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Steamwheedle Cartel holding a "Black Market" crafting event
I love this idea a whole lot. A group of folks on Steamwheedle are holding an RP even (which they've done before), but it's a different kind of event than the usual party or dueling tournament. Instead, it's going to be completely peaceful -- they're having a Saturday morning crafting bazaar. Down in the empty vendor stalls of Undercity, they'll have crafters of all types and levels, some with their mats, some where you'll have to bring your own mats, making items aplenty for players. On January 24th, they're holding a "Black Market", where you'll be able to get almost anything crafted that you want (providing you've got the goods). They're also having a raffle, and they'll be serving food and drink as well. What a great idea.In fact, I'd love to see something like this come to the game at large -- maybe Blizzard could provide a bonus to crafting when it's done at a certain time in a certain place, like create a "crafter's market" weekly on Saturday mornings (scheduled just like the Sunday fishing tournament), where crafters can make sure to be in a certain area ready to craft for any players who might need it, and can get bonus items or currency or mats for their trouble.For such a social game, combat seems to always end up being the only way for players to connect regularly (not that there's anything wrong with that, but the only way to bond in game seems to be killing things). It would be nice to see more of this type of connection encouraged by Blizzard, with players using the skills they've earned to help each other and both sides getting a nice reward for it.
Mike Schramm01.05.2009
Phat Loot Phriday: The Fleshshaper
Running Heroics? Want to stab stuff? Keep an eye out for this dagger.Name: The Fleshshaper (Wowhead, Thottbot, Wowdigger)Type: Epic One-hand DaggerDamage/Speed: 206-310 / 1.80 (143.3 DPS)Abilities: +22 Agility, +58 Stamina Improves hit rating by 27, and attack power by 76 %Gallery-33600%
Mike Schramm12.26.2008
Wrath 101: Resilience at Level 80
The current trend in Arena matches nowadays are quick and dirty fights that last no more than a minute. Perhaps two at best. This is because of the prevalence and dominance of burst damage, which Blizzard acknowledges. This is in contrast with the latter seasons of Arenas where matches were drawn out and crowd control, mana draining, and exceptional healing dominated matches. Blizzard is aware of this trend but say they want to observe things first until players get more Resilience.One common question I've been asked and often seen thrown in the general and trade channels is "what is the new Resilience cap?" The answer isn't a straightforward one. It's important to first understand what Resilience means and why it's so important for PvP. Resilience is the character attribute that reduces the chance a player will get hit by a critical strike, reduces the damage done by critical strikes and damage over time effects, and reduces the amount drained by mana draining effects. It's an awesome mechanic and is probably my favorite item stat. More Resilience means higher survivability in PvP, but conversely -- because it takes up valuable stat points -- means players generally deal less damage than players dressed up in PvE gear.
Zach Yonzon12.25.2008
Wrath 101: Honor points
One of our site leads, Dan O'Halloran, asked me a question that surprised me yesterday. He asked me what he was supposed to do with Honor points and where he could spend them. See, Dan isn't a huge fan of PvP. In fact, he only happened to try out the wonderfully fun and crazy Wintergrasp in between exploring on his brand-spankin' new epic wings. I think he found it fun enough to play it again. This brought us to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, a whole lot of players are going to be accumulating Honor pretty soon without them knowing it. He thinks that a lot of players, mostly strictly-PvE carebears, would be curious enough about Wintergrasp to try it out... and hopefully enjoy it enough to play it again. I hope so, too. This means a whole lot of players who'd never PvP'd before, like Dan, for example, would need some sort of guide on Honor points and what to do with them. Here's where we step in with this handy little Honor overview.
Zach Yonzon12.25.2008
Northrend's Gross Domestic Product: 719 million gold
Our friend The WoW Economist started a little project the other day: he added up, according to the top items lists, all of the products sold from Northrend across the servers, and then multiplied each by what he calls a "median" price (though exactly how that's reached, we're not sure), and landed on a huge amount of gold: 719,918,239.7. Obviously I'm not a WoW Economist (I'm not even that good at math), but that sounds to me like Northrend's gross domestic product: players are creating an economy of 719 million gold in Northrend from week to week.Unfortunately, that number alone doesn't tell us much, except that there's a lot of gold moving around in Northrend (it would be interesting to compare this to, say, Azeroth or Outland's equivalent, though the more useful numbers would probably be Outland before the new expansion hit, when everyone was still farming and selling items from there). And it will be interesting to see this tracked in the future: the real GDP is usually used as an indicator of both standard of living and a country's economic health, and while there are drawbacks to using that number to gauge both of those qualities, it's probably fair to say the economy in Northrend is booming. Maybe tracking this in the future will let us see how new content patches or item or even class updates can affect what the economy does there.Very interesting. EVE Online's creators, CCP, have actually hired an economist to help run their ingame economy, and while WoW's isn't generally seen as quite that complicated, there are still plenty of big numbers to play around with..
Mike Schramm12.24.2008
Blood Pact: Warlocks taking a hit
Have you seen any Warlocks lately? For some reason, the only remnant of Warlocks that I see are the odd Demonic Circles scattered here and there in Dalaran. Otherwise, pretty much everybody's re-rolled the flavor-of-the-month Death Knight or a Retribution Paladin. Where's the love? As much as Warlocks are reputedly overpowered in PvP, exactly how a Warlock deals with Death Grip, Strangulate, and a string of crits from the Death Knight and his friends isn't exactly the kind of stuff that make PvP legends.In fact, the way we're designed to deal damage in a slow, painful stream, Warlocks downright blow in PvP -- particularly Arenas -- right now. The king of Arenas today is burst damage, and instagibbing an opponent with a zerg is the order of the day. With very few players stacking the necessary Resilience, Arenas are dominated by players who have gear from heroic Naxxramas. Out of all the cloth classes, Warlocks are the only one without a natural 'out' of a zerg save for the preparation-heavy Demonic Circle (which doesn't break a stun, by the way, and has a meager 40 yard range). Mages still have Ice Block, Blink, and the target-removing Mirror Image. Priests, more than ever, have higher survivability across the board, specially with Pain Suppression, Guardian Spirit, and Dispersion across three trees and a plethora of instant heals. This makes Warlocks Target #1 when it comes to a zerg train in Arenas. And it takes about 4 seconds for us to blow up.
Zach Yonzon12.20.2008
Phat Loot Phriday: Vile's Uglystick
I couldn't remember the last time we did a big two-handed mace (or as I like to call them, "facebasher"), so here's something to quest for this weekend, if you're into that sort of thing.Name: Vile's Uglystick (Wowhead, Thottbot, Magelo)Type: Uncommon Two-handed MaceDamage/Speed: 350-525 / 3.30 (132.6 DPS)Abilities: +53 Strength, +80 Stamina Equip: Increases your parry rating by 53. %Gallery-33600%
Mike Schramm12.19.2008
Breakfast Topic: Phattest Northrend loot
Yeah, it's not Friday, I know. But seeing how easy it is to get loot in Northrend, I've been thinking about all the sweet loot we've been getting so far. A Rogue who joined our Guild run last night for the first time in 25-man Naxxramas got an epic from almost every boss we downed, ending up with him getting an epic upgrade in five slots in one run. It was like Christmas came early. On the other hand, a Paladin in plate like my character has to compete with all the newfangled Death Knights. Still, I managed to finagle a Shoulderguards of the Undaunted in that run, a piece with enough +Hit that it helped free up some of my gem slots and enchants for other things.Overall, we had such a great run last night that about a third of the raid got upgrades. How about you? What's the phattest loot you've gotten so far? With the PvP items now available, I'm fairly certain some of you picked up some sweet Hateful Gladiator gear. I made sure to pick up my Medallion of the Horde before anything else, so that was pretty phat for me. What cool epic did you get this week? If you don't have an epic yet, I'm sure you've got more than a few blues. What cool thing did you purchase or dropped for you recently? With so much easy loot going around in Northrend, I'm curious to know what everybody's gotten so far.
Zach Yonzon12.18.2008
Gearing up for Season 5
Arena Season 5 is here, a completely different season from all the ones before it because of three critical things. First, there are ten new levels. Even though rated Arena play will still be available at Level 70, the real PvP endgame is at Level 80, with new spell ranks, new abilities, and ten more sweet talent points for wonderful PvP tricks. Second, there's an entirely new class to throw a monkeywrench into the equation. How does the Death Knight fit into new team comps? Will they be enough to curb Druid dominance in 2s and 3s? The metagame changes drastically with one more variable. Third, unlike previous seasons, there will be three tiers of Arena gear. Furthermore, there will be numerous sources of Season 5 gear, and not just Arena play. It will be quite possible for players to get entire sets of Gladiator gear without having to PvP at all!But if you would like to dive into this mini-game called Arenas, you'd have to be somewhat prepared. As with The Burning Crusade, the PvP stat in Wrath of the Lich King is still Resilience. Therefore, in order to be best prepared for Arenas and Wrath PvP, it's important to stack on Resilience. Even as many players get gear from heroic instances and raids, the name of the game is still survivability. The good news is that it is extremely easy to gear up in Wrath, and that includes PvP gear.
Zach Yonzon12.17.2008
UPDATED: Season 5 FAQ
Just like that, Arena Season 5 sprang upon Wrath of the Lich King. Even though Blizzard already made the announcement, it still feels kind of sudden. If Season 5 caught you with your pants down (we really hope not), then let's get you up to speed with what's happening in the latest and (hopefully) the greatest Arena season yet. Here's a quick FAQ about the new Arena Season 5.NOTE: Most of these answers are based on information taken from the Patch 3.0.8 PTR, such as gear availability and ratings requirements. If the items don't show up when servers go live today, this post will be updated when they finally do.At what level can I join Arenas?You can enter Arena skirmishes at any level, with brackets at Level 71-75 and 76-80. However, only Level 70 and Level 80 players may participate in rated Arena matches, acquire personal and team ratings, and earn Arena Points to purchase Arena gear. Only Level 80 players are eligible for end-of-season rewards such as titles and possible new 310% speed flying mounts, although none have been announced or found in the data files as of this writing.
Zach Yonzon12.16.2008
Season 5 FAQ continued
Is it true that all Arena and Honor PvP gear require Arena ratings now?No, although the very best ones do. Savage Gladiator gear are excellent rare quality items that require no Arena points to purchase but cost quite a lot of Honor. These items are also purchasable with Emblems of Heroism, so players don't even have to participate in a single Battleground or Arena match in order to buy them. [EDITED: Removed all reference to Arena requirements for Savage Gladiator gear]Hateful Gladiator items require more Honor and Arena points and decent performance in Arenas... if you choose to buy them from an Arena Vendor. The gloves, chest, and leg pieces all drop from 10-man Archavon, so you can get Hateful Gladiator items from sheer luck. All Hateful Gladiator pieces, including the shoulders and head, are purchasable with Emblems of Valor. Most casual players will have a shot at Hateful Gladiator gear even without having an Arena team simply by joining a 10-man Archavon PUG.Even Deadly Gladiator items, the best of the best PvP has to offer, can drop off the 25-man version of Archavon, so again players needn't worry about Arena ratings. The only real pieces that require any true participation and dedication to Arena play are the Deadly Gladiator weapons, and head and shoulder pieces. These are not available through any other avenue but Arena points and personal and team ratings of 2030 or higher.So contrary to what many players have been crying about, this ironically makes Season 5 the most casual-friendly season and allows even complete carebears to run around in full PvP gear. It makes no sense, but the system is actually much more accessible than any other season before it.But what about the filler pieces like the belt, boots, and bracers?Hateful Gladiator Honor pieces do not require any Arena ratings but cost quite a bit of Honor and can be bought in the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar or the Champion's Hall in Stormwind from the Apprentice Armor Quartermasters. Deadly Gladiator Honor pieces only cost Honor (no Arena Points required) but have moderate personal and team ratings. This means that players wanting the absolute best PvP filler gear must participate successfully in Arenas in order to purchase an Honor item. Note that since no Arena points are required, players need only to play enough games to raise his or her personal and team rating to the required level and purchase the item. Since personal and team ratings are calculated live, players can become eligible to purchase items as soon as their ratings change with every match.Should I even bother with Savage Gladiator gear?It could be much worse. Savage Gladiator items are several steps above the craftable PvP sets but inferior to the easily obtainable Hateful Gladiator gear. With persistence and luck, it's far easier to get Hateful Gladiator pieces off 10-man Archavon or even Deadly Gladiator from the 25-man if you get into a group. It will take much longer (you can only try Archavon once a week) but if you shun PvP, it's definitely the best route.On the other hand, Savage Gladiator items confer the Gladiator bonuses, which the craftable PvP sets lack. It also has higher Resilience and Stamina as well as sockets. Honor is extremely fast at Level 80 and it's possible to get over 10,000 Honor in a day casually playing Wintergrasp and some Battlegrounds. It will take some time considering the cheapest piece, the gloves, cost 50,000 Honor. I recommend pursuing the shoulder and head pieces first if you are eyeing Savage Gladiator at all. [EDITED: Removed all reference to Arena requirements from Savage Gladiator gear]Where are the Savage and Hateful Gladiator weapons?Good question. It seems like Blizzard has decided to restrict Gladiator weapons to the Deadly Gladiator or 2030 level. In the Beta, there were three tiers of weapons similar to how there are three tiers of armor sets, but these lower tier weapons no longer appear to be available. It remains to be seen whether they'll bring them back at some point in the future, although it's not very likely.Will there be better Level 70 Arena rewards?No. Go buy Wrath of the Lich King and level up. Level 80 is where it's at.
Zach Yonzon12.16.2008
New items show up in Patch 3.0.8
While we've gotten a glimpse of the two new Kirin-Tor rings that Adam gushed about, more items have shown up on the PTR for Patch 3.0.8, such as the promised Sigils for Death Knights. One, in particular, is the much-needed tanking Sigil. Death Knights, who have no shields for mitigation, thirst mightily for Defense, many even going to the point of looking for Burning Crusade enchants such the Enchant Bracer - Major Defense. The Sigil of the Unfaltering Knight should help relieve that need, and is available for fifteen Emblems of Heroism.Notable changes include the availability of rare Northrend gems from pimp daddy Harold Winston in Dalaran, purchaseable with ten Emblems of Heroism. PvP gear will finally become available with 3.0.8, as well. Savage, Hateful, and Deadly Gladiator gear purchaseable from various sources, from the Arena vendors in Dalaran to the Honor vendors in capital cities. More interestingly, new boots and helm pieces, as well as trinkets will be available in Wintergrasp for Wintergrasp Marks of Honor. Prior to 3.0.8, the Marks were purely cosmetic, but the new patch will allow players to buy account-bound Honor as well as gear. A comprehensive list of the items can be viewed over at World of Raids and MMO Champion,
Zach Yonzon12.14.2008
It's-a Mario World: Infuriating Items
Let's make one point very clear from the onset: The Mario Kart series has thoroughly rocked our boxers since 1992. Despite some shortcomings we still have pretty high praise for Wii's latest iteration, and most fanboys agree that there currently exists no better Nintendo Wi-Fi experience. For everything Mario Kart does right, though, there always seems to be a cheaply overpowered item that renders even the most skilled racer indefensible.So this is us venting. We have seen too many races (and online VR points) slip away on account of nasty item distribution. The series' long-standing method of reserving the best (or at least most destructive) pickups for trailing racers can be especially frustrating to those who would have otherwise earned a legitimate first place rank. Competition, in effect, is deadened by a deliberately equalized playing field. Mario Kart's algorithm for item probability is more at fault than the items themselves, but you know you've cussed out a spiny blue shell before. Now get angry with us in our new rant gallery. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated. Check back every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps. * * * Links of the week: SMB clone revived! | Mario Tennis comes out swingin'! | Delgrego disses the Party! Get him! | New Mario and Luigi 3 screens!
kenneth caldwell12.13.2008
RuneScape's PvP loot system explained, rewards increased
The behind-the-scenes workings of RuneScape's player-kill loot is a lot more complicated than many people might expect. It's not simply a matter of looking for PvP battles and hoping to win the random-number-generator for a sweet item, as a recent developer post on the game's official website explained. In short, a value known as "drop potential" must be increased if you want better loot. This is achieved by spending time in PvP areas, while risking a certain amount of your own items. Some zones like the Wilderness are worth more to your drop potential, but you can probably expect a lot more action too. This system rewards the brave, and leaves the cowardly with junk-loot. As well as elaborating on the mechanics of PvP drops, the post also mentions that two improvements have been made to the system. One is a shift away from having a larger number of items dropping, to fewer but more valuable items. The other is a simple increase to the value of the items dropped. These changes help with inventory management, and also mean that people are more likely to bother picking up what they've earned. Sounds like a good reason to get out there and see what sort of items you can find -- just make sure you've got the skills to pay the bills.
William Dobson12.11.2008
Ask WoW Insider: Getting rid of leftover gear
We're a bit late this week, but we've got a good question for you readers from Hylia, a Shadow Priest on Arthas. If you have a question you'd like to ask the readers of WoW Insider, don't forget to send it to ask@wow.com.I've got a question regarding the level 70 epics I've been pilling in my bank. Since I just hit 80 and I`m changing all my gear now, I don't know what to do. The thing is: I don't know if I should just sell my old gear or if I should disenchant it. I have over 20 of those purple shards too and I'm not sure they would sell well.Thanks in advance for the help.HyliaIt's a good question that lots of us are dealing with as we make our way up to 80: what do we do with the old level 70 epics? Personally, I've just been selling most of it -- I have kept a few sets, such as my Tier armor and a crafted set I made and socketed, but I'm not an Enchanter, and, like Hylia, I don't know how old shards would sell now anyway.What have you been doing with the old gear? Vendor, disenchant, or is your bank packed with Gigantiques so you can keep it all?Previously on Ask WoW Insider...
Mike Schramm12.09.2008
The Art of War(craft): The pointlessness of PvP in early Wrath
Wrath of the Lich King has been great so far. Blues and purples have been easy to come by, with raids and heroic instances -- criticized by some as being too easy -- working as intended. With barely a few weeks after the game's release, many players are decked out in epics. Our Guild Master just got the Superior Achievement a couple of days ago, with many of our members soon to follow suit.Of course, this comes after repeated Heroic runs, the clearing of Naxxramas, and the extremely easy reputation grind thanks to the new tabard system. Overall, it's a phenomenal gearing system... for PvE. On the other hand, the delayed release of Honor-bought PvP items and mid-December start of Arena Season 5 leaves PvP enthusiasts like myself out in the cold.
Zach Yonzon12.08.2008
Blood Pact: Haste gear for Warlocks in Northrend
It took a long time, but I finally made it to 80. How have you been working on your Warlock in Northrend? Unlike some Warlocks, it took me quite a while to get into that leveling groove. The good news is, it looks like Nymh proved that SL/SL isn't quite dead yet. The Frenchman used a variation of the spec to grind mobs in Grizzly Hills. Of course, he had a pocket healer just to make it work, but at least we know we can level with it. In fact, Nymh said it would have taken him 40 hours with SL/SL instead of 26. That would've been slacking.The good thing about slow leveling is that we can actually look at blue upgrades for our Warlocks. Taking the time to level means we can actually go out of my way to look for items that I can use all the way to 80 instead of getting to 80 in a head-spinning two days in my Level 70 gear. If you're one of those who still haven't hit 80 yet, here's a short guide to good blue upgrades while leveling up. You'll encounter a lot of blue cloth gear while leveling, so I've compiled gear according to key statistics, particularly Haste and Crit, which will be two of the more interesting features we'll look for in our gear. Today we'll take a look at Haste, one of the best raiding stats for us in the game.
Zach Yonzon12.05.2008
The best of WoW Insider: November 25 - December 2, 2008
December is here, and where are WoW players? In Northrend, of course -- a sizable amount of the population has hit 80 already, and the rest of us are scrambling through the new content to join them. In the meantime, WoW Insider continues to have everything you need to know about the world's most popular MMO, from new spec and gear guides to the coolest quests and items on the way up. Here's our most popular posts from the past week. News Level 80 Death Knight solos Zul'GurubEven more old content made trivial by a few extra levels and a new class. Dual spec updateA dev updates us on one of the most awaited features in the game right now. Ghostcrawler: Wrath's difficulty is where we want itIs Wrath too easy? GC says no. Four year anniversary pet and feat of strength achievementFor the game's fourth birthday, we all got a baby bear pet as a gift. Wrath of the Lich King breaks internal records at EB GamesA secret correspondent in the big games retailer snaps a shot of the internal email about how well the expansion did. Features WoW Insider's 2008 holiday gift guideYes, it's that time of year again, so here's a guide that will help find a gift for the WoW player in your life. Five old world vanity pets you may have missedEveryone's chasing achievements, so if you're trying to get every single noncombat pet out there, here's five you may have missed the first time around. A Death Knight's first dungeon: Dos and Don'ts part 1How to run your first instance with a new class. The Oracles' mysterious egg is a must-get We're slowly finding out about some of the cooler rep rewards in Northrend. The Queue: Tradeskill bits and piecesOur Q&A column answers reader questions about tradeskills. Have one of your own? Ask it in the comments.
Joystiq Staff12.03.2008
WoW Insider's 2008 holiday gift guide
Yes, it's that time of year again -- the lights are up around town, the weather is cold and snowy, and you've got a long list of nice (and maybe even some naughty) people who will need gifts this year. But what will you get? If anyone on your list is a Warcraft player, worry not: WoW Insider has compiled a list of ten Nintendo Sixtyfoooooooour-level gifts for the Warcraft player in your life, five out-of-game and five in-game.Whether they're level 10 or level 80, odds are that they'll love any of this stuff, and whether you've got just a little bit of time and/or money to put in or want no expense spared, there's something on this list for you. Click into the gallery below to check out all of the gifts, and be sure to have a happy holiday season -- here's hoping there will be a little something more exciting than coal in that stocking!Looking for non-Warcraft related gamer gifts? Joystiq has up-to-the-minute news on the best holiday deals and tips around for Holidaze 2008. And our friends at Big Download have a nice set of guides up as well, featuring anything and everything you might need for a PC gamer.%Gallery-38276%Winter's Veil is almost here. Watch the 12 Days again, wonder what might be new this year, or settle down with some cocoa and some tasty... bark?
Mike Schramm12.02.2008
It's-a Mario World: Mushroom Feast
Commence with the spending frenzy! Black Friday's door-busting sales and no-holds-barred consumer fistfights initiate holiday shopping today, and that means the annual limited-edition Nintendo swag is now being clawed from store shelves. As many of you know, this year is no slouch with two new DS Lite colors, one of which is a phenomenal Mario-red. No cause for alarm; some foaming at the mouth is to be expected. Almost harder to believe is DS Fanboy's current giveaway where one lucky reader will take it home free. The rest of us can bag it at Amazon.com while supplies last.ANYWAYS. We still have a gallery this week amidst all of the excitement. It started out as a series of photographs capturing every possible angle of the aforementioned DS Lite, but that didn't quite work. Instead, being so stuffed with Thanksgiving turkey and delicious pumpkin pie, we couldn't help thinking about what comprises Mario's diet. The short answer? Mushrooms. Lots of them. Seriously, what is it about fungus? Chomp down on our new gallery in which you'll taste a smorgasbord of 'shroom varieties Mario has consumed throughout his career. Yum. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps.
kenneth caldwell11.28.2008