Elizabeth Harper
Articles by Elizabeth Harper
Breakfast Topic: What have you gotten out of WoW Insider?
What a long strange trip it has been, dear readers. WoW Insider opened way back in 2005, and is now nearing to the end of its time with you. We've had some great memories over the years, though, and we look forward to still seeing you all around the game world (and, perhaps, the real world too at whatever future BlizzCons might be in store). But let's not be sad about what's over: let's remember the good times we've had, together. The crazy April Fool's pranks we've run. The times an article made you smile, laugh, or think. Tell us, readers: what have you gotten out of WoW Insider over the years? And, of course: thanks for reading and commenting. We'll miss you all here around the virtual watercooler.
WoW Moviewatch: Boom De Yada
For one of our very last moviewatches, I've been looking for videos that spoke of our long love of World of Warcraft. Videos that explained why we were still here and playing after all of this time... and I couldn't find one better than Irdeen's Boom De Yada. After all, we love the whole of the crazy virtual world in which we all live. We'll see you all in game. 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 Moviewatch: The Lament of Captain Placeholder
If we're going out, we're going out singing sea shanties, just like The Lament of Captain Placeholder. Sure, it's sad that our friend Captain Placeholder has gone, but a new and more vibrant world has risen in his place. At least we hope it has. Farewell, fellow placeholders! We'll just sing ourselves out. 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.
WRUP: It's the end of the world as we know it edition
So what is team WoW Insider playing this weekend? Since this is the last time we'll be asking (and answering) this question, we went in search of long-lost team members we haven't had the pleasure of seeing around the virtual water cooler lately. That means this last edition of WRUP is super-sized, with answers from WoW Insider staff both current and past. And since we are nearing the end of our time together, we also asked everyone what's kept them playing WoW over the years -- after all, a decade is a long time to spend in any game. So join us, won't you, for a nostalgia-fueled trip through our favorite game. And if you're playing WoW this weekend, jump into the comments to tell us what you're up to -- and why you've stuck around the game for so long.
WoW Moviewatch: How World of Warcraft Should Have Ended
We're hoping our favorite game isn't coming to an end for a while yet, but that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy this classic animation that speculates on how Wrath of the Lich King should have come to a close. After all, if you're an end boss and your daily grind is being killed over and over, you'd get tired of it eventually and want a break. Unfortunately, for both Azeroth and Arthas' vacation plans, Deathwing ruins everything. 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.
Breakfast Topic: The places you love, the places you hate
World of Warcraft is full of amazing environments where we quest, level, and raid -- but we probably don't hold every in-game locale equal in our hearts. There are dungeons I've only run once or twice, and there are dungeons I've run a hundred times. There are zones I go out of my way to quest through when I'm leveling an alt and there are zones I avoid like the plague (and, no, I'm not just talking about the plaguelands). I'm pretty sure I'm not alone here: we all have our favorite game zones that we return to again and again. Karazhan still tops my personal favorite places list, with a great story, great setting, great music (see above), and some unusual boss encounters that remain memorable even though it's been years since the dungeon was current content. But tell us, readers: what are your favorite (or least favorite) in-game locations? What are the zones you keep gong back to -- and which zones do you escape as soon as possible?
Tournament of Champions returns with more 3v3 PvP
If you're looking for PvP opportunities beyond the usual battleground and arena scene, the upcoming Tournament of Champions 2.0 may be a perfect fit. This player-run PvP tournament is 3v3, single-elimination style (with double-elimination in the semi-final rounds). If you want to enjoy the fun -- and have a current rating over 2200 -- you can sign up through February 15th with the tournament tentatively scheduled to start on the 21st and last for two to three days. Just interested in watching some great 3v3 teams compete? The tournament will be streamed on Twitch for everyone to enjoy. For full details hop over to the forums.
WoW Moviewatch: That's the World of Warcraft That You Play
In our revisiting of classic WoW machinima, we couldn't skip Ian Beckman's Weird Al parody, That's the World of Warcraft That You Play. Beckman's made two versions of this, and while the original (from the dark ages of 2006) holds a special place in the nostalgia center of our hearts, this updated version (from the less dark ages of 2013) includes commentary on all of the game's current classes. Despite their age, however, both videos are still surprisingly relevant to gamers today... but, hey, that's just the World of Warcraft that we all 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.
Breakfast Topic: Your favorite (WoW) things
Though we may all be playing World of Warcraft together, we're not all necessarily playing for the same reasons. Some of us are into PvP, others are only interested in raids, some might love the game's lore, some might only want to collect everything the game offers, and some are just here for the in-game community. Whatever your reasons for playing, whether you're brand new or you've been here since the beginning, they're probably different from your nearest WoW neighbor. Today, let's talk about the reasons we all play. What's your favorite WoW thing, the part of the game that keeps you logging on day after day (and year after year)?
39 Things About Patch 6.1 with TradeChat
When a new patch is on the horizon, news is fast, furious, and ever-changing. So we couldn't blame you if you're having trouble keeping up with all the patch 6.1 news (and the changes to that news). Fortunately for all of us, TradeChat has pulled together a list of 39 things you should know about patch 6.1 to get you up to speed on everything that's coming to the game in the next patch. Sure, it could all change at a moment's notice, but you'll be caught up for now. If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!
Chauffered Chopper heirloom mount coming in patch 6.1
Sure, with heirlooms you can deck your alts out in great gear and make the leveling process a lot easier. But what about getting around? Your mounts may be shared across all of your characters, but you still can't ride those mounts when you get started -- which leaves your new alt stuck running around the world. How undignified! Enter the Chauffered Chopper, which is currently on the patch 6.1 test realm. Like the name implies, this is a motorcycle-style mount with a driver (currently orc Koak Hoburn, likely a nod to Driving Miss Daisy chauffeur Hoke Colburn). Having your own chauffeur means that you can ride around in this chopper at any level, making it a must-have for alt-a-holics on the move. You can pick up your own by nabbing the Heirloom Hoarder achievement for collecting 35 heirlooms. The mount isn't currently working on the PTR, so it appears to be a work in progress. Also, it's more than a little odd to have an orc chauffeur for a distinctly alliance-styled mount, so we wonder if its look might be changing before it goes live. We'll keep an eye on the PTR for more info when it's there!
WoW community comes together to help a father
We've all had bad days in World of Warcraft. Your group wipes, the tank yells at the DPS, the DPS yells at the healer... and before you know it everyone is yelling at everyone, turning what should be fun into pure misery. We've all had game days like that. So why do we keep coming back to the game when it can be so frustrating? It's probably because the people we play with can be really amazing, too, as when Senna logged on to Reddit to ask for help: So im older (late 50's) and my son used to play lots of WOW while he was recovering after getting hit by a mortar in iraq. Recently he passed away and I decided that I wanted to connect with areas of my sons life I never understood. WOW is one of those areas. The response? The WoW community has banded together to offer sympathy and assistance with a thread over 700 comments long. It's the sort of thing that reminds you why you're still part of this game after more than a decade -- and want to reach out a helping hand to your fellow players.
Breakfast Topic: What do you do when you need a WoW break?
World of Warcraft has been running for over ten years now, which is a long time for any game. When we're talking time-spans like that, sometimes you're just going to find you need a break. This doesn't necessarily mean you're leaving for good, but sometimes you just need to shake up your gaming routine and take a break from the daily grind of WoW to avoid burning out entirely. For my part, I took a fairly long WoW-break when Cataclysm came out, but I also took a few weeks off when Dragon Age Inquisition came out -- and I'm likely to skip WoW for as long as it takes me to play through Grim Fandango, too. So today let's talk about our WoW respites. Do you take occasional WoW breaks? Just what do you do with your gaming time away from WoW?
Patch 6.1: The latest on Draenor fishing
Patch 6.1 is on the horizon and if the patch notes are any indication, there are a lot of changes coming our way. Fishing, in particular, is slotted to get a lot of tweaks -- and there have already been some changes to the changes announced in the last patch notes. With the latest changes, fishing throughout Draenor will be streamlined for everyone... though it will still take up an awful lot of inventory space, so be sure to clear your bags before heading out fishing. Here's the current state of fishing: Fish caught in Draenor can be automatically filleted with the Bladebone Hook, a new consumable you can buy from fishing vendors in Draenor. The hook lasts for one hour. Though this was intended to be automatic for everyone without a consumable, negative feedback on the feature seems to have changed Blizzard's mind. Different sizes of Savage Piranha have been consolidated into Savage Piranha and can be consumed directly for the transformation effect. Players can now always catch enormous fish from pools, regardless of skill. Fish that have already been caught can be converted to the appropriate amount of flesh. Draenor fishing bait now lasts for 10 minutes (up from 5 minutes). Bait will not spoil, which was originally in the patch notes. Nat Pagle (Level 3 Fishing Shack) will give you any of the standard baits if you ask nicely. Lunkers can now be caught from fishing pools and have an improved catch rate with higher fishing skill. Summoned Cavedwellers now drops random fish flesh and drops less Worm Supreme. Fish Eggs used as turn-in for the Fishing Shack Daily quest are now bind on pickup and no longer have a sell value. Happy fishing!
WoW Moviewatch: The Story & History of The Furbolgs
Warcraft goes beyond just World of Warcraft, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the game's lore. Sure, you can find out plenty by questing your way through WoW, but there's a lot you won't find without delving into the older RTS games, the novels, or even more obscure sources. That's what makes Bellular's lore videos so great: they pull together lore from all sorts of sources to tell you new things about in-game elements you though you understood. This video digs into the surprisingly fascinating history of the Furbolgs... with the interesting suggestion that they might be related to the Pandaren. Wouldn't that be an interesting storyline to explore? Only time will tell if Blizzard ever decides to expand on the idea or leave it to collect dust as arcane game history. 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.
Breakfast Topic: How much farming is too much farming?
There's no MMO -- or game in general, really -- that doesn't have some grinding built in. After all, you need some reason to keep logging in after you've run out of quest rewards and dungeons to clear. But sometimes the grind you go through for achievements and collectables is just too much. So when do you decide that it's time to throw in the towel on your own grinds? Right now, I'm working on safari achievements, and I'm down to one pet left to catch in Eastern Kingdoms and one more in Kalimdor. Two more pets when I've already managed to pick up 360 unique pets shouldn't be that hard, right? Wrong. Right now I have alts camped to watch for rare spawns, and I log in now and then to sit and stare at my mini-map as if that will make them spawn faster. But this isn't exactly compelling gameplay -- in fact, this kind of tedium is the dead opposite of compelling. But I've gotten so close... I shouldn't give up with only a couple of pets to go, should I? So today let's talk grinds. How long have you ever spent farming or grinding for a particular bauble or achievement in-game? And just when do you decide that enough is enough?
WoW Moviewatch: ROFLMAO!
Monday is upon us once again, and since we're all in need of some workweek cheer, we dug into the Moviewatch archives to find this classic from Oxhorn. Sure, this 2007 machinima looks a bit dated, especially when compared with the new models that rolled out in Warlords of Draenor, but it's still darned funny. (Much like the even older Muppet Show skit this machinima is parodying.) Go on, we dare you not to laugh. Happy Monday, everyone! 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.
Breakfast Topic: Have you caught 'em all?
I've been on a recent pet-hunting binge in World of Warcraft. Though I've always been a fan of collecting games, I'd avoided getting into this one because it seemed like once I got started started, I would feel compelled to catch everything... and that seemed like a tall order. Now that I'm actively working on WoW's safari achievements, I can tell I was right. In between rare spawn pets, pets that only spawn during certain weather conditions or certain times of day, and my horrible habit of accidentally killing pets I mean to catch (my Terrible Turnip isn't very high level yet), I'm pretty sure this is going to take approximately forever to finish. So I ask you, readers: are you, too, compelled to try to catch 'em all? And if so, how is your personal safari quest going? A note to anyone who hasn't started this crazy quest to catch every pet: don't start! Your sanity will thank you.
WRUP: Our favorite 6.1 things edition
Patch 6.1 is getting ever nearer, and as we learn more about what the patch will bring we all have our favorite things about it. So this week when we caught up to talk about what we were playing this weekend, we also also took the time to talk about our favorite things in patch 6.1 (so far). Are you playing WoW this weekend? Jump into the comments to tell us what you're up to -- and what you're looking forward to in patch 6.1. Otherwise, read on for what team WoW Insider is playing this weekend.
WoW Moviewatch: How to Rig a Pet Battle
Pet battling isn't easy. Sometimes you come up against the perfect team, all of your attacks seem to miss, and you're left floundering. And sometimes, like in the video above, you try to rig things in your favor. (Though the active word is definitely try.) Yes, Mooclucking clearly understands all of our battle pet frustrations. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem like a good solution for them. We'll just have to do our best to keep forging through even the toughest pet battles... and maybe steer clear of the pug while we're at it. 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.