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Hearthstones down to 30 minute cooldown in patch 3.1
Alright, so they killed ghetto hearthing. Blizzard never intended the instance boot system to be used as means to travel back to one's home city while Hearthstones were on cooldown, so they're setting things right in Patch 3.1 by making it port players to the nearest graveyard, instead. Naturally, this sparked outrage amongst the instance-abusing community and some players demanded Blizzard to make up for the loss of one of the most frequently used means of travel.Eyonix was quick to shut down these arguments in a long thread but eventually capitulated to the will of the masses, announcing that Hearthstones would be usable every 30 minutes when Patch 3.1 goes live. Eyonix still doesn't quite understand what the fuss is all about, though, and points to mage portals, Dalaran portals, and good old mount riding as acceptable means of getting from point A to point B. He even dismisses the complaints as QQ at one point. That said, it looks like some QQ has won the day for now. Enjoy your 30 minute hearthstones, everyone. Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.
Turn Evil glyph likely to be nerfed
The most powerful PvP glyph for Paladins looks like it's going to be hammered with the nerf bat. The Glyph of Turn Evil originally reduced the cast time of Turn Evil by 100%. In Patch 3.0, the spell Turn Evil had its cooldown removed, so when Paladins used this glyph they had access to a spammable instant cast crowd control spell that could completely shut down Death Knight ghouls and gargoyles, as well as Warlocks under the effects of Metamorphosis. In Patch 3.0.8, Blizzard revised the glyph to add an 8 second cooldown to the spell.Even with the change, some players are still crying foul, and Ghostcrawler responds that instant cast Turn Evil "might be a problem" and that they are likely to fix it. This is the latest in a series of nerfs and reworks applied to Paladin glyphs -- mostly affecting PvP -- since the release of Wrath of the Lich King. The original Glyph of Crusader Strike had Crusader Strike deal more damage to stunned targets, but now currently reduces the cost of the spell by 20%. The 41-point talent is plain enough (with the removal of the Judgement refresh aspect in 3.0) and the glyph to accompany it is even more boring. Glyph of Hammer of Justice originally extended the stun by 1 second but now only increases the range of the spell by a mere 5 yards. With the speed Blizzard tends to hotfix issues like these, expect a nerf to the Glyph of Turn Evil very soon. What was that famous Ghostcrawler line again? Oh, yeah... "to the ground, baby!"
Local news on WoW lingo
This is pretty silly, but we do have to give them credit: Bay Area NBC may have done a report on how incomprehensible our game's jargon is, but at least it's not a report about how WoW breaks up marriages or ruins the lives of children. But yeah, portraying WoW players as aliens with a foreign language all their own is a little far out -- the game's got jargon just like everything else, and what they don't do in this report, unfortunately, is show the etymology of all of these words ("QQ" means to cry because it looks like eyes crying, and "kek," as you know if you've ever been Alliance facing the Horde, is what "lol" translates into from Orcish). Not to mention that it's too bad she comes so close to the "I'm a girl, I don't get videogames" stereotype -- maybe if she sat down in the starting area for 20 minutes she'd know a little bit more about how it all works.But maybe we're asking too much. Let's not forget that this is the media showing World of Warcraft played by a normal dude with a reporter girlfriend and a nice apartment. Sure, they're didn't spell "pwnz0r" quite right, and the guy isn't exactly "top 10 out of 12 million" -- he does have Ashes of Al'ar, but his guild is actually number 11 on the Greymane server -- but at least they're telling the story instead of trying to write it for us.
WoW Moviewatch: Buff My Warlock
I usually stay away from videos that are centered around topical, timely issues like whether Warlocks need some love or buffs right now. They're just not the kind of thing I dig, personally, and they're usually not incredibly well done. Buff My Warlock, however, kind of got my attention. It's basically a protest video, created by author Illustrious for fun and amusement. She feels she can no longer play her Warlock effectively in PvP, and is hoping for a little love from the developers. The singing isn't the best, and I have to admit the audio made me wince a few times. I'm trying to chalk that up to a bad recording or compression, however, since I think the lyrics are actually okay. The ideas were great, and I have vast appreciation for the fact that the message was relatively personable despite being featured in what some would call a "QQ Video." Hopefully, Illustrious can have fun with her chosen character, and maybe keep advancing her machinima skills going forward. I wouldn't hate seeing the next video be "I love my Warlock." If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Forum post of the day: Pick up groups to pick up points
I'll give you a quick run down of the general forums today: Take away the arena point requirement, or else! Epic flight costs too much! Requiring arena points for PvP gear is a slap in the face! I can't get this or that achievement because it involves something I don't want to do! This is the end of casuals, I don't have time to play arenas! /waggle GG Bliz, the arena requirement is going to make me go play <insert any other MMORPG here>! Death Knights should tank! If you're going to make us play arenas, let us PUG them like battlegrounds! It is hard to find someone who is happy with this new PvP development. I'm indifferent. Personally I find arenas to be the best part of PvP and the purpose of battlegrounds anyway. Like so many others, you need not agree. That last theme however, Blizzard should players to PUG arenas, gave me a moment of pause.
The Queue: Overkill and delicious tears
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft.The image I used for yesterday's The Queue raised some eyebrows, with a lot of people wondering what it was or where it was from. It's just one of a series of paintings throughout Dalaran of the various player races. There are some hanging in the inns, some in the shops, et cetera. My plan was to cycle through them all over the next week or so, and random selection gave me the incredibusty human female first. It might be interesting to note that I'm pretty sure that painting is a nod to Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy 7. It could also just be a regular ol' human female wearing the level 1 Warrior starting gear. Who knows?Today you get the Female Blood Elf, and now let's get the Q&A started.Plaguenog said... Any chance they'll let me use Badges of Justice to buy new badges? Or possibly a reduction in prices for lvl 7o badge gear? I'm basically looking for any reason NOT to use as many of my lvl 70 badges for gems to Auction off.
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXII: QQ spins iriver SPINN into lookalike K819
Man, these guys and gals are quick. Just weeks after we were finally able to hold an iriver SPINN in our own palms, along comes this marvel from China-based QQ. The K819 unashamedly apes the most telling design characteristics of iriver's latest, though the phony does come in multiple hues while boasting "high-grade texture" and oodles of "elegance and style." To be honest, we're not so sure any of these images are more than mere renders, though QQ does promise a 3.0-inch WQVGA display, MP4 support and guaranteed humiliation from your pals.[Via PMPToday]
The Art of War(craft): The pointlessness of PvP in early Wrath
Wrath of the Lich King has been great so far. Blues and purples have been easy to come by, with raids and heroic instances -- criticized by some as being too easy -- working as intended. With barely a few weeks after the game's release, many players are decked out in epics. Our Guild Master just got the Superior Achievement a couple of days ago, with many of our members soon to follow suit.Of course, this comes after repeated Heroic runs, the clearing of Naxxramas, and the extremely easy reputation grind thanks to the new tabard system. Overall, it's a phenomenal gearing system... for PvE. On the other hand, the delayed release of Honor-bought PvP items and mid-December start of Arena Season 5 leaves PvP enthusiasts like myself out in the cold.
Will of the Forsaken nerf is a reason for quitting
Reader Dave M. sent this little gag to us from Blizzard's "Account Cancel" page. He was leaving the game (and frankly, we're sorry to see him go), and he noticed that if you choose "other" as the reason for leaving your account behind, you get another list of more wacky options. And among them (right between "All of my friends quit playing" and "Offline play not available") is that constant point of QQ: "Will of the Forsaken nerf."Pretty funny that in terms of game mechanics, that's really the only listed reason for quitting ("it takes too long to move between regions" is in there as well, though it seems like a strange complaint that the game is too big). You'd think that the Ret Pally nerfs or Shaman QQ would at least be listed in there somewhere. But no, apparently for all the players that are saying "That's it, I quit" in response to nerfs, only the ones angry about the WotF nerf are actually doing it.
WoW Insider's BlizzCon Bingo 2008
Our BlizzCon Bingo game is back for its second year -- last year whether you won or not depended on what you saw, but people mostly were able to complete the necessary five across, with or without the help of the free space. This year, things are a little tougher, mostly because we just don't know what Blizzard is going to do -- will they announce the third expansion? Will they announce a new IP? Will they announce anything, or just treat the whole weekend as a Wrath preview?Whatever happens, make sure you print out your bingo card before you go, and then throughout the weekend, cross off everything that you see on there. If, by the end of the weekend, you've nabbed five across, you win! And while last year, all you won was the satisfaction of seeing something cool, well heck, let's throw something else into the mix -- if you're the first person to personally show me a completed bingo card by the end of the convention, I'll have a prize waiting for you.And no cheating! Trust us, there'll be plenty of Paladin complaining at the Q&As -- you won't have to go do it yourself.
World of WarCrafts: Alliance QQ Nullifier
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.There seems to be an observed Horde bias here at WoWInsider, especially within the World of WarCrafts column. So today we're going to focus on a craft that should be a perfect fit for the Grand Alliance. I present you with the Alliance QQ Nullifier.Here is what you will need: Wood Tissue Box Acrylic Paint (metallic gold and blue) Paint Brushes Pencil Card stock Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-32663%
The new Misery
Many Shadow Priests are not feeling very good about the state of the class in LK right now. Yes, buffs to DPS are promised. But a lot of our utility has tanked, from Shadow Weaving not affecting other players, to Vampiric Touch being dialed down and given to other classes, to Misery. It's sad, but amusing that a talent named Misery would get nerfed this hard. Currently, in live, Misery gives 1/2/3/4/5% increased spell damage for all players against targets affected by your Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay, and Vampiric Touch. Pretty sweet. As of the latest beta version, it's +1/2/3% spell hit for all players against targets affected by the same spells. The reason this is especially bad (besides that the last two ranks of the talent were removed) is that most casters are hit-capped when they raid, which means that additional spell hit doesn't help them at all. So either players are going to start gearing assuming Misery will be up – which defeats Blizzard's stated goal of making it so no class is truly essential for a raid – or Misery is going to be worthless most of the time (outside of leveling maybe). This seems like a good case of a broken talent, and so I have every hope that it will get addressed during the beta. But as of right now, Misery is pretty miserable indeed.
Forum Post of the Day: Guide for 8 Mages
Jazle of Barthilas finally gives level 8 mages the guide they need to down those very tough beach murlocs (they are fishmen) in Westfall. According to this rising young star in the Mage community (he's 7 in real life), you need to start at max range, lay in a frostshot and a few fireballs, and 1 more fireball for the killer blow! After that, since he's 4 years above you, you will be bound to get something good soon.This is probably the clearest and easiest guide we've ever read, and as many players say, rare is the Mage who can actually drop a mob 4 levels higher (even at 8). We can't thank Jazle enough for this advice -- we agree he is "bound to get something good soon," and his optimism and earnestness, on the Mage forums, a place normally full of QQ and tears, is totally refreshing.Oh, and he's right: don't use sheep. It makes their health come back.Thanks, Dan!
Are tanks the most drama prone?
My tanking corps rocks. They really do. I'm quite happy to be their officer representative. We all play our role as the meat shield very well, rarely do we miss a shield block in our rotation or forget to pop a health stone as healers make transitions in and out of the demon realm in Kalecgos. What is interesting about any tanking corps I've been apart of is the inevitable drama that comes up.Since I've been in a few different guilds with a few different tanking corps and this drama always seems to happen and happen the same way, I have to ask: are tanks the most drama prone?It's best to define what drama actually is. Drama is any whining and moaning from anyone about things out of their control. If they complain about things in their control, well, then they just fail miserably and probably should spend some time outside to recenter themselves. For instance, a tank complaining loudly that his healer always is the first to get constructs in Gorefiend and demanding that they get a soulstone before the fight even starts, is drama. A tank complaining that they need healers X, Y, and Z, in the raid or else they won't do anything but auto-attack Illidan, is drama.A tank complaining that they deserve extra guild repair money for their expensive plate armor, is drama. And since the tank is special, they also need their own rank to let everyone know this (but it's also practical because only they should be able to withdraw 300g a night in repair money).
TurpsterVision : Oh and one more Ding!
Every Tuesday TurpsterVision is LIVE (kind of) right here on Massively! Take the 'T' from 'Tuesday' and the 'V' from 'LIVE', smash them together like its going out of fashion and you got yourself TV for TurpsterVision - the best video podcast LIVE right here on Massively! Welcome back, it's been two weeks too long - though I blame that on the fact that its been time to party! Forgetting that, today is a special post, its a game close to my heart, and it isn't a review. It's World of Warcraft folks; there is no need to review it, what do you want me to say? Honestly, it's THE World of Warcraft, there aren't any imitations that even come close, well, maybe one. So I won't bore you with a 5 minute long video reviewing what we already know, instead I have made a 9 minute long video showing off my mad PvP/PvE skills in my recent DINGSTRAVAGANZA! (An event which saw my Shadow Priest finally tip the scales and join the big boys at level 70) It is also a friendly plug/invitation letting you all know that I will be at the World Wide Invitational this weekend in Paris and if any of you guys are out there then I urge you to come seek me and my camera out and share the love!
Blizzard on griefing: deal with it.
Drysc responded strongly to some QQ over at the forums when a poster from Kil'jaeden -- a PvP realm -- ranted about being griefed by high level characters while leveling up. Drysc's uncompromising response? Get some friends and fight back. He reasons that if players roll on a PvP server, they should expect to be griefed as part of the leveling process. It's the same philosophy that has prevented Blizzard from allowing character transfers from PvE to PvP realms. It really only makes sense. If players roll on a PvP server, they shouldn't complain about players from the opposing faction taking advantage of the fact that they're flagged for PvP.As Drysc explains, "the rules of war are based around attacking when the odds are in your favor". This could mean when opponents outnumber you, outlevel you, when you're low in health and/or if you're engaged with multiple mobs... the question isn't whether it's honorable or fair. It's war. In a PvP server, everything is fair game. There are no rules, and players certainly shouldn't bother sending tickets to GMs asking for any help (or sympathy). This should probably be common sense, but Drysc's somewhat provocative response is something of a surprise -- to many players a welcome one. While I'm all for etiquette (ganking a fisherman is just plain rude) and a personal sense of honor, players who roll on a PvP server know what they signed up for. Shape up or ship out -- character transfers, after all, are just a click away.
Risen is mad as hell, and they aren't going to take it anymore
You may remember the raiding guild Risen, from the Alleria server, for their work in Naxxaramas back before The Burning Crusade, being among the first to grab Atiesh and the Corrupted Ashbringer. They're back at the forefront of WoW news again, but this time for a different reason. They've decided to tap out of raiding until WoTLK, and they aren't being very shy about telling us why, with a post on their website under the oh-so-witty title "World of Casualcraft."
Shamans disappointed yet again in 2.4 notes
Yes indeed, odds are that if you talked to a Shaman this weekend about patch 2.4, you got pretty much the same feeling that the video above conveys: Shamans, especially enhancement Shamans, aren't really thrilled about what we got out of the patch. We've been hoping for (finally) buffs, including an update on how Blizzard is going to deal with our totem and mana problems. We were hoping for shields to get reinvigorated and redesigned. We were hoping to see big changes to the class, and instead we got... a new Stormstrike icon, and a totem timer?The biggest Shaman change is the one to Earth Shield (which only affects Resto, since they're the only ones that can use it-- it costs less mana, and lasts for six charges instead of 10 (not great for raiders, but not bad for PvPers), and there was a small buff to Healing Grace (now gives a chance to avoid dispells). There is one Elemental change-- Call of Thunder now gives 5% crit rather than crit only to Lightning spells. But those changes do nothing to alleviate Shaman concerns (and you might have heard that there were many), and the rest of the changes are bugfixes and UI updates almost no one was asking for.Yes, yes, QQ more and all that, but the story here is that Shamans have been basically ignored yet again, even while Blizzard admits that there are problems with the class. So when are the fixes coming? Blizzard has already said they're not making sweeping changes to any classes in these content patches-- maybe our chance as Shamans will finally come with the expansion.
The AV map imbalance in patch 2.3: a different perspective
David Bowers wrote an excellent, thoroughly analyzed article about the map imbalance in Alterac Valley. His point is relatively simple: under the new Reinforcement mechanics, the map favors the Horde. He posits that, should the Horde play their best game, the Alliance will not be able to win in Alterac Valley. In fact, according to reports, Alliance in some Battlegroups have boycotted AV altogether. When I first read David's article -- a great read I highly recommend to anyone, by the way -- my initial response was a slight befuddlement. You see, in my Battlegroup, the Alliance win their fair share of Alterac Valley.In fact, if we go over to Warcraft Realms, we'll see that the Alliance win quite a good number of AV games, too. Furthermore, in some Battlegroups, they completely dominate Alterac Valley. Maybe the Horde of those Battlegroups should read David's article. In it, David outlines how the new Reinforcement mechanic favors the Horde because the map design allows Horde players to reach Stonehearth Bunker, a key objective that awards +63 Honor when burned and eliminates 75 Reinforcements, before the Alliance can reach Iceblood Tower. The new Reinforcement mechanic also makes Iceblood Graveyard a critical defensive bastion that, if defended fully, supposedly prevents the Alliance from getting any Honor from Alterac Valley.
The happiest class?
We all know which class QQs the most (I know, I know, low blow-- but it made me laugh), but which class smiles the most? Skrattin (who is actually a Warlock himself) speculates that it's 'Locks who are happiest with the game. Even though they've taken some nerfs (although they might still be OP, depending on who you listen to), they still seem to be pretty happy with their class and the game at large. And it's true-- I've never once heard of a Warlock protest out there on the realms.I generally think of Warriors are pretty happy guys, but even they have had their problems. And while most Priests I know tend to actually be pretty cheery about being the first to die when aggro is lost and playing whack-a-mole all the time, they've had their problems as well. And while I do like my Shaman, I can't really defend my class-- we're pretty big whiners (even if it is justified).So maybe it's true-- Warlocks just might be the happiest class in the game. It's not that there isn't Warlock QQ, it's just that, for most of the game, it's been about 'locks, not by them.
