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A WoW player's guide to The Old Republic
Whether you're a longtime World of Warcraft player or someone who's just recently tried the game and fallen in love with it, you're probably aware that there are other MMORPGs out there. Recently, the game that's been getting the most press is Star Wars: The Old Republic. And if you've sat down and tried it out as a veteran on World of Warcraft, you probably had some idea of what was going on when you started playing, with the only initial speedbump being the lack of an auto-attack feature. But there's more to the game than combat and more things that might trip you up in the long run. So Eliot Lefebvre and Matt Daniel are here to help you out with a massive guide to coming into TOR when you're accustomed to the environment of WoW. Take a skip past the break to find out almost everything you'll need to know when converting from the world of Azeroth to the galaxy of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Amazing Warcraft cake creations
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Once upon a time, decorating cakes consisted of homemade frosting and a spatula. These days, however, cake creation has developed into an art form that is technical enough to make one's head spin. Cake, frosting and fondant have evolved from edible delicacies into full-on sculptural elements that can be used to create some jaw-dropping stuff, like the cake pictured above. You might not realize it at first glance, but the whole thing is completely edible. Deathwing's head was created to celebrate his demise in game -- and what a delicious way to celebrate! Created by Domestic Scientist, Deathwing shows an amazing amount of patience and attention to detail -- check out the veining on the horns and plates! For more photos and information on this amazing creation, check out The Domestic Scientist, and for more gorgeous cakes, follow after the break.
Talking Warcraft tunes with songstress SilverLetomi
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. It takes a heck of a lot of courage to parody a Beatles song, and it takes a heck of a lot of skill to pull it off correctly. SilverLetomi has managed to do both, and she's recorded dozens of Warcraft parodies and collaborations over the years. With an enviable vocal ability and an incredible amount of skill in creating and producing music, Letomi's tunes have long been a favorite of many on YouTube, and it's no wonder why -- the girl's got a great set of pipes! Letomi's work didn't start with Warcraft parodies, however. She's got years of experience in performing and audio engineering, something that is reflected in every song she puts out for people to hear. So what does it take to put together songs for the listening public? Letomi was kind enough to sit down with us and fill us in.
Maiev Shadowsong cosplayer Mary Booth
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. The first-place winner of this year's Costume Voting Contest was the impressive costume shown above of Maiev Shadowsong. What's interesting about the character of Maiev is that she's never really been known for her facial features; the easily recognizable part about Maiev has always been her iconic armor. That armor was recreated here in an incredible, breathtaking costume by Mary Booth, aka Faliná from the guild Scandalous on Kel'Thuzad (US-A). When you're dealing with a character as well-known as Maiev, the details have to be correct, and Mary did an outstanding job. She looks as if she's just jumped out of the game! Creating this kind of costume is an arduous task and takes months of work to get just right. Maiev wasn't Mary's first effort, nor will it be her last -- but it definitely made an impression at BlizzCon this year. Mary was kind enough to sit down and have a chat with us about Maiev, gaming, and next year's plans. %Gallery-142770%
Mineways offers up 3D-printed models of your Minecraft creations
Sure, those gigantic tributes to Italian plumbers look great on your PC screen, but sometimes you want something a little more tangible. That's exactly what Mineways lets you do. Yep, it's another demonstration of why we all need a 3D printer in our life, although this Minecraft-friendly software can also export your models across to 3D printing site, Shapeways, which will do the whole printing slog for you. Sure, it'll cost you, but it's likely to be a mere fraction of your own 3D printer. The Mineways program is based on the open-source mapping tool Minutor and creates both a data and texture file ready to pinged across to the Shapeways site. You can also attempt to reclaim some money from those many hours sunk into Minecraft by selling your creations on the site. Check the source below for tutorials, more examples and the latest version of the model exporter. [Photo credit: postapocalyptic]
The unveiling of Hogger cosplayer Bryce Masunaga
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Perhaps you're familiar with the photo above, we've used it on several occasions for a variety of articles here at WoW Insider, partially because it' a really cool costume with a lot of detail and partially because hey, it's Hogger! But I've always wondered just how that costume was put together -- and more importantly, who the heck is in there, anyway? Luckily, that question has been answered by an email from the costume's creator, Bryce Masunaga. While Hogger was a fantastic costume that many remember, Bryce has done a couple of other costumes for BlizzCon as well -- a sturdy Tree of Life that does the Twist, and a lovely version of priest tier 5. Bryce sat down with us and chatted about the art of costuming, patience, and how exactly he managed to walk around in that Hogger costume and still see where he was going! %Gallery-142533%
Bake up some Carefully Wrapped Presents for a Winter Veil treat
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Every year on Dec. 25, players can unwrap a variety of presents under the Winter Veil tree in game. But hey, who says the present quests have to be in game only? Take a look at those nice little packages above, complete with quest indicators. Unwrap the gift and you'll find a tasty bite of chocolate ganache, strawberry cheesecake, and a crisp and sweet graham cracker crust. But there's a surprise with these gifts ... You don't have to unwrap them at all -- the whole thing is edible, right down to the quest indicator! If this sounds like something right up your alley, you're going to love today's recipe. Want to know how to make a cheesecake? It's in here. Want to know how to make ganache? It's in here. In fact, I'm also going to lead you through the easiest fondant recipe you'll ever see, for fondant that is sweet and tasty, unlike that store-bought stuff you can get. Heck, I'll even show you how to make the graham cracker crust while I'm at it. Ready? Let's make some Winter Veil presents you'll never forget! %Gallery-142332%
Cosplay fun with the Stringer family
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. When I ask cosplayers, "How did you get into cosplay?" the answer most often given is that they attended a convention, saw someone in the costumes and decided to create a design based off their characters or a character in game. Well, today I've got a submission that happened to be the other way around entirely! After last week's amazing tauren cosplay, I was sent this amazing female tauren costume along with a whole host of others from 30-year costuming veteran Susan Stringer. Susan didn't start out playing WoW; it was her son Jake's dwarf hunter costume that inspired her to try her hand at creating a WoW character. One thing led to another, and Susan picked up WoW and started playing for herself, eventually completing the costume you see above. For the Stringers, both cosplay and WoW are now a family activity. %Gallery-141743%
Jaw-dropping tauren cosplay is larger than life
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Just how tall would a tauren be, if one suddenly appeared in real life? Monstrously huge, apparently! While we've had submissions from plenty of female cosplayers over the past couple of months, we haven't seen anything from the male side of the spectrum, and I was delighted to open my inbox and see the above photo of tauren warrior Mokkun, fully realized and come to life. This gigantic costume is didn't make an appearance at BlizzCon this year -- instead, it made its first showing at WindyCon, a science fiction convention in Illinois. The best part about all of this? It was a family project, of sorts. Mokkun's mother and father both play WoW and got him into the game, and his mother created the costume. Meant to be a stage piece rather than an up-close, detailed production, the costume still manages to impress. But don't take my word for it -- follow after the break for a few words from Malkinius, Mokkun's father!
Simple But Charming: Bria's night elf doll and amigurumi parrot pal
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Christmas is coming, and my nephews are expecting a boatload of flashy and suitably noisy toys under the tree. But sometimes with toys, less is definitely more. Take, for example, the charming night elf pictured above, a gift to a friend from crafter Bria, author of the blog Titchystitches. Not only is the doll adorably understated and cuddly-soft, she comes with her own out-of-game companion, a Hyacinth Macaw to fly at her side. Given the quality of craftsmanship with both the doll and the parrot, I was absolutely shocked to head that this was Bria's first attempt at a doll, at embroidering faces, and at making amigurumi critters. I'm no slouch with a sewing machine, but I expect any doll making on my end would end with wrinkled fabric and copious amounts of foul language directed at my machine. Happily, Bria agreed to give us a quick interview about her work and WoW.
Mylune cosplayer Lyz Brickley hugs a bunny right now!
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. The first memorable interaction I had with an NPC in Warcraft was with a dryad. The starting night elf quests in classic beta were fairly cut and dry until I was asked to speak to Tarindrella. Clicking on her elicited not the staid and composed response of the night elves, but an incredibly enthusiastic and entirely out of place "Hi!" that made me simultaneously laugh hysterically and fall in love. One of the best moments of Cataclysm was meeting Mylune and reading the hysterical quest text to save all the wee little animals, and seeing her again in Firelands was equally entertaining. Of all the likely characters one might see at the BlizzCon cosplay contest, the last I expected to see was cheerful and bubbly Mylune. Thank goodness I wasn't the only one who loved the character so much. Cosplayer Lyz Brickley came through with an utterly amazing, fully articulated costume of everyone's favorite critter enthusiast that is less a costume and more a fully mobile work of art. Follow after the break for a few words with Lyz and the creation of a four-legged masterpiece of costuming.
Voting for BlizzCon costume contest ends tomorrow!
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. This year's winners for the BlizzCon costume contest were all incredibly amazing efforts, such as the winning costume above, but the contest isn't over for the runner-up costumes! Both the BlizzCon US and the BlizzCon Europe websites are running a contest for those who didn't win on the big stage, and there's a lot of costumes to choose from and vote for. From Maiev to an Orgrimmar mailbox and from the fluffiest moonkin you've ever seen to the ever-bubbly Mylune, these 20 amazingly constructed costumes were picked and given a second chance at nabbing some prizes. Voting ends tomorrow, Nov. 18 -- so log in and vote while you can! And if you're in the mood for more magical costumes, check out our previous articles with cosplayers Svetlana Quindt, Christina Sims, and KittyCatChi. While you're at it, why not take a look at the full gallery of BlizzCon 2011 costume contest images? %Gallery-137313%
Crafter Kirei transforms WoW characters into works of art
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. If you've ever played LittleBigPlanet, you're probably familiar with the Sack People -- crocheted little characters that can be customized with assorted bits of wardrobe to look however you'd like them to look. For crafter Bobbi, otherwise known as Kirei of Artistic Gaming, the Sack People of LittleBigPlanet have taken on a life of their own in full-out, three-dimensional, cuddly crocheted sackdolls. But Kiriei's taken the idea of crafted sack dolls one step further on her blog, crafting recreations of characters from all sorts of video games, including World of Warcraft. The dolls shine right down to the last detail -- whether it's the tiny tusks on a Troll shaman or the delicate jewels and crystals adorning Tyrande Whisperwind's gown. Check out the gallery below for a look at the Warcraft sack dolls, and follow after the break for more from Kirei! %Gallery-138899%
Vanessa VanCleef cosplayer shares experience balancing big cosplay projects
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Vanessa VanCleef is something of a fan favorite at WoW Insider. Appearing in not one but two seasons of Two Bosses Enter, Vanessa managed to trick her way up the brackets for a shot at winning it all. Needless to say, I was hoping to see at least one Vanessa cosplayer at BlizzCon this year, and I was not disappointed. Meet Kristie, otherwise known as KittyCatChi on Cosplay.com. Kristie's been doing cosplay of various anime and comic book characters for years, but this year, she decided to devote her time to creating two costumes for BlizzCon -- Vanessa VanCleef for herself and a very nice Harrison Jones costume for her boyfriend Wren. Given Kristie's background, it's no wonder the final product turned out to be accurate, detailed, and gorgeous! Take a look at the gallery for some of the process behind creating the Vanessa costume, and follow us after the break for more from Kristie. %Gallery-137951%
World of WarCrafts: The stunning cosplay of Christina Sims
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. BlizzCon just wouldn't be BlizzCon if it weren't for the cosplay -- and this year's costumes were absolutely stunning. We were lucky enough at BlizzCon this year to get a chance to meet up with Christina Sims, who won last year's cosplay competition with her startlingly accurate reproduction of the Diablo 3 monk costume. Christina hasn't been resting on her laurels since last year's win. In between Alexstrasza appearances at the Darkmoon Faire, she constructed yet another elaborate and exceedingly detailed costume for this year, based on the paladin tier 12 set. Check out the gallery below for a look at Christina's previous costumes, as well as some in-progress shots from this year's entry, and follow us after the break for a few words from Christina about the art of costuming and Warcraft. %Gallery-137526%
World of WarCrafts: Those who craft together
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. We've mentioned Niki Casselberry before -- otherwise known as Edenvale, Niki is responsible for the cooking blog The Gamer's Fridge, which hosts a variety of gamer-themed recipes. It turns out that Niki isn't the only one who's got crafting skills! Her husband Ray, otherwise known as Neotaeo from the guild DunderMifflin of Anvilmar (US-A), also takes part in the crafting fun. Along with tanking on his Night Elf, Ray creates tiny trinkets and crafts from Sculpey and other items. Take a look at the gallery for Ray's work so far, and follow after the break for more about Ray, a look at some amazing papercrafting, and a tiny amigurumi Venomhide Ravasaur that you can make yourself! %Gallery-136598%
World of WarCrafts: Making a custom RPG, Warcraft-style
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Longtime readers may remember Murloc RPG, a game we featured way back in 2006. The game received an update earlier this year with the release of Murloc: Stranglethorn Fever. Hot on its heels is the latest release, Murloc RPG 2, all by Unmediocre. The game looks just like the World of Warcraft we know and love, with one small exception: Instead of playing a mighty Tauren or a Dwarven hero of the Alliance, you play ... a murloc. That's right -- this Flash-based game lets you play as one of those fishy pests we've been killing off in WoW for years. Complete with quests, dialogue, combat, and the occasional chest to loot, Murloc RPG 2 isn't just an idle day's worth of messing about in Flash; it's a full-fledged gaming experience. So how did this all come about? Follow after the break where we have a quick chat with the maker of this incredibly detailed Flash homage to WoW.
World of WarCrafts: How-to crafts roundup
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Hey guys, it's October! You know what that means, right? No silly, not Halloween -- it means the holiday advertisements are about to start pouring out of every retail outlet in the United States. Think it's a little early to ponder gift-giving ideas? Not if you're making your own! We've featured a ton of Warcraft-themed craft projects that would make excellent holiday gifts over the past few years -- so many, in fact, that I decided to round them all up in one handy place. Whether you're looking for inspired ideas like the ornament above, or fun figurines to hand out to your friends, we've got enough projects to keep you busy for the next couple of months, all with a Warcraft theme. So why not follow us after the break and take a look into giving your gifts a personal touch? %Gallery-96364%
Prime: Battle for Dominus gets professional with new crafting details
A few months back, we got our first look at Prime: Battle for Dominus' profession and crafting system, but it was a bit scant on details. Thanks to the game's updated profession page, however, we're absolutely drowning in details. Drowning, I say! To recap, for those of you just joining us, the available professions are Armortech, Weapontech, Biotech, Chemist, Inventor, Harvester, and Soldier for Hire. Players can partake of any and all professions, but they can only choose to specialize in a single one. In order to create an item, players require schematics, which can be acquired in one of a few ways. Schematics can be learned from trainers, or they can be gained by reverse-engineering an item to discover what makes it tick. If you're the sneaky, saboteur type, you can even steal schematics from other factions and turn the enemy's own tools against them. The page features myriad details on all of the available professions, but perhaps most interesting is the new information about the oddball Soldier for Hire. The Soldier for Hire is not a crafting profession in the strictest sense but rather is more like a bounty hunter who can sell his services through an in-game interface. The new page reveals that players will have good reason to hire a Soldier for Hire over some random schmuck, as the Soldier will have access to gear and weapons exclusive to the profession. For the full details on the game's various crafting professions, head on over to the Prime: Battle for Dominus official site and have a look.
World of WarCrafts: Crafts from around the web
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. I love getting random submissions for World of WarCrafts, but sometimes I get a backlog of interesting and fun links to check out. Today I'm going to clear out some of the backlog and share a few of the submissions I've gotten over the past several months, like the adorable and fearsome Magmaw hand puppet shown above. Created by Glow over at Glow's Branches, Magmaw isn't just incredibly cute, he's also incredibly easy to make. Glow posted a how-to guide on creating your very own Magmaw for instructional raid purposes. Or just because he's charming, of course. Speaking of cute, the next submission on the list is a pair of prancing ponies customized to a Horde and Alliance theme. Check out the ponies and other crafts after the break!
