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I am a killer of guilds
I have a confession to make: I'm a guild killer. I don't do it deliberately, I swear. See, back in vanilla, my raid guild lost pretty much all of its officers to EverQuest II right around the time Ahn'Qiraj-40 was coming into play. So the officers who were left (and the new guild leader) decided I should also be an officer -- and I agreed, which was probably the worst decision I've made in my life. Two weeks later, the guild was belly up and I was off trying out a roleplaying server for the first time, since I now had loads of free time to play an alt. I figured it was simply the lack of leadership experience that had ultimately killed the old guild. The officers who had been promoted weren't really officer material, myself wholeheartedly included. After losing most of our officer corps, the wind had gone right out of the guild's sails, so to speak. But see ... the trait of guild killing followed me after that. I couldn't help it. And I began to wonder if maybe I am just a terrible, terrible choice for an officer.
The Daily Quest: No BlizzCon makes us sad pandaren
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. One of the big stories this week is BlizzCon -- or rather, the lack of BlizzCon this year. While I understand the amount of work that goes into making an event as large as BlizzCon successful and I understand that the hours served putting the convention together would better be used on, you know, cool games, I'm still bummed. Partially because last year's convention was so much fun, but mostly because it means I don't get to see everyone again this year. Ah well, I have remodeling to do anyway! But the rest of the blogosphere has its own reactions regarding the absence of the beloved convention, and we've got a couple of those for you today, as well as a look at a possibly volatile topic. Apple Cider Mage expresses regret and reflects on the real reasons BlizzCon is such an amazing time for players. Orcish Army Knife has a delightful tongue-in-cheek parody of the whole BlizzCon cancellation situation. And in other news, Falling Leaves and Wings wonders just what exactly is so bad about letting 10-man raiding and 25-man raiding be two different things? Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Something old, something new
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. After nearly a year of fantastical landscapes torn apart by the havoc of Deathwing's return, I think I can safely say, I'm kind of tired of seeing the world torn apart. Though you can destroy the world in an instant, you can't really say the same for putting it back together again. It makes me wonder if we'll ever see an Azeroth that is healed -- one that has finally recovered from the earthquakes and devastation, one that shows signs of repair. I'm guessing something like that would be a full-scale project the size of Cataclysm itself, however, so I'm not holding my breath. Still ... I kind of miss the tranquil forests of Ashenvale. Being able to run from one end of The Barrens to the other. A Stranglethorn Vale without a giant sinkhole in the middle of it, and a Darkshore minus the tornado. Today we've got a pretty interesting post about that old feeling everyone is missing, as well as a couple of other interesting ideas and subjects. Tusks and All looks at the good old days, nostalgia, and why those good old days won't necessarily make a return. A Sunnier Bear has an interesting idea for bears and other druid forms in the upcoming Mists of Pandaria. Flavor Text Lore is embarking on an ambitious project that dives into examining Norse mythology and its presence in WoW -- and it sounds like a fascinating read. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Nerfs, improvements, and items of interest
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Anyone remember the incident shown in the video above? Man, those were the days. The days of bizarrely overpowered stuff that managed to get through the system. The days of endless kiting -- anyone remember Kazzak visiting Stormwind? How about Devilsaurs being kited from Un'Goro Crater to Orgrimmar? Obviously, these sorts of things had to be nerfed eventually. After all, they got in the way of other people's gameplay. Last week we heard about nerfs of a different kind, however -- the kind in which raid content is nerfed, some say prematurely and others say not. Today, we've got a pretty good post about those nerfs, as well as a couple of other interesting posts for your reading enjoyment. Dwarven Battle Medic talks about the upcoming progressive nerfs to Dragon Soul content and whether or not they're a good idea. World of Saz has some praise for void storage and some fervent wishes for improvement that I totally, 100% agree with. The Warchief's Command Board is in the middle of posting a terribly interesting story about Warchief Hellscream. I'd suggest starting from the relative beginning and reading on from there, because really, it's that good. Foul language warning, however! Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Well heck, I didn't know about that
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I'd totally forgotten about this Oxhorn video, but I stumbled across it the other day while wandering around various sites. The umpteen million Gaga references make me laugh every time I see them, but what made the thing a hit for me was the song itself, which is a pop creation that you don't usually expect to hear from Oxhorn. It still cracks me up. Today we've got a roundup of posts from around the blogosphere with various hints, tips, and some information you may not have known about before. Cannot Be Tamed has an awesome post explaining how to evaluate feral druid DPS with World of Logs. Jaded Alt offers a short and sweet, helpful guide for tanks as well as others who may be wondering -- just what the heck is Solar Beam, anyway? A Sunnier Bear has a lovely guide for all those fuzzy bears out there on tanking 10-man heroic Warmaster Blackhorn. Fel Concentration takes a brief moment to stop and point out something in Theramore that frankly, I had no idea existed. Say what? Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Queue: Gee wiz
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today. I'm on the fence about some of the Diablo III system changes announced yesterday, but at least half of 'em are pretty good changes, so I'm definitely continuing to look forward to playing my wizard (best class) when the game comes out some time this year. Erik asked: What do you feel the odds are that Blizzard will still add the older tier content to Raid Finder? Have them on Normal modes, after the nerfs it should be possible for 25 random people to handle these days. I ask because if there really is no more content patches left, that is a long time to go until Mists. Couldn't say. Blizzard devs have expressed a desire to hook up the Raid Finder to older raids, but with cross-realm raiding, you don't really need the Raid Finder at all for really old raids. For stuff like Firelands or BoT or BWD, I'd imagine there are some issues with figuring out how many people you'd need for a "full" group -- 25 is probably overkill with BoT and BWD when everyone's in 378+ gear from 4.3. And would they need to have a Raid Finder difficulty mode as well? Would you just play them on normal mode? That would defeat the Raid Finder's purpose as raiding with training wheels on. If it did have a Raid Finder mode, what item level gear would drop? 346 would make the raids even more pointless than they already are; leaving them at 359 would mean no difference from the loot that already drops in normal mode. Lots of considerations; no easy answers. As much as I want people to see previous tiers of raiding, I'm just not sure it's worth development time that could be spent giving us Pandaria, which will ship with all its raids hooked up to the Raid Finder.
The Daily Quest: Brilliant observations
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Whether you stick to online friends only or bring real-life friends into the game, World of Warcraft is a pretty social experience. Whether or not that social experience is particularly pleasant is another question altogether. Sometimes it ends in disaster, like the song above illustrates (and if you're looking for more from SilverLetomi, check out this interview with her from last week) -- and sometimes it ends with having friends who will stick with you through thick and thin. That said, today we've got some particularly thought-provoking posts from around the blogosphere for you. Cynwise's Field Notes has an absolutely astonishing, brilliant post about the social aspects of Warcraft and what that could lead to in the future. Boozekin shares some really insightful thoughts about exactly what the Raid Finder is for. Big Bear Butt makes a stunning series of realizations while leveling enchanting on yet another alt. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Stuff that is fun
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Without a doubt, the first key on any keyboard I purchase that gets that worn look to it is the spacebar. Part of it is doubtless from all the writing I do, but there's also a chunk of it that simply comes from being a jumping addict in WoW. I can't help it. After seven years of playing the game, the spacebar is just an automatic reaction to waiting for a pull, standing in the bank, moving from one archaeology point to another, waiting for the raid to form up -- you name it, I am jumping. Poor space bar. So abused. But jumping is so fun. Speaking of fun stuff, today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere involving fun things! Orcish Army Knife fills us in on the only plate eyepatch available in game, and where to get your hands on it. The Daily Frostwolf has an awesome list of all those things in game that turn you into other things for your eternal amusement. Lastly, Achievements Ahoy visits the upcoming Lunar Festival, what you'll need, and where to find it all. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: A history lesson, among other things
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. The above video is one of the earliest machinima videos I watched -- it came out at some point during vanilla. You know, despite the age of the video, it actually holds up pretty well. I guess a good boy-meets-girl, girl-dies, boy-comes-back-as-animate-corpse-and-murders-her-murderer story really does stand up to the test of time. Speaking of history lessons, today we've got one of those, as well as a couple other posts from around the blogosphere. Fel Concentration hands us an amazing post chronicling the history and evolution of warlock Soul Shards. Pugnacious Priest laments the supposed fairness of loot rolls in instances and raids. The Grumpy Elf takes a long, hard look at the social aspect of WoW and where it has wandered off to. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Making it sound easy
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Little secret: I like to sing. I like to sing a lot. I sing all the time, actually -- in my car, with the windows rolled up where nobody else can hear me. Largely because I don't think I have a decent set of pipes. I do envy those who like to sing on YouTube, though, like the performer above, who makes belting out an Evanescence parody sound dead easy. And boy, is that ever not an easy thing to do. Speaking of easy things, or difficult things, or things in between, we've got a collection of posts from around the blogosphere for your viewing pleasure. Raimondas the Insane has four -- yes, four -- characters with the Insane title and wonders if perhaps it's gotten a little too easy to accomplish. Tree Heals Go Woosh has part one of a Cataclysm bucket list consisting of things to see. Azeroth Observer has had just about enough of this whole war on casuals thing and the argument that content is too easy these days. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Lemme give you some advice
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I had the nicest conversation with a fellow rogue the other day, in which he asked about spec choices, legendaries, gemming and other tidbits. My server is on the low end of the population scale, so it's always nice to get the occasional random tells from people asking for advice. Oddly enough, I don't get a lot of it -- I don't know whether it's because our server is so quiet, or if it's because I'm in a raiding guild. I've found for some odd reason that people are nervous about randomly talking to people in raiding guilds, and I still have no idea why. Speaking of advice, today we've got a few handy posts from around the blogosphere for your perusal. A Sunnier Bear gives us a nice guide on tanking heroic Zon'ozz in 10-man mode. Death Goddess has some good advice for getting into the guild of your dreams. Restokin offers some sound picks on choosing gear for a dual-spec resto-moonkin druid. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Friday fixing and fun
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I'm terribly happy that the Darkmoon Faire is back in town, largely because I finally scrounged enough tickets to pick up a Swift Forest Strider. There is something so completely ridiculous about riding around on a mostly naked, purple-and-green, giant, squawking chicken that I cannot help but be charmed every time I use the mount. Today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere, one about the Darkmoon Faire, one thoughtfully addressing a possible issue with the Raid Finder, and one regarding WoW on multiple computers. Priest With A Cause is having a blast with the Darkmoon Faire arena and all the chaos it brings. Manalicious offers an insightful look into the rise of the Dungeon and Raid Finder tools and how they relate to the loss of community. Cynwise's Battlefield Manual has an excellent guide on how to sync WoW between two different computers using Dropbox. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: New Year's expectations
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. It's 2012, and the year is shiny and brand new -- but I can guarantee that if you're expecting the attitudes of PUGs to make any huge leaps in the coming year, you're probably setting yourself up for disappointment. I'm not sure what to expect out of the new year other than expansion information -- well, I'll hope for the expansion information anyway! Today we've got some posts from around the blogosphere about a variety of topics. Take a look. Jaded Alt discusses what she expects upon grouping with the Raid Finder and the purpose of the feature. Blessing of Kings discusses the expectations and fairness surrounding guild ownership and the new guild takeover mechanics. Lastly, if you're expecting to find those Darkmoon artifacts in low-level dungeons, you may be in for a fruitless search. Wowhead News has a lovely and comprehensive guide on where to find the little buggers if you're looking for more sources for Darkmoon Tickets. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Year in review
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. My guild decided to end the year on a nail-biting, last-second defeat of our first heroic 25-man boss in Dragon Soul. When I look back over the past year, we've made decent progression that will likely continue into whatever is ahead of us in 2012. Today, here are a few year-end roundup posts from around the blogosphere for your consideration heading into the new year. The Bossy Pally and the Giant Spoon talks about resolutions, blogging, and some pretty awesome posts from 2011. World of Matticus continues in the yearly tradition of reviews and picking out some of the best blog posts of the year before. MMO Melting Pot has done a fantastic series of posts rounding up some of the best of the blogosphere, month by month. Start with January and follow along on a year full of amazing blogging! Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: A few tips, a little advice
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I managed to get my brother and my aunt engrossed in the antics of Improv Everywhere this weekend -- they spent at least a couple of hours looking at various antics, but they were particularly delighted by the one shown above. Who knew if you gave someone such a simple set of instructions as "say something nice" that they'd actually do it? Speaking of saying nice things, today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere full of nice things that are useful, too! Kamalia Et Alla delivers a post with some fashion advice for those looking for something to wear with those Gaudy Winter Veil Sweaters. Mana Cake Musings has some helpful tips for fire mages that are heading into the Dragon Soul. Restokin takes a look at the performance of druids in Dragon Soul -- particularly the elusive bearcat form. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Just a little bit random
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I don't know about you, but the last thing I would expect upon entering a food court is guerrilla opera. The Dungeon Finder and Raid Finder are much the same way -- you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes, it's a group of smooth professionals who work together like clockwork even though they've never met before, and sometimes ... well, sometimes you really wish you'd never clicked the button. Today, we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere regarding these tools of randomness. Dwarven Battle Medic has an insightful post that looks into these convenient tools and wonders if they've fostered an unwarranted sense of entitlement. Guarded by the Light looks at the pitfalls of the Raid Finder and suggests some improvements. The Grumpy Elf recalls some fun exchanges from random dungeon groups. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Winter Veil gifts
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Man, I love Winter Veil. It's the best time to stock up on snowballs to throw at unsuspecting players. I always wondered about the physics of snowballs -- you can keep them indefinitely. You can stick them in the bank for a rainy day. You'd think that would soak all the precious loot you've got stashed, but nope! This Sunday, players can nab Winter Veil gifts from under the tree, but how about I share a few posts from around the blogosphere for some fun holiday reading? It's my Winter Veil gift to you -- no snowballs included, I promise. Big Bear Butt has written up a set of tanking tips for the absolute novice. Though they are somewhat addressed to druids, the tips really apply to any kind of tank out there! Red Cow Rise sat down and penned a delightful holiday tale featuring Trade Prince Gallywix and inspired by A Christmas Carol. Postcards From Azeroth celebrates by taking a look back at personal favorites from the postcard collection. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Achieving enlightenment
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Man, when achievements first came out, I was absolutely hooked on the things. They arrived just before Wrath officially launched, so those last few days of The Burning Crusade were spent completing as many of them as I possibly could. These days, the fervor has died down quite a bit, and most achievements I have left are of the PvP variety -- something I'm not too keen on doing. Today we're got a few interesting posts from around the blogosphere, including one insightful look at achievements, among other things. Heavy Wool Bandage offers some helpful advice on tanking the Greench from a bear's perspective. Tree Heals Go Woosh has a fascinating post about the proverbial ethics of Raid Finder loot. Cynwise's Field Notes takes a good, long look at achievements, accomplishment and ... merit badges? Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Adventures in raiding
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Nostalgia time! This old song by Myndflame, featured at the end of Illegal Danish: Super Snacks, brings back all kinds of memories -- horrifying memories of eternal frustration with having to summon roughly 34 people to Molten Core because they were too lazy to get there on their own. Really, guys? Really? You know the locks have to burn a shard for each of your lazy butts, right? Speaking of raiding, let's take a peek at some posts from around the blogosphere on that topic, shall we? Priest With A Cause killed Deathwing and shares some thoughts on how she feels about that. Boozekin has the classiest guide ever to jumping into the Raid Finder and clearing Dragon Soul. Glow's Branches offers an excellent post all about examining those pesky World of Logs parses. Lastly, hey! MMO Melting Pot is now taking nominations for what you think are the best blog posts of the past year. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
The Daily Quest: Let's learn some stuff!
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative, and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I hope you pay attention to the video above; there may be a vocab test next Wednesday. Now that we've learned a little Norwegian, why don't we we learn some other useful stuff? Like things about Warcraft. How about we take a look at some posts from around the blogosphere and maybe learn a few things while we're at it? Kaliope's WoW Crafting Blog goes over transmogrification and how it's affecting sales of crafted items. Psynister's Notebook has a lovely guide to farming all those Darkmoon Artifacts while we wait for the next faire to show up. Restokin presents a wonderful guide for druid healers with tips for surviving patch 4.3. Lastly, if you're looking into starting a blog, Kiss My Alas has a short guide right up your alley with five tips for new bloggers. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
