azeroth-choppers
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Alliance chopper now for sale in Stormwind
The @WarcraftDevs Twitter just let us know that the Champion's Treadblade (the losing bike from Azeroth Choppers) can now be purchased by Alliance players from Paulie in Stormwind. The Alliance Chopper (Champion's Treadblade) can now be purchased from Paulie in the Old Town district of Stormwind. - WarcraftDevs (@WarcraftDevs) December 3, 2014 This mean machine can be all yours for a mere 100,000 gold. As someone who voted for it, I won't be purchasing it yet simply because I've already spent too much gold in Warlords. Are you going to pony up the gold for this chopper?
Metallica will rock out at BlizzCon 2014
Imagine that you're a big-name game developer with a pile of money and millions of fans to impress at your yearly convention. Would you hire your favorite band from your youth to play a custom gig? Hell yeah you would! And so would Blizzard, which is why the studio's just announced that Metallica will be performing at BlizzCon next month. It's the perfect band to listen to while riding around on your Azeroth Chopper and playing your Orc. "We're thrilled to announce that Metallica will be performing the closing concert at BlizzCon 2014, playing before a sold-out convention crowd on the night of November 8!" Blizzard gushed in its announcement post earlier today. "If you didn't score tickets to the show, don't worry -- you can still get a front-row seat from home with the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket." Hey, at least it's not Blink-182.
Breakfast Topic: Your ideal Warcraft reality show
Azeroth Choppers may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean the reality show of your WoW-playing dreams isn't a possibility. It may not be likely, but that's no reason not to speculate on what the next generation of Azeroth Choppers might be. (After all, who thought we would have even one Warcraft-based reality show?) I'm thinking a Big Brother style show featuring WoW NPCs (preferably including faction leaders) could be a big hit, and though that's not entirely reality the same sort of take could be fun with WoW developers. Or maybe we could get something along the lines of The Bachelor that matched up players with guilds. But it's your turn to jump in on the brainstorming, readers. Tell us, just what kind of Warcraft-based reality show would you like to see next?
World of Warcraft adds the Alliance motorcycle after all
In a twist that will stun everyone who is easily stunned, it turns out that the Alliance chopper is indeed being added to World of Warcraft with the arrival of Warlords of Draenor. Those of you who watched Azeroth Choppers from start to finish might have been surprised at the whole idea of only one bike design seeing implementation, but odds are you (and pretty much everyone else) saw this coming. Worth noting, however, is that the chopper will cost money and will be available only to Alliance players. By contrast, the Horde chopper will be given away for free to players who log in before September 30th. Since it will not be possible for the opposite faction to ride a given chopper, this does mean that the Alliance version will end up being something of a gold sink for Alliance-only players. But, hey, you're getting it in the game; isn't that the important part?
Spend your gold to get the Alliance Chopper in Warlords
In a move that will come as a surprise to absolutely no one, the losing bike design from Azeroth Choppers will in fact be added to the game. Currently, the winning Horde-themed bike will be given, for free, to any account that logs into the game before September 30th. The Alliance bike, however, will be added to the game sometime after the launch of Warlords of Draenor, and be available for in-game purchase. Blizzard is being coy on the subject of cost, but their article emphasizes that it will cost "a pretty hefty sum of gold," so if you want it, best start saving now.
Log in before September 30 to claim your Horde chopper
The Azeroth Choppers webseries ended as most expected. In a battle of faction pride, the Horde is going to come out on top every time. Of course, it probably didn't help that the Alliance bike looked like some kind of gross beetle, but that discussion is probably best left in the past. As the winners, the Horde will receive their faction-themed bike come Warlords of Draenor. However, a stipulation was announced last night: to flag your account to receive the mount, you must log into the game between now and September 30, 2014. For the sake of clarity: you can claim your mount right now (and need to do so before September 30) but you won't receive it until Warlords of Draenor's launch.
Azeroth Choppers winner announced
The winner of Azeroth Choppers has been announced! Watch the video above to find out, we won't spoil it for you. It's sorta on the level of "new leader of the Horde" spoilers... we'll just leave it at that. What'd you think of the results? Personally I'm a little disappointed. I voted for the other guy.
Azeroth Choppers Episode 7, voting opens today
With the arrival of Azeroth Choppers episode 7, we'll finally have the chance to do the thing that the entire webseries was leading up to, namely to vote on a new mount favoring either the Horde or the Alliance. Which will you choose, that monstrosity with tank treads the other faction got, or the awesome bike with tank treads your faction got? Well, whichever you pick, the time to do so is now. Are you excited for any of the bikes? Or just swept away by faction pride? Or are you like Anne, and you're literally insane to watch people build stuff? Personally I find the building aspect of the show to be absolutely riveting. Hah. Riveting. I made a joke. Personally I'm hoping that the next webseries that Blizzard does is with the awesome Man at Arms people. Seriously, how cool would that be? Blizz can break up into teams again and design badass new Horde and Alliance specific weapons and have a real life version forged by Tony Swatton and his team. They've made the Buster Sword, they could probably handle Ashkandi. Ooh. Forget the competition. Just make Ashkandi. And then deliver it to my house. Get ready to go vote for your favorite bike over on the official site.
World of Warcraft bikes take shape in episode 6 of Azeroth Choppers
Despite delays and distractions, Team Alliance and Team Horde are nearing the finish line with their World of Warcraft-themed bikes in the latest episode of Azeroth Choppers. Episode 6 doesn't show us the finished bikes just yet, but you can get a sense of what both vehicles will look like as the teams start putting the finishing touches on their bikes. The episode also looks behind the scenes at Blizzard, showing the process for converting these machines into in-game items. Of course, the premise for the show has involved a contest from the start, not just for the teams but for the players. Voting for which bike design should appear in the game will start on May 29th, and fans are advised to start voting early -- the close of the polls is on June 2nd, just enough time to film the conclusion. You can watch the full episode just past the break.
Azeroth Choppers episode 6 is now available
Episode 6 of Azeroth Choppers is up, and if you've wanted to see some actual work get done on the bikes, today is your lucky day. I'll admit right now, I watch all kinds of TV shows that are about people building things, so I found today's episode to be the best one simply because the bikes are getting worked on. The Alliance bike in particular is starting to look pretty cool -- the armored gas tank and sword handlebars are definitely striking. Of course there's the usual drama of this kind of show - will it get done on time, clashes about what the direction for the build should be, etc - but again, finally we're getting a real sense of what the bikes themselves will look like. Frankly I'm disappointed at the lack of Samwise's beard in all this, though. I think he should just be in every scene.
Azeroth Choppers episode 5 now available
Phew! After the cliffhanger of last week's episode I wasn't sure if the guys were going to know how to handle "the blizzards" coming to the shop. Looks like they're pulling it off though! The bikes are beginning to come together, and you clearly can tell that each bike distinctly belongs to each faction. There's even some sneaky Alliance sabotage of the Horde's bike. Now I don't want to say that this is a prelude and gigantic clue to the story of WoD, but hey, why not? It is. We also learn that Samwise doesn't own a pair of pants. Check out the previous episodes if you haven't been keeping up.
Azeroth Choppers episode four dives into... arenas
Just over eight minutes of motorcycle talk and worrying over deadlines and setbacks await you in today's edition of Azeroth Choppers, the World of Warcraft reality show in which two teams square off to build faction-themed motorcycles, or probably will, at some point. Bonus points for the Stormwind music floating behind the massive machine shop and for making the gearheads enter an in-game WoW arena to murder each other, which is totally how you get motorcycles designed and made. The video's after the cut.
Azeroth Choppers episode 4 now available
"I know you guys were expecting to see the bikes today..." Infamous first words to start off any episode of Azeroth Choppers. And it just gets worse, the deadline begins to look more unrealistic, a half day's work is thrown out, and mistakes are abound. Will the teams get themselves together? Will the spirits be reinvigorated by sitting down with the game and hitting some training dummies? Will the teams be kept alive in a dungeon by a Blizzard healer, and will they kill each other in an arena? Watch and find out. Check out the previous episodes if you haven't been keeping up.
Azeroth Choppers revs up to episode three
You've met the teams. You've understood the concept. Now it's time to get to the exciting work of watching people build fantasy motorcycles for World of Warcraft characters to ride in the newest installment of Azeroth Choppers. This is the first stage of assembly, leading to the usual ramping drama that you see in any sort of reality show wherein someone runs out of something and everyone panics before more is obtained in a minute of screen time. If you've enjoyed the previous installments, you'll find more to like here, as both of the factional teams are feeling the pinch in time and one team loses a crucial member. This episode also gives the barest hints of what the bikes will look like in preparation for the first look for Blizzard at the end of the episode. Take a look past the break to watch the full show, and stay tuned for future installments.
Azeroth Choppers episode 3 now available
In the third episode of Azeroth Choppers, we get a little bit of background into the members of Team Alliance and Team Horde. It's understandably less in depth than the interview that went up on the WoW official blog last week, considering the episode's time limit, but it's nice to get some face time with a few of Blizzard's developers. We also get a glimpse of the engineering process behind the bike design--the builders touch upon some of the logistical problems they face in trying to bring the Horde and Alliance chopper visions to life. Personally, I always find that stuff to be the most interesting, so I'm glad it's there. As for the bikes themselves, Team Horde had a wrench thrown into things when one of their builders, Mel, had to bow out of the competition for a family emergency. The situation seems to have left the teams somewhat behind schedule, and to Mel: we hope everything is well with your family.
Meet the teams behind Azeroth Choppers
You're probably already familiar with the two main faces of Azeroth Choppers -- Alliance-side captain Chris Metzen and Horde-side captain Samwise Didier are both well-known faces of Blizzard Entertainment. However, you may not be so well acquainted with the other two members of each team: Terran Justice Gregory and Monte Krol of the Alliance, and Gary Platner and Jason Hutchins of the Horde. To help rectify this situation, Blizzard recently put up an official blog post about the teams, including mini-interviews with the team members about the show itself. Terran, Monte, Gary, and Jason all answer questions about their connection to the factions they're representing in the bike build-off, and their answers may surprise and delight you! They also detail the artistic process behind consolidating designs for the bikes. There's encouragement for fans of both factions, and an interesting discussion about how the winning bike will be implemented into the game. There is also, of course, some tongue-in-cheek trash talking on both sides. The whole interview is a neat behind-the-scenes glimpse into the folks behind Azeroth Choppers, and a good bit of fun.
World of Warcraft rolls out episode two of Azeroth Choppers
The first episode of Azeroth Choppers (a collaboration between American Choppers and World of Warcraft) ended with the early frames being shown off and the promise of a cliffhanger. This week's episode resolves that cliffhanger: Everything has to be ready within five weeks' time. Which, as the episode states repeatedly, is a very difficult timeline to hit. Presumably even harder when you sit around mentioning how difficult it will be on camera, but hey. Since both bikes are still very early in design, the episode focuses on introducing Team Alliance and Team Horde, with members reacting to the short timeframe and the challenges of the design. Watch the full episode just past the break, and check out the official page introducing the team members in more depth.
Next episode of Azeroth Choppers now available
So the second episode of Azeroth Choppers is up now, letting us see what the process of constructing the bikes is going to be like. Honestly, for me that's the most interesting part of these kinds of shows - I don't really care about the drama or competition very much, but I'm fascinated to watch people actually sitting down to build these bikes. This week's episode features a deadline that, frankly, I didn't really understand very much (why do they suddenly need the bikes constructed in five weeks?) but whatever, I was more interested in seeing them discuss how they're going to go about meeting it. I'll probably watch next week's episode to see these things get worked on. I do wish they'd go with normal wheels, though. Tank treads don't do it for me. I really think this is what the Alliance bike should look like.
WRUP: Breaking Gnome
This week saw the premiere episode of Azeroth Choppers, a new webseries featuring Paul Jr. from American Chopper. Two teams, Alliance and Horde, are being challenged to construct the ultimate chopper for the faction they represent -- and both bikes will be put up to player vote, with the most popular chopper being given a model in World of Warcraft itself. Sure, it might sound kind of silly, but it was also pretty fun -- and in the spirit of fun, we decided to ask our staff not only what they are playing this weekend, but what television spoof they would like to see next? Alex Ziebart (@AlexZiebart) I'm going to be doing more Heroes of the Storm this weekend. I genuinely expected we'd have the Warlords alpha/beta by this point, so I don't have much to do in WoW for the time being. I want an Azerothian version of Hoarders. They can start with Anne and Rossi's banks and void storage. Puns that combine hoard and Horde need not apply. Touché, Alex ... touché.
Let's all gape at Azeroth Choppers, a WoW motorcycle-themed reality show
We can't decide whether this is completely awesome or bizarrely terrifying, but because there really aren't adequate words for World of Warcraft's latest marketing stunt, I'll just let Blizzard explain it: Grab a front-row seat for the ultimate road showdown! Legendary custom motorcycle designer Paul Jr. has assembled two handpicked teams of bike experts to bring to life a pair of asphalt-kicking chopper designs inspired by World of Warcraft®'s two warring factions. Joining each crew on their epic quest are members of the World of Warcraft development team, on board to help to infuse the essence of the Horde and the Alliance into each bike. In the end, only one chopper will reign supreme as the undisputed king of Azeroth's roads in a winner-takes-all showdown voted on by World of Warcraft players around the globe. Get to da choppa already. And by the choppa I mean the trailer -- it's after the break.
