WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2015 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.WoW Archivist: 10 years, 10 amazing momentshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2015/01/16/wow-archivist-10-years-10-amazing-moments/http://wow.joystiq.com/2015/01/16/wow-archivist-10-years-10-amazing-moments/http://wow.joystiq.com/2015/01/16/wow-archivist-10-years-10-amazing-moments/#commentsFiled under:

Uldaman portal
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

In 2004, I bought a brown box with some discs inside it. On the cover was a close-up of a woman with crazy purple eyebrows and an angry bearded guy -- possibly Matt Rossi -- holding a gun. I didn't know anything about the Warcraft universe at the time. I'd watched someone play Warcraft III once (or was it II?). I remember chuckling at the peons' comments as they got to work. That was the extent of my experience.

I'd been playing Final Fantasy XI and I loved the concept of an online world. I was hoping for a game that was more accessible than FFXI but with all the cool monsters, grouping, exploration, and loot. I never imagined the journey that I was about to take, the people I would meet, the opportunities that would become open to me as a result of that purchase. Many of us who played back then had no idea what was about to happen to the gaming world because of that brown box.

world of warcraft game boxWith all the hoopla surrounding Warlords of Draenor, Archivist has been busy covering yesterday's precursors to current content, such as the zombie plague pre-expansion event, patch 3.0, and the original Upper Blackrock Spire. WoW's 10th anniversary events officially ended this week (after an unscheduled extension), and it is past time that I looked back on my own ten years in Azeroth.

Here are ten of my favorite WoW moments, in order.

1. Showdown at Uldaman. One of my first PvP experiences in WoW was a complete accident. In late 2004, a friend and I were questing in the cave outside of Uldaman in the Badlands. We were in our mid to high 30s at the time on our first characters. One of the mushrooms we had to gather sat behind an Alliance NPC. I went to right-click to gather it but instead I clicked the NPC and started attacking him. We were flagged for PvP on a PvE realm. We knew it was now open season on us. And on Khadgar-US, Horde players were heavily outnumbered by the Alliance.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: 10 years, 10 amazing moments

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: 10 years, 10 amazing moments originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 16 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>amazing-momentsblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historydark-portalfeaturedgaming-historygnomereganguild-leadershiphunter-questshuntersmmo-historyofficers-quartersonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyrhokdelarrhokdelar-longbow-of-the-ancient-keepersten-year-anniversaryuldamanvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiaworld-pvpwow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsFri, 16 Jan 2015 14:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: 3.0.8, the "disaster" patchhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2015/01/02/wow-archivist-3-0-8-the-disaster-patch/http://wow.joystiq.com/2015/01/02/wow-archivist-3-0-8-the-disaster-patch/http://wow.joystiq.com/2015/01/02/wow-archivist-3-0-8-the-disaster-patch/#commentsFiled under: ,

A Wintergrasp battle
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Any game that survives for 10 years and counting will have its growing pains. There will be moments when the urge to deliver the best possible content gets the better of the developers, when they reach too far but only figure that out after it's too late.

Wrath of the Lich King was so ambitious in scope, as originally conceived, that Blizzard simply couldn't deliver what they announced. Blizzard cut major features before the expansion even went into beta testing. Wrath's systems went live with patch 3.0.2 in October 2008, and the expansion hit live realms two months later. As with most expansions, there were early problems.

In patch 3.0.8, Blizzard tried to fix those problems. Instead, they made them worse. Far worse. WoW Insider called the patch a "disaster." Read on to find out why!

Wintercrash

Rebalancing the popular Wintergrasp outdoor battle was one of the patch's biggest features. Blizzard buffed vehicles and turrets to make them less fragile. The keep walls also became sturdier, while the final door received a nerf. Other adjustments and fixes went into effect.

So did a bug so catastrophic that players couldn't believe it ever found its way to a live realm.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: 3.0.8, the "disaster" patch

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: 3.0.8, the "disaster" patch originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historybugscowerDeath-Knightfeaturedgaming-historygraveyardshunter-petslagmmo-historyonline-gaming-historypatch-3.0.8PC-gaming-historyraid-lockoutswarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawintergraspwow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-KingScott AndrewsFri, 02 Jan 2015 14:00:00 ESTLooking back at the WoW Archiveshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/31/looking-back-at-the-wow-archives/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/31/looking-back-at-the-wow-archives/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/31/looking-back-at-the-wow-archives/#commentsFiled under:

We've reached the end of 2014, and 2014 held a special milestone for World of Warcraft: the 10th anniversary celebration. The game has built a rich history in the last ten years. Not just its in-game lore, but the history of the game itself and the community around it. WoW Insider's WoW Archivist has been reflecting on that history since early 2011 and now seems like a good time to revisit the best of the archives.
  • The Karazhan Crypt One of World of Warcraft's most infamous mysteries among old school players, the Karazhan Crypt is a creepy glimpse of content that was never released.
  • The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj The world event surrounding the opening of the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj was a server-wide effort, an in-game event the likes of which we're not likely to see again.
  • Talisman of Binding Shard, the lost legendary The Talisman of Binding Shard was a legendary item never intended to go live -- but it did. Only one person ever received it.
  • Indalamar the Warrior Numerous items have been named after Indalamar. Most of them use a simple reverse form of the name: Ramaladni. Indalamar was famous in vanilla WoW for his warrior shenanigans, many of which resulted in nerfs to the class. He also shared a guild with that sole recipient of the Talisman of Binding Shard.
  • Memories of Dire Maul The dungeon known as Dire Maul was the first dungeon to be added to the game after the launch of World of Warcraft. Players who look back on classic World of Warcraft thinking epics used to mean something -- recall Dire Maul, where its rare-quality items outclassed most early epics.
  • The legacy of Leeroy Jenkins Leeroy Jenkins made a comeback in Warlords of Draenor as a garrison follower. His origins are as ancient as they were viral.
  • The Corrupted Blood Plague An unanticipated exploit of a boss ability in old Zul'Gurub -- simply leaving the dungeon with a particular debuff -- triggered an in-game epidemic so catastrophic, world governments studied it.
  • The Emerald Dream, Outland, and other Z-Axis secrets In classic World of Warcraft, there were oodles of unfinished lands hidden away throughout the world -- tucked beneath the world's terrain, meant to be inaccessible. Enterprising players found them, and in some cases, entirely by accident as the game glitched when it couldn't determine a player's coordinates.
  • Massacre at the Crossroads Let's wax nostalgic about world PVP and the violent hotbed that was the Barrens.
  • 5 years of daily quests In June of 2012, we were looking back at 5 years of daily quests and the impact they had on the game's landscape. Now, going into 2015, Warlords of Draenor has almost entirely eliminated them. Is that a good thing?
  • Blackrock Depths, WoW's ultimate dungeon Not everyone loved Blackrock Depths, but it may have been the truest dungeon crawl World of Warcraft has ever had. Its vast spaces and myriad of potential paths and activities was beloved by some ... an enormous headache for others.
  • The evolution of Alterac Valley Implemented in classic World of Warcraft, Alterac Valley once ran for hours on end -- maybe even days. Nary a patch or expansion has passed without Alterac Valley balance changes. Seen by many as a shadow of its former self, we all must admit that a battleground that could stalemate for days could be infuriating.
  • Vanilla WoW's most hidden questline It's still sometimes rumored that classic World of Warcraft contained quests that no player ever discovered or completed. Given the game's long history of datamining, that's unlikely. However, some quests were far more hidden than others.
  • A raid exploit compendium part 1 and part 2 As long as players have been raiding, players have been finding ways to exploit them. Some exploits were more blatant than others -- some resulting in guild-wide bans.
  • WoW's craziest television advertisements Let's be real -- it can't get more absurd than night elf mohawks.
  • WoW's most terrifying secrets The Karazhan Crypts aren't the only creepy location in World of Warcraft.
  • WoW's most terrifying monsters The list ranges from murlocs to monstrosities -- mobs that scare us for their gameplay and those that have rather horrific stories.
  • WoW in China, an uncensored history part 1 and part 2 The history of World of Warcraft in China is rich in ways quite different from Europe or the Americas. Differences in culture resulted in alterations to select in-game models, a distribution dispute meant a delayed release schedule for certain expansions, and more.
  • The Martin Fury incident What would you do if you accidentally received an item that could instantly kill anything and everything?
  • The zombie plague event Much like the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj, an in-game event of this scale is unlikely to happen again ... though the zombie plague struck twice.
  • Flight You can fly! You can't fly! You can fly! You can't!
All of this is only a sample of the Archivist and the long history of Warcraft. If you're particularly bored this New Year's Eve, page through Archivists past like we often do -- take in patch notes from patches of old, get nostalgic for those days-long Alterac Valleys, and remember how far we've come.

WoW InsiderLooking back at the WoW Archives originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 31 Dec 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredworld-of-warcraft-anniversaryworld-of-warcraft-historywow-archivistwow-historyAlex ZiebartWed, 31 Dec 2014 15:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: A Glyphmas storyhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/17/wow-archivist-a-glyphmas-story/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/17/wow-archivist-a-glyphmas-story/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/17/wow-archivist-a-glyphmas-story/#commentsFiled under:

Scrolls of glyphs
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Professions in Warlords of Draenor feel completely different than at any other era in WoW. Creating powerful items is no longer a matter of farming, luck, or gold. Instead, we have to produce their key ingredients via garrison work orders. Leveling crafting professions is no longer about creating a bunch of useless items that we instantly vendor or disenchant, and reaching max level is now a slow burn instead of a quick grind. This is the first expansion where I haven't hit max level on all my professions within the first week or two.

The profession that has changed the most is the most recent: Wrath of the Lich King's inscription, added in 2008. Even the interface changed: the glyph window was originally part of the spellbook UI, not the talent pane. Because of those changes, for a few very special weeks, inscription transformed the financial futures of countless WoW players. I was one of them. We called it Glyphmas, and it was magical.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: A Glyphmas story

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: A Glyphmas story originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 17 Dec 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>auction-houseblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historycataclysmcraftingeconomyfeaturedgaming-historyglyphmasglyphsinscriptionmajor-glyphsminor-glyphsmmo-historyonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyprime-glyphsprofessionsvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-KingScott AndrewsWed, 17 Dec 2014 17:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Upper Blackrock Spirehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/04/wow-archivist-upper-blackrock-spire/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/04/wow-archivist-upper-blackrock-spire/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/12/04/wow-archivist-upper-blackrock-spire/#commentsFiled under:

Whelps and eggs in the Rookery
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

You may have taken Upper Blackrock Spire, Warlord Zaela, but the classic version lives in our hearts, where your orc friends can't get to it. In 2005, UBRS was the dungeon everyone desperately aspired to run. They begged to run it. They paid to run it. They sat in capital cities for hours just hoping, dreaming, that someone, somehow, would put together a UBRS group.

The dungeon was the pinnacle of content for classic WoW's "nonraiders" and the gateway to raiding for raiders. Quests here attuned you for Onyxia's Lair and Blackwing Lair. (And who doesn't love a good lair?) Another quest allowed your Molten Core raid to summon Majordomo Executus. No endgame PvE'er could avoid UBRS, even if they wanted to. We didn't avoid it, though, because the original "Ubers" (OO bers), as players affectionately called it, was awesome.

What made it so special? Why was it so revered, and why are some players sad that it has been removed from WoW forever? Let's turn back the Empowered Hourglass to 2005 to find out.

Ascension

UBRS, like many of WoW's classic endgame dungeons, required a key to enter. It was not nearly as simple as grinding out some reputation -- click the link for the full rundown of just how painful getting this key was. Even the quest giver knew trying to get a key would be awful. He told you, "Understand this, mortal: the chance that one of the three generals of the lower citadel would carry a gemstone at any given time is rare. You must be vigilant in your quest. Remain determined!"

In early 2005, when many players were finally hitting the endgame, very few had a Seal of Ascension to grant UBRS access. To put this in perspective, by the end of classic, my guild of more than 200 people only had about five or six keys. If you had a key, you had two choices. You could hide in your guild and only do guild runs. Or you could advertise that you had one to your realm, find yourself on everyone's friend list, and get requests day and night, every time you logged in, to run UBRS. Even if you tried to keep it a secret, someone in your guild may have outed you. Once that cat was out of the bag, your WoW experience changed dramatically. You were now a realm celebrity.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Upper Blackrock Spire

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Upper Blackrock Spire originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 04 Dec 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>awbeeblackwing-lair-attunementblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historychromatic-carapacedalrendsdrakkisathfeaturedfinkles-skinnergaming-historyKarazhanleeroy-jenkinsmmo-historyonline-gaming-historyOnyxia-AttunementPC-gaming-historypristine-hide-of-the-beastrend-blackhandubersubrsupper-blackrock-spirevanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawhelpswow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiazaelaScott AndrewsThu, 04 Dec 2014 16:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Epicshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/11/21/wow-archivist-epics/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/11/21/wow-archivist-epics/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/11/21/wow-archivist-epics/#commentsFiled under:

Bulwark of Azzinoth
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Leveling through Draenor has been a blast, but as a player from classic WoW, a few things have struck me as incredibly strange. Triple-digit numbers in the guild panel. Sending NPCs to do quests on my behalf. And most of all, getting epic armor and weapons from solo leveling quests.

Many players in classic WoW (and not just raiders) opposed making epics more available to players. They called Blizzard's evolving attitude a slippery slope. "What's next," they argued, "epics for doing solo quests?" They never actually imagined that would happen. In 2005 it would have been unthinkable. Eight years later, here we are. But it's all been by design -- an evolving design with many steps along the way. Let's look at how we got here, one random drop at a time.

The few, the proud, the epic

In early classic WoW, only one path allowed you to deck out your character in purple items: 40-player raiding. Other raiding didn't cut it. Bosses in the 15-player (later 10-player) Upper Blackrock Spire dropped rares. Even bosses in the 20-player raids, Zul'Gurub and Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, dropped mostly rares when they first opened their instance portals. Only their end bosses consistently dropped epic loot.

Outside of 40-man raids, a handful of bosses had a very small chance to drop an epic item. Emperor Thaurissan in Blackrock Depths had a tiny chance to drop Ironfoe. The "tribute run" chest from Dire Maul very rarely offered up Treant's Bane -- and I'll never forget the joy in my warrior friend's voice when it dropped for him, all those years ago. DM was also the source of the highly coveted tanking weapon Quel'Serrar, but the quest item to obtain it had an incredibly low drop rate.

Back then, even the recipes to craft epics (such as the awesome Force Reactive Disk) could only be obtained from 40-player raids.

Even if you were raiding with 39 of your closest online friends, earning purples was no picnic. With two drops per boss at first, odds of getting an item on any given run were slim. You could complete a full clear without a single drop for your class and spec. Each epic you equipped generally represented several weeks of endgame effort. When a player sauntered through Orgrimmar or Ironforge in head-to-toe purples, players knew this was a person who had spent many, many hours on that character.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Epics

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Epics originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 21 Nov 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historycraftingepic-itemsepicsfeaturedgaming-historyheroic-dungeonshistory-of-epicslootmmo-historyonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyprofessionsraidingtimeless-islevanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsFri, 21 Nov 2014 15:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The zombie plague eventhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/11/05/wow-archivist-the-zombie-plague-event/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/11/05/wow-archivist-the-zombie-plague-event/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/11/05/wow-archivist-the-zombie-plague-event/#commentsFiled under:

Zombies attack
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

We have one more week of the Iron Horde invasion event before we can take the fight through the portal to Draenor. Most players seem to think this event is serviceable, if unexciting. Like all such events, it lives in the shadow of the most memorable pre-expansion event in WoW's long history: the zombie plague. It debuted almost exactly six years ago, and Blizzard has never topped it.

If you need evidence, just look at the comments on the previous WoW Archivist about patch 3.0. I only mentioned the event in passing as a topic for a future column. Even so, readers posted more about the plague event than about any of the other 3.0 features like achievements, glyphs, or pally nerfs.

Shaking the foundations

Although the players knew some kind of Scourge-based event awaited us, no one knew the details or the scope. At midnight on October 22, 2008, it began. Argent Dawn members appeared in capital cities to warn us. "The Lich King is attempting to make his presence known," they said. "We must not let this occur."

At the event's inception, WoW Insider posted an article speculating on what we might soon face, and our hopes turned out to be prophetic:

Will it be a simple replay of the Scourge Invasion that brought Naxxramas to our shores for the first time? Or will it be something even more sinister, a world event that shakes the very foundations of the World of Warcraft as we know it?

Call us destructive, but we're kind of hoping for the second.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The zombie plague event

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The zombie plague event originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 05 Nov 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historyeventsfeaturedgaming-historyin-game-eventsiron-hordeiron-horde-invasionmmo-historyonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyscourgevanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-KingZombie-Infestationzombie-plagueScott AndrewsWed, 05 Nov 2014 17:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 3.0 -- Echoes of Doomhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/10/23/wow-archivist-patch-3-0-echoes-of-doom/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/10/23/wow-archivist-patch-3-0-echoes-of-doom/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/10/23/wow-archivist-patch-3-0-echoes-of-doom/#commentsFiled under:

Patch 3.0.2 official poster
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Patch 6.0 is finally upon us. Like all pre-expansion patches, it has been both invigorating and chaotic. Almost exactly six years ago, a similar patch went live to begin a new era in WoW. Blizzard called Wrath of the Lich King's pre-expansion patch "Echoes of Doom." On October 14, 2008, this third version of the game gave us the brand-new achievement system, inscription and glyphs, 51-point talent trees, the zombie plague event, and TO THE GROUND, BABY. Read on to see what WoW was like for those turbulent few weeks before Wrath of the Lich King's launch.

Dalaran, where art thou?

Through all of classic and The Burning Crusade, Dalaran sat in northern Hillsbrad, but players couldn't see it. An opaque purple dome walled off the Kirin Tor from the world at large. At the time, the enormous structure was one of the most striking landmarks in Azeroth. Although a few quests hinted at what lay beneath it, players new to the WoW universe had no idea what was there.

And then it was gone.

All that remained was a city-sized crater. I remember making a pilgrimage to this site during the 3.0 prepatch just to see it for myself. We couldn't go to Northrend yet to see the city first-hand. We had to wait for the launch of Wrath to do that. But looking at that crater certainly fired the imagination. I couldn't wait to find out what had been lurking under that dome for the first four years of the game.

I have to say, the city lived up to my high expectations.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 3.0 -- Echoes of Doom

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 3.0 -- Echoes of Doom originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>51-point-talentsAchievementsbarber-shopblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historydalaranfeaturedgaming-historyglyphsinscriptionmmo-historyonline-gaming-historypatch-3.0.2PC-gaming-historystormwindtalent-treesto-the-ground-babyvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-KingScott AndrewsThu, 23 Oct 2014 17:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Class protests and the Million Gnome Marchhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/10/08/wow-archivist-class-protests-and-the-million-gnome-march/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/10/08/wow-archivist-class-protests-and-the-million-gnome-march/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/10/08/wow-archivist-class-protests-and-the-million-gnome-march/#commentsFiled under:

Naked gnomes everywhere
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Betas make players nervous about their class. It happens every time. Blizzard makes changes, often drastically, and for better or worse some people hate the changes. I've been keeping my eye on the beta class forums since the Warlords beta began, and I've seen a lot of unhappiness this time around. The ability pruning that was one of Blizzard's major design goals for classes this year has removed depth from rotations, taken away both utility and cosmetic options, and in some cases radically altered or deleted abilities that players enjoyed. Beta testers have voiced strong opposition to many of the changes.

In ten years, I haven't seen players this up in arms about class issues since classic WoW -- an era when many specs and mechanics were simply broken in PvE, PvP, or both.

This past Friday, something happened that I believed would never again happen in WoW: an in-game class protest. With much more open lines of communication from developers to players in recent years, I thought the game had matured beyond the point where such things would ever be necessary. But here we are, almost ten years after the most famous class protest in WoW's history, and players once again felt the need to gather in Azeroth to voice their complaints.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Class protests and the Million Gnome March

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Class protests and the Million Gnome March originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historyclass-protestsdot-shockfeaturedgaming-historyhuntermillion-gnome-marchmmo-historynaked-gnomesonline-gaming-historypaladinpally-rallyPC-gaming-historypriestvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawarlockwarriorwarrior-protestwow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsWed, 08 Oct 2014 20:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Bottleneckshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/24/wow-archivist-bottlenecks/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/24/wow-archivist-bottlenecks/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/24/wow-archivist-bottlenecks/#commentsFiled under:

Gyrocopter jam
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Wherever thousands of players try to complete on-rails content, bottlenecks are inevitable. For Warlords of Draenor, Blizzard is trying to be proactive about eliminating them. Back in July, CM Zorbrix posted a "targeted feedback request" about bottlenecks in the beta. Given that the introductory experience is completely on rails before the expansion unleashes players into its less structured zones, this is a real concern.

WoW hasn't had the best track record when it comes to bottlenecks. As we help Blizzard loosen the bottlenecks of the future, let's revisit those of the past.

The great gyrocopter jam of 2012

Blizzard's server tech has come a long way since the game's launch. Lag and crashes are no longer rampant during expansion launches. But sometimes, other problems can prohibit players from progressing on Day 1. If we're talking bottlenecks, we have to start with the most infamous one in all of WoW, which also happens to be one of the most recent.

This was a problem that people saw coming. I found a thread on MMO Champion from September 2012 where a poster writes, "On Beta - everyone had to funnel through a single vehicle quest to proceed on the Jade Forest quest line. I'm a touch concerned that this is going to be way worse than any other expansion..."

And this guy was totally right. OK, maybe Mists wasn't as bad as The Burning Crusade overall, but the ironically named Unleash Hell was still the biggest -- and most dramatic -- bottleneck ever caused by a single quest.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Bottlenecks

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Bottlenecks originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 24 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battle-of-gilneasblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historybottlenecksdark-portal-eventDeath-Knight-starting-experienceedict-of-temperancefeaturedgaming-historygilneasgyrocopterhellfire-peninsulajade-forestmmo-historyonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyTier-0.5unleash-hellvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowvashj-irvashjirwandering-islewarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsWed, 24 Sep 2014 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 3http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/12/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-3/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/12/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-3/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/09/12/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-3/#commentsFiled under:

Ragnaros

WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

If you missed part 1 and part 2, that means you were late for the raid and we're docking you 50 DKP. Next time get here early to help the warlocks farm soul shards.

OK, fellow archivists! We've cleared trash, we've decursed, we've pulled Geddon to Garr's room, we've brefriended the Duke, and we've doused every fiery rune. It's time to delve into the core of the Core to take on the Majordomo and Ragnaros himself, 2005 edition.

The invincible majordomo

Undefeated in battle, Executus rose through the ranks of Ragnaros's lieutenants to become the Firelord's majordomo. He did not appear until you doused all the runes, so the earliest raids on Molten Core had to stop after Golemagg and Sulfuron due to an Aqual Quintessence shortage.

After raiders repped up with the Hydraxian Waterlords and could finally summon the Majordomo, they were faced with an invincible warrior -- literally. Executus could not be killed. His Aegis of Ragnaros spell gave him a 30K damage absorb buff and healed him to full, so it was pointless to DPS him.

Instead, raids had to manage his eight adds: four Flamewaker Elites and four Flamewaker Healers. Mages were the key to this fight as they had the only reliable, long-term crowd control spell for humanoids. The fight required at least five tanks, one for the majordomo and one for each elite. All four healers were sheeped until all the elites were dead. Then the raid could kill the healers one at a time.

But it wasn't that simple. The fight had some interesting complications.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 3

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historyfeaturedfire-resistancefirelandsgaming-historymajordomo-executusmmo-historymolten-coremolten-core-consolemolten-core-lfronline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyragnarosSulfurasvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsFri, 12 Sep 2014 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 2http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/26/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/26/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/26/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-2/#commentsFiled under:

A rune in Molten Core
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

In the last WoW Archivist, we covered the early parts of Molten Core: the "attunement," the grueling trash clear to Lucifron, and the weird hunter-focused mechanics of Magmadar. As we left off, the raid had just reached its first rune. To douse the rune and (eventually) summon Majordomo Executus, you had to make friends with an angry royal guy made of water.

The duke of douse

Duke Hydraxis, as a water elemental, wasn't very fond of other elemental types, particularly Ragnaros or his fiery kin. His Hydraxian Waterlords were the first raid-based reputation in WoW. You could rep up with them before setting foot in Molten Core by killing certain elementals out in the world, but only up to just shy of honored. After that, you had to run MC to get additional rep. Trash gave rep until revered, but only boss kills got you through the slow grind to exalted.

Meanwhile, you could complete a small quest chain for the Duke. He first sent you to kill elementals in Plaguelands and Silithus, and then to obtain an item from Pyroguard Emberseer in Blackrock Spire. Further quests involved killing specific trash mobs and bosses in Molten Core. Hands of the Enemy quite literally asked you to bring him the severed hands of Lucifron, Gehennas, Shazzrah, and Sulfuron. Once completed, you could loot the duke's coffer and choose one of two very valuable fire resistance rings. At this point, the duke also gave you an Aqual Quintessence, one of the most famous items from classic WoW.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 2

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 26 Aug 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>aqual-quintessencebaron-geddonblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historyfeaturedgaming-historygarrgehennasGolemagghydraxian-waterlordsmmo-historymolten-coreonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyragnarosshadowstrikeshazzrahSulfurassulfuron-ingotSulfuronHarbingervanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsTue, 26 Aug 2014 17:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experiencehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience/#commentsFiled under:

Lucifron
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Are you ready to return to the Core? Last week, we learned that Blizzard is planning a 40-player LFR version of classic's Molten Core raid as part of WoW's 10th anniversary celebration. Regardless of what they have in mind, the experience is certain to be very different than it was back in 2005.

Sure, you've probably solo'ed MC or cleared it with a few friends. But what was a Molten Core run like during classic WoW, when conquering Ragnaros and his fiery lieutenants was the pinnacle of endgame content? Read on to find out.

Zoning in

To access Molten Core at release, raids had to fight their way through the 5-player Blackrock Depths dungeon in order to access the raid. Today that would be impossible, but originally, dungeons had the same 40-player cap as raids.

Those poor, poor fools in BRD didn't stand a chance with three dozen+ players carving their way through. Since clearing it offered nothing but a timesink, Blizzard changed the Molten Core discovery quest into an attunement in March 2005. You had to reach the entrance of Molten Core once, and then you could port there directly by jumping out of a small window in Blackrock Mountain.

The game sometimes failed to register the instance transfer and you plummeted into a vast lake of lava. Yes, Molten Core could kill you before you even set foot in it.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 15 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>anniversaryblackrock-depthsblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historycore-houndfeaturedgaming-historylucifronmagmadarmmo-historymolten-coreonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyrespawn-timertalisman-of-ephemeral-powerthreattranquilizing-shottrashtrash-respawnvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsFri, 15 Aug 2014 15:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: One night of payback in 2006http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/01/wow-archivist-one-night-of-payback-in-2006-friday/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/01/wow-archivist-one-night-of-payback-in-2006-friday/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/08/01/wow-archivist-one-night-of-payback-in-2006-friday/#commentsFiled under:

Theramore
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

An interesting aspect of the ongoing Ashran faction hub debate is the fear people express that their hubs will be raided by enemy players, since the new hubs are adjacent to a PvP zone. Blizzard pointed out that the hubs will be better defended by NPCs than the Shrines are now -- and the Shrines currently see few serious attacks on live realms, despite their close proximity.

On most realms today, little large-scale world PvP occurs, and even fewer faction raids. Faction raids were once a huge part of the game, even on PvE realms. You couldn't kill opposing players on PvE realms if they didn't want to be killed, but you could deny them their questgivers, flightmasters, and other crucial NPCs. And we did that, on both sides, throughout classic WoW.

Easy targets like the Crossroads, Astranaar, Grom'gol, and Refuge Pointe were raided almost daily. If your faction was heavily outnumbered, like mine was on Khadgar-US back then, it could be infuriating. We had our small victories at times, as I covered in my first Archivist column. But many days, all we could do was stand by and watch as the Alliance occupied our towns for hours at a time and took away our ability to level effectively.

On our first anniversary in 2006, my guild set out for some payback. Today I'd like to share that tale of classic world PvP, from the era when faction raids were serious business.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: One night of payback in 2006

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: One night of payback in 2006 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 01 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historycity-raidsdarnassusfaction-raidfeaturedgaming-historyHonor-Systemjaina-proudmooremenethil-harbormmo-historyonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyPvPtheramoretyrande-whisperwindvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiaworld-pvpwow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsFri, 01 Aug 2014 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolishttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/23/wow-archivist-patch-1-11-shadow-of-the-necropolis/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/23/wow-archivist-patch-1-11-shadow-of-the-necropolis/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/23/wow-archivist-patch-1-11-shadow-of-the-necropolis/#commentsFiled under:

This article was originally posted September 13, 2011. With the release of Hearthstone's Curse of Naxxramas, we thought it would be fun to look back on the initial release of Naxxramas in World of Warcraft. The original publication of this article also included the patch 1.11 patch notes, which we've removed here. If you're interested in seeing them, time warp back to the original.

Patch 1.11 included the original 40-man version of Naxxramas, which was the final raid zone of classic World of Warcraft. The game had seen no expansions yet. While we all knew it was coming, the idea was still foreign and nebulous to players who had limited prior experience with MMOs. "Green is the new purple" was something nobody grasped yet. Naxxramas was seen as the true pinnacle of raiding in classic WoW ... and in some ways, it's still seen that way by WoW's raiding veterans.

The trailer for Shadow of the Necropolis is probably the first patch trailer I remember in vivid detail, as it's one of the first patch trailers in which Blizzard tried to tell a story. Previous patch trailers showed off new bosses and new environments completely without commentary, merely showing off pretty pictures set to new music from the patch's soundtrack. Shadow of the Necropolis slowed things down a bit, showing you some of who Kel'Thuzad was in life and how he came to be lich lord of Naxxramas. Patch trailers have continued to build on what patch 1.11 started.

Let's take a look at what else this patch held, shall we?

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolis

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolis originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featurednaxxramaspatch-1.11Alex ZiebartWed, 23 Jul 2014 18:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: More beta surpriseshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/18/wow-archivist-more-beta-surprises/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/18/wow-archivist-more-beta-surprises/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/18/wow-archivist-more-beta-surprises/#commentsFiled under:

Sylvanas models through the years
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

As the Warlords of Draenor beta rolls onward, Blizzard keeps managing to surprise us. Recently we've learned about a huge overhaul to guild systems, random upgrades for quest rewards, and an extra-awesome core hound mount.

In the last WoW Archivist column, we looked at the surprises from the original beta and the betas of The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions. This time, we continue with Wrath and also look at the surprises during the Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria betas.

(As before, I won't go into storyline surprises here. And I won't cover surprises announced at BlizzCon outside of a beta. BlizzCon already has its own feature for controversial surprises.)

Beta of the Lich King (continued)

Goodbye, night elf Sylvanas. Through vanilla and TBC, the Sylvanas model looked like a night elf rather than an undead high elf. With Sylvanas poised to play a big role in Northrend, Blizzard clearly needed to revamp her model. Players worried that they would have to look at the old night elf model through all her lore moments in Wrath.

A build in August 2008 gave her an initial makeover (middle image above) and lore-focused players breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly she still needed some work, but at least she wasn't a night elf anymore.

A later build in September gave her the fantastic model we see today. The same build also updated the models for Varian Wrynn and Alexstraza.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: More beta surprises

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: More beta surprises originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historycataclysmcataclysm-betacloud-serpentsdaily-questsenragefeaturedfemale-worgengaming-historyjade-forestmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betammo-historyonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historypoisonsPriest-Racialspriestsraid-markersrogue-poisonsylvanasvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiaworgenworgen-femalewow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-Kingwrath-of-the-lich-king-betaScott AndrewsFri, 18 Jul 2014 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Beta surpriseshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/02/wow-archivist-beta-surprises/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/02/wow-archivist-beta-surprises/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/02/wow-archivist-beta-surprises/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Death knights bomb the plaguelands
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Last week, we launched into the newest beta in WoW's history -- its sixth! -- for Warlords of Draenor. It's an exciting time for the game. Every beta has its surprises, good and bad. New things that were never announced. Prior announcements that changed unexpectedly. We've already had a number of surprises in the Warlords beta: the faction hub shift to Ashran, cross-faction auctions, and the removal of guild leveling.

Beta is just ramping up. We are sure to encounter more than one surprise over the next few months as we test the Draenor experience and gear up for the expansion's launch. Let's take a look back at the previous five betas and examine some of the twists that greeted testers -- and often shocked the WoW community. Caveat: I'm excluding storyline surprises.

The original beta

In 2003 and early 2004, players didn't really know what to expect from a World of Warcraft MMO. Blizzard, after all, had never made one before. Most of the original beta served up surprise after surprise. Yet, a few stand out.

Tired heroes. Patch 0.6 introduced the first incarnation of the rest system. Today it is simply a bonus for players who don't have time to log in every day. The original version was more like the Chinese government's "anti-obsession measures": it punished you for playing too long. The system looked like this:
  • Well rested gave 200% of the XP from a mob kill
  • Rested gave between 100% and 200% XP
  • Normal gave 100% XP
  • Fatigued gave 50% XP
  • Exhausted gave 25% XP
Your hero needed a good night's rest -- a full eight hours at an inn -- to go from exhausted to normal.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Beta surprises

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Beta surprises originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 02 Jul 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>auction-housebetablizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historyblood-elvesbucklersClassic-WoWclassic-wow-betadr.-boomfatiguefeaturedgaming-historygutterspeakmmo-historyNDAonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyphasingpotion-sicknesspotionsrest-systemsouth-parksword-of-a-thousand-truthsthe-burning-crusadetraining-dummiestraining-dummyvanilla-betavanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-betawow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-KingScott AndrewsWed, 02 Jul 2014 18:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Expansion gapshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/06/20/wow-archivist-expansion-gaps/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/06/20/wow-archivist-expansion-gaps/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/06/20/wow-archivist-expansion-gaps/#commentsFiled under:

Gap in the bridge on the Timeless Isle
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Expansion gaps are the most reviled of all content gaps. It's not just because they are the longest -- it's because at the other end of the gap lies so much to look forward to. Expansions change WoW from top to bottom. They usher in brand new worlds to explore and bring us new ways to play the game. That's part of why it takes Blizzard so long to release them.

In the meantime, we wait, mired in the old, but excited about the new.

We are experiencing what is likely to be the longest expansion gap so far in WoW's 10-year history. But what about the expansion gaps of the past? How do they stack up? What did Blizzard offer and what were players' reactions to them? Read on to find out!

Classic WoW to The Burning Crusade

Dates: August 22, 2006 to January 16, 2007
Duration: 4 months, 25 days
Subscriptions: Rising
Mood: Excited

The first expansion gap was also the shortest. It felt like a long time to players back then, since classic WoW offered patches and content at a blistering pace for the first two years of the game. Players were impatient, yes. That never changes. But we knew WoW was a hit and we were thrilled that the success of the game had made an expansion possible. We couldn't wait to roll a blood elf or a draenei, or take to the skies and fly for the first time. Plus, most raiding guilds hadn't conquered every boss (or even close), so they had plenty to keep them busy.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Expansion gaps

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Expansion gaps originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>annual-passblizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historycataclysmcontent-gapexpansionexpansion-gapexpansion-releasefeaturedgaming-historyGhostcrawlermists-of-pandariammo-historyonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyrelease-date-speculationrelease-datessubscriptionthe-burning-crusadetom-chiltonvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawarlords-of-draenorwow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-KingScott AndrewsFri, 20 Jun 2014 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Flighthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/06/05/wow-archivist-flight/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/06/05/wow-archivist-flight/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/06/05/wow-archivist-flight/#commentsFiled under:

Sparkle Pony
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Flying is second nature to WoW players. We've been doing it for almost eight years now. Sure, we've adventured in a few flightless places, like the Isle of Thunder, the Isle of Giants, and the Timeless Isle. Even The Burning Crusade, where flying originated, had a no-fly zone on the Isle of Quel'Danas. (What is it with these isles anyway?) But almost always, since 2006, we've flown. And we always expected to, for the vast majority of our in-game time.

Now, because of Blizzard's impassioned arguments against flight on Draenor, flying is suddenly controversial. If you look back, you can see why: flying has changed the game like no other feature before or since. Let's start where it all began, however, with classic WoW's humble flight paths.

They used to be cool

I'm about to express something that you may not believe. Once upon a time, flight paths were cool. Yep, I said it. Before flying mounts, when you couldn't even get a ground mount until level 40 and epic ground mounts were just a dream for most due to the steep cost, in that early version of the game where you spent most of your travel time walking or riding at the pace of a Throne of Thunder gastropod, flight paths were cool.

Not only did they get you around the continent at the fastest possible speed, they gave you a cinematic view of Azeroth from the skies. It was the only time you could get that view from above. The first time most classic WoW players rode a gryphon or wyvern from A to B, we loved it.

No other MMO at the time had anything like it. We felt like masters of the world -- at least, when we could afford to take the trip. Most players were broke in the early days, and using flight paths too liberally often meant forgoing buying a new skill when you leveled. Taking a flight path was an indulgence, a treat, instead of the annoying hassle we see them as today.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Flight

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Flight originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 05 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historycataclysmcloud-serpentsfeaturedflightflight-pathsflight-pointsflyingflying-mountsgaming-historymists-of-pandariammo-historynetherwingonline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historysparkle-ponythe-burning-crusadevanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawarlords-of-draenorwow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaWrath-of-the-Lich-KingScott AndrewsThu, 05 Jun 2014 17:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Tier 0.5, the epic conclusionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2014/05/21/wow-archivist-tier-0-5-the-epic-conclusion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/05/21/wow-archivist-tier-0-5-the-epic-conclusion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/05/21/wow-archivist-tier-0-5-the-epic-conclusion/#commentsFiled under:

Incendius
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Last time on WoW Archivist, we reviewed the first half of the Tier 0.5 quest line, including the controversial 45-minute Baron run in Stratholme. As we left off, the ghost of Anthion Harmon had asked us to assemble the pieces of Valthalak's medallion. He sent you into Blackrock Depths with an enchanted banner to challenge the gladiator Theldren.

Laying down the law

The next step required a 5-player group to enter the Ring of Law inside Blackrock Depths. As you are being sentenced, you summon the Banner of Provocation. Theldren and his team step in instead of the usual BRD bosses. Now you were in for a scrap, and it was a wildly different fight that any other in classic WoW.

Theldren spawned with a mix of four teammates chosen from a pool of eight: Yes, you read that last one right. Lefty even had an ability called Five Fat Finger Exploding Heart Technique. Theldren himself was a warrior. Each boss had a potent set of class abilities. For example, Korv had Earthbind Totem, Fire Nova Totem, Frost Shock, Lesser Healing Wave, and Purge.

What made this fight so unique -- and so infuriating for many -- was that the NPCs had no traditional aggro table.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Tier 0.5, the epic conclusion

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Tier 0.5, the epic conclusion originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 21 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzardblizzard-archivesblizzard-archivistblizzard-historybodleybrazierdungeon-set-2dungeon-set-twoepic-itemsepicsfeaturedgaming-historymmo-historymokvaronline-gaming-historyPC-gaming-historyTier-0.5valthalakvanilla-warcraftvanilla-wowwarcraft-archiveswarcraft-archivistwarcraft-developmentwarcraft-historywarcraft-nostalgiawow-archiveswow-archivistwow-developmentwow-historywow-nostalgiaScott AndrewsWed, 21 May 2014 13:00:00 EST