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Reaching Blizzard support if you can't log in
Earlier this year, Blizzard launched a new Support Callback feature that allowed players with account issues to simply fill out a form and wait for a callback from support. This was a fantastic move in terms of getting rid of the need to spend hours on hold -- but it did have some players concerned and wondering how, exactly, one was supposed to contact support if one was locked out of their account and could not access the appropriate Battle.net page. Customer Support representative Araxom has written up a response to just that particular situation over on Reddit. If you cannot access your account, or log into Battle.net, there is a support page that will still allow you to live chat with customer service, set up a callback, or even submit a ticket, all without having to log in. Although callbacks and live chat may not be available every hour of every day, you can still submit a ticket with this method and get a response in a reasonable amount of time. And remember -- if you're worried about account security, picking up an Authenticator is always an excellent idea.
Authenticator problems? You'll need to contact support
Removing an authenticator from your account is pretty easy -- so long as you have the authenticator handy. But if you don't -- like if you've upgraded your smartphone and your mobile authenticator doesn't work anymore -- then you've got a bit more trouble ahead. Usually Blizzard has an online form to help you out of a problem like this, but the form is currently MIA which makes getting help a bit harder. Blizzard is working to get the page back online, but in the meanwhile, you'll have to resort to contacting customer support directly for help. Customer Support rep Araxom says anyone having trouble removing an authenticator will need to contact support using one of the methods at the bottom of the support page -- which means you can open a ticket, set up a phone callback, or jump into a live chat. None of these methods are instant, but they will wind up getting you the authenticator help you need without too much of a wait. Just remember to add a new authenticator once you've removed this one -- it's a security feature you won't regret having.
Blizzard Support Callback: Don't call us, we'll call you
Anyone who's had to wait on hold for customer support from Blizzard or anyone else knows, waiting on hold is one of the least fun ways to spend your time. You already have some kind of problem, and now instead of solving it you're sitting with the phone glued to your ear, listening to bad music and mentally counting the hours of your life lost to waiting on hold. (Everyone does that, right?) Fortunately for all of us, Blizzard has announced that instead of waiting on hold, you can now fill out a form online detailing the problem you're having and they'll give you a call. This means no more phone menus or explaining your problem to a support agent -- they'll have your account info and problem info at hand when they call, so you can dive right into troubleshooting your problem. The feature is available now between the hours of 1PM and 9PM EST (or 10AM and 6PM PST) -- off-hours, you'll just have to make a support ticket, like always, and wait it out. But in case your problem turns out to be an easy fix, the site will also suggest some support documents to help you out. To use the new system, just head to Battle.net's support page and select Get Help to see your contact options.
Blizzard introduces live Web Chat support
Blizzard Customer Support has rolled out a new feature to better assist customers with issues. The new live Web Chat feature allows players to chat directly with a Customer Service Representative, bypassing the long wait times sometimes associated with phone calls. But don't think that this is a replacement for the ticket and phone system altogether. The live Web Chat is only available for issues that can be resolved in that format -- specific issues may require a ticket or a phone call to address. Using the new system is easy enough; simply visit the Contact Blizzard Support page, select the game you need assistance with, and then choose from a variety of dropdown menus to pick the selections that best address your particular issue. You'll see three buttons at the bottom of the screen, one for submitting a ticket, one for contacting by phone, and one for live Web Chat. Please note that web chat and phone support availability still varies based on hours of operation, as well as the type of issue you need addressed. Honestly, I'm wondering why this type of support system wasn't put into place years ago. With the Web Chat feature, players can bypass sitting on the phone and listening to hold music, and just chat with a representative to get their issues addressed. And with the new filtering system for issues, it makes it a lot easier to figure out what I should be doing if I have a problem. Hey, don't get me wrong, I do love Blizzard, but if I don't have to sit in a phone queue, I'm generally all the happier for it. You can read more about the new live Web Chat feature on the official site.
Blizzard blog explains how to send or receive a Scroll of Resurrection
Since the Scroll of Resurrection was revamped and brought back, it's been a system that has generated a lot of interest in the playerbase. Due to some of the amazing rewards such as a spectral mount for the SoR sender and a boosted level 80 character and a free copy of Cataclysm for the receiver, a lot of players have spent the past month trying to navigate through the confusing system to send a SoR. As an answer to their confusion, Blizzard released two detailed Scroll of Resurrection videos in a blog post yesterday, which thankfully answer some of the common concerns brought up in our post last week. Our updated Scroll of Resurrection campaign is well underway, and many players are taking advantage of this opportunity to bring friends and former guildmates back to the game. We've noticed that many of you have questions about how the program works. We're here to provide answers, and one of the ways that we're doing so is with this pair of quick tutorial videos. The first is for those of you who are sending Scrolls of Resurrection, and the second is for those receiving them. source One video shows you everything you need to do to send a SoR to a friend whose time has lapsed, including instructions for claiming your mount. The other is a guide to accepting a Scroll of Resurrection, showing you how to get back into the game quickly and efficiently. As an added bonus, the voice of the second video has an excellent British accent. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Ask your Scroll of Resurrection questions
Many players seem to be having a difficult time deciphering the intricacies of the revamped Scroll of Resurrection system. Whether that's because the Scroll of Resurrection Walkthrough support page isn't visible enough or the system is just that complicated, we don't know. What we do know is that Blizzard has offered us a pretty cool opportunity -- a Q&A about the Scroll of Resurrection system, with the questions coming from WoW Insider readers. Are you not sure how the system works? Have you run into an issue that you don't quite understand? Aspects of the system that you think could be improved, perhaps? Drop all of that in the comments below, and we'll forward the most common questions on to Blizzard.
New Blizzard support site lets you track, edit, and update your GM tickets
Submitting a GM ticket has always been sort of an arcane process -- you're not really sure where your ticket goes, or to who, or what steps have been taken to resolve your particular issue. It's a pain! Thankfully, it's always been a long-term goal of the support department to demystify and improve the support process for players, and Blizzard has unveiled a big new step in that direction: a new support website. What's so great about it? Well, it collects all lines of communication for support in one place and attempts to provide automated help for your request where applicable, while you wait for a representative. The biggest improvement, though, is that the site lets you track the progress of your support requests. This includes tech support emails, billing inquiries, and yes, GM tickets. You can edit your ticket while it's in the queue, track it, and even update your ticket and place it back in queue after it's been closed if you feel it wasn't addressed properly. The full text of Blizzard's announcement is after the cut.
Blizzard opens EU customer service Twitter account
A few months ago, Blizzard opened a Twitter account for its U.S. customer support team. Though it seems to mostly be used to retweet accolades for support staff and keep followers abreast of ticket queue times, there are also helpful links to hot CS topics and support-related announcements mixed in there. Now, players in Europe can take advantage of the same service with the Blizzard EU CS Twitter account. Between the official Warcraft Twitter account and the new Game Guide/community site, it's good to see Blizzard finally embracing social networking and web 2.0.
Blizzard announces automated account recovery form for hacked accounts
World of Warcraft accounts have been under siege for years, with hackers and gold-selling outlets stealing passwords, items and more to fill their coffers, selling that gold to unwitting buyers. Blizzard has fought back incessantly over the years to stem the tide of gold farming and account hacking, and as you can imagine, the scale at which this happens is very tasking on its customer support department. Blizzard has just announced a new, speedier way to get help and answered about your hacked account, stolen items, authenticator issues and more! Now, under the new system, you will not have to email or call Blizzard to get these matters into its queue -- simply use the Account Recovery Form.
The Queue: Keeping it classy
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. We haven't kicked off The Queue with reading music in awhile, so let's change that. Once upon a time I posted some Rhett and Link for you, an internet-based musical comedy duo, and people seemed to enjoy it. So here's more! Behold, the T-Shirt War. T-Shirt War was actually my second choice behind the far more hilarious Butt Drugs, but perhaps Butt Drugs aren't as safe for work. Still, funny stuff. Butt Drugs. The Queue is actually a bit short today, since a majority of the questions we've been receiving require rolling bones and gazing into a crystal ball to answer. If you have a non-Cataclysm question for us, please ask in the comments below! busuan asked... "Why is there almost no sound effect for a warrior's shouts? In Diablo II, the similar shouts come with awesome sound effects. But in WoW, warrior shouts merely generate a visual cue. If Blizzard though effect were annoying to other people, they could have restricted the effects as self-only."
Mobile Authenticator back in the App Store
After getting yanked off of Apple's App Store a little while back, Blizzard's Mobile Authenticator app is now back in business, and ready for a free download. Version 1.0.2 is out now [iTunes link] and the description says it contains UI improvements with a streamlined and enhanced interface.Unfortunately, the issue that originally got the app pulled off the store hasn't actually been fixed: the official blurb is now saying that you should definitely remove the authenticator from your account before you upgrade, and then re-apply it again to your account after you've upgraded (and presumably gotten a new key installed). If you install this new version of the app and then try to access your account, it won't work (and you'll have to call Blizzard support at 1-949-955-1382 to help them remove the old authenticator).Small hassle to go through, however, to have an account protected against hacking. If you have an iPhone or an iPod touch and haven't picked up this application yet, now's the time to do so for sure.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, especially Eric!]
Official Battle.net connection issues support page
There have been a lot of login server related issues lately with Battle.net accounts, and from all indication they don't all seem to be for the same reasons. Tom may not have the same issue as Sally who isn't necessarily getting the same error message as Jimbo. As much as the problems are annoying me, the more widespread problems tend to clear up pretty quickly. Usually. For some of the odd, lingering issues you may run into, Blizzard's Support page has added a section for Battle.net connection issues within World of Warcraft with some common solutions. Note that these won't necessarily fix every issue that crops up with the login servers, but it should solve some of them!The most common solution that seems to work out for people is the suggested edit to the realmlist.wtf file, using something like Notepad. Look for the Data folder within your World of Warcraft folder, open it up, then open Realmlist.wtf with a simple text editor. Check to be sure all four of these lines are contained within:
Solving recent connection issues
Many of us, both in and outside of the United States, have been having serious connection issues with the game recently. Not only can we not connect to the game, but we can't even get on the main World of Warcraft website. This can be particularly infuriating because we can't go and find help. When I got dropped in the middle of Kael'Thas (the real fight, not the weeksauce one in Magisters' Terrace), I wanted to take my computer out to a field and yell obscenities at it about PC load letter.WoW Insider feels your pain! After all, imagine having to write about WoW only to find out you can't get into WoW.I wanted to answer a lot of the comments about what people can do. First and foremost, we're not Blizzard. So we can't really say for sure what's going on. We can make educated guesses through. Continue reading after the break for what you can do and where you can go to solve this problem.
