zhevra
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Refer-A-Friend rocket available starting tomorrow, Tuesday April 27
Zarhym has just posted to let us all know that the previously announced X-53 Touring Rocket, the only 2-seated flying mount currently available in game, will be claimable by qualifying Refer-A-Friend accounts starting tomorrow, Tuesday April 27. With this, the Zhevra mount will be retired, so if you want it, be sure to grab it tonight. The full announcement text is behind the cut.
The Queue: Not quite mutual destruction
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. I want to kick off this edition of The Queue by thanking you guys for submitting your armories to the reboot of Pimp My Profile. Our first edition will be hitting this upcoming Wednesday. In an ideal world, we'll have one for you every single Wednesday after that. On to the Q&A! RogueJedi86 asked... "Why were the Dragonflight Aspects created/assigned if they can be killed with no repercussions whatsoever? Killing Malygos didn't do so much as give Mages a nosebleed, despite being the Custodian of Magic. And I doubt killing Deathwing will do anything to the earth either."
WoW Rookie: Recruit-a-Friend
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. Visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's. Your evil plan has come to fruition: your significant other, best buddy, school pal or co-worker has finally confessed an interest in playing World of Warcraft. Send your buddy a Recruit-A-Friend invitation, and let the bodies hit the floor. You're about to cut a mean swath through Azeroth while enjoying some sweet side benefits: 300% XP bonus for both you and your recruit (when grouped) 10% reputation bonus for you and your recruit The ability to summon one another to each other's locations across the world 30 levels of "free" XP from your recruit, granted to any of your lower-level veteran characters A free month of game time for every recruit who upgrades to a retail account The ever-so-sweet, exclusive Zhevra mount for one of your characters, once your recruit pays for 60 days' worth of game time
The Queue: Cosmetics
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.Nearly 9,000 people voted that anchovies were gross in the last edition of The Queue. I wholeheartedly disagree! However, I know when I'm beat, so consider today's picture an apology. If you think this picture is gross and don't have some sort of allergy that has caused you to form that opinion, well... I can't help you anymore. You are broken. May whatever deity (or non-deity) you believe in have mercy on your soul (or whatever your belief system keeps inside of your squishy bits).Zayd asked..."How long before Blizz let you change your characters race? If we can soon change faction then this seems the next logical step, it's just a cosmetic change when you get down to it..."
Breakfast Topic: Will you Recruit-a-Friend?
Ever since Blizzard introduced the new perks to the Recruit-a-Friend system, I've had it in mind that I might want that Zhevra mount for my collection. Now that Blizzard has unveiled their Swift Zhevra screenshot gallery, it's coming back into mind. Unfortunately, I've actually "recruited" four people since I began playing, all of whom I conveniently forgot to send the proper link to, so I have never received any benefits at all. It also means that I have no one left to sweet talk into helping me get a Zhevra. Are you planning to convince a friend to join the ranks of either the Horde or the Alliance, to the tune of some free playtime, a Zhevra mount, the ability to summon their character to you, and pick up triple experience for both monsters and quests, up to level 60? In addition, what do you think of the Zhevra mount? Do you adore it, or do you think it is silly, or out of place, lorewise? If you do recruit someone, will it have anything to do with the mount?%Gallery-18308%
Alt Text just short of the real bribe
Lore Sjöberg at Wired's Alt Text talked yesterday about the Zhevra mount you get as part of the Recruit-a-Friend program. It's a pretty fun read. He talks about the myriad of vanity items, and how these items can be such a motivator for WoW players, even though they don't really affect your gameplay at all. I do want to add a point to his article, though. The new Recruit-a-Friend benefit isn't just the Zhevra. For me, the ability to gain triple-XP is the huge motivator. I'm involved in a Guild that's doing it's best to truck through Zul'Aman content. I can't wait to get a good friend of mine involved in the fun, but getting from 0 to 70 is going to take a while. Even with the speed levelling records out there, going from zip to end-game isn't going to happen overnight. So, while my friend will be starting after Labor Day weekend, there's a little bit of delay before she's rocking out to left-handed Nalorakk. The triple-XP bonus -- and the ability to teleport me to her when she needs help -- overcomes the big hurdle to getting a friend started. This is the real power of the new Recruit-a-Friend benefit, in my opinion. The Zhevra's cool and all, but the XP bonus and teleportation feature makes getting my friend involved three times faster. The benefit doesn't just reward getting friends involved, it empowers us to get our friends involved.
Forum post of the day: Retroactive recruitment
Blizzard does not particualry appreciate petitions on the official forums. This does not stop players from starting them. Lyccan of Ner'zhul started a petition in the Suggestion forum to make the Recruit-a-Friend benefits retroactive. At this time Blizzard has announce no current plans to give these rewards to folks who have brought players into the game in the past. Most of us are pretty open about our love or World of Warcraft, and many of us have invited our friends and family to join us in WoW. In the past, the joy of sharing the game and a potential game-time buddy was enough to bring our friends into the game.
Around Azeroth: Stalking the mighty Zhevra
The Tauren Druid stalks his prey in his natural habitat: the tall grassof the Barrens, into which he naturally blends. The Zhevra in the distance stands little chance against this predator, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Though this is an excellent stalking shot, it's apparently not a memorable one -- as reader Matt sent this one in with the note that he couldn't remember which character or realm this image might have come from.Do you collect screenshots of your character on the hunt? We want to hear your stories (and see them!) on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!%Gallery-1816%
A Zhevra by any other name...
Irelance asks on the forums "Is "Zebra" trademarked?". He and other players want to know why Elekk, Zhevra and Crocolisk had their names changed (and limbs added), but not others like lions.The obvious answer is Azeroth is not Earth. But CM Drysc went into a bit more detail, giving some insight into world creation along the way:There are many names in World of Warcraft that are derived from something they're intended to resemble, either literally or satirically. You could argue that it helps with recognition of what it's intended to represent, especially in literary fantasy. While Azeroth isn't Earth, it's obviously a fantasy based on Earth, humanity, struggles within societies, etc. and in some cases familiar animals may be adapted to the world... of Warcraft. There's something to be said about influence of our world on our attempts to create fantasy or that which we haven't seen, but that's really another discussion entirely.They could have been called Stripes, or Chazzwuzzers, but would that change what they're intended to represent? There's definitely a need to ground players in a world with things they can relate to, particularly in games that are intended to represent a living world. Many games use a human or at least bipedal protagonist that you control, and that's by no accident. It becomes easier and easier to be drawn into a world, to experience and enjoy something when you aren't constantly working to justify what you're seeing. I, for one, like the Africa but not Africa feel of The Barrens. Incorporating familar images into my fantasy gaming experience does make it easier for me to immerse myself into the world. And there are plenty of dragons and dinosaurs around to keep the world fantasy enough for me. But, for some, it seems that the similarities are pulling them too much out of their fantasy realm and into our own.Do the similar creatures but different names help or hinder your immersion into Azeroth? Do Zhevras/Zebras look better with or without horns? Who would trademark an animal name, anyway?
