Filed under: Events

Sometimes you just have to embrace the holiday spirit. That's what Blizzard is doing, by announcing that it's time for all the good girls and boys of Azeroth and Draenor to get their letters to Greatfather Winter. What do you want for this year's Winter Veil? Well, whatever it is, asking can't hurt, so go ahead and comment on the official post, or here on the forums. There's even a thread here on the RP forums, if you're so inclined.

I personally think transmog was the gift that keeps on giving for me, but if there's something you want, get on board.

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Every year, Greatfather Winter brings treats to all the good boys and girls of Azeroth, and this year is no exception. From December 16th until January 2nd, the Feast of Winter Veil teaches us all the true meaning of Winter Veil with a cavalcade of gifts and other fun things like toys. A variety of seasonal pets, achievements, and hats are yours for the taking, including the brand new Rotten Little Helper.

For the complete skinny on what you can get and what you can do, Wowhead has this helpful guide. If you're looking for one of those toys for your toybox, a rare pet, or a hat from one of the bosses (with several new Draenor bosses as well) then you have until January 2nd to get started. May Greatfather Winter watch over you.

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It's time for rare troll rogue hunting, cross-faction feasting and, of course, food fights. That's right, starting yesterday through Monday, December 1st, the Pilgrim's Bounty holiday has descended on the servers like an overstuffed turkey ready for the carving. And this year, Blizzard has added a few new items to the event including a new battle pet, the Bush Chicken.

This year's Pilgrim's Bounty is much like the previous one which you can read about in our comprehensive guide from last year to help you rack up the seasonal achievement that grants you the Plump Turkey battle pet. The key difference this year is the addition of the Pilgrim's Bounty quest reward pack. You can choose it instead of pilgrim-themed clothing when you finish the daily cooking quests for your faction. Inside every pack is a Turkey Shooter, seasonal food items and a small chance for either the uncommon-quality Bush Chicken (using the same model as the infamous Ash Chicken of Searing Gorge), a Silver-Plated Turkey Shooter (which can be added to your toy box) or a Fine Pilgrim's Hat (which can be transmogged on to any helm.)

So take a break from reliving the agony of classic 40-man raids and enjoy the holiday the way it was meant to be: by gorging on (virtual) food and obsessing over bagging that bird before the hungry relatives arrive.

Garrison Invasions, how do they work? Well, Blizzard decided to go ahead and explain exactly that. Some players have been confused by seeing the introductory Garrison Invasion restricted to Rank 2 of the Garrison, and thought that the Invasions had been removed from Rank 3. Not the case, says Nethaera.

Nethaera - Garrison Invasions and You

We've been seeing a lot of confusion in regard to the way Garrison Invasions work and we wanted to take some time to clear up this confusion for you.

Most players will get their first taste of what Invasions will be like when they get into Tier 2 of their Garrison. Approximately midway through Frostfire Ridge or Shadowmoon Valley, a player's Garrison will be attacked either by a Thunderlord or Shadowmoon force. The quest is just a taste of what this type of gameplay offers but it's not a full blown invasion just yet. It's a way to get your feet wet and experience just a bit of what it will be like when you reach max level. For those who move quickly into their 3rd tier before getting this event, don't worry. You haven't missed out on any special rewards. It's just a precursor to what you're going to get to experience at maximum level.

Once you reach max level, these events are triggered organically. What this means is, as you fight powerful foes among the enemy factions of Draenor (generally in and around the areas for Apexis Crystal Missions) you'll draw their attention and an enemy force will eventually prepare to attack your Garrison. When that happens, the commander outside your Town Hall will have a quest for you, allowing you to trigger the invasion.

The Nuts and Bolts:

• Your effectiveness in defending your Garrison is measured by how many enemies you're able to defeat and how many of your guards and buildings survive the assault. (Don't worry, there's no permanent damage- they will rebuild it!)
• You can bring up to 2 friends into your Garrison to assist in the defense. (It's like a party, but with heavily armored invaders.)
• Based on your final score you and your allies present will earn a Bronze, Silver, and/or Gold award for your efforts – each award may only be earned once per week.

source

So fear not - if you upgraded your Garrison to Tier 3, you'll still get your Garrison Invasions.

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Here's a short teaser for something we'll be premiering Saturday at @BlizzCon. http://t.co/eRqhe5v15x

- World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) November 5, 2014

My first reaction was "Wow, that's a heck of a Garona cosplay!" Which is why I headed up the post with that picture. Seriously, she looks more like Garona than Garona does. WHoever you are, Garona cosplayer, please let me know so I can put your name in this post. But beyond that, as someone who's been playing for ten years, I found it amazing to see it all laid out like that, how we were all just stumbling our way through the game, having no idea what it was or what it would lead to.

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If you're sitting around waiting for the servers to come up, you have a bit longer to wait - the roll out of patch 6.0.3 is continuing apace, and the servers will be down for a while longer.

My apologies for the mis-Tweet. Our #WoW Maintenance will be extended until 1 pm Pacific time: http://t.co/RGk4GAalZD

- BlizzardCS (@BlizzardCS) October 28, 2014

This is apparently due to last minute issues with the new patch, so it may or may not be the final say in terms of delays. Don't get too overexcited either way - things could end up resolved earlier than expected, or they could be delayed past 1pm Pacific. Just know that currently the call is that maintenance has been extended past the 11am PST point.

Updated - Server Maintenance has been extended until 4pm PST.

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Hallow's End 2014 begins on Saturday, Oct. 18 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 1 this year. As with most of the game's holidays, Hallow's End is required for the yearlong meta What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been that grants the Violet Proto-Drake. Completing the required Hallow's End achievements will also award the title the Hallowed.

In 2011, Blizzard added some major updates and improvements to the holiday, changing Tricky Treats from edible confection into a form of currency that players can use to buy pets, masks, and wands. This year has some new loot available -- three costumes for your pug pals, and a new costume for players as well, the Exquisite Costume Set: "The Lich King." And for all you pet collectors out there, this year you'll find the usual Creepy Crate, Sinister Squashling and Feline Familiar as well as Widget the Departed and Cursed Birman, two new ghostly kitties to add to your collection. Toy collectors will want to make note of the Little Wickerman and add him to your Toybox if you haven't already.

As with most of our holiday guides, I've arranged the achievements in the rough order they should be completed, noting which achievements are required for the meta and which aren't.

You need wait no longer -- World of Warcraft patch 6.0.2, the pre-expansion patch for Warlords of Draenor, has been officially announced for next week. The upcoming patch features a host of systems changes - talent and abilities changes, the item squish, the removal of justice and valor points, the end of PvP Season 15, as well as a new world event involving the Iron Horde invasion and a new level 90 version of Blackrock Spire.

Head over to the official site and take a look at the announcement, and get ready for the Iron Tide to roll in.

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Look, piracy is a scourge and a disgrace, no one's denying it. But for one day, World of Warcraft embraces this scourge with a host of events for people of a piratical bent. You can transform your character into a pirate with the Dread Corsair buff, attend various revels, or do other things that, to be honest, aren't really all that synonymous with these dread reavers of the oceans. It's almost as if this is all just an excuse to have a good time or something.

It's only one day so if you've been dying to look like a pirate for 12 hours, this is your chance.

So, today the folks at Blizzard posted more details about the upcoming 10th Anniversary of World of Warcraft, featuring the Tarren Mill/Southshore deathmatch BG and the revamped level 100 40 player LFR version of Molten Core.

One thing we now know for sure is that Molten Core will become accessible on November 21 (a week after the launch of Warlords itself) and last until January 6th, 2015. This gives you a little more than a month to get to level 100 and run the revamped Molten Core. It's a little worrying to me that you'll have to hit 100 and run this content (remember, it's a 40 person LFR) during the holiday season, but that's what we are currently being told. Also, thanks to the folks at Wowhead we also know that there are four helmets you can get when you defeat Ragnaros - an updated Crown of Destruction and plate, leather and cloth versions. In addition, Ragnaros drops the Core Hound Chain as well.

The new battleground will have a 90-99 and 100 version, and winning either version of the Southshore/Tarren Mill battleground will reward you with the Tarren Mill Terror title for Alliance players and the Southshore Slayer title for the Horde. Rated PvP play will begin on December 2nd, and the first raids will begin opening at that time with Raid Finder and Mythic difficulty opening the next week. A full schedule for the raid releases is incoming.

So that's how things stand so far. Looks like you'll want to get to 100 as quickly as possible if you're looking forward to that Molten Core LFR or the Southshore/Tarren Mill deathmatch.

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Ten years is a long time. Ten years ago, in 2004, I was 20 years old and entering my third semester of college--also entangled in endless piles of paperwork while I prepared to spend a year studying at the University of New South Wales in Sydney for the calender year 2005. Ten years ago, in November 2004, World of Warcraft officially launched.

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

The Darkmoon Faire has come to the beta servers, and with it, a bunch of updates and additions including games, pets, and vanity items. There are new ways to earn Darkmoon tickets, new ways to spend them, and new discoveries to be made on the mysterious Darkmoon Island. Our friends over at Wowhead have tested out the new games, and they seem like a ton of fun. The first is the Firebird's Challenge, where you have to fly through rings of fire in the air. If you miss, you lose the debuff that keeps you aloft. There are a series of achievements for staying aloft, and earning the last and most difficult of them rewards you with the Blazing Wings, a vanity item that gives you a pair of fiery but non-functional wings for an hour.

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

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

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Coming this August, gamescom 2014 will continue the tradition of one of the biggest and most important video game conventions in the world. And this year, Blizzard plans on letting even people who don't get to travel to Cologne (it's in Germany) keep track of what they're up to at this massive con, with a dedicated web page for their presence, including livestreaming coverage. It's an interesting move for Blizzard, and an understandable one - gamescom is, on the whole, a big deal and it's likely that they'll be putting a lot of effort into their presentations there, so why not let people from outside the con get a look as well? It's just good PR.

This year's gamescom runs from August 13th to August 17th in Cologne, Germany. Dare we hope for a release date for Warlords of Draenor by then? Yes. Yes, we dare to hope for that. Maybe the cinematic? Why not? I'm from Rhode Island and I say release it all! Sorry, got excited, referenced Starship Troopers. it won't happen again.

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