timewalkers
Latest
Know Your Lore: The curious case of the Timeless Isle
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. Its existence is an enigma that even the wisest of pandaren have yet to unravel. A place of great reverence for the pandaren, many warriors and aspiring leaders once traveled to this remote isle to test their mettle against the great Celestials themselves. Yet at some point, some moment in history, the Timeless Isle vanished. And as history continued to wind on in Pandaria, the Isle would reappear from time to time -- long enough to perhaps be noticed, but never quite long enough to allow more than a few unfortunate adventurers upon its shores before blinking out into history once more. Until now. The Timeless Isle represents a curiosity both to the pandaren, who are glad to see the Isle back again and stable -- for now -- and to the Bronze Dragonflight and their allies, the Timewalkers. To many players, the Timeless Isle simply represents a fun way to pass a few hours, killing rare spawns, picking up enticing Bind-on-Account item tokens for alts, and of course gathering tons of Timeless Coins to turn in for other rare rewards. But there's something ... different about the Timeless Isle. It's a puzzle, one that has yet to be fully solved. And of all the questions I have about this odd island in the middle of nowhere, the one that stands out at the front of my mind is quite simply -- why now?
World of Warcraft Trading Card Game closes its doors
The latest release in the WoW TCG -- Timewalkers: Reign of Fire -- is also its last, according to an announcement on the official site. For nearly seven years, the WoW TCG has been a staple among players in and out of the game alike -- tournaments hosted around the world were as wildly popular as the loot cards in decks that could be turned in for in-game items. Reign of Fire not only tackles the events and story of Warcraft III Timewalkers style, it also includes every loot card that has ever been released for the popular TCG. Although this is the last set release for the WoW TCG, players will still be able to redeem loot codes for the game on the official website -- so don't despair if you've yet to use your codes for in-game loot! This announcement also marks the end of official tournaments hosted by Cryptozoic or Blizzard, but player-run tournaments will likely still be around for some time to come. At the moment, it seems that Blizzard will not be renewing the license for the WoW TCG. This is, of course, not the last we'll see of Blizzard-inspired card games, with Hearthstone on the horizon. However, the WoW TCG, introduced during the Burning Crusade expansion, has been a constant for WoW players, and its contribution both in and out of the World of Warcraft will be missed. The announcement on the official website has more information for players, as well as a short FAQ.
Bonus loot coming to WoW TCG's Reign of Fire expansion
The third set in the WoW: TCG Timewalkers block, Reign of Fire, is due for release on Tuesday, July 23rd and even if you aren't a regular WoW:TCG buyer, you may want to reconsider this one. That's because according to this post by Mike Rosenberg, any and all Loot Cards from each of the twenty previous expansions will be available in Reign of Fire. In addition, the odds that one will appear have been increased to 1:9 from the normal 1:11. There will thus be four Loot Cards per box, and four rare Loot Cards per case. That being said, the previous designations of common, uncommon, or rare, don't necessarily indicate their frequency of appearance in Reign of Fire, so be warned! The rarest of all additions to the new expansion, however, are the so-called God Packs. These are entire packs featuring nothing but loot cards. That's right--an entire pack of WoW:TCG loot cards. I'm certain this will make numerous collectors very happy, however be warned! The God Packs are extraordinarily rare. Simply getting one is a feat in and of itself!
Know Your Lore: The fascinating implications of the WoW TCG
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how, but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. The Cataclysm expansion set out to do what prior expansions tried to do, and improve upon it in a significant way -- significantly inject lore into gameplay. And to some degree it worked; players found themselves working their way through zones both new and old by taking part in an interactive story. In between, we had short stories and novels that tied directly into that gameplay, weaving each part of the Warcraft franchise together into a solid storytelling tool. But it also had its flaws. Storytelling in zones was fantastic upon first playthrough, repetitive upon repeated play. The story of Cataclysm was so widespread that it didn't seem to have the kind of dramatic impact it was intended to have. And Cataclysm introduced so many loose threads of story that trying to pick a clear resolution out of the tale was difficult, to say the very least. And then we have the ending, signifying the dawning of the "Age of Mortals" with no clear definition as to what that really meant. We've got a little more definition now, and it's from an incredibly unlikely source, the last part of the franchise that didn't seem to have any significant lore tie-ins at all: the WoW Trading Card Game. Please note: Today's Know Your Lore contains some minor spoilers for Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War. If you're looking to avoid all spoilers, you may want to come back when you're done with the book!
WoW TCG Timewalkers: War of the Ancients previews have begun
It's all a matter of time - time, and those walking in it, that is. Welcome to the Timewalkers: War of the Ancients preview up on the official WoW TCG site. Even if you don't play the TCG, just as a lore nerd or art loved these cards have a treasure trove of neat new things for you. I honestly plan on collecting several of them just for the art alone, like our old friend Broxigar the Red up there in all his wooden axe wielding glory. Have you ever seen a tree that could chop down another tree? Now you have. But for players of the game, there's a lot more than pretty art and cool characters in store. (Although those are definitely part and parcel of the experience.) The new keywords in the set allow for themed decks built around various races (in this case, humans, orcs, tauren and night elves) to be constructed and to gain synergy and benefits from doing so. If you remember our preview of Malorne, that's just one of many awesome cards available in this set. The Ancients, heroes of legend, and even the mysterious Timewalkers faction await your discovery. Remember, the Timewalkers: War of the Ancients officially releases October 2nd, but there will be sneak previews at various game and hobby shops September 22nd and 23rd, so keep an eye out for your chance to play it early. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
WoW TCG's Timewalkers: War of the Ancients coming October 2
Set 19 of the WoW TCG, releasing next month, will take players back to one of the momentous events in Warcraft history: the War of the Ancients. The set will feature heroes from the era, including Queen Azshara, Malfurion Stormrage, and the novel fan-favorite Broxigar the Red, all as playable characters. This isn't restricted to your favorite humanoids, either. The ancients themselves, such as Malorne pictured in our exclusive art preview seen to the right, will be making their presence known in the upcoming TCG set. If, due to the nature of the War of the Ancients, you're afraid this set will place restrictions on the races playable in the set, worry not. You will be joining a faction of adventurers known as the Timewalkers, heroes who have traveled to the era of the Ancients via the Caverns of Time. Orcs and humans will be represented alongside the elves and tauren of yore. If you're the loot-hunting type, War of the Ancients will provide with the common Eye of the Legion, uncommon Demon Hunter's Aspect, and rare Feldrake mount, which were discovered in the World of Warcraft game files as far back as patch 4.3.2. Timewalkers: War of the Ancients releases nationwide October 2, 2012, at a retailer near you. Keep an eye on the official WoW TCG website, as they'll be starting their own previews beginning next week.
