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MapleStory releases television promotion
If you're pondering some last minute holiday gifts for the younger set, a gift of Nexon cash may be a welcome pre-emptive strike. MapleStory is hitting the television airwaves this season with a new holiday promotional commercial. The commercial -- which is oh-so-conveniently included here -- showcases MapleStory's brand new update. The Aran update added a fair amount of new content, introducing a new and storyline and namesake warrior class, the Aran. The new content also added a brand new start-up tutorial intended to give players "an easier and immersive entry into the world of MapleStory," so Nexon seems to be planning on an inrush of new players for their long-running game. The commercial is scheduled to run on Disney XD, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Nickelodeon, and Teen Nick. It began yesterday and will continue showing until January 3rd. Follow along after the jump for a firsthand look at the new MapleStory commercial.
New Aran class fights gigantic beast in this MapleStory trailer
Nexon has released a video featuring their new Aran characters in MapleStory. In the video they fight a Balrog, although this isn't the exact beast most of you will remember from Tolkien's books, it's a close proximity... Okay, who are we kidding? This Balrog looks like a giant hairy beast with armor. At least it's more frightening than that cute kitty in the image above. Nexon says, "The Balrog Party Quest is available for players with characters level 50, up to 120, and rewards the victors with formidable prizes like the Chaos Scrolls and White Scrolls." which to us, says you've basically got to put a hefty amount of time into playing before you'll even see this guy. However, the real focus of the video -- at least in our minds -- is new polearm wielding Aran characters whooping butt, so to speak. So if you're curious to see what this is all about, take a gander at the video below the cut.
Nexon plans new content for MapleStory
Nexon America is planning a new content expansion for MapleStory, scheduled to launch in December. The story of Aran represents a new class of players for MapleStory, and tells of five legendary heroes who fought the Black Mage years ago. One of those heroes was Aran: "After being cursed by the Black Mage and spending hundreds of years trapped inside ice, Aran woke up one day as an average man -- no powers and no memory of his past." The story is rounded out by Lilin and Tru. Lilin is a young girl, the lone member of her clan who still believes in the prophecy that says the five heroes will be revived someday. She remained behind, waiting for their return after the rest of her clan had moved on. Tru is an information dealer and member of Lilin's clan who helps her as much as he can, even though he moved on with the rest of the clan. More information on the new content can be found here, and a teaser video of the new content can be seen after the jump.
15 Minutes of Fame: 10-boxing Karazhan, Part 2
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.Last week, 15 Minutes of Fame visited with multiboxer Nixi of team Absolute Power-H of Archimonde to bring WoW Insider readers his 10-boxing strategy for Karazhan. This week, we'll step back for a look at Nixi's hardware setup, his top five tips for new multiboxers and a broader look at why he's a 'boxer.Catch up with 10-boxing Karazhan Part 1, then join us after the break for an inside look at Nixi's 10-boxing team.
15 Minutes of Fame: 10-boxing Karazhan, Part 1
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.This week's 15 Minutes of Fame is about a multiboxing team – but it's not that team that just ganked you in your last Battleground. Absolute Power-H of Archimonde and its team leader/main tank, Nixi, have made their mark not in Battlegrounds but in Karazhan.Ever curious about a unique perspective of the World of Warcraft, we visited with Nixi & Co. to find out what it's like to "solo" Karazhan. This week in Part 1 of our interview, we go straight for the throat with Nixi's Kara strats. Next week, Part 2 of 15 Minutes of Fame: 10-boxing Karazhan brings you a look at Nixi's hardware setup and his top five tips for new multiboxers.
Things that annoy me
Or, how to celebrate the birth of a nation via an ugly series of Horde losses in Arathi Basin:1. Every single Alliance character in the game has a Black War Tiger.2. Every single Horde character in the game has a Black War Raptor (yes, myself included).3. I could be wrong, but I don't think "Lich King" is pronounced "Lick King," as I keep hearing it pronounced on my server.4. However, it might be because the word looks somewhat Germanic, and I will be unable to keep a straight face for the duration of the next expansion.5. To the point of losing it completely if I hear "World of Warcraft: WRAAAAAAATH OF THE LICK KING" intoned by the Deep-Voiced Serious Trailer Guy.6. How male human characters run. There's a lot of great animation in the game. This is not one of them.7. Practically every main-tank of every Hordeside raiding guild is a male Tauren.8. An egotistical male Tauren. Look, Spanky, just because Bulwark of Azzinoth is bigger on you than anybody else does not mean that the same is true of appendages elsewhere.
Father's Day in Azeroth: A salute to the fathers of Warcraft lore
So it's Father's Day, the time when we all pay homage to the fathers or father figures in our lives, and thank them for all that they do. While we can't say for sure if they celebrate Father's Day in Azeroth, too, there's a lot of people in Azeroth and Outland who have reason to think back on their dads today. Many dads of Azeroth have affected their children's lives or been affected by them. The ramifications of the interactions of these fathers and children have then in turn affected the lore and story of Warcraft in ways great and small. Therefore, in honor of the holiday, let's look at 10 famous and not-so-famous dads of Warcraft lore (listed in no particular order).
Deep Breath Syndrome and related ailments
Since time began, chants of "Onyxia Deep Breaths more" have been heard throughout the land announcing the arrival of new WoW patches. Sure, bugs have come and gone, but Onyxia's Deep Breath has never Deep Breathed more. Really. Deep Breath is fine. I promise.Burning Crusade has spread this phenomenon to other bosses, too. In Karazhan alone, the Prince, the Maiden of Virtue, and Nielas Aran seemingly cast whatever it is they cast more frequently. Infernals, Holy Fire, Flame Wreath, the whole shebang. In general, this crops up for encounters that have an element of randomness. Malchezar's infernals can drop wherever they'd like. Safe spots are only safe until the randomness of the encounter decides to be random. In the case of Deep Breath, it simply occurs for your raid more often because you didn't take the proper steps to prevent it.I actually think it's sort of fun to see so many people complain about these things with every patch because it's a good sign of the encounters actually working as intended. I just wonder how many encounters this has applied to over the years. Onyxia is most famous for it, but how far does Deep Breath Syndrome reach?
Ask a Lore Nerd
I'm a lore nerd. Plain and simple. Nerdy nerd nerd. Thus, my kryptonite is questions such as, "Who is Aran's son?" and "Why are Blood Elves in Mount Hyjal anyway?" These questions make me weep and wish Know Your Lore was more than just weekly.I've decided to draw a little inspiration from these questions instead of seethe with nerd rage. I ask you, WoW Insider readers, ask me your lore questions! I'll follow them up with nice and easy explanations tomorrow afternoon. If you have a more complicated, more involved questions, maybe I'll take it over to Know Your Lore.I don't mind getting questions we've answered on the site before, it's pretty easy to miss posts that fall off of the front page, so ask pretty much any lore-related question you'd like, and I'll do my best to answer you! Not everything is as epic as Azjol-Nerub and Oshu'gun, so even small questions are just fine. Don't be afraid!
Two Bosses Enter: Chromaggus vs. Shade of Aran
Welcome to another day, everyone! This week, WoW Insider celebrates the middle of the week a little differently than the rest of you -- by locking two World of Warcraft raid bosses into an arena and only letting one walk away. In our round of fantasy deathmatches, two bosses will enter, but only one will get to leave. And the best part of the entire affair? You get to watch from the sidelines and tell us who won!This week we'll be considering a fight against Blackwing Lair's Chromaggus and Karazhan's Shade of Aran. Curious about how these two fight -- or ready to voice your opinion on which would come out ahead? Read on!
But I do spend time with my friends!
Upon my now bi-monthly visit to my parents' house, they inquired if I had done anything social with my friends in the last few weeks. "Of course," I replied, "we started raiding Karazhan about a month ago, and defeated the Curator, Aran, and the chess event!" They looked at me strangely, and I immediately realized that I was talking about people I've never met in person and whom I spend time with only in a virtual setting. I began wondering if I was losing touch on reality, that a video game was becoming a real setting for me to socialize. I soon realized that it was not just me, but instead it is becoming a phenomenon that is quickly becoming the norm. Every day I work with people all over the world by phone and by email, and every night I do the same thing. Some may say that it does resemble more of a work environment than a friendship environment, but I say it can be both. I log into our Ventrilo server and chat it up with everyone who is online. I have my friends, and my not-so-friends, and sometimes we work hard, and sometimes we goof around. I believe that if you take it to a level that you desire, the WoW realm can be just as much a social environment as a party with friends, a date out with your sweetie, or a business trip. Granted I've never slaughtered the undead in my sales trips, but I'd love to claim a Karazhan raid as a business expense! What social event do you take along with you into World of Warcraft?
Blue Notes: Aran's Flame Wreath and Blade's Edge graveyards
I have two quickies for you all in the wake of the Alchemy issues. One bug with the Shade of Aran has been fixed:Beneficial immunity effects from abilities such as Ice Block and Divine Shield will no longer cause the Shade of Aran's explosion effect from Flame Wreath to proc when the duration has faded.I'm sure he'll still wipe my guild without breaking a sweat -- he's what we're currently stuck on in Karazhan. Aran is the sixth boss in Karazhan (or so). Flame Wreath is an effect that puts a ring of fire around you; if you move, thus placing your character in the flames, it pretty much wipes the raid.And another piece of bug-fixing goodness, they've fixed that ridiculously obnoxious graveyard bug in Blade's Edge Mountains. I'm sure I'll still hate the zone when I take my third Outlander through there (Mage perhaps?), but a little less, now:All characters that die on the Northwest plateau of Blade's Edge Mountains will now be sent to the Evergrove graveyard.Previously, if you died up in the northwest of BEM, your ghost appeared at the Sylvannar graveyard (for Alliance; I'm not sure what the Horde equivalent is). While this is geographically closer to the northwest part of the zone than Evergrove is, due to BEM's labyrinthine layout, it takes a good ten minutes to run back to your corpse from there.
Shade of Aran chant, and other WoW fun on YTMND
So inside Karazhan, there's a boss called the Shade of Aran. He's Medivh's father, actually-- or, more specifically, the spirit of Medivh's father. He's a crazy mage with all kinds of casting abilities, one of which is called Flame Wreath. Flame Wreath targets 3 random people in the raid. If everyone is spread out enough that no one is close to those three players, nothing happens. But if people are close to them, a ring of fire shoots out around the player, and anyone who crosses through it will cause everyone in the room to get hit for 3000-4000 damage.For this reason: I will not move when Flame Wreath is cast or the raid blows up. That's one of the best sounding WoW YTMNDs I've seen, but it's definitely not the only one. You could always check out Riker getting disappointed, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, a little Alliance vs. Horde DDR, or the Patch Day Simulator. YTMND is such a crazy form of expression, but it's no surprise, considering the two cultures, that WoW and their sites find so much common ground.[ Thanks Markalept and Druid dude! ]
Hunter's License on Google personal page
Following our coverage of proudly displaying your MPH Hunter's License, a reader writes us to tell of how to include all that desirable information into your personalized Google homepage. Clicking the link will add Hunter Sakurina's license for display, yet should you click the edit button directly above the presented License and input the GSPID of the Hunter you wish displayed (which can again be found here), you can add anyone you wish. Also, this isn't limited to just one Hunter either as you can pretty much add as many as you'd like.See also: MPH stat images Displaying your Hunter's License [Thanks Sakurina!]
