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Massively Exclusive: RIFT's Abyssal Cult lore
Following last month's RIFT lore detailing the assassin Kira Thanos, today Trion Worlds has given us a new lore piece which outlines the Abyssal Cult. It's a dread cabal that follows the dragon of the plane of water, Akylios, who lies sleeping and dreaming in his prison. Akylios fhtagn! His followers are granted arcane and eldritch knowledge at the cost of their sanity, making the Abyssal Cult one of the most incomprehensible dragon cults in Telara. The cult itself is largely disorganized and chaotic, seeking neither treasure nor power, instead pursuing their own ends. The one tie that unifies the Abyssal Cult is the desire to free Akylios from his bondage. RIFT's heroes must not let the cult succeed lest Akylios spread his "gift" across the whole of Telara. Check past the cut for the full lore write-up on these Lovecraftian cultists, and remember that you can take the fight to them with RIFT's Ascend-A-Friend and free trial programs. %Gallery-101448%
Know Your Lore: Interbellum part 1 - Forcing Fate's Hand
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. If you began playing World of Warcraft when the game came out, then you played through a period of interbellum. The Third War ended four years before World of Warcraft started, and the mortal races that banded together on the slopes of Mount Hyjal to defeat the Burning Legion were now beginning to approach a war footing once more. We talked before about the Third War (in two parts, in fact), and in the next few weeks, we'll talk about the period between the Third War and the original story of WoW, the events of the 1-60 game that was remodeled in Cataclysm. Why did the people of Azeroth turn away from the unity established in the fight against the Burning Legion? Why did the former high elves turn away from their once-allies? Why did Illidan raise the naga? How did Arthas Menethil transition from a death knight into possibly the most powerful mortal-born entity ever to exist on the face of Azeroth? These were the times that blasted souls.
Know Your Lore: War of the Ancients, part 3 -- The one betrayed
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. Before we even get started with this weeks KYL, let's take a look at parts 1 and 2 of our War of the Ancients roundups. Now that we've done that, we'll open up this post with an attempt at a succinct overview of the war and the difficulties inherent to discussing it. Queen Azshara and her Highborne (quel'dorei) became arrogant and obsessed with the magical power of the Well of Eternity, a font of magical power the size of a massive lake that dominated the ancient single continent of Kalimdor. The wall was the source of all magical power the kaldorei (night elves) used in their world spanning civilization and far, far more as well. Created by the Titans, the Well's incalculable power was so vast that it called across the vast distances of the Great Dark Beyond to the fallen Titan Sargeras, who sought to use the Well's power to instantly enter Azeroth bodily and commence the annihilation of all the Titan's work in creating it. Azshara, whether through domination by or love for Sargeras, sought to aid him, even though it would destroy her own people. The native forces of Azeroth, the Dragonflights and nigh-immortal Ancients, rose to prevent the Burning Legion's destruction, but due to the treachery of the earth aspect Neltharion, they ultimately failed.
The Queue: Saturday, what a day
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mathew McCurley will be your host today. Those were some adorable kittens Sacco posted, huh? Yay, it's Saturday! After this Queue I'm going to one of my favorite places for lunch, and I am eagerly awaiting some delicious spicy orange chicken lunch special. Mmmmm ... Stay on task, Mat! Stay on target!
WoW Insider Show Episode 134: On that genocidal note...
Every week, we present you with the WoW Insider Show podcast -- an hour's worth of WoW community discussion, covering everything from the week's top stories here on WoW.com to emails from our readers to what's been going on with our particular characters in Azeroth. Along with your hosts, WoW.com editor Michael Sacco and contributing editor Matthew Rossi, we also feature rotating guest hosts, whether regular WoW.com contributors or personalities from other sites. Want to have your question answered on the air? Email theshow@wow.com! Today's show features: Guest host: WoW.com AddOn/UI columnist Mat McCurley April Fool's Day roundup Rage normalization for warriors and druids Know Your Lore mini-extravaganza Reader emails And more! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
Know Your Lore: The Black Dragonflight
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. The history of Azeroth, as well as its origins, is often confusing and lacking in solid information. However, there are a few facts that are well known – once upon a time somewhere in the universe, there were great creatures known as the Titans. The Titans were an odd race of beings that were obsessed with creating order out of chaos. They traveled from world to world, setting things up so that life would progress in an orderly, structured fashion. Sort of like those people you can hire to organize your kitchens and closets. Enter Azeroth. The Titans came to Azeroth and muddled with it, creating order out of the races that existed on it and tidying everything up, but there was a larger problem that took some intensive cleaning. Ancient creatures known as the Old Gods decided they'd really like to take over the nice chunk of rock -- and where the Titans were concerned with creating order and structure, the Old Gods wanted just the opposite. The Old Gods wanted chaos and destruction where the Titans wanted order and structure, and there was a great war between the two. In the end the Titans prevailed, but they discovered something that was more than a little disturbing – they couldn't simply kill the Old Gods. The Old Gods had integrated themselves too deeply into Azeroth, and destroying the Old Gods meant destroying Azeroth itself. This presented a problem, but the Titans had a solution that they decided would work – they imprisoned the Old Gods deep beneath the earth, leaving them there to rot. After all of this, the Titans decided to put in some safeguards to make sure the planet would remain running smoothly, orderly, and without any grabby tentacled interference from below.
Know Your Lore: The Third War part one
There's always more lore to discover here at Know Your Lore. I had intended to go over the events of the novel Day of the Dragon this week, but I decided to save that for a more Cataclysm oriented post and instead work on this, the final of our overview of the wars that made the Warcraft setting. In a very real way, Wrath of the Lich King is basically a third chapter in the saga of the Third War that unfolded in the Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne storylines. Furthermore, while a great many aspects of the setting debuted before it, the Third War introduced the Kaldorei, or night elves, to the setting, helped bring the Burning Legion to prominence, first showed us the Draenei, and otherwise helped set the stage for the world of Azeroth as it appeared when World of Warcraft launched. You can trace the existence of the Forsaken, the loyalty of the Trolls and Tauren to the formerly purely Orcish Horde under Thrall, the establishing of a human colony on Theramore Isle, and even the activities of former and current luminaries such as Illidan Stormrage, Kael'thas Sunstrider, and even the Lich King himself to the events of the Third War. It's hard to say when, exactly, the Third War actually began, since it was really a rather complicated affair. Certainly, the capture of Ner'zhul by Kil'jaeden and his transformation into the Lich King is of great importance to the Third War, but it's not the beginning of that comflict. Not even the moment when a nascent Lich King was hurled into the glaciers of Northrend can be called the start of the Third War, nor the moment when the sorcerer Kel'Thuzad answered the summons of that dread entity and made his way north to become the kernel of the Cult of the Damned. These moments are all important, for without them there would have been no Third War, but they are not the war's starting point.
Know Your Lore: The Second War
Welcome once again my friends to the lore that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside Know Your Lore. When last we got together over the nonexistent campfire to share stories of Azeroth and Draenor and the peoples of both, our heroes were either fleeing the destruction of Stormwind or destroying Stormwind, depending on who you think of as the heroes. Once again, the 'canonical' nature of these events has shifted somewhat from the time they were first presented to now, so bear with me if you see any inconsistencies as I attempt to work several disparate accounts together. Also, wow, did a lot happen in the Second War, so please forgive anything I miss or merely allude to from the Alliance and Old Horde KYL's. We know that following the loss of Stormwind (and by following I mean that they could probably see the buildings burning as they sailed away) the survivors, led by Anduin Lothar, sailed north for Lordaeron and the court of King Terenas Menethil. It was this journey and Lothar's arrival that led Terenas and Lothar to begin the diplomatic work that created the Alliance of Lordaeron. It's important to keep in mind that, at the time, not many people actually knew much about the orcs aside from the survivors of Stormwind. King Llane Wrynn had an adviser who knew a lot about the orcs but that ultimately ended in Stormwind's destruction as we covered last week. Still, Lothar was the one person both connected enough through his descent from the ancient Arathi bloodline and knowledgeable enough about the enemy to command the military of this new Alliance.
Know Your Lore: The First War
Welcome once again my friends to the lore that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside Know Your Lore. In the past two weeks we've talked about the formation of the Old Horde on Draenor, and the resulting rise of the Alliance of Lordaeron to oppose them. Unfortunately we were forced to give the actual events of the wars slightly short shrift in the interest of being done someday. So this week, we cover the First War. (Note: there are spoilers for the original Warcraft game and several books and comic books contained in this post. Be warned if you continue to read it.) When last we discussed the Old Horde, we mentioned that Gul'dan and his Shadow Council were feeling the strain after having been abandoned on a slowly dying world by Kil'jaeden after having apparently slain the draenei. As the demonic corruption slowly poisoned the land and turned the orcs (even orcs who hadn't partaken of the Blood of Mannoroth) a livid green color, two events occurred to forever change the fate of two worlds. The first was seemingly small: a plague known as the Blood Pox started spreading, forcing the establishment of a quarantine zone in Nagrand in the lands formerly held by the Frostwolf Clan. That clan, however, was no longer able to hold those lands due to the second and more immediately portentous event. Gul'dan was contacted by Medivh, the Guardian of Tirisfal and host to the essence of Sargeras himself, and offered to the dark orc warlock the one thing he truly craved. Power.
Know Your Lore: World of Warcraft Cataclysm Gilneas
Welcome to Know Your Lore, where each week WoW.com brings you a tasty little morsel of lore to wrap your mind around. Sweet, sweet lore. Mmmm. Have suggestions for future KYL topics? Leave a comment below! The nation of Gilneas is one of the oldest human kingdoms that still exists. Founded after the breaking of the human empire of Arathor, Gilneas was considered one of the great Seven Kingdoms, along with Kul Tiras, Alterac, Dalaran, Lordaeron, Stromgarde, and Stormwind.Gilneas is located on a rocky peninsula that juts out over the Great Sea on Lordaeron's west coast, southwest of Silverpine Forest. High seaside cliffs keep the kingdom safe from attack by water and the foreboding Greymane Wall keeps it locked safely away from the struggles of modern Lordaeron and, by extension, Azeroth. No one has been allowed in or out of the kingdom for nearly ten years, and no one has seen or heard from the burly, gruff, self-sufficient Gilneans in just as long. The source of this isolation is none other than Genn Greymane, hereditary ruler of the kingdom under the Greymane Dynasty for decades.
Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel on implementing LotRO's lore
Lore is something that can engross a person anywhere from several minutes to several hours. In the case of Lord of the Rings fans, it probably leans towards hours and hours. The core books written by Tolkien alone are quite exhaustive in detail.With Mines of Moria's release well behind us on the calendar, Kill Ten Rats interviewed Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel about how the expansion's team took Tolkien's lore and crafted it into what now exists within the game world. It's an enriching read for anybody interested in adapting lore into MMOs, or anything Lord of the Rings related in general.Of course, KTR and Steefel aren't the only Lord of the Rings Online fans addicted to extensive storytelling. We've got our own regular column dedicated to the very subject of all things lore related, with a huge focus on the virtual Middle-earth and its backstory.
Know Your Guild Wars Lore: In the beginning...
In this week's Know Your Lore feature, we've decided to start our exploration of other games, besides just Lord of the Rings Online. This isn't to say we won't return to LotRO soon, but we'd just like to mix it up a bit and showcase the lore of other MMOs with deep stories as well. So this week we're exploring the lore of Guild Wars, a game with an extremely deep story, courtesy of the talented writers at ArenaNet like Jeff Grubb and Thadeus Lamount.As announced at PAX last year, Guild Wars' lore is about to get a jump start soon with a series of new novels being published about the lore between GW1 and GW2. This is exciting for any Guild Wars fan as it places the game firmly within the status of other MMOs with their own novels, such as World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online and of course, Lord of the Rings Online. So we're going to kick off our journey into Guild Wars lore with an explanation of how it all began. How was the world of Tyria created? When did humans arrive, and where did the other creatures come from? Follow along below for more of our first looks at the lore of Guild Wars.
The best of WoW Insider: December 30th, 2008 - January 6th, 2009
2008 was the best year in the World of Warcraft yet -- we got a terrific expansion, a few content patches, tons of class improvements, and lots and lots of great gameplay out of it. The past twelve months have been very good to Azeroth's inhabitants, and we're looking for an even better time in the coming year. To find out about it all, whether you're a level 10 noob or have six level 80s already, hit up Joystiq's WoW Insider for the latest news, views, and insights from the World of Warcraft. News WoW Insider's predictions for 2009It's a new year, and we've got some new expectations for the game. Account security mythbustingA former Blizzard CM lays the truth out on what's up with account security. Teen arrested for making suicide threat to a GMKid didn't want Blizzard to ban him, said WoW was all he had to live for, got the cops called on him. Queue queue moar noobServer queues plague the servers yet again. WoW Moviewatch: The Craft of War: BlindLikely the best machinima movie you will eve see. Features Blood Pact: How the mighty have fallen, or 2008 in reviewWarlocks had a rough time of it in 2008. BigRedKitty: Hunter Loot awards for 2008The best loot in ranged attack land for the last year. Know Your Lore: The Sons of HodirOur lore column takes a close look at one of the newest old players in the reputation game. The Light and How to Swing It: Shine on, a 2008 reviewPaladins prevailed big time last year. Shifting Perspectives: The Druid of 2008
The best of WoW Insider: June 3-10, 2008
It's heating up outside, but the World of Warcraft is growing ever colder, as we get closer and closer to the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. And as usual, Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider is covering every temperature drop that goes down -- from interviews with world-first guilds to the latest rumors and updates on what we'll find in Northrend, WoW Insider is there. Here's our most popular posts from the last week in WoW. News WoW Insider interviews SK Gaming about downing Kil'jaeden, the Sunwell, and why to stack +hasteThe world first guild to down the last boss of the endgame talks with us about high-end raiding. Blizzard changes the description of the Death Knight treesBlizz clarifies (or makes more vague, depending on how you look at it) what the Death Knights will do in the expansion. No pure +damage gear in Wrath, claims KalganA fundamental change to the way caster gear improves spell damage and healing stats. The Brewfest Kodo and what it may mean for Wrath's release dateAn October holiday mount is hidden in the expansion's files, which means we may see a release before then. Ten Druids go on nom spree in KaraHalf of Karazhan is brought down by ten Druids all on their own. Features Guildwatch: Open your face jellyfishA wacky drama queen in our weekly look at guild drama spawns a new catchphrase. Illusionary Tactics: Orb of DeceptionOur new weekly column examines items and spells that can change your appearance. Know Your Lore: The Scarlet CrusadeKYL examines the enemy faction that's probably been killed the most in-game (well, except for the Alliance). Tank Talk: Do you feel lucky, punk?Our new column for raiding tanks covers everything from armor to threat control. The Art of War(craft): DotA-style battleground in WotLK?Think you've seen the last of Defense of the Ancients (a.k.a. "Dhota")? Think again.
The best of WoW Insider: March 2-8, 2008
Yes, the news that we were becoming Hello Kitty Online Insider last week was actually a joke, and we're back covering the World of Warcraft and all of its ten million players (most of which showed up on the Isle of Quel'danas this week, as you can see above, courtesy of WI reader Sync). Here's a look at the most popular and interesting posts from Joystiq's Azeroth-inclined sister site, WoW Insider. News Sunwell griefing runs rampantWhat happens when you put hundreds of players in the same place? Rampant griefing, of course. Shattered Sun Offensive pendants make some regret faction choicesRegretting that Aldor or Scryer faction choice that you made way back when? Too bad. Proudmoore gets badge vendor to 100%, chaos ensuesOn the first realm to unlock some of the world event rewards from patch 2.4, things get a little nuts. Patch 2.4.1 available for downloadBlizzard wasn't just joking around last week -- they were working, too. Sunwell Daily QuestsOur feature page on the Sunwell Dailies has everything you need to know about unlocking the NPCs on Sunwell Isle. Features Guildwatch: Years between bossesWhen guild drama rears its ugly head, our weekly Guildwatch column is right there to document it all. The trinkets of Magisters' TerraceWhat to look for in terms of trinkets inside the game's new five man instance. Hybrid Theory: Brutallus and youMaking it past patch 2.4's big gear check with a hybrid class. Ready Check: Getting your first bearOur hardcore raiding column tells you how to head into Zul'Aman and pick up the coveted bear mount. Know Your Lore: The Wrynn dynastyKYL covers the kings of Stormwind and what happened to most of them.
Know Your Lore: The Wrynn dynasty
Generally speaking, the human race on Azeroth is in a sorry state. Led by a corrupt aristocracy ... manipulated by a dragon ... cheating contractors out of their pay for rebuilding the city ... and the only truly respected human leader is practically in exile due to her friendship with Thrall. How did the noble humans get where they are? What happened to the line of the kings of Stormwind? Who: Llane Wrynn, Varian Wrynn and Anduin Wrynn. What: The past three kings of Stormwind. History: The first known member of the Wrynn dynasty is Landen Wrynn, who ruled the then-kingdom of Azeroth. We know he's a historical footnote simply because his court conjuror -- Nieles Aran, who is not some simple jester -- is a lot more famous than he is. Wrynn was succeeded by Adamant Wrynn III, which shows that the line of Wrynns probably goes back a heck of a lot longer than Landen. Under Adamant's rule, Azeroth was peaceful and wealthy, until the day when it suddenly wasn't. The culprit wasn't a recession, but the invasion of a rather large number of orcs from the Dark Portal. Adamant died of natural causes shortly after the First War began, and his only son, the twenty-year-old Llane Wrynn, inherited the throne.
The best of WoW Insider: March 11-18, 2008
Yes, it's true, patch 2.4 is not dropping today. But worry not, WoW fans, because Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider still has all the WoW news you can handle and then some. For example, did you know that a onetime presidential candidate with a warning about bear threats was almost included in the WoW trading card game? It's true (or at least truthiful). Check that link and the others below from the last week in WoW Insider. News Have prot warriors been left behind?Lots of classes can tank now. Have the originals been left in the dust? The life and death of Stefan ColbearHow the champion of truthiness almost made it to the TCG. Blizzard explains hunter suspensionWhy did Blizzard ban one of the game's most famous Arena hunters? Arena Season 4: Brutal GladiatorHere's a look at the gear you'll be drooling over... whenever Season 4 starts. Blue poster Belfaire explains Blizzard's stance on multiboxingSo apparently paying for more than one account (and playing with them on more than one computer) is A-OK in Azeroth. Features Guildwatch drinks your milkshakeOur weekly column of guild drama, downings and recruiting covers all of the guild-related chaos over the last week. WoW, Casually: Patch 2.4 previewA look at the upcoming patch for casual players. Blood Pact: Warlocks are red, mages are bluePitting the demonic against the arcane. Know Your Lore: The GrimtotemsKYL goes over those not-quite-Horde Tauren and their evil plans for the rest of us. Unobtainium: Rare, ridiculous, and remarkable reputation schematicsOur weekly engineering column (with a dose of roleplaying flavor) covers some of the good stuff you can get from reputation rewards.
Know Your Lore: The Grimtotems
This has been one of the most-requested Know Your Lore subjects over the months we've had this feature, but I've held off because until recently there just wasn't that much information about the Grimtotems. With the new Dustwallow Marsh content in 2.4 and the revelations in the WoW comic book, it's finally time to explore one of the most mysterious factions in the game -- Magatha Grimtotem and her tribe of tauren outcasts. Who: The Grimtotem Clan. What: 1,430 members of a powerful Tauren clan. History: Way, way back before Cairne Bloodhoof met Thrall and created a new tauren homeland in Mulgore, the tauren were organized into clans, each with their own leader. The Grimtotem were NOT one of these clans. Instead, the Grimtotem name passed down through generations of survival in other clans, until the Tauren were unified under Cairne. Then the Grimtotem banded together as, basically, an opposition party, defined by their distrust of Cairne's alliance with the orcs and trolls.
WoW Insider Weekly
Here's your weekly sampling of our weekly content from the writers at WoW Insider. Every week we post columns about classes, guilds, addons, professions, and all aspects of this great game. Know Your Lore: Oshu'gun KYL takes a look at the secret Naaru spaceship embedded in Nagrand. Oh, didn't know that was there? It is. Encrypted Text: Raiding as a rogue, part 1 Going instance running with your endgame rogue? Make sure to check out this guide to what to do with those daggers when you have 24 other people in the group. Insider Trader: Rounding up 2.4 profession changes, part 1 What's changing in the world of professions in patch 2.4? Let Amanda M lay it all out for you. Guildwatch: Running a Karathon Backstabs, betrayals, and loot ninjas, oh my! It's all in your weekly look at guild drama, downed news, and recruiting from around the realms. More of our best weekly content after the jump.
The best of WoW Insider: February 27-March 4, 2008
Joystiq may be your source for Brawl news this week, but when you want to know what's up in Azeroth, there's only one place to turn: sister site WoW Insider. Things are hopping over there -- we're on top of the patch 2.4 news, and every single day we've got guild information, addon tips and tricks, and everything you need to know about the World of Warcraft. Here's a sampler platter. News PTR Notes: Shaman buffs, Lifetap "change," and moreWarlocks got a little Lifetap nerf this week, and the gnashing of teeth hasn't stopped since. Wealthy elves I have knownMaking cash (and lots of it) with little effort. How to maximize your bag space with 20-slot bagsWhere to get the satchels with lots of empty space. Hacked and robbed blind: One guild's cautionary taleA tough case of guild treachery. Are raiders becoming obsolete?Blizzard's opening up the endgame and giving out epics. Is raiding worth it anymore? Features Know Your Lore: Oshu'gunDid you know there's a Naaru secret in Nagrand? Encrypted Text: Raiding as a rogue, part 1Stabby stabby on the big raid bosses. Insider Trader: Rounding up 2.4 profession changes, part 1What's new for the professions in patch 2.4. Forum Post of the Day: PuG player archetypesWe've all seen these guys out there, unfortunatey playing right next to us. Farewell, my friendA touching tribute to a guildie and a friend.
