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[Hearthstone's Secrets of Stranglethorn Vale]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/23/hearthstones-secrets-of-stranglethorn-vale/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/23/hearthstones-secrets-of-stranglethorn-vale/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/23/hearthstones-secrets-of-stranglethorn-vale/#comments Secrets of Stranglethorn Vale With all the excitement of patch 5.3, you may have missed this interesting little update from Hearthstone: a preview for one of the game board options, Secrets of Stranglethorn Vale. Not only is the artwork beautiful and appropriately atmospheric, but the description hints at a certain interactivity for the player.

If your opponent is taking a long time deciding their move for the turn, an interactive player board offers something for you to do while you're waiting. The Stranglethorn Vale preview also implies that there are going to be multiple different interactive player boards, all based on various zones and cities in WoW. Now I find myself rather curious to see what other areas Blizzard chooses to include as player board options. I'd love to have Desolace, Ashenvale, and the Plaguelands, personally. What kind of boards would you like to spice up your Hearthstone battles?

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Hearthstone's Secrets of Stranglethorn Vale originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 23 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hearthstone-heroes-of-warcrafthearthstone-newshearthstone-player-boardsstranglethorn-vale-boardSTV-player-board (Sarah Pine) Thu, 23 May 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The top ten most desolate spots in WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/the-top-ten-most-desolate-spots-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/the-top-ten-most-desolate-spots-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/the-top-ten-most-desolate-spots-in-wow/#comments map header A little while ago, we did a "Top ten most beautiful spots in WoW" post, and many commenters had an interesting request: a companion post of the ten most desolate places in WoW. We thought it was a great idea, so we're taking the suggestion to heart. This was an interesting topic to think about, because the desolate spots in WoW are the ones I tend to avoid. For the most part, I don't want to spend my fun WoW time in virtual wastelands! Then again, sometimes those deserted, eerie places have a haunting beauty all their own. Check out our list, and tell us your own favorite desolate places in World of Warcraft!

Continue reading The top ten most desolate spots in WoW

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The top ten most desolate spots in WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blasted-landsbleak-places-in-wowborean-tundraburning-steppesdeadwind-passdesolacedragonblighteastern-plaguelandsnetherstormscreenshotssilithusthousand-needleszones (Sarah Pine) Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The top five things you need to know about patch 5.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/21/the-top-five-things-you-need-to-know-about-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/21/the-top-five-things-you-need-to-know-about-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/21/the-top-five-things-you-need-to-know-about-patch-5-3/#comments patch 5.3 scenario Patch 5.3 has arrived, and there are a truly staggering number of changes to the game, many of them with significant effects to gameplay. You can check out Blizzard's complete patch notes on their blog, but for the sake of brevity, WoW Insider has compiled a list of the top five changes that are most likely to be of the biggest interest to the average player. If you haven't been paying much attention, this is the stuff you probably really want to know!

1. The experience required to go from level 85 to 90 has been reduced by 33%

Mists of Pandaria has been called very alt-unfriendly, and while this particular change won't entirely fix that, it does help. Along with the changes to reputation factions -- the Shado Pan and August Celestials dailies are no longer hidden behind the gate of "Revered" with the Golden Lotus -- this will make it easier to get your army of alts up to speed to hop into max-level content.

Continue reading The top five things you need to know about patch 5.3

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The top five things you need to know about patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> big-changescustomer-supportcustomer-support-policiesexperience-changesitem-changesitemsleveling-changesloot-optionsloot-rollspatch-5.3patch-5.3-changespatch-5.3-pvppatch-5.3-pvp-changespvp-changesresilience-changetransmogtransmogrification (Sarah Pine) Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The best fight from Wrath of the Lich King]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-best-fight-from-wrath-of-the-lich-king/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-best-fight-from-wrath-of-the-lich-king/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-best-fight-from-wrath-of-the-lich-king/#comments Mimiron Last week there were a lot of calls in my "Best fight from Burning Crusade" article for Mimiron, Yogg-Saron, or Arthas himself to be the subject of this article. I had to smile at them because, well, they guessed it. I'll admit that, as a healer, I was tempted to pick Valythria, but I don't think I could really do that in good conscience. Valythria might have been one of my favorite fights, but the best? No, not really. My choice for the best fight from Wrath of the Lich King? Mimiron.

Mimiron is a four-phase tier eight fight with some complex mechanics and a good deal of entertaining humor to it. In my opinion, the Ulduar raid was the crown jewel of Wrath of the Lich King, and Mimiron was one of the most fun and challenging bosses in it.

Continue reading The best fight from Wrath of the Lich King

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The best fight from Wrath of the Lich King originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> boss-fightsbossesfirefighterhard-mode-raidshard-modesmimironulduar (Sarah Pine) Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Dawn of the Aspects Part IV preview]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/dawn-of-the-aspects-part-iv-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/dawn-of-the-aspects-part-iv-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/dawn-of-the-aspects-part-iv-preview/#comments Aspects For all you lore fans out there, Dawn of the Aspects Part IV will be available in five days, on May 20th. To tide us over, community manager Bashiok has posted a preview on the story forum, featuring our fearless dragon quintet facing an undead menace. I don't want to spoil too much for those who are waiting to read the whole thing once it's all finished, but as the penultimate addition to the story, there's some name dropping that might come as a surprise if you haven't been following along. The excerpt hints at some tense situations for the soon-to-be Aspects, and Ysera, in particular, plays an important part in this scene. There are even a few hints that she might have some kind of hidden, unexpected power, but we all know that's because Ysera is the best Aspect anyway. The position of my druid as my perpetual main has in no way influenced my opinion on this matter.

Make sure to check out WoW Insiders' reviews of the previous parts of Dawn of the Aspects. The full part four preview is the break, and keep your eyes peeled for Dawn of the Aspects Part IV.

Continue reading Dawn of the Aspects Part IV preview

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Dawn of the Aspects Part IV preview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dawn-of-the-aspectsday-of-the-dragondragon-aspectsdragonflightsdragonskalecgosrichard-knaakwow-lore (Sarah Pine) Wed, 15 May 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New Hearthstone warrior card revealed]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/new-hearthstone-warrior-card-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/new-hearthstone-warrior-card-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/new-hearthstone-warrior-card-revealed/#comments commanding shout Blizzard has been steadily tossing us tidbits of information on the upcoming Hearthstone game. Earlier this month they gave us a preview of the Void Terror warlock minion card and some instruction on when and how to use it effectively during a game. Yesterday they posted the warrior ability Commanding Shout, which makes your minions impossible to kill for the duration of your current turn.

I'm sure there are approximately a bazillion different situations in which this could come in handy, but what makes it extra appealing for the warrior is how it can be paired with mechanics that depend upon a minion receiving damage in order to reach their full potential. Got a berserker minion who gets +3 to attack after being hurt? Toss him Commanding Shout and you don't have to worry about him dying that round. Got your opponent's minions on the brink of death, but not sure you'll survive the next attack? Pair Rampage's +3/+3 with Commanding Shout and watch the other player squirm with impotent rage as you annihilate all their best-laid plans. What could possibly be more satisfying?

Check out WoW Insider's Hearthstone coverage for further information, and we all look forward to Hearthstone's release!

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New Hearthstone warrior card revealed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> card-gamecommanding-shouthearthstone-commanding-shouthearthstone-heroes-of-warcrafthearthstone-tcghearthstone-warrior (Sarah Pine) Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The 5 mounts I'm going to farm until the end of the world]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/the-5-mounts-im-going-to-farm-until-the-end-of-the-world/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/the-5-mounts-im-going-to-farm-until-the-end-of-the-world/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/the-5-mounts-im-going-to-farm-until-the-end-of-the-world/#comments Anzu Mount collecting in World of Warcraft is a common passion. There are some really beautiful designs out there, and showing off a rare collection is one of the ways in which people take pleasure from the game. A number of mounts are also a testament to dedication or skill in the game: the arena drakes, the Pureblood Fire Hawk, Invincible... for those who have earned them these mounts and others like them stand as a visual marker to their accomplishments.

For those of us who tend to be a bit behind on the raiding or PvP curve, there are still plenty of obtainable mounts out there. Some of them were formerly unattainable without groups, but thanks to the inevitable passage of time and raising of the level cap, the bosses which drop them are now soloable. Unfortunately, mounts tend to have a very low drop rate, so getting them can be a challenge of determination, diligence, and of course, luck. Here are a few that I have yet to earn for myself, but I remain determined to acquire!

1. Raven Lord

Can you believe I am a druid who still doesn't have this one? A Burning Crusade-era druid, too. I've been farming this mount since Anzu was only summonable by druids such as myself, and I still haven't seen it drop. Admittedly I've slacked off more recently, mostly because I'm sick of Sethekk Halls. I should hop back to it, though. The Raven Lord is one of the most gorgeous ground mounts in the game.

Continue reading The 5 mounts I'm going to farm until the end of the world

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The 5 mounts I'm going to farm until the end of the world originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 14 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> anzuashes-of-alardeathchargerfiery-warhorsemount-collectingmount-farmingmountsrare-mountsraven-lordtime-lost-proto-drake (Sarah Pine) Tue, 14 May 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Proceeds from Diablo III auction house exploit to be donated to charity]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/proceeds-from-diablo-iii-auction-house-exploit-to-be-donated-to/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/proceeds-from-diablo-iii-auction-house-exploit-to-be-donated-to/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/proceeds-from-diablo-iii-auction-house-exploit-to-be-donated-to/#comments Diablo logo At this point we all should be pretty familiar with what happened in Diablo III with the release of patch 1.0.8. The patch contained a bug in the way the auction house functioned that allowed for people to make lots and lots of gold - far more than they were intended to. The bug was fixed very quickly, but for the last few weeks Blizzard's been busy auditing both their code and the accounts of the players who exploited the bug. Late Friday evening, John Hight, the production manager for Diablo III, put up a post on the Diablo forums explaining in detail both what happened and what Blizzard has been doing about it.

The actions taken seem fairly straightforward and sensible - Blizzard has evaluated the necessary code to check for any other potential weaknesses, and they have either banned or rolled back the accounts of players who abused the bug's existence. That seems pretty typical. But, what's nicest to read is the fact that Blizzard is taking any real money generated by these auction house transactions - including their own transaction fees - and donating them to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. We have no idea as of yet what that amount might be, but it's certainly a nice gesture.

The full blue post is after the break.

Continue reading Proceeds from Diablo III auction house exploit to be donated to charity

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Proceeds from Diablo III auction house exploit to be donated to charity originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> auction-houseblizzard-newsdiablo-3diablo-3-newsdiablo-auction-housejohn-hight (Sarah Pine) Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[What are you afraid to do in WoW?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/what-are-you-afraid-to-do-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/what-are-you-afraid-to-do-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/what-are-you-afraid-to-do-in-wow/#comments Garrosh is scary There are certain things in WoW that I just don't do, not because I don't think they're fun, but because they intimidate me. Those activities would be tanking and PvP. Here's the thing, I don't dislike those thing, and actually, I'd love to do more of them! Sometimes I'll sit down and think, "Yeah, I would love to try tanking that boss!" or "Man, running battlegrounds seems like fun!" And then I kind of swallow anxiously and think, "Well, maybe another day..."

What's ridiculous about this, for me, is that I have successfully done both those activities in the past. I tanked tier 9 on my druid when my 10-man team needed a change of pace, and I spent significant periods of time in Arathi Basin circa level 45 back in Burning Crusade, also on my druid. Feral PvP was fun! And challenging! Those were the days when you couldn't transfer directly between druid forms; you had to shift to caster form in between (i.e. bear > caster > cat), so there were some different challenges to manage compared to PvE, and I like that! Oh, I also tanked on my paladin when he was a lowbie - Shadowfang Keep, Blackfathom Deeps, stuff like that. Considering I once had so much fun doing these things, I have no idea why I find it so intimidating now!

Do you have any similar hang-ups in WoW? What aspects of the game intimidate you? What would it take for you to give it a shot?

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What are you afraid to do in WoW? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> pvppvp-feartanking-for-the-first-timetanking-is-scarywow-issues (Sarah Pine) Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[No talent overhaul likely]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/no-talent-overhaul-likely/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/no-talent-overhaul-likely/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/no-talent-overhaul-likely/#comments Mage talents If you're interested in WoW design and discussion, but don't yet follow twitter, you might want to reconsider. A lot of the developers are regularly active there. For example, yesterday our own Adam Holisky had a nice little chat with Ghostcrawler, Bashiok, and some other folks about WoW's talent design, and wondering if there was another big overhaul being considered for the next major expansion. The answer, bluntly, is no. Blizzard seems content with the current system.

Player Mihaly Ducz replied that three choices every fifteen levels feels kind of thin, but I have to admit that I kind of agree with Bashiok's response on that one: there are already plenty of spells and abilities in the game; I am perfectly content to have fewer of them, or at least more passive options so I don't have to agonize over how to redo my bars again. How about you? Are you content with the current talent system? What might you like to see changed or modified in the future?

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No talent overhaul likely originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 10 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> discussionGame-MechanicsGhostcrawlertalent-tree-revamptalent-treestalentstwitterwow-developerswow-twitter (Sarah Pine) Fri, 10 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The best fight from Burning Crusade]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-best-fight-from-burning-crusade/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-best-fight-from-burning-crusade/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-best-fight-from-burning-crusade/#comments Tempest Keep: The Eye Last week I wrote about what I considered to be the best fight from classic WoW, so this week we're moving into The Burning Crusade. Though I stated that I try to stay away from obvious choices, this boss is so infamous that I really couldn't choose anything else, despite considering several others. The picture at the top of the article has already given my answer away: Kael'thas Sunstrider, the final boss of Tempest Keep: The Eye.

This could be the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia speaking, but looking back, I really do believe that The Burning Crusade had some of the most interesting, fun, and infuriating boss mechanics of any expansion so far. Mage and/or warlock tanks? Check. Necessary item usage? Check. Guaranteed aggro resets? Check!

And Kael'thas had all of those.

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The best fight from Burning Crusade originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 09 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> boss-fightsbosseskaelthastempest-keeptempest-keep-the-eye (Sarah Pine) Thu, 09 May 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: Music is distracting]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-queue-music-is-distracting/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-queue-music-is-distracting/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-queue-music-is-distracting/#comments
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Sarah Pine (@ilaniel) will be your host today.

Thanks to tumblr for introducing me to the Armenian pop singer Sirusho. I can't get this song out of my head, despite not understanding a word of it. This video in particular has been praised for featuring some wonderful Armenian design, and it's easy to see why!

Ron2 asked:

What's your favorite class and/or race for a gathering alt? Horde or Alliance, Mining, Herbing, and/or Skinning, I leave that up to you.

Continue reading The Queue: Music is distracting

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The Queue: Music is distracting originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> farminggatheringhigh-elvesmusicprofessionsthe-queue (Sarah Pine) Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The top 10 most beautiful spots in WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-top-10-most-beautiful-spots-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-top-10-most-beautiful-spots-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/the-top-10-most-beautiful-spots-in-wow/#comments http://www.blogcdn.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/2013/03/map-header.jpg World of Warcraft sometimes gets panned for its graphics, which have never been on the bleeding edge of virtual reality. This, however, was a deliberate choice on Blizzard's part, and I think it's a good one. It allows for people who are behind the hardware curve (such as myself) to enjoy the game, and the graphics' intentional cartoonishness holds up better over time than hyper-realistic renderings, which often seem horribly dated within months. More importantly, WoW's beauty hasn't suffered for it. Azeroth is stunning.

I've compiled a list of the ten spots I personally find to be most beautiful, and by spots, I truly mean spots, not entire zones. I expect many of you will have wildly differing opinions, and I look forward to reading about them. The ten locations are listed in alphabetical order by zone; there's no way I could actually order them - I would never be able to decide!

Continue reading The top 10 most beautiful spots in WoW

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The top 10 most beautiful spots in WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ahn-qirajazsharadalaranferalashowling-fjordjade-forestmost-beautiful-places-in-wownagrandpretty-wow-placesquel-danastirisfal-gladesvashjirzones (Sarah Pine) Wed, 08 May 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Rock on with Kang's Bindstone]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/06/rock-on-with-kangs-bindstone/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/06/rock-on-with-kangs-bindstone/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/06/rock-on-with-kangs-bindstone/#comments Stone Yaungol I'm going to have to humbly beg everyone for their forgiveness for my terrible title pun. Get it?! Okay, but seriously. We know we've got Phat Loot Friday and all that, but Kang's Bindstone is such a neat item that it deserves its own post. The Bindstone is an item that buffs you with a chance to turn an enemy to stone upon delivering a killing blow instead of triggering the normal death effect. Loot and such is unaffected - this is a purely cosmetic item. The buff lasts ten minutes and works against critters, mobs, enemy players, and even bosses.

Kang's Bindstone drops from Kang the Soul Thief, a rare mogu elite in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. He can be found in the far west of the zone, on Autumnshade Ridge north of the Five Sisters site on the map. He's a mogu sorcerer and does some nasty shadow-based attacks, but he should be soloable for a level 90 character. Happy hunting!

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Rock on with Kang's Bindstone originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fun-lootitemskang-dropskang-the-soul-thieflootrare-dropsrare-elitevanity-items (Sarah Pine) Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Your silliest WoW moment]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/your-silliest-wow-moment/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/your-silliest-wow-moment/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/your-silliest-wow-moment/#comments Tree on a bike This is a timely forum post, considering our topic the other day we had on our favorite ways to die. Mearl the gnome warrior asks, "What is the silliest thing that's happened to you in Azeroth?" A good number of the responses include people's own goofy deaths, but there are some more unconventional responses, too. I'm quite partial to Hippeaux's reply early on in the thread of the GM who clearly accidentally copied multiple people on a ticket, resulting in a baffling stream-of-consciousness-like list of instructions on how to accomplish a variety of things in game. Suddenly, I long for the day when something similar happens to me!

As for the silliest thing that's ever happened to me in game, well, this isn't strictly silly, but it's a story I laugh about heartily in hindsight. When I was a wee druid, at level 14, I got the quest for swim form. You needed to collect two halves to an amulet, both of which were underwater. The amulet's first half was at the bottom of the lake in Moonglade. Easy peasy, that's where you got the quest!

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Your silliest WoW moment originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 02 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> amusing-deathsanother-way-to-die-in-wowdruid-nostalgiahumorsillyswim-form-shenanigans (Sarah Pine) Thu, 02 May 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[A fresh look at World of Warcraft lore resources]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/a-fresh-look-at-world-of-warcraft-lore-resources/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/a-fresh-look-at-world-of-warcraft-lore-resources/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/a-fresh-look-at-world-of-warcraft-lore-resources/#comments WoW lore header Mists of Pandaria is chock full of WoW lore, much of it building directly upon events that were set in motion a while ago. Patches 5.1 and 5.2 in particular have been heavy on the story , so if you're either new to the game or haven't paid attention to the lore before, you may be wondering just what in the heck is going on and why! Here at WoW Insider we talk about lore quite a bit, but there are lots of resources out there for the interested player, and it can get overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. Hopefully this compilation will serve as a handy springboard for fellow WoW enthusiasts who are looking to dive headlong into the lore.

Continue reading A fresh look at World of Warcraft lore resources

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A fresh look at World of Warcraft lore resources originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> wow-lore-resources (Sarah Pine) Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The best fight from classic WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/the-best-fight-from-classic-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/the-best-fight-from-classic-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/the-best-fight-from-classic-wow/#comments Vaelastrasz This is a topic I know will get me into trouble. Classic WoW is known as "classic" for a reason, after all. Being the opening foray into the MMO that has since become the standard for the entire industry, WoW's first incarnation is filled with memorable encounters. The raid bosses we battled back then are the yardsticks by which we have judged pretty much everything that has followed.

I know it's tempting to say something like Ragnaros or Onyxia or C'Thun, because those are the big bad end boss fights that remain etched in WoW players' collective consciousness. I've always tried to stay away from the obvious answers, though, because, well, they're obvious. I don't think there's anything particularly interesting I could write about Ragnaros or Onyxia that hasn't already be said better by someone else. When I sat down to brainstorm about this topic, I ran through many of the classic bosses, testing my memories of them, and after a while I hit upon what I knew would be my personal answer to this question: Vaelastrasz the Corrupt.

Continue reading The best fight from classic WoW

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The best fight from classic WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 01 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> classic-wowclassic-wow-bossesclassic-wow-raidingmemorable-raid-bossesraid-bossesvaelVaelastrasz (Sarah Pine) Wed, 01 May 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.2 hotfixes for April 29th and 30th, nerf to Lei Shen]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/patch-5-2-hotfixes-for-april-29th-and-30th-nerf-to-lei-shen/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/patch-5-2-hotfixes-for-april-29th-and-30th-nerf-to-lei-shen/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/patch-5-2-hotfixes-for-april-29th-and-30th-nerf-to-lei-shen/#comments Throne of Thunder There were a few hotfixes posted earlier this week, on both Monday and Tuesday. On the 29th, both Glorious Conquest Quartermasters took leave from the game for a while. Daxxarri explains in a forum thread that, because Glorious Conquest gear is changing from ilevel 512 to 496, they wanted to remove the vendors before players purchased gear that would end up being a lower ilevel than they bought it for. The change is too big to be implemented via hotfix, so the vendors will be returning with the next major content patch.

The hotfix for yesterday was a nerf to the Lei Shen encounter in the Throne of Thunder for Raid Finder groups. Lei Shen's overall hit points have been reduced by 10%, and the Static Shock effect from the North Conduit now deals only 300,000 damage at zero energy, down from 650,000. That's a big change, and hopefully will make that encounter a little simpler for struggling Raid Finder groups.

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Patch 5.2 hotfixes for April 29th and 30th, nerf to Lei Shen originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> glorious-conquest-gearhotfixesLei-Shennerfbatnerfspatch-5.2-hotfixespvp-gearpvp-gearing-changespvp-hotfixesraid-finderRaid-Hotfixes (Sarah Pine) Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blizzard art featured at Seattle museum exhibit]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/29/blizzard-art-featured-at-seattle-museum-exhibit/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/29/blizzard-art-featured-at-seattle-museum-exhibit/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/29/blizzard-art-featured-at-seattle-museum-exhibit/#comments Myth and Magic If you live in the Seattle area, you might be interested in the new Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic exhibit that opened this weekend at the Experience Music Project Museum. The exhibit focuses on the evolution of the fantasy genre in the 20th century, and features props and costumes from Xena: Warrior Princess, The Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth, and The Princess Bride. There's also a dragon model designed by the Seattle Opera, a replica of the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones, and hand-edited manuscript pages from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Oh, and if you happen to be interested in World of Warcraft, it also features artwork from WoW and Diablo III.

And if that's not enough Blizzard material for you, the EMP is also currently running The Art of Video Games exhibit, which features hand drawn material by Samwise Didier and Chris Metzen from Warcraft and Starcraft.

I highly recommend checking out both of these exhibits, and the EMP in general, if you're going to be in Seattle any time soon. As a Seattle resident myself, I love the EMP and visit regularly. It's also in a really neat-looking building! The Art of Video Games exhibit ends May 12th, but there is currently no closing date listed for Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic.

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Blizzard art featured at Seattle museum exhibit originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzard-artblizzard-artistsdiablo-artdiablo-art-exhibitionexperience-music-projectfantasy-worlds-of-myth-and-magicwow-artwow-art-exhibition (Sarah Pine) Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Bill Westenhofer announced as VFX director for Warcraft movie]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/26/bill-westenhofer-announced-as-vfx-director-for-warcraft-movie/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/26/bill-westenhofer-announced-as-vfx-director-for-warcraft-movie/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/26/bill-westenhofer-announced-as-vfx-director-for-warcraft-movie/#comments World Tree Nick Carpenter, Vice President of Art and Cinematics at Blizzard, recently tweeted that award-winning visual effects specialist Bill Westenhofer of Rhythm and Hues Studios will be directing the Warcraft live-action film. Westenhofer has received Academy Awards for his work on The Golden Compass and Life of Pi, as well as a nomination for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. His numerous special effects credits also include Elf, Men in Black II, Stuart Little, and Speed 2: Cruise Control, among many others.

If you've been following the development of the long-anticipated Warcraft movie, this is certainly some very good news. Westenhofer is an accomplished and respected visual effects professional, and his involvement can only mean good things for the Warcraft film. Hopefully we'll learn more soon!

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Bill Westenhofer announced as VFX director for Warcraft movie originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bill-westenhofernick-carpenterwarcraft-moviewarcraft-movie-newswarcraft-movie-vfxwow-moviewow-movie-vfx (Sarah Pine) Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The case of the next Warchief, revisited]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/the-case-of-the-next-warchief-revisited/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/the-case-of-the-next-warchief-revisited/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/the-case-of-the-next-warchief-revisited/#comments Saurfang My first post on this topic garnered a lot of really interesting comments, and a lot of puzzled folks scratching their heads over why certain other candidates weren't considered. My intention with the last post was to examine the other Horde racial leaders (and Thrall, who was formerly the racial leader of the orcs), but I recognize that I didn't clearly state that. Furthermore, I love character analysis, so I'm always looking for an excuse to do more of it. This follow-up is in the spirit of continuing speculation.

I do want to say right off the bat that I personally don't think any of the folks discussed in this post really have a chance, but more unexpected things have happened in the course of WoW's plot development!

Continue reading The case of the next Warchief, revisited

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The case of the next Warchief, revisited originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dranosh-saurfangeitriggsassy-hardwrenchsaurfangsaurfang-the-youngervarok-saurfangwarchiefwarchief-garroshwarchief-thrallwarchiefswarlord-zaelazaela-2013 (Sarah Pine) Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Developer Q&A on Thursday, April 25]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/developer-qanda-on-thursday-april-25/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/developer-qanda-on-thursday-april-25/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/developer-qanda-on-thursday-april-25/#comments Q&A banner Yesterday evening the WoW official blog announced there there will be a CoverItLive Q&A session at 5:30 pm PDT with Blizzard developers Dave Kosak, Ion Hazzikostas, Brian Holinka, Cory Stockton, and Greg Street on the subject of Mists of Pandaria's gameplay and design. Familiar community managers Bashiok, Crithto, Daxxarri, Rygarius, and Zarhym will be your friendly neighborhood moderators for the event. The session is scheduled to last around 45 minutes, though I'm certain many more minutes worth of questions will be asked!

I'm excited to see this event come around, Blizzard has hosted a few CoverItLive chats in the past and they're always very interesting to see. The real-time interaction is fun and gratifying, and we always learn new things about the game and Blizzard's approach to development. For those of you who may not have seen one of these before, you can check out WoW Insider's transcripts of previous live developer Q&A's to get a sense of what to expect:
Get your questions ready for Thursday, and we hope to see you there!

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Developer Q&A on Thursday, April 25 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakingCoverItLivedeveloper-chatdeveloper-q-and-adeveloper-questions (Sarah Pine) Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Reminder: Blizzcon tickets on sale today]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/reminder-blizzcon-tickets-on-sale-today/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/reminder-blizzcon-tickets-on-sale-today/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/reminder-blizzcon-tickets-on-sale-today/#comments Blizzcon It's that time again, time for furious clicking, frantic drop-down menu selections, and long, long queue times. DPS in the dungeon finder during peak hour queue times. BlizzCon tickets will be on sale today starting at 7 pm PDT. If previous years are any indication they will be gone fast, so be prepared. If you can't get them today for whatever reason, they will be on sale again on Saturday, April 27 at 10 am PDT. If you miss out then, there is a third chance to get a ticket as part of the Orange County Children's Hospital pre-BlizzCon benefit dinner, and those tickets will on sale Wednesday, May 1st at 7 pm PDT.

As in 2011, BlizzCon tickets will cost US$175 each. In previous years there has been a limit to the number of tickets an individual is allowed to buy, so I assume that will once more be the case. If you're trying for tickets good luck and happy clicking!

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Reminder: Blizzcon tickets on sale today originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzconblizzcon-2013blizzcon-2013-ticketsblizzcon-ticket-salesblizzcon-tickets (Sarah Pine) Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.2 hotfixes for April 22]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/patch-5-2-hotfixes-for-april-22/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/patch-5-2-hotfixes-for-april-22/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/patch-5-2-hotfixes-for-april-22/#comments Twin Consorts Some hotfixes went live today after the server restart. The big one that has my guildmates jumping up and down with glee is the change to the cost of Mogu Runes of Fate - they now cost 50 Lesser Charms of Good Fortune, down from 90 previously. Now, I do lots of dailies, so I couldn't get rid of my Lesser Charms fast enough even before the price nerf, but this is a great quality of life change that will give people more Runes of Fate to spend on chances for gear.

In addition, players picked from different realms will now be able to get loot and bonus rolls off of Oondasta and Nalak, and there are some minor nerfs to the Twin Consorts fight in Throne of Thunder. The Sinister Primal Diamond has also had some tweaks to its activation rate, particularly for fire mages. The full blue text is below the cut.

Continue reading Patch 5.2 hotfixes for April 22

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Patch 5.2 hotfixes for April 22 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hotfixeslesser-charm-of-good-fortunelesser-charms-of-good-fortunemeta-gem-changesmogu-rune-of-fatenalakoondastapatch-5.2patch-5.2-hotfixesraid-bossesthrone-of-thundertwin-consorts (Sarah Pine) Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The case of the next Warchief]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/the-case-of-the-next-warchief/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/the-case-of-the-next-warchief/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/the-case-of-the-next-warchief/#comments The case of the next Warchief Patch 5.3 is a-coming, and the Siege of Orgrimmar is drawing nearer and nearer every day. One question that I know is on everyone's mind is, who will be the next warchief? We know Garrosh is getting deposed - we don't yet know if he's going to die - and someone will have to take his place.

So who should it be? The obvious choice is one of the racial leaders, though exactly which one is up for debate. I thought it would be fun to analyze some of the potential candidates and tease out what might make them a reasonable choice of warchief both inside and outside the story. Let's start with some of the easily dismissible, for brevity's sake.

This post contains some minor spoilers for patch 5.3, so be warned!

Continue reading The case of the next Warchief

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The case of the next Warchief originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bainebaine-bloodhoofbaine-son-of-cairnegallywixguessing-the-new-warchiefhorde-rebellionji-firepawlorthemarlorthemar-theronnew-warchiefnew-warchief-analysispatch-5.3patch-5.3-scenariospredicting-the-new-warchiefPredictionssylvanassylvanas-windrunnerthrallvoljinvoljin-shadows-of-the-hordewarchiefwarchief-garroshwarchief-thrall (Sarah Pine) Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: All that you can't leave behind]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/19/breakfast-topic-all-that-you-cant-leave-behind/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/19/breakfast-topic-all-that-you-cant-leave-behind/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/19/breakfast-topic-all-that-you-cant-leave-behind/#comments Azuregos I am a total WoW packrat. It's a little embarrassing. My void storage has been full for ages; stuffed with transmog gear, rare and epic archaeology items, and, in particular, old quest rewards or dungeon keys. Those last two, I realize, are kind of ridiculous to keep, but I worked so hard getting that Seal of Ascention! And completing the Scepter of the Shifting Sands is one of my most prized achievements in the game, don't you dare tell me to throw it, or any of the items I got along the way, in the trash!

"But you can't even use rings or necklaces in transmog!" my friends remind me. I know, I know, but guys, that's not the point! The point is... the point is... I just can't let go, okay?!

Are you a WoW packrat? What items do you hoard, beyond all logic or good reason? With bag and bank slots becoming ever more precious commodities, how do you decide what to keep and what to get rid of?

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Breakfast Topic: All that you can't leave behind originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bag-spacebank-spacedungeon-keyslootnarain-soothfancypackrat-tendenciesscepter-of-the-shifting-sandsuseless-junkwow-hoarding (Sarah Pine) Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: What's your headcanon?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/18/breakfast-topic-whats-your-headcanon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/18/breakfast-topic-whats-your-headcanon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/18/breakfast-topic-whats-your-headcanon/#comments Night elf reading Headcanon is a concept you may not be familiar with if you're not an RPer or fanfic writer. Simply stated, it's a fan's personal interpretation of events or characters in whatever setting they're a fan of. Sometimes a person may use their headcanon as a way of coping with a story choice they dislike, and sometimes it may just be to fill gaps in the story line. For example, in WoW fandom, you might hear someone say, "In my headcanon, Jaina and Kalec are just good friends, because I hate them as a couple!" or, "I have this headcanon that Cairne and Magatha were actually fairly close at one point, and had a falling-out, and that's one of the reasons she hated him so much and he didn't throw her out of Thunder Bluff." The first is an example of a coping (or "corrective") headcanon, the second is an example of filling in unknown gaps.

One of the most fun things I do with my WoW friends is chat about our personal headcanons of the story and characters. What kind of relationships do these people have outside of what we see directly in official lore? Were they childhood friends, were they comrades in arms, were they lovers? Do these folks resent being forced into obligations they never wanted thanks to world events, or are they hungry to wield a power they wouldn't have otherwise achieved? How much does group X actually enjoy being allies (or enemies) with group Y? The "if only" game is endlessly fun!

Do you have any WoW headcanons? Did you, by any chance, already tell us about them back in October? Have they changed? For the most part, I only discuss my own headcanons with a handful of people, because I'm way too shy to do it in public! If you're not, though, please tell us in the comments!

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Breakfast Topic: What's your headcanon? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fandomFanFictionheadcanonloreRPstorytelling (Sarah Pine) Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Navigating the loot]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/navigating-the-loot/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/navigating-the-loot/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/navigating-the-loot/#comments Horridon While perusing Wowhead's blue tracker the other day I stumbled across this thread on the EU forums about the LFR loot system, its frustrations, and potential alternatives. Community manager Draztal is pretty active in the thread, which is nice to see -- there is plenty of back-and-forth and, despite player accusations of just parroting Blizzard policy, Draztal has a lot of good points to make about the nature of effort and reward.

The truth is that WoW has never consistently rewarded players for running dungeons or raids. I still get a little involuntary curl to my lip anytime I think about Burning Crusade-era heroics, particularly Magister's Terrace, and how often I ran them trying to get some piece of gear, and how often my groups wiped and nothing I needed dropped anyway (and all those useless PvP gems).

I agree it's frustrating to run LFR and only get gold, though I did have to sit down and think about why, in particular. After all, I killed Saurfang in Icecrown for probably upwards of three months before I finally got the Mag'hari Chieftain's Staff. During all that time it never occurred to me that my failure to receive loot was an indication that the entire system needed an overhaul. After a couple minutes ruminating, though, I think the answer is pretty obvious: loot is the only real reason to run LFR (with the exception of just experiencing content, for those who may not have the opportunity to raid otherwise).

Continue reading Navigating the loot

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Navigating the loot originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> gearlfrlfr-gearlooking-for-raidlootraidingrngrngland (Sarah Pine) Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Talent chaos]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/breakfast-topic-talent-chaos/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/breakfast-topic-talent-chaos/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/breakfast-topic-talent-chaos/#comments mage talents Choosing talents is a fun aspect of playing WoW. Many talents are situational, or work in concert with certain glyphs to produce unique effects. Some healers and tanks use their second spec not for a solo or questing DPS build, but as another healing or tank spec specifically tuned to certain encounters. Some people have a PvE and a PvP build, or a battleground build and an arena build. The bottom line is that talents add options and choices, leaving players to determine what they like and what works best for them.

New expansions and available levels bring us new spells and abilities, and with talents, we often get even more. I'll admit, I pretty quickly fall into the "overwhelmed by options" box. For me, the first question I ask myself when picking a new talent is, "Does this tier have a passive option?" I love passive options. I don't have to figure out where to keybind another button!

This doesn't mean that I'll always take the passive option, of course. Sometimes it's just really not a good idea. For example, as a resto druid, there was no way I was ever going to pick Soul of the Forest over Incarnation. But for my feral spec, I picked Dream of Cenarius (though I am considering switching to Heart of the Wild), and both specs get Feline Swiftness. Though I can justify those choices in other ways, I won't pretend that the fact that they are passive abilities wasn't also a huge draw. My kingdom for extra spaces on my bars!

How about you? Do you, like me, groan at the thought of having to rearrange your action bars yet again to make room for some new ability you can't pass up? Do viable passive options bring you inordinate glee? How do you deal with the glut of choice in this game?

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Breakfast Topic: Talent chaos originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> abilitieschoicechoosing-talentsdruid-talentspassive-abilitiestalent-choicestalents (Sarah Pine) Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[How to post a good thread on the WoW forums]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/12/how-to-post-a-good-thread-on-the-wow-forums/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/12/how-to-post-a-good-thread-on-the-wow-forums/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/12/how-to-post-a-good-thread-on-the-wow-forums/#comments nelf looking at scroll header The WoW official forums are known as many things among fans and players, and some of those things are not-so-nice. However, they can also be an invaluable resource for both players and developers alike. I personally will forever be grateful to the very useful thread several years ago that taught me how to level my priest without dying every two minutes, and the community managers do consistently remind us that they use the forums as a way of consolidating player feedback, especially for the PTR.

Sometimes, though, things get ugly. People get emotional, and in a fit of anger or frustration they post something they either wish they hadn't, or which turns out sounding less like an eloquent criticism and more like an incoherent rant. Over on the EU forums, Pondato is tired of seeing their posts get locked or ignored, and wants some advice on how to avoid that fate.

The thing that's really great about this post is that it immediately has useful answers. Especially good is how MVP Shammoz quickly breaks down the difference between "discuss" and "vent," two things that are often mutually exclusive. The advice to write your post out in advance, in another window (or word processor), give it some time, and then go back to it is also a good thing to keep in mind, and something I do regularly for all types of writing. If you've found your posts on the wrong end of a banhammer recently, or know someone who has, this might be a nice resource to keep in mind.

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How to post a good thread on the WoW forums originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> forum-adviceforum-post-of-the-dayforum-postswow-communitywow-community-managerswow-feedbackwow-forum-advicewow-forums (Sarah Pine) Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New features coming to Brawler's Guild in patch 5.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/11/new-features-coming-to-brawlers-guild-in-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/11/new-features-coming-to-brawlers-guild-in-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/11/new-features-coming-to-brawlers-guild-in-patch-5-3/#comments c'thun faces down the brawler's guild For those of you who have mastered the secrets of the Brawler's Guild and are hungry for more, community manager Crithto has some potentially tantalizing things to look forward to in patch 5.3! Members will now have the opportunity to achieve rank 10, and there will be eight new boss encounters against which to test your strength. Those bosses are being kept purposefully under wraps for now - no head starts on strategy, folks!

Another new addition will be an item called a Challenge Card. Using a Challenge Card will give the player a quest that allows for yet another new encounters to be unlocked. In addition, once you've defeated a boss, you can speak to the Challenge Card NPC for the opportunity to revisit the fight if you so desire. So for those of you who have been wanting the ability to face down a boss more than once, your wishes shall soon come true. Also available will be player VIP lounges - for those of you with a high enough ranking, of course! There will be unique Alliance and Horde areas, but if you play Alliance and have completed the 5.1 quest lines, you may already have a passing familiarity with your spot.

Happy brawling in 5.3, and a good shiner to you!

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New features coming to Brawler's Guild in patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Brawlers-Guildbrawlers-guild-changesbrawlers-guild-updatesofficial-blogpatch-5.3patch-5.3-brawlers-guild (Sarah Pine) Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Bashiok clarifies changes to Durumu]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/bashiok-clarifies-changes-to-durumu/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/bashiok-clarifies-changes-to-durumu/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/bashiok-clarifies-changes-to-durumu/#comments Durumu the Forgotten Last night, Blizzard released some hotfixes that mostly focused on the Durumu encounter in Throne of Thunder. Today on the general forums, community manager Bashiok has responded to a few player questions and clarified some of the rationale behind the changes, as well as announcing that another small hotfix to the encounter will be deployed later today. This newest change will see the death-beam during the maze phase dissipating slightly sooner than before, to balance against the fact that it now moves faster than it did prior to the hotfixes. The sum of these changes should help out those players who were struggling with the fight due to graphics and visuals.

Just wanted to follow up with some additional information, as we've seen a few questions since the changes.

In a hotfix yesterday, we changed two elements of the Durumu Eye Sore mechanic, or the "maze" as it's more commonly known. First off, we applied a small client patch to increase the visual fidelity of the fill graphic itself, giving the effect less vertical height and hopefully making it easier to see the safe spots as they appear. Feedback on this change has generally been positive. Separately, at the same time we made some adjustments to the logic of how the maze is drawn with respect to the movement of the Disintegration Beam. One of the less intuitive aspects of the original maze mechanic was how it would begin drawing behind you, and how the right thing to do was actually to turn around and back up, towards the approaching death beam, in order to safely enter the forming maze. Why would any sane person want to move closer to a death beam?!

We generally are extremely cautious about making gameplay adjustments to encounters once players have already learned them, but in this case the opening of the Halls of Flesh-Shaping LFR wing highlighted the fact that the mechanic was a particular source of confusion to many players, and the longer we waited to make any adjustment, the more disorienting it would be if we did change anything. So what we did was make the maze immediately begin drawing in front of the player as the beam activates, so that you never need to turn around and run towards the beam. This also effectively gives players a slight head-start on the beam as it begins to move. To maintain the same sense of urgency, the beam does move slightly more quickly now, so that it will, over the course of the phase, catch up to players and negate that head start. But the player movement required once you're actually running the maze should be unchanged. We have noted, however, that at the very end of the maze sequence, it can now feel like the fast-approaching death ray is going to reach you, making it feel like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. To address that concern, we are making another adjustment today, which will cause the death ray to dissipate a few seconds earlier at the end of the maze.

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Bashiok clarifies changes to Durumu originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> durumuDurumu-the-Forgottenhotfixhotfixesraid-bossesraidingthrone-of-thunder (Sarah Pine) Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Your most jealous WoW moment]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/breakfast-topic-your-most-jealous-wow-moment/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/breakfast-topic-your-most-jealous-wow-moment/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/breakfast-topic-your-most-jealous-wow-moment/#comments Zable and Al'ar I have a guildmate who is thoroughly dedicated to collecting in WoW, and he is very good at it. Every week on reset, he farms the instances that drop mounts he has yet to see. And this past Tuesday, I was one of only two of us (besides him!) logged into guild chat when the Ashes of Al'ar Feat of Strength popped up for him.

Oh my Titan, people!

I was thrilled to death for my guildie, of course! He has diligently killed Kael'thas for ages looking for this mount, and it is certainly a reward well-earned. But I am also jealous as heck, because, man... I love that mount! Maybe someday, I too will have such luck! One can only hope. And keep on killing Kael. He's pretty used to it by now, I imagine. Congrats again, Zable!

What moments have there been like that for you, readers? When have you seen someone get something and thought, "Congratulations! ...I'm so jealous!" Come on, we know it's happened!

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Breakfast Topic: Your most jealous WoW moment originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ashes-of-alarjealousymount-collectingmountswow-jealousy (Sarah Pine) Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Possible in-game Hearthstone event and mount uncovered]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/09/possible-in-game-hearthstone-event-and-mount-uncovered/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/09/possible-in-game-hearthstone-event-and-mount-uncovered/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/09/possible-in-game-hearthstone-event-and-mount-uncovered/#comments Hearthstone header Diligent dataminers over at Wowhead have uncovered what looks like an intriguing Feat of Strength: Hearthstoned. The description reads "Obtain the Hearthsteed from the Hearthstone promotion." Now, ever since Blizzard announced Hearthstone at PAX East and it was clear the game took place in the Warcraft universe, folks have been asking all over whether or not there would be WoW-related items associated with it, just as there currently are in the physical WoW: TCG. While this isn't quite the same thing as a loot card, it is a connection of some sort! We here at WoW Insider would also like to point out that the mount icon on this achievement looks suspiciously similar to the pegasus mounts that were datamined last week!

I'm going to try not to speculate too hard on what kind of in-game event Blizzard might do for Hearthstone, but it would be really cool to see, say, a bunch of NPCs hanging around in various Azerothian taverns playing card games and talking trash to each other. Hint, hint. I'm just saying! Of course, we all have to remember to take this with the requisite datamining disclaimer: just because it's been found in the PTR files doesn't mean it will make it to live. I really hope it does, though, because I'm always happy to grab more mounts!

Edit: Thanks to all who have pointed out that this may very well be the participation reward for the Hearthstone beta. This is what I get for not rereading the Hearthstone FAQ before submitting a post!

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Possible in-game Hearthstone event and mount uncovered originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hearthstonepatch-5.3pegasus-mount (Sarah Pine) Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[My most memorable experience in-game]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/09/my-most-memorable-experience-in-game/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/09/my-most-memorable-experience-in-game/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/09/my-most-memorable-experience-in-game/#comments hyppogriff flight You know, I thought this question would be a lot easier to answer than it turned out. After six years of playing this game, I thought surely there would be an obvious stand-out moment, but as I sat down to write this post, I realized that wasn't exactly true. Lest you think I'm implying that I've experienced nothing memorable in WoW, rest assured, that isn't the case. It's more that I have the opposite problem: I've experienced too much that is memorable. I've had some really great times in this game, and it's turned out to be nigh impossible to point to one and say, "That's it, that was my most memorable moment." Instead, I've come up with a list of things that keep coming to mind whenever I think about the topic. They are in no particular order:

1. Killing Nathanos Blightcaller

Nathanos Blightcaller was, in ye olden days, a (potentially) 40-person outdoor raid boss for the Alliance. He was also a quest giver NPC for Horde, so attacking him flagged you for PvP. Considering both of these things, you can imagine how difficult it could be for Alliance raids to actually down him, especially on high-population servers.

Continue reading My most memorable experience in-game

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My most memorable experience in-game originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bossesleotheras-the-blindmemorable-momentsmost-memorable-wow-momentsnathanos-blightcallernathanos-marrisraidingserpentshrine-cavernulduarwow-memoriesxt-002-deconstructor (Sarah Pine) Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[All Things Azeroth interviews Hearthstone developers]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/05/all-things-azeroth-interviews-hearthstone-developers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/05/all-things-azeroth-interviews-hearthstone-developers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/05/all-things-azeroth-interviews-hearthstone-developers/#comments Hearthstone header Since the announcement of Hearthstone at PAX East, many developer interviews have been circulating (including our own!). This week the All Things Azeroth podcast featured Hearthstone production director Jason Chayes and game designer Ben Brode, and there are a few interesting tidbits to take away from the interview that you might not have heard before. In particular, they detail an example of the types of fun cards they're developing to keep gamers on their toes. The example they discuss is King Mukla. You might be familiar with King Mukla if you've quested through The Cape of Stranglethorn, he's the enormous gorilla you need to kill to complete the Princess Poobah questline. In Hearthstone, Mukla is a cheap card to play that packs a punch, but the catch is that he'll give your opponent bananas which allows them some extra abilities, so you've got to think carefully about when you play him!

Other topics covered during the interview include some more details about card crafting and the rationale behind it, the Golden Card upgrades, and some of the developers' thoughts on things like a client for Hearthstone in WoW to ease the pain on those long DPS dungeon queues. I must say, the more I hear about Hearthstone, the more fun it sounds. I've got high hopes for this game, not least because I think there's a good chance that it might be the magic video-game bullet that finally piques my boyfriend's interest. Hey, he's resisted all my attempts to get him into WoW so far, I'm getting desperate!

You can check out All Thing's Azeroth's conversation with Jason Chayes and Ben Brode in episode 339. Happy listening!

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All Things Azeroth interviews Hearthstone developers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> all-things-azerothall-things-azeroth-podcastdeveloper-interviewhearthstonehearthstone-developer-interviewhearthstone-informationInterviewspodcastswow-podcasts (Sarah Pine) Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Ask The Developers: PvP changes on the PTR]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/02/ask-the-developers-pvp-changes-on-the-ptr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/02/ask-the-developers-pvp-changes-on-the-ptr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/02/ask-the-developers-pvp-changes-on-the-ptr/#comments Armsmaster Holinka A wild post has appeared on the EU forums, detailing the ground rules for an upcoming "Ask the Developers" opportunity relating to the PvP changes on the patch 5.3 PTR. It's currently locked, but on April 9th the thread will go live for 48 hours, during which time players are encouraged to post all of their PvP-related questions and to vote on their favorites. Don't ignore the voting option, because Blizz will be prioritizing their responses by popularity, and the questions with the most votes are the most likely to be answered.

There are also some ground rules for how the thread will work that are typical for "Ask the Dev" designated posts, and shouldn't be anything new for forum veterans. If you're planning on participating in the post, it's worth reading over them so your questions have the best chance of being taken seriously. So far it looks like this Q&A opportunity is only available to those with EU forum access, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for any similar posts appearing on the North American forum. You can find the full blue post behind the cut.

Continue reading Ask The Developers: PvP changes on the PTR

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Ask The Developers: PvP changes on the PTR originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ask-blizzardAsk-the-DevsAsk-the-Devs-QAblue-postseu-forumspatch-5.3-ptrpatch-5.3-pvppatch-5.3-pvp-changesptrptr-5.3pvppvp-questionswow-pvpwow-pvp-ptrwow-pvp-questions (Sarah Pine) Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Do the Harlem Shake with ElvUI for April Fools' Day]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/do-the-harlem-shake-with-elvui-for-april-fools-day/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/do-the-harlem-shake-with-elvui-for-april-fools-day/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/do-the-harlem-shake-with-elvui-for-april-fools-day/#comments The above video shows what awaits for ElvUI users when they log in today. I must say, I've been using addons and UI mods for years now in WoW, but as one YouTube commenter says, "Trolled by an addon, that's a first for me." Personally, I got a good kick out of seeing this on my main and I'm looking forward to logging onto my alts, at least just to see my dwarf scream "DO THE HARLEM SHAKE" to Zangarmarsh.

However, for those ElvUI users among you who may have been less than diligent about keeping on top of updates - and who can blame you really, I swear ElvUI goes out of date every three days - it seems that instead of the Harlem Shake, you get a message saying all your gold has been donated to the Orgrimmar orphanage. I personally can't confirm this, because for once I did update my UI as soon as it said to. Let us know if you can confirm/deny the orphanage joke!

Big thanks to @Vixsin_LiG5 for bringing the video to our attention, as well as the other commenters who tipped us on ElvUI's goofy prank. Happy April Fools' Day!

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Do the Harlem Shake with ElvUI for April Fools' Day originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> addonsapril-foolsfunnyhumorsillyuser-interfacewow-addons (Sarah Pine) Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Noblegarden 2013 has begun]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/noblegarden-2013-has-begun/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/noblegarden-2013-has-begun/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/noblegarden-2013-has-begun/#comments noblegarden and tauren This is a friendly neighborhood reminder from your local WoW Insider team that Noblegarden 2013 is underway. In fact it began yesterday, March 31st, and will run through the week until April 6th. This year looks to be pretty much the same as the last and there are no new updates to speak of, so if you've done it before, there's probably not a lot of incentive to do it again. However, a number of Noblegarden achievements are necessary for What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been, so if you're still working on your Violet Protodrake, don't miss out! In addition, battle pet collectors might be interested in the Spring Rabbit, if you haven't gotten it yet.

For those of you who are working on Nobelgarden achievements or items, WoW Insider's got you covered with our OverAchiever guide. Check it out, and happy spring!

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Noblegarden 2013 has begun originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> achievement-guidein-game-eventsnoblegardennoblegarden-2013pet-collectingwhat-a-long-strange-trip-its-beenwow-holidaywow-points (Sarah Pine) Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[What makes a compelling character?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/29/what-makes-a-compelling-character/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/29/what-makes-a-compelling-character/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/29/what-makes-a-compelling-character/#comments Faction Leaders I don't know how many of you frequent the official Story Forum. It can be an intimidating place. Beware, all ye who may mention the words "Lordaeron," "Sylvanas," or "Southshore;" and these days add "Sunreaver" and "Dalaran" to the list of ten-foot-pole topics. I still visit the Story Forum regularly and if you're a lore buff its often a good source for varied discussion and debate. The amount of detail folks are able to recite at a moment's notice never fails to impress me, and has more than once sent me scurrying to my personal Warcraft library to fact-check or reread something with an eye for a new interpretation.

Recently, Nethaera has paid a visit to the story forum, and she asks you all directly: What makes a compelling character? What makes a character strong or weak or interesting or boring? What makes a character your favorite? What are the things that draw you to a fictional personality, what are the things that repulse you? As for me personally, well, I'm pretty sure the WoW community is more than familiar with some of my favorites (shameless self promotion). The reasons why I find those characters compelling are varied, but mostly boil down to the situation of being between a rock and a hard place. I like stories where there aren't good answers, where every way you look, you lose. Maybe I'm a Debbie-downer, but if the path to victory is obvious, I am bored to tears. Don't give me that, I don't want to read it. Give me someone who has struggled and fought and who will never be sure if they did the right thing. Give me something, and someone, that will haunt me.

What makes a character compelling to you? What fuels your imagination? If you've ever wanted the chance to talk with a blue about your favorite WoW personalities and share your personal idea of what you'd like to see out of WoW's canon characters, now is your opportunity!

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What makes a compelling character? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blue-postscharactersdiscussionlorenethaeraofficial-forumsstory-forumswow-characterswow-lorewow-lore-discussion (Sarah Pine) Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider