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Breakfast Topic: Was the instant level 90 the death of Scrolls of Resurrection?
Chances are you've caught the news that Blizzard's Scroll of Resurrection program, which offered a boost to level 80 and some free gametime for lapsed players, is about to reach its end. But, really, this is a change you might not be feeling: Blizzard hasn't updated the program in a while and it's a little challenging to find players who have been gone long enough -- nearly two years -- to qualify to receive a Scroll so you can reap the rewards. With Warlords offering players a boost to level 90, we have to wonder if the Scroll of Resurrection just doesn't make sense anymore. When you can get a level 90 character to play just by buying the expansion, why bother getting a friend to send you a Scroll for a level boost, even if Blizzard did update the rewards to be at-level to Mists or Warlords. So tell us, readers -- do you think the upcoming expansion's instant level 90 was the end of the Scroll of Resurrection? Or do you think we'll see an updated SoR program at some future date?
Scroll of Resurrection retired
The Scroll of Resurrection, a longstanding incentive for current WoW plays to bring lapsed players back into the fold, is reaching the end of its tenure. On February 18th, one week from today, the Scroll will be removed from the game and no longer available to send. Players who have received Scrolls by that point will have up to 30 days from the day it was sent to activate it. If you or someone you know has been considering returning to the game, now might be the time to make the jump. The Scroll's perks include a fancy Spectral Gryphon or Windrider for the sender, and 7 free days' of game play for the recipient.
Warlords of Draenor begins making an appearance in the launcher and in the Blizzard store
We all know it's coming, there's nobody reading WoW Insider today who will be surprised to hear that there's an expansion in the works and that pre-orders will open soon, hopefully with a beta arriving at a similar time. We've heard about it a few times already, but the recent addition of CSS to the battle.net site and images to the battle.net launcher only serves to increase our suspicions that it's coming with or shortly after patch 5.4.7. You can see a composite image of the launcher background and assets discovered by our friends at Adriacraft in the header. The CSS file, if you don't want to read through it yourself, indicates the addition of Warlords of Draenor in the same pattern as the ones we've come to expect for Mists, Cata and so on. There's also the Digital Deluxe edition upgrade, but there isn't a pre-order date stated in the CSS, and nor has Blizzard announced one. While it certainly shouldn't be taken as any assertion that a new Scroll of Resurrection is coming, there is new imaging for it and it's mentioned in the same updated CSS. Why don't we think a new one is coming? Well it's certainly not impossible, but it would seem rather odd for Blizzard to allow long-abandoned accounts to receive a level 80 just for rejoining when they want us to shell out some cash for the Warlords of Draenor expansion and a "free" level 90 boost. Not to mention the likely addition of purchasable level 90 boosts coming soon, as the feature is tested on the PTR.
How to recruit your friends into WoW for big bonuses
Update: This article has been updated to remove references to the now-defunct Scroll of Resurrection program and remove mentions of holiday sale pricing for World of Warcraft. If you're looking to bring your friends in to World of Warcraft, Blizzard is eager to lend you a hand with Recruit A Friend (for bringing in new players) and Scroll of Resurrection (for bringing back old players). Both programs offer bonuses for both you and whomever you're inviting to play with you -- you get cool mounts, and they get easier leveling options. So if you have a friend who might enjoy the game, taking advantage of one of these programs will help out both of you. And if you're looking to get into the game, it's worth your while to find a friend who can recruit you. But just what do these programs do and how can you -- and your friends -- take advantage of them? We'll lay out all the details below.
Scroll of Resurrection rewards not allowed for monks, new pandaren
Last week, I wrote an article discussing some way you could prepare now for your new monk. One of the open questions at the end of that article was whether the Scroll of Resurrection's free 80 bonus would be applicable to new monks, as that could significantly impact the race for realm firsts. Today, a Blizzard blog post clarified the situation, and the results are in: No free level 80 monk for you. Blizzard Entertainment With the upcoming release of Mists of Pandaria, the Scroll of Resurrection system will be updated to accommodate the new talent specialization system, monk class, and pandaren race. The following changes will be made in an upcoming patch prior to the expansion's release: The Scroll of Resurrection leveling system will be updated to work with Mists of Pandaria's new specialization and talent system. Resurrected characters will no longer have their talents preselected for them; however, a specialization will still available to be selected prior to entering the game. Players who receive a Scroll of Resurrection will not be able to apply rewards (e.g. boost to level 80) to monk characters. Players who send or receive a Scroll of Resurrection will not be able to apply rewards (e.g. in-game mount, boost to level 80) to pandaren characters that have not yet chosen a faction. To learn more about the Scroll of Resurrection, read the FAQ. source While this still leaves open the question of whether Recruit-A-Friend's level-granting bonuses will work for new monks, at least now the playing field is balanced for all who will be competing. While my intuition tells me that Recruit-A-Friend bonuses will probably be allowed for monks, you may want to start acquiring some heirlooms, just in case. (EDIT: Yes, RaF is allowed for monks.) It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Blizzard blog explains how to send or receive a Scroll of Resurrection
Since the Scroll of Resurrection was revamped and brought back, it's been a system that has generated a lot of interest in the playerbase. Due to some of the amazing rewards such as a spectral mount for the SoR sender and a boosted level 80 character and a free copy of Cataclysm for the receiver, a lot of players have spent the past month trying to navigate through the confusing system to send a SoR. As an answer to their confusion, Blizzard released two detailed Scroll of Resurrection videos in a blog post yesterday, which thankfully answer some of the common concerns brought up in our post last week. Our updated Scroll of Resurrection campaign is well underway, and many players are taking advantage of this opportunity to bring friends and former guildmates back to the game. We've noticed that many of you have questions about how the program works. We're here to provide answers, and one of the ways that we're doing so is with this pair of quick tutorial videos. The first is for those of you who are sending Scrolls of Resurrection, and the second is for those receiving them. source One video shows you everything you need to do to send a SoR to a friend whose time has lapsed, including instructions for claiming your mount. The other is a guide to accepting a Scroll of Resurrection, showing you how to get back into the game quickly and efficiently. As an added bonus, the voice of the second video has an excellent British accent. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Ask your Scroll of Resurrection questions
Many players seem to be having a difficult time deciphering the intricacies of the revamped Scroll of Resurrection system. Whether that's because the Scroll of Resurrection Walkthrough support page isn't visible enough or the system is just that complicated, we don't know. What we do know is that Blizzard has offered us a pretty cool opportunity -- a Q&A about the Scroll of Resurrection system, with the questions coming from WoW Insider readers. Are you not sure how the system works? Have you run into an issue that you don't quite understand? Aspects of the system that you think could be improved, perhaps? Drop all of that in the comments below, and we'll forward the most common questions on to Blizzard.
Addon Spotlight: A UI primer for returning WoW players
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. World of Warcraft experienced numerous cataclysms over the last year and a half as Blizzard, the community, and everything in between had a weird hiccup moment. Mists of Pandaria seems to be shaping up to pull many lapsed players back into the World of Warcraft ranks, and the Scroll of Resurrection is a none-too-subtle way of facilitating that goal. Old players who thought WoW was down and out have been pulled back because of instant access to a lot of the features once reserved for the especially dedicated. Last week, I gave you some tips on what to install on your brand new player's game in order to facilitate a smoother first-game experience. This week, we're going to address old players from all past eras of WoW's lifespan and help them get back into the game without too many bumps along the way. It's a very different game, but the core components are exactly the same. Blizzard correctly pointed out that when WoW's got you and your character's boots on the ground, the game works the best. But first, before we begin with the article proper, I wanted to proclaim victory for the WoW community with regard to AoE looting. Blizzard has announced that AoE looting will be making the release of Mists of Pandaria, and I could not be happier. I've been championing AoE looting for some time now, and I want to send the happiest thoughts possible to the dev who got this feature on the launch list. You have no idea what types of quality of life changes that this will bring to everything from old raid farming to time spent waiting around in dungeons.
Totem Talk: Getting resurrected restoration shaman back to speed, and level 90 talents
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how The Scroll of Resurrection revamp has been a topic of hot debate recently. Whether you love it or hate it, the feature's still an opportunity for our healing brethren to come back after a long break. To be honest, one of my friends has done just that. But being away from the game for any period of time, whether it is an entire expansion or just a content patch, can be jarring. So when my friend reactivated, I asked him what his most pressing concerns were coming back to Cataclysm. What did he want to know the most to get back up to speed? I thought that were probably quite a few number of folks coming back to the game who might have the same questions, so I figured now would be the perfect time to talk about that, as well as some news regarding the new level 90 talents that we just received. Oh, and the video has nothing to do with today's post ... I just had that song stuck in my head.
Blizzard further explains the new Scroll of Resurrection
Blizzard has posted a more detailed explanation of the revamped Scroll of Resurrection feature, allowing current players to send their friends seven free days to come back to the game, a free bump for one character to level 80, and a free server and faction change to your friend's new server. For the current player, you'll be given a faction-specific spectral mount if your resurrected friend pays for a month. All in all, it's an ambitious package to entice old players to return to Azeroth. These new clarifications make sure that players understand the rules of the promotion and that this is a limited time deal. Blizzard will be letting everyone know with ample time before the promotion ends, but if you're interested in the mount, it might behoove you to get your Scroll of Resurrection out of the way early. What that says to me is a potential for rotating rewards for the Scroll of Resurrection. Multiple rewards or a new reward each year is a great way to get players to do their own grassroots advertising to get old players back into the game to sate their collector compulsions. Hit the jump for the full list of clarifications.
WoW Moviewatch: How to Win at Scroll of Resurrection
Are you one of those loyal WoW players trying to convince your friends to take a Scroll of Resurrection? Yeah, so is Wowcrendor. And it seems when you present an exciting, well-reasoned case to bring those friends back into our fold, you get one, single answer. That's the premise of this video. This is a pretty short video, which is often for the best. Wowcrendor manages to make a full, satisfying video out of a single joke. I have a lot of respect for his brevity; dragging a video out when it's not necessary just turns it into a bore. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
Hi, remember me? I've been here since 2004
Hello. Let's do a brief math exercise, just for a moment. I've been playing World of Warcraft since some point in December of 2004, as illustrated by the screenshot above. This is March of 2012, which means I've been playing WoW for roughly 87 months. Actually, I'm going to subtract three months, because there was a point where I cancelled my subscription and took a three-month break from the game -- so 84 months of gameplay or thereabouts. Each month of World of Warcraft is $14.95. Multiply that by 84, and I've paid Blizzard $1,255.80 over the past seven years of gameplay. That doesn't include the Collector's Editions I've purchased or the pets or the mounts I've nabbed via the Blizzard Store, and it also doesn't include my second account, which I've had since 2008. It also doesn't include the money I've thrown at Blizzard for pretty much every novel under the sun, the comics, and the other assorted merchandise I've picked up over the years. I like World of Warcraft. I like it a lot. I like it so much that even though I took a little break, I've never, ever quit. So where's my mount?
Breakfast Topic: Is it the perfect time to start playing WoW again?
Blizzard's new Scroll of Resurrection program, along with a personal anecdote, have got me asking the simple question: Is this the perfect time to start playing World of Warcraft? My immediate thought was that of course it's not -- Mists of Pandaria is presumably close, and we are in the dreaded pre-expansion lull. As I thought more about it, my answer got a little more complex. When my friend Will came to me asking for an MMO recommendation a few days ago, I found myself parsing through all of the options and ended up recommending World of Warcraft. Will doesn't have much time to play MMOs. He used to play a little bit of WoW, but it was way back in the day when things were still so new. That got me thinking -- my own WoW experience has become much more of a casual endeavor, which has shown me the light in many regards. This is a game you can play for 30 to 60 minutes a night if you so desire. The new Cataclysm questing is top notch for any MMO. A free level 80 character means you can show your friend cool content right out the gate (old world raids, fun zones, etc.) and not worry about the whole "Well, I'll never get to your level to play with you" problem. I'll be sending my friend a Scroll of Resurrection invite because I believe that this time between now and Mists of Pandaria, during the relative calm before the storm when raiding has slowed and people get a little bit lazy, is the perfect time to help a friend get into the game. There is actually time to go and help a friend. Do you think this is actually a perfect time to play WoW, when things are quiet and settled?
The Queue: Somebody buy me an iPad
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mathew McCurley (@gomatgo) will be your host today. It's, uh ... for work. I swear. I'll take one of the old ones -- that's totally fine. Not the old old one, though. Only one old ago. Jamie asked: How long do you think it'll be before we'll be able to buy a previous expansion level capped character from Blizzard? Technically, you can do it now with the Scroll of Resurrection, if you have a second account that you've deactivated for some reason. Might I remind all of you out there who RAF'd for Swift Zhevras or X-53 rockets and have an account lying around that it would be perfect for resurrecting, granting a level 80 character, and then transferring that character back to your main account? That's essentially purchasing a level 80 character, no? As for whether you will be purchasing already-leveled characters from Blizzard, the answer is most likely no. However, I could see Blizzard setting up something like Diablo III's character sales on the Auction House. Who knows? Maybe one day, you could buy new characters with your Blizzard wallet from other players. The bottom line is that I think Blizzard likes the idea of player-on-player transactions for game/power-related items, which I'm fine with.
Official Scroll of Resurrection revamp details
This afternoon, we discovered the revamped Scroll of Resurrection system was being rolled out on live realms. The service didn't stay active long (and most likely wasn't meant to be active at all), so details were rare. However, this evening Blizzard has released all of the details of the system. The entire release is fairly lengthy, so we'll keep most of that behind the cut. However, here are the core goodies. Scroll of Resurrection - Resurrected Soon! Once your friend accepts your scroll and pays for at least 30 days of game, you unlock your choice of the following rewards: A Free Spectral Gryphon for an Alliance character Or a Free Spectral Wind Rider for a Horde character And, to enable you and your friend to play together in Cataclysm's newest content, any friend who accepts your Scroll will also receive the following epic benefits: A single character immediately boosted all the way to level 80 -- DING! A FREE upgrade to Cataclysm -- regardless of your friend's original box level An optional FREE character move -- to your realm and faction so you can play together 7 FREE days of game time -- available immediately A few other prerequisites apply -- such as a free upgrade to a Battle.net account for players who haven't played since 2009 or earlier -- so be sure to check out the FAQ below for full eligibility details. source Do note that the official release notes that when this system goes live, the offer will only be available for a limited time. Head over to Battle.net for the full release, or just click through the cut below.
Blizzard buffs the bejeezus out of WoW's Scroll of Resurrection
World of Warcraft's Scroll of Resurrection has received a rather considerable buff. The feature previously allowed currently subscribed players to invite a retired friend to come back to Azeroth for a time. Now, however, the resurrected player will be provided a treasure trove of freebies to further entice retired players back to the game. The returning player will be able to boost one character directly to level 80, which seems pretty amazing in and of itself, but there's more. Scroll of Resurrection will also supply its target with a free upgrade to Cataclysm, seven days of free game time, and free realm and faction transfers so that returning players can join their friend right away. So, retirees and recovering addicts, if you need a little more Azeroth in your life, now's the perfect time to jump back in.
Scroll of Resurrection revamp active, includes free level 80 character
Earlier today, we reported on the numerous fansites dropping hints about the return of ... something, and now we know that something is the Scroll of Resurrection revamp. The Scroll comes packed with a few new perks: a free upgrade to Cataclysm, a free transfer to your friend's server, and a free faction change to join your friend's team. Oh, and you may boost one of your characters to level 80. Just like that. This is just one more way that Blizzard is aggressively attempting to reverse the subscriber bleed that only just recently came to a halt. Lowering the barrier to reentry for returning players will go a long way toward getting those people to check back in, especially if it means those players will get to see the other faction for the very first time. It could very well mean a brand new gaming experience for some of those returning players.
Breakfast Topic: Resurrection time
My wife, my all-time favorite playing companion (and reluctant former battleground pocket healer), uttered four beautiful words to me the other day, saying wistfully, "I miss playing WoW." She had suspended her account some time last year, in the middle of steamrolling through Ulduar and spanking General Vezax, expressing her desire to spend more time raising our two-year-old daughter. Hardcore raiding had started to get in the way of paying our daughter attention, and Clara-style parenting simply wasn't an option, so something had to give. Incidentally, our good friend and guild leader quit around the same time to take care of his wedding, effectively spelling the end of my raiding days. Fast forward close to a year later and Cataclysm looms on the horizon. My wife and I have a new, two-month-old daughter, and our old guild leader has a five-month-old son of his own. My wife has been reduced to playing Facebook games she can easily leave when our babies need attention (and not have someone die as a consequence), and our GM has taken to playing League of Legends. But the time will soon come, I believe, to unleash ... the Scroll of Resurrection! Cataclysm beckons, and it's simply too good of a reboot of our favorite game to pass up on.
Breakfast Topic: Comeback kids
My favorite MotoGP rider Sete Gibernau is back for the 2009 MotoGP after coming out of his retirement in 2006. Although I'm ecstatic that Sete's back, he's obviously lost a step, clocking 13th in Qatar and a DNF in Motegi. We've got a whole season to go, though, so things can definitely get better. This whole business of coming back to the sport reminded me of players who have quit the game for one reason or the other. I mean, we've got pretty notable players like Phaelia and BigRedKitty who have put away their staves and guns in order to pursue other endeavors. It happens.I got a message from an old friend this morning asking me if I still played WoW, saying that he might play again once he's finished moving to his new pad. Just like Gibernau, who once declined an offer to continue to race, we also know players who have come back to play the game. What interests me, however, is everybody's reason for coming back. Our GM, who quit midway through the Burning Crusade, was enticed by the promise of Wrath and became a total Achievement-addict, returning to the game and eventually leading us to remarkable raid progress.Patch 3.1 and Ulduar, along with other game improvements, are certainly enticing to players. If you had to cast Scroll of Resurrection on an old player who's retired from the game, what arguments would you use to convince them? Or if you quit the game once before, what compelled you to play again? Was it something in the game? Was it merely a temporary break, and that you'd always intended to play again? Was it the invitation of friends? While we all have good reasons to quit the game, I know we have equally great reasons to come back.
The return (of Tobold and others) to World of Warcraft
Well he doesn't think he's news, but since we reported on his exit way back when, we might as well bring the whole story full circle, and report on Tobold's return to World of Warcraft. Patch 2.3 (and the Scroll of Resurrection deal-- which is a great one, I don't blame him for filling out a form to get 40 days free) is bringing him back as, he says, a casual player only.Now of course, the story's not really about Tobold-- with apologies to him for the unwanted attention we sent, it never was (so leave the guy alone, already-- if you've got comments about his decisions, leave them over here). But he is a big, influential MMO blogger, and his leaving WoW was part of a trend back then. In the dark days before 2.2, progress on the realms was stagnant, and there was nothing new to keep folks interested. Even with patch 2.2, voice chat wasn't a big draw for players (and in fact, now that I think about it, I haven't used it at all since it debuted-- my guild is still on Ventrilo, and no one has invited me to use the voice chat system).But now we're at patch 2.3, and the times, they are a-changin'. There's new midlevel content (!), Engineers have a purpose in life, Hunters have no dead zone, and there's a brand new 10-man instance in the game (almost guaranteed to quickly become the most popular endgame instance out there). Tobold's back, and, just as before, we've got to wonder if he's part of an early trend. Are all the players who took a break this summer coming back to Azeroth?
