the-thunder-king
Latest
Know Your Lore: The history and origins of the mogu
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. Of all the creatures in Pandaria, none have been quite so mysterious as the mogu. From day one they were presented as one of the villains in the saga of Pandarian history -- and although the days of the mogu empires were long over, their legacy lived on. Mogu architecture, mogu statues, mogu ruins, they all littered the landscapes of where we leveled. To the pandaren, the mogu were a threat, but one that had long since died out, leaving the race as little more than scary tales to tell the children at night. Until Mists of Pandaria, and the arrival of the Alliance and Horde. With the sudden uprising of the mantid, the release of the sha, and the frightened movement of the yaungol, the pandaren had more than enough to contend with. The sudden explosion of mogu activity was just another addition to the pile -- and the appearance of the Zandalari as allies made the reappearance of this ancient threat even more dire. But who are the mogu? Until patch 5.2, that mystery hadn't been fully defined. And it still may not be fully defined, but at least we have a slightly clearer picture. Please note that today's Know Your Lore contains some spoilers for patch 5.2 Lorewalkers content.
The Thunder King Comes
With patch 5.2 right around the corner, we're all champing at the bit to get started, and the folks at Blizzard are doing everything in their power to stoke the flames of anticipation. Check out the official preview and see if it doesn't make you rub your hands together with glee. Nethaera dishes the details on the hows, wheres, whys, and whos for the upcoming content. Much like the Operation: Shieldwall and Dominance Offensive quests from 5.1, level 90s will automatically get the "Thunder Calls" quest upon entering the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Alternately, you can go to the Shado Pan Garrison at Townlong Steppes to pick up the intro quest. After that, you'll be tasked with making it to the Isle of Thunder on your own -- and it won't be easy! After your first trip, the Shado Pan will provide a portal to the appropriate faction destination for your further questing convenience. I'm more excited for patch 5.2 than I have been for a WoW patch in a good long while; probably since Icecrown, to be honest! Lei Shen, it's time to face the might of the heroes of Azeroth!
Patch 5.2 and beyond with Dave Kosak
Hot on the heels of the official patch 5.2 trailer, we had the opportunity to sit down and speak with one of the developers behind it all. While chatting with Lead Quest Designer Dave Kosak about patch 5.2 and its development, one thing became incredibly clear -- 5.2 is definitely not just a raid and a few dailies. There is far, far more to be seen and experienced in the new patch. Read on for some of the details behind the trailer released earlier today, the story in the new patch, daily quest development, scenarios, and even a few hints at what's in store for patch 5.3. Please note: There are a couple of minor spoilers for 5.2 content in the interview. Nothing huge, we promise!
Watch World of Warcraft's Thunder King trailer
Thunder... thunder... Thunder King, HO! That's the sound of millions of slavering World of Warcraft players who are itching to check out the imminent patch 5.2. To calm them down not one whit, Blizzard released the official trailer to The Thunder King. It's all poetical, too. So whether you're already sold on this next stage of WoW's development or are teasing yourself with the possibility of returning, it can't hurt to check out the following video. Or can it?
Patch 5.2: The Thunder King official trailer
We may not have gotten a trailer for patch 5.1, but we've certainly got a good one for patch 5.2! In a departure from earlier trailers, the trailer for 5.2 skips the narration and instead features some eloquent poetry courtesy of Lorewalker Cho. The trailer comes hot on the heels of the release candidate on the 5.2 PTR, suggesting that perhaps we should be expecting that patch next week. Pull on your troll-killing boots and prepare for a raid the likes of which we haven't seen since Ulduar. The Thunder King comes! I'm awfully excited for this patch, and even more excited to see a new trailer from Blizzard. We haven't had a proper patch trailer since patch 4.3 -- and this particular trailer is a vast, vast improvement from the Hour of Twilight trailer in Cataclysm. What do you guys think? Are you ready for patch 5.2?
Patch 5.2 PTR: An evening with the new boss Horridon
I had the pleasure of heading over to Thunder Isle last night to take on the new patch 5.2 boss Horridon with Lore from TankSpot and his guild Months Behind. I was playing my PTR goblin restoration shaman, and thought I'd fill you all in on some of my observations from this new encounter. Horridon is a very add-heavy fight. The first few phases, and indeed the final battle, focus heavily on adds, which enter the arena through several doors. Lore's video, above, shows off the fight from his perspective of tanking, while my angle was that of a healer. Horridon himself puts out fairly spiky damage on the tanks at first, hitting them with a stacking debuff that increases damage taken from his primary attack, Triple Puncture. Horridon also does a Double Swipe, shows pretty clearly by a red ring as well as two conical areas in front and behind him. He will periodically charge random members and then immediately Double Swipe, so keep a watchful eye on his position and target. The adds initially come out of the doors at the side of the arena, currently the doors and adds are a bit mixed up, but as soon as the first set, the Farraki, begin to appear, the tanks should swap on Horridon and the new off-tank needs to pick up the adds. From a healing perspective, the Farraki's Blazing Sunlight is an additional concern, the effect stacks and seemed to chain to nearby players, as well as dealing heavy damage, so dispels were a priority.
