Scott Andrews
Articles by Scott Andrews
Officers' Quarters: Stop it with the invite addons
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. I have to admit it: as someone who has been guilded in WoW for nine+ years, and who plays on a decidedly Horde-light server, it hasn't been until the past few months that I realized what a damn nuisance these addons are. I've been playing alts lately, trying to decide what class and spec I want to raid with in Warlords of Draenor. (I'm currently a feral druid, which I may stick with.) Since I'm out of character slots on my home realm, and I've never really played Alliance, I decided to roll some Alliance characters on a realm with a healthy Alliance pop. I didn't know anyone on the realm. And I didn't really want to join a guild, since I wasn't sure how much I would play those toons yet. I had no idea what I was in for.
WoW Archivist: The curse of Karazhan
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Something has been afoot in Karazhan of late. First, dataminers noticed that Karazhan had been renamed Medivh's Big Birthday Bash on the PTR. In the rechristened raid, objects such as cobwebs and skeletons had disappeared. Then a later build renamed it Karazhan 2: Eclectic Boogaloo. Senior game designer Jonathan Craft tweeted that fellow designer Dave Maldonado was responsible. Maldonado later said that nothing is happening. It turned out to be a test to see if a phased quest could be set there, but sadly it didn't work. Many players would be excited to return to Karazhan, and it would make sense to do this in Warlords of Draenor. After all, Karazhan is from the same expansion that took us to the shattered remnants of Draenor back in 2007. Hopefully Blizzard will find a way to feature some Karazhan-based content during the next expansion. Karazhan remains one of Blizzard's most popular raid zones, and for good reason. But did it succeed too well for WoW's own good? Let's look back at what Karazhan offered us in its prime and how it impacted raid design in future expansions.
Officers' Quarters: Humbling Hellscream
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. Garrosh Hellscream, son of Grom, Chieftain of the Mag'har, Warchief of the True Horde, is no pushover when you meet him in battle. Nor should he be, as the final boss of Mists of Pandaria. He can break your raid team's spirit faster than he nuked Theramore. One such team is fracturing under the pressure of Garrosh and his freaky Old God souvenirs, and their raid leader is asking for help. Hello Scott! I am currently the raid leader/GM for a startup guild on a high-pop server. I was able to create a guild, form a raid team, and get them 13/14 very quickly on normal. However, I recently lost my partner tank (I tank as a warrior) due to RL issues, and had a DPS rage quit during our Garrosh attempts. I've converted a dps to tank (he has sufficient gear), and am having trouble finding the right comp/team to get Garrosh down. We rarely wipe on the first 13, but we are having trouble on garrosh.
Officers' Quarters: 8 gift ideas that won't break the gbank
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. The holiday season is all about giving. It's the perfect time of year to hold contests and giveaways. Doing so can be a great way to build morale in your community or attract new players. Giving gifts to your officers as a guild leader is also a heartfelt way to show appreciation for their hard work throughout the year. However, many of the most desired items can cost a fortune in gold. For officers, manpower is often much easier to come by than raw currency. Here are eight items that make great gifts or prizes without bankrupting your gbank. 8. Discombobulator Ray Where to get it: An engineer can learn the schematic in Gnomeregan. Wowpedia has a walkthrough. It also has a small chance (0.5%) to drop from Mekgineer Thermaplugg, the last boss of the dungeon. What it costs: A small amount of gold for materials: bronze bars, silk and wool cloth, and jade. Why it's a good gift: Many players don't even know this vanilla-era item exists. It has a unique and hilarious effect, and you don't have to be an engineer to use it. It's also a devastating item for low level players to unleash in PvP.
WoW Archivist: The crashin' thrashin' history of Winter Veil
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? This month we celebrate the tenth annual Feast of Winter Veil. The holiday is almost as old as WoW itself. Winter Veil was the first ever holiday to be implemented, just after the game launched in November 2004. Blizzard patched in Winter Veil along with the Maraudon dungeon, the option to turn off cloaks and helms, and many other changes in patch 1.2 on December 18. Since then, Winter Veil has enjoyed a long evolution over the years into today's version. Let's spend a few minutes with the Ghost of Winter Veil Past! The first Winter Veil Given how early this holiday was added to the game, it's not surprising that there wasn't much to it compared to today. The holiday came with a few quests, including the original, short Greench questline. The first few days of the holiday saw a swarm of activity in Hillsbrad. The Tarren Mill vs. Southshore battles moved a few leagues north, as players battled friend and foe alike to tag the Greench and get quest credit. Completing the questline awarded you with one of several crafting recipes, such as Gloves of the Greatfather, the Winter's Might enchantment, or the coveted Snowmaster 9000 schematic.
Officers' Quarters: Drawing boundaries with a new raid team
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. When you're both the guild leader and the raid leader of a guild, everyone looks to you to have all the answers. This week, one such officer finds himself tanking for a second, newly formed raid team. He wants to know how he can help without becoming the default leader of the team. I have a question I would like discussed and I'm sure others are having similar question. I have what I consider a social raiding guild. ... I come from a history of progression raiding from MC onwards and raid leadership since the 15 man UBRS days. My main is Wumper-Saurfang and my guild is Carpe Jugulum. ... We have our midweek (more serious) team, Thursday night team (recently started SoO) and a social Flexi raid on Saturdays. Physically we have too many for a single 10 toon raid, and not enough viable raiders for a 25 toon more serious raid. My question is how do I bridge the learning gap in the Thursday raid without becoming a leading participant of the raid? We have a new team that has started with a positive intent, a clear charter and rules. From the midweek (more serious) team we provide youtube guides videos for fights they are coming up to, visual class guides, discussion threads of tactics, approaches and role based discussion. We stream our fights for members to watch (and they do) when we're not recording for guide creation. If I am to get involved in the raid, because I am the GM and raid lead and would be tanking on my second bear, I will wind up taking a lead role within the raid. Currently I fill in as a reserve tank as required.
Officers' Quarters: 20-man misconceptions
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. Several weeks ago I wrote an article about how Blizzard could help guilds make the transition from 10-man heroic to 20-man mythic raiding. The comments on that article were eye-opening to me. In the interest of promoting dialogue about the new raiding system and supporting the guild officers who will make it work, I'd like to clear up some misconceptions. Who deserves extra rewards? Many commenters expressed the opinion that hard mode raiding and the best loot in the game are reward enough. No extra rewards are required. For your average heroic raider, that is certainly true. But your average heroic raider doesn't have to do much outside of raid times, and then it's mostly just a matter of showing up prepared. The people who deserve the big incentives are not the average raiders.
WoW Archivist: Patch 2.4 -- Fury of the Sunwell
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? On March 4, 2008, Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons & Dungeons, passed away. A few weeks later, Blizzard dedicated the final and meatiest patch of the Burning Crusade expansion to Gary's memory. Unlike the raid- and druid-centric patch 2.1, the big nothing of 2.2, or the old world revamp (and another raid) of patch 2.3, Fury of the Sunwell had boatloads of new endgame content for everyone. Blizzard also provided a trailer for the patch that showed the history of the Sunwell and revealed Kael'thas' diabolical plan. Redefining realm-wide events Kael'thas had to be stopped. The naaru convinced the Scryers and the Aldor to work together, forming a new faction to retake the Sunwell at the Isle of Que'Danas. The Shattered Sun Offensive represented a massive evolution of the realm-wide event concept after the very popular Gates of Ahn'qiraj event ushered in the idea. Daily quests, introduced in The Burning Crusade, were the key. The Gates event required players to gather and turn in crafting supplies. Though you certainly felt like a contributor by forking over dozens of stacks of cloth, the gameplay aspect was lacking. Only one guild per realm could participate in the complete quest line. On Quel'Danas, everyone could experience the story as it played out. Instead of turning in items, your realm earned credit toward the next phase of the event when players completed dailies. Rather than a one-time event, the phases changed and unlocked different parts of the island to show the Offensive's progress. Eventually the united Scryers and Aldor built a town, complete with a blacksmith for repairs, alchemy lab, portal, and statues to honor the fallen. Each new phase also brought new dailies and new rewards that could be purchased with gold and "badges" (TBC's equivalent of valor points). All of these changes were permanent, so you didn't have to log in on a specific day in order to enjoy them.
WoW Archivist: 2.4 patch notes
World of Warcraft Patch 2.4 Fury of the Sunwell The glorious fount of arcane energy known as the Sunwell empowered the high elves for millennia, until the death knight Arthas laid siege to the elven kingdom and corrupted its sacred energies. Seeing no other alternative, a band of survivors led by Prince Kael'thas destroyed the ancient fount. Over time the surviving elves fell prey to a crippling magical withdrawal. Now, promising salvation for his people, Kael'thas has returned. Soon the Sunwell will shine once again, but whether the sacred fount will usher in deliverance or destruction remains to be seen. In Memoriam: Gary Gygax Blizzard Entertainment would like to dedicate the patch in memory of Gary Gygax. His work on D&D was an inspiration to us in many ways and helped spark our passion for creating games of our own. As avid D&D players and fellow game developers, we were all saddened by the news of his passing; we feel we've lost a true adventuring companion. Thanks for everything and farewell, Gary. You will be missed. Combat Log Improvements The combat log has undergone improvements that allow more robust combat text filtering including the ability to define custom colors for enemies and friends, as well as combat text filtering for self and others. Global Arena Tournament Players will be able to create level-70 characters with epic equipment and compete on special tournament realms in a new global arena tournament. For more information, details and entry requirements, please visit the official tournament pages. GENERAL The Sunwell Isle is now available for play. This area includes a new quest hub and 5-player and 25-player instances. The combined forces of Shattrath have launched an attack on the Isle of Quel'Danas, to confront Kael'thas and the Legion at the Sunwell and surrounding areas. Players will now be able to gain reputation with the Shattered Sun Offensive and participate in a new set of daily quests. A representative of the Keepers of Time has been spotted at the World's End Tavern in Shattrath. Players in good standing with the faction will be granted ease of passage to the Caverns of Time. Characters will now retain talented spell ranks so when they retalent they do not have to relearn the spells from trainers. Spell Haste: Spell haste now reduces the global cooldown on spells, down to a minimum of 1 second. This change does not apply to melee and ranged abilities. Item Cast Spells: Many spells cast by items were being cast as if the caster were the same level as the item. Most of those will now be cast at the player's level, giving them a reasonable chance to miss, be dispelled, or be resisted. Resilience: Now reduces the magnitude of mana draining effects by the same amount that it reduces critical strike damage. The Tooltip has been revised to reflect this. Spirit-Based Mana Regeneration: This system has been adjusted so that as your intellect rises, you will regenerate more mana per point of spirit. Weapon Skill: Points will be gained faster in weapon skills for levels 1 through 59. The Daily Quest limit has been increased to 25. Non-self % based haste spells will no longer stack with each other. Racials [Find Treasure]: This ability no longer deactivates upon death. Druids [Cyclone] range is now 20 yards, down from 30. [Empowered Rejuvenation]: This talent now properly affects the final heal from [Lifebloom]. [Gift of Nature]: This talent now properly affects the healing from [Tranquility]. [Insect Swarm]: Casting lower ranks of this spell is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects. [Lacerate]: This ability now deals additional damage based on the attack power of the Druid. [Lifebloom]: The bonus coefficient on the final bloom effect has been reduced by 20%. This spell will no longer cause error messages when interacting with [Spellsteal] or while the Druid is under the effects of Mind Control. [Mangle] (Bear) now properly triggers a 1.5 second global cooldown, increased from 1.0 second. Many shapeshift form tooltips have been updated to be consistent with each other. [Natural Perfection]: This ability will no longer be triggered by taking critical strikes while sitting. In addition, it is now affected by the Subtlety talent and reduces damage by 2/3/4%, down from 1/3/5%. [Nurturing Instinct] increases your healing spells by up to 50/100% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 10/20% while in Cat form. [Regrowth]: The mana cost of this spell has been reduced by approximately 20%. When a Druid in cat form casts [Pounce] it will now properly animate. Hunters Equipping a thrown weapon while in the middle of an Auto-Shot will no longer cause animation issues. Casting [Flare] while in any way not visible, will no longer cause your flare to be invisible to other players. [Hunter's Mark]: Hunters with [Improved Hunter's Mark] will now properly overwrite Hunter's Mark cast by Hunters without the talent. [Improved Mend Pet] now has a 25/50 chance to remove one Curse, Disease, Magic, or Poison effect, up from 15/50%. The stamina tooltip for hunter pets will now display the proper health increase. Track spells will now persist after death. Hunters will no longer spin around if they cast Aimed Shot or Steady Shot while facing away from their target. Mages [Arcane Explosion]: The damage cap for area of effect damage on this spell has been increased by approximately 50%. [Arcane Fortitude] now increases your armor by an amount equal to 100% of your Intellect, up from 50%. [Blink], [Slow], and [Spellsteal] have all had their mana cost reduced. [Improved Blink]: This talent no longer reduces the mana cost of Blink. Instead, it increases the chance for all attacks to miss the Mage by 25% for 2/4 sec after Blink is cast. Using low ranks of [Fire Ward] and [Frost Ward] spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized. [Frostbite]: When a frost spell is reflected back at a Mage, it is now possible for the Mage to suffer from the Frostbite effect. [Ice Barrier]: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized. [Icy Veins] no longer increases the chance your chilling effects will Freeze the target, but now increases the chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while casting any spell by 100% while active. [Improved Fire Ward] has become [Molten Shields]. [Mana Shield]: This spell will now get a percentage of the Mage's bonus to spell damage as an additional effect. New Talent: [Molten Shields] will cause your Fire Ward to have a 10/20% chance to reflect Fire spells while active. In addition, your [Molten Armor] has a 50/100% chance to affect ranged and spell attacks. [Permafrost]: This talent will now correctly increase the movement slowing effect of frost Armor instead of the attack speed slowing effect. [Spellsteal] will no longer overwrite a longer duration buff. Paladins [Avenger's Shield], [Holy Shield] and [Holy Shock]: Casting lower ranks of these spells is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects. Avenger's Shield: This ability will no longer jump to secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. I.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc. [Crusader Strike]: This ability will no longer refresh the Healing Way buff from the Shaman talent. [Illumination]: The mana energize from this talent no longer has a chance to set off other triggered effects. [Holy Shock]: The healing, damage, and mana cost of this spell have all been increased. Judgement of the Crusader: It is no longer possible to have icons for two different ranks of Judgment of the Crusader appear at the same time when judged by multiple Paladins. [Judgement of Wisdom]: Some abilities (such as [Frostbolt]) were not triggering the mana energize effect from this spell. This has now been fixed. Resistance Auras: It is no longer possible for two Paladins in the same party to make it appear that players have two of the same resistance aura active. [Righteous Defense]: This spell will now always be castable on friendly npcs. [Seal of Blood]: This ability will no longer cause spell pushback for the Paladin with this seal active. [Sense Undead]- Now persists after death. [Turn Undead](Rank 3):This spell has been reworked and has been renamed to "Turn Evil". It will now work on Demons in addition to Undead. Turn Evil is subject to diminishing returns, and lasts 10 seconds in PvP. Priests [Chastise] no longer disorients the target, but now is instant cast and roots the target for 2 seconds. [Fear Ward] is now usable while in Shadow form. [Focused Will] now reduces damage by 2/3/4%, up from 1/3/5%. [Inner Focus]: [Chastise] now benefits from Inner Focus. In addition, [Starshards] no longer consumes Inner Focus. [Mass Dispel] now affects a maximum of 10 targets, increased from 5. [Power Infusion]: Infuses the target with power, increasing their spell haste by 20% and reducing the mana cost of all spells by 20%. Lasts for 15 seconds. This will not stack with other haste effects, such as [Heroism], [Bloodlust], or [Icy Veins]. [Power Word: Shield]: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized. [Prayer of Mending]: This spell will now fade from players who leave or enter an instance, change continents, or exit the game. [Reflective Shield]: The reflective damage from this talent no longer breaks crowd control effects which break on taking damage. [Shadowguard]: No longer consumes the charge of Inner Focus when triggered. [Silent Resolve]: This talent now affects Surge of Light, Power Infusion, Inspiration, Spirit Tap, Blackout, Levitate, Shackle Undead, Touch of Weakness, Hex of Weakness, and Symbol of Hope. [Touch of Weakness]: No longer consumes the charge of Inner Focus when triggered. It will also function properly even when the Priest with Touch of Weakness on is silenced or stunned. [Vampiric Touch]: Casting lower ranks of this spell is now properly penalized like other healing and damage effects. Rogues Abilities that can be used while stealthed, without breaking stealth, can now be cast without breaking [Vanish] when used at the same time. [Cheat Death]: A combat log message will now show when this ability activates and now has an animation. It will now almost always be accurate in displaying the amount of damage done to a rogue when under the effects of Cheat Death. [Improved Backstab] is now called [Puncturing Wounds]. [Puncturing Wounds] increases your critical strike chance with [Backstab] by 10/20/30%, and the critical strike chance with your [Mutilate] ability by 5/10/15%. [Improved Sprint]: This ability will now always remove Entangling Roots. [Sap] mechanic changed from "Incapacitate" to "Sap". This will allow more humanoids that were previously immune to Sap to be vulnerable to Sap, but still immune to [Gouge]. Note that anything that removed Sap previously will still remove Sap after the change. [Vanish]: This ability will no longer sometimes cause the UI to display [Shadowmeld] as active when it has been cancelled. Shaman [Call of Thunder]: (Rank 5) now gives 5% critical strike chance, down from 6%. [Earth Shield]: Mana cost reduced roughly in half, and charges reduced from 10 to 6. [Elemental Focus]: This buff will no longer be removed when [Shamanistic Focus] is triggered. [Flametongue Weapon]: Having different ranks of this enchantment cast on two different weapons will no longer cause the enchantments to trigger multiple times per swing. [Ghost Wolf]: Cast time reduced to 2 seconds, down from 3. The Global Cooldown of all Totems has been reduced to 1 seconds, down from 1.5 seconds. [Healing Grace]: This talent now reduces the chance your spells will be dispelled by 10/20/30%. The resistance to being dispelled modifier from this talent now applies correctly to [Water Breathing]. [Rockbiter Weapon]: Tooltip and error messages have been adjusted slightly. [Shamanistic Rage] is now a Physical ability instead of a Magic spell, and thus is no longer dispellable. It now reduces all damage taken by 30% and gives your successful melee attacks a chance to regenerate mana equal to 30% of your attack power. This lasts for 15 seconds with a 2 minute cooldown. [Stormstrike] has a new icon. Totem timer icons will now show up under your player portrait when you cast totem spells. Right-clicking a totem timer icon will destroy that totem. Toughness will now also reduce the duration of movement slowing effects on you by 10/20/30/40/50%. [Tremor Totem] now pulses every 3 seconds, down from 4 seconds. The Shaman spell [Fire Nova Totem] will no longer sometimes detonate without doing any damage. Warlocks [Blood Pact] now has a tooltip. [Demonic Knowledge]: This buff will no longer remain on enslaved demons when [Enslave Demon] is removed. It will now increase your spell damage by an amount equal to 4/8/12%, down from 5/10/15%. [Demonic Sacrifice]: Now works properly in sanctuary regions (such as Shattrath City and the Stair of Destiny). [Emberstorm] now also reduces the cast time of your [Incinerate] spell by 2/4/6/8/10%. [Nether Protection]: The buff from this talent will no longer interrupt capturing PvP flags and bases. [Pyroclasm]: This talent now works correctly again with [Rain of Fire]. [Ritual of Summoning] can be used to summon players into instances if they meet the instance requirements. Sense Demon now persists after death. [Shadow Ward]: Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized. Warriors [Endless Rage] will now give the correct amount of rage as intended from damage dealt by a Warrior. [Improved Hamstring] (Arms) effect is now subject to diminishing returns when used in PvP. Stances: It is no longer possible to accidentally change into a stance you are already in via macros (resulting in a global cooldown and loss of rage). [Whirlwind]: Critical strikes with the off-hand weapon from this ability can now trigger Flurry (warrior talent) and [Rampage]. Flurry (warrior talent) will properly refresh if a crit occurs with 1 charge left. PVP Diminishing returns on honor for kills is being eliminated. Honor will now be instantly calculated, and available for player use. Players that have the resurrection sickness debuff will be worth no honor. Added new PvP daily quests that send players to Halaa and the Spirit Towers of the Bone Wastes. These quests are available for Alliance and Horde at their respective local quest hubs. Arenas Personal Rating: The amount a player's personal rating can climb above his or her team's rating is now limited. The benefits of drinking out of combat have been delayed while in the Arena. It will now take four seconds before the full benefit of the mana regeneration will come into effect. Queue times for arena matches have been reduced. Players will now be able to enter matches faster than previously. Shadow Sight now increases damage taken by 5% rather than dealing damage over time. Duration has been reduced from 21 seconds to 15 seconds. Players feared outside of the Arena (through the world or outside the arena walls) will now be teleported back to the center of the arena map. Battlegrounds If a player dies 50 times or more in a battleground, they will no longer be worth honor for the remainder of that battle. When you first enter a battleground, messages about other players joining the battleground will be linked together for the first minute. You will see a message in AV like "28 players joined" rather than a line for each player that joined. After the first minute, it will work as it always has. In addition, all of the messages about other players leaving the battleground and getting marks of honor once the battleground is complete have been removed. Battleground Rune Buffs: Speed, Restoration, and Berserking buffs received from battleground runes will no longer cause Stealth or Prowl to break. Alterac Valley Captain Balinda Stonehearth can no longer be interrupted, silenced, or have her spells slowed. In addition, her water elemental cannot be banished, and does increased damage. Vanndar Stormpike and Captain Balinda Stonehearth have had their health totals reduced to match the health totals of Drek'thar and Captain Galvangar. Warmasters/marshals in Alterac Valley now increase each other's maximum health and damage by 25%. This is a stacking effect. Horde players will now start the battle closer to Drek'Thar and Frostwolf Keep. There is now a Join as Party option. Warsong Gulch When both flags are held, the flag carriers will receive 50% increased damage done to them after approximately 10 minutes and 100% increased damage after approximately 15 minutes. Flag carriers can now be tracked 45 seconds after picking up the flag. PROFESSIONS Added several new tradeskill items to the new Sunwell Daily faction vendor: Enchanting recipe to shatter a [Void Crystal] into two [Large Prismatic Shards]. Enchanting recipe to increase Defense Rating by 15 for chest armor. Three jewelcrafting recipes to cut gems with spell haste from [Dawnstones], [Talasite], and [Noble Topaz]. Two new meta gem recipes. Alchemy [Gift of Arthas] now stacks to 20. Transmute: Arcanite no longer has a cooldown. Cooking [Broiled Bloodfin] now increases resistances to all schools of magic instead of increasing Stamina and Spirit. New recipes, [Charred Bear Kabobs] and [Juicy Bear Burgers], can be purchased from either Horde Bale or Alliance Malygen in Felwood. These recipes requires 250 skill to learn, and are created from meat found on level 48-56 bears. This will aid players in leveling up their cooking skill to 300 without fishing. Enchanting Reduced the materials required for [Enchant Shield - Resistance] Engineering Gagsprocket in Ratchet now sells the plans for the [Minor Recombobulator]. [Goblin Jumper Cables] and [Goblin Jumper Cables XL] now display cooldown information in their tooltips. Removed the level requirement for the [Craftsman's Monocle]. The stun caused by engineering Bombs and Grenades is now considered an Incapacitate effect and uses the appropriate Incapacitate diminishing returns. Bomb and Grenades can now inflict damage to targets immune to Stun and Incapacitate effects. A new recipe has been added for [Rocket Boots Xtreme Lite], a cloth version of the [Rocket Boots Xtreme]. This pattern drops from Combat Mechano-Lord Capacitus. [Rocket Boots Xtreme] now have all their stat points allocated toward Attack Power, and will no longer have Stamina. [Rocket Boots Xtreme] and [Rocket Boots Xtreme Lite] will cause players to drop a PvP flag if used while carrying one (Warsong Gulch, Eye of the Storm, and Zangarmarsh). Fishing New Fishing Daily Quests! Visit the mysterious old man fishing at Silmyr Lake outside of Shattrath City to discover what treasures he has to offer. [Find Fish] now correctly tracks Schools of Tastyfish and Muddy Churning Waters Feltail fishing nodes have been changed to Brackish Mixed Schools; they now produce mostly [Golden Darters] and some [Feltail]. Removed the level requirement from the expert fishing book, [The Bass and You]. Herbalism [Ancient Lichen] now has a chance to drop a [Fel Lotus] where it used to drop a piece of random green jewelry. [Black Lotus] replaced by [Fel Lotus] in herbalism skinning tables for Outland creatures. Increased the chance that [Felweed], [Dreaming Glory], [Ragveil], and [Flame Caps] will contain a [Fel Lotus]. Combat Warp Splinter can now be skinned with Herbalism in heroic difficulty. Jewelcrafting A new jewelcrafting recipe has been added to transform 3 of each color of green quality gems into a single random blue quality gem. This recipe is available from grandmaster jewelcrafting trainers. Leatherworking [Shadow Oil] will now fit into Leatherworking Bags. Mining Increased the skill up potential for most smelting recipes. QUESTS New Daily Dungeon quests for both the heroic and non-heroic five-person Magisters' Terrace dungeon at the Sunwell. Players can now turn in one of each battleground mark for an honor reward. The questgivers for this turn-in are the Horde Horde Warbringer and the Alliance Alliance Brigadier General and can be found near the battlemasters in the capital cities. Dungeon and Group Quest Experience: The amount of experience awarded for dungeon and 5-person group quests in Outland has been increased in almost all cases. The daily quest Escape from Skettis has had its reward tuned down. The number of elite Shadowsworn Drakonid patrollers on the Ata'mal Terrace has been cut in half. Most of the remainder have had their patrol paths lengthened. Increased the slots on [Old Blanchy's Feed Pouch] to 8. [The Thunderspike] no longer sparkles for Alliance characters, nor does it show up on the mini-map when [Find Treasure] is in use. "Zapper Fuel" is now flagged as a Sunken Temple dungeon quest. DUNGEONS AND RAIDS All 25-player raid bosses have had their cash drops increased! All 25-player raid bosses that drop set tokens will now drop an additional token! Badges of Justice have been added to all raid bosses who did not previously have them! Players will no longer require an attunement quest to enter Hyjal. Players will no longer require an attunement quest to enter the Black Temple. Players who have completed the attunement quests for Black Temple and Hyjal will be granted the title of " [Hand of A'dal]". You may now fight Combat Prince Kael'thas and Combat Lady Vashj without first killing all the other bosses in their respective dungeons. The Unstable Cloud and Frost Breath spells are now treated properly as a movement impairing spells. Non-corporeal Undead and Mechanical creatures are now susceptible to bleed effects. Elemental creatures are no longer explicitly immune to poison and disease effects. Elementals with nature school immunities will still be immune to nature-based poisons, however. Gems obtained through Heroic difficulty instances are no longer Unique-Equipped. Loot dropped by Combat Doomlord Kazzak and Combat Doomwalker has been changed to Bind on Equip. In addition, the cash dropped by these bosses has been significantly increased. Scale of the Sands reputation will now be awarded in Hyjal at a much higher rate. Caverns of Time: Heroic Black Morass Rift Keepers and Rift Lords now have reduced hit points. Caverns of Time: Mount Hyjal The Vials of Eternity quest is no longer necessary for entry to Hyjal. This quest is still required for faction rings. Combat Azgalor's [Rain of Fire] now affects a smaller area. Caverns of Time: Old Hillsbrad The Human Illusion effect will now always be removed properly when a player leaves the instance. Durnholde Lookouts no longer spawn in the Heroic version of the instance. The placement of creatures around Durnholde Keep in Heroic mode is now identical to that of Normal mode. Hellfire Citadel: Magtheridon's Lair Many gameplay elements of the encounters in Magtheridon's Lair have been changed to decrease their overall complexity and difficulty. Karazhan Players will no longer need the [Master's Key] to enter Karazhan. The gates to Karazhan will still require the Master's Key to be unlocked. Tempest Keep: The Eye The Vapor Clouds in the Kael'thas encounter are significantly easier to see. Combat Void Reaver is now immune to [Vindication] again. Tempest Keep: The Mechanar The Mechanar: It is no longer possible to gain an additional [Badge of Justice] by bringing [Cache of the Legion keys] obtained in other copies of the instance. Zul'Aman Combat Jan'alai will now only teleport players to him if they are too far away. ITEMS Players will now be able to purchase level 70 Superior quality PvP items from reputation vendors [1]. Avatar Regalia: The two-piece bonus from this set will now be consumed by [Vampiric Embrace] as intended. [Bloody Brass Knuckles], [Eerie Stable Lantern], [Baelog's Shortbow], and [Snakeskin Bag] have been upgraded to Superior items. [Blue Suede Shoes] can now be disenchanted. Crystalforge Raiment: The two-piece set bonus will now work properly. Additionally, the four piece bonus will now only work on the next [Holy Light] cast, as intended. Cyclone Regalia: Trade skills will no longer consume the Energized effect. [Darkmoon Card: Madness]: The buffs from this item will no longer interrupt casting and channeling. [Deadman's Hand]: This item's effect now works while the victim is sitting. In addition, its effect is now properly considered a root for purposes of being dispelled or removed. [Deathwing Brood Cloak]: These cloaks are now bound on equip instead of bound on pickup. Druid Balance PvP Sets: The bonus movement speed for Bear, Cat, and [Travel Form] has been removed and replaced with a new bonus to [Wrath] and [Starfire]. Druid Restoration PvP Sets: The bonus movement speed for Bear, Cat, and Travel Form has been removed and replaced with a new bonus to [Regrowth]. [Discombobulator Ray]: This item will again not work on mounted players. Frostfire Regalia: The resistance bonus from this set now works with the Burning Crusade ranks of [Mage Armor]. [Gladiator's Leather Gloves]: This arena bonus will now properly school lock enemies when the damage from [Deadly Throw] causes them to stop channeling. The Gladiator's Thunderfist 4 piece set bonus has been reduced from 70% to 50%. [Gnomish Mind Control Cap]: Victims of the Gnomish Mind Control Cap will no longer get Forbearance when the mind control is terminated due to [Blessing of Protection]. [Gnomish Poultryizer]: This item will again not work on mounted players. [Goblin Rocket Launcher]: Creatures will no longer gain health while affected by the Stun from this item. [Heavy Netherweave Bandage]: It is no longer possible to have two players bandage the same target simultaneously using this item. [Netherweave Bandage]: It is no longer possible to have two players bandage the same target simultaneously using this item. [Idol of the Crescent Goddess]: The mana discount on [Regrowth] has been increased. [Idol of Feral Shadows]: The bonus damage to [Rip] has been increased. [Idol of the Raven Goddess]: The bonus healing, critical strike rating, and spell critical strike rating from this item have been increased. In addition, it no longer sometimes fails to apply the healing bonus. [Idol of the Unseen Moon]: The cooldown added in a previous patch has been removed. [Idol of Ursoc]: The bonus damage to [Lacerate] has been increased and the tooltip clarified to indicate it applies to both initial and periodic damage. [Idol of the White Stag]: Duration increased. Items intended for Retribution Paladins have had their stats adjusted. Retribution Paladins should see an increase in dps as a result. [Jade Pendant of Blasting]: This item no longer increases physical damage dealt. Justicar Raiment: The 2 piece bonus will now always give the correct amount of bonus healing to the [Judgement of Light] effect. [Libram of Absolute Truth]: The [Holy Light] mana discount has been increased. [Libram of Divine Purpose]: The bonus damage on Seal and Judgement of Righteousness has been increased. [Libram of Mending]: The mana regeneration buff has had its duration increased. The name of the buff granted by this item changed to Grace of the Naaru to avoid having the same name as the [Light's Grace] talent. [Libram of Righteous Power]: The bonus damage for [Crusader Strike] has been increased. [Libram of Souls Redeemed]: The bonus for [Flash of Light] has been decreased and the bonus for [Holy Light] has been increased. [Libram of Wracking]: This item now increases the damage on [Holy Wrath] and [Exorcism] instead of decreasing their mana cost. [Nether Vortex] are no longer Bind on Pickup and can now be purchased from Neutral G'eras for 15 [Badges of Justice]! [Masquerade Gown]: The spirit bonus from this item will now properly trigger all benefits from the Tree of Life talent. [Masterwork Stormhammer]: The Chain Lightning cast by this item will no longer jump to secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc. [Mojo]: A pvp-flagged player can no longer kiss Mojo and cause non-flagged players to become flagged. [Moongraze Stag Tenderloin] can now be consumed by hunter pets that eat meat. [Noggenfogger Elixir]: It is no longer possible using this item to keep the Old Hillsbrad human illusion outside of the instance. Paladin Healer Gladiator Sets: The set bonus changing [Hammer of Justice] cooldown has been changed to a set bonus increasing the amount healed by [Holy Shock]. [Pendant of the Violet Eye]: Paladin Judgment spells will again properly trigger this item. Players can now only carry 80 [Conjured Mana Biscuit] at a time. [Primal Nether] is no longer Bind on Pickup. PvP Relics: The bonus resilience from Idols, Librams, and Totems is no longer stackable by swapping between multiple relics. Resilience has been added to all Retribution Paladin PvP gear. Added [Shattrath Flask of Pure Death] and [Shattrath Flask of Blinding Light] to the reputation flask vendors in Shattrath. Shaman Elemental PvP Sets: The resistance on Lightning Bolt spell pushback has been reduced to 50%. Shaman PvP Boots: The pre-Burning Crusade bonus to increase Ghost Wolf speed no longer works for players over level 60. Shattrath Flasks now work inside the Sunwell Plateau raid instance. Skull of Gul'dan: This item now shares its cooldown with other similar trinkets. [Steam Tonk Controller]: This item can no longer trigger the Warrior talent [Second Wind] when it is driven out of range by the Warrior. The On Use effect has been properly changed to passive for the following items: [Blue Overalls], [Brantwood Sash], [Firewalker Boots], [Gloves of Kapelan], [Hellion Boots], [Hibernal Gloves], [Hibernal Pants], [Kimbra Boots], [Mistscape Gloves], [Nightsky Trousers], [Sacred Burial Trousers], [Turquoise Sash], and [Woolen Boots], [Spinesever]. [Thunderstrike]: The Chain Lightning cast by this item will no longer jump to secondary targets which are under the effect of crowd-control spells that break on taking damage. i.e. Polymorph, Sap, etc. [Tome of the Lightbringer]: The block value and buff duration have been increased. [Totem of the Pulsing Earth]: The mana discount for Lightning Bolt has been increased slightly. [Vengeful Gladiator's Waraxe]: The weapon delay has been reduced. Weightstones and Sharpening Stones: The bonus damage from these temporary enchantments now works while shapeshifted. [Winterfall Firewater]: The tooltip no longer specifies only melee attack power. USER INTERFACE The Interface Options screen has been completely redesigned. AddOns that interact with the Interface Options screen will need to be updated. Players will now be able to inspect other players via their chat link. (Must still be in range) Players may now inspect players of the opposing faction while they are not flagged for PvP. Combat Log Improvements New tabs are available for sorting combat messages. ctrl-right clicking functionality has been added for individual information sorting Colors may now be assigned for friends and enemies The WoWCombatLog.txt file format has been changed to make it easier for programs to read. The ability to chat-link player spells and talents. Cast sequences work with slot numbers again. GM messages now appear with a Blizzard icon near their name. You can now declare war on a faction in the reputation UI while you are in combat. Spell haste and Armor Penetration will now display on the character sheet. (Armor Penetration displays in the hit rating section). Spell Penetration now displays under the spell hit section. Weapon enchants are now shown at the character selection screen. The friends list now has a notes field per friend. Click on the note icon to add a note for a particular friend. There is now a UI option to display free bag space. When turned on, your backpack will display the total number of free spaces available in all your bags. You can now link quests into the chat log by Shift-Clicking on the quest name in the quest log. Merchants now display how many pages of merchandise they sell (Page 1 of 2). Guild Bank Changes Ranks can now be set to allow withdraw of funds or allow repair with funds or both. When purchasing a bank tab, it takes money out of the guild bank before it takes your personal money. This is logged as well. Each Tab now has an info pane. This pane can be used for requests or for rules about the tab or anything at all really. When looting Bind on Pickup items, the confirmation dialogue now lists the name of the item in the dialogue. You can now verify that you are picking up the correct bind on pickup item. Bind on Pickup items that only you can pick up (Heroic Badges for instance) will no longer bring up a confirmation dialogue. Players can now opt out of looting for group loot, round robin and need before greed looting styles. If a player turns this on, they will not get a looting turn in the loot cycle. This can be turned on from the right-click menu on your own portrait. In Master Loot mode, all players in the group will see sparkles on corpses that have loot above the master loot threshold. This lets everyone see what the master loot items are, though they cannot interact with them. Only the master looter can loot those items still. Searching for an item in the tradeskill search box should now hide empty categories. The names over the heads of nearby players who are on your friends list will appear in a different color now so you can tell when they are nearby. Stacked items for sale at the auction house now display the per unit price and per unit buyout price in the item mouseover. The profession UI search field has been improved and now allows for searching of more types of things. For instance you can search for items by socket color, by effect ("Critical Strike" for instance) or search gems by their effect ("Strength" for instance). In addition, the searching of items by level has been made more intuitive. You can now search for items by level with "15-20" to search for items that you can make that have a minimum level required of 15 to 20. The Tooltip for player Dodge/Block/Parry in the character sheet has been changed slightly. Optimized particle system rendering for improved frame rates. The casting bar will now display properly when casting [Blizzard] (mage) or [Rain of Fire] (warlock) with spell haste. For additional notes on Lua and XML changes please visit the UI & Macros Forum. WORLD ENVIRONMENT Alterac Valley, Arathi Basin, Warsong Gulch, Blade's Edge Arena, Lordaeron Arena, and Nagrand Arena: Players who fall below the world in these environments will now die instead of being stuck. Creature versions of [Intimidating Shout] have been changed to [Frightening Shout], and the primary target of the ability is now feared instead of stunned. Critters: Ambient level 1 creatures will no longer be picked as subsequent targets by chaining spells and abilities. Combat Doomwalker: This creature will no longer sometimes cause a player's [Darkmoon Card: Vengeance] to trigger and put the player in combat with the Doomwalker. Elites in Blade's Edge Plateau Regions: These creatures now have an increased chance to drop rare depleted items. Combat Eye of Culuthas and Combat Hound of Culuthas now drop grey loot. Combat Goreclaw the Ravenous can now be skinned. Interacting with objects (chests, mining nodes, herbs) should no longer aggro neutral creatures. Combat Monstrous Kaliri have learned how to chase players going straight up. Combat Shardtooth Mauler: This creature now drops meat like other bears. Outland Rare Spawn: The following creatures have had their hit points and damage significantly reduced: Combat Collidus the Warp-Watcher, Combat Fulgorge, Combat Hemathion, Combat Kraator, Combat Marticar, Combat Morcrush, and Combat Nuramoc The Ratchet bank now has access to the Guild Vault. A mailbox has been added to the inn in Darnassus. BUG FIXES Fixed an error that was causing many auctions to never complete due to the item no longer being on the auction house. Combat Splintertree Raiders will now respawn with Horde Torek if Alliance Duriel Moonfire and her guards are killed while the Raiders are still alive. Female Draenei can no longer become stuck under a root in the tunnels leading to Blackfathom Deeps, Ashenvale. The quest description text for "The Corpulent One" no longer refers to it being a group quest. Saber/Tiger Mounts will now make footprints when walking backwards in snow. Neutral Ogri'la Peacekeeper's weapons have been scaled to a size more appropriate for keeping the peace. Unplugging speakers/headphones during the opening cinematic will no longer freeze the cinematic until canceled. Pets are now able to properly attack mobs near the walls on the ramps in Zul'Aman, Bear Wing. The flag on the battle map in Eye of the Storm will no longer show up as Horde controlled even if an alliance player has picked it up. Channeling spells will no longer continue to show the channeling bar after zoning into arena battlegrounds. Blood Elf corpses now properly have loot in Alterac Valley battlegrounds. [Snake Trap] will no longer affect non-combat flagged players. Leaving a 2v2 arena team and creating a new 2v2 team while on a 3v3 arena team will no longer result in incorrect rosters listed for each team. Joining a second arena match before a previous arena has closed will no longer result in personal rating not updating correctly. Attempting to promote an arena team member to Team Captain while that member is offline will no longer result in a "Player not found" error. Disbanding an arena team while inside an arena battle will no longer cause the arena UI to become corrupted until logout. The Arena Team Petition Window will now automatically close when the Arena Captain is out of range or offline. Switching arena teams after playing a game will no longer cause the PvP tab to incorrectly display your old team's rating. There is now a chat message given after attaining a new title. Spells that require targeting circles will now be castable on textures that would previously disallow their use. Alterac Valley quests will now properly show a golden Quest Avail 16x16.png or blue RRQ Complete 16x16.png for players above level 65. Combat Nazan in Hellfire Citadel: Nazan will no longer sometimes not land on the ground until after Combat Vazruden the Herald is killed or Nazan is heavily damaged. Combat Archimonde's Grip of the Legion will no longer target pets. It is no longer possible to be saved to a Heroic instance while not meeting the requirements to get into it. There is no longer an area in Serpentshrine Cavern where using [Field Repair Bot 74A] will cause it to fall through the ground. There is no longer an area in The Steamvault where ground targeting AOE effects cannot be cast. The proc from [Black Bow of the Betrayer] will no longer break crowd control effects such as [Scatter Shot]. [Vengeful Gladiator's Mooncloth Hood] and [Vengeful Gladiator's Satin Hood] will now display Troll Tusks. [Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury] will now display its bow animations correctly. The Legion Ring boundary markers no longer occasionally disappear. Monthly quests will now properly reset at midnight server time. Fixed an area in Netherwing Fields in Shadowmoon Valley where players on flying mounts could be dismounted and were unable to mount. It is no longer possible for players to use guild banks in opposing faction cities. The [Clockwork Rocket Bot] can no longer be buffed. Players with moderator status in custom channels will now properly lose moderator status when kicked by the channel owner. Sending mail to a non-existent character will now result in players getting the message, "Cannot find mail recipient". Horde Zapetta will no longer become confused about whether the zeppelin in Orgrimmar is arriving or leaving. source
Officers' Quarters: Celebrating connected realms
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. As Blizzard connects more and more realms, the communities on those realms are waking up, becoming livelier and more social. It's a great opportunity for guilds to make a name for themselves within the newly combined populations. Last month I offered advice on how guilds could leverage the upcoming connections to add new members and establish a positive reputation. This past Monday, Blizzard connected the realms Llane and Arygos. The guild Spectacular Death on Llane took advantage of the opportunity and threw a realm connection party. Their guild leader wrote to me to share their experience: I'm Gimmlette, the guild leader of Spectacular Death on Llane. Prior to the start of Blizzard doing these server connections, you posted a column suggesting things a guild could do to make themselves known when servers get connected. One of the things suggested was a server connection party. I posted the column to the Officer's section of the guild web site, which we have dubbed the "Executive Washroom", and we decided a party is what we'd do. I thought I'd share some photos from that party. We connected with Arygos on Monday. We announced the party upcoming two weeks ago and when Blizzard announced the connection date, we went back to the server forums with a date. We opted to have the party the day after the actual connection, to make sure things were okay and to run tests on trading things with people from Arygos.
Officers' Quarters: Shaming gquitters
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. How do you react when players quit your guild? This week's email comes from a member of an EverQuest guild who is dismayed by her officer's aggressive response. Hi Scott, Thanks so much for writing this great column. It has provided me with beneficial insight and advice on many occasions. I don't actually play WoW (I play EverQuest), but the things you write about transcend that. I am currently a member of a struggling guild, which only has a few officers trying to run the show (the guild leader is pretty much absent, and the guild has been that way for years). The newest officer is in charge of recruitment. He does a good job of inviting people, but after experiencing our lack of timeliness and progression on raids, many of them seek greener pastures. The recruitment officer then posts something rather nasty and unprofessional on their application (which is visible to the public).
WoW Archivist: The quest for swift flight
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? With all the controversy over flying in Draenor (and lack of it until patch 6.1), flight is a major topic in the WoW community these days. Veteran players remember a time when taking to the skies was merely a dream -- one that The Burning Crusade made real, at least in Outland. Along with flying mounts, Blizzard decided that druids should receive new shapeshifting forms that allowed flight. The forms came in two speeds: the base Flight Form and the Swift Flight Form. Rather than making the latter a trainable skill, Blizzard instead provided druids with one of the longest and most epic class-specific quest lines of all time: the Swift Flight Form chain. Seventeen quests long, the chain made a versatile shapeshifter out of you whether you wanted to be or not. Like many others, the SFF chain became a casualty of the Shattering and can no longer be completed. It is well worth revisiting, however, so let's let fly!
Officers' Quarters: How Blizzard can help guilds adjust to 20-man mythic raids
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. A week has passed since BlizzCon, but the arguments over mythic raiding's single 20-man size have not abated. BlizzCon has always included controversial announcements, and it seems that the raiding changes were destined to become the big one among 2013's batch. It's easy to understand why. For current 25-man Heroic guilds, they have to choose between cutting five players from the team or making a bunch of people sit on the sidelines. It's not nearly as bad as the 40-man to 25-man transition, but it still stings. Heroic 10-man guilds, however, will have it much worse if this change goes live (and it very much seems like it will). It's too early to make sweeping changes to your roster, but rest assured in the future I will cover different strategies for making that transition. For now, I'd like to talk about what officers and raiders should ask Blizzard to do to help us adjust. Now that this decision has been made, however, Blizzard should not stand idle in this process. They can make this transition easier on guids.
Officers' Quarters: Officers of Draenor
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. BlizzCon 2013 gave us a glimpse into WoW's future. As officers, it's never too early to plan and adjust for the evolution of the game. Let's take a look at the some of the issues that could affect your guild next year. No new perks It appears that guilds will remain capped at level 25, which also means no new perks. In the systems panel, Blizzard said that they don't see the point of piling on perks. They said, "The system accomplished what we wanted it to accomplish." That's good news, in a way, for smaller guilds or people who plan to start new guilds in the future. For those of us who hoped for more, it's a bit disappointing.
BlizzCon 2013: Art panel featuring angry toucans, gronn-bone fortresses, spikes
Today's Art of Warcraft panel provided more than just an in-depth look at the new character models coming our way in Warlords of Draenor. We also glimpsed some of the exotic locations that we will visit once we cross through the new, rosier Dark Portal. One area features a fortress built in the skeletal remains of a massive gronn. With steaming fumaroles, gushing waterfalls, and vibrant flowering plants, Draenor appears to be a livelier place than much of Outland. Designs for the new garrison system displayed interiors for various additions, including what appears to be your future inn and smithy. Many of the new weapon, siege weapon, vehicle, and building designs were also shown. The visual look for the intimidating and aggressive Iron Horde has themes of metal, fire, and unabashed spikiness. Artwork of what appears to be a war barge could be Iron Horde in origin. The panel also showed some of the wild fauna that we will encounter through the Dark Portal. Included were a crazy armless rodent, a vicious sunflower-esque sprite, and one very angry toucan. Trippy whales appear to be the evolutionary ancestors of Zangarmarsh's fungal giants. Curiously, the whale artwork is labeled "Zangar Sea." Massive void giants appear to be the bigger, voidier versions of void walkers. Check out the full gallery of over 120 images below!
BlizzCon 2013: Major stat and item changes
Three major changes to stats and items have been announced in the official Warlords of Draenor FAQ. They are: Hit and expertise will be removed New stats will be added, including Cleave and Movement Speed New armor itemization will allow easier sharing among classes Warlords of Draenor FAQ Q: Will you be making any changes to what Stats are available? One of our goals for Warlords of Draenor is to make the act of finding and collecting loot even more exciting for players. With that in mind, we're adding some fun new stats to gear, such as Movement Speed and Cleave, which gives you a chance to do extra damage or healing to additional nearby targets. In addition, we'll be retiring a few stats that players don't find very enjoyable to manage, such as Hit and Expertise. We're also making improvements to armor itemization that will make it easier to share armor pieces across classes. We'll have more details to share as development continues. source We also want to note that the item squish is active on the Warlords play stations at BlizzCon. More on this tomorrow at the systems panel, according to Cory Stockton.
WoW Archivist: Controversies of BlizzCon
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? BlizzCon has been no stranger to controversy. As the premier Blizzard event, the stakes are high. Players are heavily invested in both the weekend and the games, and sometimes emotions run hot. We've already got a potential controversy brewing for 2013's event. Players have expressed strong feelings both for and against a possible "Warlords of Draenor" concept for the next expansion, and we know little at this point aside from the name and what it could imply. In light of Blink 182's presence at the convention, Blizzard also asked attendees to wear clothes. It could be a truly wild BlizzCon this year! Let's look back at other controversies from the past six BlizzCons. The first BlizzCon In October 2005, BlizzCon made its debut to enthusiastic crowds. However, it was hardly the massively anticipated event, with tickets selling out in seconds, that it is today. Tickets were $125, and the total attendance was a mere 8000. To put this in perspective, BlizzCon 2010 had 27,000 fans. Because so few tickets were available and "virtual tickets" did not yet exist, Murky, the pet given out to attendees, is still one of the rarest pets in the game. (Lurky isn't the same.) The big reveal in 2005 was WoW's first expansion, The Burning Crusade. With that announcement came several big changes to the game. Outland, flying mounts, jewelcrafting, Karazhan, the Caverns of Time, linked auction houses (rather than each city having its own) -- players embraced all of these. Blood elves had their detractors, for both lore and aesthetic reasons, but most were sold on the idea. Glaringly omitted, however, was any specific word on the new Alliance race.
Officers' Quarters: Creating a casual raid team
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. This week, a former officer gets sucked back into a leadership role in a new guild. After a bad experience with her previous raid team, she's debating whether or not to bring casual raiding to her new home. Good morning Scott: Early this year, I wrote to you about a problem I was having with a fellow healer in my casual raid group. Since writing to you, and receiving your awesomely helpful answer, I tried to work with the guild. I worked with the troubled healer to get their overhealing numbers down, educated and trained the raid leader, trained replacements, and finally stepped down - both from healing and from being an officer. I just couldn't find happiness there. But I was happy with my decision. In late 5.3, ready to progress towards something new, I found a new server and faction changed my characters. At a friends request, I parked myself in a new guild to help level it up. Said friend accidentally mentioned my previous officer and raid experience and the guild leader promptly bumped me to an officer position... and has been asking me to start and lead their (very casual) raid team.
Officers' Quarters: Tanksplosion
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. A good tank is a precious resource to a raid team. Few players want the responsibility and the pressure. Those who not only want it, but thrive in it, are rare indeed. This week's email asks, what do you do as a guild leader when your tank goes off the deep end? Hello Scott. Im a long time reader and I have implemented a lot of your suggestions in my own guild and it has helped sort out many of the issues, but I once again find my self at a crossroad and I have many doubts on which road to pick. In many of your blogs, you talk about the behaviour of one member within a guild, that is having a very negative effect on the guild as a whole, and Im sorry to say, that my problem concerns one such individual. [...] This guy is our guilds main tank, and he does suffer from the old: "I'm a tank, so therefor I AM GOD!" complex, but we can deal with that, since it has been contained to his tanking and not spread to the rest of the guild. That was untill a few months ago, when things suddently took a turn for the worse.
WoW Archivist: WoW's most terrifying monsters
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Hallow's End is once more upon us. Last year, the Archivist uncovered WoW's most terrifying secrets. But much of what's terrifying in WoW is right in your face, trying to eat you, or stomp you, or shatter your mind with madness. Let's take a look at the scariest bad guys from every era. Mrrglrlrlrmgrrr: Monsters of classic WoW Murlocs To some, they're adorable, misunderstood frog people. To others, they are the amphibious stuff of nightmares. In vanilla WoW, it was nearly impossible to fight a lone murloc. Their tight-knit societies and tendency to flee meant fighting one murloc often evolved into fighting two -- or twenty. A good many early players found themselves torn to pieces by slobbering murloc hordes. Some still shudder when they hear that distinctive battle-cry. Sons of Arugal I'm not sure how Arugal managed to father so many sons while tucked away in the tower of Shadowfang Keep, but the guy certainly got around. Horde players questing in Silverpine Forest lived in dread of these elite worgen, who always seemed to aggro at the worst possible time. That damn Lurker in the water leading up to the Wailing Caverns entrance For me, this one is personal. In vanilla, fighting your way to the Wailing Caverns entrance was like a mini dungeon run all by itself. One of the caves had a small but deceptively deep pool of water. During my first trip there, I decided the water was a safe place to fire from while our tank scooped up the locals. (It was a habit I picked up.) Then something large and unknown rose up from the darkness and bit me. I've never gone for a swim there since.