WoW Insider

WoW Insider's patch 5.3 news roundup

(Elizabeth Harper) — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

You've heard that patch 5.3 is arriving this week, but do you know just what is in store? There's been a lot of news, but we'll point you towards the highlights so you can get up to speed and into patch 5.3's new content immediately.

From Blizzard

Interviews

Continue reading WoW Insider's patch 5.3 news roundup

WoW Insider's patch 5.3 news roundup originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patch 5.3's pet battle changes

(Chase Hasbrouck) — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:00 EST

If you haven't caught the pet battle fever yet, now's a great time to start. New rewards make pet battles a great way to help earn some of your raiding currency, such as Valor Points or Lesser Charms, and mechanics changes make the whole system more transparent and less frustrating.

New rewards

Tired of killing daily quest mobs for VP? Why not pet battle for it? All of the master tamers in Pandaria, as well as the Spirits and Beasts of Fable, now offer daily quests for their defeat that offer the standard XP, 5 VP and 2 Lesser Charms per turn-in. The Beasts of Fable quest has been split into three parts, giving you a total of 14 pet battles you can do daily for VP, charms, and a chance at a battle-stone.

Those battle-stones should be more common as well, with "bad luck protection" added to the game. Every bag without a battle-stone increases the chances of the next bag containing one. If you're using pet battles to level alts, all the pet battle daily quests now award XP as well. All of these quests now show up on the map, so you can find them easily.

Continue reading Patch 5.3's pet battle changes

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

Patch 5.3's pet battle changes originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How long are you willing to wait for a group to form?

(Kristin Marshall) — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:00:00 EST

In the leveling homestretch, I tend to follow a pattern. My main goal is to boost my ilevel as soon as I hit 90 to get in on Raid Finder. Although, once I get there, I end up feeling bitter because waiting in a Raid Finder queue isn't fun. Even if you're not into Raid Finder, WoW presents players with plenty of opportunity to wait around at some point -- battleground and dungeon queues, or even sticking around for a PUG to come together.

As a tank on my main, I groan when thinking of entering Raid Finder, mainly because of the wait. There are only two tank roles, after all. With the new loot specialization coming to 5.3, players looking to win tank gear have hope of a less painful wait in a DPS role, at least. Even if you're used to the long wait, everyone has a limit. I remember waiting as a tank in a Raid Finder queue for an hour and forty minutes. I'm not usually willing to wait that long. I'm relatively comfortable with waiting about thirty to forty minutes before moving on.

When it comes to PUGs, I'm quite patient, usually waiting longer than I probably should. In a PUG, I tend to have a personal connection to at least one of the other players in the group, so I'm not quick to leave.

How long are you willing to wait, whether it be for a dungeon, Raid Finder, battleground, or a PUG? While in queue, how do you pass the time? I usually find myself completing dailies or battling pets. But at what point do you throw up your hands and leave?

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Mists of Pandaria

How long are you willing to wait for a group to form? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What new players need to know about WoW patches

(Elizabeth Harper) — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:00 EST

If World of Warcraft had but one holiday, it would be Patch Day: the glorious Tuesday (or Wednesday) in which the WoW servers go down for maintenance but come back online brimming with new, unexplored content. If you're new to World of Warcraft, or MMOs in general, you may not entirely understand all the fuss the community makes over patches. So just what is a patch? Why are they so important? And how can you get your hands on one? We'll do our best to explain.

What is a WoW patch?
Did you know we're playing version 5 of World of Warcraft right now? It's true: Version 1.1 was World of Warcraft's launch client and every expansion since has bumped the version number up a full number, while each patch release is a decimal place. The original game went up to patch 1.12 (the 1.1 launch client and 11 patches after), Burning Crusade (2.0) had a scant 4 patches, Wrath of the Lich King (3.0) had 3, Cataclysm (4.0) had 3, and Mists of Pandaria (5.0) is about to see the release of its 3rd patch, patch 5.3. These days, patches are coming more quickly than ever and we have no idea how many patches to expect before the next expansion arrives.

Continue reading What new players need to know about WoW patches

Filed under: WoW Rookie

What new players need to know about WoW patches originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Moviewatch: Not All Roleplay is Serious - Episode 7: NOOB

(Michael Gray) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

Work Warning: Minutely blue humor found herein.

It's been a while since we've seen a new video from Nixxiom (also known as SilverlinedPro). That makes this delicious bit of machinima even more tasty. With a somewhat painful look on those first seconds of a Tauren roleplayer's life, Not All Roleplay is Serious - Episode 7: NOOB demonstrates only the finest irony of a beginning roleplayer. Watch your flags!

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.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Not All Roleplay is Serious - Episode 7: NOOB originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live video interview with Ghostcrawler and Brian Holinka

(Olivia Grace) — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Today starting at 3pm Eastern time, Blizzard Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street, and Senior PvP Designer Brian Holinka will be interviewed live on video over at Gamebreaker.tv. You can watch the stream above, where they will discuss upcoming PvP and PvE changes in patch 5.3, with Gamebreaker's Gary Gannon, and WoW Insider's Olivia Grace.

If you miss the live interview above, it will be replaced by the stream recording once it is uploaded, and you can also watch it on Gamebreaker's site. WoW Insider's Anne Stickney also interviewed Ghostcrawler, talking about patch 5.3, from a more PvE-focused angle.

And If that isn't enough patch 5.3 information you can check out all WoW insider's patch 5.3 coverage, as well as our write-up of Convert To Raid's earlier interview with Lead Encounter Designer Ion Hazzikostas. The fansite interviews are coming in thick and fast, with patch 5.3 launching tomorrow in the US and Wednesday in the EU.

Filed under: Blizzard

Live video interview with Ghostcrawler and Brian Holinka originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blood Pact: Catching up on Patch 5.3

(Megan O'Neill) — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill is free to pet battle all day, e'ry day.

I tried to gauge when Patch 5.3 would hit so that I'd end the series on World of Logs just in time, but unfortunately I overestimated and the new patch has cut me off. With my original plan of posts, I'd be a week short, but now...uhhhh it might be a halftime break.

In case you've missed the World of Logs posts so far, here's a recap:

A brief overview of ranking and the combo of how to tell what warlock or pet you would or should be looking at,
Looking closer at some of the graphs on World of Logs, and
How to use the buffs and debuffs graph to gauge proper cooldown or proc usage, as well as a basic understanding of what stats (for trinket procs) do for each spec.

I intend to explore some warlock-specific examples using the expression editor to dive deep into the combat log, but I'm not sure I can fit it all into one post. I'll finish the series off with a deeper look at the damage done tables and how the spells spread for each spec in general raid encounter styles.

But this week? This week is a little shorter and lighter while we go over what Patch 5.3 means for warlocks.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Catching up on Patch 5.3

Filed under: Warlock, (Warlock) Blood Pact, Mists of Pandaria

Blood Pact: Catching up on Patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drama Mamas: Conflicting personalities

(Robin Torres) — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:00 EST

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.

This week we have two letter writers having personality conflict problems with fellow guildies.

Hello Drama Mamas,

Long time reader, first time writer. I'll keep this as short and sweet as I can. My problem arises from two things 1. a misunderstanding between two guildmates and 2,) limited activity.

A guild mate and I, in an out of game chatroom, have had some misunderstandings. While I attempt to not bring said things up in game, believing that OoGD (Out of Game Drama) remains OoGD, I am worried that this person should we have to work together, or talk to one another would shun me and be very nasty to me. A point I brought up to one of the Officers and explained that I wasn't sure if I was good a fit in the guild do to the "limited activity." The Officer told the GM, and that was when that whole mess got started. He put most, if not all, of the blame on me even though I had screen shots to prove otherwise. I have tried to smooth things over, even apologizing, and tried to explain to the GM what was going on-with the screenshots-only to be rebuked and told off, presumably (though I don't know for certain as they are good friends) with the other person also told off.

Continue reading Drama Mamas: Conflicting personalities

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Drama Mamas

Drama Mamas: Conflicting personalities originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officers' Quarters: 9 new guild activities in Mists

(Scott Andrews) — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

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.

Mists of Pandaria has given us some fantastic raiding experiences -- it's easy to forget just how many activities this expansion currently offers. Much of this new content is either group-oriented or can become group-oriented if you want to make it so. With Mists' third content patch set to go live tomorrow, now is a great time to look at some of the many guild activities that are possible in this expansion. Here are nine ideas that go beyond raiding.

1. Earn your Stormbreaker titles.

Some of the achievements for this meta can only be accomplished solo, but many of them are much easier with some help -- and some all but require it. The summoned elites for It Was Worth Every Ritual Stone, for example, mostly require a group to take down. Some classes can't solo Tak'u with all of his powers active if they can't dispel his robust HoT for Our Powers Combined.

Ready for RAAAAIIIIDDD?!?ing is rough to solo. It can be accomplished most easily right after a server reset, but with a raid group you skip that hassle. Every roach squished counts for everyone in the raid.

Continue reading Officers' Quarters: 9 new guild activities in Mists

Filed under: Officers' Quarters (Guild Leadership)

Officers' Quarters: 9 new guild activities in Mists originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Queue: Patch 5.3 comes

(Alex Ziebart) — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:00 EST

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.

It's Monday. I'm tired. Let's do this.

Nocjin asked:

Are there any icons you've spent years not knowing what they actually are? It took me about 4 to realise that the cleave icon was not a parrot, and that there's a hand in the holy fire icon.

Continue reading The Queue: Patch 5.3 comes

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue

The Queue: Patch 5.3 comes originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around Azeroth: I hate your stupid face

(Elizabeth Wachowski) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:00 EST

Everyone might be focused on unseating Garrosh Hellscream right now, but there are still a few Alliance folks who aren't too happy with Varian Wrynn. But they can't exactly start a revolution, not with the Horde threatening and all those damned Stormwind guards hanging around. So what are they to do? Why, slap a humiliating mask on the king! Ha ha! Look at that big orange frown! Sure, you'll be dragged to the dungeons and executed the next day, but it's totally worth it. (Thanks to Dukii for the screenshot!)

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.

Filed under: Around Azeroth

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Patch 5.3 and more with Ghostcrawler

(Anne Stickney) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:00 EST

In case you hadn't heard the news, patch 5.3 is set to hit live servers tomorrow. While 5.3 doesn't include a new raid, there are a host of different new activities, including four new scenarios, heroic scenarios, a ton of pet battle changes, and of course the advancement of Mists of Pandaria's storyline as the heat ramps up between Alliance, Horde, and an outlier faction of Horde rebels. It's back to the Barrens again -- and this time, Crossroads isn't the area of contention.

But on top of all of the new content comes a ton of different class and content changes as well. We sat down to chat with Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street about patch 5.3's changes, as well as some upcoming changes for patch 5.4, response to subscription losses, Vengeance changes, that big unannounced feature we've all been dying to hear more about, and much more.

Continue reading Patch 5.3 and more with Ghostcrawler

Filed under: Interviews, Mists of Pandaria

Patch 5.3 and more with Ghostcrawler originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: Should alts remain secondary to a more developed main?

(Lisa Poisso) — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Ready to move all those alts through Mists of Pandaria? The XP reduction for levels 85 to 90 in patch 5.3 isn't something I'm particularly excited about. Leveling goes more than quickly enough for my taste. It's the part of the game I'm enjoying most these days, so why would I want less of it?

At its most basic, pushing players through the levels is a matter of character focus. In Mists of Pandaria, WoW turned away from spreading its affections amongst the so-called stable of alts in favor of encouraging a single main character. That's a compelling approach for players like me who enjoy running down the side streets and back alleyways of gameplay in search of every last way to improve a character. Players who leveled up during Blizzard's later era of streamlined leveling, however, are used to cutting a direct line to the finish with an expectation that they'll be able to maintain multiple characters all the way through the endgame.

What do you think about swinging the focus back to a single main character? Do you think bringing alts up to the same level of development as a main character should be easy, making them true alternatives to your primary character? Or should alts remain easy to level but harder to fully round out at 90?

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

Breakfast Topic: Should alts remain secondary to a more developed main? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: Celestials, Ancients and Aspects

(Anne Stickney) — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

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.

Last week, we took a tinfoil-hat look at the Curse of Flesh and why, exactly, that strange curse came to be. We also took a look at theories behind why the Titans didn't simply wipe the Old Gods out of existence -- and in what order Azeroth's creation took place. If you haven't read last week's offering, I'd suggest doing so now, because the theories I'm going to present today tie into that material. While the Old Gods have been pointed out time and again as being on Azeroth since the dawn of time, there are other creatures with just as lengthy a history.

The Ancients are, as their name suggests, ancient -- and the Celestials of Pandaria seem to be just as ancient and wise. These creatures are all there to supposedly help the mortals of Azeroth and protect the world from harm. In the War of the Ancients, many of these odd demigods helped the kaldorei fight off the Burning Legion, and with a great deal of success. In Pandaria, the Celestials have their own curious methods of helping out the world -- after all, it was the Jade Serpent who told Emperor Shaohao of the sha, albeit indirectly.

So who are the Celestials? Who are the Ancients? And how do they tie into that weird mystery that is Azeroth?

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition, meaning the following is a look into what has gone before with pure speculation on what is to come as a result. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.

Continue reading Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: Celestials, Ancients and Aspects

Filed under: Lore, Know your Lore

Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: Celestials, Ancients and Aspects originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Moviewatch: Moves

(Michael Gray) — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:00:00 EST

It's not the Dance Studio but Moves by Oveoflod serves up the kinds of dance we've always wanted to see. When you start the video, make sure you give it a few second to get into the groove. This absolutely fantastic dance video serves up the rhythm, rattle, and ... well, just watch it. Moves will be the Dance Studio of your imagination.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Moves originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patch 5.3 PTR: Battle on the High Seas overview

(Anne Stickney) — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

One of my favorite scenarios to this day is Unga Ingoo. It's not because it has any major lore significance, some major story reveal that was shocking or inspired. It's not because it had any kind of meaningful impact on what we're doing right now, or on the leveling experience itself. No, the reason I love Unga Ingoo is because ships, ropes, and beating up pirates are all ridiculously fun things. Even more so when the pirates are monkey pirates.

In patch 5.3, we're getting four new scenarios -- three of which are interesting from a lore perspective, and one of which, Battle on the High Seas, is just a rollicking good time. There aren't any lore reveals. There's nothing in the scenario to further the story of patch 5.3, or lead into patch 5.4. The only thing Battle on the High Seas offers is the opportunity to smack the heck out of the opposite fashion in true swashbuckling style ... and honestly, that's more than enough reason to do it as far as I'm concerned!

Please note that this is being written from the Horde perspective of the scenario. I'm assuming that the Alliance side is much the same, just with a role-reversal involved.

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

Continue reading Patch 5.3 PTR: Battle on the High Seas overview

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Mists of Pandaria

Patch 5.3 PTR: Battle on the High Seas overview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Queue: Yeah

(Anne Stickney) — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

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 actually feeling not quite so death-warmed-over today.

If there is ever a day where the last second of the above video is no longer funny to me, I don't think I want to live to see that day.

Yeah.

@thingwhatwows asked via Twitter:

how close to 90 is close enough for my alt(s) to ding when 5.3 hits?

It's being reduced by 33%. So ... 33% from level 90? I'm not sure. Look, math is not my strong suit and I've been under the weather all week, here...

Dobablo asked:

Do the the High Elves have any sort of rep at Alliance meetings? Alleria is missing. Veressa acts mostly as Jaina's majordomo, I thought maybe Archmage Evenshade but he is a Highborne not a High Elf. I guess that leaves either Talthressar or Cpt Auric Sunchaser although the former is likely to be busy looking for his parents while the later has left Outlands and was involved with the Quel'Delar chain at the Sunwell.

Continue reading The Queue: Yeah

Filed under: The Queue

The Queue: Yeah originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Morning Funnies: Gratz

(Amanda Miller) — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Each week, SMF is placing a regularly updating WoW-related web comic under a spotlight. This week's feature is Gratz:

Gratz is a humorous comic by Lackinganame (Jason Nebeker). It is a relatively new comic, and family-friendly. It's fun and a great one to check out each week if you enjoy watching an artist evolve.

It began as a few character sketches and evolved into a full story-based comic. It features five main characters: Vancore (a leader, hero), Starfire (gifted, insightful druid), Red and Green (brothers; jokers, trouble-makers), and Gorak (wise, grandfather-figure, trainer, aging leader).

Gratz Genesis was written from 2009-2011 but not published until 2012, when the artist was able to devote more time to the comic. This is also when Gratz Transition was born, which not only features the characters as older, but also an updated art style.

Gratz updates Mondays, usually with 3-4 pages (and sometimes more!).

Continue reading Sunday Morning Funnies: Gratz

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Sunday Morning Funnies: Gratz originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around Azeroth: The feline reaction to Patch 5.3

(Elizabeth Wachowski) — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:00:00 EST

As long-time readers may remember, sometimes on Sundays we like to run pictures from that strange, high-definition world outside Azeroth. This photograph was taken by Ginei of Desert Rats on Blackhand (US-A) and it captures her cat Zoe attempting to drown herself in a World of Warcraft beer glass. Presumably she just heard the news that Patch 5.3 will be released on Tuesday, and thus she will not be receiving any petting for the next month since her owner will be too absorbed in the game. Or maybe there's Bailey's Irish Cream in the glass. Cats go crazy for that stuff.

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Filed under: Around Azeroth

Around Azeroth: The feline reaction to Patch 5.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: Do you WoW-craft?

(Elizabeth Harper) — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Some people are just driven by the need to make things, whether it's art, writing, or any other kind of craft. World of Warcraft certainly seems to have a wealth of crafty types, who use their skills and expertise to do everything from making shoes to sewing adorable plushies to truly amazing cosplay. But while there are plenty of crafty players, not everyone has the talent or inclination. So tell us, do you World of Warcraft craft? If so, what's your craft of choice and why?

And, for those of us with neither crafting inclination or talent, well, we can always enjoy the work of others -- or just enjoy playing the game!

Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Arts and Crafts

Breakfast Topic: Do you WoW-craft? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Moviewatch: Arm of Hades: Thundercats

(Michael Gray) — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

This is a shot-for-shot recreation of the opening to Thundercats. David Nguyen did an astounding job of the video. It makes me both want to play WoW and watch the cartoon. It's just awesome. But there's more.

This is the kind of machinima and community involvement you hope to see. David directly credited Fifth Element for inspiring the video. It's always incredibly astounding to see machinima creators respond to one another this way. Congratulations to both David and Fifth Element on creating a cartoon machinima legacy.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Arm of Hades: Thundercats originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 18 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Anticipating patch 5.3

(Michael Gray) — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion

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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The Queue: This is Bashiok's fault

(Anne Stickney) — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: The Queue

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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The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Warrior representation

(Matthew Rossi) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: Warrior, Analysis / Opinion, (Warrior) The Care and Feeding of Warriors, Mists of Pandaria

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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Patch 5.3 PTR: The Secrets of Ragefire overview

(Anne Stickney) — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Mists of Pandaria

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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Around Azeroth: The last island in the world

(Elizabeth Wachowski) — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: Around Azeroth

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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Breakfast Topic: How do you show your WoW?

(Elizabeth Harper) — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics

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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Patch 5.3 to arrive on May 21st

(Elizabeth Harper) — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:24:00 EST

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

Filed under: Blizzard, News items

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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Weekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChat

(Michael Gray) — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

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:

Ill-gotten goods go to charity
Free comics!
Would you play a WoW Fighter game?
Level your professions in Pandaria!
The mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
Patch notes!
Is it ready to drop yet?

If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, News items

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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The best fight from Wrath of the Lich King

(Sarah Pine) — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Wrath of the Lich King

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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WoW Machinima: Hockers

(Michael Gray) — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:00:00 EST

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!

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

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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University of Texas and Blizzard COO Paul Sams launch game design academy

(Elizabeth Harper) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:00 EST

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.

Filed under: News items

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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This crochet worgen will growl its way into your heart

(Elizabeth Harper) — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: World of WarCrafts, Arts and Crafts

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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Phat Loot Phriday: Unborn Val'kyr

(Michael Gray) — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

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.

Filed under: Phat Loot Phriday

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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Patch 5.3: Latest PTR build is a release candidate

(Olivia Grace) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

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.

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.

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

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

(Robin Torres) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 EST

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?

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion

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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Ghostcrawler on Vengeance and patch 5.4

(Matthew Rossi) — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

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.

Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Warrior, Analysis / Opinion, Raiding, Death Knight, Monk, Mists of Pandaria

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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The Queue: Who do you call

(Anne Stickney) — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: The Queue

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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Around Azeroth: Death is but the next great adventure

(Elizabeth Wachowski) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:00 EST

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

Filed under: Around Azeroth

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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Tom Chilton chats about what's coming in patch 5.3

(Elizabeth Harper) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EST

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?

Filed under: Blizzard, Interviews, Mists of Pandaria

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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