Chilly
Latest
Friendly reminder from WoW.com: Convert to Battle.net now!
In two weeks time, on November 11 (November 12th for EU folks), all World of Warcraft players will be required to have a Battle.net account in order to access the game. The reminder has been counting down on the game's log-in screen for the past week, urging players to create an account on Battle.net merge it with their World of Warcraft accounts, with the promise of a cute little penguin to sweeten the deal. As if the threat of being unable to play the game weren't enough. Blizzard has big plans for their new Battle.net upgrade, which they announced during BlizzCon 2009, and the mandatory merge works towards their long-term goals for all their games. Exciting features such as cross-realm, cross-faction, and even cross-game chat will be part of the new Battle.net, which some people have pointed out is reminiscent of XBox LIVE. Of course, we at WoW.com are dedicated to making sure you make the merge because aside from wanting our readers to cozy up to monochromatic, flightless birds, having them locked out from the game we talk about on the site all the time is kind of a lose-lose situation for everybody. So hey, two weeks to go. Merge that baby.
Horde scarf and a Carrot-on-a-Stick keychain
It's just starting to get a little chilly here in Chicago, so the timing on this Horde Scarf is just perfect for me -- it looks really comfy, and wrapped around your neck, it's just Warcraft enough to get noticed by people in the know, but is still classy enough that it looks like a cool design if you don't happen to recognize the Horde symbol. I like the look of black and red (would go great with my black overcoat), but amlowi, the seller over on Etsy, will do it up in any colors you like.And speaking of doing things by request, this Carrot-on-a-Stick keychain is awesome, and the artist who makes it (she paints in acrylic and then coats it in enamel) will make it out of any icon you like. Carrot-on-a-Stick seems perfect for a set of car keys, but it's not going to be in the game forever, so if you want to put a class or faction logo on there, she says she can do any icon in the game.Always astounding to see what these industrious WoW crafters are up to. If you've seen a cool DIY WoW-related item, let us know.
Penguin noncombat pets appear in the beta
Well, folks, it looks like we're definitely getting our wish. After incessant begging, peevish requests, heart-rending pleas, and no small amount of outright nagging on the part of...actually, I think everyone in the game has asked for this at one point or another, but never mind. People in the beta have started getting penguin pets!A much earlier data-mined image gave us a glimpse of what we could only assume were penguin noncombat pets, but reader Alassiel has written in to confirm that two of her characters in the beta have now received them in the mail. You can see Alassiel's screenshots of her Death Knight getting hers here and here. Elizabeth Wachowski and Zach Yonzon braved a constantly-crashing beta server to get more information and pictures for us. It looks like the pet, named "Chilly," is currently being mailed to players in the beta as a gift for switching to a Blizzard account. And yes, it is pretty much the cutest thing ever, which I suspect is an effort to compensate for Northrend being a continent full of animated corpses. As Alassiel's gotten them on at least two characters so far, I assume it's being sent to all active toons on a Blizzard account. We're not sure if that's going to remain the only way to get Chilly, but if you're in the beta and have a Blizzard account (or want to switch to one -- it's free), don't forget to check your mailbox!
