burning crusade
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Quest rewards in the Burning Crusade
This lone screenshot has spawned a lot of excitement, by presenting us with a glance of what sort of itemization we can expect to see in the mid-60s. If you're already decked out in epic gear, these items might make you cry, but if you aren't, they might make you jump for joy. (My thought is that they never should have allowed Goblins to name these things.) The items in the screenshot, for those who can't bother to click on, include the following...QR 9977 2H AxeTwo-Hand Axe221 - 333 Damage Speed 3.40(81.5 damage per second)+31 Strength+30 Agility+45 StaminaQR 9977 Caster StaffTwo-Hand Staff92 - 162 Damage Speed 2.10(60.4 damage per second)+45 Stamina+31 IntellectEquip: Improves spell critical strike rating by 30.Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 85.QR 9977 DPS DaggerOne-Hand Dagger74 - 139 Damage Speed 1.70(62.6 damage per second)+13 Agility+19 StaminaEquip: +26 Attack PowerQR 9977 Feral StaffTwo-Hand Staff144 - 253 Damage Speed 3.30(60.2 damage per second)+31 Strength+30 Agility+45 StaminaEquip: +298 Attack Power in Cat, Bear, Dire Bear, and Moonkin forms only.QR 9977 Fist WeaponOne-Hand Fist Weapon109-204 Damage Speed 2.50(62.6 damage per second)+13 Agility+19 StaminaEquip: +26 Attack Power.QR 9977 Healer MaceThe screenshot, for some reason, does not include a mouseover of this mace. However, later in the thread, someone comments that the mace has "160ish +healing and some other stats I dont recall."
Burning Crusade Spells & Talents Updated
No, no -- still no hunter abilities. The main body of these changes seems to be extensive revisions to the priest abilities, making them a lot more interesting (and actually tempting me to spec higher than 31 points in any tree -- crazy!). However, there are also some tweaks for paladins, warlocks, and warriors. Check them out on the forums, or read on for the details.
Hunter talents soon? Maybe this week?
Thanks to all you folks who sent this in...Eyonix has revealed in the WoW forums that the hunter talents and spells are on their way, and they could be revealed as soon as the end of this week or the beginning of the next. He also urges a little patience and appreciates everyone waiting for a bit longer.While this info is not 100% for sure, as I have seen some forum promises go unfulfilled, it is nice to get a tentative time line. Hunters...your wait is almost over!
A chance to get in to the BC beta!
At present, I'm only seeing this contest up on the European website, but it wouldn't surprise me to find a similar affair on the US website soon. (If not, expect more moaning on the forums than usual over the next few days.) Winning is simple -- just take a screenshot of your guild near a well-known NPC. So get out your fanciest clothes and get searching for that perfect spot. The best 40 entries will receive 25 beta keys for the guild. Now get going -- you only have until October 5th to send in your entry!
Character screens from the Burning Crusade
You won't find huge amounts of new data here, but poster ethan_th on the Curse Gaming forums has posted a number of screenshots of the character screen in the Burning Crusade expansion. This screenshot selects the defenses menu, which shows off the much talked about new resilience statistic -- the mouseover for which reads: "Decrease the chance of enemy a criticial hit on you by 0.0)%" Read on for some additional screenshots.
Have some friends who aren't yet hooked?
Not very likely, I know. But if you do have a friend that hasn't yet been convinced to start playing World of Warcraft, it's a cheap time to get started, as Blizzard seems to have quietly dropped the cost of retail boxes to $19.99. Local prices may vary, but I've noticed several local retailers showing this markdown, including Best Buy, EBgames, Fry's Electronics, and Amazon.com (coming in with the low, low price of $18.98). So, unable to finish a post without adding in some Burning Crusade speculation, I have to wonder if is this price drop another sign of impending expansion release? (Get a few new players in before the expansion hits, or lower the cost of entry for new players once the expansion is released, perhaps?)
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade footage leak
Whether a new video showing environments and mobs from World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is authentic or an elaborate mod is up for debate. If it is real than somebody has been naughty and deserves a spanking. A spanking and a hug from all the World of Warcraft players clamoring for more information and footage regarding the upcoming Burning Crusade expansion.A user created video on GameTrailers apparently reveals environments and mobs from the Burning Crusade's Outlands. The video explains that the footage was captured by placing the Burning Crusade code onto a private server . There are no NPCs or other bells and whistles in the video because it's not on a Blizzard server.So if you feel like being naughty, go take a look. We promise not to tell.[Thanks Brent]
Blizzard 1, BC rumor sites 0
The pluralization is a bit pre-emptive here, as only one site I know of has had its contents pulled offline due to Blizzard's requests. That site, the Caverns of Time, was a great compilation of rumors and occasionally legitimate information about the upcoming expansion (the screenshot above, pulled from the site, was obviously not an accurate representation of the druid changes). They've received notice from Blizzard giving them 48 hours to remove contents of the site or else face "formal action," and they seem to have complied. You can check the site, still, for a copy of what I assume is Blizzard's complaint. Ah well -- I'm sure three sites will spring up tomorrow to replace it, thus providing us a steady stream of interesting Burning Crusade gossip!
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Blizzard's Burning Crusade closed beta invite plan
This post by Nethaera in the WoW.com forums more or less sums up everything we already knew about the upcoming closed beta, as well as giving a little of the philosophy behind who they are picking for the beta test and why.In a nutshell, they want to spread out the invites amongst the hardcore raiders, the casual, the contest winners and friends of Blizzard. Interestingly, they do reveal that there will be more than one phase of the beta test, and there is a chance to get an invite as the process moves along. So maybe you don't have an invite in your inbox now, but you may get one later. Oh, and one more thing...don't bother sending them a sob story on why you should get a chance to test drive the expanison. They already know who they are inviting, and if you have to ask if you are on the list, you aren't on the list. I interpreted this post as basically saying "Here's what we're doing, here is why, don't call us, we'll call you". Sounds suspiciously like what my girlfriend said in high school when she dumped me for my best friend. Couldn't argue my way out of dumped, and I can't argue my way into a beta invite. So sad!
Another hint at the Burning Crusade release date
Alert reader Elüna points out an interesting fact about the possible release date of the coming expansion -- the release date of the official Bradygames strategy guide. This isn't an avenue I'd thought to check before, but apparently the strategy guide is scheduled for a November 15th release. And while game release dates tend to be guessed at by retailers (hard to sell a pre-order without a release date!), I doubt that book release date information, from the official publisher, is done in quite the same fashion. So what do the rest of you think -- are we looking towards a mid-November expansion release? My magic 8-ball says "maybe!"
What are the chances of getting a Burning Crusade beta key?
Well, according to Drysc on the WoW.com forums, not very good. They have no plans to offer any more keys at this time, although they possibly will offer more beta passes in the future. If they do, it will likely be via contests or drawings on their own site, or possibly fan sites.Not shocking news. From my own personal viewpoint, I am not that disappointed. Sure, I'd like to take the new car out for a spin before anyone else, but at the same time, I am looking forward to hitting the new content unspoiled with my guild. Although don't take it the wrong way. I'd be MORE than happy to take a beta key off of Blizzard's hands.
Download Burning Crusade? Blizzard VP thinks...maybe.
The folks over at Computer and Videogames have a short interview with Blizzard Senior VP of Product Development Frank Pearce in regards to the Burning Crusade expansion. Beyond stating that they are looking at letting the expansion be purchased via download, no new info is revealed in the interview. Don't let let that stop you from reading it though, as it is an interesting little chat. Pearce gives some insight on why certain decisions were made in creating the Burning Crusade, which is nice. But he ducks some of the more interesting questions asked, which is not so nice. I didn't expect him to answer the questions he ducked, as he is just a guy doing his job, which in this interview is creating a little hype without letting the cat out of the bag. As far as the download thing...well, it is interesting to note, although not what I would consider groundbreaking news. Even if the expansion is available via download, I will still probably go to the store and buy the shiny box. I am lame like that. However, I am sure some of you will be happy not to have wander into Best Buy come expansion day if Blizzard decides to go that route.One thing I did find sort of interesting is that he once again confirms that hero classes are nowhere on the radar. This news will surely annoy the "What's up with hero classes?" crowd. I imagine Blizzard wishes they never mentioned hero classes in the first place. So check out the interview if you want to get hyped further for BC. And we all want that, don't we?
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Breakfast Topic: Starting Over With Burning Crusade
I have seen some posts in the guild recruitment forum on the official site (that is, when the forums are actually working) of guilds starting fresh and re-rolling new characters upon the release of the Burning Crusade expansion. I guess I could see this being interesting at the beginning, provided you are in the new starting areas, experiencing all the new goodies there and such. However, I get the impression that the grind to 60 will be the same with the exception of those new starting areas. Starting over again, and waiting to hit the new Outland content? I don't know about that. On the other hand, I will admit that starting fresh with new characters and working your way to the new 60-70 content has some appeal. The "starter" Outland zones will be positively slammed for the first couple of weeks after release, so by the time you hit 60 the population will have spread out a bit around the new continent. Are any of you guys thinking of starting over with the BC? Are any of you currently in guilds that are planning to do this? Or do you think the re-rollers are insane? I might be interested in doing it myself if the mood happens to strike me come expansion time, so maybe we could be future guildies! How exciting would that be?**If you answered "Not very exciting at all. I don't want this noob in my guild!", then you answered wisely.
Possible Expansion Priest & Druid Abilities
I apparently can't resist a good rumor. And true or false, this information (complete with fuzzy screenshots!) is certainly interesting. The theme of pets continues, with the druid rumors showing a summonable Treant as their 41 point balance talent. The priest rumors are less substantial and without any screenshots but still intriguing. I'm nearly tempted to discount them immediately, but, despairing for news of my favorite class, I'm forced to consider them. The rumors are universally odd. They include a shadow-based healing spell which seems ludicrous, but which I can nearly see being balanced with its sky-high mana cost. Holy abilities mainly seem to focus on a priest declaring a player their "champion" and opening up a variety of new spells that are castable only on the champion. True or false, check out the speculation.
Burning Crusade Profession Rumors
World of Raids has some interesting information on professions in the expansion. But are they accurate? Well, I'm a little confused by the listed alchemy specializations - which are very unlike existing profession specializations in the game, which tend to open up new, specialized patterns. (A "potion master" will be able to sometimes produce two potions instead of one, when crafting potions. A "transmutation master" will sometimes get greater results from alchemical transmutations. And an "elixir master" will be able to sometimes produce two elixirs instead of one, when crafting elixirs.) Further, some of the enchants strike me as strange - a +4 all stats enchant for a ring (doesn't that seem... somewhat overpowered?), a +30 healing enchant for bracers (there's already a +24 healing enchant for bracers, and the added +6 seems quite minor). However, take a look and decide for yourself!
The Making of Illidan
If you were at E3 this year, you may have noticed the Illidan of which I refer - a nine foot tall sculpture that brought the character to life in a world away from Azeroth. And now you can see, step by step, the process involved in creating this Illidan. There's not a lot of reading, but plenty of great pictures to check out.
Last Week in Warcraft: August 21st - 27th
Patch 1.12Patch 1.12 goes live!The Burning CrusadeWill we see BC before 2007? (And am I the only hopeless optimist here?)The Burning Crusade alpha test - already in progress?The Burning Crusade leaks begin, with possible information on paladin, mage, warlock, and rogue talents.Interesting rumored rogue talent trees.Breakfast Topics & DiscussionWhat do you think the best player grouping for the expansions arena PvP matches will be?With 1.12 due to be released this week, what are you looking forward to in the patch?What other games do you play when the servers are down?What do you think of patch 1.12?Was there one piece of loot that always eluded you?PvPDon't expect arena PvP to be a spectator sport.Cross-realm battlegrounds are a hit!ContestsA comic contest honorable mention.Win a piece of custom character art.Another comic contest honorable mention.Blizzard NewsTwo new US realms opened.Get ready - Blizzard is planning yearly expansions for us.The new official forums are now live! Check 'em out!The Week's MaintenanceExtended Tuesday maintenance for US realms.Further extended maintenance for US realms.Downtime compensation for several US realms.The usual patch day excitement.Missing characters on several US realms.Extended European maintenance.Wednesday maintenance on several US realms.GuildsIn this week's GuildWatch: raiding is serious stuff.Death & Taxes take out the Four Horsemen in a world first!Raids & DungeonsRaiders respond to the announced change to dungeon caps.Tips & TricksEssential addons for the discerning level 60.A guide to frustration-free instances.Other Items of InterestIn Moviewatch, we have bubble hearth.Roleplaying Azeroth as a living world - are you up to the challenge?Phat Loot Phriday presents - the Amberseal Keeper.
Burning Crusade Abilities Updates
Tseric posted - rather cryptically, I must say - telling us that the talent and abilities page for the burning crusade had been updated. However, he left it to us to figure out what changes may have been made. I've only noticed a few minor changes - though I certainly might have missed something. If anyone has seen any other changes, please leave a comment and let everyone know. However, I've seen the following, which I don't believe were there before... The paladin's consecrate spell will now be a trainable spell for paladins starting at level 20 (and the rank at level 70 will do 592 holy damage over 8 seconds). The paladin's tier 1 protection talent, redoubt, had been changed. Previously, it would incerase the paladin's chance to block with a shield after being a victim of a critical strike. Instead, the increased block ability will have a 10% chance to proc off all melee and ranged attacks. The rogue's evasion ability will now also reduce the chance ranged attacks hit the rogue by 50% for its duration. The warlock's unstable affliction ability (41-point affliction talent) now, in addition to doing damage to the dispeller when dispelled, silences the dispeller for 5 seconds. Additionally, the mana cost for the top rank has been lowered. The warlock's seed of corruption ability now has text suggesting that only one "corruption" spell can be on the target at any one time. Update: Adding information as I find it - thanks, Andy, Eliah.Update: Okay, I'm leaving keeping up with all of the little changes to the professionals. There's a great (and very detailed!) list of all of the tweaks up on the official forums.
Breakfast Topic: Favorite Expansion Build
You've seen the expansion talents for most classes, so now's the time to ask - what do you think? (And if you haven't seen them, you can check them out at the official site or on Wowhead.) Do you already have a talent build all planned out or are you having trouble deciding? Since the priest changes haven't yet been announced yet, I have been busy drooling over the talent trees of other healing classes and plotting out my paladin-to-be. (I think at least 42 points in holy is called for!) So, have you got the perfect talent build yet? Tell us all about it!
Wait No Longer: Official Talent Information!
It's not so long since I put up a post about more Burning Crusade rumors - but now there's no more waiting to determine what's fake and what's not (unless you were waiting for druid, hunter, or priest news). Blizzard has announced the official talent and spell changes for six classes! (Though they do not that the information shown is not final and still subject to change.) The new information comes complete with talent calculator, so you can go right ahead and plot your new build. These changes confirm some things we've seen rumored, and deny others. And all in all, these changes only make me more curious about what Blizzard has planned for the three classes they've not yet done announcements for.
