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World of Warcraft's garrisons 'like a personal guild'
Experiencing garrisons in World of Warcraft is no longer an exercise in daydreaming but an immediate reality with this morning's launch of Warlords of Draenor. That doesn't mean that Blizzard is finished with talking about it, as it's shouting a final garrison dev diary today to the crowd that's already streamed out of the front door. This fourth dev diary is mostly concerned with showing how this feature can benefit players and how they can be accomodating to different playstyles. "Your Garrison operates more like a personal guild that you lead," Blizzard posted. "Whether you check in on it multiple times per day or a few times a week, you can set up your Garrison to give you rewards and present you with challenges at varied intervals." Every two levels of the expansion will open up more garrison options, and these instances will also offer weekly quests that tie into the storyline. You can even end up building a monument to your mighty ego if you overcome one of a handful of significant tasks.
Broken garrisons and other issues on launch day
UPDATE: Bashiok posted that Blizzard will be "restarting some Garrison services" to address access and progression issues. He also says that Blizzard has implemented "dozens of hotfixes" over the last few hours. UPDATE 2: For those experiencing long queue times, this is working as intended. Bashiok has said that Blizzard is reducing realm population caps in order to address latency. Rygarius has posted a list of hotfixes for November 13. UPDATE 3: Lore tweeted about the issues: "So obviously launch not going as smoothly as we wanted. Will be many discussions in the near future about what could have been done better. Right now, however, we're focusing 100% on just fixing issues so everyone can play. Can worry about what went wrong later." UPDATE 4: Lore says fixes have been implemented for garrisons, but he recommends walking to your garrison instead of flying there or using a hearthstone. Despite a mostly smooth launch so far, some realms are now experiencing major problems as more and more players crowd the servers. Garrisons on Argent Dawn, Cenarion Circle, Khadgar, and other realms are currently bugged and not always phasing properly. Twitter user @ikolism posted the image above of players in an unphased Horde garrison. Normally you're only supposed to see the players you've invited to your version of the fortress... Players can become stuck inside their garrisons, or stuck outside and unable to "zone in." If the entire garrison server crashes when players are inside it, they are reportedly sent back to where their hearthstones are set. For many that means an unexpected trip back to Orgrimmar, Stormwind, or Pandaria. High population realms, particularly in the EU, have experienced world server lag and crashes. CM Lore tweeted an update on the problems, but did not provide an ETA: Still working on server and garrison issues. Making some headway, exploring as many options as we can find. - Lore (@CM_Lore) November 13, 2014 Earlier, rolling restarts were required to fix Establish Your Garrison for Horde players. A number of hotfixes have already gone out today to fix problems with These Colors Don't Run in Frostfire Ridge and Drudgeboat Salvage quest objects in Shadowmoon Valley. Lore also says a hotfix is "in testing" for Gormaul Tower. Another for Gorgrond NPCs that are reluctant to spawn is "being developed."
Warlords of Draenor release patch notes
It's here. At long last, we can finally take the fight through the Dark Portal and against the Iron Horde on their own home ground. What changes and surprises await us? Well, there are a few. The level cap is raised to 100. New dungeons unlocked, including Auchindoun, Skyreach, and Grimrail depot. Garrisons! Start building your otherworldly dream military base now. Level 91 and above can queue for MoP raid finder solo, as well as MoP scenarios, by talking to Lorewalker Fu, Lorewalker Shin, or Lorewalker Han at the Seat of Knowledge in Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Character item levels are no longer scaled down in Proving Grounds. Creatures now scale up with the character's item level. Heroic dungeons now require at least one character per account to have achieved Silver or higher in Proving Grounds, for the role being selected. For all these changes and more, head over to the official site for the patch notes.
You're too late: People are already 100 in WoW
Too bad for those of us stuck working today instead of playing video games: There are already folks at the level cap in World of Warcraft. The Warlords of Draenor expansion launched early this morning amid complaints of lag, queues, and horrifically bottlenecked quests, but that hasn't been enough to stop the truly dedicated. On my home server, which my guildies affectionately refer to as Crashridge, there appear to be no 100s roaming the world yet, but Eurogamer reports that European servers have several dozen apiece thanks to the earlier launch there. The level-capped rushers took advantage of legitimate garrison-related experience bonuses and dailies but also repeatable turn-in quests deemed exploits by Blizzard, which temp-banned and de-leveled at least one Polish player for using them as seen in this colorful video. So much for that world first!
Breakfast Topic: Relatively painless
If you know anything about the first night of a new expansion, you should know this - they rarely run completely smoothly. Tons of people all on and playing at once, servers strained to the breaking point, bug you thought got fixed on the beta back in new, destructive forms. That's why last night's midnight PST launch of Warlords of Draenor was so surprising to me - it had some server crashes, but really, for the first night of an expansion it was pretty painless. No gyrocopter quests to get in the way, just a lot of people running through Tanaan and into Draenor. Once I got into Shadowmoon Valley on my draenei warrior, I didn't notice any real stability issues. I played for two and a half hours, got sleepy, called it a night, and only had three server crashes. So yeah, relatively painless. How was your night? Did you go see what you could see? Or did you wait?
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor launch-day roundup
The fifth expansion to 2004's World of Warcraft MMO is now live. First announced at BlizzCon 2013, Warlords of Draenor opened its doors at 3 a.m. EST this morning, so you would be forgiven for having slept through the start. And what would a launch day be without rolling restarts, giant patch notes, and overloaded, bottlenecked entry zones? Wheee! In honor of the launch, we've rounded up the best WoW and Draenor stories from the past year for your perusal during today's inevitable downtimes. Who's playin'?
World of Warcraft vows faster expansion development
Many Azerothian eyes are fixed on tomorrow's release of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, but what happens after that? Will players face a severe content drought as they just did while they wait for expansion #6? Lead Game Designer Ion Hazzikostas said that the team is pushing to increase the pace of expansion development: "Our goal is certainly to release expansions a little faster than we have been... we've increased the size of our team, and we feel like we're in a place where we should be able to move faster than before." He also fielded the eternal question of a hypothetical World of Warcraft 2, saying that the team would need "a different vision" and mechanics that allowed for new types of gameplay. To help with your Warlords of Draenor countdown, Blizzard put out a few expansion-themed posters as well as an Age of Iron trailer that you can watch after the break!
Watch the unboxing of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor's CE
Tomorrow is the launch day for World of Warcraft's fifth expansion, Warlords of Draenor. It's quite possible that you already have your collector's edition pre-ordered and ready to go, and you can't wait to open it up and see what's inside. So wouldn't you like to watch someone else open it up and see what's inside before you get to do that yourself? Michele Morrow (who also helped host the official coverage of BlizzCon 2014 this past weekend) has posted an unboxing video for the Warlords of Draenor collector's edition, going over the various bits and gewgaws located within the box. Sure, you've known about what's in the box for a while, but here's your chance to see it before you get it. If you can't wait until tomorrow to peek inside, jump on past the break to see the video.
Alex Afrasiabi on Warlords, Garrosh, and alternate Azeroth
Warlords of Draenor is a little over 24 hours away from launch! Although Warlords of Draenor is seemingly a step in a different story direction for the franchise, it has never been in more capable hands. BlizzCon may be over, but we had the opportunity during the convention to sit down and chat with World of Warcraft's Creative Director Alex Afrasiabi about the new expansion, Garrosh Hellscream, Warcraft's creative direction, and much more.
WoW's Iron Horde declares war on Times Square
Finally! Here's the Blizzard we know and love. Why promote a World of Warcraft expansion with a pat press release and gory trailer when you can beat up an actual taxi in Times Square with a 15-foot replica of the epic Gorehowl axe? And that's exactly what Blizz did this morning to bemuse passing New Yorkers. Surveil the carnage in the gallery below. WoW's Warlords of Draenor expansion launches this Thursday. Holla if you know of an Etsy shop where we can buy some #WARLORDS crime scene tape; that has to be a thing someone makes, right?
Tuesday will be a normal server reset
I've been asked several times if we're going to have a server reset this Tuesday, and I assumed we were, but I didn't actually know. Because people have asked me, I decided to settle this question by the most expedient manner possible - I asked Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas. I'd do this more often, but frankly I think he has better things to do than tell me what color shoes I should buy. @MatthewWRossi Yes, should be like any other Tuesday as far as I know. - Watcher (@WatcherDev) November 10, 2014 So there you have it - are we going to have a normal server reset this tuesday, and a last two days to farm those old raids, run SoO for Heirlooms, or whatever? All signs point to yes. Enjoy your last two days in Pandaria, guys. Midnight pacific time on Thursday morning, we're all off to Draenor.
Warlords of Draenor Live Q&A Wednesday
This Wednesday, at 11 Am Pacific, CM Lore will be hosting questions about Warlords of Draenor on Twitch.TV, with Lead Game Designer Ion Hazzikostas and Lead Class Designer Kris Zierhut. This will be a Q&A that allows for class questions, so if you were a little disappointed that they didn't answer class questions at BlizzCon, this is your chance to ask them. Lore - Warlords Launch Q&A, Live Wednesday Nov 12th! This Wednesday, I'll be joining World of Warcraft Lead Game Designer Ion Hazzikostas and Lead Class Designer Kris Zierhut to answer your questions live on Twitch.TV! With Warlords of Draenor's launch only a couple of days away, we're sure there's plenty of questions we weren't able to answer at BlizzCon, and now is your chance to ask them! When: Wednesday, November 12th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (see this handy tool to find when that is in your local time!) Where: The World of Warcraft channel on Twitch.TV/WoW There are two ways to submit questions. If you're using Twitter, simply tweet your question using the hashtag #WarlordsQA. You can also ask it as a reply to this forum thread; however, as we'd like to get to as many questions as possible, we will only consider questions using 40 words or less. Make them count! In order to be considered, your question must be submitted before 12:01 AM PST on Wednesday, November 12th. See you there! source So there you have it. Tweet your questions with the above hashtag (#WarlordsQA) or reply to the forum threat linked above but for your own sake remember that 40 words or less limit - you don't want to ask a question only to have it disallowed for length, after all. You've got until 12 AM PST Wednesday, November 12th to ask your questions, so get to work guys.
BlizzCon World of Warcraft - Items, Class Changes, and More liveblog
The halls are abuzz with Overwatch, but what's in store for World of Warcraft? The World of Warcraft panel, covering items, class changes, garrisons and more is starting up at 4:45pm Pacific time, and we'll be liveblogging it right here. An assortment of WoW devs will be on hand to discuss all the changes in Warlords of Draenor, as well as new features of the expansion that's set to launch next week. Updates will be in reverse-chronological order, with newest updates at the top of the page. If you only want the latest update, you can stay near the top. If you missed the beginning of the panel, scroll to the bottom.
Blizzard updates WoW's garrison game guide
Blizzard has updated its game guide to World of Warcraft's garrisons. In case you missed it, garrisons serve as your Draenor ops center and allow you to collect resources, send followers on missions, and "create wondrous items to aid you in your journey," the firm says. You've still got a few days before Warlords of Draenor releases on November 13th, so why not give the new guide a look-see?
Yrel, the Light of Hope, comes to Characters of Warcraft page
One of the things I personally love about Warlords of Draenor is the spotlight it puts on the draenei, and new characters like Yrel really give that spotlight emphasis. Yrel is one of the draenei who serves as a synecdoche for the whole expansion - what she experiences is what the draenei as a whole have experienced and what they will experience if she does not succeed. It's what fascinates me about her, about how she is the road not taken, the path that didn't succeed in our history. If you want more details on Yrel, the spiffy new page for her is up here. But to really get to know her, you're going to have to play through Warlords of Draenor (specifically on the Alliance side, for the most part) and I for one recommend it. Yrel is an excellent draenei face character, one who showcases the race's forgiveness, determination and courage.
Activision Blizzard earnings bolstered by Destiny and World of Warcraft
Another financial quarter is fading into memory, and that means it's time for another earnings call for Activision. The financials tell a fairly bright story for this particular quarter, with the continued sales of Destiny, overall success of Hearthstone, and the subscriber bump for World of Warcraft pushing the company up in revenue compared to the same quarter last year. Destiny, Activision says, has now racked up 9.5 million registered users. As a result of these figures, the company has increased its overall earnings forecast by two percent, with the upcoming phone releases for Hearthstone, a new Call of Duty title, and the Warlords of Draenor release accounting for the increased profits. You can read the whole thing yourself if you want to take a closer look at the company's financial workings.
The Beta ends with snails and Firelords
It was as chaotic and unstable as you could ask for, really. The end of the Beta test for Warlords of Draenor is upon us. And as you might expect it ended with a host of powerful foes descending upon Ashran, Orgrimmar and Stormwind. Iron stars, snails, Firelords, Huolons, Varian Wrynns, all manner of dread monstrosities are raining down upon the hapless inhabitants of the beta realms. Born to test, they shall now be tested to destruction. How many Jaraxxus' were there? All of them. And the beta realms were not prepared to face that many Jaraxxi. (I assume that's the plural of Juraxxus.) Enjoy what screenshots I could get of the chaos before it became impossible for me to stay connected. Truly, the heroes of Azeroth cannot prevail against such might.
Warlords of Draenor's first rated PvP season starts December 2nd
Brian Holinka, Senior PvP designer for World of Warcraft, tweeted the big news today - the next official rated PvP season for World of Warcraft will be starting this December 2nd. This means that if you intend to take part you have about three weeks to get to level 100 and get started, whether it be arenas or rated BG's you intend to make use of. The first rated season for Warlords starts Dec 2nd. - Holinka (@holinka) November 3, 2014 So there you have it. Get your weapons sharpened, polish your staves, stock up on arrows, get your best prayers set. On December 2nd you can start accumulating Conquest Points by horribly destroying your fellow players in pitched combat.
Artcraft Level Design Part 4 features Nagrand
Part four of the latest series of Artcraft was released this week, and this time, five different level designers are featured in the segment, all talking about the development of Draenor's version of Nagrand. Nagrand is pretty unique in that Outland's version of the zone is one of the most pristine parts of Outland -- it's been virtually untouched by corruption, although chunks of the zone have obviously broken off and floated away. Which makes for the interesting task of keeping those familiar landmarks of Outland's Nagrand, while seamlessly adding those missing areas that were lost in the Twisting Nether. All of the designers talk about that particular hurdle, as well as delivering a lot of other really interesting facts about Nagrand and the Highmaul Raid included on the western edge of the zone. The development of Highmaul and the Highmaul ogres vs. the Warsong orcs is particularly cool. This is the final installment of this particular series of Artcraft -- honestly I think it's been one of my favorites to date, simply because it highlighted so much of the stuff behind those zones we spend all our time in, but hardly ever think about in terms of how they came to be. You can check out the final installment on Blizzard's website, as well as all other posts in the series.
WoW level designers discuss Draenor's callbacks and vignettes
Blizzard's final Artcraft blog for World of Warcraft has arrived today in the form of an interview conducted by Community Manager Bashiok. Once again, the topic is the design of Nagrand, a zone made iconic in The Burning Crusade expansion and returning in Warlords of Draenor next month. The five interviewees, all level designers, discuss preserving key landmarks and environments in the proto-zone and how they've incorporated appropriate callbacks for classic content. The popular Ring of Blood arena quests will return, for example, as might everyone's favorite escort quest NPC, Corki. "Vignettes" will sound familiar to fans of more modern MMOs, as well; Senior Level Designer Victor Chong explains: We've added a lot more vignette stuff, and I was working with Kurt Sparkuhl, a quest designer, on how I could add hidden stuff on the tops of mountains. So we have a lot of vignettes where players have to figure out how to get up there without just being able to walk up. It's stuff like doing some jumping around to get into an area, and then when you get to the top, you find a goblin with a glider that'll let you glide to specific areas that aren't normally accessible. Then if you get through all of that and land on a specific spot, you're rewarded with whatever the prize is there from a chest or something. We're doing a lot of that, and Nagrand was a good test bed for those kinds of things. The complete interview is available on the WoW official site.
