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WoW, Casually: Welfare epics
Each week, Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player who has 2 hours or less to play at a time.Almost every column, I talk about Welfare Epics since they are specifically designed for casuals to get their purplez on and I just assume that you all know what I'm talking about. But Dave recently sent in a question asking what they are and I realized that if I didn't write for WoW Insider, I probably wouldn't know either.Though some people say they heard the phrase before this, the first time I heard it was at BlizzCon. Jeff Kaplan, aka Tigole, started off the Dungeons and Raids panel by saying that the panel wasn't for people with their Welfare Epics, but for people who actually earn them. Now, I think he was partially just being funny, but I also think he was speaking up for the Raiders who are upset that all of the work they put into conquering the PvE endgame content is for naught when any casual player can pick up purples that are equal to or better than gear that drops off endgame bosses.
One Shots: There can be only (season) one!
We don't know if we've heard a term that's lit up playerbase of a game quite as fast as the term "welfare epics" did with the WoW players. PvPers didn't take kindly to it considering many of them think that PvP is the most challenging part of the game. Now that it's being applied to badge gear from heroics and raiding, PvErs don't like it much either. Of course, some people don't really give a flying rodent's 4th point of contact about it, either way. Now what does that blurb have to do with the above? Well, the above One Shot was sent in to us by Grohm, the level 70 Blood Elf Rogue. He pretty well summed it up in one line: "Season 1 welfare epics FTW." Shiny!If you have a cool set of armor, a neat achievement, or just something you want to show off, don't be shy! Send a screenshot with whatever information you'd like to add to oneshots@massively.com! Your screenshot and story could be next!%Gallery-9798%
Breakfast Topic: Mounting annoyances
In keeping with my recent battlegrounding streak to complete my arena season one collection, an e-mail sent in by Rihlsul caught my eye this morning. He writes that he has noticed a recent increase in the volume of AFK'd players who "park their netherdrakes and kodos as on-top-of-BG-masters as humanly possible." Now, other games often get around this by giving each character and NPC its own space, mutually exclusive from the space around it. In other words, you can bump into things, but not stand in them, enveloping them. While such a method may be more true to life, I think WoW's way of doing things is quite handy, considering the sheer numbers of players in big cities or on heavily populated realms. Unfortunately, it can indeed become a bit of a nuisance. I become especially frustrated in the banks, when some characters feel the need to stand in the banker, rather than in the crowd, or when I find it difficult to click target a quest-giver.
WoW, Casually: The best gear for the least play-time
Each week, Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player who has 2 hours or less to play at a time.As the title says, we're going to talk about gear today, but first, let's talk about the events for the week. Starting Friday, it's Warsong Gulch for the Call to Arms weekend. This means shorter queues for those of you (like me) who need WSG marks for purchasing gear. It also means bonus honor, but I get more honor out of Alterac Valley than I do out of WSG bonus honor weekends. So get out there and earn some WSG marks, but please, don't waste everyone's time by fighting in the middle. You should be doing one of the following: Getting the flag: It's amazing how often the stubborn "run past everyone, get the flag and run out" tactic works. And if you die and drop the flag? Someone else has a chance to pick it up in a less defended place. Protecting the flag carrier: Heal, stun, root, sheep, kill -- do whatever you can to keep the flag carrier healthy and unmolested. Stop the other team's flag carrier: Even if you aren't a mighty DPS class, you can still do a lot to get back the flag. Root, stun, slow, etc. It's a team effort and often the best thing you can do is keep the flag carrier in place while everyone else finishes him off.
WoW, Casually: Thanksgiving edition
Each week, Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player who has 2 hours or less to play at a time.I hope everyone had a drama-free Thanksgiving (void where prohibited). And for those of you in retail, it's been nice knowing you. We'll see you at Christmas.This weekend, the Call to Arms is for Alterac Valley. I expect AV to be packed with people because of the holiday weekend. Those of you who have some extra playtime this weekend should take advantage of the lower queues for AV in order to save up more honor for the Season 1 gear that will be available for honor purchase on Tuesday. Those purplez will be the best gear available for the playtime challenged, so if you are at all PvP inclined, go forth and play in the snows of Alterac Valley this weekend.
