bosses
Latest
Guildwatch: Cleared for good
Ulduar is finding its match in many guilds this week -- more than a few folks are heading into the new content and making it their own. But here at GW, we appreciate all clears -- whether your guild is just starting out in Naxx, has finally cleared the place out like the ragtag group of raiders above, or is taking down progression content in Ulduar, a down is a down. Grats no matter what you're completing.Lots of drama and recruiting in this week's column, too, as always. And you can see your guild here in the future, too -- our new address is guildwatch@wow.com, so send along some news if you've got it.
Guildwatch: It wasn't me, man
*Sniff sniff*. Smell that? It's the smell of desperation -- the smell of a ninja who knows he's been caught. Zlickrick above found a piece of loot in his mailbox that was supposed to go to someone who won a raid roll, but instead he put it on. And now, confronted, you can almost see the desperation in his text. Unfortunately, once an item is soulbound, it's pretty much lost. But still, he knows he's been caught. And GW knows it, too.That story and more in this week's Guildwatch, bringing you drama, downed, and recruiting news from around the realms. Send your guild's information (or any drama you've spotted) to wowguildwatch@gmail.com, and click on to read this week's column.
Tips for raiding faster
I am definitely an advocate of the fast instance or raid -- when I played a tank, I pulled pulled pulled (according to the healer's mana, of course), and even now, mostly as a Hunter, I still get impatient. When the healer's mana is full and the tank is not /afk, I sometimes just throw a Misdirect up and go. That's probably why I really liked Naissa's tips for speedy raiding -- she lays out a few really practical things you can do to get your raid moving faster, from only marking skull and X when necessary to only worrying about the healer's mana. It's not the end of the world if the Mage or Hunter has to drink for a second after the pull. While you should always get back to full before a boss pull (and as she says, that's a perfect time to break down the basics, only the basics, of the fight), usually as long as you've got the tank and healer ready, a quick pull will give you time for aggro to settle down as well.I don't completely agree with her DPS meter remarks -- I do think that beating the raid is much more important than trying to win the DPS meters, but as a DPS player, I like viewing the meters as good feedback on where I should be. If I'm super low in the meters, it's time to look at my gear and rotations and try to figure out why so I can get better, and I think it's valuable for DPS, as long as they can keep their attention on the raid, to do the same thing.But all of the other tips are great, and in general, "pull pull pull" should be the order of the day. Some groups are better at rolling through content than others, obviously, but as long as you've got a solid tank and healer in play who know the instance and know how to handle what comes, most raids and groups can move through the content pretty quickly.
Ready Check: Preparing for Ulduar's Bosses
Ready Check is a weekly column focusing on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Naxxramas-10 or Naxxramas-25, everyone can get in on the action and down some bosses. This week, we do some homework.With Patch 3.1 and the release of Ulduar fast approaching, it's time to sit down and prepare for the upcoming content. Now, you might be the sort of raider who loves a surprise or two, and as a result you haven't looked at any of the preview coverage of Ulduar; if that sounds familiar, you probably don't want to continue reading this article.If, however, your guild is going to rush into Ulduar as soon as possible, aiming for server or even world firsts, you need to be prepared. Let's take a look at the resources you can use to maximise your chances of success against the unknown.
Ulduar maps aplenty
Haven't loaded up the PTR and gone to check out Ulduar for yourself yet? The good news is you've got lots of ways to see it online -- in map form. Reader Evan B sent us the version in the picture to the right (click it for the full version, and it's big) -- he cut and pasted together the in-game map screenshots to make up a to-scale version of what the instance looks like. Our friend Stompalina also has a version, cut together from what looks like the minimap ingame, so you can get a little clearer idea of what the textures look like in each section of the instance.And StratFu sent us an interactive map of the Titan city, with hover-over tooltips on each boss and click-through information for what we'll face inside. Strategies are still being fleshed out completely (and remember, this is the PTR, so everything is subject to change). But if you're looking for as much info as possible on what's waiting for you inside the brand new raid of Ulduar in patch 3.1, there's lots of places for you to find it.
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?
Guildwatch: Ninja tested, GM approved
This isn't guild drama, but what a move -- Kokor of Draka convinced a PuG to help him through a second run of Gun'drak just so he could ding level 80. And take a guess what he did as soon as he dinged -- yup, split off to Naxx, leaving the PuG, who'd just helped him level the last few points, in the lurch. The jerk store called, and they just ran out of Kokor.More stories of drama in this week's Guildwatch below, including a prodigal son that isn't so welcome. Plus, we've got downed and recruiting news from around the realms -- if you want to know what the guilds are up to on your server, it's in here. And don't forget, send your tips on drama, downed and recruiting news to wowguildwatch@gmail.com, and you'll see them right here in the future.
Guildwatch: The dreaded 0% wipe
So close, and yet so far. The screenshot you see above? It was a wipe. The whole guild died off on Kel'Thuzad... at 9.5k health, low enough for the mod above to list it at 0%. Yes, Benediction on EU Turalyon experienced the dreaded 0% wipe -- we hope you never have to see it, and we hope, just like them, that victory comes soon after if you do. They downed him on the attempt right after that one.Lots more downed news after the break in this week's Guildwatch. To submit your tips (we do have a backlog currently, so it may take a week or two to get them in), send them off to wowguildwatch@gmail.com. And there are so many ninjas on the realms lately that unless they're exceptional or otherwise guild-related, we probably won't be listing them here. So if some random dude stole a blue out of your 5-man PuG, you'll have to look for vengeance elsewhere (the forums, maybe?). Enjoy the column!
Ulduar achievements unveiled
Wow. MMO Champion, long trusted to datamine anything that's not nailed down to the floor, brings us the complete (to date) list of Ulduar achievements added to the 3.1 PTR, and yeah. It's long. Blizzard promised us some new achievements for Ulduar, but I wasn't expecting a list THIS long. Or this hilarious.There are the expected "kill these bosses" achievements, the inevitable "kill these bosses while doing something hard" achievements, silly achievements you'll get without trying, and more. Bear in mind that many of these numbers, and even some achievement criteria, are either incorrect or placeholders. Don't freak out. The full list is after the jump and is, of course, quite spoiler-heavy, so stay away if you want your Ulduar experience to be as pure as driven snow.The rest of you, though? CLICK. DO IT. COME ON.
Immortal is the toughest raiding achievement in the game
This is extremely interesting. Guildox is a site that tracks raiding progression solely based on earned raiding achievements -- they check the Armory entry of your guild, and then add them to a list of who's toppled which instances and when. But they recently sent us a note about some overall data, and it's fascinating. Below the pulldown bar of the achievement listings on their site, you'll find an "achievement rate" stat. That is the percentage of guilds who've completed the selected achievement as compared to the number of guilds in their system who've completed any of the 10 or 25-man raiding achievements.In essence, that's the percentage of guilds raiding who've completed that achievement. And the toughest achievement in the game right now is The Immortal, which requires you to get 25 people through Naxx without dying once. Only about 1.5% of guilds raiding have finished that one. After that, it's Heroic: You Don't Have an Eternity (take out Malygos in six minutes), and Heroic: Shocking! (bring down Thaddius without crossing charges). The hardest 10-man achievement is the non-Heroic version of the Malygos timed achievement -- The Undying actually isn't too bad, with almost 20% of guilds having attained it.More after the break, including information on the easiest raiding achievements.
Guildwatch: "Ninja-ing mount, sry"
We don't really know how or why you would make an intro movie for a raiding guild, but there you go. That's the intro for Goon of Kil'jaeden, who are apparently currently working on Sarth 3D. I like the music, although as a trailer, it doesn't really work that well. Exactly what is coming soon?Looking for your fix of guild drama, downed and recruiting news for the week? It's right here in GW. If you've got a tip about any guild from around the realms, feel free to send it in to us at wowguildwatch@gmail.com (we've got tons of tips coming in lately, so if you don't see your guild here this week, it'll probably be in next week). Click the link below to read on.
WoW Insider Show Episode 80: Listen to your mom
We had a little bit of everything on this week's WoW Insider Show. We got down and dirty with Ulduar details, as Michael Sacco walked us through all of fhe bosses he'd done so far on the PTR. Turpster and I got a little silly for the fans (unfortunately, the song is stlll yet to come, but I'll reiterate: it'll be worth the wait), we told a kid how important it is to stay in school, and we even snuck in some good advice on how to make some money fast ingame.You can listen to last week's show, as always, on any or all of the links below, and be sure to send us an email at theshow@wow.com if you've got any feedback you'd like to share. Don't forget, too, that there is no show next Saturday -- instead, we're going to be recording the podcast live on Wednesday night at 9pm EST over on the Ustream page, so if you've never had the chance to hear the show before, this'll be your opportunity to tune in and listen live. We'll return back to our normal time on Saturday, March 21st.In the meantime, enjoy the show.Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[Ustream] Listen to the unedited recording in Ustream.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
The Immortal clarifications by Bornakk
This was hinted at the other day when the idea of an "Immortal" achievement for Ulduar was thrown around, but Bornakk has stepped up to clear up exactly what's supposed to be happening with Naxx's ultimate "flawless victory" achievement.He clears up all the questions that people have asked. To get the achievement, you only have to be present for Kel'thuzad, as long as no one has died on any of the other bosses. And "dying" on the other bosses means any deaths at all -- including wipes, or any other deaths while bosses are engadged. Deaths on trash are apparently fine, and will not lose you the achievement, but if anyone dies on a boss, the raid ID is lost for the week and you've got to start over again next time (of course, you can still go through and get all of the loot and other rewards, so it's not a total wash).It's tough, no question, but remember that this is an achievement, not a part of normal progress. It's designed to really push your guild (or at least show you've got some good gear). While most of Naxx won't give an experienced, well-geared guild much trouble, achievements like this one can and should be more of a challenge.
Breakfast Topic: Who's the boss?
Recently we brought back one of our popular features -- the boss matchup that pits the game's nastiest bosses against each other. It's really an interesting thought, and even though we can theorycraft all we want about how things come down, it's really just a popularity contest. I mean, if you think about it, one reader was right about Amanitar beating Eck the Ferocious, right? But our little frog-like friend was the more popular one, so he won the day.That's how we roll. That brings me to my question today... who's your favorite boss of all time? The bosses in Ulduar look really interesting, but it's too early to tell which one is going to be really cool and which one is going to be really annoying. Let's see... I think everybody loves VC, right? He's just so darned charming. Personally, I always enjoyed the Four Horsemen in Naxxramas... if only because they're pretty cool. I mean four Death Knights, all of different dispositions, on cool horses... I kind of like Sir Zeliek but probably only because I play a Paladin. I imagine he was forced to reroll and didn't like what he got.So... four years and two expansions later, with numerous instances and raids... who's the boss you enjoy the most? Who's the boss you remember best? Surely someone's got to pick the flatulent Princess? Or maybe the king you pay tribute to in the Maul? They've given us all some fun (and painful) times, let's give a shoutout to our favorite ones.
Datamined Ulduar boss information, with analysis
Yes, yes, we know you're curious about what the Ulduar boss encounters will be like, loyal readers. With 14 bosses, 11 hard modes, and an optional heroic boss, we wonder, too! We'll be able to test some of these encounters on the 3.1 PTR soon, but there are, of course, those of us who just can't wait to know anything about what's going on in Ulduar. Luckily, ever-resourceful players and dataminers have acquired information about spells and abilities related to bosses in Ulduar from the 3.1 PTR files. There's a lot of of stuff in here -- some of it may make it into the live game, some may not, and some may be related to vehicles or other sundries involved with encounters. I'm going to go into detailed analysis of those encounters for which detailed spells exist. It goes without saying that these will be huge spoilers to anyone who doesn't want their Ulduar experience to be anything but pure, so don't read past the jump if you don't want to know!
Guildwatch: Brother against brother
The worst thing about the screenshot above? "Nùker" is a character that's already been known around the server as a ninja. We swear, people -- we work week after week to bring you all this news of nefarious guild switching and loot stealing, and you're not even paying attention. Given, as ninjas go, taking the mammoth is a pretty lame way to ruin your rep (or at least ruin it even more), but still, we're posting all of this for a reason here, people!Oh, that, and because it's really funny. More drama, downed, and recruiting news after the break in this week's Guildwatch. If you've got guild news of any kind (especially drama -- we're full up on downed news lately, but drama is harder to come by), send it right along to wowguildwatch@gmail.com. And keep an eye out for your server and guild in this week's GW -- you never know when we'll show up on your doorstep.
New dungeon maps on the patch 3.1 PTR
MMO Champion has posted all of the in-game maps for the new Northrend dungeons. We'd heard a while back that they'd be added in, and though there was no mention of them in the 3.1 patch notes, sure enough, they're out on the PTR.They obviously use the same style as all of the other in-game maps, with labels of each area and concept art of the dungeon itself behind each layout. But here's something we didn't expect: each map has a skull placed where the bosses are, so with just a glance at the map you can see where the big bad guys are found. Right now, obviously, we know where they all are, but that will be interesting when maps of future instances become available.And right now, on the world map, areas get drawn in as you discover them, but we'd guess that these maps will be opened up as soon as you enter the instance (you don't discover parts of an instance, you discover the whole thing). It'll be interesting to see, next time we explore some new instanced content, just how these maps can affect gameplay. Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.
Guildwatch: Leave Tankserious alone
No classier way to /gquit than that, really -- have a power outage in the middle of a raid, and then return just to tell everybody that you're gone forever. Good luck with that whole "life" thing -- tell us how it turns out.Lots more drama, downed, and recruiting news in this week's Guildwatch. Who knows: your guild (or server) might even be in here. Click the link below to find out.
Who's the boss (in Ulduar)?
All this talk of 3.1 we've been seeing lately is fantastic! Class and talent changes everywhere, dual-spec announcements (see? I told you!), it's all great stuff. For me, though, the big draw of 3.1 is -- read my lips -- one new dungeon! I know, I know, raids is raids, but I'm getting pretty tired of Naxx, and I want a nice long raid to sink my teeth into. New strats to learn! Setting a course through uncharted territory! Wiping because we don't know the fight yet! I'm just so excited. Of course, the one thing we haven't found out about Ulduar yet is who the heck we're killing for their purples! Being a reasonable man who reads his quest text, though, I've been able to divine the identities of a few personalities we're likely to encounter. The Ulduar screenshots from beta, with their diverse wings and amazing architecture, also hint to these same folks. They'll be involved, and I'll put good gold on it. Who's ready to rumble?
Guildwatch: The Armory never lies
Ninjas and /gquitters beware: the Armory knows. It knows what achievements you've gotten and when, it knows what your gear is, and it knows what kind of raiding you've done and which reputations you've leveled. You can say anything you want on the forums: that you're an experienced raider, or that you've never even been in an OS raid, much less ninja'd gear from one, but the Armory will call you out, every time.That drama and more in this week's Guildwatch, our weekly collection of guild updates from around the realms. To tell us your guild's story (or send us a great bit of drama you've seen elsewhere), just drop a note to wowguildwatch@gmail.com. This week's GW starts right after the cut.
