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Around Azeroth: Kirin'var Village
Jason sends us this shot of the haunted city of Kirin'var in Netherstorm. Inside this the Violet Tower at the heart of this ghostly town is one of the more amusing quests chains in Outland, given by Archmage Vargoth. And perhaps it's not the quest line itself that's amusing as the quest item that you can keep long after the quest is completed: Archmage Vargoth's Staff, which allows you to summon an image of the Archmage wherever you might be. Do you have your own gallery of Archmage Vargoth -- or any other entertaining quest chain? We want to see them on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!%Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Manaforge from above
Reader Elvenduil sends us this shot of one of Netherstorm's five manaforges. Though WoWWiki tells us that these structures, likely Naaru in design, are used to harvest mana from the Twisting Nether for the benefit of Keal'thas and his followers, all I can say about them is that they're very visually impressive. Even though this interesting angle highlights some of the structure's interesting features, it doesn't do it justice -- you're going to have to check out a manaforge in game to see the real deal. Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com, with as much or as little detail as you'd like to share with the world! %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: It may look like a rock on first glance...
Reader Breakerofwnd of Staghelm sends in this interesting shot taken in Netherstorm. Yes, it's one of the rocks randomly floating around off the edge of the world but, if you look closely... there's a face that bears a striking resemblance to everyone's favorite extra-terrestrial. (No, I'm not talking about Draenei here!)Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Netherstorm's hottest vacation spot
Demliss of Proudmoore sends us this shot of a charming home-away-from-hearth vacation spot off the coast of Netherstorm. There's no pool or concierge service, but you can't beat its view of the lightning-filled Netherstorm skies. (And how long did it take Demliss to get a screenshot with a lightning bolt in the distance? I'm going to hazard a guess that it would take longer than I'd have patience to wait.)Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Sunfury Graveyard
Reader Sinkiller on Thunderhorn sends in this interesting shot taken in the graveyard by Sunfury Hold in Netherstorm. It's a grave, obviously, on which someone has left a bundle of flowers and... a picture of a scantily clad woman. Seems like an odd thing to leave at a grave, to me...Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Insider Trader: Uldaman or bust!
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.It's a brave new world for young enchanters training in the mysterious ways of their craft. Enchanting's infamous artisan-level training roadblock used to demand that enchanters fight their way to a trainer located inside the Uldaman instance in order to train new skills, formula by formula. Nowadays, many players who own The Burning Crusade expansion can avoid this dastardly errand by porting across the Dark Portal to Outlands enchanter trainers. (No, you can't physically step through the portal until level 58 -- but you CAN accept a mage portal or warlock summons at any level -- and what a great place to be hearthstoned!)As you'd expect, there are a couple of caveats to this solution. All but one of the enchanter trainers in the Outlands (including those in Shattrath City, Honor Hold, Thrallmar and The Stormspire in Netherstorm) are Grand Master Enchanters who train enchanters from a minimum skill level of 300. The lone Outlands trainer handling lower-level training is Enchantress Volali. Unfortunately, her persnickety choice of residence in the Scryer's Tier in Shattrath City puts her squarely off-limits to anyone who's chosen to ally with the Aldor and to all young Draenei, who are automatically friendlier with the Draenei Aldor. (Young Blood Elf enchanters, who are naturally on better terms with their kinsmen the Scryers, can visit Enchantress Volali without issue.) If you're any race but Draenei and haven't yet chosen sides in the Aldor/Scryer faction tussle, you can train with Enchantress Volali in Shattrath City at the artisan level or below and with the Grand Master Enchanters above 300. But if you're a Draenei or less than neutral faction with the Scryers, you'll need to stick to the old-world trainers until you reach 300 -- and for artisan-level training, it's back to Uldaman for j00!
Around Azeroth: Inside the Mana Forge
Reader Timbolicious sends in this unique shot from one of the Mana Forges in Netherstorm. From this particular angle, it looks pretty much like the Mana Forge has been squashed flat. (Hey, maybe this picture is part of a papercraft, build-it-yourself-at-home Mana Forge? Cool!)Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Happy Midsummer Fire Festival!
Yup, the festival of flame is appearing in Azeroth starting today through July 5th. There will be bonfires in the cities, new quests to be run, and new rewards to be had (Toasted Smorc is some tasty stuff, and that +44 healing is nice, too). And of course, coming next week around July 4th, the fireworks will fly over Azeroth's cities yet again.I'm kind of excited to see what new stuff there will be to find in Outland-- I especially enjoyed the new Children's Week stuff this year (even though it took long enough to show up), and so I wonder how they celebrate Midsummer Fire in Nagrand or Shattrath. Can you imagine what fireworks would be like in Netherstorm, if they indeed have exhibits up there? Should be cool-- or in this case, hot.Enjoy the Midsummer Fire Festival-- I'll see you out by the bonfires.
Insider Trader: A primal urge to roll for Primal Nethers
Each week, Lisa Poisso brings us Insider Trader -- your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.In the wake of the avalanche of item and crafting tweaks ushered in by patch 2.1, Insider Trader takes a look at the much-maligned Primal Nether. How do you get one? Do you even need one? Should you roll for one? And keep reading for an Insider Trader tip on a special tactic engineers -- yes, engineers! -- can use to get certain types of motes. But first things first: Primal Nethers. These glowing globules of crafting goodness have about a 5-10% chance of dropping from final bosses in non-heroic Burning Crusade instances, and they're a guaranteed drop from final bosses of heroic instances. Post-2.1, you can also purchase them for the bargain price of 10 Badges of Justice from G'eras in Shattrath City.
Around Azeroth: Would you be prepared if gravity reversed itself?
The only thing I can't figure out is how to keep the change in my pockets. (Bonus cool points to anyone who can place that quote.) Says reader Chleo of Alextrasza, who sent in this interesting image, "I do rock-climbing with only my cold, bony, undead fingers!" (In reality, though, I'm guessing that Chleo flipped his camera angles around to snap this shot for us.)Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: A little piece of paradise
Reader BenMS sends in this impressive shot showing off one of the eco-domes of Netherstorm. No part of Netherstorm's desolate landscape looks like it would support the type of lush vegetation living in these things. (Is this what we'll find under the similarly shiny Dalaran dome? Hmm!) Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Idling ftl.
There's a reason you don't idle in the open on PvP servers. It's because people will kill you. And if you happen to be in a amusing spot, say, floating in the air over Area 52 when you meet your untimely end? People, like reader Goroth of Onyxia, will immortalize your corpse in screenshots. Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Mysterious Mysteries: the Exodar
While questing in Azeroth the other day, a guildy and I got into a discussion on The Exodar. He mentioned that it looked to him that it was a ship and that someone should be able to fly it. That led to my geeking out a bit over the lore, and explaining that it was indeed a ship, a nethership, and the fourth part of Tempest Keep. I've often speculated about this strange city. As I fly around Netherstorm, I try to imagine what it was like to have that last piece of the armada floating with the others, and where it might have been placed. But the true mystery is what might have been within the Exodar. We know it had a boss, but who was flying that great ship when the Draenei broke in? What exactly was it used for? I think of it in terms of the Caverns of Time. If we were able to step back to that moment when the ship was hijacked, what would we see? I bet the battle was immense. Okay, here's where I'd like to here from you. What do you think the Exodar originally was? Are there clues within the existing structure that can hint at it's original purpose? [image courtesy of WorldofWar.net]
Around Azeroth: Netherstorm sky
Aril on The Defias Brotherhood sends in this excellent shot of the Netherstorm sky at sunset. As with all of the skies over Azeroth, the colors and details are gorgeous -- nearly like a painting. I wish I had a higher resolution version of this to share, but this is the best we've got -- wallpaper sized for those of us running at 1024x768. Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Those goblins have the strangest taste...
I think that the goblin statue in Booty Bay is kind of eerie (there's nothing welcoming about a goblin, open arms or no), but this one outside of Area 52 in Netherstorm -- sent in by reader Rolaw of Ursin -- takes creepiness to an entirely new level. Something about that toothy grin is very unsettling... (Do goblins really have that many teeth?) Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: The mana forges of Netherstorm
Reader Poirot of Knights of Arcadia on Dark Iron sends in this incredible shot of one of the mana forges in Netherstorm from above. And if you think this mana forge is massive? Poirot notes that it's dwarfed by Tempest Keep, whose full height can't even be rendered by his machine.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part. See more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Fun with Archmage Vargoth
Seen this wizard (or these wizards) around lately? It's Archmage Vargoth. Actually, it's an image of Archmage Vargoth-- the guy himself is locked, by Kael'thas, inside the Violet Tower up in Netherstorm. The image is summoned with a staff obtained from a long quest chain that starts in Area 52. At around the third quest in the chain, you can obtain Vargoth's staff, which lets you summon an image of him which actually works as a questgiver for the rest of the chain (the eventual end of the chain is to get him out of the tower, though some players say it's not working correctly).In fact, as long as you have the staff, you can summon him again. And again. And, yes, again. And you can do it anywhere. This guy had a little Vargoth party in Karazhan, and Vargoth has been popping up all over Azeroth-- in the captial cities, and even in battlegrounds. The only drawback is that the staff has a 2 minute cooldown on it, and so does the image-- you can't summon more than one at a time with just one staff. But if you have more than one player with the staff, Vargoth clones can appear, which means with a little coordination, he can become a very familiar face around Azeroth.Until it gets "fixed," that is-- chances are that Blizzard will attach a location to the staff, only letting you summon him close to the tower where he's trapped. But until then, I can't wait to see this little purple wizard in as many unexpected places as possible.
