll find them at the Circle of Blood, the waterfall at Moonwillow Peak in Shadowmoon Valley, and the eastern end of Daggermaw Ravine. According to Wowhead, Circle of Blood is the easiest of the three, and Daggermaw Ravine the most difficult. All have rewards awaiting the intrepid jumping populace, be it a rare spawn with rare loot or a treasure chest of goodies.

The presence of jumping puzzles in the game brings the question of player flying capabilities to the forefront once more. We already know we won't be able to fly in Draenor at release, but it's been speculated that flying will be added into the game after a certain point. However, player flying renders challenges such as jumping puzzles completely obsolete. Why would you bother when you can just drop in from above? Of course, that doesn't mean that Blizzard will never allow flying in Draenor--content isn't designed to be new indefinitely. However, it does make me feel like perhaps our grounding in Draenor is meant to be more permanent than initially expected. Or maybe I'm reading way too much into this. What do you think?

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Warlords of Draenor: Jumping puzzles abound originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> flight-in-warlords-of-draenorflight-in-wodflying-in-draenorjumping-puzzlesrare-spawnswarlords-jumping-puzzleswarlords-of-draenor-betawod-jumping-puzzleswow-explorationwow-jumping-puzzles (Sarah Pine) Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Gaze of the Black Prince returns]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/14/gaze-of-the-black-prince-returns/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/14/gaze-of-the-black-prince-returns/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/14/gaze-of-the-black-prince-returns/#comments Wrathion Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday July 15th, at 9:00 am PDT, the Gaze of the Black Prince buff will reappear on live servers. This game-wide buff increases reputation gains with The Black Prince by 100%, and increases your chance to earn Sigils of Wisdom, Sigils of Power, Secrets of the Empire, and Titan Runestones. The buff will last two weeks and end at 9:00 am PDT on July 29th. If you've got a toon working on that legendary cloak questline, you just might be able to push through and finish it up in the next two weeks.

Make sure to check out Anne Stickney's guide to getting that fancy orange piece of gear if you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed, there are some great tips there for using your time as efficiently as possible. For those of you aiming to get your legendary cloak--be it your first or fifth--good luck, and may the Gaze of the Black Prince help you out.

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Gaze of the Black Prince returns originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 14 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> gaze-of-the-black-princegaze-of-the-black-prince-bufflegendary-cloaklegendary-cloak-guidelegendary-cloak-questreputationreputation-grind (Sarah Pine) Mon, 14 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Warlords of Draenor: New battle pet models]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/11/warlords-of-draenor-new-battle-pet-models/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/11/warlords-of-draenor-new-battle-pet-models/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/11/warlords-of-draenor-new-battle-pet-models/#comments New battle pets from Wowhead Over the last few days we've all become intimately familiar with the new Molten Corgi pet and its model. Two more datamined battle pet models have joined it: the Grovestrider Hatchling and the Draenei Micro Defender. In addition, there's another new pet currently sans model: the Dwarf Gronnling. I am going to make an educated guess and say that this last pet probably looks like a teeny tiny gronn. If so, that'll be fantastic. I've always wanted one of those.

The Grovestrider Hatchling is a fun, if pretty typical-looking small bird model with blue, green, and sliver feathers and red eyes. Of the two new models, the Draenei Micro Defender definitely steals the show. As one of the Wowhead commenters points out it looks like a little Protoss. It's got two shiny shields and some chic crystalline armor. I'm definitely going to try and get my grubby little paws on that thing as soon as I can.

Images courtesy of Wowhead

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Warlords of Draenor: New battle pet models originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 11 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battle-petsdraenie-micro-defenderdwarf-gronnlinggrovestrider-hatchlingnew-battle-petsnew-petspet-collectingpet-collectionpets (Sarah Pine) Fri, 11 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider