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Guildwatch: "10 guilds kicked me in a row"
The above screenshot is a little hard to read, and for that we apologize. But it comes from Diablo of Stormscale -- apparently they had a healer who /afked in the middle of a raid for about 30 minutes, and when he got switched out of the raid for a Resto Shaman got a little testy. He says he's going to go do his dailies while he adds up the "pros and cons" of staying with the guild, and the GM solves his problem fast: "Here's the con." /gkick.We have to admire that kind of quick decision making. After the break, more stories of guild drama and woe, and some good news, too -- downed reports and recruiting notices. Make sure to send in any guild news you see to wowguildwatch@gmail.com, and click the link to see this week's GW.
Alt Text just short of the real bribe
Lore Sjöberg at Wired's Alt Text talked yesterday about the Zhevra mount you get as part of the Recruit-a-Friend program. It's a pretty fun read. He talks about the myriad of vanity items, and how these items can be such a motivator for WoW players, even though they don't really affect your gameplay at all. I do want to add a point to his article, though. The new Recruit-a-Friend benefit isn't just the Zhevra. For me, the ability to gain triple-XP is the huge motivator. I'm involved in a Guild that's doing it's best to truck through Zul'Aman content. I can't wait to get a good friend of mine involved in the fun, but getting from 0 to 70 is going to take a while. Even with the speed levelling records out there, going from zip to end-game isn't going to happen overnight. So, while my friend will be starting after Labor Day weekend, there's a little bit of delay before she's rocking out to left-handed Nalorakk. The triple-XP bonus -- and the ability to teleport me to her when she needs help -- overcomes the big hurdle to getting a friend started. This is the real power of the new Recruit-a-Friend benefit, in my opinion. The Zhevra's cool and all, but the XP bonus and teleportation feature makes getting my friend involved three times faster. The benefit doesn't just reward getting friends involved, it empowers us to get our friends involved.
World of WarCrafts: Loop of Cursed Bones
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts. Check this out human! Griftah be takin' over dis post today.Ya know what ya be needin'? One of these necklaces right outta the ruins of Zul'Aman. But ya don't want to be riskin' yerself in a dungeon, do ya? Nah, I show ya how to make one of the most marvelous amulets right here! Here is what you will need: Chicken Legs and Thighs Natural Stone/Bone Chips Red/Black Feathers Hemp Jewelry Cord Knife Nail File Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-29186%
Guildwatch: Baby momma drama
You'd think that with the expansion coming, people would be taking a break from this game -- you'd think raiding would slow down, drama would subside (since it's a lot easier now then it used to be to get lots of great gear), and that recruiting would slow down. But this week's Guildwatch is a testament to players' dedication everywhere -- the raiding hasn't stopped, a few guilds are still picking up stragglers, and people are as selfish and whiny about their loot as ever. It warms our heart. Kind of.Drama, downed and recruiting news all after the break. If you've got news for GW, don't hesitate to send it along: wowguildwatch@gmail.com. On to the good stuff (including a baby momma drama llama).
Guildwatch: "I done runs with him before same then"
The guild above, Natural Order on Steamwheedle Cartel, has graced these pages before for dramatic reasons, but just to show there's no bad feelings, we're highlighting them in the downed section this week -- as you can see, they were able to topple Archimonde, and that's an achievement for any guild. As long as you can keep progression going, no drama is all that bad.Unless you run into some of the really harsh drama found in this week's GW, which starts right after the jump. Drop us a tip (anonymous or otherwise) at wowguildwatch@gmail.com if you've got news about drama, downings, or recruiting notices from around the realms, and Sargeras-willing, you'll see it here next week.
BigRedKitty: Hex Lord Malacrass Hunter-guide movie
Daniel Howell contributes BigRedKitty, a column with strategies, tips and tricks for and about the Hunter class, sprinkled with a healthy dose of completely improper, sometimes libelous, personal commentary.It's Zul'Aman, baby, and you're playing the roughest, toughest ten-person instance in the game! You're feeling good, looking sharp...and all of the sudden, Bam! Hex Lord Malacrass rears his ugly mug. He's not fun, is he?You wanna do your job as a hunter, right? Right! Well let's see if a BRK Hunter Guide Movie can give you some insight and testicular fortitude for this guy... can we say that? Yes? Oh OK, good. /whew.Hex Lord drops something really pretty Hunter-loot for us Hunters, too! Well, let's rephrase that.Hex Lord drops the single most hideous piece of Hunter-loot known to Dwarf-kind, the Coif of the Jungle Stalker./wretchGreat stats, loads of Win there. But... just don't look at it under bright lights for too long.You are most welcome to download this movie (118.5 MB) by right-clicking here.Another great big Thank You to the WoW Insider editors for allowing us to publish this movie both here and on our little blog at the same time! From his video guides to Karazhan For Hunter Dummies, nobody covers raid Hunters like BRK. Looking for more Hunter goodness? Check out our non-raid Hunter column, Scattered Shots or the WoW Insider Directory of Hunter Guides.
Buying spots in raids
Adam asked how much a guild should charge for a spot in a ZA raid, but Lane on WoW LJ comes at the issue from the other side: how much should you offer? Personally, like a lot of comments on Adam's post, I'd offer nothing -- I'd much rather earn everything I wear rather than just paying out gold to be in someone else's raid run.But certainly there are quite a few folks out there, who, for whatever reason, are either at their wits' end and ready to spend money, or just too lazy or busy to join a guild themselves. So what's the going rate for a boss? Adam's post landed pretty low -- 500g to 2500g definitely got the most votes, and I'm guessing that was mostly because there was no free option. So, depending on how well you know the guild you'll be running with, seems like a good idea would be to start at around 500g, and then head upwards from there.Of course, especially on a relatively early dungeon like ZA, it's not really that hard to get 10 people together and run it every week -- even if you're not a hardcore raider, running just one raid instance a week is enough to get you learning how it works and building up your gear.
Tank Talk: The irresistible fight
Tank Talk is WoW Insider's raid-tanking column, promising you an exciting and educational look at the world of getting the stuffing thrashed out of you in a 10- or 25-man raid. The column will be rotated amongst Matthew Rossi (Warrior/Paladin), Adam Holisky (Warrior), Michael Gray (Paladin), and Allison Robert (Druid). Our aim is to use this column to debate and discuss class differences, raid-tanking strategies, tips, tricks, and news concerning all things meatshieldish. Since Tank Talk began, we've gotten a few questions from people about raid fights that require tanks to use resist gear. With all of Burning Crusade's raid attunements now removed, and with lots of guilds testing the waters in Tier 5 and Tier 6 before Wrath hits, I figure now's as good a time as any to discuss what resist sets you're going to want if your guild is intent on progression. The resist gear issue is nowhere near as dire as it was in vanilla WoW (Molten Core, anyone?) and in general the raid as a whole rarely needs to worry.Tanks are special. But you knew that already, didn't you?This guide covers all of the existing 10-man and 25-man content in the game outside of Sunwell Plateau:
Guildwatch: It's not stealing, it's a ninja
That's Alyxandria of All That Remains on Sisters of Elune, professing the opinion that the stuff her guildies stole from Just a Game on the same server isn't being given back. Apparently taking a bunch of stuff out of the guild bank and then /gquitting doesn't count as stealing -- we'll leave you all to decide the morality there.For our part, we don't judge, we just report on all the guild drama, downed, and recruiting news from around the realms. If you've got some, feel free to send us a tip, anonymous as you'd like, at wowguildwatch@gmail.com. Whether it's a particularly interesting screenshot of chat (as above), or an all out hilarious forum thread, or just news that your guild has downed a boss they've never downed before, please let us know, and you can see it here next week.
15 Minutes of Fame: WoW's new wave of new gamers
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about at 15minutesoffame (at) wowinsider (dot) com.When I received a news tip from from Rainnajax of US Uldaman-H about being an "older female gamer," I admit that I rolled my eyes. Please, not another one who thinks having two X chromosomes makes her the most special snowflake ... Not another one who thinks being over 30 years old qualifies her as one of the Ancients ... When I read her entire email, though, I realized Rainnajax's experience was actually intriguing – but not for the reasons she thought.While Rainnajax may perceive herself as something still a little unusual among WoW players, I see her as the type of player who's becoming the new norm. She's less remarkable for being female or "older" – or even for belonging to a well known gay and bi-friendly guild -- than she is for being among the new wave of players who'd never imagined themselves playing a video game ... until they tried WoW. MMORPGs are no longer the province of a single type of player anymore. Rainnajax is here as an example of today's new-to-gaming, non-gender- or age-specific player.
Know Your Lore: Hakkar the Soulflayer
Welcome to Know Your Lore, where each week Alex Ziebart brings you a tasty little morsel of lore to wrap your mind around. Sweet, sweet lore. Mmmm. Today we're going to take a step back from out pre-emptive study of Wrath subjects and look at something a little more old school. We'll get back to catching up for Wrath of the Lich King soon enough, don't you worry about that. I'm far too excited about the expansion to not come back to it soon.Today we're going to look at Hakkar the Soulflayer, not to be confused with Hakkar the Houndmaster which apparently came first in the lore, but I don't really care which of them came first because the Blood God (that one's the Soulflayer) is way cooler. What the Soulflayer actually is is largely a mystery. He's a god, certainly, but Azeroth has many flavors of gods and demigods. He is probably just a Loa god, but our buddy Brann Bronzebeard seems to think he's more than that. Specifically, Hakkar might be the son of an Old God.
Taming Zul'Aman bears (or not)
Mania wants to know (and so do we): can you train the bears in Zul'Aman or not? We at WoW Insider also heard a rumor over the weekend that the bears in Zul'Aman were trainable again (we heard that when the trolls riding bears split up, you had a short period of time to pick up the bear as a Hunter pet). But alas, all reports since then tell us that's not the case -- even if bears were trainable for a short period of time, they aren't now.Which isn't too surprising -- Hunters have a relationship to wild animals, not trained ones, so the fact that you can't steal bears from the trolls falls in line with Hunter lore (although, if you wanted to make the case that the bears were actually pre-trained and that it would make them easier to train, you probably could, even if Blizzard didn't listen). And it's not like there aren't other bears to get in the game. Blizzard should definitely have some fun pets to get like this (as long as there's no huge gameplay bonus to be gained), but apparently Zul'Aman bears aren't one of them.Of course, you can always go get your bear mount -- we've got a guide that tells you exactly how to do it. And hurry -- even those won't be available forever.
Get your bear mount before Wrath
You know that awesome Amani War Bear? The one that has been sold for 20,000 gold? Well, you'd better work on getting it as soon as possible if you want one, because when Wrath of the Lich King comes out, it will no longer be attainable. Currently you get it as a reward for a time-based challenge in the ten-man raid Zul'Aman: free all four prisoners in time, get bear. Tigole just posted in the official forums that upon Wrath's release, the bear will be replaced with "a very good, epic item," basically to preserve the prestige of having gotten the bear at its intended difficult level. He says they plan on doing a similar thing with the "Hand of A'dal" and "Champion of the Naaru" titles as well. I can understand this move -- it would probably be trivial to get the bear with a raid full of level 80s. And there is still a fair amount of time before Wrath comes out.However, it makes me sad to see something become impossible to get. I think it would be a better solution if they made it so the bear could only be attained by a raid containing no members above level 70, personally. As Zach pointed out to me, the change that they're proposing now means that no Death Knight will ever be on a bear mount, and that's just sad. Unless, that is, they introduce a polar bear mount in Northrend -- did somebody say panserbjørne?If this is one of your goals before Wrath, don't forget to check out WoW Insider's complete guide on how to get your own Amani War Bear.Update: Chances look good for a bear in Northrend. Tigole said: "Polar Bear sound cool?"
Is it really OK for Arthas to be 10-mannable?
So one of the most exciting announcements from the recent flurry of news about WoTLK, at least from my point of view, is the that there will be 10-man and 25-man versions of every raid. Think about that for a moment. Yeah, that's right. That means that you and 9 other friends will be able to scale the heights of Icecrown Glacier and topple Arthas himself from his frigid throne. This has more than a few people worried.
Phat Loot Phriday: Jin'rohk, the Great Apocalypse
No husky loot this week -- with a name like "the Great Apocalypse," this sword is nothing but badass.Name: Jin'rohk, the Great Apocalypse (Wowhead, Thottbot, Wowdigger)Type: Epic Two-hand SwordDamage/Speed: 380-570 / 3.70 (128.4 DPS)Abilities: Equip: Improves haste rating by 45, which will help a little bit with that low speed (but look at that damage range!), will bring the speed back to 3.60, which brings it up to 131.8 DPS +49 Stamina, makes this a nice PvP two-hander Equip: Increases attack power by 120, which also adds to attack damage. There are better high-end two handers in the game, but anyone who likes to swing a big sword should like this one. Plus, look at it! And that name! How to Get It: Drops from the troll himself, Zul'jin, in Zul'Aman. Interestingly enough, Zul'jin means "Leader of voodoo" and jin means "leader," So this sword is clearly a leader, but leader of what? Rohk, in the Zandali Troll language, actually means "end of worlds," or apocalypse. So if all the apocalypses you've ever seen in movies all got together (from Deep Impact to I Am Legend), one apocalypse would be standing above them all: Jin'rohk.But yes, the sword drops from the last boss in Zul'Aman. Droprate is about 12%, so get to him, be someone who swings a two-hand sword and needs an upgrade, win the roll, and it's all yours. Just don't hurt yourself carrying it around.Getting Rid of It: Sells for a whopping 17g 81s 95c, and disenchants, as you might guess, into a Void Crystal. But the terrible effect that carrying the Leader of Apocalypses has on you for all time? Priceless.
Breakfast Topic: Scam or service?
A couple months ago, Daniel Whitcomb wrote a great post about maximizing your bag space which included how to get a 20 slot bag from Budd Nedreck (pictured above). In it he explained exactly where to go in a cleared Zul'Aman to complete Budd's Promises, Promises quest.Zzmorriss wrote in to say that he was offering in the Trade Channel to run people through his guild's cleared ZA instance in order to complete that quest. He charged 10 gold to join the raid and be guided to the place to get the item for Budd. He then charged another 10 gold a person to run them through again to do Budd's follow up quest. He made a total of 180 gold for 15 minutes of work and then ran through 6 or 7 more groups before the reset.
Ready Check: Zul'Aman -- Getting your first bear
Ready Check is a weekly column focusing on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Kara or BT, everyone can get in on the action and down them some bosses. This week, a bear talks about... bears.Since the introduction of Zul'Aman many raiding guilds have been fascinated by the time trial; defeat all four animal bosses within 45 minutes and the last prisoner will gift you with a scary-looking bear mount, plus the adoration of your entire server. This article will take you through preparing for, and succeeding at, the Zul'Aman timed run.Okay, so you want to get a bear. Perhaps there are ten people in your guild who, bored with farming or wiping, want a slightly different challenge to take up an evening or two a week. The end goal of getting a bear mount (or ten) is an incredibly fun one to aim for, but it's also a lot of hard work (provided you don't just want to pay 20,000 gold). The first stage in collecting your very own bear cavalry is to assemble a good team. While you can put together a run with whichever guildies feel like going from week to week, we recommend at least starting with a fixed group that's optimised for success. As you become experienced at running the gauntlet, it won't matter quite as much if the team isn't static.
Getting your first bear: The final analysis
Congratulations, you should now be the proud owners of your first bear! Lessons from our bearsWe learnt a few things from doing the bear runs, both individually and as a raid group -- it's a lot of fun to see how far you can be pushed. Setups that look "okay" on paper don't cut it. The run's all about the group. You can bring one or two slightly dim-witted members along but it makes life harder for everyone else. You need to have people who're fully awake for the whole run -- if your paladins suck at refreshing 10 minute blessings, if your melee love aggro, if your healer's prone to 5 minute afks, replace them. Once the first set of bears are in their new homes, we found interest and quality of the runs dropped. Other groups have reported different things, so your mileage may vary, but all it needs is one enthusiastic person to put the next set of runs together. The melee ring never drops from the third chest. Never. Further readingEspecially if you're interested in group setup and the best speed runs out there, this Elitist Jerks forum thread is a goldmine of information and opinions. Gurgthock's video is also worth a watch. If you're not quite making the timer, looking at WWS reports can be a great help -- here's our second run, videoed above, to give you some idea (I'm Fog). Finally, we'll leave you with these timeless words: Practice is perfect. There are plenty of stories of raid groups narrowly missing a bear, then coming back the next reset and having plenty of time left on the clock. Don't give up and you'll get there in the end!
Getting your first bear: The boss fights
Akil'zon (Eagle) If the patrol at the bottom of the steps is in your way, kill it; you'll have to kill it on the way to Nalorakk otherwise. On the gauntlet, AoE the eagles as soon as possible, then pull the Amani'shi Tempest as early as you can to stop the flow of birds. On the boss: the offtank DPSes, have the raid move in towards the boss before he casts Electrical Storm to save running time. As with all bosses, blow your cooldowns, chain-chug pots and do everything you can to perform your best. Nalorakk (Bear) You can use Soothe Animal to bypass a bear pack; hug the left wall. Run forward as soon as possible. The pull before the boss is a tough one, so don't rush it. On the boss: go all out (respecting threat): the troll form tank can DPS during bear phase. Jan'Alai (Dragonhawk) Don't let scouts summon reinforcements! This is the single biggest timesink we find on our runs. Stun, charge, root and kill them ASAP, yell on Vent if you see one, and learn their routes. Spellsteal the Flame Casters (we sheep them if possible, due to the huge raid damage). The patrols of hawks and Amani'shi Trainers to the right can be avoided if your timing is right; have the entire raid hug and run up the stairs at once, and fight the pack at the base of the stairs in place. On the boss: let your hatchers hatch one side at a time, it's hectic for the offtank but saves a lot of time. A paladin tank can help keep adds under control, but it's doable without. We found fire resistance gear on the offtank helped a little. Halazzi (Lynx) The second Lynx trash pull, a patrol, can be skipped -- as can the hut. AoEing the lynx packs usually gets AoErs killed so your healers have to be on the ball; the stealthed packs can run straight for healers, so your tanks need to be ready to deal with it. Pull the patrols as soon as possible, including the one in Halazzi's room. If time is getting tight, you can pull the boss as the last trash mob dies. On the boss: during spirit phase, DPS stays on the boss, as it's debuffed; the offtank can DPS the boss once aggro is solid on the spirit. Rinse and repeat until boss is dead. Read on for final tips and futher reading ==>>
Getting your first bear: Optimizing for speed
Optimizing for speed You've run the instance before and maybe downed three bosses within the time limit without really trying. However, adding a fourth into that time is tough. There are various things you can do to speed up the run, both as a raid and individually: Consumables. Using buff potions/flasks (including sharpening stones, scrolls, food, etc) should go without saying, as well as health/mana pots; drums also make a difference. Be smart with downtime. Drink a little between pulls. Innervate the shadow priest as you approach a boss, and don't be afraid to pull without full mana or health. Know the instance and don't be stupid. Getting reinforcements on the way to Jan'alai is simply a waste of time, as is running into patrols, over-aggroing, etc. Don't linger over loot. Using group loot with need/pass (a designated disenchanter Greeds) speeds up loot considerably; have one assigned DPSer speak to the freed captive while the group moves on. Communicate. Voice chat is great, and well-timed communication can turn around a wipe. It really helps to get everyone into the right mindset before you begin, so go over these ground rules first. Make sure people know to bring consumables, and know the route you're taking. Encourage people to read up on the timed run, to watch videos and actually think about what they're going to be doing. Okay, okay. Can we kill now?The most logical kill order is Eagle, Bear, Dragonhawk, Lynx. You'll spend most of your time killing trash, so make sure your tanks' threat is top-notch, chainpull like mad and bypass as much as possible. Our second run was videoed by one of our healers, and it's available here -- the download's large because of the length of the run. Screenshots from the video accompany the walkthrough below. Read walkthroughs for each boss ==>>
