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Grunty the Murloc Marine arrives for DirecTV viewers
Memories of BlizzCon have started to fade over the last month, but today another reminder of the event pops up. If you watched it via DirectTV you should shortly be receiving an email letting you know that soon you too can have a Murloc Marine shadowing your character's every step. The email comes with a code and a URL to visit in order to redeem the little guy. Be careful of any phishing scams, the correct URL is http://www.blizzcon.com/pet. You must also have a Battle.net account in order to receive him.Once you have entered you code and gone through the simple redemption process the next time you log on you will have an in-game mail from Master Handler Sylvester. This will contain your special delivery of a Heavy Murloc Egg and a thank you. Grunty the Murloc Marine, we salute you. When it comes to murlocs, you are the best of the best of the best. Sir! With Honors.
Pandaren Monk pet has moves
MMO Champion has datamined up some video of the new Pandaren Monk vanity pet that's been floating around, and as you can see above, it's pretty darned awesome. Just like the Grunty the Murloc pet, this one comes with some fun animations, and they look terrific. Blizzard has been pretty coy about getting the Pandaren into the game, and they're teasing big here, too -- this little bear's got moves that would make the Diablo III Monk hang his head in shame.However, the question remains: how do we get it? At this point, it's just speculation and rumor -- some say it might be a special anniversary pet for people who've been subscribed all five years of the game's life, some suggest it might be part of the Cataclysm collector's edition (past CEs have had a pet in each one, including a Diablo figure in the first box), and still others suggest that the Monk will be a new pet in the upcoming Brewfest holiday. How do we get it, really? We won't know for sure until we hear it from Blizz.
One Shots: They look hungry
With BlizzCon coming up this week, you can almost hear the squee of giddy happiness from all the people looking forward to landing their very own Grunty murloc non-combat pet. Indeed - wee murlocs are highly coveted pets when it comes to must-haves for World of Warcraft players. That said, we suspect those crafty baby murlocs are just biding their time hanging out and being adorable, as seen in Trixxy's World of Warcraft One Shots submission. Once players have amassed enough of the insanely cute little blighters, they're going to rise up and go all Gulliver's Travels on everyone. The next thing you know, it'll be mass hysteria, with murlocs running Azeroth - and Night Elf on the menu.If you've run across a cute or silly image on your travels, we'd love to see it! Just email it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. We'll post it out here for everyone to d'awww at and give you the credit.%Gallery-9798%
More Halloween masks uncovered, mayhem ensues
In what may be an attempt to throw everyone off the recent speculation that Goblins and Worgen just might be the next playable races in the World of Warcraft, new Halloween masks with both male and female versions were found in the latest PTR build. The discovery sent players into a frenzy, and got everyone speculating about the next expansion and what it holds. During last weekend's WoW.com radio show, Turpster said he wished that the whole Halloween mask thing were planted by Blizzard to confuse the player base, and it turns out that they just might be... except that it might be the other way around and the devs are trying to cover up the Goblins and Worgen discovery.MMO Champion, the data-mining heaven, has the full image of all the "new" Halloween masks, which include Murlocs, Vrykul, Naga, and Ogres, including a never-before-seen-in-game female ogre! However, astute readers point out that the female ogre is actually a "direct copy-paste of an old drawing from one of the RPG books." Closer inspection of the female ogre mask will reveal some rendering inconsistencies compared to the other skins, which were lifted from in-game models. Clever Blizzard - could these new masks be a red herring? Or could the red herring actually be the Goblin and Worgen masks, and this is just one elaborate ploy to obscure the big announcement at BlizzCon? Let the mayhem commence!Oops, forgot this earlier... thanks to Malfural of But Wait, There's Lore for the tip! EDIT: Whoops again! Malfural has nothing to do with BWTL, but says he's a great fan. Thanks for the tip, anyway, BWTL reader!
BlizzCon live stream order page up
Didn't get your tickets for BlizzCon? Planning to pick up the Internet stream instead, because you don't have DirecTV at home? Now's your chance -- the page has appeared to order up the official livestream in HD video straight from the conference. For $39.95, you get over 16 hours of video from the convention floor, as well as all the main stage presentations, tournament coverage, and even the Grunty the Murloc Space Marine pet. There's more answers over on their FAQ page if you have more questions.The video streaming as a test on the page suggests that both Level 80 Tauren Chieftain will be playing and Jay Mohr will be hosting again, though that video is likely from last year, and not necessarily indicative of this year's show. It looks like the HQ stream will also require you to install the RayV player, while the lower quality stream will likely be available just through Flash. You can also keep in mind that though this is probably an excellent deal (especially if you want that pet -- I know many people will pick up the package for that code alone), there will be no shortage of information from BlizzCon for sure, as we'll have plenty to go around as well. But if you were planning on picking up the Internet stream, order on up.BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon, you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there are some great looking costumes.
World of WarCrafts: Who can resist a Murbean?
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players and fans, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction – and yes, (War)crafts. Share your stuff by tipping us off via our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts).World of WarCrafts has been gathering up tips and news on creative endeavors from players in all sorts of media. For a sun-drenched holiday weekend, though, we couldn't think of anything better than everyone's favorite: a Murbean. These cuties come courtesy of Amythys of Sisters of Elune."I've been making these little plush Murlocs for a while now (I call them Murbeans), mostly for my own amusement, but two have gone to friends as well," Amythys wrote. "Since I photographed them recently for my new guild's amusement, I wanted to share them here too." One more shot of the little guys after the fold.
Fan-made Murky plush
Reader Claire sent us these awesome pictures of a plush Murky, made of felt and fluff. She says she's been a collector of vanity pets since she first started playing WoW, and since Murky is one she'll probably never get her hands on, she decided to make one herself.As mentioned, it's made entirely out of felt and stuffing (and string and glue, I assume). It looks really good, and seems like it only would have cost a few dollars. If I'm wrong about that, hopefully Claire will correct me... and submit a pattern for the rest of us!You can check out all of her Murky pictures in the gallery below.%Gallery-63306%
Blizzard confirms Grunty, the Marine Murloc, as BlizzCon giveaway
To no one's surprise, Blizzard has confirmed that yes, Grunty, the Space Marine Murloc we posted about yesterday, will be given away in the BlizzCon goody bag to all attendees. Anyone who also orders the DirecTV pay-per-view package this year will also pick up the noncombat pet as an in-game item. So if you want to get your hands on this little well-armed gurgler, get those F5 buttons and your Battle.net accounts ready: tickets go on sale May 16th.As we noticed yesterday, the little guy also has a Gauss rifle that he will periodically fire into the air, Blizzard says, "to make sure no invisible spacecraft are swooping in to attack." Which is cute and all, but you know what would be cuter? Hearing a Space Marine radio version of the little guy's Murloc gurgle when you click on him.*ksshhkk* Mrguggugguggle! *ksshhkk* Blizzard, make it so!
Grunty, the Murloc Marine appears on the PTR
We've had WoW and Diablo 3-themed BlizzCon/Worldwide Invitational in-game pets already, so you might say "hell, it's about time" when we tell you that Grunty, a murloc in Space Marine power armor, is on its way. MMO-Champion's Boubouille, head of the Romulan Data Miners Guild, discovered the pet's model while performing routine excavation on the newly-updated 3.1.2 patch files. If I were a betting man, I'd say that all signs point to this being part of the BlizzCon goody bag as opposed to TCG loot, meaning there's even less of a chance for you to get it. Hope you're prepared to beat the queue to get one. Heck, I'm even considering trying to go after seeing this -- I can't wait to see the idle animations he gets. According to the screenshots, it looks like he even blasts the air with his flamethrower. For once, the fish will do the frying. *puts on sunglasses, plays "Won't Get Fooled Again"*
Breakfast Topic: Choosing the best mob noise in game
There's a fun little discussion on the forums right now about the best noise out of a mob in the game, and people have all kinds of different opinions. Among the many brilliant things Blizzard has done with World of Warcraft is the way their sound design makes each and every encounter with a mob very memorable, so that even if you're not paying close attention, you know a) when you've aggroed something, and b) what you've aggroed. We all know what a wolf growl sounds like, we know what it sounds like when the caster you're trying to sneak past starts casting (and many of us can probably tell what spell, just from the sound), and of course, probably most memorably, we all know what that gurgly murloc sound means, especially when you hear it in numbers.Lots of the best audio clips are actually from bosses (all of Molten Core's bosses were memorable, for some reason, and "Too soon!" has even reappeared in the game since). My personal favorite lately is the quote from Elder Nadox, the first boss in Ahn'Katet's Old Kingdom. He shouts an otherworldly phrase (apparently in Nerubian) and it ends with a "k-k-k-k-k" sound that must have been edited together -- it definitely doesn't sound human. Every time I hear that (and he says it a few times throughout the fight), I get the feeling that we are fighting something that is very, very old and very, very evil.But of course lots of the audio cues help pull you into the game like that. What are some of your favorite mob noises in the game?
One Shots: Death from above
Maybe it's just me, but the idea of murlocs launching themselves off nearby cliffs and straight at my head does not strike me as a fun way to go in World of Warcraft. After all, you get your water walking on, set up in a relatively safe nook near a cliff, and step AFK to grab some coffee. The next thing you know, flying murlocs, coming straight for your head: "mrgrlrrgrl!" *FWOOP!* Sure enough, we have a screenshot showing that it can indeed happen, courtesy of Zulgotr. He writes in: My Troll Rogue 'Zulgotr' on the Azuremyst server appears to be the unwitting prey of an ambushing Murloc. Sure, they're squishy, but still - murlocs on your head can't be fun.If you've caught a strange screen in your favorite game, please do send it in to us. We love to see wild, weird, and otherwise interesting goings-on in all the different MMOs out there. Just email it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick description. We'll post it here and let everyone gawk at it too. %Gallery-9798%
WoW celebrates four years in the EU
Slorkuz posts that yesterday, February 11th, marked the four-year anniversary of World of Warcraft's release in the EU, and Blizzard is throwing a few contests to celebrate. You can see all of the giveaways over on their site -- there's some nice Swagdog and Dell gear to win for coming up with a great t-shirt slogan, a piece of fan art, or answering some lore questions. Unfortunately, participation in the contests is limited to only a few countries, due to local rules, but if you're interested and able, have at it.Congrats to Blizzard and the EU for four full years in Azeroth! North America had our anniversary late last year, and WoW Insider put together a look back at what it was like for us. We all (including the EU) got the anniversary pet as well, so apparently, other than these contests, Blizzard is just giving this date a nod rather than a big in-game celebration. But there's always the ten year anniversary -- we'll see you in 2014!
Murloc bento box looks strangely tasty
A "bento" or "bento box" is a prepared meal in Japanese culture consisting of rice, some kind of meat (often sushi), and cooked vegetables. The big image above is a Murloc bento, put together by a WoW fan with some excellent culinary taste. The Murloc itself is made of cabbage, dyed tofu, and red and yellow pepper stripes, the hut to his left is made of Thai turkey meatballs and steamed cabbage, and the treasure chest is made of tofu and seaweed, while the sun and flowers are eggs.Very interesting. It's still a work-in-progress apparently (though considering that it's all food, it can't take too long to make, can it?), as the creator still wants to get teeth on the Murloc. But it looks pretty ready to eat as is -- the hut and the treasure chest, especially, look pretty delectable. [via PixelatedGeek, thanks, jessE!]
WoW Insider presents Sholazar Basin and Zul'Drak
Building up to Wrath's release, we've been showing you previews of each of the world zones of Northrend. Sholazar Basin and Zul'Drak are two of the remaining zones you probably haven't yet seen, so if you're interested, links to the galleries are below.Sholazar Basin is Northrend's Un'goro Crater, and has a pleasing mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar. A testing grounds of sorts for the Titans, you run into a lot of unusual lifeforms here like the Oracles, a race of intelligent murloc-esque creatures who are at war with the Frenzyheart Tribe of Wolvar. This is also the new hunting ground of Hemet Nesingwary, and trust me when I say his quests aren't nearly as awful this time around.Zul'Drak is the center of one of the last Troll Empires, home of the Drakkari Ice Trolls. Under heavy assault from the Scourge, the Drakkari Empire has pooled their resources and pulled back to their capital, using some rather desperate measures to ensure their survival. Your first major Argent Crusade quest hubs are in this zone, and our old friends of the Zandalar Tribe will be meeting up with us here as well.Edit: As always, if you're trying to avoid any and all spoilers, these galleries are not for you. There are no heavy plot spoilers contained within, but there are some light ones. If you don't like spoilers, don't look.%Gallery-36407%%Gallery-36409%
My daughter the murloc
What happens when Halloween rolls around and you haven't gotten around to buying your almost one year old daughter a costume for the holiday because you've been spending too much time playing and writing about the World of Warcraft? Well, you make her a murloc costume, of course!From the moment my daughter was born, I just knew I had to dress her up as a character from my favorite game. I initially wanted to make a Moonkin costume but thought that it'd be best if she wore that when she was already walking proficiently. A miniature Moonkin waddling around would be priceless.This year, however, found me short of time and ideas so I decided to steal the idea of a baby in a murloc suit from last year's crop of Halloween costumes over at the Blizzard site. Since I don't have mad sewing skills, I made a quick jaunt to a shoe supplies store and picked up a bunch of slice foam and some cyanoacrylate.
Send us your Halloween costumes!
Dressing up like something WoW-related for Halloween this year? Take a picture and send it to our tips line, because we'd love to see it! Whether you nabbed one of Blizzard's official costumes, worked a long time on a Tauren costume, or are just gluing some ears on and calling yourself a Night Elf, we'd love to take a look at what you're dressing up as, and we're sure our readers do, too. We'll collect all the pictures together and post them tomorrow, so we can check out what WoW fans are pretending to be this Halloween.And if you need some inspiration, here's all of our costume galleries from the past two BlizzCons and the results of last year's ingame contest. Sure, you probably can't beat that girl on the turtle (or can you?), but as the couple and their adorable baby Murloc above show (they're from Blizzard's official gallery from last year), even a little bit of costume goes a long way.%Gallery-9805%%Gallery-34205%%Gallery-5529%
BlizzCon mount not usable until after BlizzCon
Another quick note here, which I'm posting because the team at BlizzCon is at the Lost Bar right now (I make absolutely no promises as to the sobriety of anyone involved); we've found out that the polar bear mount plus attached flag-bearing murloc given to all BlizzCon attendees and DirecTV subscribers isn't actually going to be usable until after the convention ends. I've just confirmed this with a friend of mine at the con who's logged into the game from his hotel's wireless as well, so this answers a few questions we've gotten about where are on earth all the mounts are with so many people attending BlizzCon or how to get them working ingame.So if you're headed back to your home or hotel and you've been hoping to get your mount (or, like me, you've just been waiting to see it), hang tight for a few days. With BlizzCon ending late Saturday, hopefully we'll see them active in the following week.
WoW Moviewatch: Hoodoo Teleshopping - The Deadmurloc
Seen commercials for the ShamWow? Well, today Kilh Machinima brings you its Azerothian equivalent in Hoodoo Teleshopping - The Deadmurloc(tm), his entry for the BlizzCon movie contest. Be warned: you must reconcile yourself with the idea that, although this version of Azeroth has television, it doesn't have a better way to clean your house than with a rehydrated dead murloc. Hoodoo Teleshopping is a Troll-run version of Home Shopping Network which demos the Deadmurloc product (don't forget the trademark) right before your eyes and shows you how the murlocs are harvested in cartoony, gory detail. I found the background music to be too distracting, competing with the already-variable levels on the voice acting, so sometimes it was hard to follow the sales pitch especially from the gravelly-voiced Troll salesman. The visuals are well done, though, and the effect of putting the HSN-style border around the image is slick. Kilh says it only took him 4.5 days to finish the production in order to meet the contest deadline. But hey, you can't argue with getting a Big Flat Rock for FREE. Now what would you pay?If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Collector's Edition and Blizzard Events items will become "Bound to Account"
Jeff Kaplan a.k.a. "Tigole" announced today that the following items will become "Account Bound": Murky Tyrael's Hilt Murloc Costume All Collector's Edition pets This is an interesting change to say the least. Blizzard will set this change in motion on the Beta first, and if everything goes smoothly it'll go live (no word if it will happen in Wrath of the Lich King or patch 3.0.2).Kaplan notes that with this change Collector's Edition pets will no longer disappear when you put them into your pet spell book. The spell will still be added, but you will be able to send the pet item around to your other characters on your account. He does point out that if you've already put your pet into the pet spell book, you won't be able to be refunded the pet on the beta. Of course, that does not apply to the live realms – since the pet spell book isn't implemented in live.
Sunday Morning Funnies: Show us your tix!
It's Sunday morning and there are funnies to be had. From the beginning of manhood to alternative fuel sources, to pre-expansion doldrums, you should find something amusing in this week's lot.Newbies New to the list this week is Flintlocke vs. The Horde, Episode 1: A Horde of Many Colors. Humor Dark Legacy is back this week with Beat It. Extra Life presents the Modern Hobo. NoObz calls for a bit of realism (sort of). RP in battlegrounds - Ding! Some corpse camping adventures on Sluggy Freelance. Running on Moon Fuel from The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf. Humor on a storyline Check out page two of Emissary. The characters of LFG travel to a large city. Manic Graffiti is starting a storyline involving a death knight murloc. It is not to be missed. From The Road to BlizzCon comes Miss Understood. Eagle-Eye Strikes Again on Teh Gladiators.
