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New war games mode for arenas and battlegrounds
If you've ever wanted to have a friendly match strictly for bragging rights, try out a new prospective arena or BG-mate before committing, or just practice some strategies, then war games are for you. Instead of accidentally almost starting a nuclear firestorm by playing games with a computer, you'll be skirmishing against other players in the World of Warcraft. Bashiok - War Games: Battleground and Arena Skirmishes Q: What's a War Game? A: A War Game is an unranked match in which one group of players challenges another group to an Arena or Battleground skirmish in a setting of their choosing. You will be able to initiate a War Game by using the /wargame or /wg command, as explained below. source While these matches are not for points, they can allow you to do fun things like challenge a rival guild to an Alterac Valley free-for-all, set up some arena runs to iron out the kinks in your group composition without losing rating, or set up an in-realm tournament on your own time. All war games must be between players on the same realm, but combatants can be from the same or different faction. We used to set up complicated free for alls in the Gurubashi Arena in guild for fun nights, this seems like a good way to extend that tradition. Go check out the complete FAQ and see if it's for you.
Cataclysm is the fastest-selling PC game "of all time"
The first reports are in on Cataclysm sales, and the expansion appears to be doing quite well. In the first 24 hours of the game's release, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm sold 3.3 million copies (compared to Wrath of the Lich King's 2.8 million). This is only a good thing for Azeroth, as it's seeing this expansion be even bigger than the last -- and for a six-year-old game that's three expansions in ... that could be unprecedented. The main part of the press release below, and the full release after the break. Blizzard PR PARIS, France. -- December 13, 2010 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Cataclysm™, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), sold through more than 3.3 million copies as of its first 24 hours of release*, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. This milestone eclipses the previous record of more than 2.8 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in November 2008 by Blizzard's second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King®. source
The Queue: From the photo album
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today. I pulled out the oldest screenshot I could find in my Screenshots folder. Unfortunately, I switched computers right before BC launched, so all of my vanilla screenshots are gone. You guys should post the oldest screenshot you can find in the comments. Though I'm not going to force you! Or am I? Revynn asked: Am I wrong to be annoyed that guilds are already 11/12 while most of us are still trying to get to 85? It's somewhat expected for guilds like Paragon to steamroll content, but they've barely had time to run heroics. Doesn't that say something about the difficulty level of Cataclysm raids? Yeah, you're wrong. Sorry, but the fact is that not only were these raids open for a month or more on the beta, we're also dealing with guilds we know are the best of the best of the best. Some of them are even sponsored. Being at the bleeding edge is just what they do. Most guilds will take months before they even clear the first tier of raiding. Who cares if someone does it faster? The speed that you experience the game is what matters here.
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Cataclysm gear guide -- factions
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host. Well, what do they say about plans and contact with the enemy? This week, I'd fully intended to write a Cataclysm 101 guide for prot warriors, but then Cataclysm actually happened and I immediately spent the time as fury. Since I'm going to start working on leveling my prot warrior soon as I get the fury to 85 (which I should have done by the time you read this) the protection 101 will be next week. This week, as I've been flitting around trying to decide which factions to grind rep with for which rewards, I've decided to share all that musing with you. Also I've been kind of running around like a chicken going 'woah' a lot, but you probably didn't need to know that. Yes, I was in the beta. I was in the beta on a four year old computer. Playing the expansion on a new machine has even my jaded warrior heart all aflutter. So far, I've kept my T10 pieces for the 2 set bonuses, which are boring but compelling (the two piece is now just all physical damage increased by 5%, while the four piece is all damage, period) but with Deepholm gear dropping I expect I'll be dumping set fairly soon. I've more or less replaced almost all my non set gear with blues and greens. So here's a sampling of the factions I'm looking at and the gear and arcanums they offer.
The Queue: Heroic as heck
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today. I'm ready for heroics. Are you? Astalnar asked: Is there any chance worgen will get a unique DPS form (wolf instead of cat), same way as trolls got bat instead of bird? Worgen already have a unique model for cat form, the same way trolls do. Worgen also got a unique flight form. If you're asking if Blizzard is going to scrap the unique cat form model they already gave worgen in favor of something else, the answer is assuredly no.
Arcane Brilliance: Cataclysm 101 for mages level 81 to 85
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, Arcane Brilliance tears itself away from flying circles around Azeroth going "ooh," "ah," and "holy crap is that the sarlac pit?" to deliver you a brief leveling guide. If you happen to be a mage and you happen to be between the levels of 80 and 85 (or someday hope to be in that level range), and you hate warlocks with a passion that borders on religious fervor, you've stopped at the right place. Seriously, you should know that it's physically painful for me to not be playing Cataclysm right now. I hope you people appreciate my sacrifice. There are flagged warlocks right this very moment on my server questing in Vashj'ir that are not being killed, and it hurts my heart to think of it. To make up for lost time, I demand that each of you slaughter at least one warlock when next you log in. It's the least I could ask. So, I assume that those of you who have a mage as your main are well on your way to level 85, if you haven't gotten there already. Those of you who have a mage alt or are still leveling a lowbie mage may not have even started on this portion of the mage leveling game yet. Whatever the number next to your mage's name, at some point or another, you may find yourself in the market for a mage 81-85 leveling guide. Good news, everyone! This is that leveling guide. Also, I just managed to use "mage" in a sentence 72 times. Let's begin, shall we?
The design evolution of home life in the starting zones
The starting zones form a player's formative thoughts about how the denizens of Azeroth actually live their lives. These first glimpses of life-as-our-characters-know-it are key to defining what it would be like to "really" live as our characters do. When you're in a starting area, you get to see the "common dwarf" in his natural habitat. (Or human, orc, troll, and sundry other races.) Of course, there have certainly been technical limitations over the years that restrict the number of widgets and sprites available to designers. But it's interesting to see how the home life of Azeroth natives have been improved over the existence of WoW. The above picture is from Elwynn Forest. It's the home of Donni Anthania, the Crazy Cat Lady. The domicile of Ms. Anthania includes a chair, table, a couple chests, and a wardrobe. It also has a small herd of cats wandering around the floor. Interestingly, Donni is wielding a cleaver. It's unlikely that the cleaver was intended to mean Donna is hostile; instead, it's probably because she's supposed to be cooking or something. But the Crazy Cat Lady has been in the game since before there were any expansions. Technical design was a little more limited then. Let's compare this to how the blood elves lived come Burning Crusade.
The Queue: Loot
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today. Some dudes are just born lucky. Pere asked: Any idea when the flight form models will be implemented for worgen and trolls? I'm not sure why they're not in now, but you can bet on their being implemented in the next patch.
Alex Afrasiabi and Tom Chilton on Cataclysm
"I think people are blown away. I'm blown away, and I'm so jaded at this point." If you're looking for the big quote from this interview G4's Feedback did with Alex Afrasiabi (WoW's lead world designer) and Tom Chilton (its lead designer), then look no further, my friends. Discussion topics include whether Blizzard is going to take over Harmonix (all signs seem to point to no), the attempt at parity between goblin and worgen starting zones, how it feels to step into these new zones as a player once you've taken off your designer hat, and the battle between design intent and scheduling. If you're interested in hearing from the horse's mouth what Blizzard was thinking when it implemented Kezan or redesigned your favorite zone, here's your chance. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
New hints of Old Gods in Vashj'ir
Note: This post contains spoilers. If you read this post, you may be mildly spoiled. The Old Gods are legendary parts of WoW. You've got C'Thun hanging out in southern Azeroth, whose unblinking eye stares balefully across the world. Those of us who were part of the Northrend expedition certainly encountered Yogg-Saron. Heck, many of us got so familiar with Yogg-Saron that we made armor out of his blood and danced around Icecrown Citadel in our favorite made-from-death-god prom outfits. The Old Gods are a defining part of the World of Warcraft experience. They are unmistakeably influenced by the Lovecraft mythos, wherein ancient gods from the stars balefully disregard the lives of humans. (Remind you of a certain heavenly-bodied heroic boss fight?) An equally important part of the mythos, however, is the unknowable, abyssal fathoms of the ocean's deeps. This is a world where humans can not tread, where light does not shine, and where we can not know what exists.
Blizzard developers lead visual tour of Cataclysm zones
I recently spoke to a friend in game about the new zones developed for Cataclysm. Some of them are so packed with visual highlights (like Vashj'ir or Deepholm) that I found myself spending more time ooohing and aahing over new sights and sounds than actually playing. The combination of new and alien vistas, gorgeous new effects, and stunning creatures (seriously, whoever designed the new sea life in Vashj'ir is a bloody genius) has kept me more or less dazed the whole time I've been mucking about down there. If you're a gawker like me in Azeroth's hottest tourist spots, the folks at G4 have these video tours of the new zones for your perusal, hosted not by David Attenborough (although that would be cool) but instead by Blizzard's Alex Afrasiabi, the lead world designer. This is sort of like having a tour of the Labyrinth hosted by Daedalus. The zones in question, Vashj'ir, Uldum, and the redesigned Stormwind, are some of my favorites (although I am bummed out there's no tour of Deepholm, possibly my favorite new zone), and I really enjoyed listening to how Blizzard designed Stormwind from the ground up for Cataclysm. So go check those out. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Cataclysm hotfixes for Dec. 8
Late last night, another round of Cataclysm hotfixes was deployed and posted to the official World of Warcraft blog. The list of hotfixes is massive; here are some highlights: The trade skill nodes were too dense in Deepholm and Twilight Highlands for mining and herbalism. Several have been removed. Players are no longer able to retain the 450 percent swim speed increase from the Abyssal Seahorse through devious, devious means. Players of the opposite faction can no longer kill the lures for the Seahorses. It's just mean and wrong. And mean. Follow through the break for the full list of hotfixes.
The Queue: Late is better than never
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. This extremely late edition of The Queue is brought to you by Road Runner High Speed Online, because my connection went down for many an hour while I was attempting to write this yesterday. Phoenix asked: What's a welk!? They're all over Vashj'ir. Is it just a snail with a fancy name? Basically ... yes. A welk (or whelk) is a sea snail. In some regions of the world, the term is a little more broad and includes other types of mollusk, and in other regions of the world, the term is a lot more narrow and only covers specific types of sea snail. The most basic answer, however, is that whelks are sea snails.
Blizzard debuts the World of Warcraft Game Guide
The new World of Warcraft community site has, in my opinion, been a marvelous success for Blizzard. It's gorgeous, informative, and updated regularly. We've always wanted this type of outreach from Blizzard, and we got it in spades. And now, Blizzard has expanded the site with the new World of Warcraft Game Guide. The Game Guide features four illustrated chapters detailing what World of Warcraft is, getting started with the game, basic game mechanics, very detailed visual representations of game and chat etiquette, and an entire section explaining the late PvP and raid game. It is truly a sight to behold, and the people in charge of visualizing and explaining some nebulous concepts have gotten it right in a simple and aesthetically pleasing way. It's really awesome. But the game guide doesn't stop with describing the game alone. The new race and class pages up the ante on player race information, detailing the story of each race, capital and starting cities, faction leaders, and the story so far. Each race's page is lovingly crafted with gorgeous artwork and awesome story bits. The class pages are just as robust, with lore on the various classes, role descriptions, and more. Blizzard had a lot of fun making these pages, and it shows.
Encrypted Text: A Cataclysm 101 guide for rogues
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any Cataclysm questions you have! There was once a time where rogues were one of the worst soloing classes in the game. We have never had any tanking or healing abilities like the hybrid, and our fellow pure DPS classes have the advantage of ranged attacks. Rogues were simply wrecked by their enemies. While we had decent levels of dodge, our survivability depended entirely stunlocks to control our opponents. Against anything immune to stuns, we were pretty much worthless. Times have changed. Rogues have reached levels of survivability that were previously fantasy. We remain the single best DPS class for toe-to-toe damage, and now we can actually last long enough to get the job done. Each of the three rogue specs has a purpose and a direction, and the title for top DPS spec is still up for grabs at level 85. Blizzard has already tweaked the mastery system for rogues several times to ensure that no spec is left behind. I'm looking forward to our bright future in Cataclysm.
Know Your Lore: A history of Gilneas
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. Ironically, for a nation we will only get to see with the arrival of the Cataclysm expansion, Gilneas has a long and storied history both within the Warcraft setting and in the games that have comprised it. Colonized during the first flowering of the Arathor after the Troll Wars, Gilneas grew alongside the other colonized regions of the Arathi Empire even as the heart of that empire faltered. As proud Strom entered a period of decline, Gilneas joined other human settlements like Lordaeron and Stormwind in becoming fully independent, and a strong but insular culture developed here. How then, did Gilneas go from one of the strongest of humanity's kingdoms to what it will be when you come to it as a player? It's said that pride goes before the fall, but for Gilneas, it could be said that pride both precipitated and delayed its fall, and that what kept it secure for decades is what ultimately brought about its current fate.
New Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftains song: Warriors of Azeroth
As a BlizzCon 2010 attendee, I was a little disappointed that the Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftains weren't there with a new song. That has now been remedied, as Wowhead has exclusive footage of their newest song, Warriors of Azeroth. This was shot at the Cataclysm launch event. Sung by the metalhead and art lead Samwise Didier, this rocking new tune is an ode to all those who would don their armor for the greater good -- the warrior. Horde or Alliance, it doesn't matter -- those who grab their axes, hammers and swords, and rush headlong into battle, this song is for you. So say thanks to your tanks, give your arms warrior a hug, and grab a drink for your favorite fury. Kick back and enjoy!
Guild experience no longer earned via guild achievements
Community Manager Nethaera hit the official World of Warcraft forums this afternoon to announce a change to guild experience that has been implemented today. Until now, guilds received guild experience for achievements earned. Going forward, this will no longer be the case, and it appears the change is retroactive as well. Any experience previously gained via guild achievements is no more. Nethaera We have decided to remove the added bonus of gaining Guild Experience from Guild Achievements earned. This change will realign Guild Achievements with our philosophy held for normal Achievements, which are intended to be predominantly their own reward (barring the rare exception of special achievements that grant an additional reward.) Previously, the experience reward had been seen as an additional side bonus and not something that should have been significantly skewing the advancement of guilds. During the beta, we greatly increased leveling speed across the board and since most characters were copied from templates, guild experience from Achievements didn't seem imbalanced. It has become clear that an imbalance does exist and should be addressed to ensure that guilds progress at the rates expected within the daily Guild Experience limits. For guilds that are currently above the normally possible experience limit, we will be readjusting it back to the expected limit once more. This will not affect Guild Reputation gains at this point in time. source
Cataclysm is live ... except not quite [updated]
It is after midnight on Dec. 7, 2010, and that can only mean one thing: Cataclysm is live in the United States! Except ... um, it's not. At least, not everywhere, and not on every server. There are currently widespread reports of servers not being "turned on" to Cataclysm yet (with level 80 characters still unable to earn experience, for example) and further reports of people being unable to even log in. Experiences seem to vary from server to server, so don't panic if you're not able to log in. You're not alone, and the problem's not on your end. We'll provide updates here and provide you with news as it develops. Update (12:30 a.m. PST): It appears that XP gains have now been turned on. Happy leveling! Update (12:54 a.m. PST): Blue poster Bashiok has confirmed on the official forums that XP gains are on universally, so long as you read "not" as "now." The official Blizzard customer service Twitter account says XP gains are active as well. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
WoW Insider's Cataclysm coverage page
We know the Cataclysm coverage has been an avalanche of information over the last week. In case you haven't been able to keep up, we have collected links to all of our recent coverage and placed them on our dedicated Cataclysm page. There, you will find links to news stories and guides for the new worgen and goblin races, new zones and instances and more. We also include coverage since 4.0.1 so you can learn about the changes to the classes in preparation for Cataclysm as well as what's new with professions, PvP, guild achievements, archaeology and all the other features of the new expansion. Plus, you'll find links to lore articles delving into the story behind the new content. The page is updated every day, so check in for the latest news and guides on WoW Insider's Cataclysm page.
