WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2012 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.Should Blizzard leave heroic encounter difficulty alone?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/should-blizzard-leave-heroic-encounter-difficulty-alone/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/should-blizzard-leave-heroic-encounter-difficulty-alone/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/should-blizzard-leave-heroic-encounter-difficulty-alone/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

When the Raid Finder was first introduced, I had high hopes for its impact on the game. While the main reason behind the implementation of this system was arguably to get as many players experiencing raid content as possible, at the time, I was more interested in the impact it would have on the progression races between all of the top guilds in the world. I have always had a great deal of admiration for players in these types of guilds and have watched intently during each new tier as they all vied for world firsts. I believed the Raid Finder could benefit this type of competition by preventing heroic encounters from being nerfed while the content was still current. Surely, I thought, if so many people are able to experience raiding like never before through this new tool, Blizzard would have no pressing reason to make heroic encounters any easier.

Well, it seems I was wrong, for in the very next tier of content Blizzard released, we saw progressive nerfs to these difficult fights. Personally, I prefer to keep these encounters the way they are, at least until a new tier is released. Something just feels wrong to see the hardest fights available made easier through a series of hotfixes. Even with respect to my own guild's progression, having sweeping nerfs hit Firelands just as my guild was putting in some really good attempts on Ragnaros felt like Blizzard moved the finish line, taking what would have been a very gratifying kill and turning it into an accidental one-shot that contained none of the catharsis we had felt during previous boss kills.

What do you think? With the Raid Finder now a reality and a new expansion looming on the horizon, do you think the difficulty of heroic raid encounters should be static, like those from tier 11, or should they be more flexible?

WoW InsiderShould Blizzard leave heroic encounter difficulty alone? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Dan DesmondDanDesmondheroicshotfixhotfixeslfrnerfnerfsraid finderraidfinderraidingDan DesmondTue, 21 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST5 not-so-simple ways Blizzard can fix the World of Warcraft Auction Househttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/5-not-so-simple-ways-blizzard-can-fix-the-world-of-warcraft-auct/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/5-not-so-simple-ways-blizzard-can-fix-the-world-of-warcraft-auct/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/5-not-so-simple-ways-blizzard-can-fix-the-world-of-warcraft-auct/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your firstborn to him. And be sure to catch the return of Basil and Fox's podcast, Call to Auction!

Is the World of Warcraft economy broken? Not for everyone. Plenty of people get exactly what they need out of the existing WoW economy. High volumes. Quick sales. Strong profits.

For some, though, the economy is terribly broken. Plenty of folks are marooned on low-population servers with economies that crawl (if an economy even exists at all). There are few sellers and even fewer buyers. These players need help, and Blizzard isn't acting.

But what exactly can Blizzard do to help? Simple, small solutions won't help -- problems this big call for major action. And that's exactly what today's column is all about: major reforms to the WoW economy, any single one of which could right a ship that, for thousands of players, is sinking. For broken servers, a fix. For servers with humming economies, reforms that actually improve things and make the economy better and more fun.

So what are we waiting for? Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Continue reading 5 not-so-simple ways Blizzard can fix the World of Warcraft Auction House

WoW Insider5 not-so-simple ways Blizzard can fix the World of Warcraft Auction House originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>auction-houseeasy-goldfarming-guidefeaturedfixing-the-auction-housefixing-the-economygoldgold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-making-guidegold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipsguideprofession-guideworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewow-craftwow-craftableswow-craftingwow-crafting-guidewow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-makingwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-guidewow-itemswow-makewow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guidewow-professionsFox Van AllenTue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:00 ESTCross-realm raiding resource guidehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/20/cross-realm-raiding-resource-guide/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/20/cross-realm-raiding-resource-guide/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/20/cross-realm-raiding-resource-guide/#commentsFiled under: ,

Cross-realm RealID raiding has taken World of Warcraft by storm ever since the ability to enter old raids with RealID friends was introduced in patch 4.3.2. Fearing the end of server communities and the collapse of civilization, players were instead greeted with a quickly mobilizing mass of players on Twitter, Reddit, and other social media to form cross-server communities for raiding. Without server boundaries, these groups can recruit from a larger pool and have more time flexibility. BattleTags will make this all easier.

Over the last few weeks, many cross-realm raiding websites and resources have popped up. If you're looking to get into a cross-realm raid, here's a handy list of many places out there that are putting together old raids without the hindrance of those pesky servers.

Continue reading Cross-realm raiding resource guide

WoW InsiderCross-realm raiding resource guide originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>cross-realmcross-realm-raidingcrossraid-eucrossraid-usopen-raidopenraidpatch-4.3twitterland-raidingworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newsMathew McCurleyMon, 20 Feb 2012 17:00:00 ESTReady Check: The loss of itemization in Cataclysmhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/ready-check-the-loss-of-itemization-in-cataclysm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/ready-check-the-loss-of-itemization-in-cataclysm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/ready-check-the-loss-of-itemization-in-cataclysm/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ready Check helps you prepare yourself and your raid for the bosses that simply require killing. Check back with Ready Check each week for the latest pointers on killing adds, not standing in fire, and hoping for loot that won't drop. Questions, comments, or something you would like to see? Email me at tyler@wowinsider or message me on Twitter @murmursofadruid.

Like it or not, there's one constant about raiding. No matter what your reason for raiding is, and no matter what joy you happen to get from it, there's only one thing that matters at the end of the day. Obviously, I'm talking about loot. Loot is the one thing that makes the raiding world go 'round. Sure, we raid for story, we raid for friends, we raid for challenges. All of that is well and good and makes for a nice, lovely, non-selfish story that we can tell the world. Who knows? It might even be true -- but there's no avoiding that loot is the result.

Maybe that's why raiding has popularity issues. Maybe it isn't the experience so much as it is the reward. I suppose we'll never know -- at least, not from this Ready Check. No, no, instead there's there one part of loot issues that I really want to get into, the problem that has been plaguing Blizzard for this entire expansion: the lack of loot.

Continue reading Ready Check: The loss of itemization in Cataclysm

WoW InsiderReady Check: The loss of itemization in Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-raid-leadingitemizationleadershipraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidsTyler CarawayFri, 17 Feb 2012 17:00:00 ESTOl' Grumpy and the crushing disappointment of roleshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/16/ol-grumpy-and-the-crushing-disappointment-of-roles/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/16/ol-grumpy-and-the-crushing-disappointment-of-roles/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/16/ol-grumpy-and-the-crushing-disappointment-of-roles/#commentsFiled under: ,

There are no pure DPS classes in World of Warcraft that use two-handed melee weapons to deal damage and only one pure DPS class that can even equip them. There are literally hundreds of two-handed melee weapons in this game. This has always annoyed me, because I love big weapons. I know you know this about me.

One of the reasons I hate the argument that pure DPS classes should have dibs on top DPS weapons is that in order for me to play a character that uses a two-hander, I have no choice but to play a hybrid. In fact, in order to play as melee DPSer at all, I either have to play a rogue (all three rogue trees dual wield small, fast weapons) or a hybrid. Those are my options. If I wanted to play ranged DPS, I could pick from one of three possible pure classes, but if I want to melee, I'm forced to either give up the weapons I enjoy and take up a playstyle I don't like or accept that I will be forced to DPS at a penalty and be expected and/or pressured to tank.

This to me is asking me to pay twice, and it's unacceptable. Last week, Ghostcrawler posted an excellent discussion on class and role that I highly recommend everyone check out, and it seriously has me pondering what design I'd prefer for World of Warcraft and indeed how I feel about classes and roles entirely.

Continue reading Ol' Grumpy and the crushing disappointment of roles

WoW InsiderOl' Grumpy and the crushing disappointment of roles originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ClassClass-RoleDPSDPSingHealingol-grumpyold-grumpyolgrumpypatch-4.3Roletankingworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newsMatthew RossiThu, 16 Feb 2012 12:00:00 ESTThe Light and How to Swing It: In defense of Inquisitionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/15/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-in-defense-of-inquisition/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/15/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-in-defense-of-inquisition/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/15/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-in-defense-of-inquisition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Seasoned ret paladin Dan Desmond is here to answer your questions and provide you with your biweekly dose of retribution medicine. Contact him at dand@wowinsider.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!

When your paladin first hit level 81 and you visited your trainer, I bet you had no idea how much of an impact that little ability called Inquisition would have on your future DPSing career. OK, maybe if you read the tooltip you could have had some idea, but I will fully admit that I completely forgot it was in my spellbook until a short while after I hit 85. And to be fair, at the time it was a really lackluster ability. Sure, Exorcism hit like a truck thanks to the new version of The Art of War, and Hammer of Wrath still hit decently hard, but other than those two abilities, Inquisition didn't really buff a whole lot. One of the main selling points of Inquisition (if not the main selling point) came when Blizzard changed our mastery from 3 free holy power to X% extra holy damage off your most used abilities in patch 4.0.6, allowing Inquisition to boost an even larger percentage of our damage by 30%.

So, thanks to our mastery, Inquisition is here to stay. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? In case my own opinion wasn't made clear in the title, I have been a long-time supporter of this ability. However, I know that there is a very large group of players with a dissenting opinion, and that's OK. Some preferred the Wrath model of retribution to the current model, and for others, it's just the opposite. In an effort to make my reasoning clear, I'm going to pick a few of the most common complaints I have seen or heard. Hopefully, my responses won't make me seem like I'm a masochistic freak who loves to stare at a countdown and plot in advance exactly when to refresh it.

Because I'm totally not -- my therapist assures me that I'm a completely normal person.

Continue reading The Light and How to Swing It: In defense of Inquisition

WoW InsiderThe Light and How to Swing It: In defense of Inquisition originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>class-helpDan DesmondDanDesmondfeaturedguideguide-to-paladinsguide-to-palliesguide-to-pallysinquisitionpaladin-guidepaladin-infopaladin-talentspally-guidepally-infopally-talentsret paladinsRetPaladinsretributionRetribution-paladinretribution-paladin-the-light-and-how-to-swing-ittalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-paladinwow-paladin-infowow-paladinswow-pallywow-pally-infowow-talent-guideDan DesmondWed, 15 Feb 2012 17:00:00 ESTThe Care and Feeding of Warriors: Single-Minded Fury reduxhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-single-minded-fury-redux/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-single-minded-fury-redux/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-single-minded-fury-redux/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host.

In my first draft, I started this article off with a detailed explanation of what my main problems with Single-Minded Fury are. I still want to talk about those. But first, I want to say this about the talent.

It's crazy-fun. I've been raiding, Raid Findering and 5-manning with it all week, and frankly I love how smooth the rage generation is. If you ever played fury back in The Burning Crusade or even vanilla, before TG was a gleam in a designer's eye, SMF will be familiar and yet different to you. What's changed? Well, you don't use Whirlwind as your second attack anymore; it's purely a trash ability now. Raging Blow and Bloodsurge instant-cast Slams give you more to do but take the concept of rotation and shake it up, meaning that you're watching for procs more than ever. Colossus Smash gives you a very-long-cooldown ability that you're always going to prioritize. But for all those changes, the talent is still you dual-wielding smaller, faster weapons.

If you were the fury warrior with the Vanir's Fists in late BC, you'll recognize what this talent does for fury. If you leveled a fury warrior in Cata, it's exactly how levels 1 through 68 went. It's a fairly simple concept to grasp. You're not the warrior crushing everything in his path with raw power, and you're not the one using discipline and weapon control to make precise strikes, either. No, you're the one with speed and relentless assault over finesse.

Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Single-Minded Fury redux

WoW InsiderThe Care and Feeding of Warriors: Single-Minded Fury redux originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>class-helpFuryFury-Warriorfury-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorsguideSingle-Minded-Furytalenttalentswarrior-guidewarrior-infoworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-talent-guidewow-warriorwow-warrior-infoMatthew RossiSat, 11 Feb 2012 14:00:00 ESTTotem Talk: Maximize your fire elemental DPS on Ultraxionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/totem-talk-maximize-your-fire-elemental-dps-on-ultraxion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/totem-talk-maximize-your-fire-elemental-dps-on-ultraxion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/totem-talk-maximize-your-fire-elemental-dps-on-ultraxion/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ultraxion flying in Dragon Soul
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement, and restoration shaman. Once just the expert on enhancement shaman, Josh Myers has spent most of Dragon Soul as elemental, and he's not quite sure how he got there. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Of all the fights in Dragon Soul, Ultraxion on heroic mode is the ultimate DPS check. Heroic Spine of Deathwing definitely tests your raid group's ability to do a large amount of damage in a miniscule amount of time, but Ultraxion forces your group to maximize its sustained DPS. As a result, it's very commonly the first real wall most heroic progression guilds hit, at least until they can get the gear to make it a cakewalk. If you're working on heroic-mode Ultraxion or are having trouble killing him on normal, there are a few things you can do to maximize your elemental shaman's DPS on this specific fight.

Gear, glyphs, and talents

First off, the easiest way to help your DPS on Ultraxion is to check your glyphs. Most elemental shaman nowadays run with Glyph of Unleashed Lightning as one of their prime glyphs. This makes sense for nearly every other fight in Dragon Soul, as they all require some amount of movement. Ultraxion, however, is a straight up stand-there-and-shoot-lightning-and-lava-until-your-fingers-fall-off-or-he-dies fight, and Glyph of Unleashed Lightning gives absolutely zero DPS if you're not moving. Switching this out for Glyph of Lightning Bolt will give you a slight boost in numbers. Your three glyph choices should be Lightning Bolt, Flame Shock, and Glyph of Fire Elemental Totem; more on the FET glyph choice in a second.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Maximize your fire elemental DPS on Ultraxion

WoW InsiderTotem Talk: Maximize your fire elemental DPS on Ultraxion originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>buffing-fire-elemental-totemclass-helpelementalelemental-shamanelemental-shaman-dpselemental-single-targetfeaturedfire-elemental-totemguideguide-to-shamansintellect-procs-elementalpower-auraspre-pottingshaman-guideshaman-infoshaman-talentstalenttalentsultraxionultraxion-elementalworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guideJosh MyersSat, 04 Feb 2012 20:00:00 ESTThe Care and Feeding of Warriors: Warrior mistakes to avoidhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warrior-mistakes-to-avoid/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warrior-mistakes-to-avoid/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warrior-mistakes-to-avoid/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host.

One of the interesting things about my current astonishing obsession with transmogrification and all things related to it has been seeing older itemization. You know, strength and agility plate. Warrior tier 6 is lousy with agility. That's a legacy of the past, of course, and as the design of the game moves ever onward, artifacts like that are left in its wake. After all, most level 70 warriors nowadays move straight to Northrend dungeons and are not likely to look at Black Temple until much later, when farming for transmog gear. The stats aren't important enough to go back and redesign the set.

What I really find interesting about this is seeing where the class has been, not just visually but also in terms of design. It's kind of like archaeology (the actual field of inquiry, not the in-game profession) or paleontology, reconstructing the class and its roots from the remainders of what it wore. Granted, I was there, so to a degree it's like excavating Pompeii with an immortal who survived the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius and keeps grumping about how people in his day didn't complain when they were buried in pyroclastic material. Which is a complete lie, by the way, we did nothing but complain about it. But I digress.

The warrior class has come a long way in seven years, and the artifacts of past design lie strewn about. New players and even old veterans can be forgiven for making a few mistakes based on the rubble. Let's go over a few.

Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Warrior mistakes to avoid

WoW InsiderThe Care and Feeding of Warriors: Warrior mistakes to avoid originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>agility-plateclass-helpgeargearingguidelegacy-gearingmistakestalenttalentswarrior-guidewarrior-infoworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-talent-guidewow-warriorwow-warrior-infoMatthew RossiSat, 04 Feb 2012 18:00:00 ESTFamous poetry responsible for Cataclysm item names?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/famous-poetry-responsible-for-cataclysm-item-names/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/famous-poetry-responsible-for-cataclysm-item-names/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/famous-poetry-responsible-for-cataclysm-item-names/#commentsFiled under: ,

The incredible Perculia (content manager over at Wowhead) has just put up one of my favorite posts about World of Warcraft ever -- Cataclysm starter epics, justice point gear, blue drops from instances, and more are all named after or refer to famous lines and fragments from poetry by T.S. Eliot and John Keats.

Truth be told, I want to know the story of the moment when all of this snapped into place for Perculia and it became about finding an item for almost every stanza from these poems. It's a spectacular effort. As I read her post and clicked on items, it became abundantly clear that this is far from coincidence.

For instance, from the blog, Perculia has analyzed this particular stanza from Keat's Ode to a Nightingale:
'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,
That thou, light-wingèd Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
From Perculia's finding, we see that Keats' poems are used mostly for justice point gear at ilevel 359, with most of the dungeon 346 blues owing their monikers to his work. Eliot's poems are the source of many reputation rewards. Check out the full post on the Flavor Text blog.

WoW InsiderFamous poetry responsible for Cataclysm item names? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>cataclysmitemsjohn-keatskeatsnaming-itemsperculiapoetryt-s-eliotts-eliotMathew McCurleyFri, 03 Feb 2012 19:00:00 ESTBlizzard celebrates 7 years in Europe with 50% off for a limited timehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/blizzard-celebrates-7-years-in-europe-with-50-off-for-a-limited/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/blizzard-celebrates-7-years-in-europe-with-50-off-for-a-limited/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/blizzard-celebrates-7-years-in-europe-with-50-off-for-a-limited/#commentsFiled under: ,

EU players will be happy to know that for the seventh anniversary of World of Warcraft in Europe, Blizzard has slashed the price of World of Warcraft yet again, bringing the cost of WoW down even lower for a limited time. Remember, United States and assorted North American nations, these are EU copies and versions of the game.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- lowering the cost of the barrier to entry to WoW is not a choice but rather a grave necessity. When 90 levels starts looking like a lot of content and too big of an endeavor for a new player, it doesn't matter how good the 85-to-90 content is, because people will never see it. The last thing you want is for price to be an issue when there are so many other factors to consider about the relative uniqueness of the MMO industry.

Here are the EU seventh anniversary sale prices:
  • World of Warcraft Battle Chest EUR 7,49 £4.99
  • World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King EUR 9,99 £7.49
  • World of Warcraft: Cataclysm EUR 14,99 £12.49
  • World of Warcraft mount: Celestial Steed mount EUR 10,00 £8.50
  • World of Warcraft pet: Lil'K.T. EUR 5,00 £4.50
Hit up the EU Blizzard store to get these deals while they last.
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

WoW InsiderBlizzard celebrates 7 years in Europe with 50% off for a limited time originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battlechestcataclysmcelestial-steedcelestial-steed-saleeueu-saleeuropeeurope-wow-salehey-portlandia-had-a-character-named-sparkle-ponyit-makes-sense-if-you-think-about-itlil-ktportlandia-and-azeroth-are-the-same-universesparkle-pony-discountwowwow-battlechestMathew McCurleyFri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 ESTLove is in the Air customer support policyhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/love-is-in-the-air-customer-support-policy/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/love-is-in-the-air-customer-support-policy/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/love-is-in-the-air-customer-support-policy/#commentsFiled under: ,

Blizzard has posted a guide to what customer service and support can and cannot do for players during Love is in the Air, the WoW in-game holiday that runs between Feb. 5 through 20. As with most in-game events like this, players will be getting exclusive items, quests, tokens, prizes, and chances on really rare items like mounts from daily bosses. These events are designed to be rare and happen only once a year, and Blizzard stresses (again, by design) that these titles, achievements, and other event goodies need to be acquired during the holiday. Legitimate claims of items lost with logs will be restored as normal, but Blizzard wanted to make sure people knew in advance that item purchases and achievement-related issues during this limited-time event will most likely not be able to be addressed.

Putting out notices like this is definitely a nice move by the community team. Many people have complained in the past of not knowing when a new event was starting in game or that their schedules did not permit them to complete all of the necessary holiday achievements and get all of the accompanying items. For many of those, the bright line rule is that "Blizzard wants these things to be rare," so they are rare by design.

Remember: Get your holiday stuff done ASAP. This is your early notice that things will most likely not be given to you if you miss the event.

The full blue post, after the break.

Continue reading Love is in the Air customer support policy

WoW InsiderLove is in the Air customer support policy originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>airblizzard-customer-supportcustomercustomer-servicecustomer-supporteventsits-in-itlovelove-is-in-the-airservicesupportMathew McCurleyThu, 02 Feb 2012 23:15:00 ESTOl' Grumpy and the specter of pointless elitismhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/ol-grumpy-and-the-specter-of-pointless-elitism/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/ol-grumpy-and-the-specter-of-pointless-elitism/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/ol-grumpy-and-the-specter-of-pointless-elitism/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ol' Grumpy (that's me) has a bit of a problem. He's started tanking for pickup groups lately. I guess technically that means I have two problems, but doctors probably can prescribe some medication or something for white-hot eruptions of seething rage. I'm starting to think Neltharion was the tank for the dragon aspects' regular 5-man group.

However, my molten cauldron of hate masquerading as a soul isn't what I came to talk to you about today. No, I'm actually here to explain what pointless elitism is and why it's actually bad. I'll use an example from a recent 5-man. I had signed up to tank because I wanted the goody bag of potent bribery. I admit it, I'm weak. I zoned into End Time, said hello to the mostly uncommunicative group, and started charging things, as I am wont to do. Things died, we progressed, no one pulled aggro by DoTing a mob while I was mounted and on the other side of the map -- it was pretty much ideal for a pickup.

Then we got to Sylvanas, killed her, and as someone looted, two of the DPSers begin savaging the third for doing less than they. I look at Skada and saw that all three of them were floating between 11k and 14k DPS overall, with this one player sinking to 7k on Sylv. They were all geared about the same -- a couple of HoT pieces -- so clearly, they were all there because they needed the gear.

Continue reading Ol' Grumpy and the specter of pointless elitism

WoW InsiderOl' Grumpy and the specter of pointless elitism originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>GrumpyOl-GrumpyOldOlGrumpypatch-4.3What-Im-saying-is-that-I-am-ancient-as-the-tidesworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newsMatthew RossiThu, 02 Feb 2012 19:00:00 ESTRetribution bug hotfixed, Vengeance temporarily returns to PvPhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/retribution-bug-hotfixed-vengeance-temporarily-returns-to-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/retribution-bug-hotfixed-vengeance-temporarily-returns-to-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/retribution-bug-hotfixed-vengeance-temporarily-returns-to-pvp/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Zarhym has given us an update on the bug with Seal of Truth from yesterday, and it opens a fascinating window into the complexities of the code that ultimately is the World of Warcraft.

Zarhym - Update on Retribution Paladin Bug
The bug where paladin Seals could sometimes cause excessive damage has been fixed. This bug came as a result of a hotfix we put in to fix an issue where some attacks, such as Scatter Shot, were still causing Vengeance in PvP situations. While these things may seem totally unrelated, it has to do with our proc system, which is an extremely complicated mechanic under the hood. We reverted that hotfix, meaning you may sometimes see Vengeance in PvP. But we don't think that will present a major balance concern at this time.

To be clear, we have no current plans to take action against players who experienced this bug last night unless we come across any extreme cases. The error was ours and we haven't seen any evidence -- so far -- of players excessively exploiting the bug. We reserve the right to take action if we do find evidence of players crossing the line to repeatedly exploit this bug for major in-game advantages.


I won't lie, I find this fascinating. The idea that the issue lies in a system that on the surface would seem totally unrelated gives me the shivers just imagining what it must be like to maintain and advance the design for code that's been around for years and years. I have to agree that letting Vengeance sometimes pop up in PvP is probably the better option. It's only going to happen in an extremely limited set of circumstances, anyway.

I'm also glad only extreme edge cases will be seeing bans, as I had no idea the bug even existed while leveling my ret paladin last night and only figured it out afterwards.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.

WoW InsiderRetribution bug hotfixed, Vengeance temporarily returns to PvP originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bughotfixesPvPretributionretribution-bugretribution-paladinVengeanceVengenace in PvPVengenaceInPvpwow-hotfixwow-hotfixesMatthew RossiThu, 02 Feb 2012 15:45:00 ESTThe Light and How to Swing It: The Fall of Deathwing, ret edition, part 2http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-the-fall-of-deathwing-ret-editio/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-the-fall-of-deathwing-ret-editio/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-the-fall-of-deathwing-ret-editio/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Seasoned ret paladin Dan Desmond is here to answer your questions and provide you with your biweekly dose of retribution medicine. Contact him at dand@wowinsider.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!

This is it, guys and girls. This is the moment we have all been training for while hitting that poor target dummy in Orgrimmar, because only repeatedly bashing a plank of wood will truly prepare you to square off against a dragon as epic as the big DW. So pick up your weapon, your bag of tricks, and your handful of cooldowns -- it's time to kill Deathwing the Destroyer.

Spine of Deathwing

I remember when there was wild speculation on what the Deathwing fight in Dragon Soul would actually look like. The devs announced that we would jump on him for part of the fight, and my strange brain secretly hoped that we would start at his tail and work our way up, maybe chopping off his legs and wings into a giant container of dry rub so the Titans could come on down and throw it on a massive barbecue. Honestly, we should have done that with Onyxia so she couldn't be resurrected 14 times!

Continue reading The Light and How to Swing It: The Fall of Deathwing, ret edition, part 2

WoW InsiderThe Light and How to Swing It: The Fall of Deathwing, ret edition, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>class-helpDan DesmondDanDesmonddeathwingdragon soulDragonSoulfeaturedguideguide-to-paladinsguide-to-palliesguide-to-pallysJoystiqmadness-of-deathwingpaladin-guidepaladin-infopaladin-retribution-the-light-and-how-to-swing-itpaladin-talentspally-guidepally-infopally-talentspatch-4.3raidingret paladinsRetPaladinsretribution-paladin-the-light-and-how-to-swing-itspine-of-deathwingtalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-paladinwow-paladin-infowow-paladinswow-pallywow-pally-infowow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newswow-talent-guideDan DesmondWed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 ESTHave reforging demands become too complex?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/have-reforging-demands-become-too-complex/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/have-reforging-demands-become-too-complex/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/have-reforging-demands-become-too-complex/#commentsFiled under: ,

Have you ever cringed at the idea of picking up a new upgrade because you knew it meant you were going to have to reforge almost every single piece of gear you wear? Do you actually consider picking up more than one of the same item so that you can have it reforged differently for different specs? Do you ever want to punch that smarmy, overly reverbbed ethereal in the face after you dump several hundred gold reforging all your gear because there was no negotiation? (You just charged me a flat fee, you jerk!)

That last one may just be me.

Reforging gear has become a huge part of optimization. It is at least as important as gemming and enchanting. Sites like WoW Reforge and Ask Mr. Robot (to name just two) are heavily consulted by players looking to squeeze every last erg of performance out of their gear. Is it too much? Has the minigame of stat tetris gotten out of hand?

Continue reading Have reforging demands become too complex?

WoW InsiderHave reforging demands become too complex? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>AskMrRobotpatch-4.3rawrreforgingreforging-optimizationworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newswowreforgeMatthew RossiTue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST4 steps for dealing with Raid Finder harassmenthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/4-steps-for-dealing-with-raid-finder-harassment/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/4-steps-for-dealing-with-raid-finder-harassment/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/4-steps-for-dealing-with-raid-finder-harassment/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I'm a reformed bully. A few years back, I was the kid in the PUG raid calling everyone else bad and acting like I was the Light's gift to raiding. I've since worked to distance myself from that attitude. While I still get annoyed from time to time when I see poor play in Raid Finder and generally have a sour taste in my mouth while pugging raids, I've become a lot more aware of how painful and harmful my words can be, and I keep them to myself. With my past experience being a bully, it made sense that when our editors wanted someone to write up a survival guide to using the Raid Finder, the most dreadful hive of scum and villianry since Mos Eisley, I would take the challenge on.

The three main types of WoW bullies

In my real life, I work with kids. I've spent the past third of my 24-year life working with kids. As a result, I've been exposed to a lot of bullies, both online and on the playground. There are a few staple things to remember about people who are also bullies, particularly when it comes to the Raid Finder. Here's who you'll find there.

1. The Covering for His Own Inadequacies Bully This is your archetypical bully cliché, but it's grounded in reality. These bullies are horrifically self-conscious, and they're just lashing out at whoever's handy because they're afraid that if they don't, they're going to be the one picked out and picked on. We've all been here; it's called high school (also Congress, but I repeat myself).

These bullies are fairly common in your average Raid Finder run. Just yesterday, I ran a RF with Shelam, my blood death knight. Now, Shelam has an average ilevel of 378 and has tanked all of RF before, but he was called out and almost vote-kicked by three players: another blood DK who was trying to tank while dual-wielding Souldrinkers (a big no-no), his friend and guildmate the last-on-meters fire mage, and an unholy death knight who was fully gemmed for stamina despite being a DPS class. They all called me out for being undergeared, most likely because I was the easiest target in the raid due to my lone remaining blue item, an ilevel 346 helm. Had they not gone after me, it would have been easy for them to have been the recipients of some harsh (if accurate) words, so they chose to go on the attack instead. That let them redirect the blame and their insecurity onto me while feeling empowered because they were making accusations instead of fielding them.

Continue reading 4 steps for dealing with Raid Finder harassment

WoW Insider4 steps for dealing with Raid Finder harassment originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bullyingclass-columnistharassmenthaters-gonna-hatehow-to-raid-finderin-game-harassmentpatch-4.3raid-finderraid-finder-bullyingraid-finder-harassmentsurviving-raid-finderworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newsJosh MyersMon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:00 ESTTotem Talk: 4 ways to increase your shaman DPShttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/totem-talk-4-ways-to-increase-your-shaman-dps/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/totem-talk-4-ways-to-increase-your-shaman-dps/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/totem-talk-4-ways-to-increase-your-shaman-dps/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement, and restoration shaman. Josh Myers once only tackled the hard questions about enhancement but has recently expanded his sphere of responsibility to all shaman DPS specs. (And no, two-handed enhancement is still never coming back.)

DPS is an art. It's not art in the sense that the Mona Lisa or Friday by Rebecca Black are art, but it's art. It requires practice, knowledge, and dedication to make work, and judging by the Battle.net forums, Twitter, and various other social media outlets, it's an art form that a lot of people still have trouble getting right. As a DPS shaman (really, as any class), there are a few basic rules every player should follow to enhance their DPS.

1. Use addons that make up for what the default UI lacks. I know that there's a set of players out there who totally swear by using the default UI. In reality, I can understand that sentiment. I didn't realize it until I found myself with a sprained hamstring and only able to raid my borrowing my boyfriend's laptop and downloading an addon-less WoW onto it this week, but I actually thought the default UI looked really cool.

Unfortunately, despite how cool it looks, default isn't optimal. Doing the Raid Finder as elemental, I realized a couple of things -- that of my 30-plus-addon suite, I really only missed six or seven of them, and those six or seven I missed were ridiculously important. I was lacking OmniCC for watching my cooldown timers, and I didn't have Power Auras to watch Fulmination stacks or ForteXorcist for tracking my DoT timers (important for both ele and enhance). I know that I played sloppily as a result. I missed Lava Surge procs like crazy, I Fulminationed as Flame Shock ran off, and I made other small mistakes that I would normally not make because I have addons to help me keep track of the fight.

Continue reading Totem Talk: 4 ways to increase your shaman DPS

WoW InsiderTotem Talk: 4 ways to increase your shaman DPS originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>4-ways-to-increase-dpsaddon-use-for-shamanclass-helpelemental-shamanelemental-shaman-dpsenhancement-shamanenhancement-shaman-dpsfeaturedguideguide-to-shamanshow-to-dps-as-shamanhow-to-maximize-your-dps-as-shamanimproving-shaman-dpsimproving-your-dpskeybindingmouseturningshaman-guideshaman-infoshaman-talentsstaying-alivetalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guideJosh MyersSat, 28 Jan 2012 18:00:00 ESTThe Care and Feeding of Warriors: Let's get everyone tankinghttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-lets-get-everyone-tanking/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-lets-get-everyone-tanking/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-lets-get-everyone-tanking/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host.

Now for whatever reason, I've been tanking lately, usually due to a connection issue or what have you. It's one of those confluences of my gear's being just good enough and my no longer being burned out on the role. While I still define myself as a DPS warrior and raid with that as my main spec, I was surprised to find tanking wasn't that hard to pick back up. In fact, it may be a little too easy.

I hesitate to make this statement because, in part, I know I'm not a typical player. I main tanked for years. I tanked in vanilla, in The Burning Crusade, in Wrath, and for the opening of Cataclysm. I was the undergeared tank trying to do heroics in greens when the expansion came out. I was the guy tanking heroic LK. I've tanked in all sorts of situations and gear and specs. I tanked when TC only hit four mobs and did not work in Defensive Stance. What I'm saying is, I've been tanking for so long there's almost no way for me to evaluate how difficult tanking is for other players. I have years of muscle memory. I've kited. I've done adds; I've done bosses. I've picked up murlocs and traded adds on Yogg.

Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Let's get everyone tanking

WoW InsiderThe Care and Feeding of Warriors: Let's get everyone tanking originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>class-helpguideprotection-warriorprotection-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorsresiliencetalenttalentstanktank-designtankingtanking-designvengeancewarrior-guidewarrior-infoworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-talent-guidewow-warriorwow-warrior-infoMatthew RossiSat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:00 ESTWould removing legendaries be a benefit for the World of Warcraft?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/would-removing-legendaries-be-a-benefit-for-the-world-of-warcraf/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/would-removing-legendaries-be-a-benefit-for-the-world-of-warcraf/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/would-removing-legendaries-be-a-benefit-for-the-world-of-warcraf/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Tarecgosa, Dragonwrath's namesake
It's very hard to imagine a Cataclysm without legendary items. Despite the fact that it wasn't introduced until six months into the game's existence, Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest has become a staple item in every progression raiding guild's repetoire. The Fangs of the Father, Golad and Tiriosh, have only recently started to actually appear in game, but every week from now on will see more and more being finished.

Coming hand in hand with these legendary items are the issues of imbalance that they cause. In PvE, terminology has started to crop up that puts legendary and non-legendary DPS into two separate categories of competitiveness. Concepts exist such as "enhancement shaman are currently one of the top non-legendary DPS specs..." -- a category that encompasses only 10 of the 22 DPS classes in the game. In PvP, concerns about burst damage have arisen, which was a big factor in the nerf to DTR that came in 4.3.

The issues with legendaries

Legendaries cause a balance problem, and that's a problem that's been exacerbated by two things in Cataclysm: a horrifically wide spread of specs that can use them, with 12 specs or five classes in total having access to legendary weapons right now, and incredible ease of access to legendaries (for the heroic raider).

Continue reading Would removing legendaries be a benefit for the World of Warcraft?

WoW InsiderWould removing legendaries be a benefit for the World of Warcraft? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Ateishdragonwrathdragonwrath-tarecgosas-restDTRfangs-of-fatherfangs-of-the-fathershadowmourneshould-legendaries-existSulfurasthoridalthunderfuryvalanyrvalanyr-hammer-of-the-ancient-kingswarglaiveswarglaives-of-azzinothwhy-does-wow-still-have-legendarieswow-legendary-itemsJosh MyersFri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST