caverns-of-time
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Mysterious Mysteries: the Exodar
While questing in Azeroth the other day, a guildy and I got into a discussion on The Exodar. He mentioned that it looked to him that it was a ship and that someone should be able to fly it. That led to my geeking out a bit over the lore, and explaining that it was indeed a ship, a nethership, and the fourth part of Tempest Keep. I've often speculated about this strange city. As I fly around Netherstorm, I try to imagine what it was like to have that last piece of the armada floating with the others, and where it might have been placed. But the true mystery is what might have been within the Exodar. We know it had a boss, but who was flying that great ship when the Draenei broke in? What exactly was it used for? I think of it in terms of the Caverns of Time. If we were able to step back to that moment when the ship was hijacked, what would we see? I bet the battle was immense. Okay, here's where I'd like to here from you. What do you think the Exodar originally was? Are there clues within the existing structure that can hint at it's original purpose? [image courtesy of WorldofWar.net]
Confessions of a casual gamer
I admit it, I am never going to raid Naxxramas. C'Thun? Broodlord? These are fights I doubt I will ever see. That's not to say that I don't play a lot, I do. I have 10 characters, ranging from 70 to 1, and I admit an addiction to character creation. But I am not a raider. My mage has average gear. When she stepped through the portal in January she had 4 pieces of Arcanist, all of which I have replaced with green or blue items. My entire goal with the expansion hasn't been to defeat Illidan, and I've had no burning desire to send Vashj back into that hole created by the destruction of the Well of Eternity. I just wanted to go to the Caverns of Time. It was a simple wish, but I somehow feel less of a gamer because I don't have the opportunity or the drive to push through to the raid content. I have the desire, I do, I just live in a small world, with a small guild of friends. I would love to experience all the game has to offer, that's why I've created as many characters as I have. If there were 20 character slots, I would still have them all filled. In addition to my desire, though, I also have a lot of unease. Am I too a gamer if I don't get the "uberest" of gear sets? Is it enough to play for the love of the game, or do I need to have 6 characters at 70 by the time the next expansion comes out? A lot of the content in the game requires 25-man or 40-man raids, and I don't know how likely it is I will be able to get into Kharazan, despite finishing the key. I am grateful for the 5-man content in Outland, but I wonder, is there room in Blizzard's heart for the casual gamer?
Know Your Lore Special: The Caverns of Time Southshore Easter egg hunt
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/World_of_Warcraft_Old_Hillsbrad_Easter_Eggs'; In a video game, Easter eggs are hidden features or areas that are meant to please the game's serious players. So it's only appropriate that on Easter we explore the biggest Easter egg in WoW. The point of the Caverns of Time: Durnholde instance is to go into Durnholde Keep, free Thrall, and fight off some dragons. You can get some pretty nice mid-60s items there. But for those of a more explorative mindset, the real gem of this instance is Old Southshore. If you wander off the beaten path, you'll discover the Alliance stronghold hasn't changed too much in seven years ... and you may just meet some familiar faces. Read onward for a guide to the Easter eggs of Old Southshore.
Durnholde Keep hotfixed
Eyonix reports that a hotfix has been applied to the Escape from Durnholde Keep portion of the Caverns of Time. This should prevent Thrall from occasionally giving incorrect text and halting the progress of the instance. If you've done this instance a time or two, you know just how irritating it is to see Thrall halt in his tracks and refuse to move any further. Says Eyonix: I really do think we should've just given players the Foreman's Blackjack when they entered the instance, instead of pushing the hotfix. I think a good smack could've gotten Thrall back to work!I have to agree: that solution would have been a heck of a lot more fun.
Around Azeroth: Meet Nozdormu
Reader Bendak of Shadow Moon sends in a shot of this up close and personal meeting with Nozdormu inside the Caverns of Time. It looks to me like a dwarf wouldn't even be half a bite for Nozdormu, so I'm glad we're on friendly terms with him just now.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part. See more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Here there be dragons
It does seem like we're posting quite a few Caverns of Time shots lately, doesn't it? But it really can't be helped when the scenery is so incredible. This shot, sent in by reader Chris, highlights some of the local inhabitants.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part. See more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Keeping each other company
Reader A. Smith sends in this shot from the Caverns of Time. And while I'm not sure how exactly you reach this particular perch, it seems like a nice place to sit -- you've even got company.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part. See more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Blue Notes: Seduction, Pet Health, and Old Hillsbrad
Crowd control is an important part of the BC instances, especially heroics, more so than it was in the old world. Polymorph, sap, banish, and shackle all play their part, but up till now Seduce has not been very usable in Heroic-mode instances. Set for a change, this is. Thus spake Tigole:In an upcoming content patch (2.1.0) Warlocks will be able to use their succubus to seduce many humanoid creatures which are currently immune to charm effects.To clarify, the creatures do too much damage to allow them to be charmed (whether it be by a priest or by an engineer). Seducing them does not threaten the balance of the dungeon. This will mostly effect heroics. And it only makes things able to be seduced -- it doesn't make anything immune to mind control that was previously charmable. It's not a nerf for priests. It's a bonus for Warlocks.That makes some sense of why these mobs were no-seduce, too. And, as a healer, if there's one thing I love more than mana, it's crowd control.
Around Azeroth: Not very inviting, is it?
Reader Buman of Skullcrusher sends in this shot taken inside the Caverns of Time (inside the caverns, outside the instanced area). It's not really the sort of warm, inviting scenery that invites you to sit down and stay a while, though, is it? I personally tend to take massive glowing skulls as an ominous warning sign, but perhaps it's really just a friendly invitation to come inside and kill some things.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part. See more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
High-level instances bugged
The Raids and Dungeons forumgoers are up in arms about major bugs in Tempest Keep's Mechanar and the Caverns of Time Black Morass event. The Black Morass, also known as Opening the Dark Portal, features portals of angry dragons coming to stop Medivh from opening the Dark Portal. You have to kill these mobs to preserve the timeline. However, it looks like the spawns of the portals are either really random or really bugged. Sometimes multiple portals spawn at the same time, and sometimes you wait ten minutes and nothing spawns at all. Poptrix of Bloodhoof suggests that setting loot to free-for-all and looting everything off the corpses evens out the spawn times a bit. Tempest Keep's Mechanar features an elevator that appears to have some issues being visible. Some people can see it and others can't. This bug killed a run of Mechanar for my guild a couple nights ago. Hortus on the Bug Report Forum says that Blizzard is working on it, but many people trying to get attuned for Karazhan are pretty upset that they can't progress in Mechanar. Kink of the infamous "PALS FOR LIFE" suggests a fix:
