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Tuesday Morning Post: Varian Wrynn is my copilot in Patch 3.1 edition
People never believe me when I say the Horde is my favorite of the two factions and that most of my characters are only Alliance because that is the faction my friends play. Of course, this evening, it's easy to see why I sometimes have a hard time convincing them of this fact, as I have spent the last few hours gushing about King Varian Wrynn to anyone who will listen and even a few people who won't. Seriously, if you are in a place that allows the streaming of video and sound, you should watch the new Ulduar trailer. Varian is so amazing, I almost needed a change of pants after I finished watching. But hey, only some of us are lore nerds, and I'm sure a lot of you are here looking for some prime patch 3.1 gameplay and feature information, what with extended maintenance and said patch 3.1 going live today. Luckily, you're in luck. You lucky person you. Expect loads of patch 3.1 information articles and roundups as the day progresses, including dual spec information and galleries showcasing the new sights and sounds of the new patch. In the meantime, you can start your reading with our official constantly updated Guide to Patch 3.1 and this roundup of some of the hottest news from the past week:
Tuesday Morning Post: Seriously, You should read this book edition
If I may be allowed to indulge in a little self-aggrandizing on this fine Tuesday morning, I'd like to posit that the best article written this past week was posted on Sunday and written by me. This article is the review of Christie Golden's new Warcraft novel, Arthas. Now, before you accuse me of the sin of Pride, I should say that Alex totally agrees with me, so it's all good. Besides, I had some awesome inspiration courtesy of the book. But my point is, you should go read the review, then go pre-order your copy. It's a pretty good book. If you're a lore or fantasy fan, there's a pretty excellent chance you will not be disappointed. That said, the release date is still a couple weeks off. This means that, in the meantime, you have no Arthas book, so you'll probably want to do the next best thing and read some WoW Insider, like during that 15 minute window while your server's down from rolling restarts this morning. Or longer if you're on one of the servers that may or may not get extra downtime. Here's a few reading suggestions:
Tuesday Morning Post: Vin Diesel is better edition
So here we are. 5 AM Pacific is almost upon us, then we'll have downtime until 11 AM Pacific (Unless they extend it again). That means it's closing time. One last call for exp, so finish your grinding or quest, and whatnot. As usual, I'm going to suggest that you fill that WoW-less void in your life with some browsing of WoW Insider. But first, I have something to get off my chest. It's something I have felt needs saying for a long time, and I'm now I'm going to say it, so listen up: Vin Diesel could beat Chuck Norris any day.I've been saying it for years, seriously. Vin Diesel is so much better than Chuck Norris. Whoever first replaced Chuck Norris with Vin Diesel in all those Barrens Chat jokes, you and I need to have some words, I swear. And now I have even more evidence that Vin Diesel is the true master of badassedness: He actually plays WoW.But anyway, back on topic. That wasn't the biggest piece of news this week, as weird as it may seen. We just got solid confirmation of a new Battleground, not to mention the new gamer fuel and a bunch of UI and Addon news that everyone's still buzzing about. Since we're all stuck not playing WoW for a bit, why not check all that out now? As always, I have a list of the best and hottest news under the cut.
Tuesday Morning Post: Zie Bart Zie edition
Yes, today's title is a horrible pun. To be fair, I blame Rossi. But it was just too awesome NOT to use. Maybe the Argent Tournament will have a circus with a sideshow, then it will even be on topic, in a sort of prophetic off topic sort of way.It's extended maintenance today, from 3 AM to 11 AM Pacific, so we're facing another rather long WoW drought. No, I wouldn't bet on 3.1 going live. I'd say we have at least a few more builds to go for that. Maybe even one later today with all this maintenance stuff going on. But for now, let me do my usual and suggest that you browse WoW Insider in lieu of playing. We have tons of nice juicy 3.1 information for you to dig through. I've compiled some of the best stuff from the past 7 days or so past the break.
Tuesday Morning Post: I hate Peddlefeet edition
So it's been a week since 3.0.9 dropped, but whether by design or coincidence, the attention of the WoW community has been turned away from such paltry issues as class balance and bug fixes in favor of the RNG issues with Love is in the Air and the new information about dual speccing and the whole thing with the Ice Stone.Certainly, those debates will probably rage into the future, but the news we're really hoping for is a 3.1 PTR. We've had a few false starts, but it's getting about time. Hopefully before March, at the least? Regardless of whether we're getting a PTR or not, we do have downtime, from 5 AM to 11 AM Pacific time. That's a nice six hour chunk where you'll have to find something to do that is not playing WoW. May we suggest browsing WoW Insider? As always, we have a list of some of the week's hottest news after the break.
Tuesday Morning Post: 3.0.8 for real this time
Okay, I know, I know, I said I wouldn't predict 3.0.8 again, but well, now it's safe to do so. So I'm going to like, unofficially say now that I am a bit bummed that I may not be able to sell my Relics of Ulduar for my motorcycle fund, but am happy I will be able to get me some extra Sons of Hodir faction since I've been slacking on those dailies.Anyway, with a patch comes a lot of downtime, so as usual, I'd suggest some WoW Insider reading. You'll find a list of some of the major articles and new stories of the past week after the break, with the 3.0.8 stuff up top so you can get up to speed before the servers come up.
Tuesday Morning Post: Happy 2009 edition
Welcome to the first Tuesday Morning Post of 2009. I trust you've all recovered from your wild New Year's Eve debauchery and ready to face the new year bright eyed and bushy tailed, right? Anyway, you know what would be an awesome way to kick off the new year? With a new patch. This would be the perfect time for 3.0.8 to go live, and with Ghostcrawler talking about changes that will make 3.0.8 but won't make the PTR and yet another 3 AM to 11 AM (Pacific time) downtime this morning, the time is right. Still, I'm not making any predictions, since I've been terrible at predicting 3.0.8 as it is. It could just be that Blizzard is trying to let the servers recover from the holiday season and we still have a week or two to go for the patch. Either way, we have at least 8 hours of downtime coming up, so now's a good time to get caught up on all the latest WoW news. As usual, I have some of the past week's best content for you after the break.
Tuesday Morning Post: It's still not patch day, is it?
So we have a 3 AM to 11 AM Pacific downtime today. But honestly, I'm sort of hoping it's not for patch day, because I have a Death Knight column going live later this morning that assumes testing's going to go on for another few weeks. Besides, they just added a few new tweaks to the PTR, so they probably want more time to test them. But just in case today is patch day, here's a pre-emptive mea culpa on that column. But regardless of whether today is patch day or not, we're still talking at least 8 hours of downtime here, and as usual, I choose to take the optimistic view on it. That's right, it's a perfect time to catch up on your World of Warcraft news. As usual, you'll find a list of some of the best content from the past 7 days or so here on WoW Insider after the break. Don't be afraid to dive in and start browsing categories or clicking buttons on the sidebars or the menus above, too. You won't break anything. I think.
The Tuesday Morning Post: It's quiet. Too quiet.
So. Here we are. It's coming up on a month into the expansion and... I don't know, it's sort of quiet. Well, I mean, not too quiet. We have plenty of stuff to do. About half of you are still trying to make it to 80. I say you when I mean us, because I haven't quite made it there myself. In my defense, I'm leveling a Death Knight, so I started handicapped. But anyway, I mean quiet as in, there seems like we should get some earth shattering news soon. Maybe a 3.0.4 PTR if nothing else. But I shouldn't complain, we have a whole expansion to keep us busy for a while. Still, I'm going to make a prophecy anyway. 3.0.4 before the new year. You heard it here first. In the meantime, we'll have to satisfy ourselves with news from the past week. You can read while your server's down for the 5 AM rolling restarts:
The Tuesday Morning Post: Don't forget your Consortium g... oh wait
So It's December 2nd. Normally, that means that your plans should probably include a quick trip out to Nagrand for a sack of gems. But a little something happened this past month that's sort of changed that up a little bit. Still, maybe it's a good idea to visit good old Gehze one more time, for old time's sake, eh?Actually, I'm a bit disappointed in the Consortium. I really expected them to leverage their vast profits in Outlands to spearhead a movement into Azeroth. They could be making a killing off of Nerubian carapaces and Frostwyrm bone ivory right now... and handing us a bag of Northrend gems every month. Come on, get with it guys.But seriously. The point is, it's Tuesday morning. And that means downtime. It's an extra long downtime today, 3 AM to 11 AM PST. That means you have plenty of time to browse WoW Insider. Allow me, as is my wont, to suggest some choice articles, guides, and features from the past week for your enjoyment, after the break.
The Tuesday Morning Post: Northrend Ho!
Good Morning, and welcome to the last Tuesday Morning Post before Wrath of the Lich King, and the first Tuesday Morning Post for the new site design. I'd call it the calm before the storm, but, well, there's very little that's calm, what with everyone rushing around getting all that last minute stuff done, and the whole thing with the Scourge in Orgrimmar and Stormwind. Anyway, you'll want to watch the site for the next few days, because we'll be rolling out tons of guides to help you get on your way in Wrath, with class talent builds, information on new skills and zones, and all the rest of that. In the meantime, the servers are down for a few hours, so check out some of the stuff we've already posted from the last week:
The Tuesday Morning Post: Varian Wrynn for President
Good Tuesday Morning, everyone, and welcome to patch day 3.0.3. The nice thing about this extended downtime is that it gives you an excuse to go out and vote if you're an American Citizen and you haven't done that early. But hey, if you're like me and you've already voted, you have time to look over some of the WoW news from the past week. First of all, you'll want to check out the patch notes if you haven't already, and keep checking the site throughout the day for analysis of the patch changes. Beyond that, here's some of the highlights of the last week on the site: Hot News and Features Here's some news hot off the presses: The WoTLK Beta is now over. You don't have to go to the live servers, but you can't stay here. As usual, the WoW-themed costumes were out in force for Halloween this year. Check out what some of our readers wore. Everyone seems to have their own opinions on the zombie invasion, from our own Mike Schramm to Fox News to The Times Online. If you're looking to jump into the storyline of WoTLK, check out this quick guide to the lore that you'll want to know before you dive in. Official Midnight WotLK launches have been announced. See if one's coming to a city near you.
The Tuesday Morning Post: I love the Zombies
Good Tuesday mrning everyone. It's a 5 AM to 11 AM PDT downtime today, which means you probably have time to do some reading right now, right? How about reading up on all the latest news from the last busy week of WoW? So Here's the big story of the moment: Nearly as suddenly as it began, the great Zombie apocalypse is ended, and not with a bang but with a whimper. One blue post later, it quietly exited the servers at about noon PST yesterday. For some, this was a welcome relief. For others, such as myself, it was a bit of a downer. I was looking forward to one last hurrah of pushing the Zombie menace out of the cathedral district. Maybe it's the World War Z addict in me, but I was sort of having fun watching the world (of Warcraft) burn. Still, don't get too bummed, event enthusiasts. There's still plenty of Scourge-Invasion related events leftover to see. Check out those, as well as some of the highlights of the Zombie Invasion and a roundup of other odds and ends. The Plague: What Remains
