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WoW Radio Pass the Torch contest on August 8
If you're not completely holed up in a cave somewhere, you're probably aware that some big sports event called the Olympics is happening in August. Of course, August also marks the start of a new season for our friends over at WoW Radio, who are holding a contest to celebrate their onslaught of shows. In keeping with the Olympics, WoW Radio is calling their August contest "Pass the Torch", and are giving away twenty (!) Worldwide Invitational cards as prizes. Just in case you didn't know, those cards contain the codes for a key to the Wrath Beta and a mini-Tyrael pet. How do you join? Simple. Listen to their radio shows! Starting August 8 (or what the Chinese consider to be the lucky 08/08/08), five of their radio shows will be their torch-bearers. During each show, there'll be an 'Olympic ring' -- you'll know them when you hear them, according to WoW Radio -- containing a secret word. The five secret words will form a phrase, which you should then send to their e-mail address to be entered in their grand prize draw. Winners will be announced on the 15th of August on Blue Plz! Head on over to WoW Radio now and keep an ear out for those secret words!
New mini Tyrael pet is underwhelming
Having been to the Worldwide Invitational, we were hot to turn in our key that gave us a pet Tyrael. Running hither and yon in the Undercity, we finally found the NPC for the turn in, said the magic words and voila! A floating, lightning-winged avenging angel was ours for everyone to ooh and aah over.Well, kinda. It doesn't really do anything. There are no animations other than floating. Don't believe us? Check out the video above. At least Sleepy Willy had the good manners to fall asleep occasionally.EDIT: Apparently he will dance with you if you target him and use the /dance emote.
How to claim your Mini Tyrael
So you went to Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational and received a card with a mysterious code for an in-game item (which we later discovered was a miniature version of Diablo's Archangel Tyrael, to be added in patch 2.4.3)... but are now at a loss at how to pick up your adorable new companion? The new new Mini Tyrael is claimed in a different place than any other in-game items -- so for those of you who attended WWI (or picked up a code on eBay), here's what you need to do...
World of Warcraft 2.4.3 patch released
World of Warcraft players are in for a special treat today. The 2.4.3 patch has finally arrived! The live servers have been updated to the latest build and the patch size is 27.2 megabytes. The full patch notes are available after the cut below, but some highlights from the patch notes with some additional commentary include: Level 30 Mounts. Yep, characters only need to be level 30 now to qualify for an apprentice mount. Training costs 35 gold. For the pet collectors there is a new Nether Ray Fry (non-combat) available from the Skyguard Quartermaster. Exalted faction is required. Haris Pilton is still annoying and she has another use now: Gold-digging! Pilton is selling 22-slot designer handbags available for 1,200 gold each in Shattrath's Lower City. Other expensive and so hawt baubles are also available. Epic gems can be purchased with Arena points and they are not unique-equipped. The new in-game loot from the Hunt for Illidan TCG expansion is now claimable. The D.I.S.C.O. ball and the new Ethereal Soul- Pet that doubles as a vendor of fun are just a few of the popular items players will be drooling over soon. Expect these cards to sell for a small fortune on eBay. The Rogue's class cheat death ability has been rebalanced -- or in other words -- nerfed. World Wide Invitational attendees can use their in-game code to claim the new (non-combat) Tyrael archangel pet. Alcohol cooldowns have been rolled into drinks: All 10-second cooldowns have been removed and replaced with the 1-second drink cooldown. We'll drink to that!
Patch 2.4.3 is going live today
It's official now: Patch 2.4.3 is indeed going live. You can download it now by logging into the game, and when the servers go up again, you can go buy mounts for all your level 30 alts. Here's some of the other highlights of the patch: Epic gems can be purchased for Arena points -- and yes, the Arena versions are not unique-equipped! You can now undertake a quest to beat up an old man and steal his hat. Haris Pilton is showing off her new line of 22-slot designer handbags, now for sale in Shattrath's Lower City. A new holiday boss and holiday boss loot appeared on the test server and will hopefully appear in time on live. Coren Direbrew is now a 5-man boss for the Brewfest, and new Headless Horseman loot should appear this Hallow's End. There was a bit of a nerf for the Rogue talent Cheat Death WWI attendees can now use their pet code to grab their own pet archangel! The new in-game loot from the Hunt for Illidan TCG expansion is now live. There were many profession changes as well, including new tailoring patterns. You can also check out the full official patch notes (via MMO-Champion) after the break.
The best of WoW Insider, July 1-8, 2008
Aw, look how cute! Diablo 3 fans might be a little surprised to see that as powerful as Tyrael is in the world of Sanctuary, he's just a little noncombat pet in the World of Warcraft. Look at his cute little hood! Fortunately for you, Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider is rolling like a raid boss in Azeroth -- we've got every little bit of WoW news you need, from Wrath of the Lich King rumors to biting commentary about the biggest online game in the world. Here's our best from the last week. News WWI attendees get their own pet, Archangel TyraelTurns out the folks at WWI were even luckier than we thought. Rumor: Wrath of the Lich King box revealedSee what the game you'll be buying later this year actually looks like. US registration for Wrath beta now openBlizzard has opened up an opt-in for players in the US and EU, and we're that much closer to release. Rumor: Wrath of the Lich King collector's edition boxBut what we really want to know is what's inside it. Kisirani implies the return of the Scourge Invasion eventLooks like Arthas and his cronies will step foot back in Azeroth at least once more. Features Things that annoy meAllison Robert open up a legendary can of rant for the Fourth of July weekend. Ask a Lore Nerd: The swirling vortex of deathThe Lore Nerd ruins his cool forever by knowing so much nerdy history about Azeroth, but you get to reap the benefits! The Creamy GUI Center: Big bag blowoutOur UI column tells you how to make the most of those bags in your inventory. WoW CrosswordWe premiere a brand new Sunday morning feature on WoW Insider for you xword fans. Archangel Tyrael pet revealedThe world of Diablo visits the world of Warcraft yet again.
The Archangel Tyrael pet revealed
You may remember that we recently told you that Worldwide Invitational attendees would be receiving a Tyrael pet as part of their goodie bag haul as soon as patch 2.4.3 went live. The PTR servers when down for a little bit of an update a while ago, and when they came back up, WoW Insider commenter Darkra came through with the picture of my new favorite pet, which you can see above. It's actually pretty strange, he looks both cute and bad ass at the exact same time. I'm not sure how it pulls it off, but I suppose that's just the awesomeness that is Tyrael. Congratulations to all you WWI attendees on what is surely the coolest non-combat pet to date, and for those of us unlucky enough not to make it to the WWI in person, let the Ebaying begin!
WWI attendees to get their own pet Archangel Tyrael [Updated with Picture]
The identity of the free pet that Worldwide Invitational Paris attendees received with a code in their goodie bag has been a closely guarded secret, with the identity not known even at the WWI itself. Yesterday, Bornakk broke the silence on the pet and announced that after patch 2.4.3 goes live, WWI attendees will be able to turn in their pet codes for their own miniature version of Diablo's Archangel Tyrael! Tyrael, as you may remember, is an angel that assists the Horadrim -- and later the heroes of Diablo 2 -- in fighting back the Prime Evils as they attempt to assault and take over the world of Sanctuary. He is one of the few angels who will directly assist humanity in fighting Hell, even when he is specifically forbidden from interfering by Heaven itself. He eventually destroys the Worldstone after Baal corrupts it at the end of the Lord of Destruction expansion. So far, his fate after that has not been told, although it seems practically a given that he will appear in Diablo 3 in some capacity, as the official Diablo 3 site features his visage prominently.
Blizzard's icy splash screen changes as Diablo 3 and WoTLK speculation intensifies
We reported yesterday about the new icy splash screen which has appeared on many of Blizzard's corporate and gaming sites. There's already tons of speculation speeding around the web about it, and of course the pot was only stirred all the more this morning when the picture changed slightly: the light in the middle of the cracked ice became brighter, and there's some new detail that can be seen through the ice, including a rune of some sort just to the upper right of the center. we can probably assume that the picture will change more each day until something is announced at the Worldwide Invitational. However, the question remains: What is being announced? Right now, there's two major schools of thought about it: One school says that this will lead up to the announcement of the WoTLK Beta, while another says that this will be the announcement of Diablo 3. Each side has some pretty passionate arguments, and are bringing the analysis to back it up. Let's look at what we have after the break. %Gallery-25975%
