WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.Breakfast Topic: How do you show your WoW?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-show-your-wow/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-show-your-wow/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-show-your-wow/#commentsFiled under: ,

Wandering around outside of Azeroth, in the so-called real world, you'll see a lot of World of Warcraft players. Some you'll spot with class t-shirts, others drive cars with alliance or horde window stickers (or even custom license plates), some may wear WoW-themed jewelry, and some even have WoW tattoos. But not everyone feels the need to show off their WoW fandom in an obvious way -- or even at all.

So what about you, readers? Do you have a WoW-themed t-shirt collection so you always have the right shirt for the occasion? Or is there some subtler way you like to show off your WoW love?

Gallery: WoW License plates

WoW InsiderBreakfast Topic: How do you show your WoW? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussiongoodiesswagt-shirttattootattoostshirtworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-goodieswow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-swagwow-t-shirtwow-tattoowow-tattooswow-topicswow-tshirtElizabeth HarperSat, 18 May 2013 08:00:00 ESTWeekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChathttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/#commentsFiled under: ,

TradeChat's Panser returns with this week's WoW Insider news recap, where we look back at the hottest news from the past week and whatever other kickin' rad things may have come our way. This week's topics include: If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!

WoW InsiderWeekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChat originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>panserpatch-5.3tradechatunborn-valkyrMichael GrayFri, 17 May 2013 20:00:00 ESTThe best fight from Wrath of the Lich Kinghttp://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/#commentsFiled under: ,

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

WoW InsiderThe 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-modesmimironulduarSarah PineFri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 ESTCommunity Blog Topic: Should well-behaved players be rewarded?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/community-blog-topic-should-well-behaved-players-be-rewarded/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/community-blog-topic-should-well-behaved-players-be-rewarded/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/community-blog-topic-should-well-behaved-players-be-rewarded/#commentsFiled under:

Community Blog Topic Should wellbehaved players be rewarded
Last time we talked about getting rid of funsuckers, but what about the many players who enhance our gametime? Should they be rewarded? How would you go about it?

Perhaps we could have a dropdown box where you could report a player for being extra helpful or otherwise going above and beyond to make your day better. Perhaps someone answered your question politely in tradechat. Or a player asked if you were going for the mining node you were fighting on top of rather than just ninjaing it during your battle. Or maybe someone helped you fight a battle out in the wild that got out of control with adds.

Once someone gathered enough reports of being helpful, what would the rewards be? I would think it would have to be something that doesn't affect gameplay. If it did, guilds may insist on guildies reporting each other has helpful just to skew the system in their favor. Perhaps it would just reward a series of titles. Unfortunately, guilds may still require guildies to report each other in order to get those titles just to collect.

Continue reading Community Blog Topic: Should well-behaved players be rewarded?

WoW InsiderCommunity Blog Topic: Should well-behaved players be rewarded? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>community-blog-topicfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussiongood-behaviorgood-playerskarma-systemrewardsworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsRobin TorresFri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 ESTGhostcrawler on Vengeance and patch 5.4http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/ghostcrawler-on-vengeance-and-patch-5-4/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/ghostcrawler-on-vengeance-and-patch-5-4/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/ghostcrawler-on-vengeance-and-patch-5-4/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Ghostcrawler on Vengeance and patch 54
Yes, patch 5.3 isn't even out yet, and we're already looking towards patch 5.4. Thanks to Ghostcrawler, we have this to think about for the future, namely that Vengeance is getting capped at a significantly lower threshold in raids in the future. If you remember back at August of last year, Vengeance saw some significant changes that increased how fast it could ramp up in raids and also gave it a far larger maximum potential. It's been adjusted over time, but in general what GC said back last August has held true -- tank DPS in raiding really did go up. To the point where on some pulls it's not unusual to see tanks leading the DPS, sometimes by extremely large numbers.

Since this is a big change that will drastically lower tank damage output (25-man tanks with their 600,000 or more health buffed will lose roughly 300,000 AP on fights where Vengeance was capping at 100% of their health) I'm not surprise it won't be coming in 5.3 -- I am a little surprised it's happening at all, because we all knew Vengeance and tank damage would do exactly what it has done when it was changed. Still, I wait to observe if it has much practical difference since aside from AoE tanking where a multitude of hits can roll in a short window of time (that 20 second ramp up period) and the tanks can make effective use of all that AP I'm not sure it will matter. 5-mans and scenarios were not mentioned, so for now I'm assuming this is only for the raids mentioned.

WoW InsiderGhostcrawler on Vengeance and patch 5.4 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>10-man-raiding25-man-raidingDeath-KnightdruidGhostcrawlerMonkpaladinpatch-5.4raidingraidstankingVengeancewarriorMatthew RossiFri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 ESTPatch 5.3 is pending, but when will it drop?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/patch-5-3-is-pending-but-when-will-it-drop/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/patch-5-3-is-pending-but-when-will-it-drop/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/patch-5-3-is-pending-but-when-will-it-drop/#commentsFiled under: ,

Patch 53 is pending, but when will it drop
Now, don't pretend you're not already guessing. There have been several official Blizzard blogs, on the new scenarios we're expecting, as well as a general guide to how you can best prepare for patch 5.3, and what's more the devs have begun their latest round of interviews. The official World of Warcraft twitter account even went as far as tweeting to confirm that the patch wasn't landing on Tuesday May 14. So, all this being said, what's your prediction for the launch date? Where's the smart money?

Patch 53 is pending, but when will it dropWhat do we have in the way of additional clues? Well, there's the PTR build information, which previously has flipped from "Test" to "Release" when a patch has crept closer It still says test, as you can see to the side. Also, the patch 5.3 PvP information has previously talked about a conquest catch-up of 15,000, and it'd be 11,000 right now. But of course, these are just clues. So what's your bet? And why?

View Poll

WoW InsiderPatch 5.3 is pending, but when will it drop? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>patch-5.3patch-5.3-launchpatch-5.3-PTRpatch-5.3-release-datespeculationOlivia GraceThu, 16 May 2013 16:00:00 ESTDoes WoW still surprise you?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/does-wow-still-surprise-you/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/does-wow-still-surprise-you/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/does-wow-still-surprise-you/#commentsFiled under:

I didn't start playing World of Warcraft right at launch, but it's safe to say that I've been playing for a long while. For me, WoW is the video game equivalent of an old, worn t-shirt: it's comfortable and familiar. It's a game I often launch when I'm not looking for something fun and distracting, but not anything that's going to challenge me too much. I still find WoW to be a lot of fun -- I wouldn't keep playing if I didn't! -- but it's still usually something I play with the television on in the background.

But sometimes, still, even after all these years, WoW does things that manage to surprise me. Of course WoW has new content -- lately, it's come more quickly than ever -- but even, sometimes, when I'm not looking for it, I'll run into something new. Now and then I bump into quest text I hadn't read carefully before, a Cataclysm change that I'd never noticed, or an Easter egg the developers snuck in.

And you, reader? Do you keep finding that WoW surprises you?

WoW InsiderDoes WoW still surprise you? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionsurprisesurprisesworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-surpriseswow-topicsElizabeth HarperThu, 16 May 2013 14:00:00 ESTCommunity Blog Topic Results: How to get rid of funsuckershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/community-blog-topic-results-how-to-get-rid-of-funsuckers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/community-blog-topic-results-how-to-get-rid-of-funsuckers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/community-blog-topic-results-how-to-get-rid-of-funsuckers/#commentsFiled under:

Community Blog Topic Results How to get rid of funsuckers
Last week we discussed how to get rid of the funsuckers making our WoW time less enjoyable. There was quite a bit of discussion in the comments and we had one blogger address the issue as well.

Account-wide ignore
I and others suggested one step in the right direction would be to make ignore account-wide. As long as the other characters on the ignored account were added to the ignore list invisibly, it couldn't be used for griefing.

Peer review
I had also mentioned the Tribunal system that League of Legends uses to police its player base. Commenter Yoojine linked to a video that described the science behind LoL's techniques. If you have the time to look at it, I highly recommend it for those who are interested in studying human behavior. It's fascinating and also heartening that a game company is going through so much effort to make the gameplay experience less toxic for everyone. Basically, they use peer review, direct feedback and the concept of priming to lower the toxicity of the in-game experience. I think that WoW could benefit from Blizzard conducting similar experiments on us.

Continue reading Community Blog Topic Results: How to get rid of funsuckers

WoW InsiderCommunity Blog Topic Results: How to get rid of funsuckers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredfishbowlgame-discussiongamer-discussiontribunalworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsRobin TorresThu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 ESTWhy raiders and multiboxers are overestimatedhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/why-raiders-and-multiboxers-are-overestimated/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/why-raiders-and-multiboxers-are-overestimated/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/why-raiders-and-multiboxers-are-overestimated/#commentsFiled under:

Do you want to raid Do you multibox
Recently, Blizzard Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street tweeted the following:
This was something of a surprising tweet. Now, of course, there are several subjective notions in there, but it merits some discussion nonetheless. Firstly, what is considered the forum posting or tweeting community? It seems that this would simply be those who regularly contribute to either of those venues, putting it simply, and indeed those with whom he is in regular contact. Do you consider yourself part of either community? And why does that community overestimate the number of people raiding or multiboxing, if they do at all?

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is a cognitive science term, that describes a human tendency to search for, remember or interpret information in such a way that it confirms one's own preconceptions. A fine example of this is the "everybody thinks X" idea, which crops up a lot. If you believe that, for example, frost mages don't have enough burst, you might seek out other opinions that support your own, and partly ignore the clamoring crowd who assert that frost mage burst is out of control. Confirmation bias is particularly prevalent on the internet, where it's almost always possible to find another opinion that supports your own.

Continue reading Why raiders and multiboxers are overestimated

WoW InsiderWhy raiders and multiboxers are overestimated originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ghostcrawlermulti-boxmulti-boxersraidraiderOlivia GraceWed, 15 May 2013 16:00:00 ESTCatching up with the lore for patch 5.3http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/catching-up-with-the-lore-for-patch-5-3/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/catching-up-with-the-lore-for-patch-5-3/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/catching-up-with-the-lore-for-patch-5-3/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Okay, so let's assume for the moment you're interested in the advancing storyline for the Mists of Pandaria expansion as we head into patch 5.3, but are wondering if you missed anything or have just started leveling to 90 and want to make sure you get caught up with what's happening. Why is the Horde in such a tizzy? What's the Alliance planning to do? Who are the major players, and why are they doing what they're doing? Don't worry. We here at WoW Insider have been covering this all expansion, and we can help you get up to speed.

Continue reading Catching up with the lore for patch 5.3

WoW InsiderCatching up with the lore for patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>catching-uplorepatch-5.3Patch-5.3-lorestorystory-so-farMatthew RossiWed, 15 May 2013 15:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: Of Wolves and Mageshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/know-your-lore-of-wolves-and-mages/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/know-your-lore-of-wolves-and-mages/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/know-your-lore-of-wolves-and-mages/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

You probably don't know who Ur was, and even if you do, you don't know much about him because there's not much to know. We know the following - Ur was a mage who lived in Dalaran before the coming of the Scourge to the Eastern Kingdoms, who apparently died during the invasion Arthas led to retrieve the Book of Medivh so that Kel'Thuzad could use it to summon Archimonde the Defiler. It's possible that Ur, being a remarkably skilled and knowledgeable wizard, was one of the three archmages slain by Arthas while maintaining auras that protected Dalaran from the undead.

What's interesting about Ur isn't what he himself actually did, however, but what was done with the work he left behind. Ur was the author of two tomes (that we know of), The Book of Ur and Ur's Treatise on Shadow Magic. Ur's knowledge of other planes of existence was significant, if faulty - while in practical terms his understanding was great enough that it was possible for Archmage Arugal of Silverpine to use the Book of Ur to summon worgen forth from their prison in the Emerald Dream, it's notable that Ur didn't actually understand what the worgen really were, or what druid magic was - he simply saw the worgen as monsters from another world. Still, without Ur, it is unlikely that Arugal would have been able to bring forth the worgen he did.

Amazingly, despite knowing nothing of druidism and only having a hazy understanding of the worgen origin Ur's research allowed Arugal to pull Alpha Prime and other ancient members of the Druids of the Scythe to Azeroth. Considering it was Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage who placed Ralaar Fangfire and the other druids who'd helped create the Scythe of Elune under Daral'nir (the great tree in the Emerald Dream for which Tal'Doren is a mirror) in the first place, the fact that Arugal managed to draw them forth is astonishing. Yet manage it he did, with Ur's book.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Of Wolves and Mages

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Of Wolves and Mages originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideUrworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 ESTBreakfast Topic: Your greatest WoW savehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/breakfast-topic-your-greatest-wow-save/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/breakfast-topic-your-greatest-wow-save/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/breakfast-topic-your-greatest-wow-save/#commentsFiled under: ,

I no longer remember the exact boss or who was raiding with me, but I do clearly remember having a conversation with a friend while I was healing Karazhan. At the time, I was grumbling that I didn't think we had the right group composition to do an encounter successfully -- but it was only after the group's other healer died that my friend agreed. Of course it was then that I decided this wasn't going be a wipe -- something I hadn't thought was possible until just then. (Certainly no one was more surprised than I was when I pulled it off.)

Whether raiding or not, we all have close calls in game -- that was only one of many I've had. But it was certainly memorable. So what about you, dear readers? Share your stories, your near-misses, your especially memorable almost-but-not-quite deaths.

WoW InsiderBreakfast Topic: Your greatest WoW save originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionhealershealingkarazhanworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsElizabeth HarperWed, 15 May 2013 08:00:00 ESTThe 5 mounts I'm going to farm until the end of the worldhttp://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/#commentsFiled under: ,

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

WoW InsiderThe 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-drakeSarah PineTue, 14 May 2013 16:00:00 ESTWhy do we still have servers?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/why-do-we-still-have-servers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/why-do-we-still-have-servers/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/why-do-we-still-have-servers/#commentsFiled under: ,

Why do we still have servers
I was wondering about it all day yesterday, considering the existence of cross-realm play, CRZ, that PvP, dungeon finder and LFR all pull across multiple servers why do we still have those servers at all? Are they a relic of the original game's design? Are they still physically necessary or could we simply have all these different servers exist as one large super-server that everyone in a region plays on? It certainly feels to me that, for better and for worse server communities are a thing of the past - I know a lot of people who play WoW, my friend's list is relatively hopping and my twitter feed even more so, but I haven't run a dungeon with random people on my realm since mid-Wrath and even then I didn't do it very often. Before the rise of dungeon finder groups, I either ran with a guild group or I didn't run, having soured on the experience after tanking BC heroics.

The way I currently play, I raid with my guild, run LFR occasionally (not very often) or queue for some dungeons either solo or with some Real ID/Battletag friends, do some retro raiding in the same fashion, and in general to me my server is almost completely meaningless. I play with and chat with people from all over the place, from Sisters of Elune to Norgannon to Malfurion to Kilrogg. If I could add EU players and chat with them, I'd have an even bigger friend's list. The people I know in game are people I've played with, people I've chatted with online for a while, but in very few cases are they people I've actually met here on my current server outside of guilds I've joined.

Of course, as I've argued before, personal experience isn't universal and anecdotal data isn't conclusive. I'm just one player. So the question becomes, what about you reading this now? How important is your server to you? It's very possible there are thriving server communities out there that would be damaged by a change that reduces server identity further and if so I think it would be useful to find out. If a single mega-server per region would be detrimental to people's playstyles, let us hear you. Positive or negative, your feedback is desired.

WoW InsiderWhy do we still have servers? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battletagbattletagscross-realm-zonesreal-idserversMatthew RossiTue, 14 May 2013 15:00:00 ESTBreakfast Topic: How do you start a new character?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-start-a-new-character/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-start-a-new-character/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/14/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-start-a-new-character/#commentsFiled under: ,

When you've decided to create a new character in WoW, you'd think the actual creation part would be the easiest part of the process. After all the hard part ought to be leveling, advancing, and collecting gear. But for some players (myself included), character creation itself poses a challenge. If you've picked a class, there's still the question of which race to choose -- or if you've picked a race, the question of which class. And, while WoW's character creation mini-game is far from elaborate, there's still the matter of just what your character looks like. But most difficult of all tends to be picking the right name: WoW's been around long enough that many of the names you might usually use in a game have likely been taken.

So tell us, early morning readers: what's your character creation challenge? Does name selection cause you to stumble? Do you have to get your character's look just right? Or is character creation something you fly through, eager to get to the real game?

WoW InsiderBreakfast Topic: How do you start a new character? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 14 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>character-creationcharacter-customizationfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-character-creationwow-character-customizationwow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsElizabeth HarperTue, 14 May 2013 08:00:00 ESTReaders' ideas for WoW improvementshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/readers-ideas-for-wow-improvements/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/readers-ideas-for-wow-improvements/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/readers-ideas-for-wow-improvements/#commentsFiled under:

Readers' ideas for WoW improvements
A little ago WoW Insider posted an article asking our readers to suggest things they'd like to add to WoW to make the game better. We were really excited to hear your responses, and you didn't let us down. Several commenters had what we considered were actually some great ideas, and we thought we'd pull them out for some further discussion.
Readers' ideas for WoW improvements
This is, in my opinion, a fantastic idea. Many's the time, when leveling a DPS character, that I've been conflicted between wanting to round off the storyline of an area, and wanting to progress with my leveling. With the speed of leveling in WoW at the moment with the buffs gained from heirlooms, guild perks and the like, it's really easy to out-level zones before you're done with the story. Now, of course, the option exists to simply ignore the gray mobs and the gray quests and the fact that you're being far less efficient than you would be if you moved on to another zone, but why should players have to make that choice?

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WoW InsiderReaders' ideas for WoW improvements originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 13 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardmake-wow-betteropinionredditOlivia GraceMon, 13 May 2013 17:00:00 ESTThings that were harder beforehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/things-that-were-harder-before/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/things-that-were-harder-before/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/things-that-were-harder-before/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Things that were harder before
I did a post this week about raiding in previous expansions and in vanilla WoW, and how people often say those raids were harder and my opinion that it is easily demonstrable that current raids are if anything more complicated than they have ever been. I frankly believe there is almost no room for comparison between the game at 60 and today in terms of raid complexity and difficulty. Part of this stems from the many different variations on what the word hard means in this context. Something can be harder because it is conceptually or executionally more complex (the difficulty can stem from how much is required to successfully complete its mechanics) or it can be hard because it is laborious and/or time consuming. Was raiding with 40 people in classic WoW more laborious? Absolutely it was. It wasn't mechanically harder, but it was more time consuming and took a great deal of effort to organize and plan. It's the difference between working out a complex multi-stage math problem and carrying five thousand pounds of rocks from point A to point B.

But there were some points worth addressing. It absolutely has never been easier to level, even without heirlooms, than it is right now. Vanilla leveling to 60 took more time and effort than leveling to 90 does today. Even without heirlooms, one can easily and without much stress reach level 20 in a few hours, level 40 in less than two days, and be level 60 within a day of that, and this isn't spending all day staring at the screen either. This is a fairly casual leveling pace. I leveled a blood elf warrior to 35 in two days of rather casual play, an hour on followed by a half hour reading websites or having a snack or even going for a long walk.

It's also far easier to do the following things:
  1. Get a dungeon group. You can queue for dungeons at level 15, and from that point on, all you ever have to do to run a dungeon is hit that queue. If you're playing in the tank or healing role you can effectively chain dungeons all day, and even leveling as DPS there are stretches where you don't even need to quest or do anything but dungeon.
  2. Run a battleground. While you could argue that doing well at BG running as you level up and at max level takes some time and effort, if you want to risk queueing in whatever gear you have, it's simplicity itself.
  3. Getting ready to raid at max level. The game now has catchup mechanisms in place for players who start later. If you just got your alt to 90 and are switching to it for raiding, deciding to give raiding a try for the first time, or what have you it's not the case that your raid group is compelled to run you through previous raids for attunements and keys, much less gearing you through older raids to get ready for the current content.
  4. Find something to do. You could even argue that there's too much to do, or that it feels too mandatory. But you can't argue you don't have options - if you don't want to run dungeons, raid, or PvP there are pet battles, daily quests and scenarios you can do.
So the question then becomes this: is it better or worse for the game that these things are easier? For that matter, are they easy enough?

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WoW InsiderThings that were harder before originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 13 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>alt-levelingaltscatch-up-90difficultydungeonsgearinglevelingLFDLFRmists-of-pandariaraidingMatthew RossiMon, 13 May 2013 15:00:00 ESTThe Queue: Working in The Foundryhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/the-queue-working-in-the-foundry/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/the-queue-working-in-the-foundry/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/the-queue-working-in-the-foundry/#commentsFiled under: ,

The Queue Working in The Foundry
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

In today's edition of The Queue, I'm excited. Why? Because Neverwinter's Foundry feature is completely amazing and I pray every night that WoW implements something just like it.

@daveverity asked:

If WoW had a "Foundry" similar to NeverWinter, what dungeon would you create?

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WoW InsiderThe Queue: Working in The Foundry originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>foundryneverwinterpatch-5.3patch-5.3-release-dateAlex ZiebartMon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 ESTReview of World of Warcraft: Dark Ridershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/12/review-of-world-of-warcraft-dark-riders/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/12/review-of-world-of-warcraft-dark-riders/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/12/review-of-world-of-warcraft-dark-riders/#commentsFiled under: ,

Review of World of Warcraft Dark Riders
Before I even begin, I'm going to state the one thing that's been on my mind, and likely the mind of anyone else waiting for this particular title: It's about time. World of Warcraft: Dark Riders is the offshoot of the World of Warcraft comic series, specifically, the characters introduced in the 2009 special issue of the series written by Mike Costa. Yes, we have been waiting for this graphic novel for four years now. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.

Costa continues the tale started in that special issue and takes the reins of Dark Riders, skillfully weaving together one of those stories that isn't so much dependent on current game lore. In fact, it really doesn't address current game events at all. Instead, it takes the bold step of filling the gap between events that played out in WoW itself -- the disappearance of the Scythe of Elune from Duskwood and its sudden reappearance in Gilneas. And if that weren't enough, there's a wild trip through Karazhan and the questionable origin of the Dark Riders themselves, explained for the first time.

But that's really just the tip of the iceberg here.

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WoW InsiderReview of World of Warcraft: Dark Riders originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 12 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>althea-ebonlockebrinkdark-ridersdark-riders-of-deadwind-passdarkshiredeadwind-passduskwoodjitterskarazhankarazhan-cryptkarlainloremardiganmike-costaneil-googerevilsven-yorgenupside-down-sinnerswarcraft-comicwarcraft-comicsworld-of-warcraft-loreAnne StickneySun, 12 May 2013 18:00:00 EST5 last minute WoW Mother's Day giftshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/12/5-last-minute-wow-mothers-day-gifts/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/12/5-last-minute-wow-mothers-day-gifts/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/12/5-last-minute-wow-mothers-day-gifts/#commentsFiled under:

5 last minute WoW Mother's Day gifts
The world's a busy place and grabbing time to go shopping can be difficult. But the nice thing about straddling your life between the real world and Azeroth is that there are plenty of opportunities for virtual gifts. Here's 5 last minute gifts you can grab to delight Mom without resorting to in-game trinkets. (Don't get me wrong: in-game gifts are awesome, but that list could get gigantic.)

5. StarCraft Anthology
If Mom hasn't spent time blowing up zerg and getting caught up on Blizzard's other Craft game, now's the time to look at the StarCraft Anthology. Boasting hours of gameplay and that nurturing-with-lasers aspect every gaming Mom loves, you can even enhance this gift with a few hours of alone time to make it even better.

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WoW Insider5 last minute WoW Mother's Day gifts originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 12 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>gift-guidegiftsmommothers-dayMichael GraySun, 12 May 2013 14:00:00 EST