Strategic Achievements: Sunken Temple

Say the words "solo instance" and the classes most people will come up with to do the job well are probably druids and paladins, or maybe even warlocks with voidwalkers. Mages, in all of our glass-cannon glory, don't usually rank high on the list of independent dungeoneers, who can walk into Onyxia's lair and down her without breaking a sweat, or take out Emperor Thaurissian and his lackeys all on our own.

That said, mages can be incredibly useful members of two-person dungeon teams, and Strategic Achievements is here with tips and tricks for 2-manning instances. No, you don't have to be maximum level, and no you don't have to be fully-dressed in epics. All you need to bring to the 2-man table, or dungeon as the case may be, is your arcane ingenuity and your magely skill.

Two-Manning Sunken Temple
Recommended Level: 50+
Recommended Spec: Frost
How I Did It: 1 Frost Mage, level 56, 1 Affliction Warlock, level 53

The key for most if this instance is AoE. You'll need to use your abilities to down multiple mobs at the same time to their utmost, as groups of trolls and their undead minions stalk the upper levels, and a host of dragonkin await you below. Make sure you have a good plan for keeping your mana pool filled, so you can whip out heavy doses of Blizzard, Arcane Explosion, and Flamestrike.

Ideally, you'd have a tank for your dungeon run - someone who can maintain aggro while you DPS the mobs down. If not, then try pairing with someone who comes with their own meat shield, er... pet: a warlock or hunter. Also, it helps if the tank (player or pet) can be healed in battle - a druid or paladin would be ideal, though I also found my warlock partner's Health Funnel ability to be a lifesaver - literally - on some of our boss fights.

Upper-Level Troll Mobs: Your strategy for the trolls lurking around the temple's upper level should be simple - send in your tank and AoE the mobs down. By level 50, none of these mobs hit very hard, and one or two channelings of Blizzard should do the trick.

There are a total of six troll mini-bosses in each of the alcoves overlooking the lower level. For a level 50+ 2-man team, these fights are a simple tank and spank, with the exception of Zolo, who summons Skeletons, and Hukku, who summons warlock pet minions. If you're running this dungeon for the achievement, all six troll mini-bosses must be defeated before you move on.

The Dragonkin Chamber: When setting up your 2-man dungeon group, don't forget to tell prospective members that this chamber is a skinner's paradise. Before you reach the final boss, all dragonkin in the lower level of the temple must be killed, or they'll come rushing to Eranikus' aid when you face him. The good news is, dragonkin supply leather.

Again, AoE abilities are key here, as every pull will involve multiple mobs. Counterspell may be useful in getting spellcasters like Nightmare Wyrmkin and Nightmare Suppressors to join you in melee range. Perhaps most importantly, the Nightmare Wyrmkin in this chamber can cast Sleep on one of your party members and should be taken down immediately.

Jammal'an the Prophet & Friends: The trolls in Jammal'an's chamber must be killed before you take on the Prophet himself. Don't tank these mobs inside the chamber, but rather pull them back into the hall. Each mob has its own special abilities, many of which can be dangerous to the unprepared party:

• Atal'ai Corpse Eaters: will consume nearby corpses to regain health unless killed.
• Atal'ai Deathwalkers: will cast Fear on your party. Once killed, Deathwalkers become spirits, who are immune to all damage and will attack within melee range. These spirits should be avoided - they hit hard and can easily cause a party wipe. Spirits will dissipate after 15 seconds.
• Atal-ai High Priests: These will heal their party members and summon skeletons to their aid.

Jammal'an casts damage spells but is also capable of healing himself and his cohort, Ogom the Wretched. He can also Hex your party members, turning them into Troll Warriors who will attack your team. Thus, it's a good idea to give him multiple targets on which to focus his attacks.

Jammal'an's companion Ogom can cast DoTs on your party, as well as Shadow Bolt.

Jammal'an must be defeated before you can fight the final boss, the Shade of Eranikus.

Shade of Eranikus: This fight is the "final" or "achievement" fight for a reason - it's hard, it requires fast reflexes, and it's not possible unless both members of your team are using every single ability at their disposal to the utmost.

First and foremost, before you begin this fight, make sure that every one of your abilities, from Cold Snap down to Evocation, are ready to be used. Get your potions ready, and conjure your best mana gem. Use any scrolls or elixirs on yourself and your friend, and agree on your plan before you enter combat.

Because you're ideally above Eranikus' own level, spell hit is not a big issue, but spell crit can be a life saver. Use anything in your possession which increases your crit chance - you may need it when your party's dead and you've just become an unwitting mage tank.

While it may be tempting to run into this fight spells blazing, the Shade of Eranikus has several abilities which can wipe the unprepared 2-man party. He's very sensitive to changes in aggro, and most of his attacks hit hard on mages. If you're with a tank, have them enter first and build up some threat. If you're using another player's pet as the tank, both of you should hold off the big guns for the first few seconds of combat.

Once threat has been correctly established, go all out. This fight is very hard on tanks in the mid-50s, and as the main DPS of your 2-man group, it's up to you to finish Eranikus off before he annihilates you both.

Among his more deadly abilities, Eranikus can send attackers into a 12-second duration Deep Slumber, which, as its name suggests, takes players out of commission for the duration of the spell. Here's where your Frost spec is really critical - use your Water Elemental as an off-tank, and make sure it has built up enough aggro to force Eranikus onto it should your main tank get stunned.

If you're working with another DPS class with a pet, then for this fight, that player is going to have to become a healer, and their primary goal is to keep their pet alive throughout the fight. Cold Snap is a real help here - if the main tank goes down or is incapacitated, use it to keep your Water Elemental in the fight. Having an elemental as an off-tank is also useful in combating Eranikus's knockback ability, which can send the tank flying.

If everyone else goes down, pop your shields and use your instant cast abilities. Hopefully as a team you've whittled down Eranikus' health enough that a few spells should finish him off!

Happy Great-Winter Feast!

As you're eating your holiday cookies and opening presents today, don't forget to log into the game and head to Ironforge or Orgrimmar to open your in-game gifts! This year, every character will receive the following:

• A Gently-Shaken Gift - Holds 5 Winter Vale Eggnog (restores 2% of your mana for 30 seconds)
• A Ticking Present - Holds a Mechanical Greench (3 charges to summon a pet which will fight for you. 10 day duration) and 5 Preserved Holly. Also has a chance to contain a special holiday crafting recipe.
• A Gaily Wrapped Present - Holds one of the following: A Red or Green Helper Box, a Snowman Kit, or a Jingle Bell. Each of these summons a different holiday pet. And, each box or bell is bind on equip.
• A Festive Gift - Holds a Wand of Holiday Cheer (makes everyone within the spell radius laugh. 10 day duration)
• A Winter Veil Gift - Holds a Crashin' Thrashin' Racer, and is required for the Crashin' Thrashing holiday achievement.
• A Carefully Wrapped Present - Holds 5 Winter Veil Cookie (restores 2% of your health for 30 seconds)

A happy Winter Veil to all, and to all a good night!

Last-Minute In-Game Gifts

Did your guild decide to hold a gift-swap but forgot to send you the memo? Did you receive an unexpected present from a new friend? If you're stuck in a bind wondering what to get a fellow WoW player this year, try one (or more) of the following:

• Vanity Pets: The most accessible place to get these is in your capital city Auction House, but the prices here range from affordable to downright ludicrous. But, there's still a bit of time to play the market. If you're looking to purchase something a little more unusual, get on your flying mount and head to Stormspire in Netherstorm and speak to Dealer Rashaad. For 10 gold you can purchase a Red Moth or Blue Dragonhawk pet, or some other unusual critters.
• PvP Gems: Thanks to the new honor system, not all gems are bind-on-pickup! Which means you can spend some of your honor on gems for a friend, if you so desire. And there's sure to be a gem for everyone somewhere on this list. Speak to the Armor Quartermasters in Orgrimmar's Hall of Legends or Stormwind's Champions' Hall to purchase these.
• Holiday Garb: Prices for Winter Boots or the Green or Red Winter Clothes can be high, so why not help a friend by making these items a gift? If you're a tailor or leatherworker you can purchase the patterns for these by talking to Wulmort Jinglepocket in Ironforge, or Penney Copperpinch in Orgrimmar. Just don't forget - the patterns are bind on pickup!

A gift isn't complete without the proper holiday gift wrap! But don't worry, the goblins sell that too, in purple, green, or blue!

Don't have a lot of in-game gold? No problem! If you're willing to spend some time instead of money, you can try the old "IOU" system. Send your friends coupons for one or more of the following (or make your own!):

• one hour (or more) of help farming materials or reputation
• a run through a dungeon of the recipient's choice
• a free port (or summons) to Dalaran
• a Westfall Chicken vanity pet (this only costs 22 copper, so it's close to being free. For details on how to get this bind on pickup pet, see this article)
  

Shopping for presents in World of Warcraft shouldn't be nearly as tough as it is in real life. Good luck!

Deliciously Chilly: An Ode to Frost

It is perhaps fitting that I chose to convert from an Arcane/Fire cross-spec'd mage to a deep Frost spec just as winter was setting in, and the Scourge was getting ready to strike from Northrend. As a real-life human, winter is my favorite season, so I thought it only right that my character should have the ability to enjoy the cold and the snow and the freezing blizzards herself. I never used my frost spells much as a PoM/Pyro mage. But, after a brief transition period, I found to my delight that doing raw, freezing elemental damage really makes me feel... well, I'd say warm and fuzzy inside, but to stick with my metaphor I should probably say... deliciously chilly instead.

One thing I like about Frost spec is that it is so utterly distinctive: no other class has the range of frost spells that we mages do, or can do such wild and wonderful things with the powers of cold that we can. While other classes are busy honing their other abilities to take on the Lich King's frozen wastes, as a mage I use the very cold of the Icecrown for my own desires, and turn that cold back on its master to lay waste to the Scourge itself.

Nearly all mage abilities are showy: our spells wreak devastation upon our foes, and our damage counts are high. Used to seeing my lovely Pyroblast crits and my crackling Arcane Power buff and my lovely purple Arcane Missiles, I was a little nervous trading all those varied colors and explosions for the cold blue ice missiles which give the Frost tree its trademark. In fact, I put off respec'ing into Frost until I had more than 51 talent points to spend, so that I could immediately determine whether the tree was a good fit for me or not.

Any concerns I had about Frost being slow, or repetitive, or boring to use were dead and buried by the end of my very first battleground. And honestly, even with all the praise which the Arcane tree is getting these days, I felt it was finally time for this once-sworn PoM/Pyro mage to finally shake off her old spec and assume the mantle of the truly dedicated Frost devotee. And thus, what follows is my ode to all things chilly and wonderful.

Top Reasons to Love Frost Talents (to follow along, visit the WoW talent calculator here):

Frostbite. The very first talent points I spent went into this ability, because fully-spec'd, it gives you a 15% chance to freeze your target in place for 5 seconds upon landing any frost spell. Why is this important? Take a look at the next reason to love Frost...

Shatter. Before, I never understood why the Frost tree had so many ways to freeze opponents in place. We have Frost Nova, our Water Elemental can cast Freeze to root enemies in place, our Ice Barrier roots enemies when it breaks, and our Frostbite talent gives us an additional chance to freeze enemies on the receiving end of one of our frost spells. All of this is because when our enemies are frozen, we have a 50% chance to critically hit them with all spells. All. Spells. In an ideal world, mages cavort through Northrend, snaring everything in our path, then turning around and destroying all those frozen enemies with one mighty blast of Blizzard or Ice Lance.

Improved Blizzard. For a Frost mage, Blizzard does it all, from destroying vast groups of monsters while soloing, to devastating invading enemy forces in PvP. As a PoM/Pyro mage, I had absolutely no reason to use Blizzard, and buried it deep in my task bars. Now, it is my favorite spell to spam in BGs or multiple-mob encounters. Why? Because Improved Blizzard slows down your targets by 75% when fully-spec'd, making it much harder for that group of enraged enemies to reach you. And with Frostbite and Shatter, you can take enemies down to zero HP en masse without ever losing a beat.

[Note for Patch 3.0.8]: Come the new patch, Frost mages will have their Improved Blizzard slowing debuff reduced to 50%. This is not only a cause for mourning on the parts of mages everywhere, it's also a very good reason to invest fully in the next excellent Frost talent I've come to know and love...

Permafrost. What's better than having a Blizzard which slows your enemies down by 75%? Having a Blizzard which slows them down by 85%, of course, which is exactly what Permafrost does! Permafrost slows your targets by an additional 10%, meaning they have even more difficulty reaching you. And if they do reach you, you've got this next ability to throw at them...

Ice Barrier. I hate Mana Shield. I really do. Since I played a priest first, Mana Shield feels like such a cop-out, a cheap date of a spell which looks pretty when you ask it out to dinner but by the end of the night has not only consumed all the money in your wallet but is trying to suck out your brain too. Blizzard threw Mana Shield at mages in a claim to make us less squishy, but really they wound up giving us a spell that only makes us more vulnerable, because it drains the thing we need more than hit points alone to survive: our mana. There is no logic behind giving the most mana-hungry class of all a shield ability which eats away at our mana, unless they just like to see us use Mana Shield and then run madly around the battlefield, robes flapping, trying to dodge the enemy while being unable to cast anything because our pretty blue bar is empty.

Enter Ice Barrier, which to me is even better than that most famous of all priest spells, Power Word: Shield. Ice Barrier has a minute-long duration. At its very best, PW: Shield has a 30-second duration. Like PW: Shield, Ice Barrier absorbs damage (up to 3,300 at rank 8) without draining mana. But Ice Barrier has something even more elegant and delicious up its sleeve: when properly-spec'd in its companion talent Shattered Barrier, Ice Barrier ensnares your enemies, giving you either time to run away, or time to blast their faces with your Shatter crit combos.

Summon Water Elemental. The signature talent for Frost mages, and for a reason. Properly spec'd, mages can have a nice, friendly (if a bit squelchy) pet join them in combat for up to a minute every 2.4 minutes. The best part? Damage done by your elemental does not add to your threat.

Cold Snap. It's nice having an emergency button, and Cold Snap is just that - it clears the cooldown on all recently-used Frost abilities. I use it in PvE when additional foes join the fight and I need to re-snare all of my attackers or reset my shields. I use it in PvP when I need to summon my Elemental again, when someone breaks through my freeze early, or when I'm suddenly on the receiving end of some nasty crits.

Deep Freeze. I'm going to be controversial and leave this talent on my list. Yes, it got nerfed big-time before Wrath launched, and yes, it's situational, but I like it. A lot. There's nothing like mages who can stun a frozen target, thus preventing them from doing damage, and then keep on blasting away with the damage spells, getting Shatter crits. Because Deep Freeze presents yet another option to, well, keep your target frozen for an extra 5 seconds. It's useful when soloing, it's useful when doing PvP, and it's even useful when clearing trash mobs in dungeons.

Top Reasons to Love Frost Spells (to follow along, visit wowwiki here):

Ice Armor. I didn't use this spell much as a PoM/Pyro mage, and with good reason. Why slow your enemies when you can just pop Molten Armor and crit them to death? But for Frost mages, Ice Armor acts as an offensive frost spell, and thus can trigger your freeze ability. If an enemy hits you, they have a 15% chance of being encased in ice and unable to move for 5 seconds, without you having to do anything at all. The freezing proc for Ice Armor is great for battlegrounds, especially Warsong Gulch flag runs. It can also be a good, if unpredictable extra escape card when trying to get out of difficult PvE situations.

Ice Lance. Who doesn't love a spammable instant-cast spell which can be cast while on the run and does triple damage when targets are frozen? Like Blizzard, Ice Lance is probably of only passing use to non-Frost mages, but for those who have followed the winter's chilly call, it's a formidable ally.

Ice Block. Ice Block is the mage's panic button. We use it in PvE when we gain aggro and mobs come racing at us intent on sending us to meet the spirit healer. We use it in PvP to avoid spells, attacks and big angry red hunter pets which would otherwise kill us. But the nice thing about being Frost spec'd and using this spell, is that paired with Cold Snap, you can use Ice Block a lot more frequently, including at least twice in every arena battle.

Mages are a power-hungry class, no doubt about it, and most of us got into this business for the huge crits, devastating spells, beautiful fireworks, and sheer spellpower of which the class is capable. Having blasted my way through 70+ levels of faster-than-light Pyroblasts and the incredible boosts to spell crit and damage of the later Arcane tree, I am happy to say that the power, control, and utter beauty of Frost is now my spec of choice. Happy winter, everyone!

Why a Ninja May Be the Best Thing to Happen to Your Guild

Every guild goes through a golden age, when the members are friendly, the guild bank is well-organized, and everyone knows the correct loot roll to make on that super-nice item which just dropped from Utgarde Pinnacle. And then it happens. Someone steals half the guild bank and resells it on the Auction House. Someone rolls "need" after everyone else in the raid has agreed to make a "greed" roll. And then your guild members wake up out of their happy little reveries and realize: We've been the victims of a guild ninja.

Unless you run a guild called NinjazRUs, it's understandable that you and your fellow guild members would feel pretty upset after a member walks away with your hard-earned loot, gold, and trinkets. After all, most guilds have a rule, be it written or unwritten, to be nice and respectful to your other guild members. And by their very actions, a guild ninja violates that rule.

But fear not, noble guilds of Azeroth! Guild bank theft and ninja loot rolls are not the end of the world. Recovering from a guild ninja may actually make your guild stronger, healthier, and better-prepared than ever before.

Often the occurrence of a guild theft or a loot ninja is a good time for members to sit down and think long and hard about your guild's scope and direction. If you're still feeling too hot, angry, and pissed off about the ninja, then at least take some time to read the following tips before taking drastic and perhaps irreparable action.

What not to do when dealing with a guild ninja:

• Don't Overreact. Just because one person stole from your guild does not mean that everyone is suddenly unworthy of trust. Don't suddenly change all your rules, don't demote everyone down to Peon status, and don't suddenly close off access to the guild bank. This type of overreaction leaves guild members confused, worried, and may sometimes even scare people into leaving your guild. Worst of all, it punishes ordinary, every-day, hard-working guild members by treating them like potential ninjas themselves.
  
• Don't Cut off Communication. When someone gets kicked out of the guild, usually people want to know why. If you don't want to talk about it openly among the masses on guild chat, then at least let your guild members know that your decision to remove said player from the guild was not arbitrary - there was a solid reason why they were /gkicked. If you are going to be opening up the issue, either to your officers or to your entire guild, set a time to do so and make that public. In short: let your guild members know that there is a process for dealing with what happened, and that you are available to discuss the issue.
• Don't Engage in Slander. Don't start shouting to your officers, your guild members, the Trade channel, and the public at large about your guild ninja. Whatever the reason for their theft, hot-headedly spamming their name in front of the Auction House is more likely to make you look foolish than it is likely to hurt the player who pulled a ninja.
• Don't Spread the Blame. It doesn't matter who introduced the ninja to the guild, who left the item lying around in the wrong guild bank tab, who didn't explain the rules for loot rolling well enough, or who didn't perform a better background check in the recruitment process. Nearly everyone feels a little violated after a guild ninja, and the last thing you want to do is to make people feel worse by pointing the finger.

Once you've got your emotions in check, it's time to figure out how your guild is going to recover from the ninja, and the bottom line for doing this is: communication. Every guild member should be made aware of the ninja and any work on your part to deal with the theft. These same members should also have their voices heard, and any concerns they have addressed. Open up chat with your officers, or depending on how your guild is formulated, with your member base at large, and get down to analyzing the causes and repercussions of the theft, and how your guild is going to cope.

To do when dealing with a guild ninja:

• Ask Questions. Talk with your guild officers, and figure out how to address what happened. Every guild is different, but in most cases asking questions like these can start you off on the right track:
  

1. What actions are being taken to respond to the ninja?
2. Was the ninja someone you knew well? Do they have alts in your guild?
3. Do you need to change any guild policies to help reduce chances of having another ninja down the line?
4. How has the theft impacted guild morale? How are you explaining the ninja or any policy changes which resulted from the ninja to your member base?

• Be Positive. What is possibly the worst thing that could ever happen to your guild has happened. But the road to recovery is a learning process, and a chance to get to know everyone in your guild a little better. While one person violated your guild's trust, the rest of you can work together to make your guild even better than it was before. Instead of adding additional rules to your guild charter, or tacking on more questions to your member application, try hosting a guild social event, where members can get to know and trust each other without the pressure of dungeon-running. If timing is an issue for your guild, try opening up a guild forum for members to interact as their schedules permit.
  
• Keep Information Flowing. Keep your members updated through the guild message of the day. Hold scheduled information sessions where members can share any confusion or concerns regarding the ninja. Make sure any changes in guild policy are clearly expressed to guild members using every possible method of in-game communication. And follow up with guild members in a week or two to clear up any lingering issues.
• Reinforce the Basics. No guild is perfect, and you may experience a ninja in the future, no matter how well-written your guild policies or or how well they are enforced. So instead of rewriting your guild charter with restrictions, rules and legalese, or burdening your officers with the weight of policing your members, consider instead reminding all members that your guild, like every other, should be founded on a basis of respect and trust, and that all members have the duty of acting with courtesy within the guild.

There is no denying it: guild ninjas suck. But they can also be a powerful learning tool for you and your guild. Figuring out how you and your guild members are going to respond to the ninja may actually help to unify your guild policies, unite your officers, and "rally your troops" toward the common causes of better guild communication, higher trust, and increased awareness for all your guild members. Good luck!

Holiday Achievement Round-Up

Looking to rack up a few more achievements this Winter Veil? Browse these tips to add a few more easy achievements to your list.

Food and Drink. Still need to eat a few more foods or partake of a few more drinks for the Tastes Like Chicken or It's Happy Hour Somewhere achievements? Smokeywood Pastures goblins are stationed near the holiday trees in every capital city, selling limited-time festive food and drink for eager patrons.

Scrooge! All you need to get this achievement is a snowball, either harvested from snowy regions like the Alterac Mountains, or bought from goblin retailers in capital cities. Throw your snowball at Cairne if you're Horde, or at Magni if you're Alliance, and you're done!

Winter Veil Gourmet. You'll need some Small Eggs for this achievement, but remember - these are easily farmed from any birds in the Horde and Alliance starting areas and low-level regions. For all the other materials needed to cook up some Egg Nog, Gingerbread Cookies and Hot Apple Cider, check with the Smokeywood Pastures goblins in any capital city.

Let It Snow (use Handfuls of Snowflakes on assorted player character combinations). Capital cities and battlegrounds are the best place to find the necessary class-race combinations you need for this achievement. Handfuls of Snowflakes can be obtained by using the /kiss emote on any Winter Revelers standing beneath mistletoe at city inns.

Roleplaying: Going Against the Racial Stereotypes of Trolls, Night Elves and Dwarves

Last week Mage of Warcraft examined some of the more prevalent racial stereotypes in World of Warcraft, particularly as they related to Gnomes, Tauren, and Orcs. This week we continue our examination by taking a look at Trolls, Night Elves, and Dwarves. Remember: not every Dwarf you meet is a drinker, and not every Troll has a shrunken head collection. If you're interested in roleplaying the black sheep of your chosen character race, read on.

Stereotype: The Head-hunting Troll. Mention the word Troll and immediately what comes to mind for most people is voodoo. Trolls have been practicing voodoo magic for time immemorial. Indeed, trolls have their own special spell-casters, Witch Doctors, who study the art of voodoo and use it to heal their friends and harm their enemies. Before the Darkspear Trolls allied with the Horde, cannibalism and voodoo magics were standard practice among all Troll tribes. Even now, traces of the ancient voodoo culture of the Darkspear remain in their racial abilities:

1. Da Voodoo Shuffle – reduces the duration of all movement-impairing spells and effects by 15%
2. Berserking – increases attack and casting speed for 10 seconds; the more the troll is wounded, the greater the speed increase

When a player rolls a new Troll, they are informed that Trolls have a seething hatred for all other races. Yet this hatred seems to have been channeled and reconditioned among the Darkspear NPCs in the game, many of whom warn the player to “Stay away from the voodoo.” Trolls of the Horde do not use their magic wantonly – in fact, the quests where voodoo magics occur at all take place against other Troll tribes of Stranglethorn Vale, The Hinterlands, and Arathi Highlands. The Darkspear don’t ask you to go out and farm Gnome skulls – they are using their magic defensively against attacks on their own by the Witherbark, Bloodscalp and Skullsplitter Trolls.

Thus, like orcs, Trolls walk a fine line between wild aggression and deliberate calculation. Like the orcs, too, their race was brought to the edge of destruction when certain Troll factions attempted to summon the blood god Hakkar into Azeroth (this bloody chapter in the Trolls’ history can be read in the World of Warcraft online encyclopedia). However, unlike their green-skinned allies, Trolls also have the benefit of centuries, if not millennia spent perfecting their magic and religion. And the surviving Troll factions today have put an end to Hakkar’s savage reign, opening a new chapter of peace and prosperity for their tribes. Among their own sages, Darkspear Trolls believe they practice the highest forms of magic – magecraft and the holy magic of the priests. Indeed, the fact that Darkspear can roll both of these classes signifies that their culture is far richer and deeper than the skulking Trolls of the jungle would have us believe. If you’re looking to play a Troll who is more spiritual than savage, and more intelligent than impulsive, take a look at some unusual Troll NPCs in the game:

• Argent Quartermaster Hasana: Unlike other Trolls, Hasana cares little for anything but defeating the Scourge. She carries all reputation-based purchasable items of the Argent Dawn, as well as the Mantles of the Dawn, the Argent Dawn's shoulder enchants. She can be found at the Bulwark in Tirisfal Glades.
• Molthor: Called the Hand of Rastakhan, Molthor is general of the ancient and spiritual progenitor race of Trolls, the Zandalar. He is honor bound to saving the world from the evil blood-god Hakkar, who has recently risen again and threatens to destroy all of Azeroth once more. He presides over Yojamba Isle, off the northwest coast of Stranglethorn Vale.
  

Stereotype: The Drunken Dwarf. Everyone knows Dwarves make some of the best ale in all of Azeroth - after all, they host Brewfest every year! Nearly every /silly emote assigned to Dwarves involves drinking. But with more and more people blasting through old-world content in a mad rush to get to Northrend, one of the key points about Dwarves is often ofterlooked: Dwarves are children of the Titans. They are a more-evolved offshoot of the Earthen, whom the Titans first created to help shape the world. Thus, with the decline of the Earthen into mad, fractured groups in the bowels of Uldaman and other under-ground lairs, Dwarves may be the oldest civilization in all of Azeroth. And their heritage means they are deeply connected to the element of earth, a fact which is underscored by their Stoneform racial ability. If you’re interested in playing a less-inebriated Dwarf, take a look at two of the NPCs most closely-connected with uncovering the truth about the Titans:

• Muninn Magellas: High Explorer of the Ironforge-based Explorer’s Guild, Magellas spear-heads the efforts of the Dwarven Explorer’s League to uncover the truth about the Titans and the strange information depositories they left behind in Uldaman and Uldum.
• Brann Bronzebeard: Brother to Muradin and the deceased Magni Bronzebeard, Brann is obsessed with uncovering the Titan secrets locked away in Ulduar’s Halls of Stone.

Stereotype: The Spiritual Night Elf. Once, Night Elves were immortal. Possessed of great arcane powers, they used their magic to tend for the great forests of Kalimdor, and to explore the Emerald Dream and keep its secrets safe. However, Night Elves have always walked a fine line between caring for the world and using the natural powers for their own benefit. It was the Night Elves' reckless use of arcane magic which first attracted the demons of the Burning Legion to Azeroth, and that same magic which sundered the world into two continents and created the Maelstrom.

After the end of the Third War, Night Elves lost their immortality. Their once-massive forests are now shriveled and tainted by fel energies. And over time, the Elves have been heavily influenced by their own desires for power, and their current state as a mortal race. Indeed, they have bound the great tree Teldrassil in a mad and futile attempt to reclaim their immortality, twisting this primal force of nature to serve their own ends. Thus today's Night Elf is probably just as moved by power as they are by nature. If your character is more interested in strength than beauty, and more of a schemer than a dreamer, take a look at these Night Elf NPCs:

• Illidan Stormrage: The most powerful icon of a Night Elf who has heeded the call for power and forsaken his bonds with nature, Illidan is called the Betrayer for good reason. He has consorted with Sargeras and Kil’Jaeden. He has abandoned the nature-based and arcane magics of his own people to practice fel magic. He has even transformed into a demon himself. At one time considered an ally to the Night Elves, naga, Burning Legion, and corrupted Blood Elf Kael’thas Sunstrider, Illidan’s track record shows clearly that he values nothing except his own power.
• Azshara: Though she is perhaps most well-known today for the region which bears her name, and the nefarious naga who worship her, Azshara was once Queen of the Night Elves, one of the world’s most powerful magic-users, and the first elf to draw the attention of Sargeras to Azeroth. When the old super-continent of Kalimdor was destroyed in an effort to repel the Burning Legion, Azshara and her followers were cast beneath the surface of the sea, becoming the naga. Her current exact location is unknown, but even now her powers are believed to be immense.

Last-Minute Green Gifts for the Gamer in Your Life

Forget to get a gift for someone on your holiday list? Trying to find a gamer-friendly present for your family geek? Want to give a gift, but help the environment too? Take a look at these last-minute green gift ideas:

1. World of Warcraft Game Time. Ringing in at $14.99 per month, WoW game time is a sure-fire solution to your last-minute gift-giving blues. Upon purchase, an email is sent immediately to your friend or relative, allowing them to cash in their game time right away. Game time can be purchased in one-month, 3-month, and six-month increments from the Blizzard store.
2. Portable Solar Charger. Run any web search for a solar powered electronics charger, and you’ll find plenty of different renewable-energy options to charge cell phones, iPods, and other electronics on the go. Most chargers run the gamut between $30 and $100.
3. Support Green Energy. Worried about all the electricity those gaming consoles, computers, and mechanical gadgets use? Go green by purchasing an e-card from Native Energy. Your geeky friend or relative gets a great e-card, and Native Energy uses your donation to help build eco-friendly wind turbines or farm methane projects.

Happy holidays to all!

Quick Tips: Making Money

Finding your pocketbook a little empty? Need cash for that epic mount? Want to buy a sharp new weapon in the Auction House? Here are some basic tips that may not help you "get rich quick," but which can certainly help you put away some gold for a rainy day.

• Buy Low, Sell High. Every month the Darkmoon Faire arrives in Azeroth or Outland, filled with all sorts of wild and wondrous artifacts to buy. You can get exotic leather, strange herbs, motes and gems for dirt-cheap prices. And you should, too. Devote an alt to camping out by the Faire booths. Make sure they have plenty of money and inventory space, and check periodically throughout the day. Stock up throughout the week, and then, when the Faire leaves, run to the Auction House and sell everything you don't need for a higher price. Darkmoon Faire rotates between Mulgore, Elwynn Forest, and Terokkar Forest. This month, it's visiting Elwynn, just outside of Goldshire.
  
• Learn the Zen of the Auction House. Almost any item you find on your travels is worth something to someone, and the best time to sell it is from Friday evening through Sunday night at the Auction House. Prices skyrocket during the weekend. And the higher player volume means that it's much easier to sell more expensive blue or purple items without having to dig deep for the auction deposit; most items sell within 12 hours. Remember: never sell an item if someone else is selling a ton of it. Undercutting someone is one thing, but the more there is in the AH, the less demand there is on the market. That said, undercutting, or selling the same item for just a little bit less than the competition, is encouraged, as long as it doesn't take a bite out of your profits.
• Find a Worthy Profession. I'm sure it's possible to make it to level 70 without two high-level professions, but frankly, I wouldn't ever want to try it. Pick your professions early and stick with them. Keep a list of where to find raw materials, and another list of how much things sell for in the Auction House - that'll give you some backup when in 40 levels you can't remember how much mithril filigree should cost. And sell things all the time, because most professions do pay if you devote enough time to them. If you're absolutely desperate to change professions, try to keep at least one of your originals so you don't completely re-invent the wheel (e.g. try switching from Jewelcrafting to Engineering while keeping your Mining profession). Or create an alt with complimentary professions who you can run through low-level areas stockpiling goods. Professions, unlike dungeon running, don't usually give you a ton of money at a time, but all that selling does add up, and having a high level profession of any sort means you can make friends in high places in later levels.

If you have any more ideas for getting rich in the lands of Azeroth and Outland, paste them into the comments below. Good luck out there!

The Headless Horseman's Carpet

When I signed up for that rug-weaving class, I thought it was to make a carpet for me, not my horse! Tailors who possess both the Flying Carpet and The Horseman's Reins will be glad to know that they can ride both mounts at the same time, due to a strange bug which doesn't seem to differentiate between the two.

It seems that the Horseman's steed is the only mount to which this bug applies. But now creepy undead horses everywhere can enjoy comfortable, 230-thread-count, high-speed travel, without all the saddle sores. I just hope it's machine washable.

Professions for a Newer, Colder Continent

Forget Glyphs, what today's adventurers really need as they brave the cold environs of Northrend is a nice warm scarf. Today, a look at plausible professions we haven't seen in-game.

Knitting. From frost-resistant scarves to reinforced hats and fuzzy, woolen socks, adventurers have all sorts of options for staying warm and dry as they explore Northrend. Unlike tailoring, knitting would fill the custom character equipment slots of hat, scarf, mittens, and socks.

Tattooing. Like Enchantment, but for your character's skin, tattooing would open up a new level of character customization. Not only could you choose your own distinctive tattoo, but each tat could impact spells and abilities, add to base stats, or give your character extra resistances to magic.

Brewing. Everyone loves making unusual and distinctive dishes via the Cooking profession (not to mention meals which add to base stats, resistances, or health and mana regeneration), but there are very few beverage options available to today's cooks. What about a profession which allowed you to brew your own ale, ferment your own wine, or blend your own tea? Despite the obvious amusement of making your character tipsy by your very own alcoholic beverages, each drink could bring its own benefits, like restoring mana, giving a short-term magic buff, or increasing the drinker's base stats.

Is there a profession you wish Blizzard would add to the game? Tell us about it in the comments below.

The Newbie’s Guide to Strand of the Ancients

Just entered your first Strand of the Ancients battleground? Unsure what to do, or why there are huge cannons firing at you, or how to drive those weird tanks? We’ve got you covered.

What is Strand of the Ancients? This battleground is a two-phase timed siege conflict set against the backdrop of an ancient Titan fortress. The Strand is unique in that it features player-driven siege vehicles, much like those used in Wintergrasp, and player-controlled anti-personnel cannons.


In Phase one, Horde defends the fortress from Alliance attackers. The attackers have a total of nine minutes and 55 seconds to blast their way through the fortress gates and reach the Keep to capture the Titan relic held therein.

In phase two, Horde goes on the offensive while the Alliance defends the fortress. If in phase one the Alliance attackers are able to capture the relic before their time has expired, then their attack time becomes the total time the Horde have in phase two to reach the relic. This means that , like most battlegrounds, timing and strategy are key if your team wants to win.

Step One: Defense

The name of the game here is: Gate Control. There are a total of five outer gates and an inner keep gate in Strand of the Ancients, each of which can be destroyed by the attacking team. You’ll start battle high up on the South Graveyard platform facing the first two fortress gates, which overlook the beach and the arrival of your attackers. Usually, defenders will divide here, sending half their team to one gate and the other half to, well... the other gate. The first players to arrive usually take control of their gate’s turret cannons, while any additional defenders patrol the area.

Without a doubt, the most fun part of being a defender is using the huge antipersonnel cannons which overlook each of the first four fortress gates. Each gate has two cannons, and defenders would be wise to ensure that the cannons at both starting gates are fully-staffed. If you’re the first to reach a cannon, dismount and hop inside. Immediately, your character ability hotbar will be replaced by a hotbar for the cannon itself. There’s only one ability to master here, so spam it to your heart’s content. The cannons also come with a targeting display, which you can use to determine where your next shot will land.

The most important role for a player in control of a cannon is to take down the enemy Demolishers (huge siege vehicles) before they have a chance to break their way through your gate. Both siege vehicles and cannons have a separate health rating than their operators and are disabled first, so upon destroying a Demolisher, make sure you fire some shots into the wreckage to take out the enemy pilot and potential passengers as well. But beware – Demolishers have a long range and are capable of destroying antipersonnel cannons as well as the gates themselves.

Should the enemy break their way through, fire a few parting shots and make your way to the second pair of gates. If at any time a defender is caught on the wrong side of an unbroken gate, they can use the Defender Portals located nearby to teleport to safety.

As the battle moves to the second set of gates, cannon operators should also pay special attention to invaders attempting to take control of the nearby graveyard flags. Once your graveyards have been taken, they cannot be reclaimed. Furthermore, possession of these graveyards also activates the siege workshops nearby, allowing enemy players to bring more Demolishers into the battle, as well as Seaforium Charges, which individual players can use to help destroy gates. The good news is that compared to your antipersonnel cannon, any enemy attempting to take over a flag is relatively weak.

Only one player can use a turret cannon at a time, but fortunately there’s a lot to do when you’re defending, even if you don’t have access to the heavy artillery. In the beginning of the battle, defending players not on cannon duty commonly swarm the beaches, looking to distract Demolisher drivers and take out wandering enemies.

Once the battle reaches the second set of gates, attacking players have access to Seaforium Charges, which are personal bombs used to help destroy the fortress gates. Players bearing Seaforium Charges can usually be identified by their pell-mell run towards the fortress gates, ignoring enemy cannon fire. Defenders not on cannon duty should disarm the Charges as fast as possible to avoid incurring damage to their gate.

The fifth fortress gate does not possess antipersonnel cannons, so defenders here will be required to take on Demolishers hand to... wheel? battering ram? catapult? Demolishers look slow but they can move out of spell range quickly. They also cannot be slowed, frozen or snared. Your best bet in bringing them down is therefore to run behind or alongside them and hit them with the best instant-cast and quick-timed abilities you’ve got. Don’t run directly in front of a Demolisher, as they have a battering ram ability which causes significant damage.

Should enemy attackers break through the fifth gate, defenders should spare no energy in halting their siege on the fortress keep. Attackers have only to click on the Titan relic inside the keep to claim it, and their attack time will become yours unless you can prevent them from gaining access to the keep.

Step Two: Attacking

Your attack starts aboard one of two ships sailing toward the Strand. Attackers, just like defenders, are divided at the start of the phase. Use this time aboard the ship to plan your strategy and determine your Demolisher operators. Both attacking ships will land at separate docks, each of which harbors two Demolishers, which provide the starting artillery to make your first assault on the enemy gates.

When a player takes control of a Demolisher, their task bar is replaced by the abilities bar of the Demolisher itself. These siege engines have two abilities - a long-range catapult shot for taking our enemy gates and turret cannons, and a short-range battering ram for knocking down doors and making melee-range strikes against any enemy players. Like the anti-personnel cannons, Demolishers come with a ranged targeting display to help plan where your shots will land.

Each Demolisher can hold two passengers, and unlike the driver each passenger is free to use their character abilities while riding the siege engine. Passengers are too far away to use melee combat skills, however, so the standard attack philosophy is to have melee fighters drive the Demolishers while players with ranged combat abilities act as passengers.

While they pack a lot of fire power, Demolishers are relatively unwieldy in close-range combat. They are slow to turn, and completely undefended against side or rear attacks. It should therefore be the job of the passengers in any Demolisher to pick off nearby enemies before they can become a nuisance. Should your Demolisher be destroyed by enemy forces, a new one will respawn on the beach, or in any siege workshops your team controls.

Attackers who are not operating a Demolisher have various options during combat. They can run interference, distracting defenders who are trying to take down Demolishers. Should one gate be breached before another, they can sneak around the back of the defending cannon turrets and begin taking down the antipersonnel cannons at melee range with relative impunity. Or, after the first set of gates have been destroyed, they can take over one of the enemy graveyards and begin arming Seaforium Charges – personal bombs found inside the barrels stockpiled outside each workshop.

When running Seaforium Charges, it’s usually best to have company. As the battle moves closer to the keep, defenders become more numerous (and usually more frantic as well), and the chances of them diffusing your bombs become higher. Grab and friend or three and storm a gate together to maximize your chances for damage. Remember that while you must dismount to pick up a Charge, you can mount and ride while carrying one.

While the keep gate and the fortress doors themselves do not have any cannons to protect them, defenders from both sides of the fortress usually converge at this point. This means that both Demolishers and attacking players will find themselves once more in melee range with defenders. Attackers who aren’t piloting or riding Demolishers or running Seaforium Charges must therefore take care to destroy or distract any enemies who are attacking your siege engines. Demolishers remain your best hope of breaking through the fortress gates and capturing the relic.

Interested in learning more about Strand of the Ancients? Join me next time as I take a look at some of the more interesting battleground achievements. Good luck!

Roleplaying: Going Against the Racial Stereotypes of Gnomes, Tauren, and Orcs

While the jokes, /flirt emotes, and dances each race has are fun to use, and often add a bit of fun to an hour or two of play, they are often an odd, if not contradictory addition to roleplaying sessions. This is because roleplaying focuses so intently on building your character’s own unique personality, their likes, dislikes, history, and raison d’etre. Often, the stylized, predictable and sometimes downright weird canned phrases that each character comes with seem false and generic.

But, perhaps even more important in a roleplaying environment, the basic character emotes provided by /silly or /flirt embody Blizzard’s stereotype of what each character race is. And in the vastly diverse realm of roleplaying, where your only limitations should be your own imagination, stereotypes are the last thing your character needs.

Not every Gnome is happy-go-lucky, and not every Troll says “ya, mon.” This multi-part roleplaying guide will cover some of the more pervasive racial stereotypes in the game and points players towards some NPC characters who contradict that stereotype and should therefore be good for researching and preparing to play a character who goes against the grain. Today, we focus on Tauren, Gnomes, and Orcs.

Stereotype: The Back-to-Basics Tauren. When your only class choices are druid, hunter, warrior, or shaman, it’s to be expected that you’re the earthy type. Perhaps more than any other race, Tauren are depicted as being at one with nature, and living within the cycle of what they call the Great Hunt. Even the infamous Grimtotem clan fall into this stereotype – they are corrupt but use the forces of nature to achieve their ends. And the racial attributes of the Tauren further reinforce that point:

1. Tauren receive +15 to their Herbalism skill. That’s right – they’re naturally better at picking flowers than any other race.
2. Tauren receive a 2% hit resistance against all Nature damage spells.

But what if you want to play a Tauren who is more technological than spiritual? What if you’re more mercenary than the average cow, and would rather use your skills for profit than feel your place in the great continuum of nature? If you’re looking to play a Tauren who goes against the granola, take a look at some interesting NPCs Blizzard has introduced to the game:

• Fleet Master Seahorn: This loyal second to Baron Revilgaz not only looks good in a pirate hat, he leads the navy of the Blackwater Raiders, a position which suggests more cunning than spirituality.
• Mr. Smite: First mate under Captain Greenskin, this evil Tauren patrols the docks of the hidden Defias Brotherhood fleet in the Deadmines. Clearly, he is not in his position to commune with the Earth Mother.
• Magatha Grimtotem: Inscrutable and irascible, Magatha is the Elder Crone and leader of the nefarious Grimtotem clan, despite which she makes her home in Thunder Bluff and is an advisor to Cairne Bloodhoof. There’s a huge can of worms right there for any aspiring Tauren looking to distinguish themselves.

Stereotype: The Goofy Gnome. Let’s face it: on the surface, it looks like most gnomes are in the game for comic relief. Until patch 3.0.x they were the only race with pigtails (sorry, but the shaved-head Orc boar tails don’t count). They have shrill, tinny voices, and jokes which talk about chicken nuggets. Even though they have a level 80+ boss leading their civilization, they still haven’t been able to take back their home city of Gnomeregan, which was overrun by level 30 mobs. It’s no secret that for many, Gnomes are the laughing stock of WoW. But the things most people forget about Gnomes are right there in the starting racial characteristics:

1. Gnomes are incredibly intelligent. They get a 5% racial bonus to intelligence, making them the smartest playable race in the game.
2. Gnomes have natural mechanical aptitude. Engineering is one of the hardest professions in the game, and Gnomes are the best of the best at it. They receive +15 to their engineering skill.

The picture these two attributes paint is one of a highly aware, technological culture, and one far more advanced than the weirdly-colored hairstyles on the character creation screen, or the goofy jokes /silly would have us believe. If you want to play a Gnome who is more cunning than cute and more discerning than delicate, you might start by taking a look at some of these less-well-known Gnome NPCs:

• Sicco Thermaplug: Mad inventor, devious politico, self-proclaimed High Tinker of Gnomeregan, Sicco Thermaplug is anything but endearing. His shrewd mechanical mind was responsible for the downfall of the Gnomes’ home city by flooding Gnomeregan with radiation, and, some say, letting the Troggs in in the first place. Try patting this Gnome on the head and telling him he’s cute.
• Chromie: It is probably no coincidence that when this particular member of the Bronze Dragonflight chose to manifest in humanoid form, she picked the intelligence and understanding of a Gnome. Short for Chronormu, Chromie the Gnome/dragon is sworn to preserve the timeline of Azeroth and keep it safe from the Scourge. She can be found in the Ruins of Andorhal, Western Plaguelands.
• Silas Darkmoon: Founder of the Darkmoon Faire, Silas is more cunning businessman than obsessed tinkerer, and more slick entertainer than goofy joker. And he seems to be successful – after all, the Darkmoon Faire is called the Greatest Show on Azeroth.

Stereotype: The Bloodthirsty Orc. There is a huge difference between the blood-crazed, furious Orcs who were goaded by the Burning Legion into destroying Draenor, and the face of the New Horde today. Thrall himself is a perfect example of an intelligent, spiritual Orc, whose thoughtfulness is so pervasive that it is regarded as a fault by some of his companions, like Garrosh Hellscream. In roleplaying a modern Orc, players have a difficult balancing act to perform. How can you balance the obvious bloody heritage which is reflected in your racial abilities...

1. Blood Fury, which sends the Orc into a rage, increasing all attack power and spell power for 15 seconds.
2. Axe specialization, which increases Axe weapon skill by 5, probably left over from the days the Orcs spent chopping down elvish forests in the second and third wars.

...with the spiritual grace and noble bearing employed by Thrall and his fellow shaman, spiritual leaders, and chief warriors in the New Horde? For a look at Orc NPCs who embody the old Horde ideals of savage blood fury, look here:

• Garrosh Hellscream: Headstrong, even foolhardy, Garrosh challenged Thrall to a fight when the Warchief refused to enact a more aggressive plan and immediately make war against the Scourge in Northrend. He believes in quick and immediate action, despite warnings from Thrall and High Overlord Saurfang that strategy is just as important to the New Horde as strength in winning a war.
• Gul’Dan: Once-apprentice to Ner’Zhul, who went on to become the Lich King, Gul’Dan is credited with being the very first Orc warlock, and responsible for introducing the Blood of Mannoroth to the Horde and opening the Dark Portal to Azeroth. Players can see Gul’Dan’s shade in Shadowmoon Valey at the Altar of Damnation.

And for a closer peek at one of the more spiritual, and perhaps lesser-known Orcs of the New Horde, look here:

• Greatmother Geyah: Thrall’s grandmother Geyah is the spiritual leader of the Mag’har, the last uncorrupted Orcs remaining on Draenor.

Stay tuned as we debunk other racial and class stereotypes next week!

PvP Analysis: Tips for Arathi Basin Weekend

While Wrath of the Lich King brought us the shiny new battleground of Strand of the Ancients, firing cannons and driving siege engines shouldn’t take up all your battleground time. The original battlegrounds offer a quick way to gain some honor, especially if you play them during their holiday weekend. If it’s been awhile since your last Arathi Basin game, take a look at these tips before entering the battleground.

Guard! One player minimum per flag, preferably more. Really, there should never be a reason to break this rule, even at the starting flags of Farm or Stables. Not only does having a guard at every flag help to keep you informed of incoming enemy attacks, having a lookout often deters wandering flag ninjas from taking over your base. All it takes to lose a flag is one enemy – don’t give your opponents the chance.

Call It Out! Don’t let an enemy steal your flag in silence – if someone’s attacking, tell your team! The more information your team has, including the number of players attacking and their levels and classes, the more likely they are to be able to mount a quick defense. But at the very least, a quick “inc LM” can at least let your team know you need help.

Relief! Let’s face it: no one really likes guard duty. Guarding the flag is usually boring compared to the high combat that offensive players get to enjoy. Guards also get very little in the way of honor for protecting rarely-attacked flags. But they have a very important job. Sometimes numbers alone will deter an enemy from attacking a flag. Guards can therefore help your team not so much by seeking out enemy players to kill in the field, but by being pro-active in their flag defense. Nevertheless, guarding is often a thankless occupation, and even the most committed guard has days when they’d rather be out bonking heads than doing stealth detection at the Gold Mine. It’s often a very nice present for a player on offense to relieve a player stuck guarding a flag.

Take a Look. Often defenders are in a unique position to see the battleground at large. Blacksmith and Lumber Mill guards especially should use their vantage points to keep tabs on the battle and to call out incoming enemy parties not only at their own flag, but at other key strategic points. Reports on enemy numbers, on poorly-defended flag-points, and on changes in enemy strategy can give your team the information they need to win. Don’t be afraid to use abilities and items which give you a better perspective on the battle. Hunters have Eyes of the Beast, Tracking, and Eagle Eye. Druids and Rogues have Stealth. Engineers can make an Ornate Spyglass – a remarkable telescopic device which players of any profession can use.

Knockback in the Basin. It seems like everyone’s got a knockback ability these days. From Typhooning druids to mages with Blast Wave to shaman summoning Thunderstorm to hunters and their pets, battleground players should expect to be on the receiving end of knockback abilities on a regular basis from here on out. Anyone who has ever been Mind Controlled by a priest knows that in PvP one of the primary functions of knockback or any ability that allows one player to take control of another is to send one’s opponents careening over the edge of a very tall cliff, thus removing them from combat. In Arathi Basin, the Lumber Mill cliff is a prime spot for just this sort of maneuver. Just be careful not to get too close to the edge, or you might wind up getting knocked off yourself.

Have a happy, safe, and successful Arathi Basin weekend!

Why the Return of Naxxramas is a Good Thing

When the great floating citadel of Naxxramas retreated to Northrend, there was a general outcry among experienced raiders used to seeing it in the Plaguelands. “We’ve already been to Naxx,” they cried, “and now you’re going to make us do it again?” Old-school raid purists were even more miffed when they discovered that unlike its previous 40-man raid incarnation, Naxxramas was now tweaked to allow 25- and even 10-man raids to plumb its darkest corners and discover its best-kept secrets. “Stop! You’re running it!” they screamed, “Give us back old Naxx! Send it back to the Plaguelands, where it belongs!”

But amidst these screams of frustration and howls of rage was another sound, from a different demographic of the Blizzard community. It was the sound of satisfaction, and it was a sound being emanated from every single person who had never had a chance to set foot in Naxxramas before. I was one of those satisfied denizens of WoW, and I’m here to tell you why the return of Naxxramas is a very good thing indeed.

Casuals never saw it. People who didn’t want to invest the time required to get the necessary gear, make the masses upon masses of friends, and spend hours coordinating strategies and developing theories and setting their noses to the grindstone for hours on end to get attuned with Argent Dawn to even enter the instance have never seen Naxxramas. Now, they can.

People who joined post-BC never saw it. After Burning Crusade launched it was nearly impossible to get a 40-man raid together to run old-world instances, people were so busy exploring the wonders of Outland. As a post-BC WoW convert, to me, Naxxramas was something which always sounded cool, but which was unattainable. Now, my guild, which is composed mainly of people who started playing post-BC have a chance to see this legendary content.

Encounters have been rebalanced. Naxxramas has been rebalanced to consider the plethora of new level 80 abilities, and the new game class of Death Knight. This means that the Naxxramas we’re seeing at level 80 has been modernized. While some would call this a bad thing, I can only call attention to other old-world dungeons and raid encounters, like Dire Maul, Maraudon, Molten Core or Ahn'Qiraj. On my server, these instances are ghost-towns, because the mobs, bosses and loot therein have not been updated to keep pace with all the new character abilities. But Naxxramas has been saved a long, slow demise from lack of use by its new retune.

Is it a bad thing that what has been called one of the greatest instances in the game should see a new coat of paint and a location change? Is it bad that Blizzard is “reusing” content? In my book, not at all. See you soon, Patchwerk!

Roleplaying an Engineer

It’s par for the course to take the race and class of your character into consideration when you’re roleplaying. After all, playing a troll shaman should be different than playing a human rogue. All races have their own unique history, and each class approaches combat differently. But while race and class are obvious influences on character development, other factors can also contribute to your choices.

Perhaps more than any other profession, engineering helps define who a character is, from the gear they wear to the items they use to the mounts they choose to ride. And unlike most professions, the items created through engineering are flashy, loud, and designed to attract attention, even when they’re working properly. And when your creations explode in your face, it’s a sure bet that everyone around you is going to notice. Given the rich variety of items you can create while engineering, why not use some of them to further develop your roleplaying character?

The Basics: Engineering 101 Everyone knows engineers create things like mechano-hogs, dynamite, and guns, but what most don’t realize is that engineering is a complex and multi-faceted profession ripe for plunder when it comes to roleplaying. So the first questions you should ask yourself when bellying up to your first RP session are:

• Why is your character an engineer?
• What type of engineer are you?

Certain races have a cultural inclination toward engineering. In the technocratic society of modern Gnomes nearly every family has an engineer or two, and most Gnomes have a passing understanding of mechanics. Among the Tauren, however, engineers are a rarity. Take one look around Mulgore and you’ll see a society which thrives on keeping in touch with the earth. There aren’t any whirring gears or steam engines hidden somewhere among all of the natural hide buildings and wind-powered grain mills in Thunder Bluff, and most Tauren you meet are more likely to have taken up skinning or herbalism than engineering. It might be easy to work engineering into your character’s magical upbringing as a Blood Elf, but harder to incorporate into the reclusive, naturalistic, druidic life you’ve probably led as a Night Elf.

Whatever your race, the very fact that you’re an engineer can help add spice and flavor to your back story. Are you a hunter who took up engineering for the excellent firearms and ranged weapon scopes? Are you a mage, shadow priest or warlock tinkerer who wanted to make the perfect spell-casting goggles? Are you a non-healing class who wanted a chance to resurrect your allies? Does your character dream of exploring the skyways of Outland and Northrend in her very own flying machine? How do your relatives/friends/significant others view your character’s profession? Do they accept you as an engineer, label you a black sheep, or actively disagree with your choices? Whatever your approach, as a profession engineering can have a significant impact on your character’s identity, her goals and plans, and where she’s headed.

Gnomish Engineering or Goblin Engineering? Most non-engineers don’t know the difference between Gnomish and Goblin engineering, so at some point in your roleplaying career you’ll have to explain the difference between the two, and why your character chose the specialization they did. The shorthand differences are: Gnomish engineering modifies the engineer or and manipulates the reality around her, and Goblin engineering blows stuff up.

Extra points if you’re a Gnome specializing in Goblin engineering – the cultural wars between Goblins and Gnomes are intense, deeply-rooted, sometimes bloody affairs, and most Gnomes wouldn’t be caught dead learning Goblin engineering. You could open up a rich furrow for character development by making such an unusual choice.

Creating Your Technical Vocabulary. If you like inventing weird terms and creating unusual-sounding inventions on the fly, take the plunge and try augmenting your roleplaying with descriptions of being an engineer. What happens when you place that Exploding Sheep down on the battlefield? What strange mechanical objects linger in the recesses of your character’s backpack? What obscure tomes does she read during her off hours? Nearly everyone who roleplays uses custom-made emotes to describe the actions their character is taking, and as an engineer, you can certainly do the same.

If you’re less comfortable creating plausible-sounding explanations for your engineering abilities on the fly, try watching an episode or two of any sci-fi TV show. How do the characters describe what happens to their time machine/stargate/spaceship when it gets damaged? What passes for standard technology on the show? Get a sense of how these shows use techno-babble, and then create a list of terms you like. Keep the list near your computer, and add to it as you continue exploring your character.

Inventing Your Own Projects. Even if you never have an in-game item to show for it, creating your own unique projects for your character to work on is a great way to define who they are. Is your engineer working on a super cannon? A time machine? A better mousetrap? As time passes, determine what progress your character is making on their project. What mishaps have they had? How have they redefined their goals?

Since traditional WoW roleplaying avoids discussion of character levels, at some point everyone has to find some way of explaining to their friends that they are now more powerful at level 71 than they were at level 67. Personalized engineering projects are a great way to do this. The more levels your character gains, the more progress they make on their special machine. You may have just completed the basic motor on your Noggenfogger Elixir Vending Machine and Personal Hairdresser when you were level 10, but now, at level 50 you’ve finished the Automatic Hair Curlers and fine-tuned the motors on the Beverage Shaking System.

Roleplaying Through Technical Difficulties. Perhaps one of the greatest things about role-playing an engineer is that your character can even come up with a reason behind lag and getting disconnected from your server. For the Scribe down the street or the Tailor next door, technical problems can’t be explained in RP terms. But for you – that rolling restart was your engineer resetting the button to her Quantum Mega Flux Cannon. And that nasty bout of lag right before Prince Keleseth in Utgarde Keep was the unfortunate result of your Tranquil Mechanical Yeti chewing on the wires of your Automatic Evil-Detecting Capacitor Engine with built-in Planar Rendering Machine.

Been away for awhile and have to explain an absence to your guild mates? No problem! Your engineer was testing the Multiple-Phase Portal on her Inter-Realm Gyroscopic Transportation Device, but the Transverse Ethereal Cobalt Couplings fell off, leaving her stuck in the Twisting Nether for a few days. Fortunately, she remembered to pack an extra Arclight Spanner and some spare Fel Iron Bolts, so she was able to patch up the Turbo-Powered Arcane Battery Pack and make her way back home.

A "Good" Feat of Strength

Feats of Strength come in many sizes and flavors. Some, like the Yellow Brewfest Stein achievement correspond to how long a player has had their character. Some, like the Big Blizzard Bear require a player to have either gone to BlizzCon or watched it via Direct TV. Still others require sheer luck, like The Horseman’s Reins. And others, like the realm first level 80 achievements, require massive amounts of sleep deprivation.

Last weekend a new Feat of Strength was introduced, and in many ways this particular breed has become my favorite. It doesn’t require a wild stroke of luck, or that you miss work to level your fishing to 450, or that you’ve had your character for years (my oldest character is a year old this month, so that certainly wouldn’t work for me). All you needed to claim the WoW’s 4^th Anniversary Feat of Strength was to log your character(s) in on November 23^rd, 2008. That’s it.

Now, I know that Feats of Strength raise the hackles of some players. They are the one category of achievement which does not confer any points to the bearer, making their very existence questionable in and of itself – if the whole goal of achievements is to rack up points and compare your total with others, how does having any Feat help? And if you’re comparing line-by-line achievements, what exactly do Feats of Strength say about a character? Have they just been around since WoW’s inception? Did they pay to go to BlizzCon? Were they incredibly lucky in obtaining an obscure mount or item? Feats of Strength are also the only category whose achievements are almost entirely retroactive, meaning new players will never see most of them.

And many Feats seem completely arbitrary. Sure, I’m thrilled that my mage got her Horseman’s Reins, but is that really a “feat” of any kind? As I remember it, she just got wildly lucky on a loot roll and spent the next five minutes doing a happy dance on the Horseman’s corpse to celebrate. As someone who loves achievements, and feels a real sense of accomplishment from even the most basic achievement out there, I have to admit that Feats of Strength seem to be the very odd, twisted little black sheep of the family.

But truth be told, I really like this Feat, not because it’s flashy or denotes anything special about your character, but because for once, it was an achievement made available to absolutely everyone, no matter how long they’d been around, how successful they had been at looting or what titles they had. And because it was obtainable by everyone (or at least everyone who logged in that day), this achievement represents a new breed – a communal Feat of Strength. For one day everyone could celebrate WoW’s birthday together. Then we could all pull out our Baby Blizzard Bears and enjoy the fruits of just doing something basic in the game – logging in.

Getting Ready for Winter Veil

The feast of Winter Veil is almost upon us, filled with fun things for players of any level to do - egg nog to drink, reindeer to save, snowballs to throw, and, most importantly, presents to open. Like Hallow's End, Winter Veil comes with its own list of achievements to complete, and also has a number of quests which will keep players busy for awhile. Ready to get in the holiday spirit early? The following are tips for preparing your character for Winter Veil.

Small Egg farming – A number of holiday-specific recipes require the Small Eggs harvested from the birds and wildkin of low-level areas, including:

• Azuremyst Isle
• Elwynn
• Eversong Woods
• Loch Modan
• Mulgore
• Redridge Mountains
• Teldrassil
• Westfall

Getting started on collecting eggs before the main rush on December 15th may save you time and a headache in the long run.

Get ready for Hot Apple Cider - Ringing in with a cooking requirement of 325, Hot Apple Cider is a bind on pickup recipe available during Winter Veil. If your cooking isn't quite up to snuff, either head to the auction house to buy some meat, or grab your fishing pole and fish up some grub!

Get ready to bomb for Ogri’la - if you haven't saved up for your flying mount, you've got three weeks to get it in order to be eligible for the Fa-la-la-la-Ogri'la achievement (complete the Bomb Them Again! quest while your flying mount is transformed into a reindeer). Save that gold!

Make sure you can get those kills for the With a Little Helper From My Friends achievement (gain 50 honorable kills while transformed as the Little Helper from the Winter Wondervolt Machine). After level 10, anyone can join a PvP battleground, but players stand the best chance of getting kills when they are in the topmost level for their battleground (19, 29, 39, and so on). Still worried about staying alive? Level your First Aid skill to produce good bandages, or invest in some of the PvP trinkets available from the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar or the Champions' Hall in Stormwind.

Get to level 40 to save Metzen the Reindeer. Not only does this quest give you the much-coveted Preserved Holly (which you can then use for the Ogri'la bombing achievement), it also gives its own achievement, which is necessary for the Winter Veil holiday title - The Merrymaker.

Arcane Advice: A Mage’s Perspective on Dungeon Running, Part Four

Part Four – Loot!

For some, loot is the single greatest reason to run a dungeon. Unlike the more intangible rewards of downing a boss or “unlocking” content, loot is the single component of a dungeon which your character gets to take away with them after the instance is over. Loot is a permanent reminder of where your character has been and how far they’ve come. In some cases, the loot a character wears is a better indication of their accomplishments than their level, professions, or spec.

However, perhaps because of these factors, loot can be a major source of disagreement among party members. What follows are some tips to help keep dividing the plunder a civil and successful occasion for your party.

Determine your rules before any loot drops. Check with all party members before you’ve even downed a mob, and make sure everyone’s on the same page. If you’re using Need before Greed, determine when Need rolls are acceptable. If you’re employing the services of a master looter, make sure they are trustworthy and capable of carrying out their duties. If you’re on a guild run using specific loot rules, make sure everyone is familiar with your policies. Whatever loot system you’re using, make sure all group members agree to abide by it.

Bind-on-Equip Items. Make sure you establish ground rules regarding BoE items. Are players allowed to roll on them for alts? What if they're going to sell the item on the auction house? If you're doing a guild run, will the item go to the guild bank, or will it be sold, with the profits going into the guild coffers?

Check your quest rewards. Sometimes, the quest reward gives better loot than what drops in the dungeon itself. Before you make your loot roll, take a quick look at your quest rewards, and make sure there’s nothing better waiting for you when you get out of the dungeon. It makes little sense to make a Need roll, for instance, on the Attuned Crystalline Boots which drop from the boss Keristrasza when my mage can pick up the far superior Sandals of Mystical Evolution for completing one of the quests inside the Nexus.

Off-spec Looting. There’s a fair amount of controversy surrounding this subject. These days, what with the new consolidation of spell power stats, as well as critical strike, chances are at some point during your dungeon run you’ll encounter an item which is a “must-have” for multiple classes within your party. Here’s where communication is of utmost importance. Some questions to ask when considering hitting that Need button:

• Is this item something I will equip and use right away? If not, is there anyone else in the party who could use it right now?
• Is this a main-spec or an off-spec item? If it’s an off-spec item for me, is there anyone who might need it more than I do?
• If the item is main-spec for me, what armor class is it – cloth, leather, mail, plate? Is there anyone in the group who is restricted to a particular armor type for whom this might be a better fit?
• How well do I know my group members? If I am new to the guild I’m running with, what are their loot policies?

These questions are not designed to force anyone into being a loot martyr, but they are included here to facilitate a group discussion about loot. Usually there is no reason to be rushed or arbitrary in your Greed or Need selection – loot timers are long for a reason. Even if you’re the only person in the party who appears to have a claim on a particular item, it never hurts to ask before hitting that Need button.

Regardless of your party's approach to pulling, combat, wiping, or loot, remember that above all else, good communication is the best way to facilitate smooth dungeon runs. Whether you're a seasoned guild farming Illidan, or a new PUG just gearing up for Wailing Caverns, talking with your party members, determining strategies, and setting ground rules can save time, energy, and help to improve group performance.

Good luck in your dungeon runs! May your wipes be few, your kills be many, and all your loot be epic.

Achievement Round-Up

I'll admit it - I'm a huge fan of Achievements. Whether I've just downed the bosses of the Nexus with my main, or fished my first 25 fish with an alt, seeing that Achievement pop up on my screen can be very fulfilling.

I discussed some mage-friendly achievements last month, but I've listed some more here which should be pretty approachable for mages and non-mages alike, hopefully without breaking your bank or taking a lot of time.

Dalaran is the right place for completing It's Happy Hour Somewhere. Check with the bartenders in the Legerdemain Lounge, or the saleswoman outside One More Drink for unusual beverages, but stay away from the pricier bottles or casks of wine sold inside - they won't contribute to your drinking total.

All members of the Horde with their eyes on Tastes Like Chicken should check out the vending machines on the zeppelins which connect Orgrimmar with Undercity and Stranglethorn Vale. Odds are, you haven't eaten half of the foods these machines sell, and if you're working on this achievement with multiple characters, all the food is sold in stacks of five, making it easy to eat one and pass it on.

Gaining the Represent achievement is even easier now that Northrend factions offer tabards at the Friendly reputation level rather than Exalted. I got my first new tabard from the Kirin Tor in Dalaran after one run through the Nexus.

Hate fishing? Still want an easy achievement? Simple enough: buy a cheap fishing pole and a Shiny Bauble. Head to the Barrens, Darkshire, or an equivalent zone. Find any school of fish. Fish one fish from that school to get the Old Gnome and the Sea achievement, and you're done.

Most exploration achievements require a fair amount of time. But one should be easily accessible to anyone level 70 or higher. Go to Shattrath, and head through the portal to Quel'Danas. The instant you arrive on the isle, you'll get the Explore Isle of Quel'Danas achievement. And while you're there, why not complete a few dailies and get the 5 Daily Quests Complete achievement?

Of course, there are some achievements out there which offer excellent rewards but require a substantial investment to achieve. If you're working toward your very own Albino Drake, don't forget to purchase all of the different versions of your faction's level 30 mount. Ringing in at 10 gold apiece before reputation discount, these are an affordable way to get that much closer to your goal. And don't forget - turning in stacks of cloth or even running Alterac Valley every once in a while can be easy ways of reaching exalted with the capital cities of your faction.

Yes, that's right. It seems not everyone knows the happy little secret of Alterac Valley. Every time your turn in armor scraps, Storm Crystals, Soldier's Blood, medals or flesh to their respective NPCs in AV, your reputation with Orgrimmar or Stormwind goes up. Once you've maxed reputation with either of these, the bonuses then go to the next-highest capital city faction which whom you still need reputation. Max that one out, and the process continues. Plus, you're almost sure to pick up a few Alterac Valley achievements during your reputation grind.

There are plenty of easy achievements out there, and over the coming weeks I'll be sure to list more which the casual or jack-of-all-trades player can accomplish with a minimum of time.