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The Daily Quest: Raiding and healing
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Healing has never been incredibly easy -- it's not the process, it's the fact that the lives of everyone in your group or raid rest on your shoulders and the shoulders of everyone else on the healing team. Raiding is an exercise in working with other people, and sometimes that's not quite as easy as you'd think, either. Today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere with some helpful tips for both raiding and healing. Cannot Be Tamed discusses healing the Chimaeron fight in Blackwing Descent on heroic mode. Type "H" for Heals has a handy fix for priests who are sick of Penance automatically turning their camera. Restokin features a guest post that talks about the struggles of raiding with high latency. Primal Precision covers how to get away with burst DPS as a bear druid with tanking breaks. 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 shy
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. World of Warcraft is one of those games that sort of hinges on how well you get along with other people. Whether it's other people in the form of a guild, others you're working with in battlegrounds, or others you're making transactions with through trade chat, it is very hard to play the game without eventually coming to a point at which it's necessary to talk to other people. So what do you do when you're really, really shy and not comfortable with chatting with others? Today, we've got a couple posts involving just that scenario and another piece that offers some interesting food for thought. Heavy Wool Bandage discusses social anxiety and group effort as a healer in WoW. The Bossy Pally has a how-to guide with some helpful tips on keeping shyness from ruining your game. Orcish Army Knife talks about class-specific role models in WoW -- specifically, the lack of priests. 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: Dark Phoenix Alchemy Lab
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. If you like smelling like elves, then you may like Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's new RPG scents. The perfume oil blends are long-lasting, vary slightly depending on your skin chemistry, and, of course, smell good. Check out the full line of D&D-themed scents here. I'm buying a bottle of half-elf as soon as possible. Meybocaj asked: Where do you think the final showdown with deathwing will take place? There isn't a set place like icecrown citadel or black temple. I'm not sure we've gotten definitive word from Blizzard where Deathwing will be, but given that we got whole new zones (or at least instances) for the end bosses of BC and Wrath, I anticipate that wherever it is will be shiny and new when we get to see it. Some commenters suggested even deeper in Grim Batol, or Northeron, the only currently unavailable zone on the world map. Lord Daval Prestor, Deathwing's old human form, had claimed to be from that area back when he was messing up politics for the Alliance.
The Daily Quest: Who what how
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Those of us who have played since the days of vanilla were a little ... perplexed, to say the least, when the first models of King Varian Wrynn were datamined for all to see. After all, we knew what Varian Wrynn looked like already -- he was that little cloth-wearing dude in the sewers of Alcaz Island. The giant hunk of swaggering, ponytailed, dual-wielding he-beast they showed us didn't look anything like the original Varian Wrynn. Then we read the comic series, and we were enlightened -- well, enlightened or baffled even further, depending on reader interpretation. Speaking of confusion, today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere that clarify some confusing topics for players. A Sunnier Bear fills us in on what exactly is happening to bears in patch 4.1. Oh My, Kurenai talks about how to be raid-aware, no matter what role you happen to play. Deuwowlity ponders who is responsible for the failures of storytelling in MMOs, what the main issue is, and how to fix the problem. 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: Against insurmountable odds
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Whether it's going up against a heroic boss, accidentally-on-purpose pulling an entire room of mobs, stockpiling massive amounts of gold, or just trying to get that one ore node that keeps phasing out, World of Warcraft is full of potential struggle and strife. Whether or not that strife is insurmountable is up for negotiation. I'm talking to you, pesky ore node. Today, we've got a collection of posts from around the blogosphere regarding the woes and troubles of players and potential ways to overcome them. Brunnstag's Menagerie ponders the problems of dead cities and whether there's a solution to them. Jaded Alt has some handy tips for new players looking to gather wealth beyond their wildest dreams. Grimmtooth's Troops discusses the issues with those pesky nodes, be they of the ore or flowery variety. 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: Call to Arms
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Though nowhere near as controversial as the Real ID fiasco of last year, people are still talking extensively about the new Call to Arms feature unveiled last week. Some are for the change, some are against the change, many think the change isn't going to do a bit of good in the end. Myself, I rarely queue for randoms, so it's not really likely to affect me directly either way -- but the blogosphere sure is hopping over this particular topic. Let's see what they've got to say, shall we? Big Bear Butt points out there's a real reason why tanks aren't queueing, and it isn't a lack of decent rewards. Primal Precision thinks people really ought to just suck it up and accept the new system. Blessing of Kings discusses the nature of the tank shortage. Troll Racials are Overpowered points out the flaws of introducting a rating system to the dungeon finder and points out the rating system of years past. 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 modest proposal
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. There's been a lot of new news from the 4.1 PTR and elsewhere lately, from the standard nerfs and buffs to changes in the way things work, like new incentives for the dungeon finder and new features for the World of Warcraft Remote service. As with all changes, people are talking about them, and today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere with reactions and suggestions to those changes. Cynwise's Battlefield Manual mourns the lost puppy and ponders the powers of the girl everyone hates. Big Bear Butt considers the potentials of the new guild chat options for phones. The Noisy Rogue has some controversial suggestions for alternatives to the new dungeon finder Call to Arms. 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: Raiding and morality
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. It's actually a little weird that I miss hearing the little back and forth between the Lich King and Tirion Fordring. In Wrath of the Lich King, we spent so long beating our heads against the Lich King fight that it was almost a relief to start the process of leveling again when Cataclysm arrived. But I still can't help but miss Fordring. Today, we've got an assortment of posts regarding everything from 4.1 changes to the moral quandaries of Westfall. The Inconspicuous Bear discusses 4.1 changes for your favorite, fuzzy bear tanks. Blame Squelchy ponders the differences between Cataclysm and Wrath raiding. Scribblings on the Asylum Wall takes a long look at leveling in Westfall from a moral point of view. 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: Mastering the game
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. We interrupt our normal Daily Quest babble for the following important announcement: Have you seen our WoW Resource Guide? It's a list of all active World of Warcraft websites out there -- or at least the ones we know about. However, it's out of date, and it is my mission to update it. I have accepted this mission, but this is where I need your help! Do you have a Warcraft blog? Do you know somebody who does? Post a comment on this post with your blog's name, a link to the blog, and a general description of what category your blog would fit under, whether it be for a specific class, PvE, PvP, lore, or some other WoW topic. If you have any friends with blogs, please feel free to point them to this post so they may add themselves to the list. And now, back to your regularly scheduled edition of The Daily Quest: World of Matticus discusses ways to master the frustration of progression raiding. Feraltree talks about mastering mana management as a resto druid. Achtung Panzercow begins a series of posts on mastering the first 10 seconds of a pull. Lastly, if you're having trouble mastering Cho'gall, I Like Bubbles has a handy flowchart that could help. 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: Keeping track of things
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. We don't all have a Wildhammer Fact Checker in our pockets willing to correct any minor little errors that happen to be thrown our way. These days in WoW, between different specs, gems, enchants, and the new reforging, keeping track of everything your character has to have in order to be competitive can be a little tricky. Today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere that offer a helping hand when it comes to keeping track. Disciplinary Action has put together a short and complete manual for healing as a discipline priest. RestoDruid.info also has a cheat sheet -- this one for restoration druids. Adrenaline Rushing offers a handy rogue guide to creating conditional macros. Life in Group 5 covers best-in-slot resto shaman items for both normal and hard-mode raiding. 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: Addons and accessories
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I've mentioned my bank before. It's crammed full. It's been crammed full since about two months into Wrath of the Lich King, and while some items have been deleted, they have been immediately replaced with other items in a never-ending circle of my-bank-is-full-itis, a disease that is apparently shared by many. It was the inclusion of the above screenshot, however, that spurred many readers into inquiring why I didn't have an inventory addon. While I hate to admit ignorance, the sad truth is that I simply wasn't aware there were inventory addons out there. Now that I have one, my bank looks slightly more organized -- and full. Yep, it's still full. Today, we've got a sampling of posts from around the blogosphere discussing a few helpful addons, plus additions of a more indulgent sort in the form of accessories. Grimmtooth's Troops has a five-part series that compares and contrasts the merits of several different HUD addons. Totem Forest discusses the super-cool addon DeathNote. Lastly, The WoW Debutante discusses the joys of adding weapons to your character as accessories. 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: Pow, right in the kisser
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. My father and I are watching baseball again -- the season starts in a little over a week. I never really pictured myself as a baseball fan, but it's become one of those father-daughter things, and the game itself is kind of interesting. Especially when the outfielders fling themselves over fences to catch a ball with no apparent sense of self-preservation. Still, when watching a spring training game wherein the batter swings repeatedly at balls that are nowhere near the vicinity of his bat, I wisely refrain from suggesting the batter gem for more hit. Some things, my father just can't get his brain around. Internet dragons and video games are definitely one of them. Speaking of hit, today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere discussing plenty of stats, including hit. Manalicious discusses gemming for fire mages and what stats you should be looking for. Almost Evil has a chat about warlocks and the importance of hitting things. Bible of Dreams answers some frequent questions about shadow priests and stats. Editor's Note: Anne should gem for avoidance if she doesn't want to be eaten by another Grue. 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 improvements
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I have to admit, I do find the new Orgrimmar a vast improvement over the old. Sometimes I miss the days of endlessly circling the Orgrimmar bank roof while waiting for one thing or another, but the new sections, the multiple banks and auction houses, and the upgrade to the architecture in general makes up for the bank roof circles. Besides -- the demolition of Orgrimmar? Far more entertaining to watch than most prime time television. Today, we've got a smattering of posts from around the blogosphere regarding improvements of one kind or another. Officerchat.org suggests surveys as a method of improving your guild. Blog of the Treant has two posts centered around improving yourself as a recruit. Planet of the Hats thinks the game would improve if trash were removed. Pink Pigtail Inn on the other hand, thinks dealing with trash is a great way to improve performance. Editor's Note: Earlier this week Anne was eaten by a Grue. Fortunately, she clawed her way out of the Grue and is back with us. 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: Food for thought
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. You know, I had a startling revelation the other night as I watched a group of roleplayers chat around a table in Orgrimmar. After watching the group for a few minutes, I realized the answer to a question plaguing me since I started playing WoW. You want to know why so many characters in the Horde have such horrible hunches? Improper back support. Think about it. Today, we've got a group of posts from around the blogosphere that may address other burning questions. The Bossy Pally has a few tricks up her sleeve in regards to boosting progression. Phase 3: Profit answers every question you ever had about archaeology. Jinxed Thoughts walks through the process of the perfect pull. 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 play a game
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Of all the games I've played, I don't think any was quite as frustrating as Zork. Trying to keep track of which way I'd moved was an exercise in sheer annoyance, and I was eaten by a grue far too many times for my taste. But there was an addictive quality to the game that kept me coming back and still sees me going back every now and again to wander in that eternal forest looking for that one tree with the egg in it. Today, we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere regarding the mechanics of the game we play and how it's made: character design, naming, and replayability. Jinxed Thoughts talks about character design and commitment. Tobold's MMORPG blog discusses the replayability of Cataclysm. MMO Reporter ponders the problems of naming characters. Editor's Note: Since writing this post, Anne Stickney has been eaten by a Grue. 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: Giving a few pointers
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I love my guild. It could have something to do with the fact that my guild spent a large portion of our raid night discussing the intricacies of Rebecca Black's "Friday," including deliberating whether or not we would prefer to kick it in the front or back seat along with threats from the guild leader that he would cancel Friday entirely if we continued to wipe on bosses. Or maybe it's the way everyone jumps to help out when I log on and ask for screenshot volunteers, out of the goodness of their hearts. Regardless, they lined up like little troopers and /pointed their hearts out for me last night, because today's Daily Quest is all about the subject of giving pointers: Feral Aggression has some pointers for the PvP kitty cats out there. Jinxed Thoughts presents some pointers for successful raiding. Light's Fury points out the concept of understanding value when dealing with the AH. Lastly, Gauss' Adventures points out the many reasons why you may fail at emoting. 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: Out with the old, in with the new
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Hillsbrad Foothills has to be one of the most disgusting, terrifying zones in the game, in regards to what the Forsaken have been up to and the ultimate fate of Southshore. On the other hand, the horrifying situations are balanced by some of the wackiest characters, zany situations and seriously fun quest lines I have played. It's so weird that a zone with so much in it that I hate can still be something I love; I recommend everyone play through it. Among the quests in Hillsbrad are a few involving characters you feed quests to -- including the hapless new guy, pictured above -- which leads us to today's blog posts. All of them feature a little information on new things, whether it be players, servers, or information from the 4.1 PTR. Life in Group 5 shares some thoughts of what new things are to come in 4.1 and beyond. Mana Obscura would very much like to teach new players how to play the game, but the path isn't without its obstacles. Big Bear Butt shares a handy system for rolling a character on a new realm. World of Matticus ponders the painful process of replacing old raiders with new recruits. 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: Bravely into battle
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. I have no words for the above video except that as I am a fan of the two things presented, I wholly approve of the combination. Battle -- it has several different meanings in World of Warcraft. Whether you're battling internet dragons, other players, or injustice itself, one thing that battle requires is preparation. Today, we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere discussing different ways of being prepared no matter what you're fighting. Cynwise's Battlefield Manual discusses optimizing your character's gear for PvP. Jaded Alt features a guest post that offers an in-depth look at reforging your gear. Manalicious has a handy flowchart for fire mages who are looking to blow things up. Pugnacious Priest battles against a different kind of enemy -- AFKers -- with a handy mod. 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: Threatening behavior
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. When I first starting playing WoW back in vanilla, I played a healer. This wasn't out of any urge to heal other people; it was because the guild of friends that eagerly told me to roll an Alliance character and join them stated quite plainly that they needed healers. So I rolled a healer and played all the way to level 60. Then I rolled a character on Horde because I wanted to play with friends over there. Once again, I was told to roll a healer because they needed healers. I was a pretty good healer -- or at least, everyone said I was. But when The Burning Crusade launched and the raid guild fell apart, I decided to play what I'd wanted to play since day one -- a rogue. I've been happily stabbing things ever since. But though I've had plenty of experience in healing my rear end off and in merrily murdering mobs, I never could get the hang of tanking. I guess the thought of standing there and having something perpetually beat my face in never felt like fun. I'm assuming it's an acquired taste. Today, we've got some posts from around the blogosphere discussing tanks, healing, guilds, and leveling through the game. The Dead Good Tanking Guide talks about the mechanics of tank threat from vanilla to today. Orcish Army Knife discusses the value of a bad pull in regards to learning how to heal. The Noisy Rogue isn't all that sure that the Looking for Guild feature is such a good idea. Tobold's MMORPG Blog wonders what WoW would be like if it were solely a leveling game. 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: Creative thinking
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. My guild had a surplus of Fish Feasts after the end of Wrath -- and by surplus, I mean each raider was sent around 80 of the suckers to help with leveling to 85, and there were still a ton in the guild bank. Once we hit 85, the feasts were no longer useful; after some creative thinking, our raid leader decided they were the perfect medium for avant-garde artistic expression. ... or maybe he was just really, really bored between pulls. Regardless, today we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere that indulge in a little creative thinking of their own. Sheep the Diamond discusses the similarities between switching servers and switching ... dimensions? The Bossy Pally ponders the merits and process of constructive criticism. Clearcasting considers the possibility that people are the hardest mechanic in Cataclysm raiding. 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.
