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Breakfast Topic: Would you like some heroic with your vanilla instances?
Exciting times! On the latest Twitter Dev Chat, a fun little inquiry for old 5-mans came up: do you think we'll get to see older instances given the heroic makeover? It's already been confirmed that both Shadowfang Keep and Deadmines will be made heroic, mostly for their own story purposes. This poses an interesting thought -- what other instances could be made heroic, and why? Since we know that Desolace is going to be green and lush, maybe they'll do something with Maraudon? (I'm not sure who would want to see Princess Theradras again, but hey.) Perhaps a heroic Blackfathom Deeps, considering that the Twlilight's Hammer is making such a big comeback in the next expansion? Or hey, why not even a heroic Razorfen Downs? Why? Why not, I say! So, dear readers - what old world instances should be given the heroic upgrade, and why? Personally, I think I'd rather stick hot pokers in my eyes than see a heroic Wailing Caverns, but that's just me.
Breakfast Topic: Your favorite news from the Twitter dev chat
Like its last incarnation, the latest Q&A from WoW developers over Twitter was full of some great information, both about the current expansion and what's coming next with Cataclysm. Even better, you didn't even need to be on Twitter to read it, for those still hemming and hawing over social networking being a big fad they don't get. We found out a few choice tidbits about Cataclysm, including what's going on with the Blasted Lands revamp, the possibility of more old-world heroics like Shadowfang Keep and Deadmines, and the state of the Plaguelands after Arthas' defeat. How Tol Barad will (and won't) be like Wintergrasp also came up. We also learned a bit about Wrath's design philosophy, including what Blizzard liked about Wrath (questing), what they didn't like (limited attempts on bosses), and what's sticking around for Cataclysm (Dungeon Finder). And that stuff's only the tip of the iceberg. What was in the Q&A that spoke to you personally? What are you excited about now that some of these questions have been answered?
Breakfast Topic: A random topic
a·chieve·ment - n. 1. The act of accomplishing or finishing. 2. Something accomplished successfully, especially by means of exertion, skill, practice, or perseverance. The achievement system was introduced back just before the launch of Wrath of the Lich King. There wasn't really any purpose to the achievement system, although some achievements give pets, items, or titles -- the main purpose of an achievement seems to be just... something to do when you've got nothing else in mind. Personally, I love the achievement system. I like being able to plug away at something tedious and somewhat mind numbing every now and again, regardless of the fact that those points really don't mean anything. What bothers me though, and has bothered me since the first cries of an achievement being too difficult to complete is the little voice in the back of my mind that wonders if people realize what an achievement is supposed to be.
Breakfast Topic: What overcloak designs would you like to see?
We found out on Tuesday of the new ability to toggle customized overcloaks that replace the look of your cloak (but leaves the stats intact). As a dwarf priest, I would proudly wear the Ironforge colours of gold and red. But I wouldn't have a problem wearing something else that looks as slick as say the insignias of the Argent Crusade. From a guild perspective, I think the guild tabards in game are okay. The problem with tabards? My beard covers it up. I know for other classes and races, the tabard has that "tucked in" look. Many comments from the overcloak post mentioned overcloaks with guild tabard designs on them. Not a bad idea and that is something I hope we'll get to see. Now I have to ask, what cloak designs are you looking forward to wearing?
Breakfast Topic: This is my quest
A little musical interlude for your morning, courtesy of Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren. On with the topic: quests, of course! With the upcoming expansion, there are going to be a lot of changes happening all through Azeroth, both to the way the world looks, and to the quest givers and quests that we've all grown so familiar with. Some quests will stay, some will change, and some will simply go away, never to be completed again. There are two quests I recommend that people do now, just in case they vanish into the nether when Cataclysm hits. One is Alliance, and one is Horde, in the interests of equality: Alliance: Sully Balloo's Letter: This one is entirely too easy for Alliance players to miss, as there's no indicator on the minimap that a quest even exists. If you go to the bridge over the Thandol Span and jump off into the water below, you'll find the skeletal corpse of a dwarf crushed by a boulder. In his hand is a note with a gear icon if you mouse over it -- clicking it gives you a Waterlogged Envelope that will start the quest. While the chain that starts is interesting enough, it's the letter itself that's noteworthy -- be sure to read it before you turn it in. For history buffs, yes, this is a reference to Sullivan Ballou, the Major from the Civil War. Horde: Test of Faith: This quest is pretty straightforward and simple, but players sometimes miss it both because it's in Thousand Needles, and because it's so far off the beaten path in Thousand Needles. You get it from Dorn Plainstrider, who's off in a little cave in the side of the cliffs just northwest of Freewind Post. Dorn gives you this quest, it's really quite simple: He teleports you to the top of one of Thousand Needles peaks. The quest objective? Jump off. I won't say what happens, but it's a long way down. So here's my question for you Breakfast Topic types: If you were asked to recommend just one quest to someone, one that really stuck out in your mind, what would it be?
Breakfast topic: Your biggest regret?
There are some things in World of Warcraft I wish I could have done differently. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like had I rolled a different class other than a priest. There are bosses that I wish I had killed before they became irrelevant. Alas, it all boils down to time that I wish I had. As both a GM and a player, it is difficult to foresee the results of your actions and you never know what the correct choice is. Even when killing bosses and healing my raider group, I've made crucially wrong decisions. And it sucks when I realize a global cooldown spent on a Pain Suppression instead of Power Word: Shield would've saved a wipe. Have you ever experienced a moment or made a decision that you've regretted since?
Breakfast Topic: La la la I'm not listening
Spoilers. The word strikes fear into the hearts of many a fan, whether it involves books, television, or video games. Some people are fanatical about not learning information before it's officially released. Others love nothing more than to run around and spoil things for the general public who would rather have the experience of being surprised. My first real experience with spoilers was way back when I was playing a little game called Final Fantasy VII. I had played (and still own!) all of the prior Final Fantasy games, so this was something I'd been dying to play since the moment it came out. I was making pretty good progress through the first disc and working my way to the end of it when it happened. A coworker and I, who had hit it off quite well talking about video games, were discussing what we were currently playing one day in the break room. I mentioned I had finally gotten FFVII and was slowly making my way through the first disc, when he turned to me and blurted, "Man I hated the part where Aeris dies!" He survived the subsequent pummeling. Since then I've taken a far more casual approach to spoilers -- yes, there are things I'd rather remain a secret, but there's a part of me that loves learning about things ahead of time. It's probably the same part that enjoyed trying to find where my parents hid the Christmas presents every November*. Still, I do respect people that wish to remain unspoiled, and make it a point to always post a spoiler warning on information I think people might not want to see. I do it because I remember that moment of sheer devastation when I realized the character I really liked was going to bite the dust, and nothing that I did in the game would prevent it. With the release of the Icecrown Citadel patch, and now that 3.3.3 is on the PTR, what do you think about spoilers? Do you shy away from spoiler tags, or are you the type that gleefully ruins the surprise for other people? *They were always in the closet in their bedroom. Mom and Dad were so predictable.
Breakfast Topic: Did you accomplish your Love is in the Air goals?
It's official. I'm a Fool for Love. Now all I need is the Lunar Festival, Children's Week and Midsummer Fire Festival metas in order to get What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been. What about you? Are you still going for the Violet Proto-Drake? Did you get a Big Love Rocket Mount? What were your goals for Love is in the Air and did you get them accomplished? Also, did you like the changes to the quests and achievements this year? My favorite change was the Goblin Detective quest chain. Goblin running FTW! What was your favorite part of the new event?
Breakfast Topic: What are you most looking forward to in Patch 3.3.3?
So just when it looked like things might be getting quiet in the wake of Patch 3.3, Blizzard stirred things up again last night with a release of PTR Patch 3.3.3. There's some pretty big changes coming our way. In addition to various class changes, we've got some other cool stuff too, including an abolishment of battleground marks, a way to get rid of all those annoying Frozen Orbs clogging our banks, new auction house functionality, and a lot more.
Breakfast Topic: When it drops it's like magic
There are drops that just seem to elude you. One of those for me was The Sun Eater. It wouldn't drop and wouldn't drop and wouldn't drop and then, finally, on a run I didn't even want to go on there it was. And then the rogue took it and I had to run it another 20 or so times before I actually got it. Not that I'm still bitter about that. Well, okay, I totally am. As in, if I ever get control of an orbital weapons platform and find out where that guy lives, well, there would be stuff raining from the sky. Last night however I had the opposite experience. Last night, Lana'thel dropped my new precious. Amazingly, no rogues took it, and so I'm wandering around wearing the door from Satan's own El Camino as a shield. It's pretty much been the drop I've wanted the most from ICC ever since it opened up and I'm ridiculously, deliriously happy with it. (SInce I never saw the Elementium Reinforced Bulwark or Bulwark of Azzinoth drop, it's also the best looking shield I've ever had.) So in my state of giddy glee I move to ask you, have you had that surge of relief when something finally dropped lately? What was it?
Breakfast Topic: Fancy meeting you here
A random reader email we received this week sparked an interesting topic of conversation among the crew here at WoW.com -- the odd places and ways people happen to meet or bump into fellow World of Warcraft players. Some of us find fellow players through work, some of us meet them on the street or in the store, and there's no real way to identify them. Whether it's a hoodie, a sticker on a car, or someone making the familiar mouse and keyboard hand motions when mentioning they play video games, there's a peculiar thread that connects the millions of people that play WoW. It's identifying that thread that can sometimes be tricky. By the end of the conversation, it was pretty much decided that WoW players need some sort of signal to indicate they play, a secret hand gesture of some sort. As for myself, the most random of these moments was selling my television. I found a buyer who arrived with a friend to pick up the thing and noticed the friend was wearing a WoW hat. Upon asking him if he played, I discovered not only did he play, he had played on my server, and not only had he played on my server, he played a character that I'd randomly /licked in Dalaran out of sheer boredom one evening when turning in a cooking daily. Small world. With a game that has over 11 million players, running into someone that plays the game at some point in real life is almost a given. Where have you met your fellow players? What's the most random, unexpected moment you've run into someone that plays WoW?
Breakfast Topic: It's the little things
Hidden in the upper corner of The Threads of Fate in Dalaran is a curious little cobbler named Sheddle Glossgleam. While he seems to be an ordinary vendor, it's really the chair next to him that makes him much more entertaining -- when you sit on the chair, he'll toddle over and shine your shoes for you. This buff last for an hour -- or until you take combat or fall damage and scuff your feet. Don't worry though, a quick trip to the chair will get your toes glittering again in no time. I love NPCs like this -- the NPCs that do curious things like punt you all the way across Azeroth, or murder unsuspecting lowbies that don't understand that right-clicking a yellow conned NPC will result in a swift punch to the face. The NPCs with stories, like the saga of Grifta from Burning Crusade, and the continuing adventures of Investigator Asric and Peacekeeper Jadaar. While they serve no real purpose, they're always there to entertain, buff, or amuse. There's always an NPC or two that never fail to bring a smile to my face, and that I look forward to meeting on whatever alt I happen to be playing. Who's your favorite NPC? What's your favorite little thing in the game?
Breakfast Topic: Breaking the bank
I have a confession to make. I am... the world's biggest collector of useless junk in game. At this point, bank space is something that doesn't exist unless I delete something first. From trinkets to weapons to armor sets to items that are utterly and completely useless, it's all sitting in my bank, begging to be thrown away, but I simply cannot bring myself to do it. While some call me utterly mad for hanging on to outdated items and armor, others share my passion for collecting. We commiserate over limited bank space and remember the days way back when. The days of yore when pets, mounts and keys also had to be carried in bags -- and not the fancy 24 slotters people carry around today, no sir. We had Mooncloth Bags and we liked it. Well... we didn't like it, but there wasn't really another alternative. We are obsessed. And we need bigger bags. There is one particular thing that all of my characters banks have in common, however. A full, unused stack of Really Sticky Glue. I mean come on. It'll come in handy someday. So how about it -- are you a packrat? Is there something you absolutely must keep on every character? And more importantly, what's the weirdest thing in your bank?
Breakfast Topic: A tiger-rific New Year to all
The Lunar Festival is upon us once again today, and this year the real world inspiration for the in-game event coincidentally falls on the same day as Valentine's Day, which Love is in the Air is based upon (Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Chinese New Year to all, by the way). It's a funny little twist that has most of our metro's best restaurants booked today. We also joke that the only folks who won't be wearing red would be the loveless non-Chinese. This year, the Year of the Tiger, is also going to be pretty special to me and my wife because our second daughter is due in April, so we're about to welcome a tiger in the family. Blizzard will be ushering in new babies this year, too -- two, in fact. StarCraft 2 and Cataclysm are scheduled to come out in 2010. Overall, I think it's going to be pretty exciting. We can also consider this another fresh start, and folks who missed out on completing the whole Long Strange Strip last year can start completing it again this year. What are your plans for the Lunar Festival? I personally think it's one of the coolest in-game holidays and I usually amass enough stacks of Festival Dumplings to open up my own dimsum bar by the time it ends. Are there any achievements you still need? Any elders you still need to visit? Allison's written up an excellent guide to help you complete anything you might have missed. I personally love going around Azeroth to visit all the elders because I enjoy receiving those red envelopes in the mail. Sure, it'll contain some some shiny stone or a bunch of fireworks, but it still reminds me of the real thing. A little later tonight we'll all be lining up in front of our A Ma to get similar red envelopes which contain, well, gold IRL. It's pretty cool. The year is shaping up really well, and I hope everyone else is having a ferocious, tiger-like start to their 2010, too. A lot of things to look forward to, a lot of things to be thankful for. How about you? Anything you're looking forward to or wish to be thankful for in the Year of the Tiger, whether in-game or out?
Breakfast Topic: What PvE content will tide you over until Cataclysm?
We've gotten a lot of news lately about the timing of Cataclysm. It's confirmed for this year, though likely in the latter half. There will be a big pre-expansion patch before its release. Duh. And we're going to have some PvP and PvE content before that big patch. Many are speculating about what the PvE content will be. The Spousal Unit thinks it's going to be another Troll dungeon, since we're due. I'm hoping for a sandbox area like the Isle of Quel'Danas. Others have expressed hopes of more from the nether regions of Northrend. What extra PvE content would you like to see before Cataclysm? And what do you think is most likely to happen, regardless of your wishes?
Breakfast Topic: The Cataclysm site update pool
We here at WoW.com are constantly on the lookout for updates about all things World of Warcraft. We watch the Blizzard forums for hints at new information. We actually watch the game launcher in case it has something new listed there. And, sadly, we also watch the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm website in hopes it will actually update. It's not at the top of our priority list, but we do check by there from time to time. According to the site itself, its last update was September 14th, 2009. That means we're getting close to five months since the last update. We've occasionally gleamed tidbits of information from the forums and developer chats about upcoming plans for WoW's next expansion, but virtually nothing from the website itself. We've even been able to glean some knowledge off of fuzzy pictures of the developers showing off the Cataclysm map. It has gotten to the point that we're starting to make a pool about when new information might crop up on there. I've got February 24th of this year jotted down as my pick. However, Blizzard does have legitimate claims they could make as to the slow news cycle for Cataclysm. They released a packed content patch in 3.3.0 and had a lot of watching and tweaking afterward for 3.3.2. That should slow down their patch cycle for a while though with the only real content before players being hard modes in Icecrown Citadel. But, as far as patches go, we're pretty much just waiting for tweaks and Cataclysm lead-ups involving earthquakes, hints at the upcoming race/class combos, and additional lore to fill things out. Until then, we're waiting and watching a website that's four and a half months old with a very pretty trailer on it. I'd just be happy with some more concept art to give us a taste of things to come. When do you think Blizzard is going to start giving us more information on the Cataclysm site? World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From Goblins and Worgens to Mastery and Guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.
Breakfast Topic: Here, plushie plushie plushie...
My wife and daughter love their Murky and Kwurky murloc plush dolls that I got for them during last year's BlizzCon. In hindsight, I really should've gotten a Lurky plush for myself. I mean, you gotta admit, those suckers are cute! Blizzard apparently knows it, too, and they're about to release two new plushies soon with the added bonus of including a code for an in-game pet! Those wyvern cub and gryphon hatchling models have been in the game files for a while now, but we've only just found out about where to get them. Blizzard has already hinted at this kind of merchandising, noting when the Blizzard pet store was announced that plushies with codes for in-game pets would be introduced soon. I'm likely to pick up a plush wyvern or two to join our murloc brood, and I'll get the added bonus of getting an in-game pet for myself (take that, Lurky!). Do you plan to pick up a plushie, either for its real or pixel cuteness? Which one interests you? It's highly likely that Blizzard will introduce more plushies in the future -- what other stuff do you think they'll come up with? Plush Deathwing, maybe? A plushie Yogg Saron might not sell too well, I think. Future plushies should expectedly have equivalent in-game pets, so the possibilities are pretty exciting... %Poll-41543% %Gallery-85155%
Breakfast Topic: What do you do after raids?
Raiding can be serious business. As a GM of my own guild, what happens after raids can be just as important as what happens during raids. The first thing I do is hit the blacksmith and make sure all my gear is repaired for the next day. As an enchanter, I need to ensure that the new gear that drops in the raid is enchanted. The benefit of the new random dungeon system? We have surplus enchanting materials. It is all handed out free of charge usually. If we have the gems, we'll provide those in addition to whatever consumables we have as required. In any event, raiding for me doesn't end after everything is called. I need to check out the banks and make sure we have enough raiding stocks for the next day. Not only that, as I mentioned, everyone that gets near gear will be looking for me to enchant their stuff. Lastly, logs are uploaded to World of Logs and WoW Meter Online for perusal later to see where everyone else is at. I know I'm not the only one that stays up as a few raiders will still be awake at the time discussing things that worked and things that didn't. Others will stay in game and fish or farm for a bit. They're pumped up and have to calm down some before they can go to bed. I think athletes refer to is at the cooling down period after a big game. While I need to take care of typical GM duties after a raid, others use the time to rest and relax. What do you do after your raid is over?
Breakfast Topic: Are You Ready for Some Football?
It was sort of lost in the shuffle between Love Is in the Air and the fact that we're technically not a sports blog, but this weekend featured one of the biggest events in American sporting, the Super Bowl. Believe it or not, even some of us uber geeks here at WoW.com's world headquarters like sports. Some of us even watched the Super Bowl. Some of us even watched it for a reason other than the commercials. (And honestly, the commercials sucked this year. Except the Google one. That made me melt and go all gooey and squeal with warm fuzzies.) Anyhow, it was a good game, if not the best Super Bowl I've seen in years. But what it really got me thinking of was Warcraft football. Believe it or not, football in Warcraft is totally canon. If you don't believe me, you should watch the end credits for Warcraft III. With that in mind, I got to thinking about what an Azerothian football league might look like, what cities and villages would field teams, and who'd win the superbowl.
Breakfast Topic: That damned race/class combo you can never find
In every holiday that has you chase after a specific race/class combo, there's always that one, that elusive combo that makes the whole thing feel like a snipe hunt. For the Love is in the Air holiday, the Fistful of Love achievement requires us to shower 11 specific race/class combos with rose petals. By the end of the holiday, you'll inevitably be wanting to give a fistful of something to one combo, and it sure ain't love. For me it's the troll rogue. I swear they don't really exist, and it's just a cruel prank played on us by Blizzard. I've even gone so far as to stage a James Bondesque infiltration of the Horde district, complete with helicopters and a dashing dwarf parachuting onto rooftops. It's not that they just aren't out in public, but that they don't frickin' exist at all! On the other hand, as a dwarf hunter, I know what it feels like to be the hunted. I do get sick of being constantly showered with petals at times. I even found myself hanging out in out of the way places and disguising myself as a ninja to avoid it. Perhaps I am someone else's troll rogue. What race/class combo is your curse? Have you found yourself hiding from achievement seekers, and if so, how?
