Elizabeth Harper
Articles by Elizabeth Harper
The Daily Quest: We love flowcharts
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! Not sure what flowcharts have to do with World of Warcraft? Well, in truth, very little... unless they're World of Warcraft flowcharts, of course. I Like Bubbles' Flowchart Friday inspired me to hunt around for more WoW-related flowcharts -- to the conclusion that there aren't anywhere near enough of the helpful things. So I did what I always do in such situations: I asked the WoW.com team to contribute their flowcharts to the effort. I'll leave you, however, to judge the results. We'll start off with I Like Bubbles regular flowcharting efforts. Here's how to upgrade your holydin's gear, leveling as a herbalist, and a Venn diagram (which is not technically a flowchart, but close enough) that explains PUGs. Then there's the classic simplified cat DPS flowchart. A dizzying mutilate rogue flowchart. Basil offers an explanation of how to make money on the auction house using inscription. Joe explains the rules of VoA drops with another Venn diagram. Brian explains hunter vs. rogue mechanics. Michael explains how to raid, how to figure out night elves, and when you should RP in support tickets. Okay, I admit, we may be having too much fun here.
WRUP: We wish we were playing...
...Mass Effect Online? World of Grim Fandango? So why aren't we? Well, just for a start, they don't exist. And, while we can daydream up our favorite games in newer, better formats, what we're playing this weekend has to stay within the realm of reality. So what is the WoW.com team playing this weekend? And what's their I-wish-I-could-play MMO? Well, you're simply going to have to keep reading to find out. (And if you don't care about what we're doing? Well, you can always tell us what you're doing.)
The Daily Quest: We were all newbies once
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! We may be pros at the game now, but once upon a time, we were just getting started, too. Let us not look down on our newbie friends -- for we were once the same. Instead, today's daily quest strives to offer advice for the new players among us. Tree Burglar's Elder blogging event challenges bloggers around Azeroth to offer their advice to the new player. Light & Leafy, The Angry Dwarfs, A Healadin's Tear, Stories of WoW, and World of Warcraft Philosophized wrote up some great advice applicable to newbies of all shapes and sizes. (And, of course, you can check out Blog Azeroth for even more.) Restokin discusses rotation basics for the new Moonkin. Alterac Volley offers ten tips for leveling quickly. Can Tank, Will Travel wonders if today's well-informed newbie is the same as the newbie of yesteryear.
The Daily Quest: Addon 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! Today we're talking about your user interface with helpful addons and macros from across the web: The Hunter's Mark offers 6 addons to make your hunter's life easier. Blade Barrier presents some essential death knight macros. World of Matticus explains macros to make your healing life easier. Flow has addon suggestions for restoration shamans. No Stock UI has an addon recommendation for the Blood Queen Lana'thel fight. Cranky Healer offers a lesson on advanced Clique use. Hungry for more addon info? You might take a look at AddOn Spotlight or Reader UI of the Week.
The Daily Quest: Changes and reactions
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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Yesterday's hot discussion topic around the web was news of Cataclysm's upcoming stat changes. And today? There's still a lot of chatter, so let's toss out a few more links: Killing 'em Slowly reviews warlock changes. Flame Shock looks at the changes from an enhancement shaman perspective. The Hunter's Mark is here to give us a hunter's perspective. Gray Matter -- as always! -- talks Moonkins. But there's a new hot topic for today: during this morning's maintenance, Blizzard rolled out buffs for players attempting Icecrown Citadel. Everyone loves buffs, right? Wrong. Herding Cats thinks it's too soon. Cannot be Tamed wonders how many guilds will make use of it. BobTurkey thinks that future ICC kills will leave raiders asking "did we push ourselves enough to do it, or did they just nerf it down to our level?"
The Daily Quest: Responding to Catacylsm's stat changes
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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! With today's information overload about changes to game stats in Cataclysm, everyone seems to be talking about how these changes will hit home. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you may want to catch up on the latest news before seeing what the WoW blogging community is saying about it: Eyonix's original post has most of the information, though there have been a number of clarifications since. We're working on our own analysis of all these changes, but in the meanwhile the blogoshpere is already abuzz. Flow talks about what these changes mean for resto shamans. Righteous Defense looks at things from a tanking perspective. HolyPaladin.net talks about -- what else? -- what this means for holydin gear. Big Bear Butt gives a rundown for bear druids. Of course, I'm sure this is just the beginning. As we have more time to think these changes through -- and get to see them in action -- there will be theorycrafting galore.
WRUP: What you'd like to see next edition
It's the weekend again -- which can only mean it's time for an escape from the tedious grind of the working week -- to replace it with the tedious grind of our favorite video games! For us, you might assume our favorite game is World of Warcraft, but the team is all over the map on gaming preferences. Some of us are still lost in Mass Effect 2 others have moved on to BioShock 2, some of us are in the StarCraft II beta, and some of us are -- gasp! -- flirting with other MMOs while waiting for the next big thing in WoW. As a show of our gaming diversity, as well as checking in on what the WoW.com team is playing this weekend, I've asked what features from other games they'd like to see in WoW. For their answers -- and to add your own -- read on!
The Daily Quest: PvP 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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! If you're interested in PvP battlegrounds, you're probably aware that patch 3.3.3 is turning the system on its head -- completely removing Marks of Honor as well as increasing honor gains across the board. Have a bank full of the things? Well, we've got good news for you -- at present on the PTR you can convert them to honor at the rate of 2000 honor per mark. Combine that with the recent explanation of Wintergrasp mechanics and what have you got? A lot of excitement about PvP battlegrounds. Here's what's making the rounds of the blogosphere. Cynwise thinks now's the time to be running battlegrounds and collecting Marks of Honor. Holypaladin.net talks about Wintergrasp imbalance. Birdfall discusses seeing the opposite faction as people. Getting back to the basics, Spiceytuna explains resilience and gives talks frost mage PvP 101. Already a PvP expert? Over on the official forums Nethaera is looking for Warsong Gulch advice to be included in the next World of Warcraft magazine.
The Daily Quest: It's all about the heals
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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Today we're talking healers. You know healers, don't you? The players who tend to stand in the back of a group and do simply terrible DPS? Damage meters aside, if you're not a healer, keeping your healer happy should rank high on yout to-do list, because who else out there is going to pull you from the brink of death over and over again? So while the non-healers in the audience are out buying candy and flowers for the healer in your life, the healers in the audience are going to sit back and look at some recent thoughts on healing from around the net. Blessing of Kings discusses healer hubris. Holypaladin.net talks about the Flash of Light build for holdydins. Tree Bark Jacket covers healing for Sindragosa -- some of it's druid-specfic, but some of it will be useful to anyone attempting Sindragosa. Wugan on Flow discusses healing for Professor Putricide for resto shamans. (If you're attempting the Professor and having trouble, you may be interested in reading Raid Rx and Ready Check on the same subject.) The Physician's Log covers solo-healing Sarh +3 as a paladin. Holyform offers some tips for discipline priests on Festergut.
The Daily Quest: What do you think of 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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! If you weren't aware that patch 3.3.3 hit the PTRs this past week, there's a very reasonable chance that you live under a rock. (Though, if you're reading this, it must be a rock with exceptional internet access.) Now that we've had a few days to think over the cornucopia of news that's been thrust upon us, let's look out upon the vast internets before us and see what they think of the latest patch. Birdfall talks about the novelties of 3.3.3. Slice and Dice analyzes the rogue changes. And Forever a Noob brings us more rogue discussion. Frostheim talks about the buff coming to beast mastery. At Big Hit Box, Imonaboat talks about 3.3.3 for frost-spec death knights. Gypsy at Mischief, Magic, and Rocket Science suggests that 3.3.3 is time for mages to break out the pitchforks.
WRUP: Our favorite shows edition
Love Is in the Air may be coming to an end, but for those of you in need of entertainment away from the grind of daily quests, the Lunar Festival continues into March. If neither of those sound entertaining... Well, a lot of the team would recommend the recently released Mass Effect 2 or BioShock 2. Don't worry, WoW will still be here waiting for you to come back. And whether you're playing WoW or not, it's the weekend which means it's time for WRUP. And this week we have a special bonus question and have asked the staff what their favorite television show is (because, after all, you need some sort of distraction to keep your brain going while playing hunt-the-elder). So read on to find out what everyone's up to this weekend -- and leave us a comment to tell us what you're doing!
The Daily Quest: Icecrown Citadel
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest 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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! For those of you who may have been living under a rock and haven't heard of Icecrown Citadel, I'll start simple with the basics: Icecrown Citadel is a winged dungeon with both raid and 5-man content. And right now it's the raid everyone's in as they struggle towards a final, epic encounter with the Lich King. I'm not going to round-up everything that's been said about this dungeon -- because then we'd both be here all day -- but offer you a sampling of recent ICC-related articles from around the web. I am a Paladin talks about healing for Valithria Dreamwalker. (And if you're looking for more info on Valithria, we have a guide for you, too.) Rhidach of Righteous Defense learns the hard way that the Blood Council has a 10 minute enrage timer. Larisa at the Pink Pigtail Inn wonders if the hard mode bosses are going down too easily. Almost Evil offers first thoughts on Sindragosa. Teza at Wowraid has collected a number of ICC hard mode videos for your perusal. Spicytuna talks about the Gunship Battle for frost mages. OutDPS offers advice for hunters fighting Festergut. On WoW.com this week, we covered healing Professor Putricide and taking down the Blood Princes. For more from the blogosphere on [topic redacted], check back tomorrow for another Daily Quest!
The Daily Quest: More lulz
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest 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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Though not technically WoW-related, before we start today's TDQ, I'd like to be sure that all of the Blizzard-philes in the audience are aware that the StarCraft II beta test has begun. That's exciting, right? Right? Well, fine -- let's migrate away from scifi and back to fantasy. We're half-way through the week and though I can't speak for everyone, to me it feels like a good time for some lulz to push the doldrums away. Never fear, everyone -- we're on the downhill portion of the week and the weekend will be here before you know it. In the meantime, let's enjoy a laugh or two provided by some of our favorite blogs. The video above, of course, is a classic from Tree Bark Jacket. Winners for this month's official comic contest have been announced. (Need more comics? Check out Sunday Morning Funnies for a round-up of all the best WoW-related webcomics!) Mania at Mania's Arcania talks about the best pet for soon-to-be worgen and undead hunters. (Didn't you know? Both races will be able to play hunters come Cataclysm time.) I Like Bubbles contemplates incoming search terms. We get "zomg lazerz pew pew" a lot, too. (Be warned, there's some not safe for work language in this one.) Almost Evil tests to see what the Eye of Kilrogg will aggro in ICC. It's all fun and games until the corpse run. Anna explains the different kinds of tanks you may encounter in World of Warcraft. I'm not sure if this is meant to be humor, but it made me smile, so it's on our list. Too much silly, not enough content? Don't worry -- we'll be back tomorrow with links to some of the latest thoughts and comments on ICC.
The Daily Quest: The Lunar Festival
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest 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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! The Lunar Festival started this past Sunday and will be running until March 7th -- but there's no reason not to start on this one right now if you're after achievements, reputation, or have simply run out of other grinds. (Really, I mean "grind" in the nicest way possible here -- but there are a heck of a lot of elders to visit if you're trying to get your achievements.) But if you're interested in getting involved, we've rounded up all the web has to say about the Lunar Festival. Start at the source with Blizzard's official Lunar New Years information In case you missed it, we have our own write-up of elders and achievements Check out WoWWiki's event write-up as well as their list of elder locations Wowhead has a guide as well as a comprehensive list of achievements Flame Shock wrote up a guide and recommends the Lunar Festival Tour Guide addon for your elder-finding needs Letters from Birdfall has some great tips on elder locations inside dungeons The Fluid Druid offers some practical advice on what you're likely to encounter in this year's festival -- for my part, I keep getting stuck on the "get lost trying to find elder" stage
The Daily Quest: Love Is in the Air
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest 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 ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Are you a Fool for Love? For today TDQ is, because we're talking about the Love Is in the Air holiday events, which are live until the 20th, giving you a few more days to get involved -- if that's your thing. And if it's not, well, never fear! The Lunar Festival has already begun, so there's no shortage of things to do in Azeroth just now. Not sure where to get started? The WoW blogoshphere (is that even a word?) has you covered: WoW.com has a Love Is in the Air FAQ, a guide for casual players, a guide for all players, and an overview of the holiday bosses in Shadowfang Keep. The Fluid Druid has a Fool for Love achievement guide. Righteous Defense talks about farming Lovely Charms as a prot paladin. Phyllixia explains the excellent raid buffs to be had from doing the right dailies. Escapist Scrawl ponders what to get your in-game sweetheart for the holiday and shares a romantic Undercity moment. At Critical QQ, Euripedes is amused by the ease of gathering Lovely Charms. Check out WoWWiki's Love Is in the Air write-up. Look up the holiday's achievements on Wowhead. And in case all of the above is too virtual to catch your interest, perhaps the latest offering from J!NX may strike your fancy.
WRUP: Love is all around edition
It's a holiday weekend, so you know what that means for the WoW.com team -- and, no, it's not going out and celebrating in real life. Or, at least, while some of us may be celebrating off in reality, all of us are celebrating in Azeroth. And if you'd like to join the celebration with us? There's no better way than by joining us for today's holiday extravaganza. And if you're enjoying the holiday weekend -- or even if you aren't -- why not head over to the comments to let us know what you're playing this weekend?
The Lawbringer: Contracts and the achievement tracker
Welcome to this week's episode of the Lawbringer! Each week we'll dive into the intricacies of law and the World of Warcraft. Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to slay demons of ignorance for the benefit of your fellow denizens of Azeroth. Demons of ignorance slain: 1/4782*. *Number of ignorant demons may be subject to nerfing. So last week I introduced y'all to a bit of legal theorizing about how law and WoW might mix if they got pugged together. (Hint: not very well.) Y'all also were clamoring for my dissertation on gold farming. I want to give a big thank you to commentator Arnold for his excellent suggestions for improvements to make, and I promise I will be making those corrections soon. This week we'll be moving into some more concrete topics, prompted by a email from my mailbag: The new armory prints out date and timestamps for every little move you make in game. Run a heroic, it will show the date and time for every boss you kill. I didn't mind when it printed a date for achievements. But such fine-grained detail being so publicly available is .. invasive of privacy. This is an excellent issue, Wendy, and a subject of much qq-ing on the forums. However, before we can look into what privacy Blizzard may be invading, we need to understand our relationship with Blizzard; to do that, we need to look at a bit of contract law.
WRUP: Why am I still awake edition
It's four in the morning -- so why, exactly, am I still awake to write WRUP? Personally, I blame BioWare and Mass Effect 2. Not that the game has secret mind control powers (that we're aware of), even though a vast majority of our staff seems to have been sucked into the game this week. Give us a bit of time, and I'm sure we'll all find our way back to Northrend, though. But in the meantime, here's a run-down of what we're playing at WoW.com HQ this weekend and -- in honor of the upcoming holiday -- we talk about our favorite in-game events.
WRUP: Not in Azeroth edition
Is it just me or does it seem as though everyone (myself included) is playing Mass Effect right now? I suppose there are a few people who aren't, but I'm pretty sure they're off playing Star Trek Online. Well, I suppose we all have to find something to occupy our time between raid resets and daily timers. Oh, for the simple times when all we had to worry about was chasing Arthas and pals around Northrend -- juggling more games only means more problems! For this week in WRUP, commemorating the recent release of Bioware's Mass Effect 2, I've also asked the team what game they're looking forward to most in 2010 -- some of them even got the answer right. (Hint: it starts with "c" and ends with "ysm.")
WRUP: Our favorite classes edition
This weekend is not half as exciting as last weekend for those of us here at WoW.com, but it is another weekend -- and what are weekends for if not gaming? I'm sure by now all of you know the drill of our weekly WRUP features, but in case we have any newbies in the audience: this is the place to see what the WoW.com team is up to this weekend as well as chat about your own in-game agenda. Sound like fun? Then read on to find out what sort of trouble we're getting into this -- and to share any trouble of your own.