Illidan
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The ups and downs of contributing to WoWWiki
Besides news here at WoW Insider, one of my favorite places on the web is over at WoWWiki. The site is a virtual treasure trove of World of Warcraft lore, class information, formulas, and strategies. Back in October the site passed 45,000 articles, and today it stands around 53,000 articles. That's A LOT of content, much more then anyone could possibly hope to read.Where does all this come from?The way community wiki's work (wikis like WoWWiki and Wikipedia) is that everyone who reads them can effectively edit anything in them. If you're looking at the strategy for Zul'Jin and see something that's not right, or that needs to be added, you can do it right on the spot. Of course you have to sign up for an account and make sure what you're putting in is correct, but that takes all of five minutes. User submitted content is critical to the success of a wiki, and WoWWiki is (as I'm sure most of our readers would agree) one of the most successful game wikis out there.
WoW Moviewatch: Azerothian Super Villains, Episode 5
It's been a few months since we've had our last Azerothian Super Villains fix. However, Episode 5 is finally out, and I must say, it rocks! The Stockade Redemption focuses on Illidan's frustration with his team. When he is sent to prison for past crimes, will the gang save him or attempt to take over?There are many goodies packed into this episode, such as the cameo by Drewbie (He sure gets around!), and the custom courthouse by Pinkhair. The pop culture references were current and spot on. If you enjoyed the fifth episode in the series, check out the high resolution version![Via Warcraftmovies.com]Previously on Moviewatch...
One boss leaves!
Technically, this week, it's "two bosses leave" because we're wrapping up two separate fights. First up, Kel'Thuzad vs. Archimonde. This was a close fight, with a 14 votes (out of a total of 2508) separating the winner from the loser. As you might guess, opinions on the article were quite varied, with little consensus as to who would win or why -- but in the end, 14 more voters felt that Kel'Thuzad would be victorious.Our next fight pitted Vaelastrasz against Illidan -- and this one was pretty clear cut, with Illidan getting a comfortable 67% of the vote. (Though there was a good amount of debate over the fairness of the abilities included for consideration, both Vael's Burning Adrenaline and Illidan's Shear.) Tragic, really, as I was rooting for Vael. (As commenter George M. noted, "Vaelastrasz destroyed Guilds. True story.")If you enjoyed these fights, the next is set to be just as dramatic! Check back later to voice your opinion on the Twin Emperors against Chromaggus. (And check our brackets for the upcoming fight schedule.)
The legends of non-Legendary items
Blizzard has a torrid history with the Legendary items in World of Warcraft. The first such item to raise a stink was probably Ashbringer, the sword of Highlord Mograine of the Scarlet Crusade. Though stats have been found in the game (and a Corrupted version is available), the item itself isn't obtainable by players at all (though it still may be in the future). And reader Scott recently brought another one of these not-quite-Legendary items to my attention: the Skull of Gul'dan. This is probably one of the most powerful items in all of Azeroth-- it's been used to close and open the Dark Portal, it's responsible for tearing apart Felwood, and it turned Illidan from just an emo elf into a superpowerful demonic badass. And yet, it's no more than a rare trinket in the game.Shouldn't an item with that much legend behind it be called Legendary? Illidan's twin blades are labeled legendary, but they're hardly the stuff of modern legend-- Illidan took them from a doom guard commander 10,000 years ago, and they've done nothing but sit in his whirling hands since then (heck, they couldn't even take down Arthas). I agree with Scott-- there's no reason those blades should be Legendary when the skull isn't. Sure, the skull might not be as powerful as it used to be, but it's still got a load of legend behind it.And the Legendary debate isn't over yet, because there is one more big item looming on the horizon: when we head to Northrend, we'll all, Horde and Alliance alike, be looking to find the item that kicked off this Arthas trouble in the first place: Frostmourne. Will that be wieldable by players, or labeled Legendary? If Blizzard's previous experience with Legendary items is any indication, the answer may not be what you expect.
Two Bosses Enter: Vaelastrasz vs. Illidan
Two Bosses Enter is recovering from a long holiday season full of booze and raiding -- and attempting to get back to its regular weekend schedule. So while our last match (Kel'Thuzad vs. Archimonde -- it's a close one, folks, so jump in and cast your vote!) isn't over until Monday, we're going to get right on to our next match. This week we have Vaelastrasz the Corrupt -- powerful member of the Red Dragonflight, corrupted by Nefarian to fight off heroes trying to enter Blackwing Lair -- and Illidan Stormrage -- Night Elf turned demon who now rules over the Black Temple. Join in our series of fantasy deathmatches by reading up on these bosses and casting your vote on which of the two would win out in a fight.
Free character moves for the US
We've had some moves recently for Oceanic and European realms, but these are the first North American free character transfers I've seen in a while. As of noon PST today, and until 12:01 PM PST a week from today, December 28th, players can make the following transfers free of charge: From: Arthas, Illidan, Mal'Ganis, Warsong To: Azshara As always, players are urged to make the transfer as soon as possible if they intend to, since the transfers do sometimes close early if desired population levels are reached. Drysc promises that the realms they choose for transfers are based on exact population statistics, which seems to imply that, out of the North American reals, the source realms are the most overpopulated and Azshara is the most underpopulated. Those of you on these realms, does that ring true? Do you plan on taking advantage of the transfers? Azshara folks, do you welcome the newcomers?
Phat Loot Phriday: Bulwark of Azzinoth
I was just thinking that we haven't done a shield in a while (or at least it seems like we haven't done a shield in a while), so here's THE shield.Name: Bulwark of AzzinothType: Epic ShieldArmor: 6336, 174 BlockAbilities: +60 Stamina It's huge! Look at it! You can't even tell what's going on back there! On Equip: Increases defense rating by 29. When struck in combat, has a 2% chance of wrapping you in teflon bacon increasing your armor by 2000 for 10 seconds. That's over two thousand! Armor, as you may know, directly reduces the damage you take even when you get hit. So this proc is a damage reducer, and less damage means a tank that's still standing at the end of the fight. Did I mention how huge it is? Imagine if that thing really was made out of solid metal, with all those spikes and everything. You'd have to have a bonus to strength just to carry it around. How to Get It: This baby belongs, or at least used to belong, as the name might have told you, to Azzinoth. He's not a good guy-- in fact, he's a demon who commanded the Burning Legion way back when. Way back before he met Illidan, that is. When Illidan was just a demon hunter (and not the Lord of Outland), he killed Azzinoth, and according to the rules of the Warcraft playground, took all his stuff. That includes both of those Warglaives of Azzinoth, that Illidan is now known for.And it includes this, Azzinoth's Bulwark. So to get it, you have to take it from Illidan himself. That's right, be prepared like a Boy Scout, drop the big bad, and pick up this shield at a drop rate of around 10-12%.Getting Rid of It: Vendors for 9g 45s 38c. Man, when you look at that price versus the price of the ring we posted the other week, it really makes you wonder what's going on in the heads of those developers.
All the World's a Stage: Raiding and RP don't mix, or do they? -- A question of continuity.
All the World's a Stage is brought to you by David Bowers every Sunday evening, investigating the mysterious art of roleplaying in the World of Warcraft.The Warcraft storyline is part of a great tradition of fantasy literature, and, as with any form of storytelling, the entire span of WoW lore involves a series of events and changes. Arthas wasn't always the Lich King, Illidan used to be able to wear shoes, and your character was once a little child, with no spells or epic weapons at all. All these things fit together in a single story universe, in which the progressive changes taking place in the story made the world what it is today.But what is it today? Is Illidan now dead or alive? Is VanCleef dead or alive, for that matter? As a gaming environment, any boss you kill today has to be there for me to kill tomorrow. The WoW game world needs to remain basically unchangeable -- but over time this can stifle a roleplayer's sense of immersion in its narrative. To illustrate the impact this sort of immutability has on storytelling, let us take a page from a certain fantasy story you might have read, and see how it might work as a WoW raid instance.Welcome to Mines of Moria! This raid instance will reset in 6 days, 10 hours and 41 minutes.[Raidleader] [Gandalf]: Beware! There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world. Follow my glowing staff! [Raidleader] [Gandalf]: ... and um... get ready to pull that first group of orcs. Kill order is skull, x, circle... Gimli, can you offtank that cave troll?
Around Azeroth: One on one with Illidan
Reader Quarla sends us this snapshot all the way from the Black Temple. Before you start the Illidan event, he just kneels in the middle of the room, apparently waiting for heroes to come by, take their snapshots, and then kill him. But in this shot, it hardly looks like Quarla has the strength of a raid behind her. Is Illidan soloable yet?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 a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com, with as much or as little detail as you'd like to share with us. %Gallery-1816%
WoW Moviewatch: Ten Ways to Kill Illidan
My favorite? Thrall. However, while the idea behind this amusing little machinima is clever, I think it could do with a couple more notches of funny. (A bunny with sharp, pointy teeth would have certainly made my top ten list.) If you had the power, what would go on your list of top ten (amusing) ways to kill Illidan?Previously on Moviewatch...
Know Your Lore: Maiev Shadowsong
Last week, Matthew wrote about Uther Lightbringer, a good man who abhorred vengeance in all its forms and worked relentlessly for justice and peace. Screw that! Today, we'll be covering someone who adored vengeance in all its forms and worked relentlessly to throw someone in jail for several thousand years. Meet Maiev Shadowsong, Illidan's original creepy fangirl stalker. Who: Maiev Shadowsong. What: Rather tall night elf. History: Maiev and her brother, Jarod Shadowsong, both fought in the resistance against the Burning Legion during the War of the Ancients. She bore a grudge against Tyrande Whisperwind for being elected homecoming queen High Priestess instead of her. When Tyrande disappeared, Maiev took over the office and served well. After Tyrande helped Malfurion Stormrage destroy the Well of Eternity and lead the elves to Kalimdor, she returned as High Priestess and chose Maiev as her second-in-command. Of COURSE having a second-in-command who hates you is a wonderful idea! In Kalimdor, the night elf leaders formed a party to explore the new land of Mount Hyjal. On a mountaintop, they discovered a new Well of Eternity, with Illidan Stormrage standing beside it saying "Dude, I don't know how that got there. I was just fishing for Deviates!" The elven leadership hurried to capture Illidan for creating the new well, but he figured he might as well resist arrest, since a life sentence for immortal beings is like fifty billion years long. Illidan's counterattack killed many of the night elves and put Maiev's brother Jarod in a coma, along with Dath'remar Sunstrider (the ancestor of Illidan's future Best Pal Ever Kael'Thas Sunstrider.) The elves managed to capture Illidan, and Malfurion sentenced him to imprisonment in a barrow den underneath the earth. Malfurion also decided that Maiev needed a new job besides hating his girlfriend, and made her the head of the Watchers and Illidan's personal jailor.
First Illidan China kill by The Seven
Just about a month and a half after they first got access to the Burning Crusade, a Chinese guild has downed Illidan Stormrage over the weekend. World of Raids has more, including the fact that it only took 52 days total, and that a Gnome Rogue picked up the offhand. As many are noting, lots of players are still dressed up in Tier 3 gear, which means they just barrelled right through SSC and TK up into the Black Temple.Incgamers has an interesting point, however-- Chinese players, getting BC so late, supposedly had the benefit of all the nerfs and tweaks that Blizzard added to all the encounters since it first was released here. From Vashj's bugginess to the attunement removal, it could be argued (I'll leave this one up to you guys) that China is playing a much easier Outland endgame.At any rate, downing Illidan is always an achievement, no matter what game you're playing. Grats to The Seven in China-- now here's hoping they go back and actually try enjoying that raid content![ via MMO Champion ]
Gallery: Fun with Brewfest goggles
These images just keep making me laugh. Over the weekend, we posted pictures of people having fun with the Beerfest goggles around famous Azerothian NPCs, and although my original request of Illidan never panned out (he's not a humanoid, apparently, and thus not susceptible to the effects of beer goggles), you readers responded with tons of funny pictures featuring our fearless leaders as Gnomes and female Orcs.So here they are all collected into a gallery, and if you have any more, feel free to drop us a note with links to them, and I'll add them in. Thanks to all the commenters who posted links for these pics: Nate S., myrlin, Haaken, erin, and s02.%Gallery-8945%
Fun with the Gnome goggles, and a request
So here's the thing. We've posted about these Brewfest goggles that 00hshiny is wearing above before-- they were purchasable during Brewfest (although, I just went by Org this morning, and the Brewfest ticket guy was still standing all by his lonesome outside the city, even though the Brewfest celebration had moved on), and when you wear them, you see everyone in the game as either Female Orcs (the Horde version) or little Gnomes, as in the picture above (Alliance version). And we've already seen the goggles used to hilarious effect.But if you've been listening to the podcast, you'll know that there's one thing I haven't seen yet, and that I can't wait to see it. Someone, somewhere, please wear the Gnome goggles, and go down Illidan. I'm a Horde player, so I just can't do it, but surely there's some Alliance player out there who had some Brewfest fun in between raiding the Black Temple, and surely they can take the goggles on an Illidan run, and record the hilarious video results. I don't know what I can put on this for a bounty, but you tell me-- prizes? A promise to write about something of your choice on the blog? A callout on the podcast? Someone please go to see Illidan with the Gnome goggles on, and send us the FRAPS of it-- I'm just not prepared for how incredibly awesome that would be.Update: Aww, that's a bummer. Looks like Illidan don't play that game, homey. Looks like the dream is lost forever. Oh well. Thanks anyway, so2!
Forum Post of the Day: What will Arthas' catchphrase be?
I think we were all impressed by The Burning Crusade trailer and Illidan's ominous "You are not prepared!" speech. However, since it has become quite obvious that some players were prepared for Illidan, Tweadle on the European forums is speculating on what Arthas' catchphrase will be in Wrath of the Lich King. "No, you definately aren't prepared this time!" perhaps? My personal favorite, however, is Aeus' suggestion, "Penguins took my epics"But what do you think we'll be hearing from Arthas when we see him in Wrath of the Lich King?
Phat Loot Phriday: Black Bow of the Betrayer
You want a bow that will make people sit up and say "whoah?" You want a bow with a neat mana proc? You want a bow that requires a really, really good PvE guild to get? Here you go.Name: Black Bow of the BetrayerType: Epic Ranged Bow (where are the Legendary Ranged weapons, by the way?)Damage/Speed: 201-374 / 3.00 (95.8 DPS)Abilities: Increases attack power by 26, always very nice On Equip: Succesful melee or ranged attacks will grant 8 mana and if possible drain 8 mana from the target. That's incredible-- it's basically 40-45 mana per five seconds, which allows any Hunter to keep up their DPS for almost twice as long as normal. And if you want even more mana, there is a set of mail gloves created by Blacksmiths (dropped by Moam in AQ, I believe) called Black Grasp of the Destroyer that have the exact same proc. And while I haven't tried it out in game, I'm told that the effects of both stack. So with both the gloves and the bow, you'll never need mana again! If only Shamans could equip bows... How to Get It: Such a bow isn't going to be easy to get, and as the name might have already told you, this drops from the Betrayer himself, Illidan Stormrage, at the end of the Black Temple. There is a good argument made that if you're a Hunter able to get to Illidan, you probably aren't going to be worrying about mana problems anymore anyway. But to the victors go the spoils, so kill Illidan, be a Hunter (the mana proc on the weapon makes it just for you animal lovers), and win the roll and the bow is yours. The rest of the world gets to stare in awe at how frighteningly pointy this baby looks.Getting Rid of It: As far as I can possibly tell, no one has. But maybe there's a guild out there who has Illidan on farm, and just doesn't need it any more. In that case, it's the usual Void Crystal, or 10g 82s 33c if sold to a vendor.
Around Azeroth: That's no moon...
I admit, I've seen pictures of this part of the Black Temple well before Soundwave of Nazjatar sent in this screenshot. However, I'd always thoughtlessly presumed that the silvery orb in the sky overhead was the moon. After all, I'm used to seeing the moon in real life, and it seemed to be the most natural thing to sit in the sky above Illidan. But, as Soundwave points out -- that's no moon... it's Azeroth!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%
Azeroth's bad guys aren't always that bad
Malygos is a new kind of antagonist for the Warcraft universe in that he's probably the enemy with the least actual evil we've seen so far, in sharp contrast to the Burning Legion, the Scourge, the Old Gods, and a host of others. As we've already noted, some players think he may actually be right: he wants to protect Azerothians from the magic they're dabbling in, for fear that they might end up bringing the Burning Legion back with it, except that he goes about "protecting" the people by waging war on them, which somehow eerily familiar.... Anyway, Malygos is just the latest example of an antagonist in WoW that we can almost sympathize with, a bad guy that isn't all that bad. Malygos' particular place at the other end of our attack buttons can be attributed mainly to his conflicting point of view rather than an evil and corrupted soul. His ultimate aim is still the greater good of all life -- he just believes (wrongfully, we hope) that he needs to destroy the minority of magic users in order to save the remaining majority of all other life on the world.
Phat Loot Phriday: Crystal Spire of Karabor
This incredible healing mace is actually changing looks in patch 2.2-- thanks to our friend MMO Champion for the comparison pic above.Name: Crystal Spire of KaraborType: Epic Main-Hand MaceDamage/Speed: 16-132 / 1.80 (41 DPS)Abilities: +22 Stamina, +15 Intellect Increases healing done by spells and effects by 486, which is high enough to make grown men cry Restores 6 mana per 5 seconds, which makes grown Shaman everywhere weep with happiness And if your target is below 50% health, direct heals will grant an additional 180 to 220 health to your target, which makes healers' mouths everywhere drop open. Which means if you're direct healing someone below 50% health, you get at least +660 healing just from this item. Of course, not all +healing translates directly into heals (and definitely not on the lower ranks anymore). But still, that's a lot of +healing. Trivia: The Black Temple was previously known (long ago) as the Temple of Karabor, the center of Draenei worship everywhere. The Spire of Karabor is likely a piece of the temple itself (or perhaps the Altar within), fueled by years of Draenei faith and prayer. Pretty cool. How to Get It: It drops from someone named Van Cleef in the Deadmines!No, only kidding. Loot like this doesn't come easy-- you've got to be prepared for this one. Illidan himself drops this baby, when you kill him in the Black Temple. We haven't seen all that many kills yet, so a percentage isn't certain yet, but odds are it's less than 20% or so, and possibly a lot less than that. And considering this is a great mace for every healer in the raid, you're going to have to be pretty good and really lucky to call it your own.Getting Rid of It: Sells for 14g 32s 71c, and disenchants into a Void Crystal, but come on now. Don't even think about it.
Should Oceanic realms get their own progression?
MMO Champion's got the tip on the Oceanic first kill of Illidan by a guild called Not Steamboat on Aman'thul. I'd actually call Archimonde the last boss in the game right now, although for the current Burning Crusade storyline, Bou is right-- Illidan is it, at least until the Sunwell.But the kill brings up another interesting point with regards to Oceanic players. While they're often grouped with the US servers (unlike the EU or Asian servers, Oceanic and US servers are in the same place and subject to the same maintenance), are Oceanic servers that different that we should acknowledge a kill like this? This isn't like in China, where Burning Crusade just released. These Oceanic players have had access to Illidan just as long as an EU guild like Nihilum has. Why should we care if they kill Illidan? Sure, it's an accomplishment (just like every boss kill is, no matter how small or big), but is there even such a thing as "Oceanic first"?Sanctus emailed Boubouille to argue just that and say that Oceanic servers should be considered separate, in terms of progression, from US and EU servers. He says that Oceanic players have to deal with the aforementioned maintenance schedule problems, as well as huge lag. So what do you think? If this issue of Oceanic progression as compared to the rest of the world hadn't come up, I wouldn't have mentioned this Illidan kill at all-- in my opinion, there is no such thing as "Oceanic first," because Oceanic players play on, more or less, the same realms that US players do. So should Oceanic realms be considered separately when comparing guild progression? Or should they be held to the same schedule and timeline for "first kills" as the rest of us?
