Posts with tag quest

Completionists have lots of ways to obsess with the advent of achievements, especially those who simply must complete every quest -- the fastidious Loremasters of Azeroth. The really hardcore Loremasters have used mods to help them track what quests they have or haven't completed, but now Blizzard is giving them a new leg up when questing in Pandaria.

It was a little easier to keep track of your progress in Cataclysm's largely linear zones, but Pandaria's zones offer you more freedom in what you're completing and when. To that end, the world map now shows you nearby quests on the world map. It isn't zone-wide, but it does work in a fairly large radius around you, so if you're flying or riding around and check your map periodically, you can see any unclaimed and available quests.

It's worth noting that Pandaria's Loremaster achievements are based on quest lines completed, not an actual number of quests, but this should definitely help you track down each story to add that tick to your achievement.

---

It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

---

If you've been following the Mists of Pandaria beta at all, you may have heard that questing players discovered that they were only getting one choice for quest reward items. Many recent MMOs such as SW:TOR use this model; it's generally agreed that the system of multiple possible quest rewards is yet another "bad player trap," like Ghostcrawler described lots of talents pre-Cataclysm. Players can miss out on quest rewards accidentally, and since there's no in-game way of switching your quest rewards, well, that can be a headache (especially since reports say that GMs are no longer switching quest items for you).

When asked about the issue on the beta forums, Ghostcrawler offered a pretty reasoned explanation for the change. He says that most quests with green rewards will only give you one choice (that matches your current spec). However, there'll also be vendors in every zone from whom you can buy sets of gear that aren't quite up to the item level of quest rewards in that zone, so you can fill in itemization holes or help bolster an off spec a little more. Quests that offer blue rewards will usually offer rewards for any spec your class can be, giving you some flexibility when it comes to rare rewards. Also, Mists of Pandaria questing is more non-linear than Cataclysm's, so you'll be able to hit up a different zone in the event that you need gear for a specific level range.

Ghostcrawler's full response (and an image of one of the vendors) is after the break.

You know me, always looking to kill stuff.

Hear me out, though: I'm not saying we should kill repeatable questing here. Repeatable questing, first given to us in World of Warcraft with the inclusion of the Skyguard and Ogri'la questing hubs, was later expanded upon with the Isle of Quel'Danas as part of the Sunwell patch and has been with us ever since. Throughout Wrath of the Lich King and into Cataclysm, we've seen new daily quest hubs come and go. (Cataclysm currently has both Tol Barad and the Molten Front as hubs, plus other dailies for reputation factions such as the Therazane ones.) I'm not specifically arguing against the concept of having questing hubs that offer repeatable quests for a reoccurring reward.

I'm asking why must they be daily?

This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages.

Cataclysm revamped most of the old world zones in Azeroth, updating them for a post-Arthas world. While waiting for the expansion to officially drop, I began two of the new race/class combos -- an undead hunter and a dwarf shaman. The undead starting zones, starting with Deathknell all the way through the end of Hillsbrad Foothills, completely engaged and delighted me in their use of driving storyline, humor, and curiosity as to just what in the world is up Sylvanas' sleeve? Everyone should create a new undead character and experience these quests. At least go to Hillsbrad Foothills and do the chain that starts with you being a "quest giver."

On my dwarf shaman, things were going along smoothly, pleasantly -- no real outstanding quests, but no real duds either -- and then I got to Menethil Harbor. First off, the sheer devastation in the town itself is pretty eye-opening. Go swimming down around where the town used to be before it got flooded -- it's crazy. Then I talked to a familiar character sitting outside the inn who told a familiar story and had me go on an awfully familiar quest -- First Mate Fitzsimmons, who asks for a beer to embolden him, and then you go kill ghosts at the Cursed Fleet. "Hmm," you think, "wasn't this solved already for the past six years?" Yet you still go and complete the quest, because it's money and experience, and you turn it in expecting the same old, same old.

And then Blizzard throws a total left curve you never saw coming and which I will not spoil for you here, because you must go do the quest right this second if you haven't yet. It will blow your mind.

So which quest chain has astounded you so far?

---

This week's discussion topic will focus on pointing out the comic that you think has most improved over time. Feel free to illustrate your choice with a link to an early example and a link to a newer entry that really showcases the artistic development.

As always, leave any tips for new WoW-related comics in the comments section!

Heading into the first week of summer, here's your regularly scheduled comic relief:

• Beyond the Tree: I Spy, You Spy.
• Quest: Death Grip.
• WoW, eh?: Operation: Scorched Earth.
• Torment of the Week: Divine Plea Case.
• Awkward Zombie: Socket to Me.
• NPC: A Nice Night for a Stroll. Also: Mutation Sensation and Domineered.
• Coffin Comics: Timelost Lost.
• Daily Quest: Best Served Cold.
• Teh Gladiators: Attack of the Spin-Snatchin' Vallant Clone. Hit next to see part two!
• Byron, the Tauren Rogue.
• Tales from the Crossroads: Fishin' with DOD.
• Slash AFK: You Summoned? Also: No Girlie Stuff and Pets Rock.
• LFG #365 and #366.
• Dark Legacy Comics: Innovation.
• Out of World #19.
• Complex Actions: It's a Bear-Form Market.
• Equinox and His Drinking Buddy.
• Away From Reality: Broken Healer.
• K's Grab Bag: They've Eaten More....
• Guilded Age.

It's almost June, but where I'm living, it's been feeling like late July. I hope everyone has been out enjoying the weather, especially during this pre-Cataclysm slump. Before you head out today for your picnic, BBQ, walk in the park, or afternoon raid, SMF has quite a sizable list of comics for your enjoyment.

We even have two brand-spanking new-to-the-list comics this week, thanks to a couple of tipsters. Don't forget to make suggestions for comic inclusions in the comment section!

This week's discussion topic is a free-for-all. Talk about your favorite character, an artist's shading technique, suggest a future discussion topic, or whatever else is on your mind.

Welcome to the late-day edition of Sunday Morning Funnies! It's probably breakfast time somewhere, right?

This week's list is pretty long, but you can always help make it longer by dropping off tips about new WoW-related comics or ones that I've missed in the comments section.

This week's participation challenge: Which comic haven't you seen on the list lately (most likely because it isn't updating) that you really miss and why? My answer: The Scout Report and The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf.

Don't forget to list your favorite one-liner from this week's selection of comics!

Fun fact! Six comics on the list this week end their titles with an exclamation mark. Well, five, plus the fact that Byron, the Tauren Rogue, has one inherently.

You'll also find a couple of comics that are new to the list, and hopefully this will help dry your tears over your missing favorites. A surprising number of comic artists are too busy this week, but promise to be back soon.

Last week, commenters picked out their favorite one-liners from the selection of comics. This week, I challenge you to do it again; but this time, add in what you're doing, or what you usually do, while reading SMF.

It'll be like our own personal "state your name and tell us something about you" awkward round-the-table banter! Either that, or it'll strangely remind you of your Twitter feed. A random, confusing, but somehow hilarious phrase coupled with a TMI about your breakfast habits - how could it be wrong?

That, or you know, debate the merits of the new sparkle horse. Dealer's choice.

There are no newcomers to the list this week, but it does seem to have been overrun with bunnies. There is even an entry that was posted on a certain tricky day earlier in the month, so beware!

Don't forget to leave tips about WoW-related webcomics in the comments section, or send an email to the team.

As for last week's challenge, several people gave their opinions about the artwork from that week's list. Thanks for participating!

This week, drop in a comment describing your favorite line from any comic on today's list. Whether it is funny, awkward, or profound, we want to hear about it.

Happy holiday weekend - and Noblegarden, of course. This week's selection is pretty varied, although there are no newcomers this week. Only you can change this. Send us tips! Also, let everyone know if I missed an updated comic in the comments section. It happens.

Thanks to everyone who posted various comic archives last week for the perusal of those who hadn't heard of them.

For next week's challenge: What percentage of the comics listed will be about Noblegarden? Guess. Predict the future.

Challenge #2: I'll add a second one, since the first one is pretty... well, based in nothing. Whose artwork really struck you this week, and why?

This week's list is long and full of new things as well as old favorites. As always, if you have any tips, leave a comment. I'm always on the lookout for WoW-related comics!

Don't forget to read through the comments section; this week, there are a couple of comics that haven't updated. Often, the artists will stop by and leave a link if the comic was only a little bit late getting posted.

In a related note, Manic Graffiti is back sort of! It isn't on a regular schedule of updates, but every now and then, something will come up.

This week's challenge: In the comments section, leave a link or two from your favorite WoW-related artist, or for a comic that perhaps no longer updates; because if other people haven't seen it, it's new to them.

I've been laid up all week with a nasty case of the flu.

Fortunately, I think I have managed to avoid passing it on to anyone by staying indoors and suffering in silence. Here's hoping that all of your weekends have been better!

We have a couple of new comics to add to the list this week, as well as some updates from comics that only refresh sporadically. What do you guys think about the newbies?

To compensate for my lack of trivia inspiration this week, I shall send everyone "flu immunity" vibes. That has to be at least as good, right?

You'll also be happy to note that Battlemasters is back! Zack, coincidentally, had the flu a couple of weeks ago. Isn't spring wonderful?

There are a number of profession changes being introduced in patch 3.3.3. Most of these changes revolve around the speeding up process of crafting. For example, the cooldown and location requirements for Tailoring items like Moonshroud, Spellweave and Ebonweave? Gone!

Some craftable items have had their costs reduced.

More changes after the break!

Anne talked recently about all the bits and pieces that tend to accumulate in a packrat's bank vault, and I'm one of the guilty parties. I'm a hardcore collector of feral staves, tier sets, tabards, and assorted items that I just can't bring myself to delete (Seal of Ascension -- seriously, why do I still have this?). Unfortunately, the tendency carries over into quests as well. Over the course of doing Loremaster, I knocked off most of the older quests littering my log, and now I'm left with two. One's a nightmare to finish -- The Good News and The Bad News, which is part of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands line and an enormous pain in the ass due to the 10 Elementium Ores required. I've resigned myself to the quite-likely possibility that it'll be there for months to come.

The other one, much like the stuff clogging my bank, is something I can't force myself to drop. Echoes of War sent people to the original version of Naxxramas, and was required for the tier 3 questline. Incredibly enough, it was even shareable when Wrath came out, and our early Naxx raids at 80 had a good laugh over it. But I'm afraid to turn it in -- not just because the follow-up quest probably isn't there anymore, but also for some reason I don't think I can articulate very well. If I turned it in, I guess I'd feel like another little piece of old Azeroth was gone forever.

Do you have any quests like this sitting around in your log, and what keeps you from turning them in?

Yesterday, Bornakk said clearly that the Battered Hilt drop that starts the Quel'delar questline was dropping at the right rate, which is much less than when the patch first hit. And then of course, in last night's fixes, they went ahead and increased the drop rate anyway. He also claimed there were no plans to make it BoP, but who knows what'll happen in the future? For now, however, you can still buy and sell the quest item for quite a bit of gold. We'll have to see where the price eventually ends up -- on the staff here, we've seen anything from 8,000g to over 23,000g, and Twitter tells us that people are paying an average of around 12k or so, going up to as high as 30k (or even shady real money offers in online classified ads). Our own Matt Low has actually seen the drop three different times, and lost every roll. It drops off of any of the mobs in the Heroic versions of the Frozen Halls 5-mans, and as Bornakk says, any class can use it to come up with a pretty solid weapon, so the competition will probably keep the price high, depending on where the drop rate ends up.

The silver lining, if you really want one, have terrible luck, and don't ever expect to have all that money, is that the price will probably go down eventually. Bornakk says that as people move up into Icecrown and start picking up weapons that are even better than the sister blade, demand is likely to drop off a bit. But he also says that Blizzard does want this to be a special and relatively rare item, so you'll still have to probably either be lucky or ready to grind it out. Good luck -- I'm out there searching for one with you.