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Patch 6.1 PTR: Customize your garrison music
A new customization option is on the way for garrisons in patch 6.1 -- you'll now be able to change what tunes are playing while you collect your work orders, mine, gather herbs, or just hang out. How? It all begins with a quest to build a boombox big enough to hear no matter where you're at in your garrison. This quest sends you across Draenor to gather the required parts for the jukebox of your dreams, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be fully implemented as of yet -- while I could collect the first piece on the list, a relatively easy to find drop from shredders on the Talador coast, further items weren't fully interactive. However, from what we've seen so far via datamining on the PTR, your quest doesn't end when you create the boombox. You'll need tunes to fill the thing -- and there are a wide variety to choose from. Most city themes are included, as well as old favorites like Lament of the Highborne and the Karazhan Opera House music. Keep in mind that because all of the sounds are datamined material, there's no guarantee that these options will make it to live servers. Given the sheer amount of music Blizzard has produced in conjunction with its games over the years, this is honestly a really nice way to bring all those great themes from the past back into relevance, and allow a little more customization as well. Future builds should fix any quest bugs and further reveal what we have to do to obtain all the tunes our hearts desire -- until then, I'm going to try and wrestle with the decision of what I want to hear while I'm hanging out with my followers and friends.
Warlords of Draenor: Zone music highlights for Nagrand, Spires of Arak
The Warcraft Twitter account tweeted not one but two pretty cool items of interest yesterday, for those that are fans of Warcraft's music. Zone preview selections for both Nagrand and the Spires of Arak have been made available for listening. While Nagrand's theme is suitably idyllic for the green rollings hills and waterfalls in the zone, it's Arak's preview that is really a standout. I'm not even sure how to describe it, because I haven't heard anything quite like it in Warcraft before. Of course, we've never really seen anything quite like arakkoa civilization before, either. Both previews are snippets of what players will find on the Warlords of Draenor soundtrack, which is part of the physical Collector's Edition package along with a host of other goodies. Give both tracks a listen, and while you're at it, make sure you're following Warcraft's official Twitter account -- they're apt to post plenty more cool surprises as we wait patiently for the next expansion's arrival.
Warlords of Draenor: New login screen music
Adriacraft is at it again, digging up new models and music from the latest build of Warlords of Draenor. One of the more notable datamined pieces is a brand-new login screen track, labelled Siege of Worlds. While it bears resemblance and shares sections with the previous login track found on the beta, this version feels much more complete and includes several sweeping, intriguing themes right along with the now-familiar beat of the Iron Horde's war drums. But perhaps the coolest part of the soundtrack starts at approximately 11 minutes into the piece. Long-time Warcraft fans should immediately recognize the familiar sounds of the human theme from Warcraft III, beautifully re-done with a triumphant flourish. It's a gorgeous new piece of music, but it's also a fantastic nod to one of Blizzard's beloved classics. Listen to the full theme above, and be sure to check out Adriacraft's channel for more from the Warlords beta.
Video Games Live heads around the world on tour
Video Games Live, which plays your favorite video game music (including some of WoW's greatest hits) with a full orchestra, is off on a world tour this year. This means that wherever you are, there's a reasonable chance they'll be playing somewhere in the vicinity. The tour kicked off in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend and is heading to Mexico before jumping around the US and then moving on to China, the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Canada. (Sorry, Australia!) If you're interested in catching Video Games Live, well, live, check out their tour dates page for tickets and backstage packages -- though tickets to shows later this year and next year aren't available yet. And if they aren't stopping anywhere in your area, they have three albums of great gaming music -- Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 -- available on iTunes and Amazon to get your game on.
Video Games Live Level 3 album out now
If you're a fan of great video game music, you're probably familiar with Video Games Live, which produces orchestral arrangements of songs from your favorite games. Last year, frontman Tommy Tallarico took to Kickstarter to fund VGL's third album, Level 3, and the finished product is now available on iTunes and cdbaby. (Kickstarter backers, don't fret -- digital downloads and physical rewards will be headed your way soon.) On the Warcraft front, the album features VGL's take on Invincible from Wrath of the Lich King (zoom the video above to 4:25 for a preview). If you're interested in picking up your own copy you can get Invincible for $1 or the entire album for $10 -- and if you enjoy Level 3, you should definitely check out VGL's back catalog which features more music from World of Warcraft and plenty of other games.
"Invincible" and other great WoW arrangements by June Lee
We know some of you prefer to play with the game sound muted, but we're big fans of the World of Warcraft soundtrack -- and if you are, too, we think you'll enjoy June Lee's WoW arrangements. We've talked about Lee's excellent arrangements of WoW tunes before, and we continue to be impressed by his latest -- a string quartet playing Wrath of the Lich King's "Invincible." However, if strings just aren't your thing, earlier this month he posted a piano arrangement of "Invincible." If you like what you hear, Lee has a bunch of other instrumental arrangements on his YouTube channel, all of which impress. Prefer the soundtrack just as it is? Then you might be interested in checking out the previews of the Warlords of Draenor soundtrack from Blizzard. Spoiler alert: we think they're pretty great, too.
WoW's Singing Sunflower sweetens the Lament of the Highborne
The voice of Laura Shigihara will forever be synonymous among WoW fans with the Singing Sunflower pet -– that ineffably perky little companion so fond of cheerfully reminding you "There's a zombie on your law-awn ..." It's been a while since the Plants vs. Zombies theme song composer has sung any music related to World of Warcraft, but she's got a new tune out and it's one that Shigihara fans have been clamoring for years to hear: "Lament of the Highborne." "At first I didn't want to cover this song, since there are already so many lovely covers out there (and the original is already so perfect as is)," she admits, "but hopefully folks are still able to enjoy it." Whether it's zombies on the lawn or the haunting lament of Lady Sylvanas' banshees, we suspect that enjoying Shigihara's work is probably a safe bet. Enjoy!
Patch 5.1 adds new music tracks for Alliance, Horde
It's no secret that I love the music of Mists of Pandaria. But there's a part of me that missed the old themes and recognizable strains of the Alliance and Horde themes scattered about the old world. In patch 5.1, the Alliance and Horde will officially make their appearance on Pandaria's shores, bringing the conflict straight to the pandaren along with new scenarios, and new music. Wowhead dug up some of the tracks from the PTR and put them together in a video that's a little over 45 minutes long. Despite the length, it's well worth the listen, as the glorious sounds of Alliance anthems are brought back to life, as well as a darker, more haunting set of refrains for the Horde. Included too are tracks titled "Jaina's Homeland," which are recognizable variations of the Dalaran themes from Wrath of the Lich King. And if you'd like a little twisted fun, there's a track at the end for the new Darkmoon Faire carousel coming with the next patch, too. It's got that sweet yet slightly off feeling of any good track from a Burton movie. I love the music for Warcraft, and I love that we're getting so many music updates right along with patch updates. I hope we'll be able to purchase these pieces on a secondary soundtrack at some point! Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Mists of Pandaria Beta: New music files uncovered
Wondering what your experience in Pandaria is going to sound like? Me, too! I've been happily playing the beta all along with my music turned up -- but unfortunately, most of Pandaria has been absent of any kind of musical track. The few pieces we have been treated to from the Wandering Isle and the login screen had me firmly convinced from the get-go that I wanted the soundtrack, but I've just had a little more convincing. The folks over at MMO-Champion dug up a surprise over the holiday weekend: a full 30 minutes of musical tracks found on a recent beta build. The track names aren't really spoiler-related, they're just named after various races and zones in Pandaria, so you can feel free to listen without fear of plot spoilers. The Sha piece is particularly haunting, but all of the pieces have a certain beautiful flair to them. And if one of these tracks reminds you of another game, you may be right. Joining the team for Mists of Pandaria is none other than Jeremy Soule, a name you might recognize. His most recent work includes the soundtrack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you're interested in hearing what musical treats Mists has to offer, give the video above a listen. As always, remember this is datamined content, so it may not make it into the official game -- but if the video is any indication, we're in for a treat. I can't wait to hear the rest of the music. 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!
Mists of Pandaria beta: Logging in never sounded so good
The latest patch to the beta servers added something interesting for the dataminers, dug up by the folks over at MMO-Champion -- a piece of music titled Heart of Pandaria v4. For anyone who's been playing World of Warcraft since the original iteration of the game, the first few bars should be easily recognizable as the familiar strains of the original login screen for WoW. And elegantly mixed in and around that familiar tune is a wholly new track for Mists of Pandaria. This suggests this is the track that will play when you're logging into the game, of course. But what I'm wondering is what we're going to see on that login screen? To be perfectly honest, while I liked the screens for Wrath and Cataclysm well enough, I really miss the days in which we were simply presented with the image of a portal to far off and pleasant lands. I'm hoping we'll see something along those lines here. One thing's for certain, though -- it's entirely unlikely we're going to get any kind of dragon, since there doesn't seem to be a plethora of dragons in Mists so far. I highly recommend giving the entire track a listen, as it has a perfectly wonderful buildup throughout. And if I weren't already convinced that buying the Collector's Edition is a good idea for the possibility of a mount, well, the possibility of a soundtrack on top of that is just icing on the cake. 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!
Music in World of Warcraft: What does it mean to you?
Musical history was made this week as composer Christopher Tin won the first Grammy award for Best Instrumental with Vocalist. What's so special about this win, you ask? The song that won was "Baba Yetu," the main theme for Sid Meyer's Civilization IV, making this the first piece of video game music to ever win a Grammy. Many well-deserved congratulations to Tim and all who worked on it, as it is a truly stunning piece of music. After such a monumental occasion, one should consider the role that music plays in our gaming experience -- and in this case, for World of Warcraft. Blizzard has brought on some of the most talented composers, singers and musicians in order to make the music more than just background noise -- it's become part of the entire culture of WoW.
Breakfast Topic: Thank you for the music
The very first time I made a character in World of Warcraft was way back during the original beta -- I made a night elf. And then I logged in for the first time, and was immediately assaulted with visual eye-candy that has kept me entertained for over five years. But on top of the graphics, there was the music -- something about the soundtrack just gelled the whole thing into a game I really, really wanted to continue playing. The first time I entered Stormwind, the solemn choral accompaniment made the whole place seem... huge. Dramatic. This was a place where grand and interesting things happened. After the game's launch, I made another night elf. But once I'd hit 60 and realized the only thing to do was run Scholo or Strat or UBRS if you could find someone with the key over and over until you had your blue set of amazing awesome that had just had the graphics updated... right. I got bored. I rolled Horde to see what that side of the game looked like, and once again, it wasn't just the visuals when I first walked into Orgrimmar, it was the music that really hit me. Some time after that I started raiding, and some time after that, I'm not sure exactly when, the repetitive tracks that I'd heard play over and over again just stopped drawing me in. And so I turned them off, and enjoyed a mostly silent game in which I could play whatever happened to be on iTunes at the time. It wasn't until years later when stepping into Kara for the first time that I realized something was missing, and I went into the options and turned up the music slider. I'm glad I did, the tracks from Kara remain some of my favorite WoW music to date; they mesh with the zone so well that I can't go into the zone without listening to it. Blizzard has really stepped up the music with Northrend. With the Invincible track that was released, and the datamined tracks from the Gnomeregan and Echo Isles events that have been posted here and there, I've fallen in love with it all over again -- although I still tend to turn it down in raids. So Breakfast Topic people -- do you leave the music on, or turn it off? What's your favorite WoW track?
