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Squashling, Hallowed Helm trick-or-treatable
Like many of you, I've been heading into the Scarlet Monastery to fight the Headless Horseman every day since Hallow's End started. It's a fun fight, I like the Magic Broom, and I've gotten some decent rings for my off-specs, but the main attraction, at least for me, is a chance at some rare drops: the pet, the hat, and the mount. The first two of these, in addition to being pretty cool on their own, are required for the Sinister Calling achievement, which is in turn required for the Hallowed Be Thy Name meta-achievement. I've taken him down a couple dozen times at this point. I've seen the hat twice (didn't get it either time), I've never seen the pet drop, and I don't think anyone on my server has gotten the mount. Some people in the forums are a bit upset about the drop rates on the pet and the hat, given that they're required for the achievement - they don't like the fact that the meta-achievement requires a chance-based event. I have some good news for those people, via Wow_Ladies: it seems that the Sinister Squashling and the Hallowed Helm both have a chance to come out of the Treat Bags that you can get from trick-or-treating once an hour. This doesn't make it less chance-based, but it does raise your chances, although I imagine the chance to get either of those items from trick-or-treating is very low. Still, if you're interested in getting these items, stay on top of those one-hour cooldowns. [thanks, Flairy]
Forum post of the day: Happy Hallow's End, or is it?
It seems the jury is out on this year's Hallow's End celebration. Chakras of Cenarius is loving the event. She's excited about the holiday achievements. In her thread she was met with agreement from many posters. Ritsuka of the Thorium Brotherhood agreed that it's been fun to farm decent gear off an easy boss with her friends. Halloween is a favorite holiday amongst many WoW players, and it's a good addition to the game. Not everyone is entirely thrilled with their experiences so far. Some folks are frustrated that they've not yet gotten the Sinister Squashling or the Horseman's helm despite many attempts. Some like Crexia of Hyjal have made better than twenty-five attempts today without seeing either of those items drop all. Her attitude is to try again tomorrow since Blizzard has stated that there will not be a change to the event. (EDIT: though now it appears you can get these items from trick or treating and Blizzard has stated the drop rates of the pet are significantly higher than last year.) On the other hand Orcshock of Archimonde reported seeing two drops out of five attempts today. Such is our fate when using Random Number Generators (RNG). I have to admit, since the patch I've had other goals in mind so I've turned down most invites for holiday groups. So how has your Hallow's End been?
It came from the Blog: Join us for a Hallow's End in-game event!
We're back and spookier than ever. After (another) long hiatus, It came from the Blog is back and ready to put out some fires. Our previous fire fighting abilities are well documented and now we are taking them to Brill to help with the constant attacks from the Headless Horseman. Here are the details: Where: Zangarmarsh U.S. Server, Horde side -- Brill, Tirisfal Glades (on the other side of the Zeppelin tower from The Undercity) When: 6:30pm Pacific time (7:30pm Server Time, 9:30PM Eastern/Blog time), Friday, October 24 Who: Any level, any Horde race, any class How: Send a tell to Robiness or anyone in the It came from the Blog guild for an invite We will be doing the Hallow's End quests in Brill and socializing, so any level is encouraged to attend -- even if you just created a character before the event. Summons will be provided for noobie Taurens, but all others should be able to get to Brill pretty easily.So take time out of your Headless Horseman and nerfed raid boss farming to come join us for a little bit of casual fun. We look forward to seeing you!
Breakfast Topic: What is your favorite holiday?
The Feast of Winter Veil is nice and Brewfest is fun (though a disappointment over last year's), but my favorite holiday this year in Azeroth is Hallow's End. The Midsummer Fire Festival is a close second, mind you. It was fun and profitable. But Hallow's End has better lore and better accessories.Sure, I love my dancing flames chickie, but my Rickety Magic Broom is the best thing ever -- and it's only temporary. The masks, the candy, the pumpkin heads -- it's just fun.
The best of WoW Insider: October 14-21, 2008
The World of Warcraft is hoppin' yet again -- patch 3.0.2, a.k.a. "Echoes of Doom" is out on the live realms, and everyone is revelling in the new talents, the new Inscription profession, and the new endgame, which is easier and more lucrative than ever. And Hallow's End has begun as well, bringing players of all kinds out to the Scarlet Monastery's Graveyard, where the Headless Horseman holiday raid boss calls home. Yes, times are good in Azeroth, but what's that in the Autumn air? A cold wind is about to blow in from the North... News Essential addons for patch 3.0.2There are a lot of changes in this patch, but the first thing to do is get your UI back up to speed. 3.0.2 patch notesDirect from Blizzard, 3.0.2 has all of the updates to the game before the second expansion goes live. Ret to be nerfed "to the ground"That was a joke, but seriously: Pallies are next for the nerf bat. Raiding has never been easier than in 3.0.2Right before we all head to Northrend, Blizzard gave players a break on the Burning Crusade endgame. Don't Panic: Frequently asked questions in 3.0.2Confused and perhaps even frightened by all the newness in the game? We've got you covered. Features WoW Insider's guide to Hallow's End 2008Hallow's End (Azeroth's version of Halloween) is live on the realms, and here's your guide to doing everything -- no trick. Patch 3.0.2 guide to exotic petsHunters get a slew of new companions -- find out which one's right for you. A brief introduction to glyphsEvery character gets a set of new upgrades to their spells, provided by inscribers. Here's how it all works. Patch 3.0.2 talent guidesYour talent points got refunded and you have no idea what to spec? Let our class columnists give you the lowdown on all the new talents. Apprentice Scribe: An Inscription FAQInks and parchments and what you can do with the game's new profession.
Ask WoW Insider: Loot rolls and seasonal boss summons
Time once again to put a question to you, dear readers, and see what you have to say about a current issue in the World of Warcraft. This time around, Rylia has a question about loot ethics with seasonal bosses -- everyone and their guildie is taking down the Headless Horseman (making the Scarlet Graveyard an actual destination, strangely), and Rylia wants to know what the policy is when an item drops:What's your group loot policy for seasonal bosses? (a) Use the usual in-game loot roller; everyone roll Need on the rare items (mounts, small pets, etc.) (b) Whoever summons the boss for that particular attempt gets the rare item drop from that attempt. The logic behind (b) is that it prevents people who've used up their daily summons from getting more than one chance per day (and thus making their groupmates get less than one chance per day). If someone who didn't have a summon in your seasonal group wins a rare roll, do you think that's a ninja?RyliaPersonally, I think all the summons should get settled before you enter the instance -- if you invite someone in without a summon (for example, because they're a tank, and you just need them rather than waiting for a tank with a summon), they're a part of the group after that and have as much chance as anyone else to win a roll. And yes, if an item drops that someone can use, it should be a Need roll. So if that mount drops, everyone's got a chance to win it. That's just me, though -- I can see the point about someone without a summon taking loot from people who entered with a summon.Though I have no idea what to do if a mount and pet drops on the same run -- would the person who won one not get a chance on the second? What think you, readers, both of general loot rules on season bosses and of Rylia's summon policy?Previously on Ask WoW Insider...
Around Azeroth: Pumpkin shock
Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater Stalked a rogue but couldn't keep herSo he put her in a pumpkin shellUntil she shadowstepped her way out, garotted him, glassed him with a broken beer bottle for good measure, camped him until he logged out and posted a message on the realm forums about what a pervert he was. Peter had to transfer off and eventually rerolled a female gnome.(Thanks to Kajirae of <Ultima> on Ysera for this shot from Toshley's Station!)Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We'd love to see it 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! Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. We strongly prefer full screen shots without the UI showing -- use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more battleground scoreboards.%Gallery-1816%
All the World's a Stage: Hallow's End and you
This week on All the World's a Stage, Michael Gray fills in to talk about how you can use Hallow's End specifically for your character. David Bower will be back next week to tackle "So you want to be a Blood Elf."Maybe more than any other Azeroth holiday, Hallow's End celebrates a significant event in the history of our characters. According to the offical community site, Hallow's End is Azeroth's celebration of the Forsaken's break from the Scourge. (Personally, this makes me even more happy that we got the new model for Sylvanas in the recent content patch.)The story of how the Forsaken broke free is certainly significant. But the fact alone that both the Horde and Alliance do celebrate this break is even more meaningful. Let's take a look at some of the impacts it can have for classes and races ... behind the cut.
World of Warcraft's Hallow's End event has begun!
Massively's sister site WoW Insider is your number one resource for all things World of Warcraft. That's why it should be no surprise on this eve of Hallow's End, they have an extensive guide to the in-game event for all that want to participate. Read into their guide to learn ... How to trick or treat! Those wacky orphans(tm) of the Orgrimmar and Stormwind Orphanages will be looking for some sweets. Give them a sugary hand! How to maximize your Achievements! The brand new 3.0.2 patch has added a whole new layer of fun to in-game events. Make sure you make the most of the holiday! How to Call the Headless Horseman! This year's mini-raid event is full of fun toys! Make sure to get your treats. All these and more are available at WoW Insider's guide. Go check it out ... or read beyond the cut for a fun World of Warcraft "Thriller" music video. Happy spooking! One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
Breakfast Topic: Your Hallow's End goals
With Hallow's End in full swing ghosts and pirates, ninjas and squashlings are running about. Orphans need chaperoning, Wickermen need burning and Headless Horsemen need, uh, unhorsing. Out of all the many activities available to you over the next two weeks (and the Hallow's End Achievement, oh the Achievement!) which one's are you most interested in accomplishing? %Poll-21117%
Hallow's End 2008 guide (updated)
>>Click here for WoW.com's Guide to Hallow's End 2009<< Hallow's End is scheduled to begin in a few hours, and you know we loves us some candy. There's been a big change to the Achievement needed to get the "Hallowed" title (it's actually gotten a lot easier), the Headless Horseman has a new loot table, and -- well, it's been a year since we've seen it anyway, so here's a round-up of WoW Insider's articles on Hallow's End. As an FYI, we're also expecting patch 3.03 to hit alongside Hallow's End, and it should contain a number of bug fixes for problems that have cropped up since 3.02 hit Tuesday and some class tweaks. With that said, nobody's 100% certain of what's actually going to go live, so check back; we should have more information this weekend.Read on for a guide to the holiday quests, the new Achievement related to the holiday, and some fun stuff you can do ingame til November 1st!EDIT (11:50 pm EST): we've confirmed a few changes to the holiday with some readers on the EU realms, and I've updated the post.
World of WarCrafts: Sinister Squashling
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Hallow's End is almost upon us, and with that comes flimsy masks, a chance to be named The Hallowed, and a shot at looting something more cute than sinister. Even if you miss out on this seasonal in-game pumpkin pet, you still have the chance to befriend this small squashling IRL.Here is what you will need: Small (Fake) Pumpkin Small Stick Fake Leaves Vine Wire Acrylic Paint Hot Glue Gun Wire Cutters Paintbrush Pencil Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-34622%
Planning for the Hallow's End title
A lot of folks found the article on planning for the Brewmaster title helpful, so we thought we'd put one together for the upcoming Hallow's End holiday as well. Getting all of the sub-Achievements for the Hallowed Be Thy Name Achievement will reward the title "The Hallowed," but frankly I think this one is going to be a little tougher than the Brewfest one. As with Brewfest, part of the Achievement is going to depend on getting very lucky with a drop, but it's also going to depend on getting lucky with a few other things.This, however, is going to be the first holiday after patch 3.02 hits with the Achievement system firmly in place, so you'll be able to track Achievements ingame for the first time (by the way, "Y" is the default hotkey for pulling up your Achievement screen). Even if you're not interested in the Achievement, you have another reason to participate, at least for the Headless Horseman kills: we're pretty sure his loot table's been updated and expanded, and you'll have a chance at a permanent mount drop (his horse, not the temporary broomsticks from last year).But if you want to be (Your Name Here) The Hallowed?
WoW Moviewatch: Hallow's End fanmade trailer
It's October 1st, and Brewfest will be over at the end of this week. But fortunately we have Hallow's End starting on October 18 to look forward to. In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, filmmaker Konack1 made a trailer to prepare us all for the visit of the Headless Horseman. This is his sixth machinima attempt and he's making wonderful progress. This trailer features a spooky kid whispering warnings (The Sixth Sense, anyone?) and a professional-quality narrator whose deep voice sounds remarkably like the late Don LaFontaine. Konack1 even uses the dip-to-black technique so popular with movie trailers these days. The visuals of the Horseman rising from his grave and stalking his way to the city combined with the child's creepy voiceover are very effective in creating a Hallow's End mood. Konack1 is still posting his work on YouTube, so we don't have a higher quality version of this video to show you. However, I would urge you to check out some of his previous work. Especially My Immortal - Tribute to Cody, an ode to a lost pet, that left me in tears. If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Is Leading the Cavalry possible?
I mentioned the Leading the Cavalry achievement earlier, the achievement that requires 75 mounts to... well, achieve. The big question is, is that actually possible? Let's find out!Let's use a Forsaken for our example, since they have no factors working against them like racial boundries on mounts. Keep in mind that some races will have a harder time, like Tauren can't use two of the five Horde mounts, and Gnomes don't allow anybody but Gnomes and Dwarves to use mechachickens.The Horde has Peacocks, Raptors, Wolves, Skeletal Horses, and Kodo. From a glance at Wowhead, there seems to be...
New Headless Horseman loot shows up on the PTR
As we mentioned the other day, The Hallow's End event is now live for testing on the 2.4.3 PTR. As seems to be the general case, Kisirani's world event team hasn't been resting on their laurels, but has been relatively steadily upgrading and fleshing out holidays as they come up. Hallow's End looks to be the latest holiday to get a change or two in the form of some new Headless Horseman loot, discovered by MMO-Champion.
PTR maintenance concludes, Hallow's End up for testing
An apparently new Blizzard employee named 'Boxinabox' (uh, what?) has just announced that the PTR is back up and fully functional after a 'maintenace' period. Man, who the heck is this guy/gal?The interesting part about this phase of the Test Realm is that Hallow's End is up for testing! We might get to see Horseman mounts if the models that have been dug out of the game files are any indication, but we won't really know until we actually see them drop. Maybe they've gotten rid of the oh-so-phallic Broom mounts this time around? We'll find out, won't we?If you're interested in checking out and testing Hallow's End before it gets pulled, you ought to hurry and get on the PTR. Brewfest was pulled after only a few days, so your time may be limited.Edit: Never mind. See you in 5-7 hours!
Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite WoW holiday?
Zom over on the forums asks: what's your favorite WoW holiday? And the response is extra special because it's by Kisirani, who, you may know, is actually Blizzard's World Event Designer-- him showing up in your thread about holidays is kind of like God showing up on a thread about your favorite mountain range.Kisirani asks specifically for constructive, reasoned posts, but c'mon, he's asking on the WoW forums. Fortunately, this site is not the WoW forums, and our comments are more than capable of giving constructive and reasoned.. well...I kid! Tell the guy what your favorite WoW holiday is, whether it be the free epics of Hallow's End or the ticket grinding of Brewfest, and maybe the upcoming updates to Nobelgarden (we hope) will incorporate some of your constructive and well-reasoned ideas!Thanks, Joshua!
World events and how to run them
There's a discussion going down on the forums about what many consider to be the most exciting part of MMO games, including World of Warcraft-- world events. As many drawbacks as there were to the AQ events, no one can argue that they didn't affect everyone in the World-- everyone was able to step up and help the war effort, and even though everyone didn't fit in Silithus, everyone came across some of the invaders that spread across the world. While the Naxx event was that way as well, we haven't really seen anything else on that scale even in this, the largest MMO ever. And let's not forget that since Burning Crusade was released, we're dealing with a lot more people-- there are huge amounts of the population who have never seen a world event yet.Which makes it all the more likely that we will see a big one for Wrath of the Lich King. Bornakk says that while Blizzard realizes that a lot needs to go into creating a big world event, they've also learned a lot from Brewfest and the Hallow's End events about how to both tune the scale and get players involved. But Blizzard still wants to do a big one, and from what we heard at BlizzCon, they're going to come up with a reason for Alliance and Horde to head up to Northrend after Arthas.My guess? Arthas is going to become a threat again-- he'll invade Undercity, or bomb Darnassus, or somehow attack our world. And for the first time that I can think of since the game has started, we're going to actually lose something-- an NPC, a city (at the very least, Dalaran) or something else. For all of the fighting going on in the world of Warcraft, it hasn't yet changed that much. And I think that with the next expansion, Blizzard is looking to have Arthas shake things up a bit.
Winners of the Hallow's End Costume contest
Micah T sent us this picture of Indiana Jane, which actually won him the costume contest he attended over on Ravenholdt. And Jane (and her fear of snakes) has beguiled the WoW Insider staff as well-- Micah is our ingame costume contest winner, and gets all the trick-or-treat loot from Manaprincess (who also kindly did a little co-judging for our contest). Congrats, Micah, and great costume.But while the prizes may end there, the recognition does not, because holy moly we got a lot of great entries. I was expecting just a few, but you readers are some creative geniuses. Everything from superheroes to sushi chefs are after the break. Honorable mentions are all after the break, and every single one of them rocks-- I wish we had prizes to give you all.Update: Have a gallery! Even if you've already browsed through the thread, our gallery has all the fullsize shots, so check that out too, yo.%Gallery-9805%
