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Tuesday Morning Post: Need more rage edition
Just when it looked like it was going to be a slow news week, here comes Blizzard to the rescue with a few nice little chunks of Cataclysm news. Now I'm not implying anything really, but isn't it sort of funny that only days after Rossi talked rage normalization, we get a nice new writeup on the future of rage in Cataclysm and good old Heroic Strike and Maul? Luckily, Rossi came right back with a quick and dirty guide to the new rage stuff. Of course, if you're not a feral druid or a warrior, you might be more interested in the new information on dispel mechanics in Cataclysm. Of course, As awesome as WoW is and as much as we're eating up this new Cataclysm info with a spoon, everyone needs a break now and then, and on April Fools, we took a few stabs at some new blog concepts. I was very pleased that even my fellow Bloggers are on Team Jacob, that we are willing to publish an awesome guide to the best Mass Effect class ever, and that we were able to use the phrase "Love Glue Gunnin" on the site in a completely legitimate manner. I'm not as pleased about the zombies on my lawn, or that creepy muscle building bear now haunting my dreams, but what can you do? If our little bit of fun didn't satisfy you, you can check out our roundup of some of the other WoW-related April Fool's shenanigans around the web as well, or marvel over the existence of a real version of the EPEEN meter. Whatever strikes your fancy in WoW news, you have plenty of time to read it thanks to today's 5 AM to 11 AM pacific downtime. Continue on for a list of some the best and most interesting news and guides from the past 7 days or so.
Tuesday Morning Post: It's not Las Vegas edition
Welcome everyone, to another news filled Tuesday morning. The big news, of course, is the official announcement of the next BlizzCon. It's happening, but unfortunately, not in Vegas. But hey, it's a blast wherever it's held, even if wherever remains Blizzard's backyard in sunny Anaheim. It's late October this year, which of course has set off tons of speculation about the Cataclysm release date, among other things. Whatever else comes with BlizzCon though, it should be fun and informative. Check out last year's coverage if you forgot just how crazy that whole thing gets. Go ahead, you have time. We'll be down from 5 AM to 11 AM pacific time this morning. Of course, beyond the BlizzCon thing, there's plenty of other news to speak of, especially with Patch 3.3.3 still relatively fresh and requiring hot fixes and even a minor patch. Read on for all the latest WoW Scuttlebutt , and hey, if all else fails, tune into NPR. Our intrepid Editor-in-Chief is on On Point today.
Tuesday Morning Post: Just the patch, ma'am edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone. It's a beautiful near-spring morning here on the west coast, especially since, as of this writing, it looks like we'll finally be getting Patch 3.3.3. That means many things, including changes to raid buffs, new found usefulness for Frozen Orbs, abolition of battleground marks, and some pretty cool stuff data mined out of the patch files. It also means we're just a little bit closer to Patch 3.3.5, which promises a new raid dungeon among other things, and maybe even some gnome and troll love. Of course, we have an extended 3 AM to 11 AM pacific downtime to get this patch into place, which means you have time to read up on all this stuff. In addition to our Patch 3.3.3 information page, we'll have additional coverage throughout the morning, and you can read our usual roundup of the news from the past 7 days below:
Realm maintenance for Tuesday, March 23rd
Realm maintenance for Tuesday, March 23rd is scheduled from 3:00AMPDT/6:00AM EDT until 11:00AM PDT/ 2:00PM PDT. Please note that the maintenance is starting a little earlier than last week -- so get your stuff done early! Here's the full announcement: Dalathmordus We will be performing scheduled maintenance on Tuesday, March 23rd. Maintenance will begin at 3:00 AM PDT and conclude at approximately 11:00 AM PDT. During this time, all realms and many web services will be unavailable. Thank you for your patience. source As always, if this maintenance is extended for any reason, we'll let you know!
Authentication maintenance
Looks like the authentication servers will be undergoing some maintenance this evening, March 16th from 11pm PST/2am EST to 1am PST/4am EST. Here's the full announcement: Ralvorinn We'll be performing maintenance on our authentication services this evening which may impact the ability to log in for some players. The maintenance will begin at 11:00 PM PDT, March 16 and last until approximately 1:00 AM PDT, March 17. source So if you were planning on logging in tonight, you may want to do it before the maintenance starts. If there are any extensions to this maintenance, we'll be sure to let you know!
Tuesday Morning Post: Time change edition
Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone. This morning, we're coming to you earlier than we would have been last week. Or is later? Honestly, this whole time change thing is just making me confused. And sleepy. There's a reason I was never a math major. Luckily, there's nothing like an invigorating round of WoW news to get the blood pumping in the morning. Okay, so technically a cup of coffee would also work, but the machine isn't done percolating yet. Regardless, there's plenty of news to catch up on. There's been some interesting news trickling out of the Game Developer's Conference over in San Francisco, as well as the usual round of Patch 3.3.3 PTR news. Luckily, you'll have time to read it all while the servers are down. With realm maintenance clocking in at only 6 hours today (from 5 AM to 11 AM Pacific), though, I wouldn't expect to see Patch 3.3.3 actually dropping this week, so you'll have to console yourself with the news and wait at least one more week to cash in all those Frozen Orbs. Check out our usual roundup after the break.
Tuesday Morning Post: Beginning of the end edition
Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! I name this week's post not in a negative sense, but in a sense that it does seem like we've officially started winding down Wrath. Specifically, we recently saw the addition of the first edition of the Icecrown Citadel raid buff. It has started at 5%, but will eventually rise to 30%, allowing more and more people to power through the dungeon and see Arthas fall at their feet. It's the end of an era, but I feel the start of a much better one. Of course, that's not to say we're completely out of Wrath yet. We have at least 2 more patches to go, and Patch 3.3.3 PTR news keeps rolling in, as does tons of other news. You'll have the usual maintenance break from WoW this morning, 5 AM to 11 AM pacific, so you have time to get caught up. As usual, here's our list of some of the major stuff from the past 7 days or so:
Tuesday Morning Post: Cataclysmic content edition
Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone. While it was not perhaps a deluge, we did get a few tidbits of Cataclysm news this past week, beginning with the latest Twitter Developer Chat, where the devs dropped hints on such sundry topics as the purification of the plaguelands, cross-realm mail and raids, submarines, a new caverns of time instance, the new class/race combos, and the dance studio. Then we got a very nice info-dump with an informative post on the way statistics will work in Cataclysm. We've already started breaking down what the stat changes mean to various classes and specs, and if your class hasn't been analyzed yet, chances are it will be today or tomorrow. Combine that with some new info from the Patch 3.3.3 PTR, and Blizzard's really packed on the news this cycle. It's only rolling restarts this morning, but don't you deserve a break anyway? Check out our roundup of all the news after the break while you wait for your server to restart and for Ghostcrawler to deliver your moose.
Patch 3.3.3 PTR: Realms coming down for maintenance
In a somewhat speedy announcement following last night's announcement on Facebook, the PTR realms are coming down for maintenance: Ujumqin We will be bringing down the PTR servers today for maintenance at approximately 11:30 AM PST. There is currently no estimated time for this maintenance. This thread will be updated as more information becomes available. source There's been no update to the thread as of yet. Whether this is to address the disconnects and lag on the PTR servers or to apply a new patch is currently unknown, however, we'll update this post as soon as more information becomes available. In the meantime, check out the class changes, patch notes, and other information available about Patch 3.3.3 while you wait out the maintenance!
Tuesday Morning Post: It's raining again edition
Did you think things were getting slow in WoW news? Those might have been famous last words, so to speak. It never rains, but it pours. It started early last week with a stream of previews: Of the new battleground honor changes, of the new Ruby Sanctum raid, and a sneak peek behind the curtain of Wintergrasp's faction balancing mechanics. Then, Friday came, and bam. Here comes Patch 3.3.3, with tons of amazing information for everyone to drown in, both in the patch notes and in the game files. If you haven't had a chance to dive into all the Patch 3.3.3 news, now is as good a time as any, since the servers will be down from 3 AM to 11 AM Pacific. Before you ask, we have not heard that the patch is going live as of this writing, and I'd sincerely doubt it myself. It's a bit buggy as it is, and the devs have hinted there's more to be implemented and tested. So feel free to sit back, relax, and peruse the best news from the past week, both from Patch 3.3.3 and beyond, just below.
Realm Maintenance on select US realms
Blizzard will be performing maintenance on the following realms beginning on Saturday, February 20, at 2:00AM PST/5:00AM EST until approximately 5:00AM PST/8:00AM EST. While the purpose of the maintenance isn't explained, the list of realms is pretty small, and the affected realms should only be down for about 30 minutes each. See below for a full list of affected realms:
Patch 3.3.3 PTR character copies up
Hot on the heels of the Patch 3.3.3 PTR patch notes, Blizzard has activated character copies for this phase of testing. While the realms aren't up quite yet, and neither is the client, you can definitely copy your live characters over to Broxigar (PVE) or Anasterian (PVP) for impending testing. A few things to bear in mind: if you're excited to try out the new Ruby Sanctum raid, that content isn't going to be in this particular patch. There might be indications of it, maybe some quests or data, but no instance itself just yet. But, since there's no raid content, this means you can also copy over premade level 80 characters -- the perfect way to test out all those new PVP changes. Well, what are you waiting for? Go make your evil twin!
Tuesday Morning Post: Mooning edition
Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone. Right now, we're sort of hip deep in holidays. Not only is Love Is In The Air winding down, but the Lunar Festival is in full swing. As always, if you need help getting acclimated, we're here for you with an Overachiever guide, which itself includes an elder finding guide. There's been other things going on in and around WoW, of course. The biggest buzz has been from the past few days: Yes, Upper Deck is losing the WoW TCG license, but Blizzard says the game is not going away. Unfortunately, the exact form the new version will take, and who will run and distribute it, are still firmly in the realm of conjecture and rumor as of this writing. If there's one comfort with all this turmoil, it's this: That the World (of Warcraft) is Awesome. Unfortunately, that awesome world will be down for the usual 5 AM to 11 AM pacific time maintenance window this morning, so you'll have plenty of time to catch up on all the news of said world. As usual, we have a list of the some of the most interesting news and other stuff from the past 7 days.
Emergency Maintenance on select US realms
Just when you thought it was safe: The following realms will be undergoing emergency maintenance today from 2:00 a.m. PST / 5:00 a.m. EST until 7:00 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. EST. This maintenance is to resolve performance issues on a large number of realms. If there are any issues that extend this emergency maintenance period, we'll update this post. See below for the full list of affected realms.
Urgent maintenance on select realms [Updated]
Once again, we've got realms coming down and undergoing emergency maintenance on Friday, February 12th from 5:00 a.m. PST / 8:00 a.m. EST until 7:00 a.m. PST / 10am EST. This maintenance is to resolve performance issues - hopefully this will address some of the lag issues players have been reporting since the extended maintenance on Tuesday. Please note, all realms will be undergoing this maintenance EXCEPT those realms listed below. Coincidentally, the realms listed below are the same ones that underwent maintenance this morning. If there are any issues that extend this emergency maintenance period, we'll update this post. Updated 2:01am PST: The maintenance has been canceled, and they are no longer bringing any realms offline. See below for the full list of excepted realms.
Urgent maintenance on select realms
The following realms will be undergoing emergency maintenance today from 5:00 a.m. PST / 8:00 a.m. EST until 11:00 a.m. PST / 2pm EST. Please note that there seems to be some inconsistency in the wording of this post -- the title lists this maintenance as rolling restarts, while the post itself clearly indicates players are going to see some downtime. This maintenance is to resolve a database issue, but a large number of realms appear to be affected. Hopefully this will address some of the lag issues players have been reporting since the extended maintenance on Tuesday -- if there are any issues that extend this emergency maintenance period, we'll update this post. See below for a full list of realms undergoing maintenance.
Tuesday Morning Post: In the Air edition
It's been a pretty busy week here in WoW. With Patch 3.3.2 live and the Frostwing Halls open, we quickly saw our first 10-man Lich King kill, followed by our first 25-man Lich King kill, followed shortly by a ban, followed a bit later by the first legitimate 25-man Lich King kill. But if you haven't managed to get him down yet, you're in luck. Blizzard's already making it easier to get to him by removing the limited number of attempts on ICC wing bosses in normal mode. Beyond Icecrown Citadel, we also saw some pretty interesting stuff in and outside the game: Blizzard's planning to offer a premium AH app for the iPhone so you can corner the linen market on the downtown bus. The Love is in the Air holiday is active and completely redesigned, with new achievements, easier existing achievements, and a new boss fight with new holiday loot. Check our Love is In The Air FAQ for information on all the new stuff. Arena season 8 is up and running as well. Unfortunately, even with all this activity, weekly downtime is still upon us. You'll have from 5 AM to 11 AM pacific time to take a break from all this new stuff. As always, I'll suggest that that's an excellent time to read about it instead. Here's a summary of some of our articles from the past 7 days.
Tuesday Morning Post: Ice cold spoilers edition
Happy Tuesday Morning! And yes, it is pretty happy, because it looks like we're getting the long awaited Patch 3.3.2, and with it, season 8, some nice little class changes, and of course, Arthas. We've already seen a leak of the promised final cinematic that occurs after the Lich King battle. Don't click on the link if you don't want to see it, it's a pretty big spoiler. Of course, a new patch means a lot of downtime. So, While you're waiting through the 3 AM to 11 AM Pacific downtime for the servers to come up and the patch to download, have a serving of some of the hottest news and best articles from the past 7 days, and be sure to stay tuned for lots more Patch 3.3.2 news in the coming days.
Scheduled maintenance on US Realms for February 2nd
It looks like there will be realm maintenance for all US realms this February 2nd. Since it seems to be somewhat extended (3 AM PST to 11 AM PST) and we're waiting for the 3.3.2 patch to drop in order to start Arena Season 8, I'm willing to go out on a limb and suppose that there will most likely be the next minor content patch at this time. This will also most likely open the last wing of Icecrown Citadel. So! Are you excited? I'm excited! Well, also I'm kind of hoping I'm right, but then I'm excited. We'll have the Tuesday Morning Post for you to obsess over while waiting for the realms to come up, not that I compulsively refresh the realm status page or anything myself. No no, not me.
Urgent maintenance for select realms
The following realms will be undergoing maintenance tomorrow from 5:00 a.m. PST / 8:00 a.m. EST until 9:00 a.m. PST / Noon EST. There is no indication given as to why the maintenance is occurring, but there have been widespread reports of lag and instance problems tonight. Common lag bugs like looting taking several seconds to complete or mobs rapidly changing places have been reported on quite a few realms. If this outage turns into something more, we'll update this post. The realms affected by the maintenance include: Antonidas Cairne Drak'Tharon Drenden Farstriders Garrosh Hydraxis Mok'Nathal Moon Guard Nazgrel Nordrassil Quel'dorei Rivendare Shandris Tortheldrin
