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[The Art of War(craft): Winning Tol Barad]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/the-art-of-war-craft-winning-tol-barad/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/the-art-of-war-craft-winning-tol-barad/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/the-art-of-war-craft-winning-tol-barad/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

Just like Wrath's introduction of Wintergrasp, Cataclysm implemented an outdoor (non-instanced) PvP zone where the Horde and Alliance fight for control. This place is called Tol Barad, and most of what I'd written from the beta still applies. What I didn't write about then (and what wasn't quite apparent from beta testing) was how imbalanced the zone could be in favor of the defenders. If you're level 85 and play a few battles of Tol Barad, you'll understand what I mean. While I've won more assaults than I've lost, this anecdotal experience belies the fact that the defenders have a distinct advantage -- they only need to keep one point from being captured, while the attackers need to hold all three at once. Because of how the flag is captured, through proximity and numbers (similar to the towers in Eye of the Storm), it is ridiculously easy to ruin an assault by simply zerging one capture point.

Mat McCurley's post going through the problems of Tol Barad is a pretty good read and should give you an idea of the problems with the zone and some suggestions on how to fix them. For today, we'll take a look at how we can win in the zone despite the overwhelming odds. A fix is probably due, but until then, we'll all have to do battle under unfavorable conditions. This happens often in war -- so soldier up.

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The Art of War(craft): Winning Tol Barad originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidetol-baradtol-barad-commendationtol-barad-offensewow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for warlocks in Cataclysm, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-warlocks-in-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-warlocks-in-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-warlocks-in-cataclysm-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for warlocks in Cataclysm, Part 2

Must-have PvP talents for warlocks in Cataclysm, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for warlocks in Cataclysm]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-warlocks-in-cat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-warlocks-in-cat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-warlocks-in-cat/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

Whoop! Two weeks into the expansion, and I just have to ask ... are you guys having fun? Because I am. PvP is amazing, even being undergeared. Stamina is up at this point, so even lacking the right gear, combat will last more than a few global cooldowns. Today we'll conclude our talent review series with a look at warlocks and some really cool talents they can pick up to help in PvP. We still have lots to talk about in The Art of War(craft), from Tol Barad to The Battle for Gilneas to Twin Peaks to rated battlegrounds ... oh, Cataclysm is loaded with PvP goodness. Hit the jump to get started.

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for warlocks in Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidewow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm, part 3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm-part-3/#comments Continue reading Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm, part 3

Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm, part 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/blood-pact-gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/blood-pact-gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/blood-pact-gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm/#comments Every week (when the regular warlock writer hasn't been eaten by a prince of hell or something, that is), WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology and destruction warlocks. For those who disdain the watered-down arts that other cling to like a safety blanket, for those willing to test their wills against the nether and claim the power that is their right, Blood Pact welcomes you and invites you to take a seat.

If there's anything that surprised me the most out of Cataclysm, it's how fast you replace your gear. While Blizzard made it clear that you would be replacing your Wrath endgame purples with greens as early as the first few quests, I didn't quite expect to replace the Cataclysm blues I got with quest greens in the next zone. In the end, you'll only be wearing your new shinies for a few hours (depending on how fast you level) before replacing them, so looking for gear before level 85 will be somewhat pointless. You're supposed to dump your gear, so don't fall in love with it, even the blues. Especially the blues. The folks at Blizzard want you to graduate to purples. They've made it so easy that they made blues easy to replace.

So what do you have to look forward to in Cataclysm? Well, quite a bit. While this is supposed to be a gearing guide, anybody who's quested through the expansion knows that you pick up gear as you go along. On the other hand, it's going to be nice to know what to aim for once you hit the big eight-five. Hit the jump to start looking at purple shinies.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm

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Blood Pact: Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Zach Yonzon) Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm, part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/gearing-up-your-warlock-in-cataclysm-part-2/#comments Continue reading Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm, part 2

Gearing up your warlock in Cataclysm, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for warriors in Cataclysm, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/12/must-have-pvp-talents-for-warriors-in-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/12/must-have-pvp-talents-for-warriors-in-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/12/must-have-pvp-talents-for-warriors-in-cataclysm-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for warriors in Cataclysm, Part 2

Must-have PvP talents for warriors in Cataclysm, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for warriors in Cataclysm]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/12/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-warriors-in-cat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/12/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-warriors-in-cat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/12/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-warriors-in-cat/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

I tried to get this whole guide done before the Cataclysm broke out. I failed. Now that the expansion's out, we're running a bit behind, so we'll hop right to it. Today we'll look at warriors, those bruisers in plate, who get a wonderful boost in PvP with some basic abilities being usable in multiple stances. In Cataclysm, each warrior spec plays differently from one another -- even fury from arms -- which is a great change for flavor and playstyle. Arms warriors play like disciplined martialists who conserve rage and use it at strategic times while fury warriors are like berserkers who thrive on generating loads of fury and getting enraged; protection has always had a different feel.

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for warriors in Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidewow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Cataclysm 101: A guide to PvP changes and challenges]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/07/cataclysm-101-a-guide-to-pvp-changes-and-challenges/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/07/cataclysm-101-a-guide-to-pvp-changes-and-challenges/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/07/cataclysm-101-a-guide-to-pvp-changes-and-challenges/#comments There are quite a few changes to PvP in Cataclysm. Let's have a look at how the changes in the past few patches will affect the other aspect of World of Warcraft gameplay ...

Resilience is different

Resilience no longer reduces critical strike chance but instead only reduces damage across the board. As resilience is the premier PvP stat, this impacts gameplay in a major way. First, critical strikes are back on the table. This means that talents contributing to crit are valuable in PvP again. Burst damage from crits will happen more often, and players can opt to stack crit for PvP without it being devalued ... much.

Continue reading Cataclysm 101: A guide to PvP changes and challenges

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Cataclysm 101: A guide to PvP changes and challenges originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arenabattle-for-gilneasbattle-for-gilneas-battlegroundbattlegroundscataclysm-pvpcatacylsmcatacylsm-expansionconquest-pointshonorhonor-pointspvp-guiderated-battlegroundrated-battlegroundsresiliencetol-baradtwin-peaksTwin-Peaks-Battlegroundworld-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

Gah. A few more days left, and we're only on shaman. This can't be good. Let's get right to it, then. Shaman are incredibly fun to play, especially with the changes that came with 4.0.1. The improvements on the totem interface in the past have made it much easier for shaman to manage their totems. The best shaman utilize their totems in the heat of battle, and one interesting skill to master is knowing not just which totem to put down for a situation but which sets of totems, now that shaman can drop it down all at once. It's a convenience that changes a few things. There is also higher survivability, better mobility, and clearly defined playstyles for all three specs.

Continue reading The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidewow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3, part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3, part 2

Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: A brief primer for the Cataclysm warlock]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/02/blood-pact-a-brief-primer-for-the-cataclysm-warlock/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/02/blood-pact-a-brief-primer-for-the-cataclysm-warlock/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/02/blood-pact-a-brief-primer-for-the-cataclysm-warlock/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology and destruction warlocks. For those who disdain the watered-down arts that other cling to like a safety blanket, for those willing to test their wills against the nether and claim the power that is their right, Blood Pact welcomes you and invites you to take a seat.

Since Cataclysm falls on our heads next week, I thought it'd be a perfect time to give some leveling ideas to folks who want to roll a new warlock in the expansion. Why would anyone roll a new warlock, you ask? Well, four good reasons: trolls, dwarves, goblins, and worgen. If you aren't inclined to spring for the $25 character recustomization that includes a racial change, you might want to consider rolling a new warlock from scratch. For some people who have never played a warlock before, the new races might be push they need to finally dabble in the demonic arts (with the succubus around, I honestly don't know why you'd need the extra push ... but hey, whatever works!).

As of Patch 4.0.3, you can now choose to play a troll or dwarf warlock. If you activate Cataclysm next week, you'll be able to play either a worgen or a goblin, too. If you haven't rolled a new warlock but plan to, it only makes sense to try out the new races. There isn't a lot of lore to explain why dwarves can suddenly become warlocks, but with the Dark Iron matriarch Moira Thaurissan née Bronzebeard sitting in Ironforge, it isn't too much of a stretch to imagine the dwarves trying out all sort of dark and devious things. Trolls, on the other hand, aren't hard to imagine getting involved in the fel arts. Besides, a whole bunch of warlock-like troll NPCs have been running around Azeroth under the guise of witch doctors, anyway.

Continue reading Blood Pact: A brief primer for the Cataclysm warlock

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Blood Pact: A brief primer for the Cataclysm warlock originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for rogues in 4.0.3, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/must-have-pvp-talents-for-rogues-in-4-0-3-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/must-have-pvp-talents-for-rogues-in-4-0-3-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/must-have-pvp-talents-for-rogues-in-4-0-3-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for rogues in 4.0.3, Part 2

Must-have PvP talents for rogues in 4.0.3, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for rogues in 4.0.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-rogues-in-4-0-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-rogues-in-4-0-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-rogues-in-4-0-3/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

Rogues are a class that lends itself extremely well to PvP, and even six years in, rogues pouncing on unsuspecting prey is one of the enduring visions (and fears) of the game. Rogues play entirely differently from most other classes because of their ability -- and need -- to utilize stealth. The only other spec that has a similar playstyle are feral cat druids.

Rogues always get a lot of goodies for PvP, and the new world isn't any different. It's a new game, though, and the stunlock as we know it is gone. It's been comatose for a long time, but shared diminishing returns put a final nail stunlock's coffin. There are abilities that steer the rogue to do more fanciful things, though. I mentioned before how Recuperate is such a game-changer, allowing rogues to keep up with other classes in a higher-stamina world. Longer combat also means more opportunities to use all those cooldowns rogues are known for -- but it also means they'll need to time it even better now, because blowing all available cooldowns for one big burst does not necessarily translate to killing an opponent.

Anyway, with about a week left to go before Cataclysm goes live, we'd better get this whole thing sorted out, so let's get right into what rogues should pick up for PvP.

Continue reading The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for rogues in 4.0.3

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for rogues in 4.0.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidewow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Demonology and the art of closing the gap]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/23/blood-pact-demonology-and-the-art-of-closing-the-gap/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/23/blood-pact-demonology-and-the-art-of-closing-the-gap/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/23/blood-pact-demonology-and-the-art-of-closing-the-gap/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology and destruction warlocks. For those who disdain the watered-down arts that other cling to like a safety blanket, for those willing to test their wills against the nether and claim the power that is their right, Blood Pact welcomes you and invites you to take a seat.

Demonology is a curious spec. When Metamorphosis first came out, I panned the talent for having abilities that clearly push the warlock to engage in melee. It didn't make any sense to have a squishy caster have abilities like Shadow Cleave, Demon Charge, or even -- gasp -- Challenging Howl. The latter spell has thankfully been expunged from the data repositories of Wowhead, but some of you may remember it as a spell that taunts nearby enemies for 6 seconds. An AoE taunt. For a clothie. Never mind that Metamorphosis pumped up warlock armor to tank-like levels or that it reduced damage ... I always questioned the wisdom of having an AoE taunt followed by high-damage (and consequently high-threat) abilities while in a form that would shortly, inevitably expire.

Two years later, the developers finally scrapped all the seriously dumb (but strangely cool) abilities and replaced them with Demon Leap. It serves pretty much the same purpose as Demon Charge, but it looks a lot more awesome and it can save your butt from falling to your death. The stun component has a shorter duration but is now an AoE effect, which is great because it works even better in PvE situations. Metamorphosis retained Immolation Aura, which was probably the best spell among the bunch, so the form wasn't totally stripped of special abilities. The idea is the same -- demonology is a warlock spec that deals its best damage up close. That makes it play completely differently from the other two specs, and there's a whole lot of required mobility.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Demonology and the art of closing the gap

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Blood Pact: Demonology and the art of closing the gap originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpDemon-Leapfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksImmolation-Auralock-guidelock-infolock-talentsMetamorphosisShadowflametalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0-1-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1, Part 2

Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1, Part 3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0-1-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0-1-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0-1-part-3/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1, Part 3

Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1, Part 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/20/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-priests-in-4-0/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

Never mind that it's actually going to be 4.0.3 pretty soon, we'll wrap up this series as quick as we can before the whole world crashes down all around us. Today we'll take a look at another hybrid class, the only one with two healing specs. It's going to be interesting to discuss the priest because even though many players consider healing in PvP to be less demanding as far as PvP-specific talents are concerned, it's the selection of key PvP talents that set great healers from the pack. In the battlegrounds, where healers have an easier time screening themselves from focus fire, there isn't a great need to dedicate to a PvP spec or even gear. Still, a good understanding of key abilities will help you perform better on the field, especially under the new paradigm.

One great improvement for Patch 4.0.1 geared towards leveling in Cataclysm is the ability of each healing spec to hold their own offensively. While obviously not as powerful as DPS specs, there are clear offensive abilities in each healing tree that's intended to make the leveling experience easier. Consequently, this gives healers better ways to strike back at opponents in PvP. For some players, this can make healing specs more fun and inviting, giving healers an even more active role and opening up some options between healing.

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for priests in 4.0.1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidewow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: The warlock study guide for Cataclysm]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/blood-pact-the-warlock-study-guide-for-cataclysm/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/blood-pact-the-warlock-study-guide-for-cataclysm/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/blood-pact-the-warlock-study-guide-for-cataclysm/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology and destruction warlocks. In a dark and hidden place, the true masters of the arcane arts share secrets and swap stories. For those who disdain the watered-down arts that other cling to like a safety blanket, for those willing to test their wills against the nether and claim the power that is their right, Blood Pact welcomes you and invites you to take a seat.

Didn't we mention that the position of the warlock writer here at WoW Insider is something akin to the Defense of the Dark Arts teacher position at Hogwarts? Well, our current warlock Adam has taken a brief leave to attend to dark, sinister forces, which means that in the meantime, you guys are left with me to deliver your weekly dose of felfire and brimstone. That's like leaving the sorcerer's apprentice to clean the workshop all by himself, and well, you all know how that one turns out. Anyway, let's see what we can get away with this week.

Let's face it, playing a DPS class is a bit of a chore. It's challenging, certainly, and there's an unspoken need to be competitive, always measured by your performance on the meters. For some players, this is a motivation for playing their class -- diving into loads of data, crunching numbers, and testing against target dummies. It's a lot of hard work. For some players who pick up the warlock class mostly because they like the flavor -- it's still a roleplaying game, after all -- all that can be a little daunting. In fact, there are still many players who aren't hardcore enough to troll forums, read blogs, or pore through spreadsheets to squeeze the most DPS out of their class.

Continue reading Blood Pact: The warlock study guide for Cataclysm

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Blood Pact: The warlock study guide for Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-featuredguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The warlock study guide for Cataclysm, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/the-warlock-study-guide-for-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/the-warlock-study-guide-for-cataclysm-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/the-warlock-study-guide-for-cataclysm-part-2/#comments Continue reading The warlock study guide for Cataclysm, Part 2

The warlock study guide for Cataclysm, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1, part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0-1-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1, part 2

Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1, part 3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0-1-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0-1-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0-1-part-3/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1, part 3

Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1, part 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-paladins-in-4-0/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

I have to confess that I couldn't wait to write this part of the series, if for nothing other than I just love the paladin class. Paladins get a brand new resource on top of mana in 4.0.1, the exciting holy power that is bound to see a little more tweaking throughout Cataclysm. A few changes are going to happen from here until the expansion, such as a critical change to Divine Storm that will no longer require its dependence on holy power. Little tweaks like these will find their way to the game, which will make gameplay better for players everywhere (and we can finally use Divine Storm again, yay!). It should be clear that things are slightly different now than how they'll be in the expansion.

For now, we'll take a look at all the talents that should prepare us for Cataclysm PvP. I might sound like a broken record every time I say this, but paladin PvP really gets more interesting this time around. The new mechanic brings in a new flavor to the game experience, and the new talents are just a lot of fun. Let's dive right into it.

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for paladins in 4.0.1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppaladin-pvppaladin-pvp-talentspatch-4.0.1pvp-guidepvp-talentswow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for mages in 4.0.1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-in-4-0-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-in-4-0-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-in-4-0-1/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

The Cataclysm is getting close, so we've only got a few weeks of this transitional stage, but it's important to pick out our PvP talents heading into the expansion. Today, we're going to take a look at mages, who have the usual set of tools and a couple of new ones. Nothing drastic has changed, despite the overhaul in 4.0.1, so mages are still casters who do best at range. Nothing has made them capable of wading into melee and standing toe-to-toe with rogues or anything silly like that. Instead, what we've got are three interesting trees with slightly different ways to crush their opponents -- all of them fun.

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for mages in 4.0.1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Arcane-FlowsArcane-Mage-PvPArcane-Powerbattleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsBlast-WaveBlazing-SpeedBrain-FreezeBurning-SoulCauterizeCold-SnapDeep-FreezeDragons-BreathfeaturedFire-Mage-PvPFirestarterFrost-Mage-PvPGlyph-of-Arcane-BarrageGlyph-of-Arcane-MissilesGlyph-of-Arcane-PowerGlyph-of-BlinkGlyph-of-EvocationGlyph-of-InvisibilityGlyph-of-Mirror-ImageGlyph-of-PolymorphGlyph-of-SlowguideHot-Streakhow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvpIce-BarrierIce-FloesIce-ShardsIcy-VeinsImpactImproved-BlinkImproved-Cone-of-ColdImproved-CounterspellImproved-FlamestrikeImproved-PolymorphIncanters-AbsorptionInvocationMage-PvPMolten-ShieldsNether-VortexPermafrostPiercing-ChillPresence-of-MindPrismatic-Cloakpvp-guideReactive-BarrierShatterShattered-BarrierSlowTorment-the-Weakwow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for mages, part 3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-part-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-part-3/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for mages, part 3

Must-have PvP talents for mages, part 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for mages, part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/05/must-have-pvp-talents-for-mages-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for mages, part 2

Must-have PvP talents for mages, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featured (Zach Yonzon) Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for hunters in 4.0.1, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/must-have-pvp-talents-for-hunters-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/must-have-pvp-talents-for-hunters-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/must-have-pvp-talents-for-hunters-in-4-0-1-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for hunters in 4.0.1, Part 2

Must-have PvP talents for hunters in 4.0.1, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for hunters in 4.0.1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-hunters-in-4-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-hunters-in-4-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-hunters-in-4-0/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

We don't have much time before Cataclysm hits, so let's get down to business. We've talked about some optimal talents for death knights and druids for PvP, so now we turn our attention to hunters. Hunters have always had a tough time in arenas, not necessarily because the class was broken but because the format simply wasn't conducive to the hunter playstyle. It got so bad, in fact, that Blizzard designed an arena -- the Ring of Valor -- specifically to benefit hunters. On the other hand, hunters have always lorded it over in the open expanse of the battlegrounds.

The good news is that battlegrounds will be cool again. Well, they've always been cool in my book, but soon they'll be rewarding cool gear, too. That means hunters will once again feel like PvP gods (without needing the help of an enhancement shaman). There's one big change to hunters in Patch 4.0.1 and that's the change in resource from mana to focus. The difference with the way focus behaves is that rather than a resource well that pays for spells and abilities (mana), hunters have abilities that generate focus in combat such as Steady Shot and Cobra Shot, and then a whole load of focus dumps. In a way it's like death knight runic power or warrior rage without the decay. This means you'll always want to have nearly full focus but never gain focus that will simply slough off because you're over your maximum. It's a careful balance of gaining and spending, although focus regenerates at a steady rate.

Continue reading The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for hunters in 4.0.1

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for hunters in 4.0.1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Aspect-of-the-CheetahAspect-of-the-Packbattleground-guidebeast-mastery-hunter-pvpBestial-Wrathbgbg-guidebgsCareful-AimChimera-ShotConcussive-BarrageConcussive-ShotCounterattackCrouching-Tiger-Hidden-ChimeraDeterrenceDisengageEntrapmentfeaturedFervorFreezing-TrapGlyph-of-Bestial-WrathGlyph-of-Concussive-ShotGlyph-of-DeterrenceGlyph-of-DisengageGlyph-of-Ice-TrapGlyph-of-Immolation-TrapGlyph-of-Masters-CallGlyph-of-Raptor-StrikeGlyph-of-Silencing-ShotGlyph-of-Snake-TrapGlyph-of-the-Dazzled-Preyguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvphunterhunter-pvphunter-pvp-talentshunter-talentsHunter-vs-WildIce-TrapImproved-Mend-PetLongevitymarksmanship-hunter-pvpMirrored-BladesMulti-ShotNoxious-StingsPathfindingPiercing-ShotsPosthastepvp-guideRapid-FireRapid-KillingRapid-RecuperationReadinessResourcefulnessSilencing-ShotSnake-TrapSpirit-Bondsurvival-hunter-pvpSurvival-TacticsThe-Beast-WithinTrap-Masterywow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvpWyvern-Sting (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[BlizzCon 2010 merchandise available online for virtual ticket holders]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/blizzcon-2010-merchandise-available-online-for-virtual-ticket-ho/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/blizzcon-2010-merchandise-available-online-for-virtual-ticket-ho/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/blizzcon-2010-merchandise-available-online-for-virtual-ticket-ho/#comments Starting at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time tomorrow, Oct. 28, through the same time Nov. 7, folks who purchased the BlizzCon 2010 virtual ticket from DirecTV will be able to order official BlizzCon 2010 merchandise from the Blizzard store. The $39.95 virtual ticket delivered extensive coverage of the event, with live streams of the panels and competitions in the four halls plus bonus content in between. The high-definition stream allowed Blizzard fans unable to make their way to Anaheim to enjoy the event, with all the talks and even Tenacious D's concert that closed the two-day convention viewable live or as replays on demand (you can skip all the awkward parts). This feature was extremely helpful to WoW Insider's BlizzCon team in bringing you liveblogs and transcripts of chats with the devs.

Fans who purchased the virtual ticket can now get one step closer to the actual BlizzCon experience, as the exclusive merchandise becomes available for a limited time while supplies last. There will also be BlizzCon-exclusive Tenacious D shirts alongside the StarCraft, Warcraft and Diablo swag. These ticket holders must simply visit the Blizzard store and visit the More Products section throughout the sale period and log in using the Battle.net account associated with the ticket purchase. It's the next best thing to being there -- probably even better, because there are no long lines, no tired legs and (we hope) no convention funk!

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BlizzCon 2010 merchandise available online for virtual ticket holders originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Razer announces specialized MMO gaming keyboard]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/razer-announces-specialized-mmo-gaming-keyboard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/razer-announces-specialized-mmo-gaming-keyboard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/razer-announces-specialized-mmo-gaming-keyboard/#comments Looks like those folks over at Razer are having quite a busy year designing all sorts of cool peripherals, such as the licensed products such as TRON and StarCraft 2 gaming gear, and making recent announcements such as the upgrades to the MMO-centric Razer Naga. They aren't letting up, either, it turns out. Razer recently revealed plans to launch a keyboard designed specifically for MMO gamers, the Razer Anansi.

The difference between this keyboard and other gaming keyboards is simple. There are seven configurable modifier keys below the space bar that can assigned to the common modifiers such as Alt, Ctrl and Shift, making all those keybinds and macros even more accessible. Designed by Razer to be paired with its MMO gaming mouse, the Razer Naga, the Anansi also sports features such as 100 programmable Hyperesponse keys, one-button profile switching (for up to 20 profiles with the built-in software driver), five additional gaming keys, and an option for those multi-colored lights that are becoming in vogue with most gaming peripherals lately.

It also has an optimized key matrix that prevents the ghosting that typically happens when more than two keys are pressed simultaneously. The engineers at Razer have reconfigured the hardware to enable recognition of up to six simultaneous keystrokes, centered around the left-hand cluster generally used for gaming (the W, A, S, D keys). It's a cool feature that most MMO gamers probably won't need, but all you button-mashers can rejoice. There's a nifty gaming mode option that temporarily disables the Windows key so you can stay in the game without having to remap your Windows key for fear of hitting it the chaos of a raid or arena match.

The Razer Anansi is compatible with Windows and Macs and will retail for $99. It is scheduled to ship in December, with pre-orders starting soon.

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Razer announces specialized MMO gaming keyboard originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> anansigaming-keyboardgaming-peripheralsgearhardwarerazerrazer-anansirazer-anansi-mmo-gaming-keyboardrazer-gaming-peripheralsrazer-mmo-gaming-keyboardrazer-nagarazer-peripherals (Zach Yonzon) Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[BlizzCon 2010: Cataclysm will be available for digital download on launch day]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/blizzcon-2010-cataclysm-will-be-available-for-digital-download/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/blizzcon-2010-cataclysm-will-be-available-for-digital-download/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/blizzcon-2010-cataclysm-will-be-available-for-digital-download/#comments Straight from the Mike Morhaime's mouth during opening ceremonies -- Cataclysm will be available for digital download at midnight Pacific Standard Time of December 7, 2010. For the first time in the game's history, the game will be available for purchase online at the same time as it launches in retail stores. Pre-orders for Cataclysm digital downloads will be available on the Blizzard site soon. Players eager to play the game right away but don't have the endurance (or geographical proximity) to attend a midnight launch can simply sit in the comfort of their homes and enter a broken Azeroth as the game goes live on launch day. CLARIFICATION: Morhaime mentioned that the game should be available for digital download ahead of the launch date, allowing players to have the full game when Cataclysm goes live.

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BlizzCon 2010: Cataclysm will be available for digital download on launch day originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakingbreaking-newsBreakingNewscataclysm-gamecataclysm-guidecataclysm-newsdigital-downloadexpansionexpansion-threenext-xpacthird-expansionworld-of-warcraft-cataclysmwow-4.0wow-4.0.2wow-cataclysmwow-expansionwow-guidewow-third-expansion (Zach Yonzon) Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:24:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: BlizzCon Day 1 anticipation]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/breakfast-topic-blizzcon-day-1-anticipation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/breakfast-topic-blizzcon-day-1-anticipation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/breakfast-topic-blizzcon-day-1-anticipation/#comments BlizzCon 2010 is finally here and the schedule's pretty packed for opening day. If you lucked out on a BlizzCon ticket (and had the resources to make it out to Anaheim), you might be hard-pressed to choose which panel to attend, given that there are two stages where panels happen simultaneously. On top of that, the world's best StarCraft II and World of Warcraft arena players duke it out on separate areas, as well. After the opening ceremonies, there'll be a showcase of Diablo III gameplay concurrent with a showing of StarCraft II cinematics; these are followed by a World of Warcraft dungeons & raids panel and StarCraft II secrets of the masters; after those, there's a panel on WoW quests & lore, as well as a discussion on SC2 custom maps and editor; finally there's a live raid for WoW and a Q&A on the SC2 storyline. To close the first day, there are the costume, song, and dance contests which I'm fairly certain will be on everyone's itinerary.

One easy way to go about BlizzCon would be to just follow one game, such as World of Warcraft, and attend all the relevant panels. If you're like most folks who play Blizzard games, however, you're probably a big fan of everything they churn out (you're looking at BlizzCon, after all), which means picking the best panel to attend can be a bit of a dilemma. Happy problems aside, if you didn't have to choose which stage to sit in front of -- like those of us who picked up the DirectTV stream -- what part of today seems the most exciting? Personally, I think I'd have to go for WoW quests & lore. Now that we're already at Cataclysm, I can't wait to see what they've got in store for us, story-wise. Is there anything you're really looking forward to today? Or are the cooler events (e.g., the class panel) happening tomorrow? What do you think Blizzard's got up its sleeve?
BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!

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Breakfast Topic: BlizzCon Day 1 anticipation originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> BlizzConBlizzcon-2010BlizzCon-EventsBlizzCon-Panelsdiablo-3facebookfeedgame-discussiongamer-discussionstarcraft-2world-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Zach Yonzon) Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for druids in 4.0.1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/21/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-druids-in-4-0-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/21/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-druids-in-4-0-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/21/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-druids-in-4-0-1/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

Let's try to get you prepared for Cataclysm, shall we? In the new (banged-up, broken and burnt) world of the expansion, battlegrounds play will stand toe to toe with arenas as far as gear acquisition and quite possibly have even better participation. You don't want to miss out on that. Today we'll discuss the best PvP talents you can pick up as a druid, and you can decide for yourself what other talents to round out your PvP spec.

Perhaps the biggest change for druids in patch 4.0.1 is a new mechanic for balance druids called Eclipse, which relies on the buildup of lunar or solar energy conferred by casting either nature or arcane damage spells, respectively. This means that balance druids will be constantly trying to achieve an Eclipse by casting spells from one school, then shifting to another school once they've gotten the bonus. Out of all specs, balance plays the most differently compared to before the patch, but everyone gets fun tools to use in PvP. Let's check out all these toys across all specs.

Continue reading The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for druids in 4.0.1

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for druids in 4.0.1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balance-druid-pvpbattleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsBrutal-ImpactCyclonedruiddruid-pvpdruid-pvp-talentsEclipsefeaturedFeral-Chargeferal-druid-pvpFeral-SwiftnessForce-of-NatureFungal-GrowthFury-of-StormrageGlyph-of-Entangling-RootsGlyph-of-MonsoonGlyph-of-Solar-Beamguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvpinfected-woundsliving-seedLunar-ShowerMoonkin-FormNaturalistNatures Wardnatures-bountynatures-swiftnessnatures-wardNaturesBountyNaturesWardOwlkin-FrenzyPerseverancePredatory-Strikespvp-guidepvp-talentpvp-talentsrestoration-druid-pvpShooting-StarsSolar-BeamStampedeSunfireSurvival-Instinctsswift-rejuvenationtalent-spectalent-specswow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for druids in 4.0.1, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/21/must-have-pvp-talents-for-druids-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/21/must-have-pvp-talents-for-druids-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/21/must-have-pvp-talents-for-druids-in-4-0-1-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for druids in 4.0.1, Part 2

Must-have PvP talents for druids in 4.0.1, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Soul Shards, talent specs and the 4.0.1 warlock, part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/soul-shards-talent-specs-and-the-4-0-1-warlock-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/soul-shards-talent-specs-and-the-4-0-1-warlock-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/soul-shards-talent-specs-and-the-4-0-1-warlock-part-2/#comments Continue reading Soul Shards, talent specs and the 4.0.1 warlock, part 2

Soul Shards, talent specs and the 4.0.1 warlock, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Soul Shards, talent specs and the 4.0.1 warlock]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/blood-pact-soul-shards-talent-specs-and-the-4-0-1-warlock/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/blood-pact-soul-shards-talent-specs-and-the-4-0-1-warlock/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/blood-pact-soul-shards-talent-specs-and-the-4-0-1-warlock/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology and destruction warlocks. Today, Zach Yonzon fills in while the new warlock columnist dusts his robes off after his trip from the Twisting Nether. A new warlock columnist? Why, yes -- holding the warlock columnist position here at WoW Insider is akin to holding the Defense of the Dark Arts teacher position at Hogwarts, you know.

Let's get this one out of the way: The game isn't balanced for level 80. You can't cry about being broken or your spec not being viable or your DPS not being up to par because, right now, everything is in flux. The new mechanics are balanced for level 85 and some values in the game aren't properly scaled for this level, so none of the numbers you see will be truly representative of how it's going to be a couple of months down the line. You won't even get a feel of how important mastery is because there just isn't the proper gear to support it.

Unless you're hell bent on being on top of the meters at a time when it's largely meaningless, you're better off using this period to get a feel for how the class plays.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Soul Shards, talent specs and the 4.0.1 warlock

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Blood Pact: Soul Shards, talent specs and the 4.0.1 warlock originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlockaffliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemonology-warlockdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlockdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentspatch-4.0.1patch-4.0.1-warlocktalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-specwarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Zach Yonzon) Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Hello, Hallow's End!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/18/breakfast-topic-hello-hallows-end/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/18/breakfast-topic-hello-hallows-end/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/18/breakfast-topic-hello-hallows-end/#comments Hallow's End falls upon Azeroth once again, and it's the same old, same old. But the same old thing actually never gets old, because this is quite possibly the most fun yearly event in the game. It's that time of the year where the typically empty and unloved Scarlet Monastery graveyard gets more than its welcome share of visitors and its summoned inhabitant gets farmed endlessly for his drops -- or I should say, one particular drop. At this point in the game with Cataclysm on the horizon, pretty much everybody has gotten what he needs from the Headless Horseman, who drops mostly ilevel 200 gear. With just a few weeks to go before players level past 80, there isn't anything that won't be obsolete.

That said, I have a sentimental attachment to the Horseman's Horrific Helm, which I have macroed to use with my Hammer of Wrath, which I have to admit is terribly annoying (and extremely spammy now in 4.0.1). I think I'll be paying the horseman a visit again this year, even though the only thing I really want off him is his horse. What are your Hallow's End plans? Is this the only holiday you need to finally get that 310 percent mount speed? Perhaps you want that Sinister Squashling pet? Are you complete with all your achievements for this holiday -- on all your alts? Tell us your plans for this holiday, one of the last yearly events we'll see in old Azeroth.

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Breakfast Topic: Hello, Hallow's End! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> facebookfeedgame-discussiongamer-discussionhallows-endhallows-end-2010headless-horsemanholidayhorsemans-helmhorsemans-horrific-helmin-game-eventin-game-holidaysinister-squashlingworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsyearly-eventyearly-events (Zach Yonzon) Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Steelseries announces Cataclysm MMO gaming mouse]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/16/steelseries-announces-cataclysm-mmo-gaming-mouse/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/16/steelseries-announces-cataclysm-mmo-gaming-mouse/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/16/steelseries-announces-cataclysm-mmo-gaming-mouse/#comments Because it's always good to have options, not long after the last week's announcements of special and epic edition mice, Steelseries reveals its own entry into the MMO gaming mouse arena with the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm MMO gaming mouse. The product name is a mouthful, but it has equally hefty features, which are nearly identical to the original Steelseries World of Warcraft gaming mouse. It has 14 buttons -- one less than the original -- that can be configured in game without the use of any addons, 16 million colors and four levels of intensity and pulsation, support for up to 10 profiles that are linked directly to the armory, and it appears to sport a better, more ergonomic form factor and surface texture than its predecessor.

The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm MMO gaming mouse is compatible with both Windows PCs and Macs, with software that supports drag-and-drop functionality that can be used to program the mouse buttons with 130 preset game commands. The 10 profiles stored in the mouse's on-board memory can be configured with their own macros and commands as well as personalized illumination schemes. There's no estimated ship date or pricing yet, but players interested in an official Cataclysm-themed mouse developed in conjunction with Blizzard can sign up to be notified over at the Steelseries website.

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Steelseries announces Cataclysm MMO gaming mouse originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> gaming-mousehardwaremmo-gaming-mousemousesteelseriessteelseries-world-of-warcraft-mmo-gaming-mousesteelseries-world-of-warcraft-mousesteelseries-wow-mouseworld-of-warcraft-cataclysmworld-of-warcraft-cataclysm-mmo-gaming-mouseworld-of-warcraft-mmo-gaming-mouseworld-of-warcraft-mousewow-cataclysmwow-mouse (Zach Yonzon) Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Must-have PvP talents for death knights in 4.0.1, part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/must-have-pvp-talents-for-death-knights-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/must-have-pvp-talents-for-death-knights-in-4-0-1-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/must-have-pvp-talents-for-death-knights-in-4-0-1-part-2/#comments Continue reading Must-have PvP talents for death knights in 4.0.1, part 2

Must-have PvP talents for death knights in 4.0.1, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Zach Yonzon) Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for death knights in 4.0.1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-death-knights-i/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-death-knights-i/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-death-knights-i/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and Blood Sport for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

So the bomb finally dropped. As expected, Patch 4.0.1 finally made it to live realms and players are scrambling to get used to everything new. For most players, that first free respec is used for PvE to enable them to join the latest PUG looking to down the week's raid boss. This is when reality bites -- that spec you've been fiddling around with over at Wowhead or wowtal.com isn't delivering the way you thought it would. That's OK. If you're doing some PvP, understand that there are a number of bugs out there, so things aren't behaving exactly as they should. Add to that the fact that the game is balanced around being level 85, that stamina is low, and resilience has taken a hit ... things are going to be somewhat wonky. So don't write off that spec you've theorycrafting on for weeks just yet.

Since specs are pretty complex and fluid at this point, we'll take a look at vital PvP talents instead. The fun thing is that at this point in the game, all specs are good to go for PvP -- although your mileage may vary. There isn't much room for variation, unlike before, when players could reach deep into two trees, especially for PvP. But inevitably, there are talents that are extremely useful in a PvP environment. Today we'll take a look at core PvP talents for each spec for death knights, just in case you were wondering what to do with those last few talent points. For this exercise, we won't bother discussing any 31-point talents because, well, you're supposed to pick those up, anyway.

Continue reading The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for death knights in 4.0.1

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The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for death knights in 4.0.1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> anti-magic-shellanti-magic-zonebattleground-guidebgbg-guidebgsbloodblood-death-knightblood-death-knight-lichborneblood-presenceblood-tapbone-shieldchillblainsdark-transformationdeath-coildeath-knightdeath-knight-blood-lichbornedeath-knight-frost-lichbornedeath-knight-pvpdeath-knight-pvp-talentsdeath-knight-unholy-lichbornedeath-strikedesecrationendless-winterfeaturedfrostfrost-death-knightfrost-death-knight-lichbornefrost-feverfrost-strikeglyph-of-anti-magic-shellglyph-of-bone-shieldglyph-of-death-coilglyph-of-death-gripglyph-of-howling-blastglyph-of-hungering-coldglyph-of-pillar-of-frostglyph-of-strangulateglyph-of-vampiric-bloodglyphsguidehand-of-doomhow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvphungering-coldimproved-blood-tapleaplichbornemagic-suppressionmajor-glyphmajor-glyphsmind-freezemonstrous-blowon-a-pale-horsepillar-of-frostprime-glyphprime-glyphspvp-guidepvp-talentsrune-taprunic-empowermentrunic-powershadow-infusionshambling-rushstrangulatetalentsunholyunholy-blightunholy-commandunholy-death-knightunholy-death-knight-lichbornevampiric-bloodwill-of-the-Necropoliswow-battleground-guidewow-bg-guidewow-guidewow-pvp (Zach Yonzon) Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider