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[WRUP: Anticipating patch 5.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/w/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/w/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/w/#comments Image We finally know that patch 5.3 is right around the corner. Biting our fingernails and virtually panting with excitement, everyone at WoW Insider headquarters looks forward to the release with summery exultation.

So obviously, we asked our staff about more than just their weekend plans. We asked what each member is excited about in the new patch. The good, the bad, and the ugly; we wanted to know it all.

Continue reading WRUP: Anticipating patch 5.3

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WRUP: Anticipating patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> patch-5.3wrup (Michael Gray) Sat, 18 May 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: This is Bashiok's fault]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-queue-this-is-bashioks-fault/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-queue-this-is-bashioks-fault/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-queue-this-is-bashioks-fault/#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. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is recovering from the plague. No, not the Plague of Undeath, although that might be kind of cool in retrospect.

The above video is what I get when I ask CM's for video suggestions on Twitter. Thank you Bashiok. I ... think.

yoojine asked:

I hate, hate, hate leveling and questing. As a result, I've got a bunch of alts sitting at 85 and only my main at 90. What is the absolute fastest way to level my poor, neglected alts in Pandaland? Are there any xp buffs I should be aware of? Do heirlooms work at this level?

Well the XP required to level from 85-90 will be dropped a bit on Tuesday, so there's that to look forward to. Heirlooms, unfortunately, don't work. The Darkmoon Faire offers an XP buff if you go ride the carousel, but that's once a month. I'd suggest just taking your time, making sure you've got rested XP when you're leveling, and when you run out of rested, park that alt in an inn for a bit, and switch to another. Questing is one of the easiest ways to level, but if that's not your thing, you can always just queue up for mass dungeon runs, or even do some pet battling, if that sounds like fun. Good luck!

drorraz asked:

Q4tQ: What happens to Sahn Tidehunter in 5.3? (his lake is gone because of the horde digging)

Continue reading The Queue: This is Bashiok's fault

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The Queue: This is Bashiok's fault originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 May 2013 16:00:00 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 (Anne Stickney) Sat, 18 May 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Warrior representation]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warrior-representation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warrior-representation/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warrior-representation/#comments The Care and Feeding of Warriors Warrior representation SatSun Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host.

I find myself wondering about protection warriors as tanks. Clearly, we're neither the most nor least popular tanks, holding steady in the middle of the pack - both blood DK's and protection paladins absolutely own tank representation. Blood is at 4.2% and prot pallies at 4.1% of total class/spec representation in Throne of Thunder, with prot warriors at 2.7% and guardian druids in about the same spot as brewmaster monks, 2% for guardians and 1.8% for brewmasters.

It's fairly clear that fury warriors, despite being a relatively smaller fraction of total class representation, are by far the most popular warriors in current raiding. Protection is not only second, but a distant second, and arms (despite being a solid 3% of the total player base overall) is vanishingly under-represented in raiding. We'll worry about arms in raids later. For now let's ask why protection warriors aren't being seen in raids. It's not based on class popularity by itself - based on looking over Realmpop for a couple of hours I'd argue that warriors are holding pretty steady at about 9.6% of the total population. (It's a slight drop from the 10.14% we saw last December) World of Wargraphs puts the number at about 9.5%, so either way, there are a lot of warriors. But looking at the Wargraphs data, two things come to mind.

Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Warrior representation

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The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Warrior representation originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arms-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorsfeaturedfury-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorsguide-to-warriorsprotection-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorswarrior-guidewarrior-infowarrior-talentswow-warriorwow-warrior-infowow-warriors (Matthew Rossi) Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.3 PTR: The Secrets of Ragefire overview]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/patch-5-3-ptr-the-secrets-of-ragefire-overview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/patch-5-3-ptr-the-secrets-of-ragefire-overview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/patch-5-3-ptr-the-secrets-of-ragefire-overview/#comments Patch 53 PTR The Secrets of Ragefire overview
I remember Ragefire Chasm in vanilla, but only vaguely. It was usually completed once, at a very low level, and then never looked at again -- it never had any really compelling loot, and the story was only so-so. It has since received an update to both loot and story, and in a profound kind of way. In fact, if you haven't done the updated Ragefire Chasm, I suggest this would be an excellent time to do so. What happens down there is just the tip of the iceberg, it seems.

In patch 5.3, we're going to get a look at a section of Ragefire Chasm we haven't seen before, in one of four new scenarios introduced with the patch. It turns out not everything is as it seems in Orgrimmar ... and Garrosh's plans have never looked quite this grim. You'll be accompanying the Gob Squad on a mission to figure out just what kind of secrets Ragefire holds, and what the Horde can expect from their Warchief.

Please note: This post contains spoilers for patch 5.3 content.

Continue reading Patch 5.3 PTR: The Secrets of Ragefire overview

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Patch 5.3 PTR: The Secrets of Ragefire overview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dark-shamangarrosh-hellscreamgob-squadmists-of-pandariaMists-of-pandaria-scenariospatch-5.3patch-5.3-heroic-scenariospatch-5.3-ptrpatch-5.3-scenariosragefire-chasmsecrets-of-ragefireworld-of-warcraft (Anne Stickney) Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Around Azeroth: The last island in the world]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/around-azeroth-the-last-island-in-the-world/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/around-azeroth-the-last-island-in-the-world/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/around-azeroth-the-last-island-in-the-world/#comments Around Azeroth The last island in the world SATURDAY Submitter Taedran of Guilty as Charged on Silvermoon (US-A) recently sent me ... quite a few screenshots. As in literally several hundred. I think that's considered justification for homicide in Texas. Anyway, several of Taedran's pictures featured zoomed-out high-definition pictures of certain zones in the game. This one features the isolated (and unvisitable, except for newbie goblins) Lost Isles. It seems like a paradise. Why did we ever leave?

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: The last island in the world originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 May 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) Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: How do you show your WoW?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-show-your-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-show-your-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/breakfast-topic-how-do-you-show-your-wow/#comments Wandering around outside of Azeroth, in the so-called real world, you'll see a lot of World of Warcraft players. Some you'll spot with class t-shirts, others drive cars with alliance or horde window stickers (or even custom license plates), some may wear WoW-themed jewelry, and some even have WoW tattoos. But not everyone feels the need to show off their WoW fandom in an obvious way -- or even at all.

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

Gallery: WoW License plates

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

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]]> featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussiongoodiesswagt-shirttattootattoostshirtworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-goodieswow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-swagwow-t-shirtwow-tattoowow-tattooswow-topicswow-tshirt (Elizabeth Harper) Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.3 to arrive on May 21st]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/patch-5-3-to-arrive-on-may-21st/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/patch-5-3-to-arrive-on-may-21st/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/patch-5-3-to-arrive-on-may-21st/#comments
The guessing games are over: Blizzard has just announced that Patch 5.3: Escalation will be released this coming week. That makes launch day Tuesday, May 21st for Australian and North American realms and Wednesday, May 22nd for European realms.

If you're not aware, patch 5.3 has a bundle of new content, including new story elements, PvP changes, a new battleground, new scenarios and heroic scenarios, and a lot more. Find the full patch notes after the break.

Continue reading Patch 5.3 to arrive on May 21st

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Patch 5.3 to arrive on May 21st originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 5.3breakingpatch-5.3patch-5.3-escalationwow-patch-5.3 (Elizabeth Harper) Fri, 17 May 2013 21:24:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Weekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChat]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/weekly-news-roundup-with-panser-of-tradechat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/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. This week's topics include: If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!

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

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]]> panserpatch-5.3tradechatunborn-valkyr (Michael Gray) Fri, 17 May 2013 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The best fight from Wrath of the Lich King]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-best-fight-from-wrath-of-the-lich-king/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-best-fight-from-wrath-of-the-lich-king/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-best-fight-from-wrath-of-the-lich-king/#comments Mimiron Last week there were a lot of calls in my "Best fight from Burning Crusade" article for Mimiron, Yogg-Saron, or Arthas himself to be the subject of this article. I had to smile at them because, well, they guessed it. I'll admit that, as a healer, I was tempted to pick Valythria, but I don't think I could really do that in good conscience. Valythria might have been one of my favorite fights, but the best? No, not really. My choice for the best fight from Wrath of the Lich King? Mimiron.

Mimiron is a four-phase tier eight fight with some complex mechanics and a good deal of entertaining humor to it. In my opinion, the Ulduar raid was the crown jewel of Wrath of the Lich King, and Mimiron was one of the most fun and challenging bosses in it.

Continue reading The best fight from Wrath of the Lich King

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The best fight from Wrath of the Lich King originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> boss-fightsbossesfirefighterhard-mode-raidshard-modesmimironulduar (Sarah Pine) Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Machinima: Hockers]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/wow-machinima-hockers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/wow-machinima-hockers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/wow-machinima-hockers/#comments RomireVids is hitting the street with a brand new video: Hockers. A Pawn Stars parody, this video turns Azeroth into a bizarre, huge pawn shop. It's got some shout-outs to bizarre lore moments of the past, a few slightly purple jokes, and more than a few punchlines.

This video is a huge step up for Romire. The graphics are solid for the subject matter and the voice acting is excellent. Most importantly, the script flows convincingly and sticks to a single train of thought. It's a nice video from Romire. My hat's off to you, sir!
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 Machinima: Hockers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 18:00:00 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 (Michael Gray) Fri, 17 May 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[University of Texas and Blizzard COO Paul Sams launch game design academy]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/university-of-texas-and-blizzard-coo-paul-sams-launch-game-desig/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/university-of-texas-and-blizzard-coo-paul-sams-launch-game-desig/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/university-of-texas-and-blizzard-coo-paul-sams-launch-game-desig/#comments If you're looking to go pro in game design, Blizzard COO Paul Sams has teamed up with the University of Texas at Austin to create the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy. The academy will be led and taught by gaming industry executives and the curriculum will be guided by industry veteran Warren Spector. The 12-month, post-baccalaureate program will guide students through creating a game from start to finish, giving them the experience they need to join the gaming industry when they graduate.

"The University of Texas at Austin has a tremendous track record of building nationally recognized programs that generate the leaders and critical thinkers the gaming industry needs," Sams said. "The program will focus on building the skills required for students to lead teams and develop games from concept to completion, while growing talent for the gaming industry."

The program starts in 2014, but with only 20 spots available, you probably have a better chance of getting into a competitive raid guild.

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University of Texas and Blizzard COO Paul Sams launch game design academy originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> denius-samsDenius-Sams-Gaming-Academydenius-sams-gaming-design-academygame-designgaming-academygaming-design-academypaul-samssamsuniversity-of-texasuniversity-of-texas-at-austinutut-austnut-gaming-academywarren-spector (Elizabeth Harper) Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[This crochet worgen will growl its way into your heart]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/this-crochet-worgen-will-growl-its-way-into-your-heart/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/this-crochet-worgen-will-growl-its-way-into-your-heart/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/this-crochet-worgen-will-growl-its-way-into-your-heart/#comments This crochet worgen will growl its way into your heart World of Warcraft's worgen aren't always friendly, but in the case of this crochet worgen we can confirm cuddliness. WoW player Venuz created this little guy for a WoW craft swap and we've got to say he looks true to in-game worgen, if on a more diminutive scale. Venuz has been crocheting for about 20 years now -- it's her favorite hobby outside of WoW -- and created the pattern for this worgen from scratch. So what's next on the crafting agenda? Venuz says she'd like to make an attempt at a crochet orc.

We have a full-sized image of this crafty creation after the break or you can check out Venuz's gallery on Imgur.

Continue reading This crochet worgen will growl its way into your heart

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This crochet worgen will growl its way into your heart originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> craftscrochetcrochet-worgenworgenwow-craftswow-crochet-worgenwow-worgen (Elizabeth Harper) Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Phat Loot Phriday: Unborn Val'kyr]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/phat-loot-phriday-unborn-valkyr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/phat-loot-phriday-unborn-valkyr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/phat-loot-phriday-unborn-valkyr/#comments Phat Loot Phriday Unborn Val'kyr The ghostly creature hovered in the air, quietly chewing on a chocolate chip cookie. Her iridescent wings flapped in slow, lazy arcs.

"And you don't know where you got her?" Lolegolas asked. "No clue at all?"

"None," Throgg confirmed. "I just opened up my pet bag and poof. There she was. She's pretty cute, though. In an adorable way, I mean."

Lolegolas nodded. "So, she's a mystery. Why is she unborn?"

"It turns out her people don't consider you really born until you kill a worthy target," Throgg said.

"That's kind of harsh," Lolegolas said. "Does she fight well?"

"Incredibly well," Throgg said. "That's why I gave her a cookie. She totally decimated my opponent a few moments ago. She likes cookies."

Item Note: The Unborn Val'kyr is shrouded in mystery; we're not quite sure where you can get it yet. While Northrend is an obvious component, the details are still vague. Stay tuned for more details!
Phat Loot Phriday brings you the scoop on some of the most ... interesting ... loot in the World of Warcraft, often viewed through the eyes of the stalwart Throgg and indelible Lolegolas. Suggest items you think we should feature by emailing mikeg@wowinsider.com.

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Phat Loot Phriday: Unborn Val'kyr originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fat-lewtfat-lootfeaturedlolegolasTHROGGunborn-valkyworld-of-warcraft-itemsworld-of-warcraft-lootwow-itemwow-itemswow-loot (Michael Gray) Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.3: Latest PTR build is a release candidate]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/patch-5-3-latest-ptr-build-is-a-release-candidate/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/patch-5-3-latest-ptr-build-is-a-release-candidate/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/patch-5-3-latest-ptr-build-is-a-release-candidate/#comments Patch 51 Latest build is a release candidate
Yesterday, we asked you what your best guess was for the arrival date of patch 5.3, and at the time the article was written, the PTR build was still a test. Since then, it has been updated, as many commenters mentioned, and is now a release candidate.
Patch 53 Latest PTR build is a test candidate
What does this mean for a potential release date? Looking back at patch 5.1, WoW Insider reported that a release candidate was live on November 13th, and the patch released on November 27th, a fortnight after the first release candidate went up. Patch 5.2 went to a PTR release candidate on the PTR on February 26th, and the patch dropped on March 5th, just one week later. We can't really discuss earlier patches, thanks to Blizzard's new, improved patch cycle, but these two indicate that the patch may well drop within the next fortnight, so May 21st or 28th, perhaps the first week in June at the latest.

Of course, this is just estimation, we're doing research and gathering clues, but it's not a firm confirmation. While you're waiting, you can check out all our patch 5.3 coverage.

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Patch 5.3: Latest PTR build is a release candidate originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakingpatch-5.3patch-5.3-ptrpatch-5.3-release-date (Olivia Grace) Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Community Blog Topic: Should well-behaved players be rewarded?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/community-blog-topic-should-well-behaved-players-be-rewarded/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/community-blog-topic-should-well-behaved-players-be-rewarded/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/community-blog-topic-should-well-behaved-players-be-rewarded/#comments Community Blog Topic Should wellbehaved players be rewarded Last time we talked about getting rid of funsuckers, but what about the many players who enhance our gametime? Should they be rewarded? How would you go about it?

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

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

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

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

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]]> community-blog-topicfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussiongood-behaviorgood-playerskarma-systemrewardsworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Robin Torres) Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Ghostcrawler on Vengeance and patch 5.4]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/ghostcrawler-on-vengeance-and-patch-5-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/ghostcrawler-on-vengeance-and-patch-5-4/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/ghostcrawler-on-vengeance-and-patch-5-4/#comments Ghostcrawler on Vengeance and patch 54
Yes, patch 5.3 isn't even out yet, and we're already looking towards patch 5.4. Thanks to Ghostcrawler, we have this to think about for the future, namely that Vengeance is getting capped at a significantly lower threshold in raids in the future. If you remember back at August of last year, Vengeance saw some significant changes that increased how fast it could ramp up in raids and also gave it a far larger maximum potential. It's been adjusted over time, but in general what GC said back last August has held true -- tank DPS in raiding really did go up. To the point where on some pulls it's not unusual to see tanks leading the DPS, sometimes by extremely large numbers.

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

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

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]]> 10-man-raiding25-man-raidingDeath-KnightdruidGhostcrawlerMonkpaladinpatch-5.4raidingraidstankingVengeancewarrior (Matthew Rossi) Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: Who do you call]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-queue-who-do-you-call/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-queue-who-do-you-call/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/the-queue-who-do-you-call/#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. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is recovering from the plague. No, not the Plague of Undeath, although that might be kind of cool in retrospect.

I used to watch this cartoon religiously when I was a kid. Earlier this week, I took a good look at it for what it was: A group of miniature wild animals living in a city park with t-shirts that somehow changed color and gave them the power to fight crime. ... man I don't even know. But the kangaroo in the video up there? You might recognize her voice -- that's Nancy Cartwright, who also does the voice for Bart Simpson.

@_Vsmit asked via Twitter:

In Naxx, why does Thaddeus yell that we're too late, and he must obey? Did I miss something somewhere?

Ooo, this is a good question. Thaddius was supposedly built from the flesh of women and children -- their souls are fused together inside of him. If you listen to the ambient noise when you're in Naxxramas, you can randomly hear the screams of these people crying for help. Once you've killed Thaddius, the screams stop.

Basically, the screaming is the souls of the damned bound inside of Thaddius, hoping you'll come to rescue them. That intro quote is telling you that you're too late to save them all -- that's also why he thanks you when he dies.

Gross, huh?

Continue reading The Queue: Who do you call

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The Queue: Who do you call originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 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 (Anne Stickney) Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Around Azeroth: Death is but the next great adventure]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/around-azeroth-death-is-but-the-next-great-adventure/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/around-azeroth-death-is-but-the-next-great-adventure/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/around-azeroth-death-is-but-the-next-great-adventure/#comments Around Azeroth Death is but the next great adventure FRIDAY I am dead, but I live? What sorcery is this? Submitter Aryon of AnyThingButSerious on Ghostlands (EU-A) caught Fleshcrafter Hoku literally contemplating his own mortality on the Isle of Thunder. Respawn timers take a lot of the sting out of the old "what happens to us when we die" question, don't they? Oh, when we die we come back a few minutes later, only to be killed again. It's like the dollar store form of reincarnation.

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

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Around Azeroth: Death is but the next great adventure originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 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) Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Tom Chilton chats about what's coming in patch 5.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/tom-chilton-chats-about-whats-coming-in-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/tom-chilton-chats-about-whats-coming-in-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/tom-chilton-chats-about-whats-coming-in-patch-5-3/#comments blizz tom chilton interview wip We know Blizzard has a lot planned for patch 5.3, which could go live any time now. But to keep us busy while we wait for the next batch of new WoW content, Blizzard Insider has posted an interview with Game Director Tom Chilton. Though the interview mostly summarizes what we already know about the upcoming patch, it provides a great overview of what's coming with a bit of added insight Blizzard's development thought process. Covered in the interview are how the devs felt patch 5.2 performed, the storyline of patch 5.3, PvP changes and the new battleground, new scenarios (and heroic scenarios), gear and the ability to choose which spec you'd like gear for, and visible pet battles.

The patches are certainly coming our way quickly. Are you looking forward to patch 5.3 or still working on patch 5.2?

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Tom Chilton chats about what's coming in patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 5.35.3-escalationchiltoninterviewpatch-5.3patch-5.3-escalationtom-chiltontom-chilton-interviewwow-5.3wow-escalationwow-patchwow-patch-5.3wow-patch-5.3-escalation (Elizabeth Harper) Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Are you a happy healer or a reluctant healer?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/breakfast-topic-are-you-a-happy-healer-or-a-reluctant-healer/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/breakfast-topic-are-you-a-happy-healer-or-a-reluctant-healer/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/breakfast-topic-are-you-a-happy-healer-or-a-reluctant-healer/#comments Breakfast Topic Are you a happy healer or a reluctant healer I was smirking my way past the Gordon Ramsay-esque commentary on Twitter recently (go to the tweet to view it in all its unblurred, NSFW glory) when it struck me: Blizzard has created so many incentives to play a healer. Obviously, they've worked -- but are the healers enjoying it?

As a long-time healer, I find myself broken-hearted at the idea that players are going through the motions of healing simply because for the sake of faster random queue times or to fill a hole in a roster lineup. Healing by people who aren't passionate about healing? Healing by people who aren't glued to the action? Healing by people who might be watching "other things" on another screen, or eating pizza, or, or ...? Dear readers, we're talking about saving lives here. I weep. Seriously, I weep.

Still, there seem to be quite a lot of healers going about their business in today's game. If you're a healer, do you enjoy the role? Did you choose to be a healer of your own volition, or were you influenced by queue times, role benefits, or the needs of your raid or guild? If you were nudged into healing by outside forces, has it been worth it? Are you a happy healer or a reluctant healer?

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Breakfast Topic: Are you a happy healer or a reluctant healer? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionhealer-incentiveshealingrole-incentivesrolesworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Lisa Poisso) Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Cryptozoic smashes funding goal for new Hex TCG]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/cryptozoic-smashes-funding-goal-for-new-hex-tcg/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/cryptozoic-smashes-funding-goal-for-new-hex-tcg/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/cryptozoic-smashes-funding-goal-for-new-hex-tcg/#comments You've no doubt heard about Cryptozoic, who makes the World of Warcraft trading card game. But these days, Blizzard is focusing on its home-brewed digital TCG Hearthstone and Cryptozoic is working on a new project: Hex, which they call an MMO trading card game. Hex takes advantage of its all-digital nature to add some MMO elements like characters, gear, and guilds to a traditional TCG game. And, while it's not out yet -- Cryptozoic expects the beta to start this September -- the Kickstarter campaign to fund the game is happening now. With 21 days to go, Cryptozoic has already blown past their $300,000 funding goal with $567,000 raised at the time of this writing. Now they're working on stretch goals which will add new gameplay features for everyone -- and new bonuses for backers -- as they're reached.

If you're interested in a different kind of TCG -- or a change of pace from World of Warcraft -- you might want to check out Cryptozoic's Kickstarter. Contributing $10 will get you into the beta this fall and $20 and up gets you beta access and cards once the game launches -- including some special cards you'll only ever be able to get through this Kickstarter campaign.

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Cryptozoic smashes funding goal for new Hex TCG originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ccgcollectable-card-gamecryptozoiccryptozoic-ccgcryptozoic-hexcryptozoic-kickstartercryptozoic-tcgdigital-tcghexhex-ccghex-tcgkickstartermmo-tcgtcgtcg-mmotrading-card-game (Elizabeth Harper) Thu, 16 May 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Convert to Raid interviews Ion Hazzikostas]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/convert-to-raid-interviews-ion-hazzikostas/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/convert-to-raid-interviews-ion-hazzikostas/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/convert-to-raid-interviews-ion-hazzikostas/#comments
Convert to Raid, the podcast for raiders in the World of Warcraft, recently interviewed Blizzard's Lead Encounter Designer Ion Hazzikostas. You can listen to the full interview over on their site, and in the video above, but we've plucked some of the best bits out for your convenience.

Pat started off by asking Ion how he felt the raid tier, Throne of Thunder, had worked out, what he was happy with, what could possibly be improved for future tiers and so on. Ion responded that they were very happy with the tier, the structure and feel of the dungeon, and particularly the progression of the World First race. He spoke about the Lei Shen encounter really delivering on what a heroic end-boss should be, in terms of difficulty and fight construction. However, when Pat asked about learning points, Ion had plenty to say.

Continue reading Convert to Raid interviews Ion Hazzikostas

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Convert to Raid interviews Ion Hazzikostas originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ion-hazzikostaspatch-5.3patch-5.4throne-of-thunder (Olivia Grace) Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: Batman Beyond Twin Consorts]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/wow-moviewatch-batman-beyond-twin-consorts/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/wow-moviewatch-batman-beyond-twin-consorts/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/wow-moviewatch-batman-beyond-twin-consorts/#comments It's a little-known secret that Batman Beyond remains one of the best Bat-reimaginations we've seen. Clinging to continuity with a tenuous but resilient grasp, Batman Beyond captures some of the best bat-themes and bat-ideas.

You can imagine my thrill when I saw Fifth Element's bat-video, Batman Beyond Twin Consorts. With the same sense of excitement and flair they bring to all their videos, the raiding team of machinima gives Terry a whole new spin.
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: Batman Beyond Twin Consorts originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> batman-beyondfeaturedfifth-elementguide-to-machinimamachinimamoviesow-machinimaworld-of-warcraft-moviesworld-of-warcraft-videoswow-created-movieswow-fan-movieswow-guidewow-machinima-guidewow-movie-guidewow-movieswow-video-guidewow-videos (Michael Gray) Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 5.3 is pending, but when will it drop?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/patch-5-3-is-pending-but-when-will-it-drop/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/patch-5-3-is-pending-but-when-will-it-drop/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/patch-5-3-is-pending-but-when-will-it-drop/#comments Patch 53 is pending, but when will it drop
Now, don't pretend you're not already guessing. There have been several official Blizzard blogs, on the new scenarios we're expecting, as well as a general guide to how you can best prepare for patch 5.3, and what's more the devs have begun their latest round of interviews. The official World of Warcraft twitter account even went as far as tweeting to confirm that the patch wasn't landing on Tuesday May 14. So, all this being said, what's your prediction for the launch date? Where's the smart money?

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

View Poll

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

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]]> patch-5.3patch-5.3-launchpatch-5.3-PTRpatch-5.3-release-datespeculation (Olivia Grace) Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Free WoW graphic novel previews for a limited time]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/free-wow-graphic-novels/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/free-wow-graphic-novels/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/free-wow-graphic-novels/#comments Free WoW graphic novels
WoW's twitter announced last night that, for a limited time only, previews of three of the latest World of Warcraft graphic novels are available for free on both Kindle and iTunes. The three comics avaialble for preview in this book are Pearl of Pandaria, Dark Riders and Bloodsworn. Pearl of Pandaria was released last year, but Dark Riders has only been out for just over a week, and Bloodsworn is currently only available for pre-order in anticipation of its upcoming release on August 13, 2013. So this free preview is a great chance to whet your appetite for the full works. What's more, did we mention it's free?

To get your hands on these previews, it seems like you'll currently need to be a US resident, but you can get hold of them via iTunes or Amazon, simply by following the links. If the previews are sufficiently exciting for you to consider dropping some actual cash into the writers' coffers, then you can obtain all three titles from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble via the links provided on the Blizzard blog post. Naturally, as mentioned, Bloodsworn is currently only available for pre-order.

What do you think of these graphic novels? Is this your preferred format for absorbing World of Warcraft lore? You can also check out WoW Insider's reviews of Pearl of Pandaria and Dark Riders.

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Free WoW graphic novel previews for a limited time originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bloodsworncomicdark-ridersgraphic-novel-previewpearl-of-pandariawow-comicwow-graphic-novel (Olivia Grace) Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Does WoW still surprise you?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/does-wow-still-surprise-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/does-wow-still-surprise-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/does-wow-still-surprise-you/#comments I didn't start playing World of Warcraft right at launch, but it's safe to say that I've been playing for a long while. For me, WoW is the video game equivalent of an old, worn t-shirt: it's comfortable and familiar. It's a game I often launch when I'm not looking for something fun and distracting, but not anything that's going to challenge me too much. I still find WoW to be a lot of fun -- I wouldn't keep playing if I didn't! -- but it's still usually something I play with the television on in the background.

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

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

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

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]]> featuredgame-discussiongamer-discussionsurprisesurprisesworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-surpriseswow-topics (Elizabeth Harper) Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Would you play this mocked up Warcraft fighting game?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/would-you-play-this-mocked-up-warcraft-fighting-game/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/would-you-play-this-mocked-up-warcraft-fighting-game/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/would-you-play-this-mocked-up-warcraft-fighting-game/#comments Would you play this mocked up Warcraft fighting game Let's be honest with ourselves: chances are we'd all play this Warcraft fighting game mocked up by Redditor GuardianReflex. And while this game isn't a reality, we can always hope that Blizzard will one day allow us to do to participate in an epic battle in which Varian gets to punch Sylvannas in the face (or vice versa). And if this epic, Blizzard vs. Capcom style battle isn't possible, perhaps a pet battle in which we control tiny faction leaders?

But since we aren't likely to see this in actual game any time soon, GuardianReflex is making more mockups based on user requests. We have Thrall vs. Garrosh behind the cut and hope to see more soon!

Continue reading Would you play this mocked up Warcraft fighting game?

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Would you play this mocked up Warcraft fighting game? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fan-artfan-mockupfighting-gamefighting-game-mockupmockupwarcraft-fighting-gamewarcraft-fighting-game-mockup (Elizabeth Harper) Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Community Blog Topic Results: How to get rid of funsuckers]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/community-blog-topic-results-how-to-get-rid-of-funsuckers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/community-blog-topic-results-how-to-get-rid-of-funsuckers/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/community-blog-topic-results-how-to-get-rid-of-funsuckers/#comments Community Blog Topic Results How to get rid of funsuckers Last week we discussed how to get rid of the funsuckers making our WoW time less enjoyable. There was quite a bit of discussion in the comments and we had one blogger address the issue as well.

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

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

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

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

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]]> featuredfishbowlgame-discussiongamer-discussiontribunalworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Robin Torres) Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Queue: My World of Warcraft and 151 nations]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/the-queue-my-world-of-warcraft-and-151-nations/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/the-queue-my-world-of-warcraft-and-151-nations/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/the-queue-my-world-of-warcraft-and-151-nations/#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. Adam Holisky (@adamholisky) will be your host today.

There's no end to the number of people who will tell you how to play this game. None. Even here, despite having a large audience of varying playstyles, we can let things slip through about the only way to do things.

You must raid to experience WoW, you must PvP, you must level your pets from 1-25 to be any sort of serious pet battler.

But you know what?

We're all full of a bunch of hot air. At the end of the day all we're able to do is give you what we think is the most fun way to enjoy WoW based on our experiences. The same goes for Ghostcrawler, Zarhym, Neth, Bashiok, etc... All they can do is tell you how they enjoy it, how they experience it. At the end of the day WoW is a highly personal experience, one that humanity hasn't had before. It's an entire virtual world, whose population would be the 91st largest country in the world (down from 74). Let that put the subscriber drop in perspective for you.

There are 151 real life nations that are smaller than WoW. And none of that matters, because it's your World of Warcraft. As in the rest of your life, make of it what you will.

Paul asked:

The latest scuttlebutt reported on the idea of a WoW film was that the project is in danger of being scrapped (yellow/red lighted) in the wake of the latest game news. It'll probably depend on what the future news is, but even the devs indicated they expect the population to continue declining over the next year; we'll probably never see a WoW film come to light.

Continue reading The Queue: My World of Warcraft and 151 nations

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The Queue: My World of Warcraft and 151 nations originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 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) Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Around Azeroth: Love and rockets]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/around-azeroth-love-and-rockets/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/around-azeroth-love-and-rockets/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/around-azeroth-love-and-rockets/#comments Around Azeroth Love and rockets THURSDAY Submitter Sporkwind of That Takes Effort on Terenas (US-A) was tired of his travel form not being able to keep up with his friends' mounts. So with the help of a local engineer, he retrofitted a rocket to fit his stag form's hooves. Sadly, his plan hit a snag when he tried to fuel up his rocket with grass and herbs, and discovered that a high-tech mount takes more effort to maintain than the organic kind. I can't tell who has the nastiest sneer on their face -- the rocket or the deer.

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

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Around Azeroth: Love and rockets originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 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) Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Wowcrendor: The nice guy behind the biting machinima]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/wowcrendor-the-nice-guy-behind-the-biting-machinima/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/wowcrendor-the-nice-guy-behind-the-biting-machinima/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/wowcrendor-the-nice-guy-behind-the-biting-machinima/#comments One might expect a machinimist to be come at you with a rather snarky, biting personality, especially a creator who's known for poking fun at WoW player stereotypes. Not so Wowcrendor. Wowcrednor's a nice guy in the true sense of the word. He also happens to be funny -- funny enough, in fact, that the list of posts of his WoW machinima here at WoW Insider goes on for pages and pages.

So how does a nice guy who has fun making video game machinima end up making a living at it? We wondered, too, so we asked -- and nice guy that he is, Wowcrendor spilled all the beans.

WoW Insider: So you're living the dream, making a living making WoW videos. Congrats! How has that changed the way you play the game? Things must be quite different now.

Wowcrendor: It is really a dream come true. One day you're sitting in a college math class writing scripts about Mankrik's wife, and the next you're making a living off it. I don't think I ever saw it growing to the point it's grown to, but I'm thankful for it nonetheless.

As for how it's changed the way I play the game, I think it's actually impacted me negatively, as odd as that sounds. Before I made videos about the game, my sole focus was just having fun or getting involved in the virtual world of Azeroth. Now that I do this as a living, it really shifts your mindset. If I'm playing the game, I'm constantly thinking if something could be made into a video instead of actually focusing on enjoying the game. For example, before I started making videos, I raided in every expansion. I enjoyed raiding and even got to raid with the guy who inspired me to start making WoW videos, a surreal experience at the time.

Continue reading Wowcrendor: The nice guy behind the biting machinima

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Wowcrendor: The nice guy behind the biting machinima originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> crendorfacebookfeedfeaturedmachinimaworld-of-warcraft-interviewswow-communitywow-interviewswow-peoplewowcrendor (Lisa Poisso) Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: What makes you love your favorite battleground?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/breakfast-topic-what-makes-you-love-your-favorite-battleground/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/breakfast-topic-what-makes-you-love-your-favorite-battleground/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/breakfast-topic-what-makes-you-love-your-favorite-battleground/#comments Breakfast Topic What makes you love your favorite battleground Alterac Valley sets my towers aflame. I fell in love with AV during classic WoW, in those sprawling, drawn-out matches that spun out over a day or longer. With a big map and plenty of time, you can savor the micro-encounters that make up a true battle -- that exquisitely frozen moment when you come face to face with an opponent behind a bunker, the off-objective chase that neither of you will give up, the "happy" grudges that leave you seeking out the same opponent the moment you respawn. I gulp down that stuff like water. Objective-driven play has its appeal, but it's the serendipitous moment of connection with the enemy that really turns my flag.

I have a friend who adores siege weaponry. For him, PvP queuing means a beeline for Wintergrasp, Strand of the Ancients, or Isle of Conquest. That's fine. While he's staying busy with catapults and cannon, I'll be slowly throttling some newly met nemesis in the somber shadows behind the keep.

What do you enjoy most about your favorite battleground? Is it something that's there by design, or is it some player dynamic or bit of byplay that fires you up?

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Breakfast Topic: What makes you love your favorite battleground? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battlegroundfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topics (Lisa Poisso) Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Your PvP Questions: Spell announcers, MMR and patch 5.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/your-pvp-questions-spell-announcers-mmr-and-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/your-pvp-questions-spell-announcers-mmr-and-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/your-pvp-questions-spell-announcers-mmr-and-patch-5-3/#comments Your PvP Questions
It's been a little while since I last did a PvP mailbag, and the emails have been piling up! So, if you have PvP questions, do drop me a line, I will do my best to respond to them, possibly in columns such as this one, or if I can fire off a quick email I will. Do note that I'm far from a PvP specialist in all the classes in WoW, and PvP questions which are class-specific would probably be better directed to the relevant class columnist.

Janrana wrote:

Hi Olivia, since reading about it a while back in one of your columns I've been a big fan of SpellAlerter, but it doesn't seem to have had any updates in a long while and is a bit broken for me. It doesn't seem to have all the spells any more and it also causes some errors to appear when it's on. Do you know of any alternative?

As it happens, I do! First and foremost SpellAlerter is alive and well... ish. It was updated for patch 5.1, but hasn't had any further updates since then. It still works at least fairly well, but I wouldn't rely on it completely. At least, it still allows you to set up custom alerts, so if there are spells it's missing you can add them in.

Continue reading Your PvP Questions: Spell announcers, MMR and patch 5.3

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Your PvP Questions: Spell announcers, MMR and patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> arenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvpmatch-makingmatch-making-ratingMMRpersonal-ratingpvp-guideratingteam-ratingwow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guide (Olivia Grace) Wed, 15 May 2013 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Dawn of the Aspects Part IV preview]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/dawn-of-the-aspects-part-iv-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/dawn-of-the-aspects-part-iv-preview/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/dawn-of-the-aspects-part-iv-preview/#comments Aspects For all you lore fans out there, Dawn of the Aspects Part IV will be available in five days, on May 20th. To tide us over, community manager Bashiok has posted a preview on the story forum, featuring our fearless dragon quintet facing an undead menace. I don't want to spoil too much for those who are waiting to read the whole thing once it's all finished, but as the penultimate addition to the story, there's some name dropping that might come as a surprise if you haven't been following along. The excerpt hints at some tense situations for the soon-to-be Aspects, and Ysera, in particular, plays an important part in this scene. There are even a few hints that she might have some kind of hidden, unexpected power, but we all know that's because Ysera is the best Aspect anyway. The position of my druid as my perpetual main has in no way influenced my opinion on this matter.

Make sure to check out WoW Insiders' reviews of the previous parts of Dawn of the Aspects. The full part four preview is the break, and keep your eyes peeled for Dawn of the Aspects Part IV.

Continue reading Dawn of the Aspects Part IV preview

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Dawn of the Aspects Part IV preview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dawn-of-the-aspectsday-of-the-dragondragon-aspectsdragonflightsdragonskalecgosrichard-knaakwow-lore (Sarah Pine) Wed, 15 May 2013 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New Hearthstone warrior card revealed]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/new-hearthstone-warrior-card-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/new-hearthstone-warrior-card-revealed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/new-hearthstone-warrior-card-revealed/#comments commanding shout Blizzard has been steadily tossing us tidbits of information on the upcoming Hearthstone game. Earlier this month they gave us a preview of the Void Terror warlock minion card and some instruction on when and how to use it effectively during a game. Yesterday they posted the warrior ability Commanding Shout, which makes your minions impossible to kill for the duration of your current turn.

I'm sure there are approximately a bazillion different situations in which this could come in handy, but what makes it extra appealing for the warrior is how it can be paired with mechanics that depend upon a minion receiving damage in order to reach their full potential. Got a berserker minion who gets +3 to attack after being hurt? Toss him Commanding Shout and you don't have to worry about him dying that round. Got your opponent's minions on the brink of death, but not sure you'll survive the next attack? Pair Rampage's +3/+3 with Commanding Shout and watch the other player squirm with impotent rage as you annihilate all their best-laid plans. What could possibly be more satisfying?

Check out WoW Insider's Hearthstone coverage for further information, and we all look forward to Hearthstone's release!

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New Hearthstone warrior card revealed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> card-gamecommanding-shouthearthstone-commanding-shouthearthstone-heroes-of-warcrafthearthstone-tcghearthstone-warrior (Sarah Pine) Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Celebrate Diablo's anniversary with demons rather than cake]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/celebrate-diablos-anniversary-with-demons-rather-than-cake/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/celebrate-diablos-anniversary-with-demons-rather-than-cake/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/celebrate-diablos-anniversary-with-demons-rather-than-cake/#comments Celebrate Diablo's anniversary with demons rather than cake
It's flown by, but believe it or not, Diablo III is a year old today! Blizzard Community Manager Lylirra has put together a special message on the Diablo forums about the special buff you can get in return for simply logging in to defend Sanctuary.
Lylirra
One year ago today, the gates of the Burning Hells opened and Diablo III was unleashed onto the world. Since then, millions of heroes have been created, billions of hours have been spent in games, and trillions of demons have been slaughtered without mercy. We've grown and improved a lot since release, both as a game team and as a community, and thanks to your feedback, passion, and unquenchable bloodlust, we expect the next year to be even more epic.

To celebrate this milestone and the community that made it possible, we're giving away free buffs! (Who doesn't like free buffs?) Players who log in to defend Sanctuary between May 15 and May 21 will receive a 25% boost to their Magic Find and +EXP stats. The buff is only available while logged in to the game, but it will apply to all characters as well as stack with other similar bonuses -- the +EXP bonus will stack multiplicatively and the Magic Find bonus will stack above the 300% cap!

This is somewhat similar to the buffs players can receive when it's WoW's birthday, so Diablo III fans can probably expect it to return every year. Happy birthday, Diablo!

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Celebrate Diablo's anniversary with demons rather than cake originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> diablodiablo-3diablo-iii (Olivia Grace) Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Why raiders and multiboxers are overestimated]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/why-raiders-and-multiboxers-are-overestimated/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/why-raiders-and-multiboxers-are-overestimated/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/why-raiders-and-multiboxers-are-overestimated/#comments Do you want to raid Do you multibox
Recently, Blizzard Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street tweeted the following:
This was something of a surprising tweet. Now, of course, there are several subjective notions in there, but it merits some discussion nonetheless. Firstly, what is considered the forum posting or tweeting community? It seems that this would simply be those who regularly contribute to either of those venues, putting it simply, and indeed those with whom he is in regular contact. Do you consider yourself part of either community? And why does that community overestimate the number of people raiding or multiboxing, if they do at all?

Confirmation Bias

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

Continue reading Why raiders and multiboxers are overestimated

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

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]]> ghostcrawlermulti-boxmulti-boxersraidraider (Olivia Grace) Wed, 15 May 2013 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Catching up with the lore for patch 5.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/catching-up-with-the-lore-for-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/catching-up-with-the-lore-for-patch-5-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/catching-up-with-the-lore-for-patch-5-3/#comments Okay, so let's assume for the moment you're interested in the advancing storyline for the Mists of Pandaria expansion as we head into patch 5.3, but are wondering if you missed anything or have just started leveling to 90 and want to make sure you get caught up with what's happening. Why is the Horde in such a tizzy? What's the Alliance planning to do? Who are the major players, and why are they doing what they're doing? Don't worry. We here at WoW Insider have been covering this all expansion, and we can help you get up to speed.

Continue reading Catching up with the lore for patch 5.3

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

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]]> catching-uplorepatch-5.3Patch-5.3-lorestorystory-so-far (Matthew Rossi) Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Gold Capped: Never scan the Auction House again]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/gold-capped-never-scan-the-auction-house-again/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/gold-capped-never-scan-the-auction-house-again/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/gold-capped-never-scan-the-auction-house-again/#comments Gold Capped Never scan the Auction House again DNP WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aims to show you how to make gold on the Auction House. Check out Basil's gold making podcast, Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail!

Have you ever scanned the Auction House with TradeSkillMaster (the best auction management addon, well worth the trouble of learning) and not gotten a complete scan? Maybe you see an error message and your crafting window starts displaying unknown materials prices, even though you can see the prices right front of you when you search? This is a bug that affects anyone on a realm with a lot of auctions (more than 42554, according to the TSM error message). In essence, the GetAll scan that's used to grab a dump of the AH in a few seconds can be incomplete if there are a lot of auctions.

As far as I know, the traditional scans are immune to this, but they take a lot more time; like 20 minutes instead of 20 seconds. Even if the scans work perfectly on your realm, scanning is still an extra step that you have to do every time you want to update the prices before you queue up your crafting list. Luckily, there's a way you can get up to date price information without ever having to scan the AH again.

Continue reading Gold Capped: Never scan the Auction House again

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Gold Capped: Never scan the Auction House again originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 42554-auctionsahauction-housecraftingdealfindinggetall-scangetall-scan-brokengoldgold-makingprofessionsscanscan-ahtradeskillmastertradeskillmaster-applicationtsmtsm-apptsm-bug (Basil Berntsen) Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Should you play a druid in WoW?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/should-you-play-a-druid-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/should-you-play-a-druid-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/should-you-play-a-druid-in-wow/#comments Should you play a druid in WoW Just getting started in World of Warcraft and not sure what you want to do? Or maybe you've been playing for a while but aren't sure which class you like best. We're here to help by taking a look at what each class can do and leading you to the right one. Today, we're talking druids.

Druids harness the powers of nature to help their friends or harm their foes. They wield can wield magic to harm like a mage or heal like a priest and can shapeshift into animal forms to dive into melee fighting. Like the monk and paladin, druids are a hybrid class that can fill any role in the game they wish: if you play a druid, you have the flexibility to do whatever you please. But are you up to the task of wielding the raw elemental power of nature? We'll take a look at just what druids can do and try to decide if it's the right class for you.

Continue reading Should you play a druid in WoW?

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Should you play a druid in WoW? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> classclassesdruiddruidsfeaturedguidehow-to-play-wownew-to-world-of-warcraftnoob-guiderookie-guideworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-helpworld-of-warcraft-noobsworld-of-warcraft-rookieswow-classwow-classeswow-druidwow-druidswow-getting-startedwow-guidewow-helpwow-noob-guidewow-noobswow-to-play-world-of-warcraft (Elizabeth Harper) Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider