WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2013 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.Things that were harder beforehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/things-that-were-harder-before/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/things-that-were-harder-before/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/13/things-that-were-harder-before/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Things that were harder before
I did a post this week about raiding in previous expansions and in vanilla WoW, and how people often say those raids were harder and my opinion that it is easily demonstrable that current raids are if anything more complicated than they have ever been. I frankly believe there is almost no room for comparison between the game at 60 and today in terms of raid complexity and difficulty. Part of this stems from the many different variations on what the word hard means in this context. Something can be harder because it is conceptually or executionally more complex (the difficulty can stem from how much is required to successfully complete its mechanics) or it can be hard because it is laborious and/or time consuming. Was raiding with 40 people in classic WoW more laborious? Absolutely it was. It wasn't mechanically harder, but it was more time consuming and took a great deal of effort to organize and plan. It's the difference between working out a complex multi-stage math problem and carrying five thousand pounds of rocks from point A to point B.

But there were some points worth addressing. It absolutely has never been easier to level, even without heirlooms, than it is right now. Vanilla leveling to 60 took more time and effort than leveling to 90 does today. Even without heirlooms, one can easily and without much stress reach level 20 in a few hours, level 40 in less than two days, and be level 60 within a day of that, and this isn't spending all day staring at the screen either. This is a fairly casual leveling pace. I leveled a blood elf warrior to 35 in two days of rather casual play, an hour on followed by a half hour reading websites or having a snack or even going for a long walk.

It's also far easier to do the following things:
  1. Get a dungeon group. You can queue for dungeons at level 15, and from that point on, all you ever have to do to run a dungeon is hit that queue. If you're playing in the tank or healing role you can effectively chain dungeons all day, and even leveling as DPS there are stretches where you don't even need to quest or do anything but dungeon.
  2. Run a battleground. While you could argue that doing well at BG running as you level up and at max level takes some time and effort, if you want to risk queueing in whatever gear you have, it's simplicity itself.
  3. Getting ready to raid at max level. The game now has catchup mechanisms in place for players who start later. If you just got your alt to 90 and are switching to it for raiding, deciding to give raiding a try for the first time, or what have you it's not the case that your raid group is compelled to run you through previous raids for attunements and keys, much less gearing you through older raids to get ready for the current content.
  4. Find something to do. You could even argue that there's too much to do, or that it feels too mandatory. But you can't argue you don't have options - if you don't want to run dungeons, raid, or PvP there are pet battles, daily quests and scenarios you can do.
So the question then becomes this: is it better or worse for the game that these things are easier? For that matter, are they easy enough?

Continue reading Things that were harder before

WoW InsiderThings that were harder before originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 13 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>alt-levelingaltscatch-up-90difficultydungeonsgearinglevelingLFDLFRmists-of-pandariaraidingMatthew RossiMon, 13 May 2013 15:00:00 ESTThe false memory of WoW's difficult pasthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/the-false-memory-of-wows-difficult-past/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/the-false-memory-of-wows-difficult-past/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/10/the-false-memory-of-wows-difficult-past/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The false memory of WoW past
Vanilla raiding was not mechanically more difficult than current raiding. In fact, in terms of encounter difficulty, raiding in World of Warcraft has never been as challenging to remember and execute as it is right now. Fights like Lei Shen, Twin Consorts, Iron Qon, and Durumu ask players to learn mechanics and execute awareness at a level rivaled only by fights like Mimiron's Firefighter mode. And I'm not even talking heroic difficulty for those fights. Yes, it was often harder to get 40 people together, I'm not disputing that. But that's not design difficulty, that's social difficulty. The argument that WoW was objectively harder back then is beyond absurd.

I was there for all of those raids. I've raided in vanilla, in BC, in Wrath, and in Cataclysm. I've done hard modes and heroic modes since they were introduced. I'm neither the cutting edge progression raider nor someone who raids occasionally for fun -- I've been everywhere from a raider pushing for realm firsts to one leading a semi-casual 10-man while tanking. One thing I can and will say with absolute certainty is this: every single expansion to World of Warcraft has increased the complexity of the raid design.

Continue reading The false memory of WoW's difficult past

WoW InsiderThe false memory of WoW's difficult past originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 10 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>BCBurning-CrusadeCataclysmdumbing-down-is-a-dumb-claimeasierFight-complexitymolten-corenaxxramasraidraidingraidsvanilla-WoWWrathWrath-of-the-Lich-KingMatthew RossiFri, 10 May 2013 19:00:00 ESTWorld of Warcraft loses 1.3M subscribers since February, down to 8.3Mhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/wow-loses-1-3m-subscribers-since-february-down-to-8m/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/wow-loses-1-3m-subscribers-since-february-down-to-8m/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/wow-loses-1-3m-subscribers-since-february-down-to-8m/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

WoW loses 13 million subscribers since Feb down to 8 mil
Today's Activision-Blizzard financial reports states World of Warcraft took a subscriber hit this quarter, losing 1.3 million players since February.

The loss brings the total number of WoW players down to 8.3 million, its lowest level since the launch of the Burning Crusade expansion in 2007. Subscriber levels have fallen by about a third since WoW's post-Cataclysm peak of 12 million subscribers. The loss is hardly unusual -- you have to remember that WoW is a 9-year-old game, and we're at a pretty uninteresting time in the expansion cycle.

Have we mentioned yet that we're really excited to see if Blizzard is announcing a new MMO at BlizzCon?

WoW InsiderWorld of Warcraft loses 1.3M subscribers since February, down to 8.3M originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>activisionbreakingexpansionnumberssubscribersubscriber-numberssubscriptionsubscription-numbersWorld-of-WarcraftFox Van AllenWed, 08 May 2013 17:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: The Horde vs. the Hordehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/know-your-lore-the-horde-vs-the-horde/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/know-your-lore-the-horde-vs-the-horde/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/know-your-lore-the-horde-vs-the-horde/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Know Your Lore The Horde vs the Horde
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.

Spoilers for patch 5.3 to follow

Back in the day, and be not mistaken the day was well before The Burning Crusade was even a glimmer in our eyes, I rolled a tauren warrior. His name was Vorn. Vorn went on many quests, because questing was my favorite way to level. Vorn went all over the world, exploring the Horde and the lands under its control, and he found a lot he liked about his allies. He could respect the orcish ferocity and skill in war, the trollish craft, guile, and restrained sense of humor (the Darkspears are sardonic in their way), and even the forsaken seemed to have a wide disparity of personality types. I met forsaken in Thunder Bluff who sent me across the world to return a locket to a tombstone, and that quest moved me to explore the forests of Silverpine, and in time to go to Undercity itself. To be sure, I found there to be aspects of their unlives that disturbed me, but they displayed a strength in adversity that I found admirable.

And then they ruined it.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: The Horde vs. the Horde

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: The Horde vs. the Horde originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredGarroshguideguide-to-loreHordelorelore-guideNew-HordeOld-Horderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideThrallVoljinworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 17 Apr 2013 09:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: Titan facilities of Azerothhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/know-your-lore-titan-facilities-of-azeroth/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/know-your-lore-titan-facilities-of-azeroth/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/know-your-lore-titan-facilities-of-azeroth/#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.

Let's just be up front about this now -- the Titans left stuff everywhere. It would be hard to disbelieve in them, frankly. They left bases, research stations, fortresses, labs and more. We don't even know what everything they left behind originally did or why it was there in many cases. Some places have somewhat clear reasons for existing (Ulduar, for instance, was tasked with holding the Old God Yogg Saron prisoner, but the Halls of Stone and Lightning point to other goals for the complex) but others, such as the ruined complex now known as Ahn'Qiraj was simply a 'research facility', and we have no idea what it was researching or why such a complex was needed so close to Uldum.

At any rate, there are a lot of Titan complexes currently known of on Azeroth.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Titan facilities of Azeroth

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Titan facilities of Azeroth originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>AhnqirajAzjol-Nerubearthenfeaturedgiantsguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guidemogurole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideTitan-WatcherstolvirUldamanUlduarUldumvrykulwatchersworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 03 Apr 2013 14:00:00 ESTThe Queue: I work harder at DPS than I ever did as a tankhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/the-queue-i-work-harder-at-dps-than-i-ever-did-as-a-tank/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/the-queue-i-work-harder-at-dps-than-i-ever-did-as-a-tank/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/the-queue-i-work-harder-at-dps-than-i-ever-did-as-a-tank/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Queue I work harder at DPS than I ever did as a tank
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Matthew Rossi will be your host today.

This isn't meant to imply that one is harder, or a better benchmark of skill, or what have you. It's simply a personal realization based on thinking back on the past years of World of Warcraft and the changing roles I've played.

People who've read the site know that I tend to fall into certain patterns - I start an expansion tanking, switch to DPS for a big chunk and then, somehow, I end up tanking again. I did this in classic WoW, where I played as a DPS as I leveled until about level 40, then tanked until Four Horsemen in Naxx 40. Cut to Burning Crusade, and while I tried to level as a tank, the rage problems and lack of AoE threat meant that I went DPS for a while, only to end up tanking post Karazhan as bosses began to hit harder and the ranks of tanks willing to endure it thinned out. Wrath of the Lich King I tanked for the same guild, left and ended up a DPS for most of Naxx 25 and Ulduar, only to switch to tanking in Trial of the Crusader and stay there until Arthas was dead. Cataclysm? I tanked 10 man Tier 11 raids, switch to DPS in 25 man Firelands and stayed there for most of the expansion only to switch back to tanking for Dragon Soul. And finally there's Mists of Pandaria, where I began as a draenei tank, switched back to a pandaren DPS warrior, went through my orc phase, DPS'd as a tauren for a while and am now a worgen arms warrior.

Last week Adam wrote a piece about how tanking changes you as a player. What's interesting to me is how much I have to unlearn from tanking. There's a DPS mindset, where you learn to watch for spell effects, learn to avoid damage if at all possible (rather than learning how to survive it) and to Always Be Attacking, to constantly get as much activity translated into damage on whatever it is you need to be damaging. Tanking comes second nature to me. I could go tank right now and be fine. DPS requires much more attention from me, it's more demanding and while I'm competent at it, it's always something i have to consciously work at. It's made me a better tank because it's challenged my preconceptions. DPS isn't easy. Especially not being good DPS. There's a ton of work that goes into it.

I just wanted to say that, as someone who has tanked and DPS'd, I admire really skilled DPS players.

Adam ‏(@Adamdm_) asks on Twitter:

Saur-priests say saurok were created by mogu, but they mention a belief they evolved from devilsaurs. Which is more likely?

We have plenty of evidence that the mogu meddled in saurok evolution. Between the Dagger in the Dark scenario, Primordius' existence in Throne of Thunder, Progenitus on the island proper, archaeology in the game, we know the mogu made the saurok to serve as soldiers. What we don't really know for sure is what, exactly, they made the saurok from. There's no dinosaurs on mainland Pandaria, but there's plenty of them on the Isle of Giants to the north, and there's no reason the mogu couldn't have included a few in their experiments to make the saurok.

Continue reading The Queue: I work harder at DPS than I ever did as a tank

WoW InsiderThe Queue: I work harder at DPS than I ever did as a tank originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredguideqaquestion-and-answerwow-answerswow-daily-answerswow-daily-questionswow-guidewow-player-questionswow-q-and-awow-questionsMatthew RossiMon, 18 Mar 2013 11:00:00 ESTThe fine art of PvE twinking from level 1-35http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/the-fine-art-of-pve-twinking-from-level-1-35/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/the-fine-art-of-pve-twinking-from-level-1-35/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/the-fine-art-of-pve-twinking-from-level-1-35/#commentsFiled under: , ,

TDQ Call To Arms
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the concept of "twinking" in WoW for PvP. It generally entails decking a low-level character out with all the best possible gear available to them and then tearing up the battlefields. In these post-experience locking days twinking is more straightforward than ever, and our own Olivia Grace has already covered a lot of the gearing aspects of twinking, for both PvE and PvP.

PvE twinking is a bit of an unusual idea. Mostly it refers to locking experience at one of the former level caps - 60, 70, 80, or 85 - in order to enjoy the challenges of old raids or to accomplish something limited to players of a certain level, such as the Herald of the Titans title. These are fun and interesting ways to spend time in the game, but what about PvE twinking at even lower levels? Say, level 20? Or 40? Why on earth would anyone want to do that?

Continue reading The fine art of PvE twinking from level 1-35

WoW InsiderThe fine art of PvE twinking from level 1-35 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>dungeon-finderdungeonslevelinglow-levellow-level-contentlow-level-questsquestingtwinkingSarah PineWed, 13 Mar 2013 15:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: Vereesa Windrunnerhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/know-your-lore-vereesa-windrunner/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/know-your-lore-vereesa-windrunner/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/know-your-lore-vereesa-windrunner/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Know Your Lore Vereesa Windrunner
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.

Vereesa Windrunner has lost everything several times now.

She lost her oldest sister Alleria to the same Horde invasion that killed most of their family, as Alleria went off to seek vengeance against the orcs and ended up lost somewhere beyond the Dark Portal, never to be seen or heard from again. Her other sister, Sylvanas, was killed by the Lich King's servant Arthas Menethil, and the death knight chose to prevent Sylvanas from even attaining the peace of death, trapping her in undeath.

Worse, when Vereesa lost Sylvanas, she lost her homeland and her people. The high elves of Quel'thalas became blood elves, following Prince Kael'thas on the path to ruin, addiction, and madness and she could not, did not follow. Along with a few remnants of her people, she attempted to preserve what had been thrown away, to keep high elven culture alive even as Silvermoon resided in the hands of those that had abandoned it. Its not surprising that she found love in someone who shared her loyalty to the Alliance, nor perhaps is it surprising that she found it in human arms, as both Alleria and Sylvanas showed a predisposition to humans.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Vereesa Windrunner

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Vereesa Windrunner originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Aethas-SunreaverAlleria-Windrunnerfeaturedguideguide-to-lorehalduron-brightwingJaina-ProudmooreKirin-Torlorelore-guideLorthemar-TheronRhoninrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideSilver-Covenantsylvanas-windrunnerVereesavereesa-windrunnerworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 13 Mar 2013 14:00:00 ESTAre You a Rare: Reader requests editionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/01/are-you-a-rare-reader-requests-edition/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/01/are-you-a-rare-reader-requests-edition/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/01/are-you-a-rare-reader-requests-edition/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Are You a Rare Reader requests edition
WoW Insider posted recently about rare race-class combinations, and received several reader requests for further data manipulation, so like the Korune Spellweavers of Kun-Lai Summit, we have returned to RealmPop, and recommenced decanting their data into lists for your delectation.

The top request, from several commenters, but also the Editor-in-Chief of WoW Insider, was to lose the monks. He, and several readers, commented that they were skewing the list thanks to their newness, and while the original list was interesting to me, thanks to how it highlighted the dominance of pandaren and human monks, I rather agree. So, first up, the top ten most underplayed class-race combinations, excluding monks, but including pandaren. I've also added male and female character stats, thanks to the requests of commenters.

The run-down is after the break, but first, a few other observations that might pique your interest. Please do note, as before, that this is based on RealmPop's data, which, while good, is never going to be perfect! One thing I noticed on comparing the EU data and US data is the differing overall class numbers. Hunters are the most numerous on both sides of the Atlantic, followed by paladins, then druids. On the NA side, the rest went, in descending order, DK, warrior, mage, priest, rogue, warlock, shaman, monk; while on the EU side we have warrior, mage, DK, priest, rogue, shaman, warlock, monk. Now, the difference is not huge between these classes, so small variations could move the positions around, but both data sets noted a large drop-off for warlock and shaman, while the other classes hovered around similar numbers.

Continue reading Are You a Rare: Reader requests edition

WoW InsiderAre You a Rare: Reader requests edition originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>dwarf-monkdwarf-rogueleast-playedleast-popularmonkmost-playedpandarenpandaren-roguerare-classestroll-monkOlivia GraceFri, 01 Mar 2013 19:00:00 ESTLeveling warriors in Mists of Pandaria, 61 to 90http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/24/leveling-warriors-in-mists-of-pandaria-61-to-90/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/24/leveling-warriors-in-mists-of-pandaria-61-to-90/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/24/leveling-warriors-in-mists-of-pandaria-61-to-90/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Leveling warriors in Mists of Pandaria, 61 to 90
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.

Before we get started, let's cover the previous posts in this series:
What levels 61 through 90 cover is a staggering array of content, if you think about it, going from Burning Crusade (in many ways the oldest content still available in WoW) to Wrath, then Cataclysm and finally Mists of Pandaria itself. Even without raiding or running heroic dungeons, you're still looking at over 30 zones (I'm being conservative and not counting the DK start zone, the Worgen/Goblin start zones, Wintergrasp or Tol Barad) of content. And that content varies greatly, since it ranges from first being introduced in 2007 to 2012. That's over five years of game design iteration, and you can really feel it - in many ways, going from the Cataclysm revamped old world to TBC era Outland to start this patch of leveling off is like stepping into a time machine. Hellfire is a scattered zone, with multiple quest hubs only loosely connected and even with the quests having been adjusted to be much easier to solo it feels like the artifact of its time that it is.

Still, since both Outland and Northrend have had their experience requirements relaxed from their debut periods, it's not hard to get through them. Ironically enough, it's when you hit level 80 and start in on Cataclysm content that the game starts to feel bogged down. Several heirlooms currently stop working at level 80 (the hat, cloak and legs currently available last until 85, and new heirlooms are coming in 5.2) and the experience requirements, while reduced, are still more significant than the previous two expansions.

Still, let's talk about what you, as a warrior, will find when you hit these levels.

Continue reading Leveling warriors in Mists of Pandaria, 61 to 90

WoW InsiderLeveling warriors in Mists of Pandaria, 61 to 90 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arms-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorsfeaturedfury-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorsguide-to-warriorslevelingleveling-gudeprotection-warrior-the-care-and-feeding-of-warriorswarrior-guidewarrior-infowarrior-talentswow-warriorwow-warrior-infowow-warriorsMatthew RossiSun, 24 Feb 2013 16:00:00 ESTThe Queue: Snakes on a complainhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/the-queue-snakes-on-a-complain/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/the-queue-snakes-on-a-complain/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/the-queue-snakes-on-a-complain/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Queue Snakes on a complain
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Matthew Rossi is riding this bus all the way to the ground today.

I said I would title this edition of The Queue this if I were allowed to write it. Here's the issue, as best I understand it.
  1. They are introducing new snake models in patch 5.2.
  2. These snake models are not tameable by hunters.
  3. Several people, including my own wife, somehow think that if I say that I agree that these snakes should be tameable, somehow that will have some sort of positive effect and the snakes will become tameable.
So, in the interest of getting people to stop tweeting at me, I will now say that if Blizzard decided to make these snakes tameable I would be for it because then I wouldn't have to hear about it any more. I know that there are issues that are far, far more important than hunters, like warriors getting to dual wield polearms, but in the interest of a moment's peace I stand here today saying Okay, whatever, let hunters tame these snakes already.

Seriously, guys, my voice carries no weight. You're fooling yourselves. But for those of you who keep tweeting at me, here you go, I officially support strength polearms... er, I mean, hunters taming snakes. Yeah, that's what I mean.

darthonyx says

Freya isn't the only female Titanic construct like that though. There are several others, including Isiset, Ironaya, Auriaya, and Nablya.

There's also Myzrael, who might be an earth elemental, a titan construct, or perhaps both (a titan construct made out of an earth elemental) for all we know, but yes, there are quite a few female titan creations. Still, the vast majority of earthen, vrykul, mechagnomes, mogu and tol'vir we see are male (I have yet to see any demonstratably female tol'vir, not that I would be brave enough to try and check their undercarriage, as it were) and we don't really know why.

Vrykul are the only real exception in that we've seen enough female titan constructs to assume there could have been a few up front. (The Avatar of Freya is a female vrykul, not a human or titan construct). It's also worth noting that, while the Old Gods made the Curse of Flesh that seems to have created female counterparts for dwarves, gnomes, etc, the enslaved tol'vir and titan watchers in Ahn'Qiraj (Moam and Ossirian as just two examples) do not have flesh forms, nor do they have the female gender.

Continue reading The Queue: Snakes on a complain

WoW InsiderThe Queue: Snakes on a complain originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredguideqaquestion-and-answerwow-answerswow-daily-answerswow-daily-questionswow-guidewow-player-questionswow-q-and-awow-questionsMatthew RossiThu, 21 Feb 2013 11:00:00 ESTKill dragons solo to ride more dragonshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/18/blood-pact-kill-dragons-solo-to-ride-more-dragons/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/18/blood-pact-kill-dragons-solo-to-ride-more-dragons/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/18/blood-pact-kill-dragons-solo-to-ride-more-dragons/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Blood Pact Kill dragons solo to ride more dragons MON
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill beats up internet dragons for fun, for mounts, and maybe as a little catharsis.

I've already done some Raiding with Leashes vanilla raid posts. The next logical step would be Burning Crusade soloing, but I've tried and failed to make a glorified loot list more interesting to read, since BC content tends to be more "walk in and win" nowadays than an actual soloing contest.

So, while I wrangle out an adventure in tiers four to six, I will talk about killing dragons solo as a warlock in order to grab dragon mounts.

I'm not talking about dragons that require friends by your side to complete: e.g., Deathwing's two dragon mounts, Ultraxion's mount, completing a dragonstick, or Al'Akir's dragon drop. Al'Akir has actually been soloed before by a warlock, but you'll need friends in order to clear his genie council first. I'm talking dragons you can go beat up by yourself.

Continue reading Kill dragons solo to ride more dragons

WoW InsiderKill dragons solo to ride more dragons originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>altairusazure-drakeblack-drakeblue-drakedrake-of-the-north-windfeaturedguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshalionlock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmalygosonyxiasartharionslabhidesolosoloingtenebrontwilight-drakevirtreous-stone-drakewarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 18 Feb 2013 13:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: The strategy and tactics of Garrosh Hellscreamhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/know-your-lore-the-strategy-and-tactics-of-garrosh-hellscream/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/know-your-lore-the-strategy-and-tactics-of-garrosh-hellscream/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/know-your-lore-the-strategy-and-tactics-of-garrosh-hellscream/#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.

One of the interesting things about Garrosh Hellscream's rise to the position of Warchief of the Horde has been his display of leadership. When he was in charge of the Warsong Offensive, he lead the Horde in battle against the forces of the Lich King's Scourge and the Alliance. Upon returning from Northrend covered in glory, he began his tenure as Warchief by unleashing Horde forces to seize control of Azshara, make inroads in Ashenvale and Stonetalon, and encouraged (one could even say strongarmed) the Forsaken under Sylvanas Windrunner into invading Gilneas in order to secure a port for future advances.

Following this, he orchestrated an elaborate plan to lure the Alliance's leadership to defend Theramore, a plan that nearly succeeded in destroying them with a mana bomb, and has since extended the war to Pandaria where he's dedicated a great deal of the Horde's military resources (and those of factions within the Horde like the Blood Elves) towards finding ancient weapons or things that could be made to serve as weapons, all while sending his Kor'kron to occupy the Echo Isles. In short, Garrosh has been a dynamic leader, and it's hard to dispute that he's made more gains for the Horde during his time as Warchief - both the Dragonmaw and the Blackrock have become powerful Horde allies under Garrosh, Gilneas is heavily contested, the Forsaken have spread across northern Lordaeron, Azshara is firmly under Horde control.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: The strategy and tactics of Garrosh Hellscream

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: The strategy and tactics of Garrosh Hellscream originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 13 Feb 2013 14:00:00 ESTA game frozen in amberhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/31/a-game-frozen-in-amber/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/31/a-game-frozen-in-amber/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/31/a-game-frozen-in-amber/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A game frozen in amber
This isn't the game I started playing!

This is a paraphrasing, of course, but the mentality is real enough. People lament that the communities have changed, that raiding has changed, that gearing has changed, that dungeons have changed, that how we play has changed, that our classes have changed. And every individual has to answer for him or herself whether or not the game has changed enough that it's not worth playing for you anymore.

Personally, I recommend that if you feel that way, you stop playing. But more importantly, it must be stated that the change we're discussing is an inevitability, especially since it's basically stated that World of Warcraft is more likely to see expansions and additions than a sequel ala Guild Wars 2 or EverQuest 2. WoW is going to keep changing as long as it exists, trying to address player concerns and improve its systems even as it gains new levels and sees new content. This is the nature of the beast - it will never be 2004 again, and I will never be a low level warrior getting Charge for the first time and ramming myself headlong into spiders.

The game cannot, will not, and most importantly should not freeze, not even to stay at the exact combination you found the most fun.

Continue reading A game frozen in amber

WoW InsiderA game frozen in amber originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>mists-of-pandariaPatch-5.2Matthew RossiThu, 31 Jan 2013 17:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: The Blackrock Legacyhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/know-your-lore-the-blackrock-legacy/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/know-your-lore-the-blackrock-legacy/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/know-your-lore-the-blackrock-legacy/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Know Your Lore The Blackrock Legacy
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.

They claimed to be the true Horde. They may yet prove it.

The Blackrock orcs seem, on the surface, to be a relic of a bygone age. A tribe of orcs holding on to a past swept aside by Turalyon's hand clutching Lothar's broken sword, a defeated remnant of Gul'dan's legacy. Once led by Blackhand the Destroyer, the Blackrock clan rose to prominence when Blackhand became Gul'dan's proxy as Warchief of the newborn Horde. And it remained central when Orgrim Doomhammer, Blackhand's second in command, slew Blackhand and seized power, for Doomhammer too was a member of the Blackrock clan. After the final defeat of the Horde atop Blackrock Spire, it seemed certain that the Blackrocks would trouble Azeroth no more.

Yet Blackhand's sons Rend and Maim, who had served Doomhammer even after he killed their father as leaders of the splinter clan the Black Tooth Grin, led the Blackrocks into the mountain that bore the same name and set about rebuilding them. When Teron Gorefiend came to Blackrock Spire, the brothers Blackhand refused his call to join Ner'zhul's Horde, seeing themselves as the true inheritors of Blackhand's legacy. In time, the Black Dragonflight came to the mountain, attracted by the reds still held in bondage there, and Nefarian brought the Blackrocks into his service. Maim Blackhand died in the war with the Dark Iron Dwarves to determine which force would rule the mountain, while Rend died when Thrall sent members of the Horde to kill him for his claim to the title of Warchief that Doomhammer had bestowed upon the shaman.

And yet, the Blackrocks were not done. Ironically, it may have been one of Thrall's most loyal supporters who brought one of Garrosh Hellscream's most dangerous enforcers into the fold.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: The Blackrock Legacy

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: The Blackrock Legacy originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>AriokBlackrockBlackrock-MountainBlackrock-OrcsEitriggfeaturedGarroshguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guideMaim-BlackhandMalkorokRendBlackhandrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 30 Jan 2013 13:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: Missed opportunities of 2012, part 2http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/know-your-lore-missed-opportunities-of-2012-part-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/know-your-lore-missed-opportunities-of-2012-part-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/know-your-lore-missed-opportunities-of-2012-part-2/#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.

Last week, we covered Deathwing's shortcomings and the non-reappearance of Kul Tiras. This week, we'll talk about my biggest beef with the run up to Mists of Pandaria, and then segue into a general complaint I had about Cataclysm as a whole. Some of this actually predates 2012, but it's easier to see in the hindsight we all get once enough time passed, so it serves us as well to discuss it now as it would at any other time.

So let's get started by saying this: I really disliked the lack of a pre-expansion event. The ones for Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King and even Cataclysm weren't always spectacular, but they did a really good job of giving you the feeling that everything was about to change. The lead-up to Wrath with the zombie plague was controversial at times, but it was memorable, it served as a really clear line of demarcation and set up a lot of elements that would be taken up later. Garrosh Hellscream went from 'whiny dude crying in Nagrand' to 'warrior willing to challenge his warchief to Mak'Gora' in a pre-expansion event. The Cataclysm pre-launch event had some excellent little moments in it, the return of Rexxar, and gave us the first new AQ content in years.

I understand that Pandaria didn't pose the same kind of situation - instead of Pandaria hosting a threat that comes forth to affect the wider world, the Horde and Alliance bring their war to Pandaria and threaten it - but I still lamented this lack. Something as simple as a Horde/Alliance airship battle that ended with us crashing on the new continent could have worked.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Missed opportunities of 2012, part 2

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Missed opportunities of 2012, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 16 Jan 2013 14:00:00 ESTDoes Mists of Pandaria need new heroic five-man content?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/14/does-mists-of-pandaria-need-new-heroic-five-man-content/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/14/does-mists-of-pandaria-need-new-heroic-five-man-content/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/14/does-mists-of-pandaria-need-new-heroic-five-man-content/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Does Mists of Pandaria need new heroic fiveman content
While recording the WoW Insider Show this week, my two co-hosts Anne Stickney and Olivia Grace were discussing heroic five man dungeons and made the interesting point that, while Cataclysm used new heroics to help people catch up in gearing as new raid tiers were released, the advent of the Raid Finder might mean that it isn't necessary anymore. If you're running LFR as your primary way to see/experience raid content, then you'd simply run previous LFR's in order to gear up and collect valor points for the various reputation vendors. This would allow you to get geared enough for further LFR as new raid tiers are released, and keeps the previous LFR's relevant. If you're running the current 10 or 25 man raids, you can use the LFR's for those raids to bootstrap yourself appropriately if you're not already geared well enough from the previous tier of raiding.

Either way, you don't need new heroic dungeons for the task - between daily quests, scenarios and LFR, the Cataclysm model which placed new five mans in patch 4.1 and 4.3 might no longer be necessary. Challenge modes keep the heroics that launched with Mists of Pandaria evergreen, since you can't outgear them, but is that enough for fans of five mans? While both Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm introduced post-launch dungeons, Burning Crusade really only introduced Magister's Terrace in its last content patch. This makes me wonder if we really need any new five mans, and if we do, what would/should they be?

Continue reading Does Mists of Pandaria need new heroic five-man content?

WoW InsiderDoes Mists of Pandaria need new heroic five-man content? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>challenge-modescontentdungeonsLFRmists-of-pandariapatch-5.2raid-finderscenariosMatthew RossiMon, 14 Jan 2013 17:00:00 ESTAre our Cataclysm attitudes ruining Mists?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/are-our-cataclysm-attitudes-ruining-mists/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/are-our-cataclysm-attitudes-ruining-mists/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/are-our-cataclysm-attitudes-ruining-mists/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Are our Cataclysm attitudes ruining Mists
Back in Cataclysm, the world was a very different place. While the journey from 80 to 85 was certainly a little tiresome, with the obligatory travel through Deepholm bringing many a draenei to their oddly-shaped knees, once that achievement flashed across your screen you were home and dry.

Gearing a character for raiding was a predictable and straightforward task. Get a few bits and jump into the latest 5-mans, which were very easy and certainly achievable with PvP gear, as long as you were one of the classes that didn't do too badly from it. Preferably not a plate tank, then!

If you were adamant that cheaty PvP-based gearing wasn't for you, you could just run a few of the normals and earlier heroics, such as the Zul'roics or even the ones before, to get yourself geared to an acceptable level for the 4.3 heroics. What's more, your main could send your alts decent, current gear with their inevitable glut of valor points, and your justice points bought you the previous tier's gear.

Why the Cataclysm retrospective? As a reminder of how easy it was, in Cataclysm's twilight hours, to level and gear alts to a raid-ready level, or, for that matter, to a competitive PvP level. Quite apart from the ease, it was really the only thing left to do, after months upon months of Dragon Soul.

Continue reading Are our Cataclysm attitudes ruining Mists?

WoW InsiderAre our Cataclysm attitudes ruining Mists? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>alt-catch-upaltsattitudecataclysmfeaturedgrand-commendationmistspvpraidraid finderraid-finderRaidFinderraidingOlivia GraceWed, 09 Jan 2013 19:00:00 ESTKnow Your Lore: Missed opportunities of 2012 Part 1http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/know-your-lore-missed-opportunities-of-2012-part-1/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/know-your-lore-missed-opportunities-of-2012-part-1/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/know-your-lore-missed-opportunities-of-2012-part-1/#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.

Okay, not everything is good. As much of a fan as I am of World of Warcraft and the story of the game, there have been times I've been kind of disappointed in something, or felt like we could have seen more than we did. One example I have is the Dragon Soul raid, but not for the reasons I see around the web. I'll go into what I mean in this very article.

What I'm talking about this time isn't necessarily bad stuff, as much as it is things I wish had happened, or had happened more. I'm not numbering them because I don't think of them in a particular best to worst scheme, they're just places where I felt like more could have been done with the story as it was presented to us.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: Missed opportunities of 2012 Part 1

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: Missed opportunities of 2012 Part 1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredguideguide-to-lorelorelore-guiderole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideworld-of-warcraft-lorewow-guidewow-lorewow-role-playingwow-role-playing-guidewow-rpwow-rp-guidewow-rpingMatthew RossiWed, 09 Jan 2013 16:00:00 ESTReforging, itemization, and the playerhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/04/reforging-itemization-and-the-player/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/04/reforging-itemization-and-the-player/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/04/reforging-itemization-and-the-player/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Reforging, itemization and the player
It's not exactly a secret that I'm terrible at keeping my finger on the pulse of the community. I just sort of wander around with my usual private obsessions, doing what I do, and sometimes I blunder into an emergent discussion like a rhinoceros stumbling into a clearing. Such is the case with the discussion of reforging currently going on. The post I have linked to by Mushan basically highlights the discussion, with some folks arguing that World of Warcraft has gone too far in the direction of gear optimization and too far away from the days when you'd get a drop, know it was better, and put it on. As a result of that argument, some are arguing that reforging should be removed from the game.

I can understand this argument, because if we think about it, reforging was never meant to be what it became. The initial purpose of reforging back when it was first announced was to allow players who got a drop that was otherwise significantly better than what they had, but itemized for a different role (so, as an example, a cloth piece itemized for healing over DPS) to make that drop better for the role they intended to use it for. So if your tankadin got a pair of plate lets with crit and expertise on them, he or she could swap some of the crit to a stat more useful for tanking. However, players being what they are, they immediately grasped that reforging also allowed them to trade away stats that were less effective on gear for stats that were more effective. Reforging allowed players to customize their hit and expertise in ways that had never been accessible before, allowed for dump stats to be dumped with even more efficiency than before - it was the absolute biggest change to the game in years, and ended up the largest single legacy of Cataclysm.

Mushan's arguments about removing the process of reforging are good, and I'm not going to belabor them here - instead, what I'm going to do is discuss my own personal feelings on reforging, and how it benefits the game.

Continue reading Reforging, itemization, and the player

WoW InsiderReforging, itemization, and the player originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>addonask-mr-robotexternal-sitereforgereforgelitereforgingwowreforgeMatthew RossiFri, 04 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST