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Enter to win World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn
Patch days full of new content to play are always good, but why don't we make this patch day just a little bit better? We've got not one, but two copies of World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn to give away, and today seems like the best day to do it! This brand-new graphic novel from DC Comics follows the adventures of a motley group of individuals brought together under the banner of the Horde. Written by Doug Wagner and featuring artwork by Jheremy Raapack, the book clocks in at a solid 152 pages jammed full of action. Thanks to Blizzard Entertainment, we've got a couple of these graphic novels to give away. Take a look at our spoiler-free review if you'd like more information on the graphic novel -- while the events in the story take place shortly after Cataclysm, the book is very much worth the read and an even better addition to your bookshelf. Interested? To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m. ET, Tuesday, September 17, 2013. You must be 18 years of age or older and a legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). You can only enter once. Two winners will be chosen at random and we will contact you via whatever method you've used to comment. Official rules here.
Bloodsworn graphic novel now available
Lore fans will likely be happy to hear that Bloodsworn, the companion graphic novel to Dark Riders, is now available. While Dark Riders, released earlier this year, told the story of the eponymous Dark Riders we met through quests in Darkshire, Bloodsworn is the tale of a small band of disparate Horde warriors determined to prove their worth to their new warchief: Garrosh Hellscream. Yes, the graphic novel requires going back in time just a tad; it's set shortly after the start of Cataclysm, and as our own Anne Stickney pointed out in her review it invites a bit of wistful nostalgia as a result. Depending on your perspective you may or may not enjoy that aspect of it. Nonetheless, if you're a fan of Blizzard's ancillary products, it's certainly worth checking out. You can grab it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Blizzard Store.
Review of World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn
Much like its counterpart Dark Riders, World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn is long, long overdue. Luckily, those that have been waiting for the new graphic novel from writer Doug Wagner don't have long to wait -- Bloodsworn will be released next Tuesday, August 27. While Dark Riders tackled some of the Alliance characters introduced in the 2009 special issue of the Warcraft comic series, Bloodsworn tackles the Horde characters introduced in the final edition. Although Dark Riders dove headfirst into familiar waters for those that follow Warcraft lore, Bloodsworn takes a different road entirely, giving us a behind the scenes glimpse of Garrosh's Horde. Taking place shortly after Cataclysm, Bloodsworn follows the tale of several different Horde characters, brought together and united to investigate and uncover the motives and actions of a seemingly new breed of centaur that are intent on wiping the Horde from the face of Azeroth.
Back in my day, it was all about patch 1.2
Patch 5.2 this, patch 5.2 that! Back in my day, we had real patches. Or rather, we had the very first content patch for the game -- patch 1.2. Daily quest hubs? Dailies didn't even exist back then. No, you got a dungeon -- a single dungeon -- and you liked it. And there was none of this silly heroic nonsense, either. All we needed was someplace to run in and smash a few centaur and we were perfectly happy. But seriously, it's actually kind of odd to think about, because I remember that very first patch with utter clarity. It was still 2004, less than a month after the game itself had been released -- and I had just gotten the hang of playing a druid, more or less. Well, I figured out what talent points were for, anyway. Hint: It wasn't just the game congratulating me for leveling up. I was such a noob back then.
The Game Archaeologist uncovers Shadowbane: Talking with Josef Hall and Todd Coleman, part 1
After a couple of weeks of talking with players about their favorite experiences in Shadowbane, I decided it was high time to flip the discussion from those who played it to those who made it. Today we're going to kick off a two-part interview with the makers of Shadowbane, Josef Hall and Todd Coleman. It's interesting to realize that while MMOs come and go, many developers remain in the industry, moving between projects in surprising ways. In this case, both Hall and Coleman went from the brutal lands of cutthroat PvP to a colorful kids title: Wizard101. It's hard to imagine two MMOs being more different, but that goes to show you that developers, like gamers, don't always like being pigeonholed into specific roles. The duo were extremely eager to talk about Shadowbane, as you'll see from this interview. Buckle up -- you're in for a treat! The Game Archaeologist: Can you introduce yourself to us and explain how you became involved with Shadowbane? Josef Hall: I'm Josef Hall, co-founder of Wolfpack Studios, the creator of Shadowbane. Currently, I'm the Vice President of Development at KingsIsle Entertainment, creator of Wizard101. Todd Coleman: And I'm Todd Coleman, co-founder of Wolfpack. I'm currently the VP of Production and Creative for KingsIsle. Josef and I still work together; we were the two first people brought in start the dev studio for KingsIsle here in Austin. Hall: In fact, Wizard101 was our idea, which is a bit odd, given that we were also the first two people to come up with the core idea behind Shadowbane.
WoW Archivist: World of Warcraft patch 1.2
The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? What secrets does the game still hold? If you enjoyed Patches of Yesteryear, you're going to love this. Patch 1.2 was World of Warcraft's very first post-release content patch, way back in December of 2004. It was officially released on Dec. 18, less than a month after the release of the game. Patch 1.2's crown jewel was Maraudon, the first instance ever added to the game after its launch. You may all hate Maraudon now, but back in 2004, that twisty hellhole was the cat's pajamas. Patch 1.2 also included: Winter Veil The ability to turn off your helm and cloak A nerf to Daze The Great Kodo Nerf of '04 Let's dust off the patch 1.2 tome together, shall we?
TERA shows off Centaur lore and tactics
The official TERA website has updated with a look at one of the mobs players will likely encounter in their journeys around Arborea. Centaurs are found primarily in the Fey Forest region and look to challenge adventurers with spear attacks, hoof attacks, and their ability to sidestep player combos. The new entry also reveals a bit of centaur lore, noting that the legendary creatures are "presently allied with the fey creatures of northwestern Arcadia province in an uprising against woodcutters, whose drastic logging practices are in danger of denuding the forest in order to fulfill lumber orders from Velika." Tactically, centaurs are prone to rapidly closing the distance to a target as well as coming to the aid of nearby faeries and other centaurs. Check out all the details, as well as a couple of new screens, at the TERA website.
Know Your Lore: Theradras, Zaetar and the centaur
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. They nearly wiped out the tauren. What they lack in brains, hygiene or manners they make up for with raw, bestial aggression, riding in herd-like tribes to try and dominate the land they themselves metaphorically descend from. Born from the union of earth elemental and spirit of nature, they descend from Therazane and Cenarius, and yet it is fair to say that at best, the apple has fallen from the tree and rolled some distance from these ancestors. Their presence in Azeroth often befouls, as they seem to see no need to take care of the land they themselves descend from, for they are not grateful children. Their father Zaetar died at their hands. They are the centaur. Before the coming of the Horde, they were the most likely to rule The Barrens, what is now Durotar, even Desolace. The past 10 years have seen their numbers fall, their power fade, pushed aside by the tauren and their new allies, but they have not faded away yet. From their fortress of Maraudon, they paradoxically guard and watch over the site of their father's grave, the crystal caverns of Terramok where their mother, Princess Theradras, was sealed away by the Titans. Born of a forbidden union, cursed by patricide, the centaur abide.
All the World's a Stage: So you want to be a tauren
This installment of All the World's a Stage is the sixth in a series of roleplaying guides in which we find out all the background information you need to roleplay a particular race or class well, without embarrassing yourself. The first cultural influence you'll probably think of when you see the tauren and walk around in their villages is "Native American." That's fine as far as it goes, but you should remember that they're mainly based on the stereotypical image of what Native Americans are rather than their actual reality. I'm hardly an expert on Native Americans, however, so rather than try and speak for these differences, I'm just going to put the whole issue aside and take tauren as tauren rather than parallels to any human culture. Besides, aside from certain aspects of architecture, music, clothing, and mythology, the tauren are really their own species. They are quite general enough to remind us of all kinds of different cultures around the world, many of whom cherish the earth, revere their ancestors, and try to live in harmony with the world. Some people say that the tauren are the noblest and most peaceful of the races in World of Warcraft, but for most of their history, they have been at war with the vicious centaur -- though not by choice. The centaur have always been very hostile towards tauren, driving them out of their ancestral homelands, slaughtering them and even cannibalizing them whenever possible. In a way, the centaur seem like four-legged versions of the nastier trolls who never joined the Horde. When Thrall came to Kalimdor and encountered the tauren in the midst of their struggle against the centaur, it marked the beginning of one of the greatest changes in tauren history.
Know Your Lore: Living Relics of the Barrens
Welcome to Know Your Lore, where each week Alex Ziebart brings you a tasty little morsel of lore to wrap your mind around. Sweet, sweet lore. Mmmm. Have suggestions for future KYL topics? E-mail us! Or, if you have a question for our sister column Ask a Lore Nerd, e-mail us those, too!Most of us probably know the Barrens as the far, far too big and empty zone that we all spent too long running through. I know I do. You whippersnappers these days and your three flight paths. In my day, we had one and we ran to Ratchet on foot every single time. You kids nowadays have it easy. All of that aside, though, did you know it was originally a lush forest, some of which was part of the ancient Kaldorei territory?It used to be a much more peaceful (and tolerable) place than it is now. Of course, we're talking ten thousand years ago. That place totally sucks now. Don't get all sentimental on me and pretend it's deep and meaningful and spiritual to quest there or something. It's horrible. Let's learn about it anyway, because learning is fun! ...Right?
Ask a Lore Nerd: Now now, there's enough Light for everybody
Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, the column that answers your questions about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe. Click the Comments link below, ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer you in a future installment!Aydinn of Cenarion Circle wrote in to ask...My question is (which may seem obvious to some), who is the goblin statue at Booty Bay? Why does he deserve a statue?Answer: Thanks for writing in! Good to hear from people from my home server. That statue on Janeiro Isle might be of Baron Revilgaz, the overseer and top dog of Booty Bay. He deserves a statue because... he wanted a statue, and he's freaking Baron Revilgaz. He runs the show. Really, though, it's kind of a generic Goblinoid figure so it could be nobody at all. At one time, it was a statue of a Human Priest. It's a nod to a really cool landmark here in the real world. It's based on Christ the Redeemer, a statue found in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You may recognize it from an episode of Lupin III. Eh? No? ...oh. Oh well. It's a pretty awesome sight to see in real life regardless of whether you put faith in what it represents or not. The in-game model was likely changed from a Human to a Goblin to back away from the religious overtones while keeping the reference, and Goblins fit the area better anyway.
Know Your Lore: Malorne
Welcome to Know Your Lore, where each week Alex Ziebart brings you a tasty little morsel of lore to wrap your mind around. Sweet, sweet lore. Mmmm.Before we start this week, I'd like to let you guys know about a neat little thing we've set up for you. If you have requests for Know Your Lore or questions for that other column that I do, you can e-mail me at lorenerd@wow.com ! I can't guarantee that I'll fill all Know Your Lore requests, but I'll certainly do my best. Now, on with the show!My original intent with Know Your Lore this week was to go back to our preparation for Wrath of the Lich King with Kel'thuzad. I was pretty excited, because I adore the Scourge and c'mon, Kel'thuzad has to be awesome, right? Uh... no, not really, he isn't. He was shockingly boring and was only interesting in the context of the Scourge as a whole. He's definitely a pawn. He didn't stand up well on his own, so we're stepping away from the Road to Wrath a little longer.Instead, we're going to focus on a topic suggested by my buddy Danny Whitcomb. Today we're going to look at Malorne, which conveniently goes pretty well with this past week's Ask a Lore Nerd. Malorne is one of many demigods in Kalimdor's history, but is/was generally regarded as one of the greatest. This makes sense, considering he and Elune hooked up once upon a time
Wrath bestiary reveals the Magnataur
The official Wrath of the Lich King website has had its Bestiary updated. What's the new addition? Magnataur! They seem to be centaur on steroids, essentially. An amalgam of a giant and a mammoth, these guys do not look (or sound) small whatsoever.They're also described as fairly vicious, and their description lets us in on another fun blast from WoW past - the return of kobolds! You no take icicle? It sounds like the two races have a fairly symbiotic relationship, which should be an interesting dynamic to follow.It's mentioned that single males control 'giant herds' which makes me a little curious about how big these guys can really be if they want to represent that in the game. The zones are supposed to be bigger in Wrath, but big enough to accurately represent massive herds of Magnataur? Maybe, maybe not! I guess that we'll see in time.[ Thanks, Zakk! ]
Why all race Death Knights make sense from a lore standpoint
It seems like one of the biggest problems a lot of people have with Death Knights is the fact that they can be all races. Me, I say: Why not? The lore really isn't as bad as you might think. Sure, some of the retcons can get a little annoying, but despite the fact that non-Paladin races will get to be Death Knights, I don't think you really consider it a retcon, but rather an evolution in an ever-evolving story that opens up a lot of great story ideas and RP opportunities, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Phat Loot Phriday: Mark of the Chosen
Last week, someone requested an item that anyone can get, and so this week we're going for this nice midgame trinket.Name: Mark of the ChosenType: Uncommon TrinketAbilities: Chance on hit: a 2% chance of increasing all stats by 25 for 1 minute. Yup, that's a darn nice proc. Your attributes affect all kinds of things, and so a +25 buff for one minute is a nice bonus. Especially if, in the late 40s, you don't have a really good trinket yet. Of course, this is especially good for classes that get hit a lot-- tanks and rogues especially. 2% proc isn't a lot, but I had this trinket on my rogue all the way up to 60 (he was an alt, what do you expect?) and it procced plenty, especially when I grabbed adds. Oh, and while it doesn't stack (if it happens to proc within the minute that you get the buff), a second proc will just extend the duration, which is nice-- no wasted procs. How to Get It: You get to experience one of my favorite instances: Maraudon. This comes from a quest called "The Pariah's Instructions," which begins with a questgiving centaur wandering around the southern hills of Desolace (he's behind a big hill in the middle). He'll give you a little slip of paper called (surprise) the Pariah's Instructions.You'll basically head into Maraudon (so you'll need a 5-man group), kill one of the mobs in front for an amulet drop, and then find five ghostly Khans, the founders of the Centaur tribes in Azeroth. They're sprinkled all throughout Maraudon-- two are inside and outside the purple side of Maraudon, and two more are inside and outside the orange side. The last one (although it'll probably be the first one you kill), is right in the middle before the instance splits into two colors (right near where you later create the portal to the end of Mara). At each Khan, you use the amulet on them, and they'll become corporeal and try to kill you. Kill them, take the jewels for each, and then when you've collected all five, use the Amulet again to combine them, and take the whole shebang back to the Pariah.He'll rejoice that he's got the power to unite the clans, and you'll get your trinket. Except that I gave him that amulet a long time ago, and he still hasn't united the clans... What's he waiting for?Getting Rid of It: Truth be told, you won't keep this thing too long-- definitely by the time you hit 60, you'll probably run across at least two more better trinkets (you'll get offered one more for sure at the class-specific Sunken Temple quests in the early 50s). When you are done with it, you can get 61s 33c by selling it to a vendor, or disenchant it into Dream Dust, a Greater Nether Essence, or a Large Radiant Shard.
Segway Centuar gets examined in-depth
While there unfortunately still isn't any word on when it might be available, those curious about the long-in-development Segway Centaur may want to head over to MotorcycleUSA, which has put together a fairly in-depth look at the four-wheeled vehicle for those that haven't been following its every move. Of course, it's still to early to tell if it'll have the profound effect on our lives that the original Segway has had, but they seem confident that the vehicle will at least provide some "unadulterated fun" -- if it's ever actually released, that is. They do see a few potential problems with it, however, including the not-insignificant possibility for the rider to be thrown off during sharp turns due to the vehicle's high center of gravity. On the plus side, that could at least make Segway polo a bit more interesting.[Via AutoblogGreen]
