Skip to Content

WoW Insider has the latest on the Mists of Pandaria!

Posts with tag April-Fools

Zarhym on why Blizzard didn't do an April Fools joke

Zarhym talks April Fools
The observant among the WoW community will have noticed that, on the Warcraft side at least, Blizzard didn't put out an April Fool's joke this year. There was a little confusion surrounding this, as Crabby made a reappearance on the official forums, back for another year, and a really excellent piece of fan-created art depicting a Dark Ranger was doing the rounds. The Starcraft team documented the apparent return of the Warhound, and even implemented it in-game, re-skinning all your workers as Warhounds.

And while some of the WoW community were happy to amuse themselves with ElvUI's Harlem Shake, or Wowhead's PTR patch notes, others grew increasingly angry that the WoW team hadn't put together a prank for this most foolish of days. Blizzard Senior Community Rep Jonathan "Zarhym" Brown took to Twitter, and to the official forums, to attempt to explain the absence of any seasonal folly.

All his posts are after the break, but the long and short of it is that, firstly, while some ideas had been bandied about, nothing had really stuck, and secondly, the team who usually work on the April Fool's jokes had been rather busy with other things. What other things could possibly have taken priority? Maybe Hearthstone itself, the Hearthstone website, or the recent revamp of the shop page, given how Zarhym explains the teams' roles.

It seems like Blizzard can't win: last year there were complaints that they wasted Developer time on April foolishness, this year, complaints that they didn't. What's your take on it? Did you wish they had done something? Or would you rather they spent time designing real content? Hit the break for Zarhym's posts.

Read more →

Filed under: News items

The Queue: Vicarious adventures

The Queue
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.

If you're the sort of person that likes mobile games, pick up Dungeon Village. Build and maintain a village to attract adventurers, who will spend their hard-earned gold pieces on your fine wines and steaks!

It's fascinatingly fun in the same way that Recettear turned out to be.

Patrick asked:

So...why did Blizzard not have an April Foolz prank this year? Was it just a matter of focusing on their work? I'm actually totally fine with that, but it made me sad.

Read more →

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue

April Fools' Day comes to the PTR courtesy of Wowhead

April Fools' Day comes to the PTR courtesy of Wowhead
If you haven't had enough of April Fools' Day quite yet -- and in light of Blizzard's joke no-show this year, maybe you haven't -- you'll enjoy Wowhead's celebration of this silly holiday in the form of what they tell us is new information about patch 5.3 on the PTR. So just what have we got to look forward to? We think the highlight is the new Earth Week holiday, in which we'll be cleaning up Azeroth and battling the forces of evil otherwise known as The Crown Chemical Co. We'll also be fighting a new boss called the Sky Sludge, which drops five epic rings that seem awfully familiar. But if that doesn't strike your fancy, there's also new cosmetic armor and auras, in-game Hearthstone, and the delicious-looking Doritos Locos Feast.

And, while we are pretty sure this is all a joke, Blizzard has been known to have a strange sense of humor before...

Filed under: Humor

Do the Harlem Shake with ElvUI for April Fools' Day

The above video shows what awaits for ElvUI users when they log in today. I must say, I've been using addons and UI mods for years now in WoW, but as one YouTube commenter says, "Trolled by an addon, that's a first for me." Personally, I got a good kick out of seeing this on my main and I'm looking forward to logging onto my alts, at least just to see my dwarf scream "DO THE HARLEM SHAKE" to Zangarmarsh.

However, for those ElvUI users among you who may have been less than diligent about keeping on top of updates - and who can blame you really, I swear ElvUI goes out of date every three days - it seems that instead of the Harlem Shake, you get a message saying all your gold has been donated to the Orgrimmar orphanage. I personally can't confirm this, because for once I did update my UI as soon as it said to. Let us know if you can confirm/deny the orphanage joke!

Big thanks to @Vixsin_LiG5 for bringing the video to our attention, as well as the other commenters who tipped us on ElvUI's goofy prank. Happy April Fools' Day!

Filed under: Humor

The Queue: No April Fools' gags here

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.

You all keep wondering what our April Fools' Day gag is this year. We don't have one! Seriously! For serious. Serious serious.

thebl4ckd0g asked:

anybody else fought one of the legendary battle pets, but gotten absolutely nothing after beating them? I fought the fish one in kun-lai, beat him 3 times in a row, but got nothing. No loot. No gold. Not even xp for my lvl 24 pet.

Read more →

Filed under: The Queue

WoW Archivist: Blizzard's April Fool's jokes are more real than you think

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

It all began in 2003, when Blizzard announced pandaren as a playable race -- for Warcraft III. This never happened, of course. The announcement was an April Fool's joke. But you know that someone at Blizzard back then really wanted to play as a panda. Nine years later, with the Mists of Pandaria expansion, we can all be pandaren now.

When Mists was first revealed, the outcry from some in the community was fierce. Much of it centered around how "pandaren were just an April Fool's joke." Most of us, I would hazard to guess, have been won over by them in this expansion. With their incredibly deep history, love of life/beer, and gorgeous architecture, not to mention the amazing voice acting and animations that bring them to life, the pandaren have been a bigger hit for WoW than many ever imagined they could be.

In 2004, a playable goblin tinker for Warcraft III was another April Fool's joke. An overwhelmingly enthused response for playable tinkers led to Blizzard adding them to the game.

Given the origins of the pandaren and goblin tinkers, it's safe to say that any April Fool's joke that Blizzard has done over the years could one day spawn a tangible addition to the game, or perhaps a spinoff under the WoW brand. Let's look back at Blizzard's WoW-related April Fool's jokes to see which ones could be the next to become real -- and which ones already have.

Read more →

Filed under: WoW Archivist

Blizzard Entertainment introduces Blizzard Kidzz!

Blizzard Entertainment has just announced a new line of educational games for children of all ages, involving plenty of favorites from the Blizzard universe of games. For Warcraft fans, keep an eye out for The Westfall Trail, in which kids ages 6 and up can lead a band of settlers from Lordaeron to Westfall while learning about the history of Azeroth -- as long as you avoid catching dysentery, of course.

And if it's typing skills you're looking for, Zergling Teaches Typing should be right up your alley. There's even a playable demo of the game available on the official site. Yep, with Blizzard Kidzz, your child can play all the games their heart desires -- and learn while doing it, too!

Filed under: Blizzard, Humor

Breakfast Topic: Has your opinion about the pandaren changed?

The introduction of the pandaren to World of Warcraft as a playable race has finally arrived, after years of requests. Fans split into different camps. Some love the idea of having the pandaren race in WoW, but others still believe the pandaren to be an April Fool's gag and nothing more. Now that the beta has arrived, we've had a much better look at our new pandaren allies.

While not the strongest supporter of the pandaren in the beginning, I was of the mindset that it wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing added to WoW, so I wasn't going to complain. In a world where cow people walk side-by-side with the living dead and green linebackers from outer space, panda people didn't seem like too much of a leap of logic.

Actually seeing the implementation of the pandaren, though, changed my mind about them -- the realization of the idea rather than the idea itself is what allowed me to accept the thing.

Now that the pandaren are out in the wild, has your opinion about them changed? Were they once a jokey race now elevated to nod-worthy status? Do you need more time to see where Blizzard develops the pandaren story? Have pandaren not moved on your radar?

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

WoW Archivist: Patch 1.11 for fools

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

Today's Archivist topic would have been a grand one to save for the next April Fools' Day, but that's half a year away! Sticking strictly to chronological patch order, what the heck, let's just tackle it today. In the early months of 2006, World of Warcraft players were eagerly anticipating patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolis, which would implement the original 40-man version of the Naxxramas raid. On April 1, 2006, former Blizzard community manager Caydiem decided to go fishing for trolls: She posted what is known as Evil Patch Notes.

Some of the false patch notes released for patch 1.11 on April Fools' are timeless, immediately obvious jokes that just click, even five years later. Others are relics of their time, references to popular complaints and hatreds of 2005 and 2006. Players who have only just started playing World of Warcraft in the last year or two may not understand them at all. Others, years later, are closer to the truth than Caydiem may have ever expected.

Patch 1.11's Evil Patch Notes will now be presented in full, where they may speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Read more →

Filed under: WoW Archivist

Breakfast Topic: How did you like our April Fools' Day joke?

You know, we've had a pretty good run of April Fools' Day jokes here on WoW Insider. A few years back, it was HKO Insider. Last year, for the space a few hours each, we devoted ourselves to the love of Mass Effect, Lady Gaga, Twilight, and Muscle March, among others.

But this year just took the cake. I can't tell you how proud I am of the entire team for working so hard to pull it off. From our columnists to our editors, we all worked so incredibly hard, and I'm sure if you were watching the site yesterday, you have to agree: It paid off. This was most definitely our best April Fools' Day joke of all time.

So here's my question: What did you think of our joke this year? What was your favorite moment? I'd share mine, but it was all so amazing, that picking just one thing would be a total Sophie's Choice.

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

Blizzard's April fools introduce you to Crabby the dungeon helper and more

In traditional fashion, Blizzard has delivered up some pretty funny April Fools' Day gags for fans today, including personal favorite Crabby the Dungeon Helper. This year's jokes are great, and Blizzard always knows how to spend the day poking at fans and having a good time.

Check out all the info on the new Tomb of Immortal Darkness, StarCraft Motion Experience, Crabby the Dungeon Helper, and the new Horadric Cube smartphone app.

More after the break.

Read more →

Filed under: Blizzard

WoW Insider Show Episode 134: On that genocidal note...

Every week, we present you with the WoW Insider Show podcast -- an hour's worth of WoW community discussion, covering everything from the week's top stories here on WoW.com to emails from our readers to what's been going on with our particular characters in Azeroth.

Along with your hosts, WoW.com editor Michael Sacco and contributing editor Matthew Rossi, we also feature rotating guest hosts, whether regular WoW.com contributors or personalities from other sites.

Want to have your question answered on the air? Email theshow@wow.com!

Today's show features:
Get the podcast:

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

Listen here on the page:

Filed under: Podcasts, WoW Insider Show

April Fools EPEEN meter now a reality

We all saw this coming. When April Fools jokes and pranks have any basis in the real world, someone, somewhere is going to make it a reality. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone -- E.P.E.E.N. meters are becoming a reality.

Addon developer suicidalkatt has created a theme for TidyPlates that mirrors Blizzard's own April Fools creation, the Equipment Potency EquivalencE Number addon. You can pick it up here at WoWInterface. The addon requires Gearscore to run, as it uses the player's value from Gearscore to scale your bar. Just make sure to select the EPEEN theme on TidyPlates after you download and install the theme.

stolenlegacy over at WowAce has also begun work on his very own E.P.E.E.N. meter. The addon is in its very early stages of inception, but I can't imagine it will be anything less than amazing.

Personally, I am very excited. My number will most likely be gigantic (and not compensating for anything, whatsoever). With a true E.P.E.E.N. system in place, maybe we can finally kill GearScore once and for all. Rather than be judged by a number cobbled together from disparate item values, we can be judged by the size of a bar cobbled together from disparate item values.

All kidding aside, I am happy that World of Warcraft's user interface allows for fun stuff like this to become realized and that Blizzard has a good sense of humor when it comes to the addons the community could potentially come up with. While we're on the subject of bringing April Fools jokes to life, can we get another petition going for two-headed ogres?

Filed under: Blizzard, Add-Ons

[1.Local]: Yo, it's April, fools!


Reader comments -- ahh, yes, the juicy goodness following a meaty post. [1.Local] ducks past the swinging doors to see what readers have been chatting about in the back room over the past week.

April Fool's Day around WoW.com usually means bracing for impact with emails and comments from nerd-raging readers who haven't ... quite ... caught on that there's something special going on. This year, though, you all really outdid yourselves. You played along! You danced, you sang, you /fishslapped, you showed us your sunflowery sunny dispositions, you popped back in every two hours like clockwork to see what new havoc was going on. Special thanks go to Kelly Aarons and Zach Yonzon for oudoing themselves on the fabulous artwork, and three cheers to Justin Glow for helping us change out the site header every two hours. Gather 'round for a group hug, everybody -- ya'll are an awesome bunch.

Sedirex: All 5 iterations had their own logo, top stories, and hot topics (on the right). The evil part of this joke is that if you're like me, you felt obligated to check every 2 hours to see them, as, unlike the posts, they don't remain after the site changes focus again.

Jayfitty: That was actually a pretty awesome routine. I'm not sure how I feel about so much turmoil happening here at WoW.com. Hopefully we can just settle on one type of Insider and commit to that. Every time the website changes I have to update my wardrope, Facebook page, Twitter and haircut to reflect said changes. And to go from Edward hair to Gaga hair in one day isn't easy.

Read more →

Filed under: [1.Local]

WoW.com's April Fools Round-up

April Fools! Or at least it was yesterday. Some love the pranks, some find the pranks boring, some wish to see the pranks fall down a dark, dark hole, never to return, possibly to be eaten by a grue. Regardless of your personal feelings on the matter, we've gathered a short list of Blizzard and WoW-related pranks across the web:

Blizzard Pranks

Other WoW-related sites

  • El's Extreme Anglin': El reports on the latest Cataclysm feature: Aquariums!
  • MMO-Champion/Paragon/Premonition: MMO-Champion breaks the news that Paragon will be moving to US servers come Cataclysm and merging with the US Guild Premonition. Sponsored by AXE!
  • Nihilum: Nihilum breaks some rules and brings us screens and video from the Cataclysm alpha
  • Wowhead: Wowhead, er, TACOhead brings news of a new in-game item, the Hellfire Kickin' Taco Supreme!
  • Tankspot: Tankspot announces their change to Farmspot
  • Warcraft Pets: Breanni fills us in on some new non-combat pet... er... features coming out in Cataclysm
  • World of Raids: World of Raids reports on the new Observation Deck and Spectate features coming in Cataclysm
  • The Guild: The Guild proudly announces its new foray into the world of animation!
  • Curse.com: Curse.com fills us in on Cataclysm -- exclusively available for the IPad
  • WoW.com: And of course, there's us. Our day was filled with takeover after takeover, from Twilight to Muscle March to Saturn Six -- we've decided to return to WoW news. For now...

Love them or hate them, at least they're done for the year, right? Now we can all breathe a sigh of relief and start believing what we see again. Did you laugh? Did you see a clever prank we missed? Or did you hide indoors all day and fervently wait for it to all be over? Let us know -- and check out the gallery below for screenshots from the various sites listed above!

Filed under: News items, Humor

Around Azeroth

Around Azeroth

Featured Galleries

Running of the Orphans 2013
World of Warcraft Tattoos
HearthStone Sample Cards
HearthStone Concept Art
Yaks
It came from the Blog: Lunar Lunacy 2013
Art of Blizzard Gallery Opening
It came from the Blog: Pandamonium
The gaming artwork of Jessica Dinh

 

Categories