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WoW Moviewatch: Ganking in a Nutshell
Ganking in a Nutshell is the latest release from Nixxiom Machinima, and tells the relatively straightforward story of what goes on between ganker and gank-ee in a typical ganking encounter. On its own, that might not sound like much, but what I love about this particular piece is that the new male tauren model is highlighted so effectively here. You almost have to stop and watch it again, because the difference between old and new is so, so pronounced -- expression and emotion are conveyed so much more effectively that I kind of hope we see a lot more tauren movies in the future. Beyond that is Mr. Flowers, who manages to effectively hammer home the reason I never, ever use the Singing Sunflower for anything. I'm not saying he's creepy ... wait. Yes. Yes I am. He's one of the creepiest pets out there. If you like the movie, be sure to check out Nixxiom's Youtube channel to see more. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
The Queue: A little savage music
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is answering all kinds of questions today! Man, Warlords of Draenor has one of the best soundtracks out of all of the games. If you didn't pick up the Collector's Edition, you can still get the soundtrack from iTunes. I totally recommend it. gazaaa07 asked: Q4tQ: Do you think we should run through actual raids with our followers as healers/DPS/tanks? We would have a chance of getting loot for ourselves and ilvl specific armour/weapon tokens for our followers on the same reset cycle as normal raid save I think this is a cool idea, but not for current level raids. However, it'd be fun to go to old content with my followers at my side. You don't necessarily need them, but they'd be fun to have along, you know? Alternatively, have a mission with a single current-content boss, and you and the followers go take them on. Rewards aren't raid gear for you(There are more than enough opportunities to get raid gear currently), but gear and items for your followers. Could be fun, who knows? Love to see a system like Dragon Age's tactical combat system thrown into the mix for it.
WoW Moviewatch: Leaving Tonight
A lot of music video machinimas set appropriately themed or paced WoW imagery to music, but this video by Chriskon Machinima (which uses "Leaving Tonight" by The Birthday Massacre for a soundtrack) also aims to tell a rather complex story. Sure, it has the gorgeous visuals and spot-on timing you'd expect from a music video, but the story you're watching is an original tale of an undead waking for the first time without realizing just what she's become. Admittedly, it's tough to tell a full-fledged story with nothing more than visuals and music -- and I probably wouldn't have gotten all of the plot without scrolling down to read Chriskon's description. However, the animation and music work together to present the story beautifully, and it -- and Chriskon's other videos -- is well worth watching. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
The Queue: Dancing gifs, dinosaurs, bulky plate armor
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Matthew Rossi will be your host today. Let's talk about the Maniraptora. For one thing, the Maniraptora is a very large clade, including various subgroups, one of which is the birds - this means that the Maniraptora is the only surviving clade of dinosaurs, since all bird species are included within it. In addition to birds, the segnosaurs, the various raptor species (Dromaeosauridae) and the Oviraptorosauria were all members of the Maniraptora. It's almost certain that all members of the Maniraptora (indeed, possibly all Coelurosauria) were feathered, with body plans and bone structures we would find convincingly bird-like. In case you are wondering this is why I'm so bloody annoyed that in 2015 we're going to have another Jurassic Park sequel with featherless raptors. Similarly, WoW raptors just irk me now. Put some damn feathers on them! They had feathers. I get that people refuse to accept that T-Rex had feathers (although it did) but the Maniraptora were even more ludicrously birdlike than that, because they literally are birds and all dinosaurs closely related to birds. If your movie has any member of the Dromaeosauridae in it, and they're not feathered, your movie is wrong. Same for games, same for any media. They had feathers. HemttTanker asks: Two questions: Does the 2 week timer for Highmaul follower missions start when the mission first becomes available or when the mission is attempted? If I have a Highmaul follower mission sitting in my queue and I go kill enough raid bosses to quality for the next tier of reward, does the mission I have upgrade or does that only apply to the next one two weeks later? As far as I'm aware it acts like any timer, it resets based on server time. If you keep that follower mission sitting in your queue and then unlock another tier of reward, it'll apply when the mission resets in two weeks. I admit that I may be misunderstanding how this timer works, but this is my current understanding.
WoW Moviewatch: Walking in the Air
Today's music video machinima comes from Sharm and WoPairs -- Sharm did the singing and WoPairs set it to machinima of some of Warlords of Draenor's gorgeous scenery (with a cameo from Pepe). The song itself is a cover of "Walking in the Air" from the children's movie The Snowman, but it honestly works perfectly in a WoW setting (yes, even the mention of a sea monster is in the original). The scenery in Warlords, combined with the new high-rez models, seem like ideal fodder for machinima-makers, and it's great to see them taking advantage of the world's new settings -- here's to more machinima in the new year! Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
The Queue: Emergency Rossi Edition
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Matthew Rossi will be your host today. There's been a slight calamity, and so the glass has been broken and the emergency Rossi has been brought forth to write this edition of The Queue for you. Think of me as a helpful, somewhat hairy, denizen of the frozen north. A helper sasquatch, if you will. Since I have a cat named Sasquatch, here's a picture of him being helpful. At least he thought so, anyway. Morte asks: Q4TQ: Can you do the Tanaan Jungle intro quests with a friend or is it a solo experience? I know that a guildmate of mine did it grouped with his wife and they both completed it together.
Know Your Lore: The History of the Burning Legion
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. They exist to destroy. The entire cosmos and everything in it is a means to an end, and that end is the extinction of existence itself -- all worlds stripped bare, or shattered. All that lives dead. All that can support life corrupted and befouled. Within the ranks of the Burning Legion are fiends who enjoy the corruption of mortal hearts, who savor the slow degradation of those who willingly sign the pact -- but in the end, the purpose of the Legion is the purpose of its master, Sargeras -- and that purpose is the unmaking of all things. Feared and reviled on a host of worlds, the Legion has brought devastation everywhere it has alighted. Only one world ever survived a direct assault by the Legion, the poor, beleaguered, wartorn world of Azeroth. Twice now, the shadow of the Legion has fallen over this world of mortals, and yet, while far greater beings, god and demigods stood and fell against their might the world of Azeroth managed to find a way to balk the coming of the Burning Legion not once, but twice. For that singular distinction, Azeroth has earned the Legion's undying enmity. It's not a question of if the Legion will return. It's a question of when. How did this nearly infinite host of nihilistic hatred and fel-touched fury arise? What are the hosts of the Legion and why do they march on this crusade to destroy all that exists?
WoW Moviewatch: Top 5 Quest Lines
The question of the best quest lines in World of Warcraft is a contentious one, as we all have our favorite (and least favorite) in-game moments, which makes creating a definitive list tricky. However, that's no reason not to give it a go and so Doronsmovies has rounded up his top 5 quest lines in a new video. While these aren't the most lore-heavy or, necessarily, most essential quests, they're all fun (or at least interesting) moments in World of Warcraft history. Even if you disagree with this particular list, it begs the question as to what your top 5 quest list would be. Would they contain any of the quests from Doron's list or would they be completely unique? Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
The Queue: Garrisons forever
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. At this point, I think it's fair to say the holiday season has concluded. No, you may not extend it to Valentine's Day. Hopefully we'll see some Warcraft news on the horizon soon. Patch 6.1, anyone? gazaa07 asked: if you could create a new building to be used for your Garrison (can be anything), what would you build?
Know Your Lore: Archimonde and the Burning Legion
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. He is what some would call the lesser known of the triumvirate that led the eredar of Argus prior to Sargeras' intervention. Certainly he lacked the camaraderie of Kil'jaeden and Velen -- he had little to do with the grudge match Kil'jaeden carried, nor did he particularly care where Velen had gone, or what he was doing with the eredar who chose to turn down Sargeras' offer. What he was, however, was far more deadly in comparison. With no grudges to distract him, Archimonde was easily one of Sargeras' most effective military commanders -- cunning, incredibly powerful, and deadly. Archimonde's tale stretches two different points in Warcraft's history. The first, thousands upon thousands of years ago, before Azeroth's continents had split and settled into the familiar placement we see on maps today. The second, not so long ago at all -- and his appearance leveled a city, brought together and united a world divided in hatred, and ended the precious gift of immortality given to an ancient race long secluded and hidden away. Please note: The following Know Your Lore contains a few small spoilers for Warlords of Draenor.
WoW Moviewatch: Come Little Children
Come Little Children isn't really telling a story or a joke like your more traditional machinima works -- it's one of the music video variety. Featuring vocals by KatetheGreat, the video is little more than a montage of various bits of scenery around Draenor, along with a few animated sequences of a human woman singing. The video definitely isn't one of the usual technically adept efforts I've seen from Youtuber Khayllys, but Draenor's scenery is a beautiful backdrop for the eerie little song. The sequences with the human woman are the most interesting, simply for the use of the new model. It is really, really weird to see a human WoW model with this kind of expressiveness, and even weirder to see said model wiggle its fingers. And I don't think I'd realized until watching this video exactly how large the hands are on human models -- I suppose they'd have to be, to wield the large-scale weapons Azeroth is famous for. If you like the video, be sure to pay a visit to Khayllys' Youtube channel for more. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
The Queue: Wee little unicorns
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) is answering all kinds of questions today! It's the little things in garrisons that make me happy. Like these teeny tiny unicorn figurines that the orc bartender in the Horde inn has apparently set out on display. Why unicorns? Who knows? CaptainCakewalk asked: Q4tQ: Is there anything anyone else has a hard time remembering in WoW like me with Void Storage? I always forget about First Aid until some point near the end of the expansion when I suddenly remember there is usually an achievement or two surrounding it. Until then, there's just no need to level it up, really.
WoW Moviewatch: Ebesleezer Groodge
Wowcrendor is still on a roll with his 10 Days of Winter Veil celebration, and his latest offering is a Warcraft take of the holiday classic A Christmas Carol. Naturally, the lead is played by a goblin -- did you really expect anything else? I was delighted to see the return of Billy the orc, even if his fate is somewhat ... dubious in this particular tale. I was also delighted to see Groodge's outfit, because my forsaken priest is wearing the exact same thing, although Benediction has been turned into Anathema. The colors just go together, you know? With four offerings left, I'm wondering what we'll see him come up with next. It's A Wonderful Life, maybe? For more from Wowcrendor, be sure to check out his Youtube channel and subscribe. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
The Queue: Buffalo in the house
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) thinks buffaloes are pretty awesome, actually. That is a buffalo that probably should not be in a home but inexplicably is, for whatever reason. But our first question is from a Buffalo who should presumably be in a home and is far less, you know, covered in hair and likely to stampede if frightened or threatened. g8rcody asked: My name is Buffalo, and tomorrow is my birthday! Can we have a buffalo themed queue? It's a WoW Insider tradition! It is by now, isn't it? I'd hate to break the streak. Happy birthday!
The Queue: Doomhammer, Orcs, and Winter Veil
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Matthew Rossi will be your host today. The more I think about it the more I wish WoW had no race restrictions on classes. I realize there's lore reasons for it, but frankly, if someone wants to play an Undead Paladin at this point I say good for them, make it happen already. Blood elf druids? Gnome hunters? Tauren rogues? Draenei warlocks? Just open the floodgates. You guys talked about this a lot, so consider this me addressing the issue. I am for removing all race restrictions on classes. Draenei druids? Orc druids? Human shamans? Yes. All of it. g.dawsonplus3 asks: Why are there no Winter Veil decorations on Draenor? Surely in that wild and savage (tm) land we would want some cheer, pretty lights, good food and a reminder of home to hearten us? I really miss it and see no reason why this didn't happen; surely if they had decorations in Panderia . . . Pandaria was still on Azeroth. It's possible that the inspiration for the Winter Veil celebration existed before the Sundering and thus was heard of even on Pandaria. But not only is Draenor an alien world, the first time any of the natives there heard of Azeroth was when you came through the portal. To be honest I haven't even noticed if there are decorations up in the Garrison or not. I'd accept that, since the Garrison was built by Azerothians.
Get started with fishing in Warlords of Draenor
Virtual fishing may not seem like the most exciting thing to do with your in-game time, but it can be a useful profession to have. And in Warlords of Draenor, even if you've never picked up fishing before, you'll find it's been streamlined to make it easier to level. Fishing in Draenor is also the path to the water-walking mount Crimson Water Strider and the unique Land Shark pet (as well as a number of other unique pets and mounts if you decide to trek back through older content). Plus, fishing can help you quickly advance cooking and first aid (with which you can create handy Healing Tonics)... and even make some decent gold on the side by selling fish to everyone who thinks fishing is too time-consuming to bother with. Still, the profession does have its downsides. Because there are three sizes of fish, multiple kinds of fish-specific bait, fish flesh, and plenty of miscellaneous extras you can fish up, fishing can take up a lot of space in your bags -- we wouldn't recommend going on an extended fishing trip without an empty bag to hold everything you fish up. Also, it's definitely not excitement central, which can put a lot of people off. But in our opinion, it's an excellent task to work on while catching up on social networks or watching TV, because you can turn up ambient sounds (i.e. the splash of your fishing lure) and mostly ignore the game -- just clicking to pick up your catch and throw your line out again. And did we mention how useful fishing can be? And the amazing Land Shark? Focus on that! Have you got your heart set on leveling fishing and unlocking the level 3 Fishing Shack to give you access to all of the fishing fun Draenor has to offer? Read on for how to get started, no matter what your skill level is.
WoW Moviewatch: The Grind Returns, Episode 1: Face Time
You could easily be forgiven for not remembering The Grind from machinima-maker Oblivious Films: The series premiered way back in 2009 and has been quiet since 2010. While that's a long time to be gone, The Grind is looking to make a comeback with a new video, which hopefully has an "episode 1" moniker, which implies we'll also see episodes 2, 3, and so on. So just what stymies our heroes after so long gone? Mostly being confused by the model changes that have happened while they've been away. Check out their latest adventure and, while you're at it, we highly recommend going through the old episodes too -- they're like a WoW time capsule, and some of the jokes are even funnier with the added dimension of "Did we really used to go through all of this to play?" Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW guides to help you through the new year
The end of the year is a time in which we all look back and reflect, and in the case of WoW Rookie, that means looking back and reflecting on the guides of the year. While Warlords of Draenor has changed much of the game we've been playing -- like all expansions before it -- we have plenty of getting started that are good resources for players new or returning to WoW. If you're feeling a little rusty on your essentials, here are our favorite guides from 2014. Pet battles. It's no secret: we love pet battling. The collecting, the leveling... it's like a miniature version of WoW inside WoW. Whether you're looking to get started with Warlords-level battling, power-level your pets, or brush up on battle pet basics, we've got you covered. Collecting. There's a lot more to collect in the game than pets! We've got guides to help you grow a potential collection of mounts and titles. If you're looking to collect transmog gear, you'll want to work on soloing classic dungeons. Leveling. If you're leveling a new alt and not just boosting to 90, the leveling grind can be tedious, so you'll want to check out our advice on spicing up your leveling game -- though if you've been gone from the game for a while, you may want to check our guide on how to get back into WoW. And, finally, once you get to level 100, you'll definitely want to check our list of what to do at level 100. Garrisons. As soon as Warlords of Draenor arrived, everyone had questions about garrisons -- and we've got answers. Check out garrisons 101, what you need to know about garrison followers (and garrison follower abilities), how to get resources, which buildings to choose, and where to get level 3 blueprints. Have anything you'd like to see WoW Rookie cover? Drop us a line and you may see it covered in a future WoW Rookie! Just because you don't know everything there is to know about World of Warcraft doesn't mean you can't play your A-game. Visit the WoW Rookie Guide for links to everything you need to get started as a new (or returning) player, with new sections on garrisons and what to do at level 100.
WoW Moviewatch: How the Warlords Stole Christmas
If you're not already completely bah-humbuging the holiday season, you'll want to Warcraft-style machinima take on How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Ian Beckman. Writing rhymes that make sense can be a real challenge -- and having to match those rhymes to a well-known original must be even more difficult. But How the Warlords Stole Christmas pulls the feat off beautifully: Every hero on Azeroth liked the feast of Winter Veil a lot But the Warlords who lived through the portal on Draenor did not! The Warlords hated Winter Veil! The whole Winter Veil creation! So many heroes would get new gear from the expansion. It could be, perhaps, that their XP was too low It could be then that their talent specs blow But I think that the most likely reason of all May have been that their DPS was two sizes too small. For the rest, we recommend checking out the video itself. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
Know Your Lore: Wrathion and Draenor
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. We may have helped him in Pandaria, but we certainly didn't fulfill whatever it was Wrathion had on his peculiar wishlist of things to do in regards to his plans for Azeroth. The Black Prince has stated on more than one occasion that he seeks to protect the world from some kind of impending attack by the Burning Legion. He even showed us the vision he'd seen as part of the expansion-long legendary quest chain in the last expansion. Yet when the chain came to a close, Wrathion was less than pleased with the results -- he wanted a clearly defined winner in the battle between Alliance and Horde, and he didn't get it. It was his next plan of action that was perhaps the most surprising, however. In the novel War Crimes, Garrosh Hellscream is placed on trial, and the end result for the former Warchief was a trip back in time to an alternate version of Draenor, courtesy of the bronze dragon Kairoz. But Kairoz wasn't alone in his efforts to take Garrosh back. Wrathion helped him out. And that's pretty strange when you think about it, because unleashing the Iron Horde on Azeroth seems like a really funny way to protect the planet. So what gives? More importantly, where is Wrathion now?
