WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.Know Your Lore: Otherworldly mysterieshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/09/know-your-lore-otherworldly-mysteries/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/09/know-your-lore-otherworldly-mysteries/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/09/know-your-lore-otherworldly-mysteries/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

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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.

Draenor has always interested me. Note that I didn't say Outland, which is a part of the former world Draenor. While Outland itself is very interesting in its own right, one of the things I find fascinating about Draenor is that we do not know what it looked like. While we have a good understanding of one large continent (of which most survived as Outland), we don't know the entirety of that continent, nor do we know whether or not any other pieces of the lost red world survived.

What we do know is that Draenor died when Ner'zhul, the former elder shaman and de facto ruler of the Horde remnants that survived Gul'dan's treachery and Doomhammer's defeat, tried to use stolen magical artifacts to open portals to new worlds, hoping to find one to lead his people to settle on. He did this because the warlock magics taught to Gul'dan by Kil'jaeden had effectively rendered Draenor unlivable.

While Draenor was the homeworld of the orcish people, who evolved there, it was not named by them. Rather, it was the draenei fleeing the Burning Legion who gave the world its name. Draenor means "exile's refuge" in the eredun language. In addition, it was the arrival of the draenei and the naaru that led to the entrenched ancestor worship of the orcish people, as K'ure's tomb in Oshu'gun (the remains of the draenei vessel) attracted the spirits of the deceased to it. In turn, these spirits deliberately created a religion among their own descendents that would venerate K'ure's resting place, weaving orc and draenei together spiritually.

Draenor was a world of its own, and we barely knew it. And it's not the only world we know about in the Warcraft cosmos with strange, unexplained mysteries.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Otherworldly mysteries

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Otherworldly mysteries originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 09 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>AncientDraenorfeaturedGromguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guideOld-Godsrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideSargerasSatyrTitansworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 09 May 2012 12:00:00 ESTTotem Talk: Solving the problem of Maelstrom Weaponhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/totem-talk-solving-the-problem-of-maelstrom-weapon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/totem-talk-solving-the-problem-of-maelstrom-weapon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/totem-talk-solving-the-problem-of-maelstrom-weapon/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The default Blizzard power aura for Maelstrom Weapon
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement, and restoration shaman. Once a lonely tauren shaman in a bad Scarlet Crusade-themed transmog set, Josh Myers is now a female dwarf shaman with pigtails who raids using all three specs on a regular basis. He kept the same transmog set, though.

When I try to think of what enhancement's most iconic ability is, a few come to mind. Windfury Weapon is a definite contender, and three or four years ago it would have been my default response. Seriously, though, what is Windfury other than a glorified auto-attack with an attack power bonus and a lower chance to miss? Likewise, Stormstrike could be iconic, but it's essentially a melee attack with both weapons with an electric graphic and a debuff. It's enhancement's Mutilate or Obliterate.

To me, Maelstrom Weapon is the answer. If there's one ability that encapsulates what enhancement is -- a brutal melee class that weaves instant spellcasts between their weapon strikes to harm their opponent or heal themselves -- I believe it's Maelstrom Weapon. It's enhancement's Death Strike, Arcane Blast, Chakra, or Raging Blow -- abilities that, at a glance, offer an insight into what makes the spec different from other specs in their role.

There's a problem here, though. If Maelstrom Weapon is enhancement's iconic ability, why is it currently so awful?

Continue reading Totem Talk: Solving the problem of Maelstrom Weapon

WoW InsiderTotem Talk: Solving the problem of Maelstrom Weapon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 05 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>elemental-blastenhancement-shaman-dpsenhancement-shaman-totem-talkfeaturedguide-to-shamansideas-for-a-better-maelstrom-weaponmaelstrom-weaponshaman-guideshaman-infoshaman-talentstotem-talk-enhancementtotem-talk-enhancement-shamanwhy-maelstrom-weapon-needs-helpwow-shamanwow-shaman-infoJosh MyersSat, 05 May 2012 16:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: Fire stolen from heaven, fire stolen from hellhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/know-your-lore-fire-stolen-from-heaven-fire-stolen-from-hell/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/know-your-lore-fire-stolen-from-heaven-fire-stolen-from-hell/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/know-your-lore-fire-stolen-from-heaven-fire-stolen-from-hell/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

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.

When you think about Azeroth as of right now, in a way, the stage has been set for some massive changes to the status quo. I mean, seriously, contemplate the following:
  • Ragnaros the Firelord, ruler of the Firelands and mastermind behind the invasion of Mount Hyjal and power behind the Molten Core, has been ultimately defeated in his own demesne, and the fire elementals are now scattered and leaderless. They pose little threat to the world for some time to come.
  • Likewise, Al'Akir's servants can call for his aid, but he's not likely to answer, having himself been deposed and slain alongside his son Thunderaan and even powerful servants like the Conclave of Wind and Prince Sarsarun. The air elementals are even more disrupted than those of fire.
  • Neptulon the Tidehunter may not be dead, but he's currently missing, having been seized by Ozumat and taken elsewhere, his ultimate fate as yet unknown. The naga invaded the elemental plane of water itself and may well still be there alongside the faceless ones.
  • While Therazane the Stonemother herself endures (the only elemental lord to still rule a plane), Deepholm itself has suffered much throughout the Cataclysm. Not only did Deathwing shatter the World Pillar (it was repaired, but for a time the Maelstrom threatened to collapse into Deepholm and Azeroth along with it), but wars broke out between the Twilight's Hammer and the servants of Therazane as well as the stone troggs and the earthen. Meanwhile, a titan designed waygate leading directly to Uldum was found.
  • With all of this, one might almost forget that the Destroyer himself, Deathwing, has met his own end at last. In addition, the four remaining dragon aspects (Nozdormu, Alexstrasza, Ysera and Kalecgos) have lost some measure of their former titan-bestowed power -- at least their immortality, and possibly more. With Deathwing's death, the Twilight's Hammer cult (the main instrument of the Old God's will on Azeroth) has also suffered greatly, their forces destroyed, their leaders such as Cho'gall, the Twilight Prophet and lesser lights like Warmaster Blackhorn.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Fire stolen from heaven, fire stolen from hell

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Fire stolen from heaven, fire stolen from hell originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 02 May 2012 13:00:00 ESTBreakfast Topic: The insomniac's dilemmahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/breakfast-topic-the-insomniacs-dilemma/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/breakfast-topic-the-insomniacs-dilemma/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/breakfast-topic-the-insomniacs-dilemma/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

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OK, so I have a weird sort of problem. When I can't sleep, I tend to run pickup groups, doing anything from starter Cataclysm dungeons to the Hour of Twilight heroics. I freely admit I go in there to cut loose, maybe get some shards out of the deal, and play around with specs that are suboptimal for raiding to see if I can shake them around and get some idea of how well they can perform. As an example, I'm learning that Single-Minded Fury can burst pretty high with the right cooldowns and gearing.

That's not my problem, however.

My problem is that I'm an irascible old grump who kind of enjoys it when a group is full of jerks so I can just be as big a jerk back. And lately, that's not happening. I've had nothing but good behavior from you guys. Even the runs where the tank can't hold aggro or the healer doesn't seem able to keep us up or the other DPSers seem to have forgotten where their buttons are, everyone's so apologetic and civil about it that I have to wonder: What happened to all the buttheads? I mean, I'm the guy who used to get heroics with tanks who had a racist macro on their Avenger's Shield! I'm the guy who couldn't zone into a dungeon without the tank asking me if I had a tank set on me, or the healer telling us all that he or she was simply too drunk to type and was gonna try and remember his or her keybinds.

Did those people all leave? Because lately, everyone's being so nice that I'm kind of confused. When I cut loose on Archibishop Benedictus, people go out of their way to compliment me. When I slapped on a shield and taunted the adds when the tank died on Queen Azshara, the group praised me. Praised. Who are you people, and what have you done with my usual pickup groups? If this keeps up, I'm going to have to be nice to people by default.

How are your pickup groups progressing?
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.

WoW InsiderBreakfast Topic: The insomniac's dilemma originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredfriendlinessgame-discussiongamer-discussionHour-of-TwilightmannersPick-up-Groupspickup-groupspickupspolitenessworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsMatthew RossiTue, 24 Apr 2012 08:00:00 ESTDid flying mounts ruin Azeroth?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/did-flying-mounts-ruin-azeroth/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/did-flying-mounts-ruin-azeroth/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/did-flying-mounts-ruin-azeroth/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

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The question of whether flying mounts may have ruined Azeroth is a hard question for me to even posit, because I love flying mounts. I love being able to fly right over things that annoy me, drop right in on quest objectives and soar right out again. I loved that we could finally fly in Azeroth when Cataclysm shipped, and I was absolutely in favor of being able to use my flying mount to skip over stuff I disliked when questing and leveling up.

But it's worth considering: Did that convenience that I so love come at too high a cost? Did being able to fly over obstacles keep me from appreciating how much detail went into the zones? Did it ruin world exploration, something that a lot of players got a lot of enjoyment out of for a great deal of vanilla WoW's run? Did incorporating flying mounts into Azeroth, in addition to forcing a complete redesign of the world, also end up stripping out interesting and cool places you had to really work at to find and visit? Let's discuss the pros and cons.

Continue reading Did flying mounts ruin Azeroth?

WoW InsiderDid flying mounts ruin Azeroth? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>explorationflightflight-in-azerothflyingflying-mountszone-designzonesMatthew RossiMon, 23 Apr 2012 17:00:00 ESTShould transmogrification change the way lockouts function?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/should-transmogrification-change-the-way-lockouts-function/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/should-transmogrification-change-the-way-lockouts-function/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/should-transmogrification-change-the-way-lockouts-function/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

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I've admitted to my transmogrification habit on a few occasions now. One of the things that it's brought to my attention is that I really, really hate heroic lockouts on content I can easily solo -- like all The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King heroic 5-man dungeons, for instance. Let me tell you a true story.

I have been running heroic Azjol-Nerub once a day for a week now. Every day, I zone in, kill everything in my path like an unstoppable juggernaut of death, reach Anub'arak himself and crush his carapace with wrenching blows from my two gigantic swords, then peel open his husk to find the same exact drops, none of which are a plate helm. It's annoying because it only takes five minutes to do, but I can't devote, say, a half-hour to doing it six times because it's a heroic and locks me out for an entire day. I find this absurd. I especially find it absurd because it's not as if older heroics get a lot of at-level use nowadays. People who ding 80 don't queue up for heroic Azjol, they go to Hyjal or Vashj'ir.

Nowadays, these older dungeons serve purely as repositories of fashion, clothing dispensers we run in order to assemble a look. Well, OK, some of them also serve as a source of frustration when a mount doesn't drop. At any rate, what purpose does it serve to lock up these dungeons behind the mantle of "heroic" and apply the lockout to them when no one runs them when they're anything like a challenge anymore? There's already a system in place that keeps you from running a dungeon too many times within an hour; that should be sufficient for these dungeons. I understand leaving raid lockouts in place, but not 5-mans.

Yes, there could be twinking imbalances here for people who froze their XP, but frankly, if some level 70 or 80 twink can get a level 85 or 90 (in Mists) to carry him to gear, it doesn't really bother me. We've already stated numerous times that the game isn't balanced for PvP at lower levels, let's embrace it. These dungeons aren't heroic anymore. Let's let reality reflect the changing game -- and more important, let's let me get my freaking hat.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.

WoW InsiderShould transmogrification change the way lockouts function? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>heroicheroic-lockoutstransmogtransmogrificationMatthew RossiSun, 22 Apr 2012 20:00:00 ESTA beginner's guide to getting started in WoW Lorehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/a-beginners-guide-to-getting-started-in-wow-lore/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/a-beginners-guide-to-getting-started-in-wow-lore/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/a-beginners-guide-to-getting-started-in-wow-lore/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Truth is, I enjoy World of Warcraft's lore, which is why I write about it for the site alongside Anne Stickney. But I understand why a setting that's been around since the original Warcraft: Orcs vs. Humans can be daunting to new people trying to understand what's going on. Why does the human king have scars on his face, and why is this orc with giant tusks on his shoulders so upset about everything? Never fear, it's really not all that complicated. Here, we're going to discuss some ways for people who haven't really had a chance to get invested into the lore to start figuring out who those people are and what they're on about.

My first suggestion to you is, when you're playing WoW, start clicking on books. There are books all over the game world, in various dungeons, out in the open, hidden away in corners in inns and cities. If you see one, click on it. Hidden in all these books are stories about the world of Azeroth. You can get surprisingly caught up on the basics just via this exercise. Also try to click on plaques on statues and in structures. The statues in front of Stormwind have small plaques on them that tell you exactly who these are statues of and why they were placed there.

Continue reading A beginner's guide to getting started in WoW Lore

WoW InsiderA beginner's guide to getting started in WoW Lore originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>beginnerfeaturedguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiThu, 19 Apr 2012 20:00:00 ESTComplexity of systems and player retentionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/complexity-of-systems-and-player-retention/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/complexity-of-systems-and-player-retention/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/complexity-of-systems-and-player-retention/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

If you don't read Cynwise's Warcraft Journal, you probably should. Cyn's been doing an excellent series of posts about warlocks in Cataclysm that are interesting and thought-provoking -- even if, like me, you're not a warlock and don't really know much about the class. For me, one of the most striking tidbits was that rogues are the second-to-least-played class overall, but the second-most-played class in high-end PvP, implying that people only play rogues to PvP. There's a lot of interesting data in there about class representation, role representation, and who is playing what and at what levels.

The post that really grabbed my attention was this one about warlock complexity in Cataclysm because it highlights an extreme form of something we've talked about before, the design philosophy that argues for increased complexity in a character's suite of abilities. In its simplest form, it can be summed up as the hitting buttons is fun argument, although at the extreme Cyn describes for warlocks, it becomes a game of if X, then Y that resembles programming your first computer in Basic. If you remember making a chain of dirty words scroll on a loop up the screen, congratulations on being old with me.

Cyn's comparison of the destruction rotation in Wrath and Cataclysm shows a rotation with seven elements mushroom out to one with 14 elements to remember and consider. That if X, then Y flowchart just got as complex as a subway map. In my experience, all DPS rotations in general have a little bit of this kind of gameplay nowadays. The difficulty is in hitting the sweet spot where the rotation is designed so that random elements or procs serve to liven up an otherwise predictable set of abilities (providing the fun in the hitting buttons scenario) without making a rotation so complex you need six to seven addons to help you plot it out.

Continue reading Complexity of systems and player retention

WoW InsiderComplexity of systems and player retention originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ComplexityCynwiseCynwises-Warcraft-JournalHitting-buttons-is-funPaladinPaladinsRotationRotation-ComplexityWarlockWarlocksWarriorWarriorsMatthew RossiSat, 14 Apr 2012 18:00:00 ESTHow do you take your lore?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/how-do-you-take-your-lore/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/how-do-you-take-your-lore/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/how-do-you-take-your-lore/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

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A couple of weeks ago, I did a Know Your Lore about Varian Wrynn. This is guaranteed to get you guys worked up, by the by. Varian is one of those characters that sharply divides the player base. Some think he's an unthinking racist, others a brutal savage, still others an interesting character -- and yet again, some like him and think he's an excellent king for Stormwind and leader for the Alliance. In that post, I pointed out how active Varian has actually been since taking the throne of Stormwind, and a few of you made a good point.

A great deal of that activity has taken place in books or short stories or the comic. In game, he's only really left Stormwind three times. Granted, one of those times was the Battle for Undercity, where he and a dashingly handsome draenei warrior carved their way through tunnels full of undead. Still, it's a fair point. If you really want to know Varian, you have to do a lot of homework. Some players play WoW and that's it. If it doesn't happen in game, it doesn't happen. I can relate, as I'm still bummed that Cairne died offscreen, in a book. I wanted to be there to say goodbye to the character, and I still feel a little cheated.

On the flip side, of course, some people ignore things like quest text, flavor text, and cutscenes but will actually sit down and read a leader short story or a book. I know that I've had spirited lore discussions with folks in my guild, yet every time we jump down from the airship onto Deathwing's back, we're escaping out to get to the fighty bits. So having lore in a form disconnected from the gameplay gives those folks a chance to experience it without feeling like they have to choose between them.

So which do you prefer? Do you want it to happen in the game, or are you happy with tie-ins?
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.

WoW InsiderHow do you take your lore? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiSat, 07 Apr 2012 16:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: Never to rise againhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/know-your-lore-never-to-rise-again/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/know-your-lore-never-to-rise-again/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/know-your-lore-never-to-rise-again/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

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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.

There will be spoilers for the revamped Scholomance Mists of Pandaria heroic in this post.

Arthas Menethil is dead.

He's not just dead; he's really, most sincerely dead. He is no more. He has ceased to be. Bereft of life, yes, but as Sylvanas Windrunner saw during her own recent experience in Northrend, he does not rest in peace. The Lich King lives on in the form of Bolvar Fordragon, but Arthas? Arthas is dead. No king rules forever.

And yet Arthas' hand reached far across the world before he died. Even before he became a Lich King, Arthas forever warped the world of Azeroth. Even before his soul was blasted and rent asunder by Frostmourne and he became a servant of the then-Lich King, the former Ner'zhul, Arthas destroyed a city by his own hand and his own will. What Arthas did can never be truly undone. As much as they hate him, the Forsaken of Undercity owe their freedom from the Burning Legion to Arthas' move against the Dreadlords following the Battle for Mount Hyjal. As much as she hates him, Sylvanas owes not only her current existence but the val'kyr that have twice raised her from death to Arthas.

Unlike Tinfoil Hat KYLs, this particular post is speculation and rumination without a theory to support or prove. It's musing on the nature of undeath, the role of the Lich King, the discordant notes and unreliable narrators of this particular part of the story. It asks several questions and does not have any answers to them.

Does Bolvar Fordragon sit alone atop the Frozen Throne? Does Sylvanas Windrunner rule herself? Can we trust the val'kyr's word? And if Arthas Menethil still existed within the Lich King, holding the Scourge in check, then what did Tirion Fordring destroy in the Cathedral of Darkness? What of Matthias Lenher?

I have no answers but many questions.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Never to rise again

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Never to rise again originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ArthasBolvarfeaturedFrostmourneguideguide-to-loreIcecrownIcecrown-Citadellorelore-guideQuelthalasrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideSylvanasTerenasUtherworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 04 Apr 2012 13:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: The hour of the kinghttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/know-your-lore-the-hour-of-the-king/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/know-your-lore-the-hour-of-the-king/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/know-your-lore-the-hour-of-the-king/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

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.

The King of Stormwind wears the crown on a troubled brow. He inherited the mantle as a child, not through a peaceful succession but through bloody violence and the destruction of his home. He wore it in exile and only came home with the death of the man who saved him and carried him away from the sight of his entire world burned to the ground. His entire life has been shaped by violent loss, by tragedy and death -- his mother dead before he even knew her, his father murdered and butchered in front of him, his replacement fathers cut down, his wife taken from him in a moment's passing by an errant rock thrown from a mob.

His early rule was most notable by his lack of desire to actually do much rulership, busying himself by riding the land in search of his father's killer or drifting though a haze of loss after his wife's death, a haze seized upon and manipulated by someone who was supposed to be a close advisor. The circumstances of his disappearance from the throne and his return have been discussed in detail. For now, all we need to do is accept that they did little to encourage him to view the throne as anything but a responsibility to be maintained in the face of constant peril.

Following the Northrend campaign and its heavy cost both to King Varian and the kingdom as a whole (Bolvar's death, as well as the many deaths at the Wrathgate; the invasion of Undercity and the destruction of Putress; Horde troops ambushing Alliance forces engaged with the Scourge; the astonishing cost in lives and resources), it would have been difficult for either the King or the kingdom to quickly recover. The eruption of Deathwing and the Cataclysm he caused did not allow the luxury of time. Reeling from one blow, they suffered another and another.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: The hour of the king

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: The hour of the king originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Anduin-LotharAnduin-WrynnfeaturedGaronaGarroshguideguide-to-loreKing-Varian-Wrynnlorelore-guideOrgrimmarrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideVarian-wrynnworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 28 Mar 2012 14:00:00 ESTIs it time to kill daily quests?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/is-it-time-to-kill-daily-quests/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/is-it-time-to-kill-daily-quests/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/is-it-time-to-kill-daily-quests/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

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?

Continue reading Is it time to kill daily quests?

WoW InsiderIs it time to kill daily quests? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>daily-questsisle-of-quel-danasmolten-frontqueldanasquestquestingTolucaMatthew RossiThu, 15 Mar 2012 20:00:00 ESTWouldn't this be cool? The dark trolls and the underworldhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/wouldnt-this-be-cool-the-dark-trolls-and-the-underworld/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/wouldnt-this-be-cool-the-dark-trolls-and-the-underworld/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/wouldnt-this-be-cool-the-dark-trolls-and-the-underworld/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If you didn't read Mat McCurley's post about another draenei ship (and you should), the premise of this little series of ours is to explore things we'd like to see added to the game. While there are a lot of Outlandish and otherworldly elements to World of Warcraft, not every exciting piece of unexplored content is on the other side of a portal or infinite gulfs of darkness away. Some are right on Azeroth, just waiting to be explored.

Ever since I played Warcraft III, I've wondered about the dark trolls. They're the tallest race of trolls, they live on Mount Hyjal, and according to the World of Warcraft Magazine, the dark trolls are ancestors to the night elves, making them a kind of living link to these two species. Supposedly, many dark troll settlements have been wiped out by the Twilight's Hammer in recent months as part of their assault on Mount Hyjal, but that's no reason we couldn't see them make a return.

Possibly even an angry return.

Continue reading Wouldn't this be cool? The dark trolls and the underworld

WoW InsiderWouldn't this be cool? The dark trolls and the underworld originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>anchormandarkfallElunehybridtrollsTrolls-Elves-EvolveUndergroundwouldnt-this-be-coolMatthew RossiThu, 23 Feb 2012 16:00:00 ESTBlizzard celebrates 7 years in Europe with 50% off for a limited timehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/blizzard-celebrates-7-years-in-europe-with-50-off-for-a-limited/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/blizzard-celebrates-7-years-in-europe-with-50-off-for-a-limited/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/blizzard-celebrates-7-years-in-europe-with-50-off-for-a-limited/#commentsFiled under: ,

EU players will be happy to know that for the seventh anniversary of World of Warcraft in Europe, Blizzard has slashed the price of World of Warcraft yet again, bringing the cost of WoW down even lower for a limited time. Remember, United States and assorted North American nations, these are EU copies and versions of the game.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- lowering the cost of the barrier to entry to WoW is not a choice but rather a grave necessity. When 90 levels starts looking like a lot of content and too big of an endeavor for a new player, it doesn't matter how good the 85-to-90 content is, because people will never see it. The last thing you want is for price to be an issue when there are so many other factors to consider about the relative uniqueness of the MMO industry.

Here are the EU seventh anniversary sale prices:
  • World of Warcraft Battle Chest EUR 7,49 £4.99
  • World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King EUR 9,99 £7.49
  • World of Warcraft: Cataclysm EUR 14,99 £12.49
  • World of Warcraft mount: Celestial Steed mount EUR 10,00 £8.50
  • World of Warcraft pet: Lil'K.T. EUR 5,00 £4.50
Hit up the EU Blizzard store to get these deals while they last.
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

WoW InsiderBlizzard celebrates 7 years in Europe with 50% off for a limited time originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battlechestcataclysmcelestial-steedcelestial-steed-saleeueu-saleeuropeeurope-wow-salehey-portlandia-had-a-character-named-sparkle-ponyit-makes-sense-if-you-think-about-itlil-ktportlandia-and-azeroth-are-the-same-universesparkle-pony-discountwowwow-battlechestMathew McCurleyFri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 ESTWould removing legendaries be a benefit for the World of Warcraft?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/would-removing-legendaries-be-a-benefit-for-the-world-of-warcraf/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/would-removing-legendaries-be-a-benefit-for-the-world-of-warcraf/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/would-removing-legendaries-be-a-benefit-for-the-world-of-warcraf/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Tarecgosa, Dragonwrath's namesake
It's very hard to imagine a Cataclysm without legendary items. Despite the fact that it wasn't introduced until six months into the game's existence, Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest has become a staple item in every progression raiding guild's repetoire. The Fangs of the Father, Golad and Tiriosh, have only recently started to actually appear in game, but every week from now on will see more and more being finished.

Coming hand in hand with these legendary items are the issues of imbalance that they cause. In PvE, terminology has started to crop up that puts legendary and non-legendary DPS into two separate categories of competitiveness. Concepts exist such as "enhancement shaman are currently one of the top non-legendary DPS specs..." -- a category that encompasses only 10 of the 22 DPS classes in the game. In PvP, concerns about burst damage have arisen, which was a big factor in the nerf to DTR that came in 4.3.

The issues with legendaries

Legendaries cause a balance problem, and that's a problem that's been exacerbated by two things in Cataclysm: a horrifically wide spread of specs that can use them, with 12 specs or five classes in total having access to legendary weapons right now, and incredible ease of access to legendaries (for the heroic raider).

Continue reading Would removing legendaries be a benefit for the World of Warcraft?

WoW InsiderWould removing legendaries be a benefit for the World of Warcraft? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Ateishdragonwrathdragonwrath-tarecgosas-restDTRfangs-of-fatherfangs-of-the-fathershadowmourneshould-legendaries-existSulfurasthoridalthunderfuryvalanyrvalanyr-hammer-of-the-ancient-kingswarglaiveswarglaives-of-azzinothwhy-does-wow-still-have-legendarieswow-legendary-itemsJosh MyersFri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 ESTOptional boss modes making a comeback in Mists of Pandaria?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/optional-boss-modes-making-a-comeback-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/optional-boss-modes-making-a-comeback-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/optional-boss-modes-making-a-comeback-in-mists-of-pandaria/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Kaivax hit the forums to answer a player's question about Ulduar and talk about the fondness the dungeon has retained amongst the playerbase and where the optional boss modes have gone. Back during the first half of Wrath of the Lich King, "choose your own difficulty" encounters and in-fight hard mode triggers were staples of the encounters in Ulduar and the Obsidian Sanctum. When Trial of the Crusader launched, Blizzard implemented the UI-based difficulty toggle. Players have expressed desire to return to the old days, feeling that the toggle method is just too robotic when encounters could be designed around cool difficulty-swap mechanics. In his post, Kaivax hints that the design teams are thinking about bringing back these mechanics for some fights in the upcoming expansion, Mists of Pandaria.

Rather than selecting a normal or hard mode toggle before pulling an encounter, Ulduar raid groups were tasked with completing different objectives during the encounter or defeating the boss mechanics in a different order to activate hard mode. Famously, players would press a large red button behind Mimiron labelled "DO NOT PUSH THIS BUTTON," activating the encounter and a rather angry Titanic watcher. Other fights during Wrath of the Lich King such as Freya and Sartharion featured a "choose your own difficulty" mechanic wherein the player's choices before the encounter increased or decreased the boss' overall difficulty. Harder combinations of abilities would yield more impressive items.

Will Mists of Pandaria bring back our beloved "choose your difficulty" encounters and in-fight hard mode triggers? I know I'd like to get another Sartharion-style encounter, especially with mount rewards like the original provided.

Read the full blue post behind the break below.

Continue reading Optional boss modes making a comeback in Mists of Pandaria?

WoW InsiderOptional boss modes making a comeback in Mists of Pandaria? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>choose-your-own-difficultyfreyahard-modehard-mode-bossHard-mode-toggleheroic-modeheroicskaivaxmimironsarthariontoggletoggle-modeulduarMathew McCurleyThu, 26 Jan 2012 16:30:00 ESTOl' Grumpy and the return of class-based questshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/ol-grumpy-and-the-return-of-class-based-quests/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/ol-grumpy-and-the-return-of-class-based-quests/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/ol-grumpy-and-the-return-of-class-based-quests/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Hi, I'm Ol' Grumpy. You may remember me from such posts as every single other post with "Ol' Grumpy" in the title. Today, since I have this incredibly uncomfortable rocking chair to sit on, I figured I'd grump about class quests and why I think they should come back.

Back in the day (that day being 2004 to 2005), I leveled the first of many warriors to the experience cap of level 60. At that time, one of the things that set the warrior class (and other classes) apart was a long, involved quest line that sent you all over Azeroth to gather materials and finally face and defeat Cyclonian. As a result, you gained one of three iconic weapons. (Most people took the axe. As a human at the time, I took the sword.) This extremely long quest line took you from Fray Island to the area north of Tarren Mill and then to Arathi Highlands (giving them a reason to exist) and Stranglethorn Vale before bringing you back to face Cyclonian. It was a rite of passage for a leveling toon. As a 60th-level, 70th-level and then an 80th-level warrior, I would often go back and help warriors on the quest to defeat Cyclonian, who posed an extreme challenge to anyone attempting to solo him.

I lamented the removal of class-specific quests at the time it was announced. Now, over a year later, I still think removing them was a mistake. Being soaked in ancient wisdom like a turkey soaked in ancient wisdom, here are my reasons.

Continue reading Ol' Grumpy and the return of class-based quests

WoW InsiderOl' Grumpy and the return of class-based quests originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>classclass-questclass-questscyclonianfangsfangs-of-the-fatherlegendaryqueldelarMatthew RossiThu, 26 Jan 2012 15:00:00 ESTPermanent price cuts to WoW expansions in the EUhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/permanent-price-cuts-to-wow-expansions-in-the-eu/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/permanent-price-cuts-to-wow-expansions-in-the-eu/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/permanent-price-cuts-to-wow-expansions-in-the-eu/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Blizzard has just announced permanent price cuts to the Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm expansions in the EU for 2012. What seems to be a push for easier accessibility to WoW, Wrath now costs only €19.99, down from €34.99 and Cataclysm is now €29.99, down from €34.99. Whether or not these deals are coming to the United States is not known at this time, but I can't really understand why they wouldn't. Getting your WoW account up to date has never been cheaper, and Blizzard is making sure the barrier to entry is as low as possible for new players.

Permanent price cuts for WoW expansions in 2012
Great news for all Blizzard fans! From today, our latest games are available at retail and on the Blizzard Store at new, permanently low prices. You can now get Wrath of the Lich King for a mere €19.99 and Cataclysm for just €29.99. There's never been a better time to grab the games you might have missed out on before. Just click here and celebrate the New Year by taking advantage of our new reduced prices. Still don´t have World of Warcraft? Now you can get the full game and all expansions for cheaper than ever before.

Want to check out StarCraft II? If you haven't yet taken advantage of our great new price for StarCraft II, you can click here to get yours right away!


Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

WoW InsiderPermanent price cuts to WoW expansions in the EU originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakingexpansionsfeaturednew-pricespatch-4.3priceprice-cutupgrade-wowworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-expansionswow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newsMathew McCurleyFri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:00 ESTGameStop: Buy WoW Battlechest, get Wrath of the Lich King freehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/04/gamestop-buy-wow-battlechest-get-wrath-of-the-lich-king-free/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/04/gamestop-buy-wow-battlechest-get-wrath-of-the-lich-king-free/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/04/gamestop-buy-wow-battlechest-get-wrath-of-the-lich-king-free/#commentsFiled under: , ,

GameStop has announced a brand new bundle online that gets you World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King all for just $19.99. We don't know when the World of Warcraft Battlechest combo bundle is going to expire, but for now, customers who purchase the Battlechest from GameStop will get a copy of Wrath bundled along for free. The deals don't get much better than this, folks.

Many people, myself included, believe that WoW's barrier to entry is perhaps one of its most difficult challenges to overcome. With more deals like this, WoW can get into more hands at a lower price than ever before, hopefully adding on subscribers and new blood in anticipation of Mists of Pandaria.

WoW InsiderGameStop: Buy WoW Battlechest, get Wrath of the Lich King free originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battlechestbattlechest-bundledealfree-wrath-of-the-lich-kinggamestopgreat-dealsacco-told-me-toseriously-its-a-great-dealwrath-freeMathew McCurleyWed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:00 ESTBig stakes and the end of an expansionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/big-stakes-and-the-end-of-an-expansion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/big-stakes-and-the-end-of-an-expansion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/big-stakes-and-the-end-of-an-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Guys, I don't know if you know this, but we have just pried the elementium plates off of the back of a dragon so big 25 people can stand on him. After that, we killed the mutant kaiju version of him, who was so big his head alone was bigger than us and four other giant dragons.

I'm sorry, but you have to be 50 kinds of jaded to not enjoy this. One of the things I've really enjoyed about patch 4.3 and the Dragon Soul raid is how it unabashedly throws massive, crazy, world-ending doomsday events at you. Between fending off not one but two faceless ones from within bloated abominations, balking an ancient earth elemental giant at the base of Wyrmrest Temple, and defeating Ultraxion and then taking on Deathwing himself, the fights feel enormous. The stakes are huge, and while the supposed saviors of Azeroth spend a lot of time thinking really hard at a McGuffin, we step the heck up.

Whether you are hitting it via Raid Finder, attending your weekly 10-man hardcore raid, or participating as a member of a casual 25-man raid alliance (or anything in between), in terms of pure aesthetics, Dragon Soul is a very satisfying raid in terms of pure scope and sweep.

Continue reading Big stakes and the end of an expansion

WoW InsiderBig stakes and the end of an expansion originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>CataclysmDragon-Soulpatch-4.3raidraidingSunwellTransmogTransmogrificationUlduarworld-of-warcraft-patch-4.3wow-patchwow-patch-4.3wow-patch-4.3-newswow-patch-newsMatthew RossiWed, 28 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST