Elizabeth Harper
Articles by Elizabeth Harper
Breakfast Topic: Waiting out the Catacylsm
With all of the recent information we've seen from sources -- both official and not -- about the upcoming Cataclysm expansion, excitement couldn't be higher. But without so much as a release date to look forward to, patience for the World of Warcraft as we know it is growing thin. Why keep raiding when quest rewards in new expansion zones will do me just as well? How many alts can one really level before the prospect becomes mere tedium? (Especially when those daily Cataclysm screenshots make the revamped old world look so exciting!) But with Blizzard's we'll-release-it-when-it's-done philosophy -- and mind you, I think it's a great philosophy -- we could be waiting an awfully long time before Cataclysm hits. So the question of the day is this: what are you doing while we all wait out Cataclysm?
WRUP: The answer is always 42 edition
Among this weekend's distractions from WoW are recent releases Red Dead Redemption and Alan Wake, and although not new, the browser-based Echo Bazaar has stolen some of our souls away to ... well, wherever in Fallen London it is that they keep souls. There's probably a lost warehouse of souls somewhere in game that I hope to find eventually. But some of us, still, are spending an hour here and there in Azeroth. Though this week's edition of What Are You Playing didn't come with a bonus question, some of the staff did come up with bonus answers: Gregg My bonus answer is, as always, 42. Mat There was no bonus question, but my answer to any question is probably "cherry." Rich My bonus answer is my new favorite show: Dhani Tackles the Globe. Combines travel, culture, food, and sport, plus the host Dhani Jones is very entertaining. Zach My bonus answer to the question is, "I solve them all." And if you'd like to see what the team is playing -- or just talk about what you're playing -- read on!
WRUP: Rad bromance edition
By popular request: be warned, the above video features some very enthusiastic karaoke efforts. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, and it may just hurt your ears. It's a rad bromance weekend and back at WoW.com HQ, it's safe to say that most of us are jealous of the no doubt epic adventures that Fox Van Allen (@foxvanallen), Mat McCurley (@gomatgo), Mike Sacco (@mikesacco) and Rich Maloy (@stoneybaby) are having in NYC this weekend. There would be more of an introduction here, but there's just nothing I can say that will top Mike and Fox's previous adventures in karaoke at PAX East, above. And with introductions (and envy) out of the way, let's go on to see what the rest of the WoW.com team is up to this weekend -- and if you'd like, let us know what you're up to, too.
WRUP: My favorite things edition
Once again it's the weekend, which can mean only one thing -- it's time to catch up on our gaming. Surely you know what it's like: during the week we have work or school or other obligations that may keep us away from our favored pastime. But with the week over, it's time for play. This week in addition to asking the WoW.com team what they're playing this weekend, I've also asked them to include a shot of their character in their favorite set of gear. And, though it's hardly a scientific poll, from the answer I've recieved it seems safe to conclude that the paladin's tier 2 armor set is a crowd favorite. So without further introduction, read on to see what the team is up to this weekend -- or to let us know what you're going to be playing. %Gallery-92138%
WRUP: All mounts are equal edition
This week's edition of WRUP takes its name from Basil, who kicked off this week's discussion of everyone's favorite mount with some controversy: Basil Berntsen: I'm not including a pic because all mounts are equal, unless they go faster. C. Christian Moore: Also Frostheim, WHOA. All mounts are equal? I think not. BB: Frostheim? Ouch... Chase Christian: All hunters are the same: their dumb pets pull the boss before everyone is ready, they FD to avoid a repair bill, and when the boss is dead, they roll on any weapon that drops. BB: Small price to pay, imo. I do way more DPS than you sissy dress wearers. BB (five minutes later): Wait, you play a rogue, of course. Well, I still... uh... do more DPS... provide better debuffs... can transfer threat better... I can roll on your leather. CCM: Gah, it's hard keeping track of you hunters, with your ever-changing pets and whatnot. I think there's only one solution to this problem: a level one battle to the death. But the actual participants might disagree with me. While I wait for them to see this post and sort out their problems, why not look in on what the WoW.com staff is playing this weekend? And, if you're feeling brave, join the debate and tell us what your favorite mount in the game is. %Gallery-91600%
WRUP: Our favorite pets edition
I was just sitting down to write an intro for this week's WRUP, but then, oops, I seem to have been distracted by puppies. The puppies above are mine, because, well, I'm writing this post and it's my privilege to show off how gosh-darn adorable the little scamps are. (Of course, they're a couple of years older now -- less cute, and boy can they bark.) For this week's WRUP, we have the usual assortment of weekend plans as well as -- you guessed it -- puppies. Also kittens. And just for variety, a snake. %Gallery-91023%
The Daily Quest: Starpony edition
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. TDQ's back from an unplanned Cataclysm-news-overload hiatus! And what better topic to come back to than the epic debate currently raging over Blizzard's new starpony spacepony sparklepony My Little Algalon Pony Celestial Steed? Want to see the rest of the above comic? Of course you do. It's from Wowhead's latest comic by Noxychu. Wowhead also speculates on the number of Celestial Steeds sold. WoW.com's sister-site Massively has an opinion on this latest addition to the world of microtransactions. The 'mental Shaman talks sparkuls. Mystic Chicanery thinks this is more than a micro-payment. Big Bear Butt says it's superficial. Life in Azeroth has a thing or two to say about slippery slopes. Leafshine thinks this changes everything and asks: am I a beautiful and unique snowflake? Dechion's Place talks on Blizzard's marketing genius. Ixobelle explains how to create demand. Oh look, an alt! is happy. Matticus is ashamed.
WRUP: We're all April Fools here edition
Oh, sure, I could jump straight into the regular routine of seeing what the team is playing this weekend, but in light of the recent holiday, let's start by finding out the team's favorite April Fools' pranks: Anne: There are far too many, but I am loving the Diablo Gamer Blanket. Amy: I have yet to pull it off, but I want to use cardboard to create a little windowbox on the windows at one of the law school office suites, then fill that box with packing peanuts. From the outside, it'll look like I've filled the whole office. It's two gags in one -- first when the victim thinks his office has been filled with peanuts, and then when they discover it hasn't! Comedic pranking with minimal cleanup. Basil: My favorite gag is probably my own -- I rick-rolled over 2,000 people this year. I am happy. Daniel: I'll come out and say it: I thought WoW.com did it up right this year, especially with Twilight Insider and Gaga Insider. Love Glue Gunnin' indeed. More prank-ridden hilarity -- and we'll probably get around to talking about what we're playing this weekend -- after the break.
WoW.com on NPR
This Tuesday morning while everyone else was lamenting weekly maintenance, I headed down to the local NPR studios to sit in a very quiet, empty studio -- and chat about World of Warcraft with illustrious individuals in distant lands on WBUR's On Point. I joined William Sims Bainbridge (author of The Warcraft Civilization, which is available in stores today) and host Tom Ashbrook for an hour-long discussion on the meaning behind World of Warcraft. Can we really use events in WoW predict the future? Is WoW the first real afterlife? Is the game world dangerous and addicting -- or a great place to connect with friends and co-workers? If you're interested in catching our discussion, it's available for streaming online or you can download it (as well as past and future editions of On Point) as a podcast on iTunes.
The Daily Quest: Finally the weekend!
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. It's the weekend! That time when we aren't shackled by workday worries and can kick back, relax, and half some fun. To further this purpose, some posts from the WoW blogosphere in the past week (or so) that have made me laugh -- and perhaps they'll make you laugh, too. It's no flowchart, but Destructive Reach has a pie chart documenting time spent in WoW. Blame Squelchy tells us what the Lich King has to say to those who wield Shadow's Edge. I Like Bubbles remains near and dear to my heart by continuing to post flowcharts (and things bearing a suspicious resemblance to flowcharts). Enjoy a basic raiding strats flowchart and the math behind assembling a raid. Pew Pew Lazers offers an arcane mage DPS flowchart. World of Matticus covers raid strategy using MS Paint. Bible of Dreams talks about auto-attack. And stir-fry. Miss Medicina breaks up with greater-heal.
WRUP: Wishing we were at PAX edition
There are no new games this week that have sucked everyone's attention away from Warcraft -- though BioWare continues to keep some of the team away from their favorite MMO with the constant siren's song of Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age. Thank goodness those guys aren't making an MMO or I'd never see half of the WoW.com staff again. Without anything new, though, most everyone who's not at PAX East this weekend is grinding the usual World of Warcraft routine -- at least in between bouts of being jealous of our PAX-attending cohorts. For more details on what the team is playing this weekend -- and to let us know what your gaming plans (PAX-related or not) are -- keep reading!
The Daily Quest: Post-patch 3.3.3
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. Wednesday morning the staff went through their usual routine at WoW.com HQ. Which is to say we staggered, zombie-like, to the coffee machine, browsed our RSS feeds, had a nerf gun fight, polished a few articles... and then we realized we hadn't received any reader tips all morning. Was our mail server down? Was the mailing list broken? Had the world come to an end and no one had told us yet? None of the above -- but the day after a patch is very much akin to the turkey-coma that you lapse into after Thanksgiving. All was quiet and peaceful. Today's another story, but in the meanwhile, let's have some thoughts on the latest patch from the blogging community: Blessing of Kings and Hunters Rhok are both excited by a tiny change to the login screen for hunters. Armageddon's Coming wasn't expecting 3.3.3. Warriors seem to be excited about Revenge. Achtung Panzercow, TankingTips.com, and Tank like a Girl chime in. Slice and Dice does the math for Hemo and daggers in the latest patch. Cynwise's Battleground Manual talks battlegrounds in 3.3.3. Cow and Bones wishes more people would read the patch notes. Totemz talks about what the patch means for the elemental shaman.
The Daily Quest: Special patch 3.3.3 edition
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. With patch 3.3.3 likely hitting today, now's our last chance to round up some of the 3.3.3 discussion making the rounds of the internet. Totemz talks about elemental shaman changes. Planet of the Hats talks Flame Shock in 3.3.3. Death Grip my Heart (warning: some not safe for work artwork here) considers death knight specs for 3.3.3. Druid of the Moon discusses Mangle changes in 3.3.3. The Fluid Druid also discusses Mangle changes in 3.3.3. Cynwise's Battlefield Manual explains battleground changes in 3.3.3, the honor economy in 3.3.3, and why Marks of Honor will suck post-patch. Warcraft Hunters Union covers BM changes in patch 3.3.3 and does the math on it (so you don't have to). Gray Matter looks at glyphs and rotations for moonkin in a post-patch world. Patch 3.3.3 brings about small but noteworthy changes to the World of Warcraft. From a faster CoT, to putting those old Frozen Orbs to better use, to changes to the auction house -- there's several things all WoW players need to know. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3.3 will keep you up to date!
WRUP: Everything but WoW edition
Happy weekend, everyone! As always, the WoW.com staff is looking forward to an exciting weekend in Mass Effect 2 Dragon Age World of Warcraft. Well, most of us are, anyway. A few lucky folks are in the Lego Universe beta, yet others are in the StarCraft 2 beta, some have been drawn back in to Dragon Age with the lure or the game's Awakenings expansion, and a few are even playing this game I've never heard of called Final Fantasy. If WoW.com's staff is any indication, Azeroth must be pretty empty these days... But what are you waiting for? Friday's the time of week for you to kick back, relax, play your favorite games -- and tell us all about it! Read on to find out what the team is playing this weekend and let us know what you're playing this weeked.
The Daily Quest: For the newbies
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. Just getting started in World of Warcraft? I'm sure there are some newbies in the audience -- don't be shy! -- and this post is for you. Sure, we rounded up some newbie-centric links recently, but as long as there are newbies, there will be people writing for them. Embrace your inner newbie -- read and learn! Cynwise's Battlefield Manual offers advice to the new player from Elder Cynwise. The Lazy Sniper offers beginners advice on professions and lowbie huntering. World of Matticus talks casual raiding 101. Alterac Volley covers choosing the best class for you, complete with video.
The Daily Quest: A few mid-week laughs
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Everyone needs a good laugh now and again -- and what better time than Wednesday, the middle of the week when the weekend seems both so near and so very far away. The above image comes, of course, from our plushie photo contest, which has some very lol-worthy entries, but I'm sure you'll also enjoy the following: For the Bubbles educates us on the mathematics behind raiding. Too Many Annas runs Pallyramas. Tree of Life has translations of the binary messages you come across in Gnomeregon. Destructive Reach explains why warlocks aren't mages. Righteous Defense defines "trickle-down death." Blessing of Fish has a few things you might not know about Dalaran.
The Daily Quest: Raid leading
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Raiding isn't as easy as all of the videos on YouTube make it look (well, depending on which videos you're watching). A lot of work, planning, and coordination go into a successful raid. So for today's TDQ, we're not looking at boss strategies but instead we're talking about all the other things that make a raid go. World of Matticus' Raid Leading 101 series covers raid placement and direction as well as maximizing DPS uptime. Bible of Dreams presents a raider's personal accountability checklist. The Physician's Log discusses the role morale plays in raid success. Cranky Healer talks about what to do once you become a raid guild leader, which contains practical advice for GMs of all walks of life. Jed's Corner has some general ICC tips.
The Daily Quest: Showing off your UI
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Ah, the World of Warcraft user interface -- your screenshots are the vacation photo of a generation of gamers. We spend so much time tweaking and perfecting our user interface that we just have to share. And for those of us still in search of the perfect UI? Well, screenshots are better than an IKEA catalog. So what's in the offering today? A few bloggers and their UIs: Mystic Chicanery provides a State of the UI. Panzercow makes the obligatory UI post. Cranky Healer shows off an updated UI. Not enough UI for you? Well then, just because you asked -- some more helpful, UI-related links from around the web: Cannot be Tamed shows off a UI and then walks you through your major UI options, covering action bars, unit frames, key bindings, and combat text & notifications. Through the Eyes of a Tree points out useful healing addons. One More Alt helps us get started with Grid.
The Daily Quest: Dungeon finder tips and tricks
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Because of dungeon finder, we're all PUGging a lot more these days -- for better and for worse. Let's just say that if today's TDQ covered horrible tales from the dungeon finder, it would be ten times as long, at the very least. But fortunately for all of us, WoW-bloggers around the world have some great advice to offer on how to improve your PUG experience. Panzercow discusses heroic PUG tanking. Too Many Annas walks you through how to be successful in a PUG. Can Tank, Will Travel talks about tanking irritants (many of which seem PUG-related). World of Warcraft Philosophized offers advice for dungeon speed runs and wonders if the dungeon finder should put people of similar gear levels together. And -- a bit older than the rest of the posts here, but still worth reading if you're interested in the topic -- our very first guest post covered tips for DPS running heroics.
The Daily Quest: Waiting for the Cataclysm
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! If you're playing World of Warcraft -- and reading WoW.com -- I can't imagine you aren't looking forward to the oncoming Cataclysm, at least a little. New zones, new levels, new content -- and that razor's edge of fear where you're caught between the worry they're going to nerf your favorite class to the ground (baby) and the hope that the expansion will offer everything your virtual heart desires. It should come as no surprise that Cataclysm is on a lot of bloggers' minds... even when Blizzard isn't releasing very much info. So for today, some musing on Cataclysm and what the future of the game might hold. Big Bear Butt wonders if our expectations are too high. Critical QQ is getting tired of being told about everything that will be fixed in Cataclysm. Dechion's Place discusses nine things he'd like to see in Cataclysm. Healer Envy ponders a plan for shaman tanking.