WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Patch 5.4 PTR: Sound files rife with spoilers]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/patch-5-4-ptr-sound-files-rife-with-spoilers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/patch-5-4-ptr-sound-files-rife-with-spoilers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/patch-5-4-ptr-sound-files-rife-with-spoilers/#comments Patch 54 Sound files rife with spoilers
Our friend Stevan over at Adriacraft has been busy doing what he does best, and trawling the patch 5.4 PTR build that just went live, and he's unearthed some sound files that can only be described as spoiler-heavy. They're so spoiler-heavy that we've put the whole lot after the break, so head on down if you are OK with some seriously heavy spoilers. If you are not OK with spoilers, do not hit the break, do not listen to the audio, do not read the comments. Instead, enjoy this lovely shaman.

And what's more, this is datamining. Datamining is encouraging players to draw conclusions from files found in the game's systems. The developers have been known to put things in there which are red herrings, things which are never used, things which aren't even meant to be in there. So take it as read that that could well be what's going on. And take all this with a hefty pinch of salt. If, however, you love datamined spoilers, read on.

Continue reading Patch 5.4 PTR: Sound files rife with spoilers

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Patch 5.4 PTR: Sound files rife with spoilers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> anduin-wrynnchijijainaLorthemar-Theronspoilersvarian-wrynn (Olivia Grace) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:19:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Enter to win World of Warcraft: Dark Riders]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/enter-to-win-world-of-warcraft-dark-riders/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/enter-to-win-world-of-warcraft-dark-riders/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/enter-to-win-world-of-warcraft-dark-riders/#comments Enter to win World of Warcraft Dark Riders
Have you ever wondered just what's up with the Dark Riders of Deadwind Pass? Now's your chance to find out. We've got not one, but two hardcover copies of World of Warcraft: Dark Riders to give away. The latest graphic novel to hit the shelves courtesy of DC Comics, Dark Riders is written by Mike Costa and features some amazing art by Neil Googe. It's 144 pages of Alliance entertainment, filling in the gaps in the story of the mysterious Scythe of Elune, as well as the mystery of the Dark Riders themselves.

Thanks to Blizzard Entertainment, we've got a couple of these graphic novels to give away. Take a look at our spoiler-free review if you'd like more information on the graphic novel -- it's a amazingly well-done book, well-deserving of a spot on the bookshelf.

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m. ET, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. You must be 18 years of age or older and a legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). You can only enter once. Two winners will be chosen at random and we will contact you via whatever method you've used to comment. Official rules here.

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Enter to win World of Warcraft: Dark Riders originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dark-ridersdc-comicsgiveawaygraphic-novelMike-CostaNeil-Googescythe-of-elunewarcraft-comicsworld-of-warcraft-dark-riders (Anne Stickney) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Congressional report says you 'may' owe taxes on your WoW income]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/congressional-report-says-you-may-owe-taxes-on-your-wow-income/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/congressional-report-says-you-may-owe-taxes-on-your-wow-income/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/congressional-report-says-you-may-owe-taxes-on-your-wow-income/#comments Image If you're a World of Warcraft or Diablo 3 player, the federal government would like to have a word with you. Congress's U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), at the request of Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), just wrote and filed a 23-page report on the tax implications of earning gold in MMORPGs. Seriously.

The report, titled "Virtual Economies and Currencies," focuses on buying, using, and selling virtual currencies like WoW gold. The key takeaway for World of Warcraft players is that the in-game economy is a "closed-flow system" -- because you can't exchange your gold for U.S. dollars, you don't need to worry about claiming those 26 gold pieces from completing a quest on your 2013 income taxes. If, however, you decide to sell your accumulated WoW items through a third-party exchange (Don't do it! It's against the Terms of Service and could get you hacked!), then you "may have earned taxable income from the sale of these virtual goods."

Continue reading Congressional report says you 'may' owe taxes on your WoW income

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Congressional report says you 'may' owe taxes on your WoW income originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> congressdiablo-3diablo-3-auction-houseeasy-goldfarming-guidefeaturedGAOgoldgold-buyinggold-farminggold-guidegold-makinggold-sellinggold-stratgold-strategygold-stratsgold-tipsreal-moneyreal-money-transactionsworld-of-wacraft-money-makingworld-of-warcraft-easy-goldworld-of-warcraft-goldworld-of-warcraft-money-making-guidewow-easy-goldwow-goldwow-gold-farmingwow-gold-guidewow-gold-legalwow-gold-reviewswow-gold-strategywow-gold-tipswow-moneywow-money-guidewow-money-making-guide (Fox Van Allen) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Eight Years in Azeroth: Slaying internet dragons and guild management]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/eight-years-in-azeroth-slaying-internet-dragons-and-guild-manag/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/eight-years-in-azeroth-slaying-internet-dragons-and-guild-manag/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/eight-years-in-azeroth-slaying-internet-dragons-and-guild-manag/#comments Eight Years in Azeroth Slaying internet dragons and guild management One of the hottest reads in the World of Warcraft communityright now is Shawn Holmes's Eight Years in Azeroth. Old-school players chuckle along with details that today's players wouldn't recognize as coming from WoW. Guild leaders nod in agreement at scenarios that replay over and over in guilds throughout WoW. New players gawk at raiding conventions and gameplay that feels entirely different from the game we know today.

"It was 'slaying internet dragons' mixed liberally with a crash course in leadership and team management," Holmes told WoW Insider. "I went from a player who barely understood the necessity of officer-only forums and a guild bank to dealing with the complexities of interpersonal conflict, player politics, the psychological effects of the social ladder, and keeping players both motivated and loyal in the constantly changing landscape of WoW."

As Holmes blogs his way through his eight years of blood, sweat, and tears in Azeroth, has he come to any realizations along the way?

"Staying true to a moral compass is one thing; keeping an entire guild aligned with those ideals is hard work," he observes. "It's a battle I both won and lost, repeatedly."

Continue reading Eight Years in Azeroth: Slaying internet dragons and guild management

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Eight Years in Azeroth: Slaying internet dragons and guild management originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> eight-years-in-azerothfacebookfeedfeaturedguild-leadershipraid-leadershipraidingshawn-holmesworld-of-warcraft-interviewswow-communitywow-interviewswow-people (Lisa Poisso) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: Nobody's Quest Episode 4]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/wow-moviewatch-nobodys-quest-episode-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/wow-moviewatch-nobodys-quest-episode-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/wow-moviewatch-nobodys-quest-episode-4/#comments The fourth episode of Nobody's Quest brings us some more sweet, sweet, difficult-to-animate combat. Not only does Ninth Batter step up with more humor and plot action, but we finally see the dark heritage of our gnome protagonist. More importantly, we get some conflict with the villain.

It'll be interesting to see where this story ends up going. There's been such a lack of story-driven machinima for so long, I hope that Ninth is getting enough of a reception to keep going for a while. This kind of weekly series is a huge amount of work, and I'm thankful to see something a little different each scene.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

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WoW Moviewatch: Nobody's Quest Episode 4 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-machinimamachinimamoviesninth-batterninthbatternobodys-questow-machinimaworld-of-warcraft-moviesworld-of-warcraft-videoswow-created-movieswow-fan-movieswow-guidewow-machinima-guidewow-movie-guidewow-movieswow-video-guidewow-videos (Michael Gray) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[World of Warcraft summer sale]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/world-of-warcraft-summer-sale/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/world-of-warcraft-summer-sale/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/world-of-warcraft-summer-sale/#comments World of Warcraft summer sale
The entire of World of Warcraft has gone on sale, and for once, the non-ironic use of the word "epic" is entirely justified. For this week only, you can get from naught to Mists of Pandaria for $30, or €30 or £25, depending on your local currency, and this is a pretty amazing deal when you consider the regular prices. As the EU store is still only handling digital goods, those will only be available in the EU as downloads. The US, however, can pick up the boxed versions for the same price, which is pretty remarkable.

Don't forget that the Battle Chest has included Wrath of the Lich King for some time, so you're not missing out there. This is a really, really cheap way to get yourself a character leveled with Recruit-a-Friend, and indeed to pick up an Obsidian Nightwing into the mix. Or, of course, get your friends involved in the game!

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World of Warcraft summer sale originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakingdiscountsalewow-sale (Olivia Grace) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Registration for the 2013 Arena Pass now open]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/registration-for-the-2013-arena-pass-now-open/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/registration-for-the-2013-arena-pass-now-open/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/registration-for-the-2013-arena-pass-now-open/#comments Arena Pass 2013 begins!
At long last, registration for the 2013 Arena Pass has opened. This pass, which you have to purchase for the princely sum of $20. Once you're in, you can create brand new level 90 characters with full sets of PvP, and usually some PvE gear, and join arena teams to duke it out with your friends and enemies. There are various rewards to be gleaned from getting good ladder positions, such as titles, but there's also a Murkimus pet that players can earn just for participation in 50 rated games.

The tournament is done in phases, starting off with a practice phase, then moving into the ranked phases. After the practice phase ends, after about 5 weeks, there is a rating penalty of 150 for team roster changes, so be sure to have your teams set by that point. Once the rated phase is over, Blizzard will leave the realms open for players to practice and try comps for the rest of the year. It's a great place to go to just have a play around with characters, classes and comps, and do some PvP!

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Registration for the 2013 Arena Pass now open originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasbreakingfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidetournament-realmtrwow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guide (Olivia Grace) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Know Your Lore: Patch 5.4 and the legacy of Y'Shaarj]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/know-your-lore-patch-5-4-and-the-legacy-of-yshaarj/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/know-your-lore-patch-5-4-and-the-legacy-of-yshaarj/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/know-your-lore-patch-5-4-and-the-legacy-of-yshaarj/#comments Know Your Lore Patch 54 and the legacy of Y'Shaarj The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

So I was going to write about Med'an again this week, but with patch 5.4 on the horizon it felt like now was the time to talk about Y'Shaarj, the single most active dead god we've ever seen. In case it needs to be said, yes, there's going to be spoilers and lots of spoilers too. We will be talking about the patch 5.4 storyline, and pretty much everything other patch since Mists of Pandaria debuted.

It has been a presence in Pandaria since before it was Pandaria. The mantid served it - indeed, they still revere its memory. The Sha are a result of it. The Titans destroyed it, yet it will not be destroyed. Ancient and terrible, its seven heads proved immortal, its dread essence exhaled out across the very land, bringing the darkest emotions of the mortal heart into stark existence. It is Y'Shaarj. It is dead. And being dead has proved no hindrance. One of the Old Gods, Y'Shaarj has shaped the land in death, and even now, it threatens to return to life.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Patch 5.4 and the legacy of Y'Shaarj

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Know Your Lore: Patch 5.4 and the legacy of Y'Shaarj originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguideguide-to-loreKlaxxilorelore-guideMantidrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideShaSha-of-Prideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingYShaarj (Matthew Rossi) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Jimmy Fallon's Late Night: We are the World of Warcraft]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/jimmy-fallons-late-night-we-are-the-world-of-warcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/jimmy-fallons-late-night-we-are-the-world-of-warcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/jimmy-fallons-late-night-we-are-the-world-of-warcraft/#comments
In honor of Video Game Week, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon's team collaborated with Felicia Day, Chris Hardwick and the WoW community to put a video together of a parody song, as you can see above. The video was aired last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and shows off not only the three aforementioned stars, but also several podcasters, streamers, and content creators, all members of our WoW community.

As one of those people, specifically the one swaying gently with the gryphon plushy, I can give you a little bit of background! Blizzard sent out an email a couple of weeks back, asking for people to create a video of themselves singing along to the chorus. There were no other stipulations, and, as Blizzard had no control whatsoever over the finished product, there were no guarantees that your clip would be included. And, of course, we had to keep it under our hats. Luckily, they didn't use our audio. Hope you like it, I was honored to be included!

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Jimmy Fallon's Late Night: We are the World of Warcraft originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakingjimmy-fallonlate-night-with-jimmy-fallonolivia-gracewe-are-the-world-of-warcraft (Olivia Grace) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: No more cheese, please]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/the-queue-no-more-cheese-please/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/the-queue-no-more-cheese-please/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/the-queue-no-more-cheese-please/#comments Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

Ravyncat1 said:

Tomorrow's queue will be a challenge to write due to a hundred plus comments about cheese.

Yep.

Continue reading The Queue: No more cheese, please

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The Queue: No more cheese, please originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Alex Ziebart) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Around Azeroth: Honey, I shrunk the cattle]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/around-azeroth-honey-i-shrunk-the-cattle/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/around-azeroth-honey-i-shrunk-the-cattle/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/around-azeroth-honey-i-shrunk-the-cattle/#comments Around Azeroth Honey, I shrunk the cattle WEDNESDAY Hoping to better empathize with her new Horde brethren, submitter Klarisse of Tauren Brute Squad on Argent Dawn (US-H) purchased a Whole-Body Shrinka' to bring herself down to the level of a goblin. But Klarisse, so used to underwhelming vanity item effects, was surprised to find that the Shrinka' actually made her much smaller than she intended. She hearthed back to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms to try to find a healer, but ended up being squashed by Jorunga Stonehoof. So basically, never try to see anything from another person's perspective, or you will end up as a smear below the hoof of a giant bull. Truly a lesson for the ages.

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Want to see your own screenshot here? Send it to aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com. We strongly prefer full-sized pictures with no UI or names showing. Include "Azeroth" in the subject line to ensure your submission dodges email spam filters; if you'd like to be credited, also include your name, guild and realm.

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Around Azeroth: Honey, I shrunk the cattle originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> around azerotharound-azerothAroundAzerothfeaturedscreen-shotsscreenshotsworld-of-warcraft-picturesworld-of-warcraft-screenshotswow-screen-shotswow-screenshotwow-screenshotswow-ss (Elizabeth Wachowski) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Light and How to Swing It: Retribution in 5.4]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-retribution-in-5-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-retribution-in-5-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-retribution-in-5-4/#comments The Light and How to Swing It Retribution in 54 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!

Earlier last week we got our first glimpse of the 5.4 PTR as Wowhead and MMO-Champion mined a massive amount of data from the latest update to the test realms. With new features like virtual realms, proving grounds, and flex raids, it's easy to be overwhelmed. As for myself, the first thing I did was hit Ctrl+F and searched for "Paladin" to see what, if any, changes we were due. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting a whole lot of changes for retribution -- we seem to be in a nice place, comfortably in the middle of the pack for DPS with heaps of utility to boot. Boy, was I mistaken.

Before we get into the discussion, do remember that none of these proposed changes are finalized. The "test realms" aren't named that by chance; the developers want to see how things like this play out on a large scale, larger than their internal testing can accommodate, and sift through player feedback from the community. So while we shouldn't get too worked up over one thing or another on the PTR, it's always beneficial to react to changes, at least in a civilized and logical manner.

Continue reading The Light and How to Swing It: Retribution in 5.4

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The Light and How to Swing It: Retribution in 5.4 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-paladinsguide-to-palliesguide-to-pallyspaladin-5.4paladin-guidepaladin-infopaladin-talentspally-guidepally-infopally-talentspatch-5.4retribution-paladin-the-light-and-how-to-swing-itwow-paladinwow-paladin-infowow-paladinswow-pallywow-pally-info (Dan Desmond) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Coming back to WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/breakfast-topic-coming-back-to-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/breakfast-topic-coming-back-to-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/19/breakfast-topic-coming-back-to-wow/#comments
Sometimes you just need a WoW break, whether it's a day, a week, a month, or even longer. And though stepping away from your gaming friends can be tough, coming back can be even tougher. Have you missed a patch? Several patches? An entire expansion? The game world around you may have changed, your class may have changed, your friends may have advanced past you, your guild may have disbanded. You may find yourself starting anew, and while sometimes that's just what you need to keep the game fresh, sometimes it's just a hassle you don't want. (Trust me, I'm speaking from experience as someone who took a couple of years off.)

So tell us, have you ever taken a WoW vacation? For how long? And how did you deal with getting back into the game when you returned?

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Breakfast Topic: Coming back to WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Elizabeth Harper) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Zarhym explains Blizzard's player monitoring systems]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/zarhym-explains-blizzards-player-monitoring-systems/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/zarhym-explains-blizzards-player-monitoring-systems/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/zarhym-explains-blizzards-player-monitoring-systems/#comments Zarhym explains Blizzard's player monitoring systems
Senior Community Rep Zarhym has taken to the forums to wax lyrical about the ways Blizzard monitors player behavior in WoW. He's responding specifically to player concerns about the reporting system, and how it doesn't allow a specific option to report griefers who do things like start an encounter in the Raid Finder and then leave. The OP asserts that this indicates that Blizzard just doesn't care about this sort of behavior.

Zarhym steps in to clarify that, firstly, Blizzard definitely cares about that sort of action. They care so much, in fact, that since Wrath of the Lich King, when the Dungeon Finder first appeared, Blizzard has had, and augmented, a system to monitor exactly that sort of behavior. Of course, as with any system designed to automatically punish players, which could potentially be gamed, they can't go into great detail about the workings of the system itself. But what it essentially does is monitor vote-kicks initiated, vote-kicks received, early departures and the like, and penalizes the player with more onerous deserter debuffs and such. Hit the break for Zarhym's post in full.

Continue reading Zarhym explains Blizzard's player monitoring systems

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Zarhym explains Blizzard's player monitoring systems originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> deserter-debuffpenaltyreportvote-kick (Olivia Grace) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The WoW Insider Show Episode 299]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-wow-insider-show-episode-299/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-wow-insider-show-episode-299/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-wow-insider-show-episode-299/#comments The WoW Insider Show Episode 247 In which we say hello to Anne Every week, join us as we present you with The WoW Insider Show podcast -- an hour's worth of WoW community discussion covering everything from the week's top stories here on WoW Insider to emails from our readers and what's been going on with our particular characters in Azeroth.

Want to have your question answered on the air? Email theshow@wowinsider.com! And don't forget to join us for the live show again next Monday at 8:00 p.m. PDT!

Get the podcast:

[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.

Listen here on the page:

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The WoW Insider Show Episode 299 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Adam Holisky) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider WoW Insider Show Episode 299 WoW Insider Staff 1:00:02 podcasts <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: The History of WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/wow-moviewatch-the-history-of-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/wow-moviewatch-the-history-of-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/wow-moviewatch-the-history-of-wow/#comments I'm not sure I've ever encountered a comparison of The History of WoW to an on-stage production about cooking meatloaf. So, in terms of that, this video is a new one on me. As soon as you enter that kind of metaphor territory, though, you risk bordering on coming across as bitter and resentful. I think Nervous Orca mostly avoids that issue but I did wonder how long it'd be before the rage came blistering through.

The video is full of decent jokes and good moments. But the jokes do drag on a tiny bit too long, especially with the relatively rough animation. Still, that constructive criticism shouldn't hold Orca back because this is a pretty good video. It could have used a strong final punchline, but the whole thing moved in a good direction.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

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WoW Moviewatch: The History of WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-machinimahistory-of-wowmachinimamoviesnervous-orcaow-machinimaworld-of-warcraft-moviesworld-of-warcraft-videoswow-created-movieswow-fan-movieswow-guidewow-machinima-guidewow-movie-guidewow-movieswow-video-guidewow-videos (Michael Gray) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Should you play a priest in WoW?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/should-you-play-a-priest-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/should-you-play-a-priest-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/should-you-play-a-priest-in-wow/#comments
If you're just getting started with WoW -- or even if you aren't -- picking the perfect class to play can be a challenge. But the number of class options doesn't mean you need to close your eyes and see where your cursor lands in order to pick the class you're going to play. With a bit of research, you can make an informed decision on which class best fits how you like to game -- and we're here to help. Today, we're talking about priests, spiritual devotees who unleash the powers of light and shadow to heal or harm.

Priests are unique in their talent specializations: while specializations for most classes mean multiple ways to do damage or fill different class roles, priests are the only class with two healing-focused specializations: holy and discipline. These two specs offer very different ways to heal, which can make priests very versatile healers... if you're into that kind of thing. But even if you aren't, don't count priests out as on offensive class: their shadow specialization gives them access to a powerful arsenal of damage spells, which could make priest the class for you even if you never want to cast a healing spell.

But does that mean you should be playing a priest? Read on and we'll discuss just what priests can do.

Continue reading Should you play a priest in WoW?

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Should you play a priest in WoW? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguidehow-to-play-wownew-to-world-of-warcraftnoob-guidepriestpriestsrookie-guideshould-i-play-a-priestworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-helpworld-of-warcraft-noobsworld-of-warcraft-rookieswow-classeswow-guidewow-helpwow-noob-guidewow-noobswow-priestwow-priestswow-to-play-world-of-warcraft (Elizabeth Harper) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The best cloth transmogrification item ever]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-best-cloth-transmogrification-item-ever/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-best-cloth-transmogrification-item-ever/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-best-cloth-transmogrification-item-ever/#comments The best cloth transmogrification item ever Today I present you with the best cloth transmog item ever: Exiled Dabbler's Gloves. What makes these gloves so special? Well, it's that they don't really look like gloves at all. They display more like a pair of bracers, so when paired with many cloth chest pieces they appear as though your character isn't wearing any gloves at all. See why they're so awesome? Few would dispute the universal appeal of having no gloves as an option.

So far the Exiled Dabbler's Gloves appear to work best with any cloth chest that have a bell sleeve. Sleeveless, short sleeve, and fitted sleeve chest pieces don't seem to hide the gauntlet of the glove. Fortunately the gauntlet is quite simple in design, displaying as a black bracer with some silver detail. Coincidentally, they're a pretty close match to the ever popular Black Mageweave Leggings.

According to Wowhead, these gloves are a random uncommon quality drop from the Isle of Thunder and Throne of Thunder. So if needed more incentive to keep doing dailies on the Isle of Thunder, now you have one.

What do you think? Will you be chasing these down on the auction house or the Isle of Thunder? Personally I think it would be interesting to combine them with Griftah's Authentic Troll Shoes, so my character can go gloveless and shoeless.

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The best cloth transmogrification item ever originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cloth-transmogcloth-transmogrificationisle-of-thunderisle-of-thunder-dailiespretty cloth bracers for xmogprettyclothbracersforxmogtransmogtransmogrification (Dawn Moore) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration predictions and set bonuses for tier 16]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/totem-talk-restoration-predictions-and-set-bonuses-for-tier-16/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/totem-talk-restoration-predictions-and-set-bonuses-for-tier-16/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/totem-talk-restoration-predictions-and-set-bonuses-for-tier-16/#comments Totem Talk Restoration predictions and set bonuses for tier 16 tuesday
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and content creation at InternetDragons.TV), shows you how.

Recently we've been focusing a lot on the here and now, which is always good, but this week I thought it would be time to take a look at what's coming up. The PTR is alive with the sounds of music... or at least the thrashing and ravings of the soon to be defeated Garrosh. Patch 5.4 is starting to take shape with a the world receiving more changes for one particular area.

There are some very interesting changes right now for restoration shaman on the PTR, and they lead us to a point of speculation on what the next tier of raiding will bring for us. These are changes to glyphs and new set bonuses for tier 16 gear that may be portents for the future of shaman healing. As always this is information gained from the PTR and is subject to change prior to going live.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration predictions and set bonuses for tier 16

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Totem Talk: Restoration predictions and set bonuses for tier 16 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-shamanspatch-5.4patch-5.4-ptrpatch-5.4-raidrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkShaman Glyphshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentsShamanGlyphwow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.4 PTR: More spell changes to facilitate warlock talent nerfs]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/patch-5-4-ptr-more-spell-changes-to-facilitate-warlock-talent-n/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/patch-5-4-ptr-more-spell-changes-to-facilitate-warlock-talent-n/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/patch-5-4-ptr-more-spell-changes-to-facilitate-warlock-talent-n/#comments Patch 54 PTR More spell changes to facilitate warlock talent nerfs Warlocks around the world have been weeping at the Patch 5.4 PTR intended nerf to Kil'jaeden's Cunning and Mannoroth's Fury. Blizzard Community Manager Lore had already posted an explanation for the tier 6 talent nerfs and some unseen PTR mechanics that were not in the patch notes to help aid warlocks in recovering DPS lost to movement.

CM Lore is back tonight with another post of spell changes in the next build for warlocks in the continuing discussion of the Kil'jaeden's Cunning and Mannoroth's Fury talent nerfs. After the break, you may read about a minor note about Rain of Fire generating less embers (specifics currently unknown), so that the developers can further discourage use of the spell in single-target situations.

Fel Flame is being reworked entirely: it will no longer extended DoTs and it has a 1.5 second cast time instead of being instant-cast. In return, Fel Flame will be castable while moving and has received a small damage buff. Haunt, in return, will go back to being interrupted by movement. Affliction is being further compensated for the loss of Malefic Grasp while moving by expectedly moving the damage done power back into Haunt and the three DoTs.

Finally, Kil'jaeden's Cunning and Mannoroth's Fury are both on a 1 minute cooldown (down from 1.5 minutes) but also a lowered duration of 10 seconds (down from 15 seconds). Mannoroth's Fury applies to only the main AoEs but it provides a 100% damage increase to the specific AoE spells as well as the expanded area.

Continue reading Patch 5.4 PTR: More spell changes to facilitate warlock talent nerfs

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Patch 5.4 PTR: More spell changes to facilitate warlock talent nerfs originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakingfeaturedfel-flameguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshaunthellfireimmolation-aurakiljaedens-cunninglock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmalefic graspMaleficGraspmannoroths-furypatch-5.4rain-of-fireseed-of-corruptionwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Megan O'Neill) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Weekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChat]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/#comments TradeChat's Panser returns with this week's WoW Insider news recap, where we look back at the hottest news from the past week and whatever other kickin' rad things may have come our way. And if you didn't notice, this recap is coming on a Tuesday! Is this a new thing? Why yes, yes it is.

This week's discussion topics include: If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!

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Weekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChat originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> pansertradechat (Adam Holisky) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.4 PTR: Arena tie-break system revamp with a 1,000% damage buff]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/patch-5-4-ptr-arena-tie-break-system-revamp-with-a-1-000-damag/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/patch-5-4-ptr-arena-tie-break-system-revamp-with-a-1-000-damag/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/patch-5-4-ptr-arena-tie-break-system-revamp-with-a-1-000-damag/#comments Patch 54 PTR Arena tiebreak system revamp
Blizzard Senior PvP Designer Brian Holinka tweeted over the weekend in response to a player who sent over this image of a buff on his character on the PTR. "The Crowd Chose You!!!" iPatch 54 PTR Arena tiebreak system revamps a buff that, as you can see from the tooltip, gives huge additional damage, as well as preventing that player from taking any damage. The person who captured the shot tweeted to Holinka asking for clarification, as you would in that situation, and Holinka replied, saying that it was a tie-breaker.

Naturally this caused quite a lot of excitement among Holinka's followers, with some people getting rather upset and worried that this would somehow result in a race to see who was the first to press their button, or similar, so Holinka followed up with a further tweet clarifying exactly what the buff would be used for.

Continue reading Patch 5.4 PTR: Arena tie-break system revamp with a 1,000% damage buff

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Patch 5.4 PTR: Arena tie-break system revamp with a 1,000% damage buff originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arena-tie-breakbreakingpatch-5.4patch-5.4-pvptie-break (Olivia Grace) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: Blue cheese]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-queue-blue-cheese/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-queue-blue-cheese/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/the-queue-blue-cheese/#comments The Queue Blue cheese Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky (@adamholisky) will be your host today.

I'm not sure why Blue Cheese wasn't listed as the best cheese in the world yesterday. But anyways, we've corrected the mistake.

Because Blue Cheese is really the best thing in the world. Especially between two hamburger patties.

Aliase asked:

What effect will the next tier of LFR have on the 5.0 content? Will it be possible to even run it anymore?

Continue reading The Queue: Blue cheese

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The Queue: Blue cheese originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguideqaquestion-and-answerwow-answerswow-daily-answerswow-daily-questionswow-guidewow-player-questionswow-q-and-awow-questions (Adam Holisky) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Around Azeroth: A knife in the back]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/around-azeroth-a-knife-in-the-back/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/around-azeroth-a-knife-in-the-back/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/around-azeroth-a-knife-in-the-back/#comments Around Azeroth A knife in the back TUESDAY An all-rogue guild seems like something of a disaster waiting to happen, but Vile Thorn of Defias Brotherhood (US-H) makes it work ... with an admittedly high collateral damage toll. Submitter Arli sent in this screenshot demonstrating Vile Thorn's traditional method of showing guild pride. The guy who's currently dead with a guild banner sticking out of his back might not consider rogues so playful and mischievous, but who cares what he thinks?

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Want to see your own screenshot here? Send it to aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com. We strongly prefer full-sized pictures with no UI or names showing. Include "Azeroth" in the subject line to ensure your submission dodges email spam filters; if you'd like to be credited, also include your name, guild and realm.

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Around Azeroth: A knife in the back originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> around azerotharound-azerothAroundAzerothfeaturedscreen-shotsscreenshotsworld-of-warcraft-picturesworld-of-warcraft-screenshotswow-screen-shotswow-screenshotwow-screenshotswow-ss (Elizabeth Wachowski) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Last Week in WoW: Bursting with PTR news edition]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/last-week-in-wow-bursting-with-ptr-news-edition/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/last-week-in-wow-bursting-with-ptr-news-edition/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/last-week-in-wow-bursting-with-ptr-news-edition/#comments Happy Tuesday morning everyone. The big news of the week is, of course, the advent of the patch 5.4 PTR, and with that comes the avalanche of sweet, sweet PTR news. There's so much of it we can't even fit it into one category in our roundup. Thus, with no further ado, I'm just going to give it all to you. Realm maintenance this morning is scheduled to last from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific time, so you should have time to read at least some of it.

Patch 5.4 PTR news and features

Continue reading Last Week in WoW: Bursting with PTR news edition

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Last Week in WoW: Bursting with PTR news edition originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> downtimelast-week-in-wowmaintenancerealm-downtimerealm-maintenancerounduproundupsscheduled-downtimescheduled-maintenanceserver-downtimeserver-maintenanceserver-statustuesdaytuesday-downtimetuesday-maintenancetuesday-morningtuesday-morning-post (Daniel Whitcomb) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: How did you choose your guild?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/breakfast-topic-how-did-you-choose-your-guild/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/breakfast-topic-how-did-you-choose-your-guild/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/18/breakfast-topic-how-did-you-choose-your-guild/#comments
The people you play with make up the heart and soul of your World of Warcraft experience. They'll make the game a delight you keep coming back to or a misery you can't escape soon enough. What this comes down to is that who you're guilded with makes or breaks your game experience. A bad guild or, worse, a good guild that's falling apart will make you rush offline to a good book or a favorite TV show rather than spending your idle time in Azeroth. Of course, it's not always straightforward to find the right guild for you -- it's all too easy to have mismatched goals or schedules that turn what may have seemed to be a great group of players into a guild nightmare.

When I'm in need of a guild, I tend to follow my friends around, which always seems like a good formula but doesn't always work out. But it's hardly the only way: all you have to do is be unguilded to get numerous (unsolicited) guild invitations and the guild recruitment forum is always brimming with new guilds LFM. So, just how do you go about picking that perfect guild?

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Breakfast Topic: How did you choose your guild? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionguildguildshow-to-choose-a-guildworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-guildwow-guildswow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Elizabeth Harper) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The WoW Insider Show LIVE!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/the-wow-insider-show-live/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/the-wow-insider-show-live/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/the-wow-insider-show-live/#comments
Tonight we're going live at 8:00 p.m. PDT / 11:00 p.m. EDT with the WoW Insider Show. You can join us right above with the live stream or head over to our Twitch.TV page and chat with us there. If you can't make the show don't worry! It'll be posted on iTunes tomorrow, along with a full recording right here.

Remember that we need to keep the chat civil, so there are mods about to make sure everyone plays nice. Thanks for stopping by!

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The WoW Insider Show LIVE! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Adam Holisky) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: Attack on Horde]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/wow-moviewatch-attack-on-horde/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/wow-moviewatch-attack-on-horde/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/wow-moviewatch-attack-on-horde/#comments
Just uploaded earlier today, Attack on Horde is a different kind of WoW machinima -- it's a parody of the opening for the show Attack on Titan, using WoW models in place of the actual characters. It's kind of like the really cool intros guild Fifth Element does for their kill videos, only there's no kill involved -- just sweet, sweet butt-kicking of Horde. The video stands alone by itself as a pretty good machinima, I really like the use of the music and the combination of both models and brief flashes of panels from the WoW comic series.

But the cool part is checking out how well it lines up to the original. Youtube user Bain Williams not only put the video above up for viewing, he also posted a side-by-side comparison to the original intro for the anime, so you can see for yourself how well it matched up! I don't know about the rest of you, but I like this trend of intros-turned-machinima. Nice work, Bain!

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

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WoW Moviewatch: Attack on Horde originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-machinimamachinimamoviesow-machinimaworld-of-warcraft-moviesworld-of-warcraft-videoswow-created-movieswow-fan-movieswow-guidewow-machinima-guidewow-movie-guidewow-movieswow-video-guidewow-videos (Anne Stickney) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.4 PTR: How to get Golden Lotus reputation in 5.4]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/patch-5-4-ptr-how-to-get-golden-lotus-reputation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/patch-5-4-ptr-how-to-get-golden-lotus-reputation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/patch-5-4-ptr-how-to-get-golden-lotus-reputation/#comments Patch 54 PTR How to get Golden Lotus Reputation
In patch 5.4, several fairly dramatic changes are taking place, but none quite so dramatic as the state of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. So severe, in fact, that it seems that the achievement Eternally In the Vale is being turned into a Feat of Strength with the next patch. Why? Well ... let's just say that the quests required for completing the achievement are no longer possible to complete, when patch 5.4 hits -- we'll leave it at that.

This has many players wondering, however, what happens to Golden Lotus reputation when the new patch arrives. Will it go away? Where will all the daily quests go? How do you get reputation with the Golden Lotus, when many of the quest objectives and NPCs have been altered in a significant fashion? We poked around a bit on the PTR and while we may not have solid answers, we do have a general idea of where things are going -- and don't worry, your reputation will still be obtainable.

Needless to say, patch 5.4 spoilers abound within this post.

Continue reading Patch 5.4 PTR: How to get Golden Lotus reputation in 5.4

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Patch 5.4 PTR: How to get Golden Lotus reputation in 5.4 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> daily-questsgolden-lotusgolden-lotus-rewardspatch-5.4patch-5.4-ptrreputationreputation-changesreputation-grindreputation-rewardsshavale-of-eternal-blossoms (Anne Stickney) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Scheduling the Siege of Orgrimmar raid test]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/scheduling-the-siege-of-orgrimmar-raid-test/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/scheduling-the-siege-of-orgrimmar-raid-test/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/scheduling-the-siege-of-orgrimmar-raid-test/#comments The Vale of Eternal Sha Testing for the big bad raid of the Mists of Pandaria expansion is not quite ready to begin, Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas tells us, but we're getting close. There will be a few more PTR patches to take care of some stability issues, and then Blizzard will be ready to open up the Siege of Orgrimmar to testing groups. Blizzard is going for two major schedules for SoO testing: one at 10:30 am Pacific time, aimed toward EU players, and one at 4:00 pm Pacific time, aimed toward North American players, though all regions will be open to testing during both scheduled windows.

Normal and heroic 10-player modes will be tested first before proceeding to 25-player normal and heroic modes. LFR and flex raiding will be available for PTR testing as well, and will be unlocked once a raid wing has completed testing in normal mode, with a longer time frame for testing as well.

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Scheduling the Siege of Orgrimmar raid test originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> flex-raid-testpatch-5.4patch-5.4-ptrpatch-5.4-raidptrraid-testsiege-of-orgrimmarsiege-of-orgrimmar-raid-testsoo-raidsoo-raid-testing (Sarah Pine) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Are we drowning in patches?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/are-we-drowning-in-patches/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/are-we-drowning-in-patches/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/are-we-drowning-in-patches/#comments Are we drowning in patches One of the questions I see asked often is "Are patches coming too fast" and I'm not sure that they really are. Considering that the Dragon Soul patch (4.3) came out almost exactly a year after the pre-Cataclysm patch The Shattering (Patch 4.0) then we're on pace for Patch 5.4 to come out roughly a year after patch 5.0. If we get patch 5.4 in three to four months, which would fit what we've seen with other patch releases this expansion, then we're looking at one more patch per cycle this expansion than last, and both patch 5.1 and 5.3 brought content outside of new raids. So yes, the patch cycle is slightly faster now, but those patches tend to vary between large patches with lots of raid content and smaller patches with quest hubs or PvP changes.

Looking at previous expansions, I was struck by how little the cycle has changed between Cataclysm and the current expansion. The only real difference is that Cataclysm had one patch (patch 4.1) that was a smaller patch with dungeons and world changes, whereas Mists of Pandaria has had two, patch 5.1 and 5.3. (I say smaller, but that's not really an accurate term - it's simply more convenient than typing 'focused on non raid content' over and over again.) So when we talk about the rapid patch cycle of Mists, we're basically talking about one patch.

So, therefore I wondered to myself - why does it feel like we're getting patches fast and furiously? Why do I hear and see people discussing patch burnout and talk myself about feeling totally overwhelmed by patch changes? If, as we've demonstrated, Mists of Pandaria is in fact more or less on par with or at best slightly ahead of previous expansions in terms of patch frequency (to go back to Wrath of the Lich King, patch 3.3 came out roughly a year after patch 3.0, although we then had a full year before Cataclysm) then why does it feel so much faster?

Continue reading Are we drowning in patches?

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Are we drowning in patches? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> mists-of-pandariaoatchespatch-cyclespatch-speedsptr (Matthew Rossi) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Officers' Quarters: 7 ways to stop the bleeding]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/officers-quarters-7-ways-to-stop-the-bleeding/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/officers-quarters-7-ways-to-stop-the-bleeding/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/officers-quarters-7-ways-to-stop-the-bleeding/#comments A feral druid applies a bleed debuff Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook.

The good news for raid leaders these days is that so much help is coming from patch 5.4, if what's on the PTR is any indication. Flexible raiding could be a lifesaver for guilds who stalled out in today's challenging normal modes. Virtual realms could inject new blood into every realm. The Throne of Thunder raid should see an across-the-board nerf from the patch, too. With all of these changes on the horizon, what raid leaders need to focus on right now is holding on and keeping their teams intact.

The bad news is that no one knows when the patch will drop. We are likely at least six weeks away from 5.4, and probably longer than that since Blizzard has new systems to test and a new raid to tune. This week's email comes from a raid leader who isn't sure he can make it:

Hello Scott,

I am the current Raid Leader of a 10 man raid guild that considers ourselves to be progression-focused, semi-hardcore, or whatever you want to call it. We raid 3 nights a week for 3 hours a night, keep logs of all our runs, and really push to be successful. In the past, this worked out fairly well for us, as our guild maintained a top-10 place on our server according to wowprogress.com all through tiers 12, 13, and 14. However, since the release of MoP the members that made up the original progression team have been slowly bleeding away for one reason or another. At first, these losses could be absorbed by the extra standbys on our roster as well as a few people that swapped from our more casual 2-night-per-week team. Eventually we had to start recruiting out of guild in order to fill our raids each week. Generally speaking, for each player we lost the replacement we found was of a lesser caliber, whether it be in skill, gear level, or dedication.

With the release of ToT and the difficulty of certain bosses (Horridon for example), our progression has begun to seriously stumble.

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Officers' Quarters: 7 ways to stop the bleeding originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> building-guildsfeaturedguideguide-to-officersguild-adviceguild-leadershipguild-managementguild-officersguilds-guideleadershipofficers-quartersplayer-retentionraid-leadershipraid-leadingraidingstop-the-bleedingwow-guidewow-guild-managementwow-guildswow-leadership (Scott Andrews) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Lore updates for the official World of Warcraft site]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/lore-updates-for-the-official-world-of-warcraft-site/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/lore-updates-for-the-official-world-of-warcraft-site/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/lore-updates-for-the-official-world-of-warcraft-site/#comments Lore updates for the official World of Warcraft site Making sure to keep things up to date as we rush towards patch 5.4, the official site has not remained idle. If you're interested in the lore of the game and what's been going on, there's now three new features to take a look at. There's this synopsis of Patch 5.2's Thunder King storyline, which gives players an outline of why the Horde and Alliance forces are taking part in the operation. Then there's a round up of patch 5.3, explaining the Darkspear Rebellion and the Alliance's intelligence operations in Durotar.

Finally, if you're interested in the lore, there's this new character page which gives you a brief rundown of the various figures of import. Especially nice is that each individual's page has links to related characters and content that can tell you more about them. So head on over to the official site and take a look.

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Lore updates for the official World of Warcraft site originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> BlizzardEscalationlorelore-updatesofficial-sitepatch-5.2patch-5.3Thunder-Kingupdates (Matthew Rossi) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Inner demons in our talent selection]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/blood-pact-inner-demons-in-our-talent-selection/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/blood-pact-inner-demons-in-our-talent-selection/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/blood-pact-inner-demons-in-our-talent-selection/#comments Blood Pact Inner demons in our talent selection MON Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill thinks it's too difficult to convey moving while casting in a static screenshot, so, instead, have the Scholomance potion guy in front of a Demonic Gateway.

We covered Karazhan's pets, mounts, and fun last week, so this week, we'll cover Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep in the continuing quest to colle--

No. Sorry. If you really thought I was going to skip this past week's bombshell of warlock PTR patch notes for collecting pets from retro raids, I will scold you later for having no faith in me. Let's talk level 90 talent problems.

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Blood Pact: Inner demons in our talent selection originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> afflictioncasting-while-movingchaos-boltdemonologydestructiondrain-soulfeaturedfel-flameguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshand-of-guldanhaunthellfireimmolation-auraincineratekiljaedens-cunninglock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmalefic-graspmannoroths-furymovementsoul-firetouch-of-chaoswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Megan O'Neill) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: Cheese]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/the-queue-cheese/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/the-queue-cheese/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/the-queue-cheese/#comments The Queue Cheese Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

Today's edition of the Queue is brought to you by muenster cheese. There is no better.

Roseland1985 asked:

What are the odds that we won't actually kill Garrosh, but merely defeat him, casting him into exile? If this happened, I could see him going into exile to Outlands, being around the fel orcs who would more than likely share his yearn for war and bloodshed, more-so than the orcs already do, and going mad with fel corruption. He could end up popping up in the next XPac, if we are, indeed, headed back to Outlands to battle the Legion again.

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The Queue: Cheese originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Alex Ziebart) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Know Your Lore: The lore leading into patch 5.4]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/know-your-lore-the-lore-leading-into-patch-5-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/know-your-lore-the-lore-leading-into-patch-5-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/know-your-lore-the-lore-leading-into-patch-5-4/#comments Know Your Lore The lore leading into patch 54
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Patch 5.4 is now live on the PTR servers for testing, and it has several ... dramatic changes, both to the world and to the characters in it. While patch 5.3 may seem small on story, there's actually plenty going on -- more than enough to serve as a catalyst heading into the new patch. In fact, plenty of the events in 5.3 directly effect what's going on in patch 5.4. Although we don't know the whole story just yet, considering the PTR is a test realm that may undergo changes as time goes on, we do have enough to tie 5.3 and 5.4 together in a significant way.

If you've been following the lore, you may have seen the signs already and know what to expect. But if you haven't been paying much attention to the story, or you're wondering what's going on with those images people have been posting from the patch 5.4 PTR, we'll do our best to get you all caught up. Mists of Pandaria has been an expansion chock full of new story, and patch 5.3 has certainly been no exception to this -- but 5.4 is shaping up to be the biggest hit we've seen so far in Mists.

Please note that today's Know Your Lore contains some spoilers for patch 5.4 content. If you're avoiding spoilers, turning away now would be advised!

Continue reading Know Your Lore: The lore leading into patch 5.4

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Know Your Lore: The lore leading into patch 5.4 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alliancedark-heart-of-pandariadivine-bellfeaturedgarrosh-hellscreamguideguide-to-lorehordelei-shenlorelore-guidemantidmogu-empirepandarenpandaren-empirepatch-5.1patch-5.2patch-5.3patch-5.4patch-5.4-ptrrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideshavale-of-eternal-blossomsvarian-wrynnworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingyshaarj (Anne Stickney) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Around Azeroth: Make like a tree and leave]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/around-azeroth-make-like-a-tree-and-leave/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/around-azeroth-make-like-a-tree-and-leave/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/around-azeroth-make-like-a-tree-and-leave/#comments Around Azeroth Make like a tree and leave MONDAY "I'd just sent sent the new ancient to my girlfriend, Samhhainne, so it could play with my sapling," writes submitter Macrobunker of BitTaurent on Illidan (US-H). "They didn't get along at first, but when the new 'Old Man' finally decided to show affection in his own special way, I think my tree friend was more than a little surprised." Indeed, sudden floral explosions are terrifying, at least to people who are allergic to pollen ... or bees.

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Want to see your own screenshot here? Send it to aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com. We strongly prefer full-sized pictures with no UI or names showing. Include "Azeroth" in the subject line to ensure your submission dodges email spam filters; if you'd like to be credited, also include your name, guild and realm.

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Around Azeroth: Make like a tree and leave originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> around azerotharound-azerothAroundAzerothfeaturedscreen-shotsscreenshotsworld-of-warcraft-picturesworld-of-warcraft-screenshotswow-screen-shotswow-screenshotwow-screenshotswow-ss (Elizabeth Wachowski) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Drama Mamas: Being deaf and raiding]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/drama-mamas-being-deaf-and-raiding/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/drama-mamas-being-deaf-and-raiding/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/drama-mamas-being-deaf-and-raiding/#comments Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm.

I had to edit this week's letter for length, but it's still a long one so that you can get the whole story.
Howdy Drama Mamas,

[...]

To begin with, I'm a male deaf gamer. I've been very blessed with great support systems in all areas of my life and have made friends both on and offline who have been extremely supportive of everything that I do. But I'll also be the first to tell you that I'm not perfect but I do try to avoid drama where I can.

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Drama Mamas: Being deaf and raiding originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> advicedeafdramafeaturedguild-adviceguild-dramaplaying-wowraidingwarcraft-advicewow-advicewow-dramawow-drama-guidewow-player-guidewow-q-and-a (Robin Torres) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: What are the songs?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/breakfast-topic-what-are-the-songs/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/breakfast-topic-what-are-the-songs/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/breakfast-topic-what-are-the-songs/#comments Breakfast Topic What are the songs One of the nice things about Tolkien's expansive universe -- both the one he created and the ones expanded upon by others -- is the rich, beautiful music. Whether it's a plate-tossing tune or an orcish battle chant, the world of Tolkien is rife with music. Even Game of Thrones has more than a few ditties, even if you need to be a little creative to find them. But we don't have that some musical background in WoW.

Don't get me wrong: WoW has some fantastic theme music. Between the Arkenstone-penned backgrounds or thematic zone music, Azeroth has plenty of musical ambiance. But it doesn't have a lot of songs with lyrics, or folk tunes, or those little sing-along moments that make a world so vibrant. You have to reach for filk or machinima to get much of that. And sure, there's the Chieftans but that's not quite the same as "music of the world."

The game references music, though. It's out there. So, I ask you, dear breakfast readers, to put fingers to keyboards and try out your Azerothian muse. What's the music you would add to game? Is it just battle chants? What about something with a nice flute? What would the music of Azeroth sound like?

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Breakfast Topic: What are the songs? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Michael Gray) Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[EU forums announce amazing transmogrification race]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/16/eu-forums-announce-amazing-transmogrification-race/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/16/eu-forums-announce-amazing-transmogrification-race/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/16/eu-forums-announce-amazing-transmogrification-race/#comments scarlet crusade transmog If you live in the EU and love to dress up your toons, you might be interested in this new game announced by community manager Meldheron: the transmogrification race! According to Meldheron it will be a monthly mini-contest in which players are prompted with a transmog theme on the WoW forum. Reply to the thread with a list of the pieces for use in your outfit, and upvote your favorites. The five most popular will be featured on the World of Warcraft facebook page.

I know we've got lots of transmog fiends around, so if you're in the EU this might be a fun way to share your ideas with fellow WoW players and even get a little bit of attention for your sartorial efforts. Have fun, and I look forward to seeing the top contestants!

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EU forums announce amazing transmogrification race originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> pirate-transmogtransmogtransmog-competitiontransmog-racetransmogrification (Sarah Pine) Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider