official-blog
Latest
What to expect when you're expecting patch 5.4
You might not be completely familiar with all that's coming in WoW's next major content patch, set to be released on September 10th. That's understandable, because there is quite a bit coming; this one is surely a doozy. To make sure that you've got all your mechanical chickens in a row as patch 5.3 draws to its inevitable close, Community Manager Daxxari has posted a nice, comprehensive guide of all the things you can expect from the patch and how to be properly prepared for them. There are class changes, new currency, a new PvP season, the Timeless Isle, some changes to professions, as well the end of the stories of Battlefield Barrens and the current incarnation of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. With the end of this patch, and all the big changes that the new one is bringing, it makes sense to have perhaps a small bucket list of things to accomplish before the 10th. A few things in particular you might want to do include: Get your "Hordebreaker" or "Darkspear Revolutionary" title before it's gone for good! Make sure to pick up one of the unique items from the Darkspear Rebellion: Gahz'rooki, Griftah's Authentic Troll Shoes, Xan'tish's Flute, and more! The Mantid Artifact Sonic Locator is going to become more difficult to acquire, might want to get it now. Justice and Valor will NOT convert, so feel free to stock up! However, Conquest will be converted to Honor as usual, and Honor will now be 250 per 500 Justice. The post also includes some useful tips on how to make sure the patch update goes smoothly, and where to go for help if it doesn't. Be sure to check out the entire thing over on the WoW official site, and good luck getting ready for patch 5.4!
Defiance dev blog covers common issues and cheater voyeurism
Defiance executive producer Nathan Richardsson is getting serious today in a very serious blog post uploaded very seriously to the official site, a post that discusses fixes already made and promises even more fixes for some of the problems that have plagued the game since launch. MMO launches typically go about as smooth as a rhino's hindquarters, but it's always good to hear official word that the team is aware and working on the problems. According to the post, the "big team" is working overtime addressing issues like PC server woes, general game server crashes, Xbox problems, and PlayStation 3 client patches. In happier news, the team promises that hackers and cheaters are being taken very, you know, seriously. The blog even admits that some cheaters are allowed to linger in the game for a while so the team can "enjoy" watching the scum. The team is also looking into the Case of the Disappearing Items, although it is admittedly a tough nut to crack. Future blog posts, Richardsson says, will cover player feedback on many of the issues since launch.
New features coming to Brawler's Guild in patch 5.3
For those of you who have mastered the secrets of the Brawler's Guild and are hungry for more, community manager Crithto has some potentially tantalizing things to look forward to in patch 5.3! Members will now have the opportunity to achieve rank 10, and there will be eight new boss encounters against which to test your strength. Those bosses are being kept purposefully under wraps for now - no head starts on strategy, folks! Another new addition will be an item called a Challenge Card. Using a Challenge Card will give the player a quest that allows for yet another new encounters to be unlocked. In addition, once you've defeated a boss, you can speak to the Challenge Card NPC for the opportunity to revisit the fight if you so desire. So for those of you who have been wanting the ability to face down a boss more than once, your wishes shall soon come true. Also available will be player VIP lounges - for those of you with a high enough ranking, of course! There will be unique Alliance and Horde areas, but if you play Alliance and have completed the 5.1 quest lines, you may already have a passing familiarity with your spot. Happy brawling in 5.3, and a good shiner to you!
Nokia responds to questions over Symbian name swap
Nokia seems to have finally realized that it can't just kill off a long-standing name like Symbian with a mere three-word mention (in parentheses) on its official blog. It's now posted up a marginally more detailed statement in response to "heaps of questions" from Nokia fans about the name change, and it reads as follows: "We are still using Symbian Belle with some audiences like developers but now we also have the flexibility of using Nokia Belle when referring to our greatest and latest Symbian software update." There, that should clear it up. Or maybe not. The idea of switching between different names for the same product might be considered bad branding, and the notion of developers being an "audience" is confusing too. But what more can you expect from a single sentence? In other news, the update also clarified that Nokia/Symbian Belle will be coming to the Nokia 500, along with the devices mentioned yesterday, and that it's delay until February 2012 was due to this being a "major software update" that will "make such a big difference in the user experience."
ArenaNet reveals the wisdom and power of the Kodan in Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 still seems achingly far away if you're one of the many players hotly anticipating the game, but we can take comfort in the fact that ArenaNet has continued to share more of the lore of the world via regular blog entries. The Kodan, previously known in only the barest terms, have been revealed in full with the latest writeup. A mighty and proud race from the northern lands, these powerful ursine warriors have begun moving south, at once seeking refuge and judging the other races of Tyria. "Judging" is to put it mildly, really -- the kodan view themselves as the arbiters of spiritual purity within the world, even as they flee from the elder ice dragon Jormag. Some norn and kodan alike believe that the norn are descended from the bear-men, which the kodan view as a great failing of the norn, hence why the other race has been stripped of its natural form. Learn more about this new addition to Guild Wars 2 in the full entry, complete with a few pieces of the game's signature beautiful concept art.
Cataclysm hotfixes for Dec. 27
Community Manager Zarhym's list of Cataclysm hotfixes has received yet another update Dec. 27. I have to admit, my heart skipped a beat when I first saw today's list. Is that a Tol Barad fix? Be still, my beating heart! Has Blizzard finally -- Wait. Never mind. The fix won't really fix anything. Still, maybe it's a sign Blizzard's noticed how broken the zone is. Here's the fix, along with a few other interesting changes: Winning as an attacker in Tol Barad now rewards players with 1,800 honor points, up from 180. Winning as a defender still rewards players with 180 honor points. Vashj'ir archaeology dig sites no longer unlock for players. They felt too punishing without additional benefits compared to low-level sites and were much more difficult to obtain artifacts in due to the way Vashj'ir navigation works. Gyreworms, Enormous Gyreworms, and Gorged Gyreworms no longer drop money or elite-level loot. For a complete list of the latest hotfixes, check after the break.
