Death Knight of Warcraft

Surf's Up

2009-08-03T17:21:00.001-07:00

Reroll

2009-05-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

We're baaack! Gnomes just look better on Big Blizzard Bears...

On Hiatus

2009-04-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

I never thought this day would come, but unfortunately, it has, and I must now announce my very own Departure from World of Warcraft. I do hope to come back to the game at some future point, but for now, Death Knight of Warcraft will not be updated. I will continue to update MagentaBlade, once life gets back to normal and my gaming schedule resumes.

Best of luck out there, my brothers and sisters of the Unholy! Have fun storming the castle.

We're Moving!

2009-02-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

Death Knight of Warcraft has expanded its focus to talk about more than just DKs. We're opening up a new blog to discuss gaming in general, called MagentaBlade. Happy trails!

A Guide to DK Glyphs, Part Two: A Glyph for Every Occasion

2009-02-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

We continue our examination of DK glyphs this week by dissecting all the major glyphs at our disposal. Remember, I have used a highly scientific measuring system, by which I mean I picked my favorites and gave them all correspondingly good letter grades (A, B, or C; no pluses or minuses) based on their application in PvE DPS, PvP, and PvE Tanking.

Glyph of Anti-Magic Shell
PvE DPS Grade: C; PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank Grade: A

An extra 2 seconds on one of the DK's chief resistance abilities is a solid addition to your glyph page, if you anticipate taking a lot of magical damage. Thus, tanks and arena fighters will probably find it very useful, while support DPS will probably want to skip this one.

Glyph of Blood Boil
PvE DPS Grade: A; PvP Grade: A in BGs, B in Arena; Tank Grade: B

For those DKs who love facing off against large collections of trash mobs in dungeons, or running BGs with groups of opponents, this glyph is outstanding, adding more versatility to your basic AoE attack. Its usefulness is in direct correlation to how many mobs you'll be fighting however; arena players will want to think twice before taking this one on, though tanks may find it gives them an extra method of keeping unruly mobs in line.

Glyph of Blood Strike (Highly contingent on above glyph)
See above.

This glyph should really only be taken if you invest in Glyph of Blood Boil (unless you run dungeons with a troop of Frost mages). Bottom line: if you want to slow your targets, this glyph will help you bring them down all the faster.

Glyph of Bone Shield (Unholy Tree Only)
PvE DPS Grade: C; PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank Grade: A

This glyph is all about survivability. And the two areas where DKs need it most are arenas and when tanking. In both cases, this glyph is one an Unholy DK should strongly consider.

Glyph of Chains of Ice
PvE DPS Grade: B; PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank Grade: B

It never hurts to deal some damage when you slow those pesky escaping enemies. But in the current game where level 80 toons can only have 3 major glyphs, anyone who is not heavily into PvP may find this glyph too limited for everyday use.

Glyph of Dark Command
PvE Tank Grade: B

Only a tank should bother with this glyph. And most often, a MT won't need to rely on Dark Command to keep enemies in line. Taking this glyph does help to ensure that if a mob escapes you can get them back to you all the faster, but maybe it's a better choice for OTs instead.

Glyph of Death and Decay
PvP Grade: B; PvE Tank Grade: A

DKs tank by doing DPS, and the more damage they put out the better they are at holding aggro. This glyph makes it all the easier to keep mobs where they should be. And the occasional black sheep PvPer may like it as a means of more effectively routing grouped enemies.

Glyph of Death Grip
PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank Grade: A

Take this glyph any time you anticipate a need to pull mobs/enemy players quickly and efficiently. Players in WSG or AV will most likely get the most out of this glyph, but any PvPer can put it to good use. Tanks may also find it helpful in timed instance runs, like Heroic Culling of Stratholme.

Glyph of Death Strike
Grade for all instances: A

Any time you need to heal yourself, this glyph will help out. It will help even more when used as a "panic button" in high-damage or lengthy fights, and is a great way to keep healers from having to focus on non-tanking DKs.

Glyph of Frost Strike (Frost Tree Only)
Grade for all instances: B

This glyph is a time-saver, allowing you to put out more damage while expending less runic power (always a plus if you're saving up for a big cooldown ability). Simple as.

Glyph of the Ghoul (Unholy-friendly)
Grade in all instances: A

A major complaint of Unholy DKs is how easily our ghouls perish when caught in the crossfire. This glyph significantly buffs ghoul longevity, which everyone can appreciate.

Glyph of Icebound Fortitude
PvE DPS Grade: B; PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank Grade: A

Waiting to get enough runic power for Icebound Fortitude to activate has caused many a DK to take unnecessary damage. On the flip side, some may argue that 20 runic power isn't a lot to spend.

Glyph of Icy Touch
PvE DPS Grade: B; PvP Grade: B; PvE Tank Grade: A

Everyone uses Icy Touch, and this glyph sets you up with a healthy dose of runic power right off the bat. Highly useful for tanks who prefer pulling with Icy Touch.

Glyph of Plague Strike
Grade in all instances: B

This glyph isn't fancy, but Plague Strike is part of pretty much every DK's rotation, adding some decent damage to each fight. A solid, if unimaginative choice.

Glyph of Obliterate (Frost-friendly)
Grade in all instances: B

While not Frost exclusive, Obliterate is less friendly to those DKs without Annihiliation. Still, this glyph poses a good damage buff for those able to compensate for it.

Glyph of Rune Strike
PvP Grade: B; PvE Tank Grade: B

The damage increase is good, but the fact remains that Rune Strike is a situational ability; filling a slot with this glyph may not suit everyone. And PvE DPSers should stay away because of the ability's high threat generation.

Glyph of Rune Tap (Blood Tree Only)
PvE DPS Grade: A; PvP Grade: B; PvE Tank Grade: A

Dungeons and raids are where this glyph really shines - a group heal effect is never frowned upon, especially among single-target healers like paladins.

Glyph of Scourge Strike (Unholy Tree Only)
Grade in all instances: A

Perhaps more than any other tree, Unholy relies on diseases to get the job done ("the job" being, of course, reducing your enemies to a puddle of bones and goo at your feet). This glyph helps to ensure that your diseases are always up, and can cut down on rotation time also.

Glyph of Strangulate
PvE DPS Grade: B; PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank Grade: C

This glyph looks tailor-made for arena fights against casters. Most mana-based classes have abilities which allow for melee kiting, and this ability is a nice counter-attack to Blink, Fear, or Disengage. It application in PvE is weaker however, and tanks especially shouldn't waste time with this one.

Glyph of Unbreakable Armor (Frost Tree Only)
PvE DPS Grade: C; PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank Grade: A

An increase in armor is critical for hard-hitting bosses and melee fighters, and this glyph is a good one to take in both situations. Since the goal of DPS support in PvE is not to be hit all that often, this one is probably not all that useful.

Glyph of Vampiric Blood (Blood Tree Only)
PvE DPS Grade: B; PvP Grade: A; PvE Tank grade: A

In situations where healing over time is a must, this glyph is a good friend to Blood DKs. Again, not as useful to DPS support classes, but this glyph may be worthwhile anyway for its utility, at least until dual specs come out.

The Unholy Commandments

2009-02-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Taking a leaf from one of the best melee DPS guides I’ve found out in the blogosphere, I’ve put together my own list of dungeon and raid commandments for DPS DKs. Enjoy!

Don't die. Or, alternatively, Heal Thyself! You have more healing abilities than the average non-mana fighter, so use them to the best of your ability. Death Strike when you can, pop consumables, sacrifice your ghoul, bandage, pray, use Icebound Fortitude or Lichborne, do whatever you can to keep your health above that red zone, and keep healers from worrying about you. And if you die, you better come back as a ghoul.
Don't cause your friends to die, whether from wanton use of Death Grip, berserking ghouls, or plain stupidity. Learn boss fights in advance, and know what that debuff that just got cast on you does. We are a new class, yes. But that's no excuse for ignorance.
Don't pull aggro from the tank. All it takes is a mis-cast Death Grip or Dark Command to cause mayhem throughout your entire party. To this end, always keep an eye on your Presences too.
Know your role, and use your special abilities well and often. DKs are the leaders in melee anti-magic classes. We have interrupts, silences, taunts, and shields, all of which revolve around making us both resistant to magical damage and capable of dealing out damage better to magical classes. Let the warriors and druids handle the big sweaty hitters, and the paladins manage the trash mobs. Our prey is mana-users, and we hunt them better than anybody else.
Always maintain your diseases on your targets. There is absolutely no excuse for not doing this, as it's how we DKs do our best damage. Use Pestilence and Blood Boil whenever applicable, for in the current state of the game, AoE is our friend. But, remember also to...
Pay attention to CC. Do not indiscriminately DoT magely sheep or cancel priestly shackles. When you AoE, do it intelligently.
Keep monsters away from your squishy friends. It's often easy to forget that despite all our damage, DKs can also be a support class. We can shield our friends from magical damage, call more minions into battle to turn the tide, and act as off-tanks in a pinch to keep aggro where it belongs. It is never noble to ignore pleas of help from the mages and priests you've sworn to protect just to get a higher ranking on that damage meter.
Love your ghoul. It can increase your damage, interrupt spellcasting, heal you, and act as interference when your squishy friends get targeted. That said, always use your ghoul well, and don't distract other players by misuse.
Help your party buff. Horn of Winter may be all we have in our spellbook, but that's no reason to sit idle while the raid prepares its assault. Max out your cooking and share food with your friends. If a mage or warlock is casting a table or stone, help them out. Be responsive and active, for in the buff department, DKs get more than we give.
Do not abandon your post. The tank is there for keeping the attention of the boss, the healers are there to keep the party up, and you are there, though thick and thin, to see that the boss goes down. When the @#$% hits the fan, use everything at your disposal to see that you do your job, regardless of repair costs, personal safety, or used consumables.

A Guide to DK Glyphs, Part One: Free Ghouls For Everyone!

2009-02-18T11:15:00.001-08:00

Who doesn't love a good ghoul?

Once your death knight has completed the long slogging trek that is leveling and reached level 80, you likely have a number of things to cross off your list to make them ready for what lies ahead. There's gear to be purchased/made/picked up in dungeons, and PvP to be won for that all-important resilience gear. There is an epic flyer to save up for, and daily quests to be done. And now, with patch 3.1 waiting in the wings, every death knight needs to be thinking long and hard about their dual specs. But in all the hubbub that ensues after your DK's final ding, make sure you don't forget about your glyphs!

I'll start part one of my glyph analysis by taking a look at the minor glyphs available to DKs. In part two, which is forthcoming, I'll be discussing the plethora of major glyphs we have at our disposal. Remember, at level 80 you've got three minor glyph slots and three major glyph slots to play with, so go wild and have fun!

In a purely scientific evaluation system (a.k.a. choosing which one sounds the coolest or is most useful to me personally) I have given each glyph a letter grade which corresponds to how well I think it meets the need of three basic DK capacities: PvE DPS, PvP, and PvE Tanking. Where applicable, I have also identified whether a glyph is useful only to a particular DK talent tree (Blood, Frost or Unholy), as some glyphs deal with talent-specific abilities. Edit as of 2/23: I have eliminated the pluses and minuses from my letter grade system, to make it less subjective.

Saving Time: an Examination of DK Minor Glyphs.

Glyph of Corpse Explosion (Unholy Tree Only)
PvE DPS Grade: A; PvP Grade: A for BGs, C for Arena; PvE Tanking Grade: B

Basically, if you're the type of DK who likes playing in situations with multiple targets, this is the glyph for you. Most dungeons these days come packed with trash mobs, adds, or multiple bosses, and this glyph is a key way to make you effective at dealing AoE damage to trash mobs. Same for BGs. But, for arena players, this glyph is less useful. After all, unless you're in a 5v5, the likelihood of the "double explosion" proccing at all is small. As far as tanking goes, it'll help you in trash fights, but probably not against those big boss baddies.

Glyph of Blood Tap
PvE DPS Grade: B; PvP Grade: B; PvE Tanking Grade: A

I didn't give this glyph a super-high rating because I figure most people are going to use Blood Tap regardless of whether it damages them or not. On the other hand, tanks may find it useful because it's less damage their healer needs to worry about. But personally, I'm on the fence on this one.

Glyph of Death's Embrace
PvE DPS Grade: A while leveling, B at level cap; PvP Grade: B; PvE Tanking Grade: C

Death's Embrace is extremely useful for you ghoul-lovers out there, and should be a key slot of the leveling Unholy DK's glyph page. After level cap though, most players will be weighing whether they want to get a refund on runic power for healing their ghoul, or whether they'd just rather summon a new one after the old one dies and leave this slot for another glyph.

Glyph of Horn of Winter
PvE DPS Grade: A; PvP Grade: B; PvE Tanking Grade: A

For raiding, I think this glyph is critical. In boss fights no one wants to waste a second thinking about renewing Horn of Winter, especially in timed DPS races, where every damage spell counts. Only one DK needs to take this glyph per raid. As far as PvP goes, however, I don't think this is anything special.

Glyph of Pestilence
Grade for all instances: A

Simple fact: DKs do damage by inflicting diseases. Any time you're fighting multiple mobs you'll be using Pestilence, and this glyph just means you'll be hitting targets even if they're farther away, allowing you to manage more dispersed mobs. No brainer.

Glyph of Raise Dead
Grade for all instances: A

Personally, I love this one, since I hate buying Corpse Dust and don't always bring enough to get me through an instance without many humanoid targets. This glyph also means that non-Unholy DKs don't have to worry about spending their hard-earned cash summoning ghouls that only last a couple of minutes.

Join us next time for a look at major glyphs! Happy Trails!

But... I Just Wanted to Be Loved!

2009-02-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Another world holiday has come and gone, leaving many of us exhausted with trying to shower every available guard and merchant in our faction capitals with affection, relieved that there is now really no excuse to keep hearthing back to Orgrimmar or Stormwind every hour to try and get that elusive pet or picnic set, or just plain sick of all the hearts and ready to get back to basics.

Love Is In the Air ended on the 16th, after a whirlwind storm of confetti, roses, and candy. But for those out there who are still leveling their characters, but who also have their eyes on that Violet Proto-Drake, the holiday may have ended a little too soon.

The achievement I Pitied the Fool requires you to be level 80, namely so you can get into Naxxramas to /pity a Love Fool. And if you're like me and still struggling to get a character to level 80, or reached 80 after the bell tolled and all the bewinged goblins went away, you may be thinking that there's no hope of being The Love Fool this year.

But fear not! If you are still on the cusp of capping level, there is still time to get your holiday title. Because Love Fools (and handfuls of rose petals and love rockets) all have a ten-day duration. And, unlike most other holidays, you can complete these achievements after the holiday has concluded.

So save those Love Fools and press on to 80. There's still time to be a fool for love.

Are DKs Poised to Take Over the World?

2009-02-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

It’s been three months since the release of Wrath, and the ripple effect of Death Knights is still being felt all over Azeroth. The first Death Knights have made it to 80, and are starting to make names for themselves running Heroics, making their mark in arenas, and tanking raids.

As the first “hero class” of WoW, it’s certainly to be expected that DKs would make a mark on the game – after all, they’re completely distinctive in being the only class which starts at level 55, in being able to tank in all three talent trees, and in having fewer abilities to master at the outset, but ultimately requiring management of abilities previously unseen in the game – Rune Energy is like a cross between rage and mana, and the runes themselves are in a class all of their own.

There’s no doubt that DKs have made their mark on PvP. At last count, Death Knights were the second most popular class, after Retadins, in arena. WoW forums and blogs are filled with complaints of Death Knights being OP, unbalanced, and a threat to every other class trying to make a name for itself in arena. DKs are just as big a threat to other players in battlegrounds, especially in the 50-59 bracket: unlike every other class they get a fast land mount at level 58, and they enter battlegrounds with a matching set of blue gear. I personally noticed that when I joined battlegrounds on my DK I was topping the kill charts for the very first time in my WoW career.

But when you broaden the question to the impact DKs have had in the game as a whole, the camps are divided.

Some believe that DKs have no defining role or purpose in the grand scheme of PvE content in WoW. In his recent monologue on the subject, Totalbiscuit claimed that they’re not needed as a tanking class because they don’t have effective talent specs for tanking in raids. And, he notes, most DKs he meets don’t want to tank anyway – they’re in the game to DPS. And as DPS, he says they don’t top DPS meters either. And even if they did, do we really need yet another tanking or DPS class? He therefore questions whether Death Knights have any distinctive role in the game, and a number of his respondents agree with him.

But I have personally noticed that many formerly-ranged DPS-ers have abandoned their former toons to adopt the quick damage, versatile play style, and high survivability available to a plate-wearing class. In fact, it's a running joke that all those who used to play warlocks have converted to join the Lich King, what with both PvP and PvE content in game being so based on AoE instead of DoT combat. It's happened in my guild (our hunter class leader just rerolled a Frost tanking DK). Heck, it's even happened to me - it's pretty likely that I'll ding 80 on my DK before I do on my mage.

Truth be told, I think death knights are special. Sure, they tank, and many classes tank, and sure, they do melee DPS, which isn’t unique. But they do have some other tricks up their sleeve:

Universal Tanking: DKs are the only class which can tank in any of its three trees. This means that literally any DK can tank if they want to. All they have to do is change stances. No other class can say that.
Anti-Magic Class: DKs have two silence spells, multiple spell interrupts, both a self- and group anti-magic shield, the ability to heal in combat by doing damage, and an instant-cast immunity to fear, charm, and mind control. Death Grip removes the need for line-of-sight pulling in dungeons, and on top of it all, DKs have multiple ranged abilities should the mob/boss/enemy player get out of melee range, as slippery casters are known to do.
Self-Heal: While not a healing class, DKs can heal themselves, again, by utilizing a baseline ability available to characters in every single tree.
I Wear My Undeath on My Sleeve: Ok, DKs may fight like other classes on paper, but are you seriously telling me that there's another class out there with abilities like Summon Gargoyle, Army of the Dead, Pestilence, and Blood Boil? Death Knight combat abilities are macabre, eldritch, and grisly, because DKs are the most anguished, emo, and, in my opinion, badass class in the game. Everything about DKs screams Death and Decay.
Ghouls: Maybe it’s because I’m Unholy spec’d but there’s something absolutely awesome about being the only melee class with a pet.
I Have Three Professions: Runeforging is kind of like a cross between inscription and enchanting, and it's available only to DKs. There's a rune for every weapon and every situation, and managing them all could be considered an occupation in and of itself.
The Cool Factor: DKs are the first class to get their own starting area. They have their own city, and hey, let’s face it, they’ve been by the big guy Arthas’ side for much of the game, which is incredibly neat. They have cooler voices, cooler eyes, and cooler abilities than most other classes.
Easy to Play, Hard to Master: I firmly believe that anyone can pick up a death knight, and by now, everyone should at least have tried to take their DK through the incredibly cool phased starting area. But while it seems simple, being a DK comes down to management of many different factors, and players can play around for a long time finding that perfect rotation which optimizes the cooldown of every single rune, the best way to set up diseases on every target, and the optimum use of their Runic Power.

If you look around Outland and Northrend it becomes immediately apparent that the legions of DKs have not subsided, and that many of those who signed up "just to take a look" at the class haven't gotten sick of their DKs yet. Forget the supposed tanking shortage, after five dungeons run with a total of 20 other DKs, I firmly believe that the healer shortage is far more serious. After all, many DKs are capable of tanking on the fly even if they’re DPS spec’d before level 80.

In a previous post I outlined some of the reasons I personally enjoy playing a death knight. To sum up, I play my DK because she’s versatile, great at PvP, and has fewer abilities to manage than my old hotbar- and macro-heavy mage. I wouldn’t necessarily call DKs a hybrid class – after all they tank by doing DPS and they… uh, DPS by doing DPS too. But there is clearly still some appeal to the approachability of the Death Knight which has galvanized a strong contingent of followers who haven’t yet gone back to their old characters, who stick around with their icy-blue-eyed friends because they like the ease of play, the newness, or just the plain old mystique that death knights have to offer. If we're not taking over the world, we're at least carving our niche in it.

Prepare to Be Loved...

2009-02-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

The next world holiday is almost upon us, and it's time to get ready. Love Is In the Air begins tomorrow, full of kisses, candy, strange nervous conditions, and bewinged goblins flitting through the air.

The Adoration Exchange: The basic premise of this holiday revolves around paying tribute to the NPCs (guards, peasants, and more) in each capital city. The more NPCs you pay tribute to, the more likely you are to get the holiday's unusual items, which include outfits, a picnic set, candy, and even a permanent non-combat pet. Ultimately, your goal is to hand out enough tributes in every single capital city that you are able to complete a City Gift Collection - a special conglomeration of cards, pledges, and trade goods of friendship which you can then bestow on your favorite leader of the Horde or the Alliance.

Players can honor city NPCs this by purchasing perfume, cologne (or both) from any innkeeper in Azeroth (sorry, as usual, Silvermoon and the Exodar and their respective environs are not included), along with Love Tokens, which the player will then bestow upon the NPCs of their choice. If you apply cologne on your character, they will become attractive to female NPCs, and if you apply perfume, they will attract male NPCs. Once you've become attractive, give someone a Love Token to receive one of the following buffs/debuffs:

Adored - the NPC in question will give you a Pledge of Adoration or a Gift of Adoration, which is really a box filled with various items, including chocolates, candy, rare item drops, firecrackers, and handfuls of rose petals. Hang on to all of these, because you'll need them if you're trying to get this holiday's achievements. In addition, Adoration packets contain the very important Unbestowed Friendship Bracelets, which can be used on other players to remove them of the following debuff:
Heartbroken - The NPC has spurned your gift of friendship, and you will be unable to offer any more Love Tokens for 60 minutes or until someone comes along and mends your heart with a Friendship Bracelet.

After you've gotten your Adored buff, keep on handing out Love Tokens to nearby NPCs in order to collect Guard's Cards, Pledges of Friendship, and Gifts of Friendship from the guards and merchants in each capital city. Once you've gotten 5 of each type of reward, combine them to create a City Gift Collection.

Why go to all the trouble? With each Gift Collection you turn in, you get a buff of +30 to Intellect, Agility or Stamina, depending on which leader you've chosen to honor. You can then purchase a host of different holiday toys, like fireworks or candy, from the goblin cupid Kwee Q. Peddlefeet. At the end of the holiday, the faction leader with the most "votes of adoration" will convince Kwee Q. to stay by his/her side for a whole week after the holiday is over, giving out buffs to visiting players.

Intro to Holiday Achievements: The title everyone is aiming for this holiday is The Love Fool. Want it for your character? You can start by crossing these easy achievements off your list:

Flirt With Disaster: get yourself a handful of rose petals (found in most Gifts/Pledges of Adoration), cover yourself in perfume, get completely smashed on whatever cheap booze your character can find, and then throw the petals on either Jeremiah Payson (the cockroach seller in Undercity) or Sraaz (the pie-seller in Ironforge) and /kiss them.

Sweet Tooth: Have a taste of the four holiday chocolates, which come in nearly every Gift/Pledge of Adoration.

Lonely?: Head to Dalaran and look for anyone with their Romantic Picnic set out. Sit down and join them.

Like all holiday achievements, some are harder to get than others. But for those trying to get My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose, Blizzard has posted some help: the requisite Bouque of Ebon Roses that is part of the criteria for the achievement drops from the following bosses:

Maiden of Grief (Halls of Stone)
Prince Keleseth (Utgarde Keep)
Prince Taldaram (Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom)

All About Questing: Not everyone is convinced that it's all love and games this holiday. In fact, certain citizens believe that all of this kissing, tittering and flirting is the result of a much more sinister plan. If you too are curious to find out what lies behind the rose petals and the chocolate candies, speak with Orok Deathbane in Orgrimmar, Temma of the Wells in Thunderbluff, or Deathguard Tor near the Undercity zeppelin tower for the Horde, or to Tormek Stoneriver in Ironforge, Lieutenant Jocryn Heldric in Stormwind, or Aldris Fourclouds in Darnassus for the Alliance. These NPCs will start you on your journey to figure out who or what is masterminding this lovesick haze.

Love Is In the Air runs between February 11th and the 16th. Have fun!

Take Heart, My Fellow Frost Addicts!

2009-02-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

I admit it. Even after the nerf to Blizzard in patch 3.0.8, and all the shiny new abilities given to the Arcane tree, I still couldn't abandon my Frost spec. Yes, my Blizzards weren't as powerful (25% less powerful, to be exact), and yes, I did have my face melted by a few Arcane mages. But I still had a lot of fun pumping out massive crits in PvE dungeons and questing around Northrend with my trusty pal, Squelch the Water Elemental (Hey, hunters get to name their pets, why can't mages?).

Yes, I knew Frost mages were laughed at. Yes, I knew that overnight the Arcane tree had gone from being the mutant black sheep of the mage family to a brilliant, shining prodigy who brought the best food to the family reunion and stood up Frost and Fire by telling amazing tales of how much better Arcane Blast's grades had gotten in college, and how Arcane Barrage had opened its own chain of super-high-damage retail stores, where warlocks and rogues could go to have their pride demolished, their faces melted, and what was left of their corpses wheeled out on stretchers. I clung to my Ice Lance with its Winter's Chill proc and smiled nicely at the Arcane tree's prideful boasting, and then I went home and cooked up some ice cube soup for my poor little pal Squelch.

Overall, mages right now are in a fantastic position. We have more warlocks than ever screaming that we're overpowered and that we're so much better than they are in PvE (Hey, who needs DoTs when you have AoE?) and in PVP (Burst damage beats DoTs any day, people. And oh, did I mention that Ice Block cancels your fear? Did I? Here, have an Ice Lance to the face.). Our Mirror Image has been touted as one of the game's most over-powered spells ever. And the fact that Evocation's reduced cooldown, not to mention the fact that in the Arcane tree you can get that cooldown cut even finer to two minutes, means that mages no longer go OOM in the midst of raid fights, but that like our mana-recharging companions the shadow priests or the warlocks, we can just keep right on going, like Frostfire Bolt-hurling Energizer bunnies.

But I think my fellow Frost addicts (there have to be some of you still out there, right? Please? Tell me I'm not the only one!) would agree that for now, at least, Frost seems to have become the low spec on the totem pole. The last patch didn't give us any buffs, and nerfed what is for many the staple spell of mage dungeoneering and battleground PvP. The patch wasn't exactly cause for mass mourning of the part of all Frosties everywhere, but it was, well... a little sad.

I won't deny that Frost is for me still the ideal spec for leveling - its power and control are, for solo purposes, virtually undiminished, and there is absolutely nothing which equals the plethora of snares, slows, and crit procs we Frosties have in solo questing. Frost makes leveling the glass cannon mage an absolute joy. It is only when I join groups for dungeons or BGs that I shed a tear of regret for losing my ultra-powerful Blizzards.

But, should you have weathered the 3.0.8 Arcane storm without respec-ing, I have hope for you! In a recent blue post, Ghostcrawler revealed that Frost mechanics are still being examined, but that adding a "Shatter combo vibe" to Frost PvE is something they're considering, the only problem being that so far, it seems the way they would accomplish this would be to buff Ice Lance still further, which would, of course, "unbalance" Frost mages in PvP.

But Ghostcrawler's post does indicate that apart from settling inter-class balance with the new mage buffs, Blizzard is also concerned about balancing intra-class abilities, i.e. they want to make sure that all three trees are viable in their own right.

To say that Blizzard always have a lot on their plate would be an understatement, so don't hold your breath for the new buffs or adjustments to the Frost tree. However, my fellow Frosties, we can rest easier knowing that the changes we've noticed in our class have not gone unheeded by Blizzard, and that, someday, help is on the way, and that hopefully we followers of the icy magics of doom will rise once more to our place of prominence as equal, if not superior dealers of magicky-death to all who cross our path. And hey, we'll always be superior when we can carry around a pocket water elemental, won't we?

It also occurs to me that this column is rather anti-warlocky, which though it is, should not be taken as a slam against all warlocks everywhere. Sure, they ate up our Arcane Brilliance buff, and sure the warlock I ran dungeons with last weekend managed to beat me in every single loot roll, leaving Violet Hold with a lovely new set of blues while I was left standing out in the cold with my ill-fitting assortment of tissue-paper robes covered in random animal skins. But those facts should in no way be construed as indicative of malice toward warlocks in general. I like warlocks! Really! I do. Squelch, stop laughing!

Darkmoon Faire: Northrend Edition

2009-02-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

Another Darkmoon Faire has come to town this week - in Terokkar Forest this time, featuring a host of new goods ready to be purchased by interested connoisseurs. As promised, the Faire vendors have updated their stock, and are now selling goods and items collected from the wilds of Northrend. Here's a quick look at what you might find in store should you pay the Faire a visit:

Runic Mana and Healing Potions are now available for purchase at the base price of 2 gold each from Professor Paleo.
Northrend herbs, including Goldclover, Adder's Tongue, Frost Lotus and more can be found among our favorite Orcish trader Lhara's wares. Prices vary according to rarity, but are much cheaper than your local Auction House.
Autumn's Glow - that rare yellow gem sought by many a jewelcrafter is also in stock at Lhara's shop. However, you can't purchase these with gold, but instead must be willing to hand over 10 Emblems of Heroism should you want to add one of these to your collection, which unfortunately means that lower-level characters and non-dungeoneers may be out of luck.
Level 75+ Food and Drink can be purchased from their respective vendors, Stamp Thunderhorn and Sylannia, respectively.
Motes of earth, fire, water, shadow and more can still be purchased for a handful of silver apiece, however adventurers should take note that it is Lhara who sells them now, and not Professor Paleo.

Darkmoon Faire runs from February 2nd to the 9th. Have fun!

RIP: Greathelm of the Scourge Champion

2009-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Because I was a late convert to WoW, I basically rolled my characters right from level 58 Azeroth content and into Outland, neatly bypassing all of the later dungeon and raid content "vanilla" WoW had to offer. My gear was for the most part "quest greens," just your standard fare, and though none of it matched, I didn't really care, since I was switching out new equipment all the time, and certainly before I ever had the chance to get attached to my avatar "looking" a certain way.

So I never really understood all of the complaints WoW veterans - the players who had cleared old-world raids and had matching tiered gear sets - made about none of the gear matching, or even about Outland gear making their toons look like clowns or dancers at a carnival. None of my characters had matching sets of gear until the PvP sets at level 70, and until then, I was just happy to quest along in whatever clothing came my way.

Until I began leveling my death knight. Who was given a beautiful set of level 58 blues right out of the starting gate - gear that made her look cool, intimidating, powerful, just as a servant (err, former servant) of the Lich King should. I give kudos to Blizzard's DK designers - every single item given to us in the starting zone looks, well, badass.

And when I reached Outland, I was asked to get rid of my matching set of DK gear and give it up for, well, apparently an outfit that makes my toon look a bit like a trapeze artist, richly painted in bright, vivid colors which are better suited for a Skittles ad than for fighting minions of the Burning Legion.

In Azeroth, I took screen shots of my character about every five minutes, and in every one of them she looked the part of a death knight. Now I try to avoid taking screen shots, or make them into "action shots" that at least make my poor, bedraggled character look like she's fighting an interesting monster while being forced to wear spandex hot pants and a Superman cape. I now truly understand why players who were around to see the transition between their classic dungeon gear and Outland greens were more than a little perturbed at giving up those lovely, matched tier sets.

I find myself imagining what new fashion emergencies await my character as she transitions into Wrath content. Wrath has been heralded as WoW fashion's return to drab, earthy colors, and for my part I didn't mind it one bit when my mages traded in their vibrant costumes and donned more conservative vestments. But I do wonder if anything my death knight finds in Northrend will equal the sheer Gothic beauty of her DK starting gear.

On the bright side, at least Outland has enabled me to expand my Haliscan caballero costume.

Roleplaying a Death Knight (Part Two)

2009-02-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

Last time we took a look at the racial backgrounds of Gnomish, Blood Elf, and other death knights, to shed some light on how each race deals with their returning undead brethren. Follow us for part two of this roleplaying extravaganza as we complete the circuit...

Humans: More than any other race, Human death knights have truly followed in the steps of Arthas himself. As a race which is quite invested in the Holy Light, it is certain that a returning death knight will encounter some abrasion upon returning to Stormwind. Uther still has many loyal supporters. The truest paladin even has an entire holiday for him, for crying out loud. So among the paladin-set, and those who were there when Arthas turned against his people and betrayed Uther, it is unlikely that a death knight will make friends. Yet, Humanity is wildly varied – one of the few races in the Alliance which accepts Warlocks not just as a necessary evil, but as a viable form of study and exploration. Humans boast both paladins and rogues in their number, and both mages and warlocks. And any race which has such a series of polar opposite classes is bound to have supporters on either end of the Holy/Unholy spectrum. Thus, assuming they can find their appropriate niche, the only thing a returning Human death knight probably has going against them is the fact that Arthas himself is currently the most powerful baddie in the entire world, and Humanity cannot forget or forgive that the Lich King was once one of their own.

Night Elves: To say that all Kal’dorei society would shun a death knight upon her return to Teldrassil is probably incorrect. Night Elves have always claimed to follow the tenets of nature, and to walk in balance with all living beings. To that end, a Night Elf death knight is probably an aberration, as are, claim Kal’dorei priests, all undead.

But Night Elf society is also riddled with individuals who enjoy, wield, and strive for power. Some of the greatest, most powerful, and in many cases, most evil beings in all of Azeroth were once Night Elves, including Illidan himself. Ancient Night elf civilization was a magocracy, not like that of modern-day Dalaran, but certainly a society where those who were possessed of and adept at using the magic powers of nature (which were and are at least partly Arcane) were the ones who ruled.

There is no denying that death knights are powerful. They have, in every sense of the phrase, cheated death itself to inflict the desires and will of the Lich King upon the world. And now that they are free, all that power and capacity has to go somewhere. And there may be no other race on Azeroth which is more capable of using their power and ability to shift the very currents of the world than the Night Elves. In this case, it might be a better option for the Kal’dorei to adopt these wayward death knights than it would be simply to lock them up somewhere or cast them aside – both methods of dealing with magical heretics have been used in the past, but neither punishment met with much success. Assuming the returning death knight wasn’t too big on the “undeath for all” campaign, she might be accepted back into her birth society with little upheaval.

Orcs: It is not widely known, but the very first death knights were Orcs. In fact, as many today have forgotten, the Lich King himself, before Arthas took up the blade of Frostmourne, was Ner’zul, the spirit of one of the Horde’s most powerful Orcish shamans conscripted into service by Kil’jaeden.

In some ways, Orcs know death knights better than the other races of Azeroth. Death knights fought alongside the Horde in the Second War, after being raised from the dead and bound into service by Gul’dan, the most powerful warlock of the age.

And Orcs certainly know what it is to be led, blood and soul into battle as a pawn for others. They were conscripted into service by the Burning Legion, and only recently have broken the fel-blood curse. It is therefore quite possible that Orcish death knights would be accepted back into the Horde and treated like any other soldier. A soldier to keep an eye on, certainly, but in no greater a threat category as that in which Thrall currently places warlocks.

Tauren: When your entire civilization has been shaped by the idea that life is cyclical, and that death itself has a place and a status which confers honor, not loss, where do you fit in if you’re big, mean and undead?

Well, to the Tauren purists out there the answer would be “nowhere,” but even the most educated Tauren sage cannot deny that death knights are a reality now, that the tide has turned, and that their new-found allies, contrary, strange, and fearsome though they may be, cannot simply be turned away or forgotten.

On the one hand, the returning Tauren death knight may be met with open arms. Tauren lore is heavily infused with the idea that the spirits of the ancestors never leave us, and that every previous generation watches this one. Heck, even Tauren humor revolves around this ideal: “You know how hard it is to get your groove on with the spirit of your great grandmother watching over you?” The very nature of death is not to destroy, but to change. For some Tauren, the fact that their relatives and loved ones are returning to them after death might not be too big a leap to make – after all, death knights are just ancestors in the flesh, unlike the spirits unseen.

But on the other hand, like the Night Elves, Tauren society has an affinity for the natural balance of things. The dead should remain buried (or at least enshrouded) – they should not rise up to wreak vengeance. Thus, at least among the more dogmatic Tauren, death knights are an affront against nature, beings which should have accepted that their time walking the earth was done but didn’t. Still, these are strange times we live in, and even the most stalwart Tauren may find it in their hearts to accept that death knights may be the best way to beat the Lich King at his own game.

Trolls: It is certainly a strange conundrum that while the majority of Trollish society practices voodoo, a strange mystic art frequently associated with necromancy, Trolls, at least the playable Darkspear race also fear, even revile the undead. Perhaps this is because most undead Trolls we encounter on Azeroth are mindless servants of the evil voodoo priests who animate them. Sunken Temple, Zul’Farrak, Stranglethorn Vale – these former Troll bastions are riddled with evil witch doctors raising zombie Trolls who are intent on destroying civilization, or bringing the Old Gods back to life. And the undead minions the priests of Hakkar and others like them employ are completely without free will, utterly evil, and bent on destruction, not unlike the zombie crack troops of the Lich King.

Add in the fact that the Darkspear just recently escaped from certain doom at the hands of the wicked voodoo doctor Zalazane, who actually bound the spirits of dead trolls to do his bidding, and it is perhaps understandable that on the surface at least, death knights would be met with suspicion, fear, or outright hostility. After all, who is to say that the Troll walking before them is really an entity with free will? Aren’t they still a pawn of Arthas? And since so much of Troll magic relies on spirits – forces which cannot ever be seen, but which can still possess, consume, or wreak terrible destruction upon mortals, death knights bear the double cross of being undead and formerly bound to the service of what is perhaps the most evil spirit of all, the Lich King himself.

So the question of whether a Troll death knight could be able to successfully assimilate back into the Darkspear is probably one of trust. Trolls talk to spirits all the time, and one possible plus for the Troll death knight is that there seems to be no Trollish bias against being dead; the prejudice lies instead along the assumption that if one is dead and still walking the earth, one is probably not doing it of their own free will. If the death knight can find a way of proving to her former friends that there really is no one else pulling her strings, then she may be allowed to re-enter Darkspear society.

Roleplaying a Death Knight (Part One)

2009-01-26T06:20:00.000-08:00

As the new kids on the block, death knights don't have a lot of race-specific pre-scripted back story. Sure, everyone knows they were undead servants of the Lich King, bound to do his bidding and wreak destruction upon Azeroth, but what else is there beneath that pallid skin and those glowing blue eyes?

It doesn’t help that death knights come power-leveled to 58 but without any individual professions or gear. To a casual observer, the masses of leveling DKs wandering around Outland and Northrend may all seem alike. But if you’re looking to make a name for yourself by roleplaying a death knight, here are some things to consider from a racial lore perspective:

Blood Elves: Blood Elves became a unified race because of the Scourge, and the destruction of the Sunwell. Arthas' corruption of that font of all life for the high elves utterly and irrevocably remade the Sin'Dorei. And, as a long-lived race, all Blood Elves who now serve as death knights remember the destruction of the Sunwell, and the terrors of the Scourge. Hatred, therefore, is probably deeply-sown in the heart of the Blood Elf death knight. For not only is Arthas responsible for the destruction of life as you knew it, the Lich King set up his own knights as patsies in an ill-conceived plot to foil the Argent Dawn, as is revealed in the final quest in the DK starting area. It is probably very easy, therefore, for a Sin'Dorei death knight to feel nothing but lust for revenge, an unending, sleepless desire to see Arthas destroyed. Yet, like all death knights, the new emotions of undeath are probably tempered with memories of your homeland and life as an elf. As the golden forests of Eversong can never be touched by the likes of your kind again, regret, not unlike that of Sylvanas herself, is probably also held in your heart.

Draenei: Perhaps more than any other mortal race, the Draenei have an affinity with the Holy Light. Even Draenei shaman are still permitted to use their Light-given Gift of the Naaru racial ability. And as we all know, shaman were Draenei who once used the powers of Light to benefit their people, but, due to fel pollution were cut off from the source of their holy powers. Now, shaman call upon the elements, and are able to sustain and heal their people just as well, but through different sources. Velen himself has completely vindicated shamanism as a viable path within Draenei society, even though shaman don’t commune directly with the Light (except for that one racial ability).

So what about death knights? What about an undead Draenei who has returned to the service of their people after mercilessly slaughtering innocent living beings? If the Light teaches all Draenei to be merciful and benevolent, how have these tenets been twisted by a mind which was once chained to serve the all-consuming, merciless Lich King? In all likelihood, Draenei death knights live on the very fringes of their society, accepted by none, and tolerated by very few.

But, even though the Scourge are what many would call an abomination unto the Light, it must be remembered that the Lich King is no longer under control of the Burning Legion. It is therefore possible that an undead Draenei would find more acceptance among her birth race than one of the fel-corrupted Eredar, who have no place among them any more.

Dwarves: Stalwart, sturdy, steadfast. Since time immemorial, these traits have defined the Dwarvish people. And hey, what would you expect from a race created out of the earth itself, and forged as part of the Titans’ master plan? Dwarves are probably the most dependable race in the Alliance – they honor their friends and never fail to come to their defense, even against the most powerful of enemies.

So what happens when one of their number falls to the ranks of the Scourge? What happens when the integrity of the Dwarven people is besmirched by the admittance of death knights into their ranks? The answer: it probably depends on who you talk to. Most upstanding citizens of Ironforge look upon death knights as an evil, and a disgrace. Dwarves have long practiced the arts of a paladin society, and uphold the tenets of honor and the Light, much as their Human allies. But on the other hand, Dwarves seem to operate on such a strong sense of honor and tradition that perhaps the phrase “once a Dwarf, always a Dwarf” is a good fit here. In all likelihood, the question of whether a given death knight “fits in” with their old society is one for the player to answer: do you want to go back to your birthright and uphold the glory of your people? Or will you carve a new path for your kind, one which pays no heed to the calls of your ancient race?

Forsaken: Forsaken may be the most tortured race on the face of Azeroth. Turned against their will to serve the Lich King, forced to commit atrocities in the name of the Scourge, then liberated from the curse of mindless undeath by the Dark Lady Sylvanas, these days the Forsaken are regarded as cursed by many, their very existence heretical by some. Unlike the other living, breathing denizens of Azeroth, Forsaken are liberated undead - zombies with free will. They lived human lives, then were plunged into darkness.

And Forsaken death knights went over to the dark side twice - the Lich King destroyed them once with plague, then brought them back into his fold once more. This means that more than any other race, the Forsaken are uniquely positioned to have insight into Arthas' goals. And probably more than any other race, they are hell-bent on destroying the Lich King. As a "twice-dead," or at the very least, "twice-corrupted" death knight, you have a deep furrow for your character's back story, and a rich variety of memories and events to play upon in your character description. You have served many masters, including, once upon a time, serving yourself and your own human ambitions. You have stood at the side of some of the world's greatest military minds, including Arthas, Sylvanas, and Darion Mograine. And you have twice been called to the Lich King's service, committing more atrocities in his name than any other race of death knight. In fact, it might be said that Forsaken are the ultimate death knights, who know better than any other race what it is to serve the Scourge.

Gnomes: It is hard to believe that the intelligent, calculating mind and insatiable curiosity of the Gnome would be erased upon joining the forces of the Lich King. Indeed, it is likely that the more ingenious diseases, virulent plagues, and most uncanny methods of dealing out destruction among the Lich King’s forces are owed, at least in part, to Gnomish ingenuity. Yet it cannot be denied that the sheer destruction and appetite for taking life which the Scourge embodies would have not only permeated a mind so careful and inquisitive as that of a Gnome, but co-opted it to serve the Lich King’s ends. The liberated Gnome death knight, then, is probably a combination of the intelligence that is their birthright, and a complete understanding of destruction, despair, and obliteration. Quake in your boots, people. The small ones usually hit the hardest.

Join us next time as we tackle some DK racial backgrounds for Humans, Orcs, and more! Happy trails!

I May Be a Convert...

2009-01-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Both of my mages are in Northrend, enjoying the scenery. They’re casting Improved Blizzard (despite yesterday’s nerf) on Shoveltusk herds to farm meat, and venturing into the dark troll lairs in Zul’Drak to face the Lich King’s undead minions. They’re having a great time doing the daily cooking quests in Dalaran, and driving siege engines into battle for Wintergrasp.

Unfortunately, this means that on a night like the last, when Northrend is crippled by bugs and everyone on the entire continent freezes every time the Wintergrasp timer runs down, that I can’t play either of my mages.

So, like any good WoW player, with my two highest toons out of commission for the night, I delved into my back log of old, forgotten characters who hadn’t quite made it out of the starting ring. And I pulled out the death knight who had been sitting, ever so patiently, waiting for me to return to her after freeing her from the Lich King’s grasp.

Normally, I hate melee fighting, which is the biggest reason I stayed away from death knights to begin with. I rolled a mage for many reasons, one of the first being that I like to hit my enemies from afar, and to do so much damage to them that they haven’t even figured out where the hits are coming from before they’ve become a pile of loot and goo at my feet.

One of my partners in crime feels the same way. He rolls hunters and warlocks, I roll mages, and together we traipse through Azeroth taking every mob fight at a distance. But on this last fateful evening, we decided to see what all the fuss was about, and start getting serious with our death knights. And we both figured we’d hate it, but hey – what’s a WoW addict to do when they can’t access their main toon?

Well, I have to confess... I liked it. I liked slapping my opponents with diseases and crippling them with massive melee crits. I liked yanking retreating foes back towards me with Death Grip, and summoning ghouls from their corpses. I had originally rolled a DK just to see the opening quests and to try out the phasing technology in the Lich King’s starting area. Hey, who doesn’t like riding on a massive frost wyrm, stealing horses, or routing the Scarlet Crusade?

But when I turned my sights towards the “real world” of Azeroth, I discovered something else. Death Knights are a whole lot of fun to play, both in PvP and PvE.

Death Knights Rock in PvP. As a mage, I’ve noticed that while the overall damage I deal in battlegrounds is high, my actual killing blows in PvP are minimal. Perhaps this is because when you’re spamming Blizzard on the crowds in Alterac Valley there really isn’t time to focus in on individual targets. Perhaps it’s because mages stick at the back of the group, dealing massive damage but leaving the actual killing blows to the melee fighters, who are better positioned to bring down the enemy in one fell swoop. Perhaps I just suck at PvP.

Whatever the reason, this has never stopped me from enjoying BGs as a mage. I love dealing massive amounts of damage to my enemies, or snaring them in place with my frost spells. And I love stealing flags, capturing bases, or weaseling out of the enemy’s grasp with the power of my arcane abilities to help gain a win.

But I discovered that as a death knight, and for the first time in my WoW career, I can top the kill charts, too. My enemies can’t run from me – I have a host of abilities to keep them where I want them, from Death Grip to Chains of Ice to Desecrated Ground to siccing my ghoul on them from afar. And they cannot hide, either. Many DK attacks are damage over time spells, so even if my foe gets away, they won’t be alive for long. Death knights are also able to heal themselves by doing damage. Like warriors, the longer we fight, the more abilities we have to play with via Runic Power, meaning that even when overwhelmed, our chances of taking down attacking foes is still high. And should I fall in battle, I will rise again as a ghoul, with renewed strength to get that killing blow. Yes, of course I spec’d Unholy.

Death Knights Rock in PvE. In PvE, I discovered that while most of the death knight’s abilities are for close-up combat, we, unlike many other melee fighters, do have some options for ranged combat. Should my target run away from me, or vault into the air to start pelting me from the sky, I can use Icy Touch or Death Coil on them to slow their attacks and deal damage. And who needs a crossbow (or for that matter a water elemental?) when I can summon a gargoyle to fight for me from the air?

While death knights usually have to fight targets one-on-one, the ability to spread diseases from one target to the next gives us a bit of AoE capacity, and Blood Boil is perfect for inflicting a great deal of damage on grouped mobs.

Ease of Play. After filling my screen with macros and dedicating hotbar after hotbar to the plethora of abilities facing the modern mage, I have to say that it’s refreshing to play a character who is just as powerful and capable, but who uses less actual abilities to deal damage. Spell rotation on a death knight is easy to manage. And hey, even autohits on a DK deal substantial amounts of damage! For me, coming from the fireworks-filled world of playing a mage, it also seems that death knight abilities have enough lively animation and an eldritch, almost arcane, spell-like quality to them that keep playing a melee fighter interesting.

Rich RP Options. I’m no longer on a role-playing server, but if I were to visit my old stomping grounds again, my heritage as a death knight and former servant of the Lich King would provide a rich furrow for my character’s back story, allowing me to flesh out tales about how she was first enlisted into Arthas’ service, what she did on his campaigns, when she first remembered her former life (the fact that my character is a Forsaken DK makes her story even more varied) and how it was when she finally broke free from Arthas’ grasp and tried to return to the world which had for so long been her enemy.

Given the abundance of avenues open for me and my new death knight, I have certainly solved the riddle of what to do when the world server is down and I can’t reach my Northrend characters. But I wouldn’t be surprised if leveling a death knight becomes more than just a side activity, too. Sorry, my dear mages, but you just haven’t got those cool, glowing blue eyes.

Get Ready to Celebrate!

2009-01-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

A new world holiday is almost upon us! The Lunar Festival begins this week, filled with fireworks and fun, its very own title (Elder, of course) and, for any low-level character who hasn't visited yet, a free trip to Moonglade!

As far as holidays go, the Lunar Festival is pretty low-key. Most of the celebrating occurs in Moonglade itself, so the Cenarion Circle druids have set up teleport circles in all capital cities (that's old-world capitals, not Silvermoon or Exodar) to bring characters of any level to Moonglade. To get your teleport, start by speaking with a Lunar Festival Herald at your city of choice. The Heralds will direct you to the Lunar Festival Harbingers, who'll give you a Moonglade teleport scroll... after you honor the goddess Elune by shooting off a few fireworks of your own, that is!

Once you've reached Moonglade, be sure to pick up the flight point if you haven't already, and get the practically-free achievement for exploring Moonglade! Then, as directed by the Harbingers, visit Valadar Starsong to get a quick preview of the delights the holiday has in store.

The currency of choice for all items sold during this holiday are the Coins of Ancestry given by the spirits of Azerothian Elders, who are scattered throughout the game world. The more coins you collect, the more items you can buy:

Festive Lunar Dresses and Festive Lunar Pant Suits - made of bright, cheery silk, these outfits would look lovely on just about anyone. Each dress or suit costs 5 coins.
Festival Dumplings - These are stackable up to 20 and restore 4% of your health and 3% of your mana per second when eaten. A single coin will buy you 8 dumplings. Best of all - the dumplings don't expire, so you can enjoy them all year long.
Elune's Candle - These powerful artifacts are used by those brave enough to face off against the Lunar Festival's biggest baddie and raid boss - Omen.

Take a look at your world events achievement bar to plan where to go to get all the coins you'll need - many involve delving deep into dungeons or far into the wastes of Northrend, or even into the capital cities of opposing factions. Given how many coins there are to collect this year, interested players should start early, bring their friends, and even make a plan with their guild members to get them all.

And when you're not traipsing all over the globe trying to find those elusive Elders, grab some friends and down the holiday raid boss, Omen. This big baddie can be summoned by firing off cluster rockets from launchers located around Lake Elune'ara. The commotion from the rockets will attract Minions of Omen, and slaying these minions will cause Omen himself to appear. Players can use their Elune's Candles to damage Omen and his minions. And, like all raid bosses, bring your friends to help save the day.

Remember - any character of any level can participate in the Festival Fun! The Lunar Festival runs between January 24th and February 12th.

Tundra Stampede!

2009-01-20T07:31:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the Sparksocket engineers should have thought things through more before placing a humungous minefield right beside the ancestral migration patterns of the Northrend mammoths. Still, there's not much a land mine can do to a rampaging herd of these tusked wanderers, and maybe the fact that even walking in the Storm Peaks is unsafe serves to dissuade the endless masses of crazed Nessingwary poachers, who are hell-bent on wiping out the natural ecology of the continent. So... natural engineering or simple technological gaffe - you be the judge!

Wings Required

2009-01-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

It's a new year, filled with speculation about the surprises Blizzard has in store for us, from the release of StarCraft II to whether there will be a BlizzCon 2009. Given that Blizzard's rough pattern for WoW expansions has been set as one every 12-14 months, perhaps analysts are not jumping the gun too much in speculating about what new release the coming year has in store for us.

Some have put their money on the Emerald Dream, dragons, and druids. Others are voting for the Maelstrom, with Azshara and her naga crew. And when inquiring minds at BlizzCon asked about the new expansion, the powers that be told us it was underway, completely confidential, and something none of us were going to expect.

While the content may be a mystery to us, I am still willing to put my hard-earned gold down on a couple good wagers regarding the mechanics of the next expansion.

Wings Required. First, I think the next expansion will involve flight. A lot. The gameplay changed in Burning Crusade when you dinged level 70, emptied out your bank vaults and bought that flying mount. I still remember the feeling I had when taking off for the first time - the entire world had just opened up for me, with no limitations. I think the ease and flexibility of flying mounts was something everyone enjoyed in BC, and Blizzard even modified the game mechanics to incorporate flight in WoW, with bombing quests, special areas reachable only by flight, and high-end flying mounts.

Understandably, there was outcry when, upon reaching Northrend, players were asked to trade in their swift and versatile flying mounts for their land mounts again. I am part of the school which believes that making players walk through the new content and appreciate it from a ground perspective in all its glory before taking to the skies is actually a good thing. I'm personally glad that Dalaran is a no-fly zone, forcing players back to the ground to enjoy the intricacies of that magical city and to interact with one another again. But I can also understand that to take away what was for almost everyone the most expensive investment in the game so far - to make people walk on land again, was a stretch for many.

Cold-weather Flying is obtainable at level 77 and costs 1,000 gold, a sum which has been deemed a "flight tax" by some unwilling to pay it. While the idea behind making players wait to fly until the final levels before cap is clearly to better define where players can go in the world (you can't go streaking straight to Arthas when you land in Northrend at level 70) and to make them appreciate the varied and often intricate questlines in the first several leveling zones, I am convinced Blizzard can't pull off the same stunt in the next expansion with impunity.

Flight has to be a built-in part of the third expansion. After all, we'll all be at least to level 78 by then, and capable of flying everywhere but old-world Azeroth on our own.

To help take advantage of flight right off the bat in the next expansion, it's quite possible that the world presented to us will be "tiered" into various levels of related content, much as later parts of Outland were with floating islands in Shadowmoon and Netherstorm, and areas only reachable by flight, like some regions in Blade's Edge.

Quests, too, should be tailored to take advantage of flight - we've already seen bombing quests, delivery quests, even some passenger quests, and these should only be expanded as more and more of us start out on our jet-set (or perhaps wyvern-set?) lifestyles.

We've seen an absolute ton of flying mounts enter the game since those first gryphons and wyverns back in BC. Yet for two expansions, flight speeds (60% or 280%, respectively) have remained the same. Given the plethora of flying creatures on the airways now, it's certainly possible that we'd see a boost in flight speed, especially if flying became the chosen form of travel in the new expansion.

Healing a Go-Go, or: Buff-Based Healing. We've seen a new tanking/melee DPS class enter the arena in Wrath, and most rumor sources have their money set on a healer for the third expansion. Not to buck the trend, I can go along with that, but I've got a new twist on this old favorite.

We all like seeing Renew or Rejuvenation buffs on our characters, because they mean we're getting a little stream of health with every tick of the buff timer. However, for the most part, healing in WoW is still devoted mainly to channeled spells, non-buff instant-casts, or multi-second cast spells. But what if we had a class which was like the anti-warlock - a buff-based healer with a counter for every curse, and whose heals actually compounded based on the number of buffs currently on their target?

Such healers would be nimble, fast-acting, and able to move around even while casting their greatest heals, because if spec'd properly, their buffs would cause a chain-reaction in the amount of hit-points healed, and the time over which damage was repaired.

Also, for the most part, healing classes don't get to use pets - what if the "Go-go Healer" could pop out some creature which enabled them to heal even better over the course of a battle, actually cast its own healing spells on party members, or acted as an off-tank in case the healer got too much aggro?

Only time will tell as to the true identity WoW's third expansion, but for now, there's enough out there to keep the speculation going!

Darkmoon Faire

2009-01-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Are you going to Darkmoon Faire,
Peacebloom, Earthroot and Dreamfoil
Remember me to a troll I knew there
She was once a true love of mine...

Another Darkmoon Faire has arrived (in Mulgore this month) with lots to do - items to buy, cannons to fire, frogs to catch, and food and drink to sample.

The problem is, it's all old stuff. The same gems, leather and herbs which used to make a substantial profit on the AH have been devalued with the launch of Wrath, and nothing has been put in their place. Sure, for a leveling Scribe, the herbs you can get at a few silver apiece can help, but for someone who wants to collect some new Northrend-level gems, or some eternals, we're out of luck.

The Darkmoon items themselves are also in sore need of revamping. The Darkmoon Amulets purchased by Faire tickets are level 60 epic items.

We've had hints of new Darkmoon content, however: with Inscription, players can make their very own Darkmoon decks, available to characters levels 10-80. Like the original Darkmoon cards (Deck of Lunacy, Deck of Elementals, etc.), it takes a certain number of individual cards to make a full deck. However, once a deck has been completed, the Scribe can either use it herself or give it to a friend, and use the deck to summon a Darkmoon Faire carnie who will hand over necklaces, robes, shoulder pieces, or other bits and pieces of equipment. For the most part, these items are well worth the effort for leveling characters.

You make the call: is Darkmoon Faire outdated now that Wrath has launched?

[Edit as of January 7th]: Well, I guess we answered that question. Blue poster Wryxian notes on the new patch notes for 3.0.8, which should be hitting live servers soon, that: "The Darkmoon Faire vendors have new items now that trade routes into Northrend have been better established." Hooray! Now I can get some Crystallized Shadow.

Confessions of a WoW Addict

2009-01-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

The most compelling games I've played have not been the ones with the best graphics, or the shiniest game features. No, they have been the ones which are immersive, the ones where I can devote hours, days, months, and in the best-case scenarios, years to unlocking their secrets, and experimenting with every aspect of play.

I spent years of high school and college playing the Baldur's Gate series, and Diablo II. And I still played them long after their interfaces had grown clunky and their graphics were out of date, simply because they had a great story to tell. I've often compared a good computer game to a good book, because it sets a great scene, has great characters, and draws you into the action. The best part of roleplaying (RP) games is that they let you become the protagonist. And when I find a game which lets me be a good protagonist, I'm hooked.

Most modern RP games allow a high level of interactivity. You choose your race, gender, class and appearance. Some games even allow for "alignment" based on your in-game decisions. Given all these factors, there are dozens, sometimes hundreds of permutations for game play.

But in most single-person RP games, there comes a time when the final monster has been vanquished and the ultimate treasure has been looted. A time, in short, when there is nothing left for your character to do. In the worst cases, your ability to play the avatar you've spent weeks of your life with is terminated with the final cut-scene and your name on the in-game high scores list - the ultimate authoritarian end to the world you've spent so much time exploring.

WoW to me is therefore the quintessential eternal game. There will never come a time when the game is "over," no matter how many times you slay Arthas. And no matter what level your character is, you can always come back and play them again.

Of course, from a financial standpoint, it's better to create a game which people will play for years, a game which is basically serialized, not to mention social, and possessed of a random number generator which makes you forever wondering what better treasures await you if you only fight that boss again. MMORPGs were made to allow near infinite interactivity, and for this same reason they have also been likened to addictive substances. And among many, WoW has been called the "gateway drug" to the world of MMOGs.

Does this mean I've become a slave to my monthly WoW fee, and another junkie geek waiting for my next "hit" of content? Maybe.

But it also means I've become a WoW addict with just cause: the game isn't over yet, not by a long shot. In fact, if we're to believe the powers that be who touched on this subject at BlizzCon, the work on the new expansion is already well underway, and will be nothing like any of us expect.

And just like the way serialized content was unlocked with each successive patch in the Burning Crusade, the "end-game" content in Wrath hasn't even hit us yet. No, we should be expecting that post patch 3.1.x.

So to those who decry Wrath for being to easy or too short, remember that there's more coming. And even if Arthas falls, there's more story for us all to unlock in the world of Azeroth. I for one will be happy to pony up to the next expansion when it comes.

Rekindling an Old Alliance?

2009-01-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

Whether it’s just an oversight on Blizzard’s part, or a deliberate hint of things to come, I was shocked to see that some of this weekend’s Alliance emissaries for Strand of the Ancients are in fact High Elves!

It’s a known fact that High Elves were once staunch supporters of the Alliance. When their magical kingdom of Quel’Thalas was threatened by Amani trolls, the High Elves taught local humans how to use magic, forming a long-standing bond between the two races. When the humans of the Kirin’Tor founded Dalaran, they welcomed High Elves into their number, and many elves can still be seen in Dalaran today. When the Sunwell was destroyed, and the displaced citizens of Quel’Thalas formed a new order of Blood Elves and pledged themselves to the Horde, there were some High Elves who did not join their order, and who may have remained either neutral to the fight, or loyal to their old allies.

Despite all the lore, High Elves have never been more than background figures in WoW. They’re not a playable race (yet), and they show up only rarely in Azeroth, in a few camps in the Plaguelands. In Outland, High Elves help guard the Alliance post of Allerian Stronghold. So what does it mean that on a battleground weekend, High Elves show up as emissaries, when never before have non-playable races taken on this job? Does it hint at a new faction or race to come?

Strategic Achievements: Sunken Temple

2008-12-29T06:58:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-25T13:18:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

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:

What actions are being taken to respond to the ninja?
Was the ninja someone you knew well? Do they have alts in your guild?
Do you need to change any guild policies to help reduce chances of having another ninja down the line?
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

2008-12-15T06:26:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

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:

Da Voodoo Shuffle – reduces the duration of all movement-impairing spells and effects by 15%
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

2008-12-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

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:

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.
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.
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

2008-12-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

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:

Tauren receive +15 to their Herbalism skill. That’s right – they’re naturally better at picking flowers than any other race.
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:

Gnomes are incredibly intelligent. They get a 5% racial bonus to intelligence, making them the smartest playable race in the game.
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...

Blood Fury, which sends the Orc into a rage, increasing all attack power and spell power for 15 seconds.
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

2008-12-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2008-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we continued our in-depth analysis of running instances by taking a look at some tips and strategies for combat. Today, we explore what to do when all your well-laid plans go up in smoke, and you and your party have become puddles of sticky goo lying on the dungeon floor.

Part Three – Wiping.

Wiping happens. Simple as that. In all likelihood, wiping is more common in PUGs and with people you don’t know as well, but seasoned groups can wipe also, especially now with all the new content available in Northrend, and the fact that most people are still learning the redesigned capabilities of their class. I have noticed three major phases of wiping, each featuring different things you can do to make your wipe recovery as painless and efficient as possible.

Phase One: “We’re Wiping!” This phase could also be renamed “Damage Control,” because in essence that’s what a pro-active group needs to do to minimize the impact of the wipe and get everyone back on their feet as fast as possible. The first phase of wiping is to actually notice the wipe and either take action against it, or determine what needs to be done to make wipe recovery as fast as possible.

Fighting the Wipe: This can involve an off-spec tank jumping into the fray as the main tank goes down, or an off-healer switching up their DPS for healing. Use any consumables you have at this stage, pull out all the stops on your special abilities, throwing your caution, like your mana, to the winds. There is usually no excuse for not going down fighting: any extra mob you can kill during a wipe is one less mob you’ll have to deal with when your party is ready to take on the fight again.

Fast Resurrect: If dropping a few mobs on your way to oblivion is not a possibility, at least make sure you’ve positioned your corpse-to-be in a location which is easily seen by your party’s healer. Dying under slain mobs or in hard-to-reach corners make it all the harder for your character to be resurrected, and sometimes even endanger the healer, who may inadvertently gain aggro as they attempt to reach you. If you do wind up dying in a bad location, a corpse run may be your best option.

As for the resurrection itself, soulstones, goblin jumper cables and shaman self-res abilities are a huge help here, but to make things even better, the last party member standing during the wipe can attempt to lose the interest of the aggroed mob (usually through Invisibility or Stealth) and then resurrect the party. Regardless of how you do it, if there’s one person still alive in your group after a partial wipe, no one should release their spirit until the “all clear” is given. Certain resurrection abilities require the spirit to still be connected to the body to work.

Phase Two: “The Zen of Corpse Running” The last thing anyone should do is lose their temper when wiping. Don’t fall into the trap of blaming someone for the wipe, though that can be very easy to do, especially on a repeat wipe when repair bills, and sometimes emotions, are running high. As you’re running your character back from the spirit world, take some deep breaths and consider how you can approach the problem constructively.

If you experienced a full-party wipe and you are not the healer, you should still make a good-faith effort towards corpse retrieval by releasing and running back to the instance. This is especially true after multiple wipes, when dungeon respawns may make it difficult, if not impossible for solitary party members to make it back to the wipe point unscathed. Perhaps the biggest faux pas of wiping is going AFK while your party-mates run back to their corpses.

Phase Three: “So What Happened, Exactly?” Before you reengage the fateful foe that sent your group on a quick trip to the spirit healer, analyze the situation: what made you wipe?

Unforeseen Difficulties

Were there unanticipated adds?
Magical resistances?
Did the boss suddenly reveal new abilities?

Technical Difficulties

Was there a problem maintaining tank aggro?
Was party healing unable to compensate for damage taken?
Was your DPS insufficient to burn the mob down?
Were there line of sight issues?

Take the time to answer questions like these before you restart the fight. Your party’s probably not going to get anywhere if you just resurrect and hurl yourself back at the mob that wiped you without taking the time to rethink your strategy.

Stick with us for the final episode of our dungeoneering special – Part Four – Loot!

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

2008-11-18T10:22:00.000-08:00

In yesterday's episode of Arcane Advice, we kicked off a four-part series on the celebrated art of dungeon running by taking a look at the finer points of opening a mob fight, or pulling. Join us now as we enter...

Part Two – Combat

Ok, you’ve marked targets, assigned CC, determined an off-tank and off-healer and made your pull. Now, if things go well, you are going to lay waste to the mob(s) before you, claim their loot, and celebrate a well-earned victory. But sometimes it isn’t as easy as tanking and spanking your way to glory. In this edition of Arcane Advice, we take a closer look at some important things to consider when entering the world of dungeon combat.

What’s Your Threat? It’s easier than ever to monitor your aggro production now that patch 3.0.x comes with a built-in threat meter. There are even built-in text warnings when your threat gets too high. To set your threat meter, go into your user interface, select the Combat menu, and take a look at your options. You can choose to have your threat meter display when in a party group, a raid group, or only in dungeons.

Talk. Whether you’re using voice chat or typing on your keyboard, communicating while in combat is a very difficult but critical skill to master. Among the communications issues which may crop up during combat are the following:

Fight strategy changes, identifying phases of boss fights, or determining if someone needs to jump in on a different role.
Letting the group know when it’s safe to jump in after the pull without drawing aggro, or if the group should use certain spells or abilities to help make the tank's job easier.
Keeping each other informed when a player needs help escaping adds, if they notice adds joining the fight, or when CC abilities break or run out of time.
Figuring out what happens when there's a wipe coming on.

Know When to AoE. Nearly every class has access to one or more “area of effect” (AoE) spells, many of which are indispensable in dungeons, if used properly. But as you might expect, the proper use of AoE spells varies from instance to instance. Generally, if you’re using AoE abilities during a fight, you shouldn’t be using CC abilities, and understandably so. Most crowd control breaks on damage, and some crowd control, like Polymorph, actually forces the mob to wander aimlessly, which can accidentally bring your sheep into the path of an incoming AoE spell. However, some fights are virtually impossible without AoE abilities. Just make sure all members of your party know when to CC, when to AoE, and when, on rare occasions, to do both at the same time.

Everyone’s a Hybrid. Druids, Shaman, Paladins, and Priests are famous for their abilities to fulfill multiple roles in combat. For years now, the so-called hybrid classes have strengthened the groups they join by acting as jacks-of-all-trades, characters who can easily shift between tanking, DPS, or healing, and pick up the slack when things start to go foul in combat.

While these classes are more likely to be successful at jumping in to save the day at a critical juncture, the new talent trees have given every single class more nifty tricks to play with and new ways of approaching combat. What this means, however, is that from now on every class, not just the so-called hybrids, needs to approach combat with a flexible mindset. For example:

Devote one hotbar to “off-spec” abilities. Sure, you may not use it much, but in the case of unforeseen enemy magical resistances or the sudden death of your tank or healer, having all of your rarely-used abilities available at a glance can save the day.
Use your professions and possessions to their utmost. Many items have some application in battle. Obscure potions, sticks of dynamite, fighting pets, trinkets, stones, and elixirs can all turn the tide in your favor.
Don’t let your armor class dictate your role. We’ll be talking more about wiping in the next episode, but for now, consider this: when the bits hit the fan, you’re better off if you approach your role as something malleable, than if you fit yourself into just one of the tight little boxes of DPS, healing, or tanking. As a mage, I have even used a rough-shod combination of my Water Elemental ability, my Ice Barrier, my Mana Shield, and copious amounts of Cold Snap and Ice Floes to tank a boss when all hell breaks loose. Sure, sometimes it doesn’t work, and we wipe anyway, but I’ll happily charge into close range with a boss, spells blazing if the tank is down and we’re trying to avoid a wipe.

Join us next time for a discussion of what to do when everything goes pear-shaped. Part Three – Wiping is coming up!

Bring Out the Big Guns!

2008-11-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

So the new expansion is out, with a whole new continent to explore, dungeons to delve, professions to level, and spells to learn. But what are any of those things, really, compared to the grand, shiny, and let's not forget unbelievably HUGE new battleground, Strand of the Ancients? If there is any reason, besides having to go to work and, well, eat and stuff, why my mage is still at level 71, this battleground is it.

Strand of the Ancients is unlike anything we've seen before in WoW PvP. It is a fast-paced, dynamic timed battle set on the massive backdrop of an abandoned Titan fortress. It's also a place where the innate abilities of mages can serve to help both you and your team a great deal.

The basic premise of the Strand is this: one faction uses bombs and siege vehicles to break their way into the enemy keep and steal the Titan relic there, while the other faction uses guns to hold them off. Each faction gets a chance at attacking and defending, but game time is dynamic: however long it takes for the first attackers to break into the keep in the first round is how long the second attackers have to break in during the second round. At most, games take 20 minutes.

Destroying Demolishers: Demolishers, as they are apparently called (they look like goblin tanks to me) can move out of range of most channeled or long-cast spells. They are also immune to slowing or shackling, so instant-cast abilities are key to disabling them. Ice Lance and Fireblast will help bring one of these engines down. Just make sure you have an Arcane Explosion or Blizzard prepared when the pilot and passengers leap out of their smoldering vehicle.

Defending with the Big Guns: If you fancy yourself a crack shot with a rocket launcher, you can take a stab at defending the gates. Take the Defender's Portals, located to the side of each gate, run into the gatehouse, and hop aboard one of the Antipersonnel Guns inside. From here, you can launch missiles which do a massive amount of damage to both incoming enemy tanks and players themselves. While there isn't anything mage-specific about these guns, they are very fun to use.

Attacking with Demolishers: In the sessions of Strand of the Ancients I've run so far, the generally-accepted rule is that melee players drive the demolishers, while ranged attackers ride as passengers. As a mage, this allows you to use your offensive spells to pick off any enemy attackers trying to destroy your tank. My favorite tactic is to cast Blizzard directly behind the tank's path, therefore slowing anyone traveling behind us. Once near a gate, I target the turret guns. While the guns themselves are hard to destroy, defending players tend to stand on these turrets as well.

Stealth Bombing: Invisibility is an excellent way of sneaking past enemies who might be guarding the machine shops. Stealth, grab one of the seaforium charges held in the barrels outside the machine shop, jump on your mount, and make for the nearest gate. Once there, plant your bomb and head back for more.

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

2008-11-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

DPS classes don’t always get asked their opinions on running dungeons. As a priest, I was commonly asked about such things as pull numbers, mind control, boss resistances, and the need for a secondary healer, but as a mage I’ve generally just rolled up to the instance, blasted my way through some enemies and gone home. In fact, I usually wind up asking the groups I’m in for feedback, such as when to AoE, how much time the tank needs to build aggro, whether I am sheeping before or after the pull, and which adds need to be DPSed down first.

Nevertheless, running any dungeon, unless you’re decked out in level 70 gear running Ragefire Chasm, is a team effort. With the recent talent tree changes, new options have opened up for all classes. And with ten new levels to explore in Northrend, many dungeon groups are featuring “off-spec” healers and tanks, or DPSers spec’d more for leveling than they are for raiding. It’s a new game for all of us, and many of us are using this new time to “re-learn” our classes. Now, more than ever, we all need to be informed, flexible and strategic about working with others in a dungeon environment. To that end, this guide attempts to provide “food for thought” for all dungeon-goers out there. Good luck!

Part One – The Pull

The basis of any successful pull is communication. Who is killing what? In what order? What happens if the boss suddenly polymorphs the healer? What if the boss can duplicate herself? These and many other questions can and should be asked before the pull happens, because the pull, its engineering and strategy, may be the single most important part of any dungeon run.

Marking. Marking is usually taken to be par for the course in guild groups and among people who know each other, but it isn’t always used in PUGs and it should be. While marking can be hard in a new dungeon where no one knows their way, and is often assumed to be “elementary” in groups where most members have run it before, it never hurts the party, can often prevent a wipe, and ensures that every party member, no matter who they are, knows what they should be doing at all times. Tips for marking:

Mark Kill Order. This prevents “mis-targeting” for those party members who are inferring what they should be killing by targeting what the tank is currently fighting, and helps to prevent “down time” for DPSers who are wondering what their next target should be.
Mark Crowd Control. Each class capable of CC should have their own, pre-agreed symbol during combat. All classes capable of continuing CC through subsequent casts should set their CC target as their focus and work pro-actively to ensure that their target stays out of commission until the tank has deemed it ready to be killed.
Stick to Your Marking. We’ve all seen it before. The warlock DoTs the mage’s sheep, the mage casts frost nova and breaks the hunter’s freeze trap, the priest MCs the secondary DPS target and the warrior uses their AoE ability on the priest’s shackled undead. The bottom line: target the mob to which you’ve been assigned!

Order and Direction. Every pull is different. Some pulls require a break in line of sight. Some pulls should be started via a Polymorph or Mind Control spell. Sometimes the hunter pulls the mob back to the party. Sometimes the tank charges ahead and takes the fight to the mob.

With all of these different factors, party members need to be flexible when tackling the pull. But all pulls should have the following things in common: a pre-determined person executing the pull, and a designated spot where the mob is being tanked. Some questions your party will need to answer in determining the order and direction of your pull:

Is CC happening before or after the pull? And on a related note, if your mage or priest is opening the pull with their CC, how are you going to get aggro off of them and back to where it should be?
If the puller is leading the mob back to the group, where does the group need to stand so they won’t get hit by any secondary damage abilities? This is extremely important in boss fights, where a single AoE from a boss can down cloth-wearing healers and crowd-controllers.
Is the fight going to involve movement on the part of any of the players involved? If the tank is moving, how can healers maintain line of sight? And if everyone needs to move, how can the party maintain DPS and healing efficiency while running around the room?

Know Your Crowd Control. Not only is marking targets an important part of crowd control, so is knowing which targets can be CC’d by which classes:

Druids can Hibernate beasts and dragonkin.
Hunters can Freeze Trap just about anything.
Mages can Polymorph humanoids and beasts.
Paladins can use Repentance on humanoids, demons, dragonkin, giants and undead.
Priests can Mind Control humanoids, and can Shackle undead.
Rogues can Sap humanoids.
Warlocks can Banish elementals and demons.

For a more complete listing of who can CC what, visit wowwiki.com.

Contingency Plan. While this may seem like over-thinking the pull, figuring out what everyone is going to do when things go southward can save time after a wipe, or even avoid a wipe altogether. Contingency plans vary depending on class, on dungeon, even depending on profession. Some general tips on creating a contingency plan:

Assign players responsible for CCing or for DPSing adds. In boss fights, incoming monsters can wipe the heartiest of parties unless someone is ready to get rid of them quickly.
Who helps the healer? If the healer pulls aggro, who can step in and get mobs off the healer efficiently? If the healer goes down, who can act as back-up?
Determine the off-tank. In the event of the tank going down, who’s going to jump in and attempt to keep the boss occupied?
Use resurrect abilities proactively. This includes all class abilities (soulstones, self-resurrection, etc.) and also the Goblin Jumper Cables made by engineers.

Stay tuned for next edition of Arcane Advice, when we take a look at: Part Two – Combat.

Arcane Advice: Gaaaahh!

2008-11-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

I'd like to focus this issue of Arcane Advice on taking a look at one of the most obnoxious features of the new patch, a development which has haunted me in every dungeon and battleground I've been in since 3.0.2's launch, and which has left me confused, frustrated and wanting to send a little bill to Blizzard asking for my 10 silver back.

Yes, fellow mages, I am talking about none other than the evil, nefarious, hell-twisted monstrosity of Fel Intelligence over-writing Arcane Brilliance.

This new issue reared its ugly head when I got on my level 69 mage, entered my first post-3.0.2 BG, buffed everyone with Arcane Brilliance and was just getting on my mount to go kick some butt, when some level 70 warlock sauntered into the BG, pulled out their felhunter, and replaced my happy little buff with one of their own.

This surprised me. Mages, perhaps more than any other class rely on intelligence. It therefore makes sense to me that in a group setting, we'd be providing the intelligence buffs. But I knew that Fel Intelligence was, like Paranoia before it, an aura ability, so I assumed that as I moved away from this warlock to target greener pastures his buff would fade from me and my own buff would replace it again.

I was completely wrong. His buff had not just replaced my own while I was near his felhunter, Fel Intelligence had completely erased my own Arcane Brilliance buff, leaving me without any intelligence buff of any kind when I went off on my own. Worse yet, by targeting other players in our BG, who I was sure I had buffed with Arcane Brilliance, I saw that they too were bereft of any intelligence buff, unless of course they happened to be fighting in the same area as the warlock.

When I took a little time to work out why this was happening, I discovered this: mages gain new ranks of Arcane Brilliance at levels 56, 70, and 80, while warlocks gain comparable ranks of Fel Intelligence at levels 52, 62, and 72. This means that for 8 levels before level 70, and 8 levels before level 80 Fel Intelligence eats Arcane Brilliance for lunch. And let's not forget that at 62 and 72 Fel Intelligence not only tops mage intelligence bonuses, it also gives all party members increased spirit. So this is really my biggest beef with Fel Intelligence, that for a total of 16 levels it is so much better than Arcane Brilliance it basically makes mage buffs obsolete.

Now, there's a ray of hope at level 80, when Arcane Brilliance gives +60 intelligence, while the new Fel Intelligence, learned at level 72, only grants +48 to intelligence. But until then, when we mages try to do anything in Northrend, we are in constant risk of having some gluttonous felhunter eating our buff the moment a warlock walks into the room.

So really, this column is a piece of advice, nay, a downright plea to Blizzard. Give us back Arcane Brilliance. Don't feed it to the warlocks.

Mage Macros, Part Two

2008-11-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

This edition of Mage Macros takes a look at PvP, and some simple ways to streamline your combat.

Silence!
This macro will stop casting your current spell and immediately cast Counterspell.

/stopcasting
/cast Counterspell

PoM/Sheep
Sure, PoM/Pyro was what made the Arcane tree famous, but in PvP having an instant-cast sheep can not only save your own life, it can confuse your opponents, too. This macro will turn your Polymorph spell into an instant-cast once every three minutes.

/cast Presence of Mind
/cast Polymorph

Double Shield
As I am currently spec'd in Frost, I usually use Ice Barrier instead of Mana Shield. However, if I'm carrying a flag in WSG or EotS, or being attacked by fury warriors, rogues, and retadins, I sometimes find myself wanting both shields up. This macro will, on a left click or number key, cast Ice Barrier. On a right-button click, it will cast Mana Shield.

/cast [button:1] Ice Barrier
/cast [button:2] Mana Shield

Combustion/Scorch
If you aren't cross-spec'd fire/arcane but still want to have an "I Win" button, try combining Combustion with Scorch, or indeed any fire spell of your choice.

/cast Combustion
/cast Scorch

If you have trinkets which help boost your spell power, add them in like so:

/cast Combustion
/use Oshu'gun Relic
/cast Scorch

3.0.2: Mage-Friendly Achievements

2008-10-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

The new patch brings with it all sorts of new things to do, the most fun of which may be the Achievements system. After taking a leisurely look at the basic achievements available, it seems to me that some are better suited to a particular class than others. This shouldn't be surprising - it makes sense to me that my partner in crime, who plays a Holy priest, should be worse at getting, well, say the Wrecking Ball achievement than I might be. On the other hand, I envy the priestly ability to hit shield, Renew, choose the melee weapon of their choice, and just stand in front of baddies, pounding away. Yes, I want that Master of Arms achievement, darn it!

So what follows is a list of fun achievements which are probably more easily obtained by mages than by most other classes.

General Achievements:
Can I Keep Him? (Collect a pet...or 50)
You can work on your vanity pet achievements quite easily - most capital cities sell multiple pets for very little silver. For mages, these cities are just a Teleport away. And if you plan ahead, you can buy a few extra, sell them on the neutral auction houses in Booty Bay or Gadgetzan and more than recoup your losses. Here's a list of pets and where to find them:

Common Fauna:
Cats (4 different kinds) - Elwynn Forest, in the house close to Northshire Abbey, from Donni Anthania, the crazy cat lady
Moths (3 different kinds) - Exodar, The Crystal Hall, from Sixx
Owls (2 different kinds) - Darnassus, near the front gate, from Shylenai
Snowshoe Rabbit - Dun Morogh, Amberstill Ranch, from Yarlyn

Cockroach - Undercity, on stairs below bank, from Jeremiah Payson
Dragonhawk Hatchlings (3 different kinds) - Eversong Woods, Fairbreeze Village, from Jilanne
Prairie Dog - Thunder Bluff, near Cairne's tent, from Halpa
Snakes (3 different kinds) - Orgrimmar, Valley of Spirits, from Xan'tish

Rarer Beasts: Better yet - if you have a character big enough to brave the roads or skyways of Outland, or at least fast enough to escape the nastier monsters, make the journey to Stormspire in Netherstorm. With a little gold stored up, you can purchase pets from Dealer Rashaad, who stocks a total of 8 different companions, many of which are very inexpensive. For Alliance folks, Rashaad's your cheapest option for purchasing a Cockroach or Crimson Snake pet. And because you're a mage, you can set your hearthstone here and rely on portals to get you home, allowing you to come back at any time to buy extra pets, which can be sold for a profit on the AH.

Tastes Like Chicken (eat some foods...or 50)
Following the Teleport theme, this achievement is easy enough to do in a pinch: just port to every capital city, go to an inn, purchase one of everything and munch away. Holiday foods count too, so bob for apples and munch away on candy bars, lollipops and candy corn, all of which are easily attainable if you're working on the holiday achievement listed below.

On the Horde Side - unusual foods can be purchased from the Cenarion night elves in Moonglade, so if you can, make the trip. Alliance mages - this food is the same as what they sell in Darnassus.

A Hallow's End Achievement:
Tricks and Treats (visit all the candy buckets in Azeroth)
While it's still time-consuming to visit all the inns in a single continent, mages have a clear advantage over other classes because of Teleport. Our ability to warp from one capital city to another allows for easy switching even between continents. And for those characters who still have to walk from one destination to another - Blink is a lot faster than most travel options below level 30.

Remember, my brothers and sisters of the arcane, this Achievement is only available for another few days. Hallow's End finishes on November 1st.

PvP Achievements:
The Grim Reaper (get 30 honorable kills) and Damage Control (score over 300,000 damage in a single BG)
Mages aren't the lords of AoE spells for nothing. Find a high place, shield yourself, and blast your enemies with Blizzard or Flamestrike. Alterac Valley is probably the best place to get your damage over 300K, and it certainly doesn't hurt to be fire or frost spec'd for this achievement. Put points into Improved Blizzard and slow your enemies down, or spec for high fire crit and Firestarter to pull off some fast-cast fire spell AoEs before they can reach you to finish you off.

Quick Cap (carry and score with the WSG flag in under 75 seconds)
The new Glyph of Blink is your friend for getting across the battleground quickly, but I was still unable to do this achievement without both speed-enhancing buffs. Still, it seems many people haven't caught on to just how slippery a mage can be with all of the shields, novas, teleports, and slowing armors we have in our arsenal. Of course, it helps to have a PvP trinket for this one, and I am sure my gnome mage and her Escape Artist racial ability helped her some.

Fun & Free: Episode Five

2008-10-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

This episode of Fun & Free covers October's holiday: Hallow's End. If you have ever wanted to change into a leper gnome or black cat, to witness dark scary rituals at the Forsaken Wickerman festival, or to have your own chance to win epic loot by killing the Headless Horseman, this holiday is for you!

Trick or Treat!
Every hour, players can talk to the innkeepers around the world of Azeroth to receive a trick or a treat. Treats consist of goody bags which may hold any number of items in them, including masks, candy, and even toothpicks. Hold on to these items - most are needed to fulfill the Hallow's End achievements, mentioned below. Tricks, on the other hand, will change your character into a different being, including bats, black cats, pirates, or other more slimy creatures. Once you've Trick or Treated, you will be unable to do so again for an hour.

Fires in Town!
Speak to the Masked Orphan Matrons in any of the starting-area towns for your faction (Brill, Razor Hill, etc.). Apparently, the Headless Horseman is on the loose again, wreaking havoc and setting fire to buildings. The matrons need players to help them out, so grab a bucket of water and make a bucket chain. Once you've quenched the fires, the Shade of the Headless Horseman will land in town. As he's a level 11 monster, he is very easily dispatched, and in his wake leaves a large pumpkin which all nearby players can loot. In return for your valiant efforts, the grateful orphans will reward you with a thank-you package, often containing wands which transform your character, pumpkins to throw at other players, or even broomsticks which make your character look appropriately witchy:

Hallow's End Achievements
There are a number of fun achievements you can complete this season. Some of the easiest include:
Trick or Treat! - pick up a handful of candy from the barrel located in any inn. Not only is this easy, it gives you free experience for every barrel you loot! Great for casual levelers.
The Mask Task - keep trick-or-treating and eventually you'll get one flimsy mask
That Sparkling Smile - use a toothpick, also obtained from innkeepers

Harder-to-obtain achievements include killing the Headless Horseman in Scarlet Monastery Graveyards, and traveling all over Kalimdor, Eastern Kingdoms and Outland to complete the Tricks and Treats of Azeroth achievement.

Edit as of 10/24: Looking to get the Sinister Calling achievement, but have a character who's too low to fight the Headless Horseman? No problem! Just make sure you complete the Stop the Fires! daily quest, and go trick-or-treating at an inn each hour. Both the Hallowed Helm and the Sinister Squashling have a chance to drop from these quests.

Hallow's End runs between October 18th and November 1st. A happy, spooky holiday to all!

Fire & Water: Changes to Arena

2008-10-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

Another exciting aspect of BlizzCon's PvP panel focused on two new upcoming arenas, and some fun dynamic changes featured in these new arena grounds, which are sure to change play style and strategy significantly.

Orgrimmar
My first thought on seeing this arena was: gladiatorial combat. This arena has the look and feel of a colosseum, complete with some ingenious devices the Romans would have adored. Players are even raised up to the arena floor in caged elevators. And the teams start combat very close together.

Now for the dynamic elements. The arena is divided in three sections, and at timed intervals during the fight, the lines between these sections will catch fire. The fire, as you would expect, gives players a DoT debuff should they pass through it.

In addition this arena has two pillars which move up and down, also at timed intervals. These provide periodic line of sight barriers, but can also take players up out of melee range should they stand on top of the pillars when they rise.

Dalaran Sewers
This arena is much smaller than most, and features an interesting change: players cannot stay inside the arena's starting gates, which really consist of sewer pipes set part-way up the wall of the arena. Any player who remains in these pipes after the match has started will be "washed out" of the pipe and onto the arena floor.

The arena itself is small and consists of a circular room with a raised platform in the center. The platform can only be mounted at two staircases placed at opposite ends. Two permanent barricades of boxes and barrels also face each other across the platform, providing cover.

The dynamic feature of this arena is the column of water which drops, at timed intervals, into the center of the platform. When running, this water serves two purposes - it is impassable, and in fact will give players a slight knockback if they venture too close to it - and it blocks line of sight. One more thing - mounts are not permitted in the sewers of Dalaran.

All in all, two very exciting new places in which to fight, and ones which will certainly require some new strategies from arena teams.

Fortune Favors the Casual: Changes to Instances

2008-10-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Because I am perhaps best defined as a "jack-of-all-trades" WoW player as opposed to a hard-core PvE-er/raider, I was probably more excited than some at the news that all endgame content will be available to 10-man groups. I was even more excited at BlizzCon's Dungeons and Raids panel to discover some more exciting news about running instances, which are a considerable boon to the casual player:

Instances are supposed to be shorter. They may look bigger (Blizzard want us to really feel how epic the dungeons are), but the days of 4-hour Karazhan runs may be over. This means shorter distance to dungeon bosses, and, as it seems in raids, bosses which are easier to get to but harder to kill, emphasizing interesting play style over marathon raiding (Naxxramas will be an exception to this, weighing in with 15 total bosses.).
Most raids will have player-defined "difficulty settings" which will allow for adjusting the dungeon on the fly depending on experience and preference. For instance, Chamber of the Aspects has a main boss along with three sub-bosses. Players can choose to attack the main boss with all three sub-bosses (hardest difficulty) or to kill one, two, or all three of the sub-bosses beforehand, thus making the encounter easier. Raid rewards will scale depending on how these bosses are killed.
Raid sets can be completed by both 10- and 25-man items. While items will be divided by one tier, they will be related, much like arena gear is. So a player can combine any ratio of 10-man and 25-man raid items and still achieve a complete set.
There is no "lockout period" between 10- and 25-man raids. Players can run a 10-man raid, and then turn right around and run the 25-man version without having to wait.
Instances do not require attunement. The one exception is the Eye of Eternity raid. All other raids and heroic instances can be entered by anyone upon achieving the appropriate level.

Some very nice new developments which should make it easier for those without a lot of time, or a consistent raid group to enjoy end-game content.

Pick the Losing Side: Changes to PvP

2008-10-14T09:25:00.001-07:00

If you're like me and got into WoW "incidentally" after the free 10-day trial, you happily rolled a character on whatever realm was recommended without giving it much thought. I had played for more than 8 months before I realized there are ways to research each realm based on guild progression or percentage of Horde versus Alliance on the server.

I also didn't realize how much the number of Horde versus that of Alliance can change gameplay on a server where the ratio isn't equal. A server where one faction outnumbers the other 2:1 can have a marked effect on battlegrounds and world PvP.

As a denizen of two servers where I am on the outnumbered faction, I was a little concerned about the ramifications of opening up PvP to an entire zone in Northrend. While I love PvP, I wasn't looking forward to visiting Wintergrasp and getting continually pwned by legions of the opposing faction.

My concerns were put to rest at BlizzCon. In fact, it looks like Wintergrasp will be my new zone of choice for many reasons:

Immediate action with instant results. There is no "team play" in this zone. You don't queue to get into the battle at Wintergrasp, you walk (well, really fly) in and start fighting. And your kills are your own, so there is no one to go AFK and get a "free ride" from your hard work.
The zone rank system resets every fight. Every fight, you have a new chance to pilot new siege engines, set new traps, and, best of all, blow up new stuff.
The winning side gets access to very cool stuff. For 2.5 hours after winning, the victors can access special items, daily quests, even a whole dungeon with a special raid boss, available only to them.

But, most importantly to me:

The outnumbered faction receives a buff to damage done and defense against damage received. Even better, this buff scales in proportion to how badly the faction is outnumbered.

This last aspect of Wintergrasp combat is, to me, the perfect answer to every faction that has long suffered from being outnumbered in PvP. While it is likely that this buff will only apply to the fighting in Wintergrasp, it is still a giant step forward. I can't wait to see it implemented. Kudos, Blizzard!

Mages Come to Diablo III!

2008-10-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so they're technically not called mages, but I was nevertheless overjoyed, despite the name difference, to hear this weekend that the newest class to join the forces of Diablo III is going to be the Wizard. And, having experienced a bit of what this arcane magic user can do at BlizzCon, I can happily state that all is well and good with magecraft in this newest installment of one of the most iconic action-RPG games.

Like her predecessor the Sorceress, the Wizard wields potent raw magical spells which can blast her enemies to smithereens, both at close range and afar. Unlike the Sorceress, whose abilities were based on elemental magics, the Wizard's power comes from "High Magic," and consist of spells which alter or transform the world around her, including what may well be my favorite: Slow Time.

Some of the old favorites from the Sorceress' arsenal will be back, however, like Blizzard and Teleport. But even these old standbys have been revamped to offer a high level of customization because of the Rune system, which allows players to add Runes which give special modifiers such as Multistrike or Lethality, to each spell they possess.

Not only does each Rune dramatically change the properties of each spell (I for one was thrilled to see that Teleport can be modified to do damage to surrounding enemies), they also change the spell's animation. And in the case of the Wizard, spell animations are wild, beautiful, and extreme.

As far as questing goes - playing the Wizard as opposed to the Barbarian or Witch Doctor will give you a whole new line of quests to work with. It was announced at BlizzCon that each character class will interact with game NPCs differently. Also, each character will have the ability to go on class-only quests which have been tailored to their unique abilities. So when you roll up your Wizard, you are guaranteed a gameplay experience unlike any other class.

All in all, the Wizard is the class to play for anyone who wants a lot of explosions, crackling lightning, and wild arcane lights; a wonderful addition to Diablo III, and fitting evidence that all is well and good for magic users in this upcoming title.

Arcane Advice

2008-10-09T12:11:00.001-07:00

Okay, I lied. One more post before I leave for the wilds of BlizzCon (or perhaps just open a portal there). This section poses mage-centric advice for non-mages for their consideration, consternation and, hopefully, benefit.

First, I'd like to cover something which I have experienced recently a great deal in BGs. I think I can summarize it best by calling it "Shield Color-Blindness," because it usually happens in WSG when I am sporting my lovely little Mana Shield and traipsing toward the enemy flag to pick it up, or blinking right behind a flag-carrying druid in travel form, who is taking damage from enemies and looking for some more backup.

Some team-mate will see me and give me a tell like this: "shield pls".

The first time this happened, I assumed it was a mis-tell. Then it happened again. And again. It's even happened while engaging in the randomness which is world PvP.

I recently read a back-issue of Arcane Brilliance which mentioned that it's not uncommon for non-clothie WoW players to view all cloth-wearers as pretty much the same animal. This article, coupled with my own experience in PvP, led me to this conclusion: non-mages are color-blind. They have no idea that Mana Shield is a self-only cast. It cannot be cast on anyone else, at any time, regardless of whether said target has a mana pool of their own or not.

Mana Shield can clearly be identified, unless your graphics card is on the fritz, by its happy blue aura. Power Word: Shield, on the other hand, has a nice, lovely golden aura. Having played both a priest and a mage, to me, they look nothing alike, even if they do have the same casting sound effect.

I'd love to say that this mage/priest confusion only happens to me while playing my undead mage, since Forsaken can roll both priests and mages, and may look similar in the levels before we're all decked out in our snazzy PvP gear. But usually, this request occurs when I am playing my happy, bouncy gnome mage, which I find truly weird.

The second point I'd like to mention is far less of an issue, though it is nevertheless amusing, and sometimes depressing, to me. This is the assumption that any mage, regardless of level, can open a portal, and, furthermore, that said mage can therefore open a portal to Shattrath.

When leveling my mages, I frequently received tells asking for portals. This happened as early as level nine.

Stop the train, people. Only mages who have reached the venerable age of level 40 can open portals anywhere, and even then, we can only take you to Stormwind, Ironforge, and the Exodar, or Orgrimmar, Undercity, and Silvermoon, respectively. We can't even get you to Thunder Bluff or Darnassus - we have to reach level 50 before we can visit either. Okay, okay, we can port to Theramore or Stonard when we reach 35, but I don't think I've ever gotten a request for me to open a port to either of those places.

Porting to Shattrath is a whole different story. We have to reach level 65 before we can get anyone to that lovely city. By then, most players have already found the means to get there themselves, though that doesn't mean a well-placed Shattrath Portal isn't welcome at the end of a long dungeon.

Don't get me wrong. I love opening portals. Portals and all of their magical goodness were one of the top reasons why I rolled a mage in the first place. They are one of the greatest time-savers (and, when you reach Outland, money-savers) in the game and I adore them. But it makes me feel bad when I have to turn people away, especially willing people with a ready tip for my time, just because they've asked my low-level mage for a portal I cannot open. Hey, if my level 9 mage were capable of porting anywhere, I'd happily lend my services to anyone. And on a busy day, I could have made 20 gold in about 5 minutes opening portals for people trying to get to Shattrath. Just the thought of all that unobtainable gold is enough to make a well-intentioned but low-level mage cry.

When I need a port and am on one of my non-mage toons, my best recourse isn't whispering random mages, but asking the whole General or Trade chat channels for a willing soul to take the time to port me. And I always state my tip first. And if I'm trying to get to Shattrath, that tip is in gold. This strategy has gotten good reception from willing mages of the right level who are more than happy to take me anywhere I choose. It also gives mages who are busy the option to ignore me without the "obligation" of responding to a whisper.

Anyway, this is just food for thought, and information which will hopefully allow mages and non-mages alike better communication about some commonly-misunderstood aspects of magecraft. Good luck, and remember: never eat beef with a Tauren.

On the Road to BlizzCon!

2008-10-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

We're headed to BlizzCon! While the blog won't be updated until we get back, we'll be sure to have all sorts of yummy details upon our return!

Remember - if you aren't headed to the Con and didn't want to shell out all sorts of cash for Direct TV, you can tune in to WoW Radio for their free coverage!

Have a great Blizzard weekend!

Mage Macros, Part One

2008-10-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

After three generations of Outland-level toons, I have concluded that mages probably have more need for macros than your average bear. By level 60, you have so many spells for conjured items, teleportation, portals, and straight out damage spells that your hotbars are probably overflowing. So, recently, I discovered a couple nice handy macros to reduce that load a little bit, and make standard casts of portals and conjured items a little easier.

Combined Teleport/Portal Macro
Left-clicking on this macro button will teleport you to Orgrimmar. Right clicking will open a portal so you and your party can go to Orgrimmar together. (Obviously you can substitute any other major city for this macro.)

/cast [button:1] Teleport: Orgrimmar
/cast [button:2] Portal: Orgrimmar

Combined Mage Water/Food Macro
Left-clicking will conjure stacks of the highest drink you can make. Right-clicking will conjure food.

/cast [button:1] Conjure Water()
/cast [button:2] Conjure Food()

Edit as of 11/6: Mana Gem Macro
As of patch 3.0.x, mages can only have one mana gem in their possession at any time, and the conjuring spell for mana gems has been renamed. Left-clicking or using number key will conjure the highest-level mana gem available. Right-clicking will use the gem. The /use function will have to be updated as the mage learns higher-level gems.

/cast [button:1] Conjure Mana Gem ()
/use [button:2] Mana Emerald

It's New and Improved! Mage of Warcraft!

2008-10-08T10:43:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the new, revised, and hopefully improved version of this blog, which shall hereafter and forevermore be known as Mage of Warcraft!

This blog is a guide to many things, among them:

mage-crafty news including macros, quests, profession guides and other arcane, frost, or fire quirkiness;
prices on the Mok'Nathal and Ravenholdt servers of items I have gathered or created on my mage toons;
fun quest guides for Horde and Alliance.

So come, stay awhile, and let me know if you have any questions!

Looking for news on the Healers of Durotar Guild? We still have all guild policies, and some fun pictures posted on the guild blog.

Fun & Free (Or at Least Relatively Painless): Episode Four

2008-09-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

This week's episode of Fun & Free covers Azeroth's best holiday, Brewfest! Whether you're looking for a new vanity pet, a hat with a feather on it, free booze, or just a chance to ride the fastest rams in the world, there's something for everyone at Brewfest.

On the Horde Side:
The Main Event: Orgrimmar
While every capital city has its own beer garden (and each of these gardens plays a different authentic goblin polka song), Orgrimmar is where the best brewers have come to ply their wares and show off their trade skills. The Brewfest main event is set up just off the road heading to Razor Hill.

And On the Alliance Side:
The Other Main Event: Ironforge
In snowy Dun Morogh, home of the dwarven ram, dwarven brewing is at its finest, and both the Thunderbrew and Barleybrew breweries have come to join the festivities. The main Brewfest activities are set up just below the cliffs of Ironforge, along the road leading to Kharanos. You can hear other authentic dwarven drinking tunes by visiting each capital city of the Alliance.

For Anyone:
The Best Vanity Pet Ever!
A mere 50 silver (less with faction discount) will buy you a Wolpertinger, the most unusual and easily the most fun pet around. Get yours before the holiday is gone! Or, if you just want to relax and enjoy the sights of wild wolpertingers at play in their native environment, knock back a few drinks and wander around the Brewfest grounds. Chances are you'll see plenty of these lovely little guys frolicking to and fro.

Ram Racing
A time-honored Brewfest tradition, ram racing is available to all players this year, no matter their level. Before you begin, take a look at wowwiki's informative guide on Brewfest and ram racing strategy - a must-read if you want to maximize profits during your races.
Players must complete at least the basic ram racing quest ("Now This is Ram Racing...Almost") before becoming eligible to pick up this year's Brewfest souvenir, the handy, refillable Blue Brewfest Stein.

Barking for the Breweries
Akin to Ram Racing, but with a twist...these quests will give you a rental racing ram and send you into either Orgrimmar or Ironforge to advertise for the brewery of your choice. The catch: there are no apple barrels inside the city limits. Therefore, you'll have to budget your time wisely to ensure that you can "bark" at all four quest locations without tiring your ram out. Here are a couple tips:
Don't Gallop - keep your ram's pace between a trot and a canter, and keep an eye on that fatigue debuff. When you see it get too high, lower your speed.
Plan Your Route - the four quest locations are scattered throughout the city, so it helps to have some idea of how you'll get to all of them before you head out. Ironforge is a circular city, so you can start with barking at the Bank and go either way easily, as long as your ram doesn't tire. But Orgrimmar's Valley of Honor lies off the beaten path, and the Valley of Spirits isn't that easy to get to either - make sure you give yourself extra time to get there.
Lastly, remember that you can only bark for one of the two faction breweries per day. Choose wisely!

Free Booze
Each faction boasts two noble breweries, each of which is vying for your custom and favor. The Ogres have set up their wares at both faction festivals, though their beers are much more powerful, and low-level characters might find themselves unable to hold their drink! For your free drinks, either complete the first ram racing quest to get your Brewfest Stein, or take a sample from one of the many tables around the Brewfest main event area.

Dark Iron Dwarf Invasions
Every half hour, Dark Iron Dwarves will crash the party at the Brewfest main event, sending up legions of dwarves intent on destroying the kegs of free ale! Players can thwart these miscreants by quaffing the mugs of ale on the free sample tables and throwing them at the dwarves. Every time you throw, a Brewfest attendant will throw you another. Every so often, one of the dwarves will leave a large silver tankard on the ground. If you run over the tankard you will get the "Drunken Master" buff, which will turn you into a whirling dervish, capable of incapacitating multiple dwarves at the same time.

Brewfest Tokens
With each quest you complete, you'll receive Brewfest tokens, which can be redeemed for all sorts of fun prizes, including a complete Brewfest costume, your own pony keg of Brewfest Ale, or a voucher to join the Brew of the Month Club. Note that this year, Brewfest tokens only last 21 days, so make sure you've spent them before the festival is over!

Edit as of 9/29: Brew of the Month Club
Who wouldn't want to be able to celebrate Brewfest all year long? With a 12-month membership to the Brew of the Month Club, you can do just that! Membership costs 200 Brewfest Tokens. Once a member, you have access to a limited-edition brew which will be mailed to you each month. Like what you're drinking? You can purchase more from licensed Brew of the Month Club vendors in Orgrimmar and Ironforge. And oh - one more thing, each brew may give you an unusual little buff, like the ones shown below.

Drinking some brews can cause squirrels to fall madly in love with you!

Brewfest runs from September 20th through October 4th. Have fun!

Fun & Free (Or at Least Relatively Painless): Episode Three

2008-09-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

This "episode" of Fun & Free focuses entirely on the "best of the best" quests for Alliance toons at low levels. Enjoy!

Level 8: The Prophecy of Akida
Though this quest takes place on Azuremyst Isle, deep in Draenei country, it is available to anyone on the Alliance side who wants a chance to “be a druid without BEING a druid.” The quest comes with flying, water breathing, and ultimately turning into a lightning-fast forest cat with invisibility - how could you not like it?

Step One: Speak to Cryptographer Aurren in Azure Watch, and read the language primer he gives you.
Steps Two thru Four: The language primer you read will now allow you to access a series of totems which are scattered throughout Azuremyst. The first three are quite easy to get to - simply follow the directions each furbolg ancestor gives you to head to the totems of COO, TIKTI, and YOR respectively. Hint: if you get lost, YOR is at the bottom of the southern-most part of the river hidden among some water plants.
Step Five: After activating the YOR totem, another Stillpine ancestor will escort you out of the water and change you into an invisible panther. If you attack anyone or loot anything in this form you will lose the speed buff and your invisibility, and then you'll have to fight your way to the next totem, which is on the western part of the island. Once you've chased your panther escort to the totem of VARK, prepare yourself for battle!
Step Six: Lay waste to the Bristlelimb furbolgs, collect 8 keys, and set free 8 Stillpine Prisoners.
Step Seven: Return to Azure Watch a little wiser, having learned much about the ways of the forest. If you're not a druid, this is one of the only chances in the whole game you'll ever get to shapeshift, so hopefully you took a screen shot or two to remember the quest by. Have fun!

Level 10: Operation Recombobulation
This is a quick-and-easy quest with some amusing eye candy at the end, and an enjoyable look at some of the unpredictability and peculiarity of gnomish engineering.
Step One: Head to Kharanos, and speak with Razzle Sprysprocket.
Step Two: Travel west until you are on the doorstep on Gnomeregan. Kill every leper gnome you find until you've gathered 8 Restabilization Cogs and 8 Gyrometric Gears.
Step Three: Bring them back to Razzle, and make sure you pull your screen view back enough so you can watch the unusual contraption he's got inside his house. Focus on the caged leper gnome, and watch it turn into a chicken. Voila! You're done.
N.B. There are some reports of this quest being bugged. Hopefully you'll still get to watch that leper gnome chicken wander around! Good luck!

Levels 20-28: Morbent Fel
If you like being an undead slayer, as well as getting one of the most graphically pretty off-hand items in the game, this quest is for you. It's got zombies, Defias Rogues, mist-shrouded manors, and evil sorcerers galore. It's a quest that's even more for you if you're a class that will benefit from an off-hand item which gives +5 to spirit and +5 to spell damage and healing, one of the best of its kind this early in the game. But be warned: this quest is a bit on the long side, though all of it can be completed solo.

Step One: Go to the north-west corner of Duskwood and speak with Sven Jorgen. He'll be walking you through this quest, so you'll get to know him pretty well.
Step Two: Sven will send you to the Jorgen Farmstead in Southern Duskwood. There you'll dig around in a pile of loose dirt behind an old tree stump for whatever it was that a shady figure recently hid there. Soon after that figure arrived at Sven's farm, Sven's wife and family were murdered, and Sven wants you to find out why. Hint: be careful if you approach via the plowed field - stealthed Defias rogues patrol the area, and for a level 20 character, they hit very hard.
Step Three: Take the journal you find back to Sven. Then head to Darkshire to see if you can get any more clues about its author. Speak with Madame Eva, Clerk Daltry, and Tavernkeep Smitts. Piece together what they've told you to figure out where to go next to find the shadowy figure.

(SPOILER ALERT!) If you want to solve the mystery of who the shadowy figure is on your own, don't read the next step!

Step Four: The shadowy figure is Jitters, who is hiding in the town square at Raven Hill. He will give you the full version of his journal, which you then need to take to Sven. Sven will determine that the sorcerer on the hill, an evil man by the name of Morbent Fel, is responsible for the sudden appearance of four dark riders in Duskwood who killed Sven's family. These riders are intent upon retrieving the Staff of Elune. He will now send you on a series of quests to prepare you to become a champion worthy of killing Morbent Fel and of avenging Sven's family.
Step Five: Kill skeletons. Once you're done, Sven sends you to Stormwind to show Jitters' journal to Bishop farthing.
Step Six: The Bishop will tell you of a special ore called Lightforged Iron which is only obtainable in the Wetlands. So, to Menethil Harbor you go!
Step Seven: Once at Menethil, speak to Glorin Steelbrow at the inn, who will point you south (just a few yards south actually) to a ruined ship which once held the ore. The ship is guarded by Murlocs, but you'll be able to fight them one at a time. Once you have 5 ingots of ore, return to Glorin.
Step Eight: Glorin will send you to Grimand Elmore in Stormwind. Hint: he's right at the north-western corner of the Dwarven District. Grimand will forge the ore into a lovely weapon, and one of the prettiest off-hand items in the game.
Step Nine: Suitably armed, return to Sven, and get his go-ahead to kill Morbent Fel. The weapon you have in your possession will turn Morbent fell from a level 30 elite to a normal level 30, so if you're of comparable level, you won't need anyone to help you. And yes, you do get to keep the off-hand weapon after the quest is complete.

Fun & Free (Or at Least Relatively Painless): Episode Two

2008-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

In today's "episode" of Fun & Free, I introduce a third feature of these posts - neutral quests and world events which aren't faction-specific.

For Anyone at All
Level 70 (Soon to be Level 80) Elite Tauren Chieftain Concerts!
Anyone, Horde or Alliance, who can find a way to get to Shattrath City in Outland can enjoy a free viewing of Azeroth's greatest rock band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain as they perform their hit single "Power of the Horde" at the World's End Tavern in Lower City. Performances start at the top of the hour, every three hours, 8 shows per day.

On the off-hours between L70ETC shows, a human comedian named Perry Gatner performs some stand-up comedy one-liners and voice impressions.

Can't make it to Shattrath? Visit Silvermoon and see the band in person. L70ETC members can be seen atop a balcony in the Walk of Elders. Wave to them, and they'll wave back!

Can't make a live show? Visit the World of Warcraft movies page for a downloadable version of the song "I am Murloc."

The Darkmoon Faire!
Known as the Greatest Show on Azeroth, the Darkmoon Faire is a traveling show that rotates its visits among Elwynn Forest, Mulgore, and Terokkar Forest. The Faire arrives on the first or second Monday of every month - this month it will be visiting Elywnn Forest, just south of Goldshire, from September 8th-14th. Not all aspects of the Darkmoon Faire are free, though most of them are very cheap.

Free Tickets: A couple days before the Faire begins, you'll be able to see carnies putting up tents on the fairground. Inside the capital cities of the host faction Faire Barkers will be handing out vouchers for 5 free tickets to redeem at the Faire. Once the Faire begins, find Gelvas Grimegate and hand him your voucher. Gelvas also has a number of items which can be obtained for free, provided you have the appropriate number of tickets.

Cheap Drinks: You can sample some inexpensive but very potent malted beverages from the food & drink stand.

Free Fortunetelling: Have your fortune told by Sayge the gnoll. Each fortune is different, and some trigger treasure-hunting quests in nearby dungeons. Also, each time you speak to Sayge and get a fortune, he'll give you a different buff, which lasts for 2 hours or until your character dies.

The Cannon: In the capital city of each region the Faire visits a cannon is set up, which will catapult players high into the air. If you're careful, you can aim for a bullseye set somewhere on the ground. Right click on your "wings" buff to finish your descent, and hopefully you'll land safely!

Rare Item Trading: For those who have a bit of spare change, trader Lhara and Professor Thaddeus Paleo offer some wonderful items for sale. Lhara trades in rare herbs and leather, while the Professor sells scrolls, potions, motes of the various Outland primals, and the occasional uncut blue gem. The prices on all these items are far cheaper than can be found in any Auction House, so this is a great place to park an alt with some gold and check back on throughout the week.

Fun & Free (Or at Least Relatively Painless): Episode One

2008-09-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first "episode" of Fun & Free (Or at Least Relatively Painless), where we take a look at things around the worlds of Azeroth and Outlands which are amusing, entertaining and interesting, but which do not cost lots of gold or time to discover. Most of them, at least. Features may include memorable quests, cool items, nifty gadgets, or just neat lore background. So, to start, I offer you...

On the Horde Side:

The Lady's Necklace
Chances are if you've ever spent five minutes wandering through Undercity, you've heard Sylvanas the Banshee Queen singing a beautiful, ethereal song in her native tongue of Thalassian. If you've ever wondered what her song is about, this quest is for you.

Step One: Get your character to level 15, and journey to the Ghostlands south of Silvermoon City.
Step Two: Head on over to Windrunner Spire, on the Western coast. Kill the banshees and cultists there until one of them drops The Lady's Necklace.
Step Three: Accept the quest to return the necklace to High Executor Mavren in Tranquillien. When he sees the necklace, he'll send you on to Sylvanas in Undercity.
Step Four: Head to the Royal Quarter in the south-west sector of town and offer the necklace to Sylvanas. She won't be all that nice to you for dredging up old memories, but stick around. This is when she starts singing.
Step Five: Speak to Ambassador Sunsorrow, next to Sylvanas. He'll offer you a nicely-bound book, which holds a translation of that lovely song.

Optional: If you'd like to see a recap of Sylvanas' song, complete with a little of the story of how Sylvanas herself came to be a banshee, check out the video Lament of the Highborne on Blizzard's own movie downloads page.

And on the Alliance Side:

CLUCK!

Here's how to get the world's cheapest non-combat pet from a fun little easter egg quest in Westfall. To do this quest you must be willing to shell out all of 22 copper pieces, and walk around looking very foolish for a few minutes.

Step One: Create a macro which does the following: /chicken

Put that macro in your task bar. You'll be spamming it in just a minute.

Step Two: Journey to Westfall and go to Saldean's Farm. I recommend being level 10 or so to do this, so as to avoid drawing aggro from the wandering coyotes and farm machinery.

Step Three: Purchase one Special Chicken Feed from Saldean. This costs 22 coppers, so be sure to break your piggybank before heading over here.

Step Four: Select any nearby chicken and start spamming your /chicken macro. Pay close attention. You'll notice that every chicken normally has its name printed in yellow text, signifying that it is a neutral creature. Once you spam the /chicken macro enough, your chicken's name will briefly turn green. Immediately right click on the chicken.

Step Five: A quest screen will pop up. Accept the quest quickly, or you'll have to do all that clucking and flapping all over again.

Step Six: /cheer at the chicken. Then right click on it again and complete the quest.

Step Seven: Wait for a minute while the chicken lays an egg. Then right click to pick up your chicken egg, and become the proud owner of your very own Prairie Chicken!

Spirits of Competition

2008-08-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Want to win one of these?

Then hurry to a battleground for a chance at winning a Spirit of Competition, or your very own Competitor's Tabard. Any BG will do, and you get a tabard win or lose. However, you must win games to be eligible for the Spirit of Competition.

The Spirits of Competition will be visiting the battlegrounds from now to August 24th, before they disappear for another two years. So go out and win yours now!

Happy hunting! Good luck out there!

Mounts at Level 30!

2008-07-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Don't forget! You can now buy a mount at level 30! Speak to the riding trainer in the following locations for details:

Blood Elf - Eversong Woods: Thuron's Livery
Orc - Orgrimmar: Valley of Honor
Tauren - Mulgore: Bloodhoof Village
Troll - Durotar: Sen'Jin Village
Undead - Brill: Stables

Happy trails!