dalaran
Latest
Ask a Lore Nerd: The swirling vortex of death
Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, the column that answers your questions about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe. Click the Comments link below, ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer you in a future installment!Terrant asks...I have questions about Kalimdor. How aware were the Alliance races of the continent before the events of Warcraft III? Was it completely unknown, known but unexplored, or frequented by the adventurous? The only Alliance settlement seems to be the recent Theramore, but at the same time, the goblins' trading network and cities seem to be well-established, so you'd think word of the continent must have gotten around. And there are pirate organizations that include humans and dwarves on the continent, too.
The best of WoW Insider: June 10-17, 2008
You can almost hear David Bowie singing around the realm of Azeroth lately: ch-ch-ch-ch-changes are in the air. Blizzard decided to do PvE to PvP transfers for the first time this week, Season 4 is coming soon in the Arenas, and lots of changes are coming to old Azeroth (including the Dalabubble, above). But don't let change worry you -- Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider has you covered, through all the changes coming in Wrath of the Lich King. You can turn and face the strain -- we got your back. News WoW player more ashamed than porn addictAddiction is out there, and people suffering from it need to get help. Combat stats and spellpower consolidated on AlphaA huge change to the way talents and gear will work hits the expansion's Alpha servers. Seven graphical WoW generators, and one for your carSeven different ways to put your World of Warcraft character into graphical form. Starting from scratch with two weeks to Season 4The new arena season was announced this week, and even if you weren't prepared, we've got you covered. Reading between the lines: are more PvE to PvP transfers possible?Blizzard broke their precedent for the first time this week to save a dying server -- will they do it again? Features Ask WoW Insider: /roll abuse?The number one way to cause drama in the game? Be unfair with loot. Tank Talk: The better (and lesser) angels of our natureOur raid Tanking column talks about that little DPS devil on your tanking shoulder. Ask a Lore Nerd: The evil-o-meterLots of players know some things about lore, but the Lore Nerd knows all. Changes to old Azeroth coming in the next expansionWhat's changing in the old world when Wrath of the Lich King releases? A lot. 'Tis the Season 4 making moneyZach Yonzon tells you exactly how to cash in on the news that Season 4 is coming soon.
Changes to old Azeroth coming in the next expansion
In the last expansion, all we did was walk through a portal and find a new world -- the old one was left pretty much unchanged overall. But in this coming expansion, Blizzard has made it pretty clear that almost nothing is off limits -- Northrend is getting added to Azeroth, and we're not traveling across space to get there. And considering that Arthas' story echoes throughout almost all of the old world (and that the whole thing is named after him), things are definitely going to change once Northrend appears on the world map.So we've put together a gallery of just what will be different about the old world after the Wrath of the Lich King comes upon us. To be fair, some are set in stone (we know for sure that Naxxaramas is exiting stage left for a bigger part later), and some are little more than speculation (Uther played a huge part in Arthas' life, so his tomb seems like a good stage for an event at some point), but odds are that by the time we've all reached level 80, all of these places in Old Azeroth will look very different.%Gallery-25018%
Bornakk: Next Blizzcast to include talk on the status of badge loot in WoTLK
One of the biggest and most successful features of Burning Crusade has been the inclusion of Badges of Justice. Especially in 2.4, these badges have allowed even relatively casual players to get their hands on gear that comes close to the same stuff raiders are able to pull out of end game instances. While the system seems to have been mostly a success, there's still some question as to how it will evolve in WoTLK. The current 2.4 badge loot seems to have been created in part to allow a smoother gear transition between BC and WoTLK for both casuals and ubers, with badges dropping out of 10-man instances and the most powerful badge gear yet. But the question is, will this continue in WoTLK? Will we see badges off of Naxxramas' 10-man version (perhaps earning it the name Badgeramas)? Will we see loot purchasable from a Dalaran vendor that will be comparable to what raiders are pulling out of Icecrown Glacier? Or will they dial it back, or maybe not even include the badge loot system at all?
Why is Kael a bad guy?
Lore-wise, I can't say I understand the direction they've taken with a number of characters from classic Warcraft games in BC, but I suppose that's the reason that the term "lorelol" was coined in the first place. Mike Schramm's pointed out that the canon can probably take the abuse, but there's one character in particular whose upcoming story arc kind of appalls me.If you're trying to stay unspoiled for patch 2.4 -- why are you reading WoW Insider anyway? -- I'll slap the rest behind a cut.
Patch 2.4 has better ways to go
Blizzard has started to realize that travel (as in real life) can be boring in the game. On the Public Test Realm (PTR), they have put a few new ideas to good use when forcing players to travel long distances to get to new content.I copied my character to the PVE test server (once it started working again), and began a flight to Quel'Danas from Ironforge. First off, I already had the flight path, which was refreshing to start with. The odd thing is that upon reaching the gates of Ironforge, the bird rocketed straight up vertically which panicked me a little until I realized that it was on purpose. All the sudden, welcome to a loading screen appeared. I was dropped on the far side of the Ghostlands gate and continued my flight all the way north to the new content at Quel'Danas. This shaved off several minutes flying time and provided an easy way to bridge an old flight path to a new one easily. A flight path spanning from the original content to the content now in the expansion (technically a patch is both and neither) is the type of crossover innovation I knew Blizzard was capable of doing.Another new idea is to provide a quest reward to transport you to Shattrath, Darnarian's Scroll of Teleportation from the new quest Know Your Ley Lines. This is as opposed to the hearthstone you get. This item only has a 20 second cool down, so at least the outbound trip from Quel'Danas to Shat will be quick and painless. Blizzard is adding some creative ideas to help travel become a bit easier especially for those who have run around the world and picked up every last flight path during the course of their rise to 70, and now are tired of flying everywhere. Now what I wonder is how travel to and from the floating city of Dalaran will work, not to mention other destinations, once it has blasted off from Hillsbrad and begun to hover over Northrend. Perhaps travel will be done in much the same way. This isn't all that new, since boats already use a very similar mechanism from Darkshore to Azuremyst Isle. I imagine things will get even trickier to manage with 2 expansions up and running, from a technical perspective for Blizz, so it is nice to know that they are thinking ahead on how we will get there, get back, and generally move about the world we love. Nice to know indeed.
Around Azeroth: It looks like...
Today's screenshot, sent in by reader Tessie, I'm leaving to you to identify. Though it's a sight I imagine most players are familiar with, it's taken from a decidedly different angle. So what are we looking at? Outland? Azeroth? Top secret beta images of Northrend or the Emerald Dream? Tell us!Update: Yep, everyone guessed it -- it's a view of the Dalaran bubble at night.Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? Because we'd love to see your idea of the best looking instance on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!%Gallery-1816%
Reminder: WoW Insider Show live tomorrow afternoon
Yes, it's almost Saturday again, and you know what that means-- the WoW Insider Show is set to take to the airwaves of WoW Radio once more. Episode 7 kicks off at 3:30pm EST (8:30pm GMT), and you can listen live over on our site, as well as chat with us in IRC at irc.wowirc.com in channel #wowradio. Our email address is theshow@wow.com, so if you've got feedback for us before or after the show, we're all ears.On the menu tomorrow, we'll be talking even more about 2.3 (duh-- it's huge!), what's up with Dalaran after it moves to Northrend, how much fun Brewfest was, and that Toyota ad everyone's talking about. I'll be hosting, Matthew Rossi will be aboard (so we'll definitely have to get some good tanking discussion in-- if you're a tank or have ever been protected by one, make sure to listen), and WoW Radio's Turpster should be there as well, so you know it'll be a great show.Should be, as always, a great time. Hit us up on WoW Radio tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 pm EST for Episode lucky number 7 of the WoW Insider Show. See you there!
What's going in Dalaran's old space?
Malikoi generously offers to buy Dalaran's old location over on the forums, and says he plans to create a new city, complete with flight path, graveyard, and even an arena. It's not like the Kirin Tor are going to need it any more, right? They're moving the magical city of Dalaran up to Northrend, so Malikoi should be able to pick up the old land.Bornakk, however, says the Kirin Tor are not selling the land, which of course begs the question: what are they going to do with it? They could only take part of Dalaran up north, and leave part of it there in the Alterac Mountains (to serve as a new quest hub for lowbies, perhaps?). Or maybe Dalaran will have to fly up north under duress and what's left behind in Alterac will be the remains of some battle the mages had to fight?It will be kind of a shame to not have that purple dome there any more (and it would be cheating if Blizzard just left it there when they've already told us the mages have made the decision to move the whole city). There's a lot of wonder to be found in Azeroth, but I can't think of any other experience that has matched up in exactly the same way to turning a corner from Hillsbrad and seeing a gigantic pink dome in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully whatever replaces it will inspire that same sense of magical amazement.
Forum Post of the Day: Dalaran and faction animosity
When Wrath launches next year huge changes are in store for the people and places of Azeroth. The greatest reason I love this game is because of the compelling storyline underneath it all. We not only have great characters and plot lines to interact with, those plot lines progress, which is not always the case in an MMO. Dalaran, for instance, which has been sealed away for generations, will be opened up as the new capital city for those traveling to Northrend.But some are not happy with the prospect of another neutral city akin to Shattrath. As Sorun of The Venture Co sees it, shifting Dalaran from an Alliance city to a neutral city would only harm the lore. He says that the factions want to hate each other, want to be pitted head-to-head at every turn, and certain elements in TBC and elsewhere have shown a trend toward cooperation he doesn't like at all. Drysc mentions that no one has yet confirmed that the city will be neutral, and Neth makes a valid point on the subject later on in the thread: I think it's a bit too early to be worried or upset about what is and isn't going to be in Dalaran. When we are further along and have information on it, we'll share it with you all. In the meantime, remember, Dalaran is filled with the world's most powerful magic users. While they work together, they are also filled with many different personalities and more importantly, have a bit of a crisis on their hands by the name of Malygos. I am going to hazard a guess that the Kirin Tor are going to be using all the available resources they can to survive the onslaught.Irregardless of whether or not Dalaran ends up a neutral city, the forum thread raises an interesting topic: do players really want to hate members of the opposite faction? I know there is plenty of rivalry between the Horde and the Alliance, some created by the game itself and some created by the players. But I personally play characters of both factions and can't really say I prefer one over the other. Maybe I'm in the minority, I'm not sure. Perhaps you can help out here. Do you prefer hatred and animosity between the factions, or is cooperation more your thing? %Poll-3998%
Dalaran might be Alliance-only
Sorun is a rogue who loves his Horde-Alliance conflict. As he posted on the forums, he feels that every action and little quest in the World of Warcraft should reflect the reality of War that exists in that world, not the good old intra-faction get-together that Shattrath has turned out to be. If Dalaran is going to be a neutral city in Wrath of the Lich King, however, it could really mess up the lore and war-filled feeling of the game:Neutral Dalaran? How does that even make any sense when horde to this day have quests to go attack the ruins of dalaran and can and have been freely killing the wizzards [sic] all around that area. He's got a point there. What is Blizzard really going to do with Dalaran in the next expansion? Read on to see what Blizzard says about it.
Probable factions in Wrath of the Lich King
Jikiyami from Kul'tiras dropped a tip asking us about all the different factions that might be in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion when it comes out. Unfortunately, Blizzard hasn't completed design on most of Northrend, so I'd bet that the actual list of factions isn't really determined yet. But that won't stop us from speculating who you might be working for from level 70-80. There will most likely be Horde and Alliance starting factions, just like Honor Hold and Thrallmar. For Horde, Forsaken seem to be taking the spotlight (according to what we saw in the playthrough), so an "Apothecaries' Guild" faction might be up there. For Alliance, I'm betting the Dwarves will lead, so an "Explorer's League" type of group might be a good guess. Dalaran will be up there, of course, so we'll either see the Violet Citadel make a return, or another Mage-based faction. The Tuskarr, a new race, are supposedly fighting against Naga trying to melt their grounds, so I bet we'll see a faction for them. Lake Wintergrasp is a World PvP zone, so expect a Horde and Alliance faction for each side. We know Gnomish flying machines will be available in the expansion, so I'd guess there's a Gnomish faction to rep up for in order to gain access to those. In Dragonblight, the rumor is that Deathwing is setting up shop, so there may be a new faction fighting against him. And that same faction may be situated around the Nexus, an instance hub in which Malygos is running things. Then again, we've heard that Dalaran is fighting Malygos' campaign against magic, so this may overlap with the Mages there. Jikiyami points out, rightfully, that supposedly some Nerubians are fighting against Arthas, so outside Azjol-Nerub we may find a faction ready to give us rep for fighting in there. And finally, someone's got to lead the battle against Arthas and his Scourge, right? Blizzard seemed kind of opposed to this at BlizzCon, but I would be very, very disappointed if the Argent Dawn didn't have some role to play near Icecrown Citadel or the new Naxx. Or maybe Arthas will have his own rep to grind-- how else would we get access to a Death Knight? So there's about ten guesses at different factions right there. And who knows if older factions might show up-- since so many players are now allied with the Scryer or the Aldor, will they come back through the Portal and have a place in Northrend? Either way, there'll be no shortage of rep to grind in the cold north.
More WotLK info from Games for Windows
World of Raids has more info up from the Games for Windows spread about Wrath of the Lich King. Eliah posted the zone list yesterday, and while we've heard some of this stuff before, there are a few juicy new tidbits. On the Sunwell, it seems the Burning Legion is using the Mana Forges in Netherstorm to power the Sunwell and summon Kil'Jaeden. The instance will have 6-8 bosses, and Kil'Jaeden will not be fully summoned when you fight him (which is supposed to explain how 25 level 70s can drop him). Dalaran will have one or two instanced dungeons in it (!), and will not have Auction Houses. It will have portals, including maybe one to Shattrath. There's some good Death Knight info, including a new AoE spell called Death and Decay. Blood runes will be damage oriented, Unholy runes will be utility and DoTs, and Frost runes will be CC-ish abilities. Finally, Inscription will give players the ability to sell scrolls (is it just me, or did the developers clearly say at BlizzCon that inscribers wouldn't sell scrolls?), and they will only be able to update "core spells"-- Priest's Mind Control no, Hunter Freeze Traps yes. Get ready for a round of QQing about what "core spells" are. Don't get too excited-- the expansion is still a long way away (and Zul'Aman is coming much sooner than Arthas will). But it is good news, especially the idea of dungeons inside Dalaran. Creatively implemented dungeons seeped in lore are always a good thing.Update: Changed Mind Control back to Mind Vision. And apparently it was just me who thought devs said no scrolls at BlizzCon.Thanks, Meth!
Phat Loot Phriday: Antonidas' Aegis of Rapt Concentration
I'm a Resto/Elemental Shaman. I like shields. I especially like Epic shields. I especially like Epic shields with spell damage on them. And boy do I like Epics that have a nice tie to the lore.Name: Antonidas' Aegis of Rapt ConcentrationType: Epic ShieldArmor/Block: 6336 / 174Abilities: +28 Stamina, +20 Intellect Improves spell crit rating by 20, and increases spell damage and healing by up to 42 Antonidas is (actually was, because he was killed by Arthas, as all great Warcraft characters were) the head of the Kirin Tor, that conclave of wizards that you're hearing so much about lately. His pupil was Jaina Proudmoore (and it was she who he expected to eventually take over the Kirin Tor). When Arthas killed Antonidas (to claim the Book of Medivh), the Violet Citadel and Dalaran were both left wide open, and Archimonde moved in to finish off the job and destroy the city. Now, of course, Dalaran is being rebuilt, and it's soon going to be flying over Northrend. Until then, Antonidas' shield has found its way back into the hands of players. How to Get It: In fact, Archimonde must have grabbed it when he trashed Dalaran, because this is a drop from him at the Caverns of Time Mount Hyjal instance. In that instance, you fight Archi (as I like call him) fighting to gain control of the World Tree, and apparently he's been hauling this shield around with him ever since he sacked Dalaran-- drop him, and with a little rolling luck, it's yours.As a sidenote, apparently this was one of the drops on the world first kill of Archi as well. So not only can you get a shield that belonged to one of the greatest arch-mages the world of Azeroth has ever known, you can also get a shield that belonged to one of the best guilds in the game! Two for one!Getting Rid of It: Sells for 9g 55s 99c. Disenchants into a Void Crystal. Breaks my elemental Shaman heart.
Are Auction Houses coming to Shattrath?
In a word, no. Blizzard blue Nethaera posted in response to the umpteenth request for an Auction House in Shattrath. At least this time we got an explanation behind the decision.Blizzard feels an AH in Shattrath will eliminate the only reason for players to interact with others in older cities. They reason players can use the Shatt portals to get to the AH in the older cities and then activate their hearthstone to get back to the Outlands.This plan also spreads out the population. Anyone remember when their was only one AH for each faction? Ironforge was known as Lagforge. Think what would happen to your framerate should they put an Auction House in the Outlands capital. Yeah, not pretty.Of course "not currently planned" doesn't mean "never." When the WotLK expansion launches and Dalaran becomes the player hub, they may reconsider. Until then, don't be getting friendly with any Innkeeper other than the ones in Shattrath, because your hearthstone setting isn't going to be changing for a long time. Unless you're a mage.
Arcane Brilliance: The Magical Nation of Dalaran
Once again we're back with Arcane Brilliance, where we discuss all things mage-like. This week I'd like to talk a bit about our roots as mages in the World of Warcraft universe. In order to understand who you are and where you are going, sometimes you have to learn about where you've been. In this case, both our past as mages and our future are tied to the same place, namely Dalaran, or more specifically The Magical Nation of Dalaran.
Around Azeroth: Bubble x 2
Bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble... I admit, when this screenshot hit my inbox, my initial thought was "Another Dalaran bubble shot? I know I posted one the very first week I started writing Around Azeroth, and I'm certain I've posted different angles sent in by different readers since. What could possibly be new or interesting about that old Dalaran bubble?" But, of course, I had to check out the image anyway. And now, I admit, I am perplexed! I have no idea what sort of bubble is surrounding Styg, our Paladin friend in this image, but it certainly does make a lovely companion piece to the larger Dalaran dome.Update: Reader Tusva informs me that the miniature bubble we see above is the Repolarized Magneto Sphere, a quest item acquired while doing the Ride the Lightning quest at Toshley's Station in Blade's Edge Mountains.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! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Breakfast Topic: What's your realm's motto?
Banefire started an interesting thread the other day on the forums. He asked what your motto would be for your realm. Here are some of the responses posters offered: Argent Dawn: We know drama Tichondrius is not for you (evidently this was also on a sign held up at Blizzcon 2005) Warsong: 40% Brazilian, 80% retarded Palehoof: We are not a rock band, we are a World of Warcraft server Feathermoon: The official serve of love Boulderfist: The Idaho of WoW servers Dalaran: The Purple Bubble of Love I figure mine would be "Elune: Can't throw a gnome without hitting a night elf." If you were to come up with a motto for your realm, what would it be? [via WoW forums]
Urgent Realm Maintenance
Several realms (Andorhal, Anetheron, Archimonde, Dalaran, Dentarg, Duskwood, Executus, Haomarush, Khadgar, Mal'Ganis, Scilla, Steamwheedle Cartel, Turalyon, Ysera, Ysondre, and Zuluhed) were brought down tonight for urgent maintenance around 5:15 PST with a note that expected downtime was to be minimal. The servers seemed to pop up online again not so long after but the uptime doesn't seem to have last - around 6:30 PST most (all?) are offline again. Oddly, all of these servers appear to be those running on new hardware...
US Realm Migration Ahead of Schedule
So reports CM Drysc. Only sixteen servers (of the original thirty-two) remain offline, and these still could remain offline for the full 24 hours. However, the progress with so many realms is promising news. The remaining offline realms are as follows:Andorhal, Anetheron, Archimonde, Dalaran, Dentarg, Duskwood, Executus, Haomarush, Khadgar, Mal'Ganis, Scilla, Steamwheedle Cartel, Turalyon, Ysera, Ysondre, and Zuluhed
