scheduled-maintenance
Latest
Tuesday Morning Post: For Whom The Barad Tols edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! You know, as things calm down a bit now that we're a few weeks into Cataclysm, I've had time to ask myself one of my favorite questions: What could Blizzard be doing better? Don't get me wrong, Cataclysm's awesome, but there are always a few things to be concerned about. Right now, my big concern is Tol Barad. Tol Barad, as a concept, is pretty awesome. It's an island full of history that old-time Warcraft lore nerds like me can appreciate, and the factions and story are well set up for an epic showdown. Plus, if loot's your thing, the reputation rewards run the gamut from fun to useful. So everything would be great with Tol Barad, except that the mechanics of the battle itself are sort of horrible. Mat's pretty much said what needs to be said on this, so I'll let him tell you all about it. Of course, his wasn't the only awesome article posted on the site in the last few days. As of this writing, there's no scheduled downtime aside from a quick round of realm restarts at 5 a.m. pacific time, but hey, you could stand to take a break and do some reading anyway, right? Continue on for our usual roundup of all the best news, tips, and tricks.
Tuesday Morning Post: Not looking at explosions edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! So hopefully by now, most of us have had plenty of time to get knee deep in the fastest selling computer game of all time. Some of us are level 85, some of us aren't; some have switched over to worgen and goblins or other characters, some of us are too busy not looking at explosions. Whatever your pursuit, we wish you lots of luck and lots of fun. With that in mind, if you're still confused by all the changes in Cataclysm or you're still struggling to level your character, don't worry. We've got you covered. You can always check our Cataclysm coverage page for a roundup of the best guides and latest news, or you can read on now as we cover everything we've reported on since last Tuesday. Don't worry, the servers are down from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific time, so you'll have plenty of time to read.
Tuesday Morning Post: Altoholics Anonymous edition
You know, I was just going to take it easy until Cataclysm, even with The Shattering upon us, even with the new race/class combos. I figured I'd grab a few of the new pets on my death knight and just coast until it was time to start leveling. Then I figured, what the heck, let's roll a gnome priest and check out the new gnome starting zone. You can see from the picture above where that ended up. She's level 39 now and still going strong! I'm not the only one who's rolled a new character, either. I've seen a lot of human hunters and night elf mages around, and I'm hearing horror stories of Orgrimmar drowning in a tide of technicolored troll druids as well. That's right, The Shattering is upon us, and apparently all it's really shattered for most of us is any boredom with the game. There's a lot of good stuff going on right now -- and we, of course, have it all here. With today's extended maintenance of 3-11 a.m. Pacific time, you should have time to catch up, right? Read on for a roundup of all the latest happenings.
Tuesday Morning Post: Shattered edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! Patch 4.0.3 was released last week, but everyone knows that's not the big news. No, that was just the first rumblings of change. Patch 4.0.3a only just went up on the PTR, but it looks like it's already headed to the live servers. This means we'll be getting a lot of changes, including the new version of the old world and the new race/class combos. Just to be clear, Blizzard is currently saying that you will be able to race change to those new combos right away, no matter what it had said before. Also coming this patch is a nice 20 percent reduction in leveling experience for the level 70 to level 80 grind, as well as changes to the Loremaster achievement. Daunted by all the changes? Don't worry, with a 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific downtime coming our way, you should have time to read up on all of it. Keep it tuned here for news throughout the morning, and read on now for a look back at what we've already talked about.
Patch 4.0.3a, The Shattering, likely hitting live servers tomorrow
With the announcement of extended downtime for tomorrow already out, the buzz has begun in earnest. We know that The Shattering, the patch that will change Azeroth forever, is coming either this week or the next, and an extended downtime would be the perfect time to patch it in. The Shattering patch will include all the old-world changes coming with Cataclysm, including changes to the Loremaster and Explorer achievements to match, the removal of Zul'Gurub, a reduction in the amount of experience required to level from 70 to 80, and the addition of all of the new race/class combinations. Worgen and goblins will still have to wait for Cataclysm itself, of course. If you don't plan to do any raiding or dailies in Northrend in the next couple weeks on any of your characters, you may also want to move your character to Stormwind or Orgrimmar before the servers go down, as rumor has it that the portals in Dalaran are going away with this patch. If all this change is getting you confused and dismayed, never fear! We here at WoW Insider will be with you every step of the way. Just stay with us for all the latest news and handy guides you need to survive in the brave new world of Cataclysm. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Tuesday Morning Post: Elemental extended maintenance edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. We're barreling headlong into the Cataclysm opening event, including fighting in the cities, so if you've been lax in logging on, now might be a good time to start. After all, there's loot and achievements to be had, and stuff. That said, you won't be able to log on for a bit this morning, as the servers are going down for extended maintenance from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. PST. Personally, I'm blaming this on the fire elementals. I bet they got into the hardware. Luckily, we got your back with lots of good stuff to read from the past week while we wait for the servers to come back up. Keep it right here with us, and we'll get through the downtime withdrawal together, I promise. We have our usual list of hot topics and useful guides below.
Tuesday Morning Post: Elementals everywhere edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. While we're all holding our breaths waiting for Dec. 7, don't think things have slowed down, either. The elemental invasion event is in full swing, with a new phase every week. Before you know it, we'll be seeing Patch 4.0.3 and a whole new world (of Warcraft) laid out before us. Get those last-minute achievements done now, folks, it'll be here before you know it. For now, though, we have a few weeks, and Tuesday morning is as good a time as any to stand back and take stock of what's going in the game we all love. We have the usual roundup of hot news and useful guides straight ahead.
Tuesday Morning Post: Countdown to Cataclysm edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. The big news of the moment actually started up last night: The next phase of the pre-Cataclysm world event has begun. This means we're ever closer to patch 4.0.3 and the release of Cataclysm. It feels like we've really cleared a hurdle here, so better get that old content done while you can. Of course, there's plenty of other news to sift through. We have few articles left from BlizzCon, for example. Also in awesome news is that The Shattering now has a much-deserved slot on the New York Times best-seller list. Downtime for maintenance consists only of a quick set of rolling restarts at 5 a.m., but it can't hurt to take a break and do some reading, right? We have our usual roundup after the break.
Tuesday Morning Post: Jaina Proudmoore is awesome edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone, and welcome to the week after BlizzCon 2010. This year was pretty sparse on WoW news, but there was still some cool stuff to see, including the new worgen cinematic. Luckily, the main reason everyone was there went off without a hitch: the WoW Insider reader meetup. Seriously, guys, it seemed like half the BlizzCon was there, including some pretty awesome special guests, and the prizes and alcohol both flowed like water. It was such an amazing party, and we're all looking forward to doing it again next year. Whether you've made it before or not, we'd love to see you there. Now, given the nature of the news this week, I could just throw up a picture of the BlizzCon sign as my header and be done with it. But I'm not going to do that. Instead, have a picture of Jaina Proudmoore. I have to admit, between the state of Dustwallow Marsh and the incidents at Undercity and Dalaran, I lost a lot of faith in Jaina. She just didn't seem to have any dignity or grace anymore. The woman I admired in Warcraft 3 was gone. But Christie Golden changed that. In The Shattering, she let me respect Jaina again, as a strong woman who still loves the Alliance but won't give up on peace, standing up to her King and even, if needed, to Thrall, even as she maintains strong friendships with both of them. Thank you, Christie. Thank you for letting me love Jaina again. Anyhow, with that bit of rampant fanboying out of the way, I should warn you that we do have the usual 5-11 a.m. downtime this morning. Luckily, between BlizzCon and patch 4.0.1, there's plenty of news for you to catch up on. You can start with our usual list, after the break.
Tuesday Morning Post: No pre-BlizzCon lull edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. BlizzCon may be just around the corner, but don't make the mistake of thinking that everything's fallen into a lull because of that. There's a lot of pretty awesome stuff that's gone down in the last few days. Patch 4.0.1 is out, and it's changed the world (of Warcraft) forever. We also got to see the Cataclysm opening cinematic. I, personally, was underwhelmed, but I seem to be one of about three people who feel that way, so I'm sure you'll like it if you haven't seen it yet. In addition, Hallow's End is now on live servers, so you have a few more weeks to grab that elusive horse mount or pet, assuming you don't crash. Of course, my personal choice for the best news of Patch 4.0.1 is the fact that Anzu is up all the time. Don't get me wrong, I had a druid in Burning Crusade, and the epic flight form quest was amazing, but I want a giant frickin technicolored bird on my death knight now, and I'm pretty happy I won't have to drag around a druid for that. There's plenty of more patch 4.0.1 news to peruse and guidance to absorb, and since it's maintenance Tuesday, you should have some time to absorb it all. Check out our usual roundup after the break!
Tuesday Morning Post: The greatest post in the world tribute edition
Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone! All right, I know that there's that silly little patch 4.0.1 going live today, but honestly, that doesn't even faze me. Do you know why? That's because Tenacious D is performing at BlizzCon. Step aside, Ozzy. The true kings of rock are rocking the closing ceremonies. Consider me moved, gentlemen. Consider me moved. But seriously, with patch 4.0.1 going live today, there's a lot of stuff you're going to need to know, and WoW Insider has you covered. With this whole 12-hour downtime thing we got going on right now, it's the perfect time to read up on all the latest WoW news, including a lot of hints and tips to help you get used to the new patch. We have the usual roundup after the break, and you can stay tuned all day for more news you can use.
Tuesday Morning Post: I'm dreaming of a Cataclysmic Christmas edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. The past few days saw a lot of Cataclysm release date rumors flying around. It seemed like Amazon was constantly waffling between January, December and November, and everyone was reading secret codes on Blizzard's websites and game data. Luckily, however, we do not need to guess anymore. Blizzard has officially announced that the Cataclysm expansion will release on Dec. 7, just in time for both Matthew Rossi's birthday and the feast of St. Nicholas, which is a traditional day of gift-giving in many cultures around the world. Yes, these are hints. Of course, before Cataclysm, we have patch 4.0.1 to contend with, but the exact date it's going live is still up in the air. Still, with the current arena season ending as early as Oct. 12, it's probably soon. Of course, for those of you who are still sort of confused as to what Cataclysm is and what all the hubbub is about, well, we can help with that too. Of course, all this stuff is off in the future. In the here and now, we have the usual scheduled maintenance window of 5-11 a.m. Pacific time. That means you have plenty of time to catch up on all the news from the past few days, and we have it all right here on WoW Insider.
Tuesday Morning Post: A farewell to portals edition
The most staggering news to come out of the Cataclysm beta has hit: There are no more portals in the neutral hubs. That's right, camping out in Dalaran or Shattrath won't get you anywhere anymore. You're going to be moving to Stormwind or Orgrimmar whether you like it or not. There have also been a bunch of wild rumors flying around about Cataclysm's release date. First, Amazon.com started sending out bunches of emails about release date changes which put the release at late November, and now there are rumors of a December release. Of course, they're all rumors; only Blizzard knows for sure, and it isn't talking. Still, 4.0.1 is on the PTR, and the background downloader is chugging away, so it feels like we're on the home stretch, regardless. Maintenance this week consists of rolling restarts at 5 a.m. Pacific time, although a small handful of servers will get the normal 5-11 a.m. downtime. No matter which server you're on, there was a whole lot of interesting news from the live servers, from the beta servers and from the PTR in the past 7 days -- so how about catching up on it right now?
Tuesday Morning Post: Gnome power edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! In some news that is both Cataclysm related and non-Cataclysm related at the same time, it looks like live servers are finally getting something to cheer about. Not only are the gnome and troll events now live, but patch 4.0.1, which features the Cataclysm class and talent tree changes (but not the geographical changes to the old world), is on the PTR. Could this be a sign that Cataclysm is closer than we think, or will we just have a lot of time to play around with our new talents and content? It's hard to say either way, so be sure to get those events done if you want them. There's no telling how long they'll be on the live servers, and anyway, rumors are placing Cataclysm's release on Nov. 2, closer than you think. You'll have plenty of time to read up on all the news and rumors during the usual downtime this morning, from 5-11 a.m. Pacific time. Whether you're interested in live servers, in the 4.0.1 PTR, or the Cataclysm beta, we got plenty of news to keep you reading, so read on.
Tuesday Morning Post: Adventures in beta patching edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. The big news this week has the been the beta test of the new patch process and launcher, which allows you to play even when your patch is only partially done. I've tried it out myself, and I must say, it's quite a feeling logging into Acherus to see nothing but the Eastern Plaguelands spread out below you for miles as the hold itself shifts into being around you. It's sort of crazy. Still, I imagine most of the time I'll just wait for the download to finish. There is, of course, plenty of other news to catch up on. If you're waiting out this morning's rolling restarts, why not check and see if you missed anything from the past few days? Our usual roundup awaits after the break.
Tuesday Morning Post: Suspect timing edition
Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone! In what may or may not be a mea culpa for the massive amount of downtime, both expected and unexpected, last week, Blizzard's announced that there will be no downtime this morning. That's right, we won't even get rolling restarts. Now, usually I'd be pretty grateful for this. It's always nice to know the server's going to be up and ready for you when you get a chance to play. But today, of all days, is the day they chose? Honestly, I wouldn't even be phased if they put my server on the 24-hour downtime list for today, because I'm just going to spend all my free time playing Starcraft 2. Actually, never mind. It's pretty clear to me now why they're keeping the servers up. Obviously, the server maintenance team would rather take the day off and play Starcraft II too. If you're still agonizing over whether to play Starcraft or log on and do your dailies, maybe you should stop by WoW.com while you think. We have a lot of juicy Cataclysm news for you to catch up on, and more coming throughout the day.
Tuesday Morning Post: Never tear us apart edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! You know, I feel like I really should say something. Blizzard, despite all the rockiness, be it the Real ID fiasco or the huge 31-point talent tree changes, I still love you. I don't think anything can tear us apart. You know, except a 24-hour downtime. Luckily, my server's not in today's batch of downed servers, but Zangarmarsh, home of <It Came From The Blog>, is; yours may be as well, so be sure to check the list. If your realm is listed, that just means you'll have plenty of time to look back all the big news from the past seven days, such as the new 31-point talent trees or the massive Twitter developer chat. And anyway, we do have normal downtime at the somewhat early time of 1-7 a.m. Pacific, so you may still have a bit of a time to read up regardless. With all that in mind, we have the usual roundup of news, opinions and guides from the past seven days ready for your perusal. Once you're done reading those, you can prepare to join all the 24-hour downtime refugees on Shadow Council.
Tuesday Morning Post: Real ID ruckus edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. It's been a surprisingly busy and controversial week in WoW. The ill-fated Real ID forum integration has come and -- after extensive community outcry, rampant rumors and multiple attempts to explain themselves on Blizzard's part -- gone again, and we're all hopeful that we can go back to the carefree slaughter of internet dragons. In actual gameplay news, everything we know about our classes may be changing with the extensive new talent revamp that limits trees to the 31-point tier and gives level 10s signature abilities from their chosen tree. There's plenty more beta news and (for those of you avoiding Cataclysm spoilers) Ruby Sanctum guides to browse through, and since we have the usual 5-11 a.m. Pacific downtime coming down the pipe this morning, you'll have time to tackle it, I'm sure. Read on for all the latest from the past few days.
Tuesday Morning Post: Return of the 24-hour downtime edition
It's back! 24-hour maintenance day returns today, this time for a different batch of realms. Everyone else still has to deal with the normal 5 a.m.-11 a.m. Pacific downtime label. Whichever group you fall into, don't despair. It was a pretty busy week news-wise, so we have plenty of stuff for you to catch up on, and we'll have more fresh news throughout the day. Let's start the roundup. Hot news and features Still have trouble keeping up with Ahune? Check out our video guide. Patch 3.3.5 has hit live servers. Here are the patch notes. Getting errors with the new patch? You aren't alone. Patch 3.3.5, as you might expect, isn't bug-free. Check out this list of new and existing in-game bugs. Blizzard has announced its intent to begin throttling inspect requests from addons such as GearScore. The Ruby Sanctum isn't activated yet, but Blizzard has released more information, including the storyline. Director Sam Raimi's been talking about the upcoming Warcraft movie. Our Wrath retrospective series continues with some opinions on death knights.
Early maintenance announcement includes 24 hour downtime for select realms
Blizzard's already let us know the scheduled downtime for Tuesday, June 29th, quite a bit ahead of their usual late Monday night announcement time. Right now, most realms can expect a normal downtime window of 5 AM to 11 AM Pacific time on Tuesday, June 29th. However, it is time for the next batch of US servers to go down for 24 hours, from 12:01 AM, June 29th to 12:01 AM Wednesday, June 30th. As with the first batch, the 24-hour downtime will likely be used to get the servers in shape for Cataclysm's launch, and if we're lucky, should mean less downtime in the first few days and weeks as everyone comes in to check out the new content. Check out the full list of servers with extended downtime behind the break:
