World of Warcraft Blog

Something for you to think about on this warm summers day:

I paid a visit to my local bank yesterday morning (in real life) and there were people standing outside smoking. Being a non-smoker I don’t particularly enjoy being confronted by suicide-committing human beings and their fumes everyday of my life. However yesterday, in World of Warcraft, I walked past a bank in a particular city and there were people outside, but (to my delight) none of them appeared to be smoking. Now, you might be fooled into thinking that World of Warcraft is a perfect world in comparison. That is until I seen this:   Made me giggle :) 

I love Tuesdays! I know we are supposed to hate them because servers go down for dreaded maintenance, but I can’t help myself! I can’t help but experience a warm fuzzy feeling when I try to log in and I am confronted by that seven lettered word: Offline. I love it!

There is a explanation for this, trust me, and it involves simply looking past the fact that we cannot play. The reason why servers are no longer accessible is because the game is being updated/changed/fixed. Call me biased but I tend to become bored of console games fairly easily. The whole game is contained on that one disc and it will never be changed, no matter how much we wish. Sure, most console games can now be played online, but the game itself does not alter from the original. And that’s why I love Tuesdays; they signify wanted change for WoW players…

World of Warcraft was released almost 4 years ago, but surprisingly the same series of 5 discs is still being sold to this day. However, due to hundreds of Tuesdays (like today) the game is vastly different from when it was first released, which cannot be said for many games of the same age. It’s quite spectacular that it’s lasted this long.

Hail Tuesdays!  

If I had the power, time or money I would love to conduct a World of Warcraft survey. A survey asking WoW players lots of strange and wonderful questions that Blizzard does not have the balls to ask. Do you sometimes wish you were never introduced to World of Warcraft? Do you really care for non-combat pets [muffled giggling] would be but a few. 

However, one which I am genuinely interested in and is not too controversial would be the importance of race within WoW. Do people simple choose a class they wish to level then pick the race that looks the nicest? For me I would say this is half true. Looks are important to me (hello, Mr. Conceited) but racial abilities play a big part in my decision process also. If I happen to be rolling a rogue then increased intelligence would not exactly appeal to me. But on the other hand if I did fancy rolling the smallest (and cutest?) race in the game then I would over look this slight detail.  

Also, while we were on this subject I would also ask what the most overpowered/underpowered races in the game are. I’m guessing their would be a huge conflict in answers. Personally, I would choose undead as the strongest; immune to fear and able to eat corpses for health are just too great. I would have to jump on the bandwagon and state that humans have it worse, although with the changes in spirit they may have redeemed themselves in the tiniest way. 

So, does anyone actually care about this or am I all alone in my weird, over analytical way of thinking??

Here is another suggestion to relieve the boredom all of us experience at times while playing World of Warcraft.

Name: 3 is an overcrowd.

Should amuse for: 1 hour

This one requires a few friends; two or three would be perfect. I know what you’re thinking and I agree - If you have that many people who are bored then why not create a group and go do something productive? Well it would be perfectly acceptable to do this. However, if you are looking for real laughs I think this suggestion will give you a bigger kick than killing that boss (again).

All you and your friends need to do is to set up a level 1 character each, making them the same sex, race and colour. Extra credit is awarded if you manage to give them similar names/hair/faces, but it’s not important. Just make sure they look the same. Regroup and while running to the closest city everyone must get naked! The image of 3/4 exact same looking naked players is pretty funny in itself… When you reach the city the real fun begins. Allow the leader of the group to mark an unsuspecting player and tell your naked buddies to follow them. It is important that the group does not stop following them and stand right next to them at all times. I will admit this does require some patience and a good eye, but when you get it right it’s hilarious! 

We witnessed the following things while doing this: logging out, stealth, abusive shouting, mounting up and running far away in hopes to escape the nakedness. Either way it’s still funny, and when you get bored of someone simply agree to move onto someone else. Try it out!    

Thank you Laura and Phil for showing me this :) 

Arghhh! I must admit I go through phases with PVP. Sometimes (normally after season gear has been released) I can’t get enough of it. I log in next to the Battlemasters and tend to log out in the exact same place, or maybe a few inches away. However, the more involved one becomes in PVP the bigger the feeling of wanting to kill your own team becomes. Don’t get me wrong, I know you’re supposed fight alongside with your teammates, but if words could kill their would be no need to fight. Teams would simply self implode and continue their squabbling within the graveyard.  

Now I’m not going to try and justify the hostility people feel within battlegrounds, or try and prevent them arguing. This is because anyone who has PVPed at a high level can understand how stressful it can get. When your team is not winning and people are begging for the team to surrender, or people keep running for the flag in EOTS when they have capped zero towers are just some examples. And recently it has become even worse with schools being out for the summer. Perhpas instead of Blizzard’s introductory messages being “Remember to take all things in moderation (even World of Warcraft)” they should read “Please bare with the game while we deal with an overload of abusive 12 year olds running around”.  

I guess PVP is just destined to be bad. The only advice I could offer would be to try and filter the chat; learn when to read and when not to. And most importantly, do not PVP! ;) 

I’m not one to look at the World of Warcraft main page and simply restate what is written there, however something has happened that we can all get excited about. Blizzard have unveiled the new talent calculators which will be used along with the Wrath of the Lich King release. There will be 10 more levels to gain (again) which instantly means 10 more talent points to be spent.

At first glance it appears Blizzard have successfully evened out the talent trees to a satisfactory standard. I have looked through my own talent trees and the “I want everything” feeling (which fuels WoW) is prominently still there. They do retain that all talents will be subject to significant change during testing, however it is nice to see that Blizzard is willing to involve players in developments. WotLK will be our life for a good few mouths after all!

Here is a link to all the new WotLK Talent Calculators: Lots of pondering to be had. I would strongly recommend you also take a peek at the Death Knight’s talent tree. I was surprised they actually allowed this to leek out, consdiering it’s now a case of people not only knowing the Death Knight’s abilities but also it’s talent tree. I just hope they made the right choice and have left enough to keep us wondering! 

I touched upon this issue in a previous blog, but the problem of “bored level 70’s” does not seem to be going away. If you are planning to start playing World of Warcraft then this is a great time as any to begin playing. However, for us old schoolers the game appears to be crossing a wobbly bridge, with the fun of Burning Crusade behind us and the excitement of Wrath of the Lich King in the near distance. 

So, in light of this I thought of sharing some suggestions to banish these summer blues. Disclaimer: These are simply devised to amuse and should not be taken too seriously

Name: Kara is a raid?

Should amuse for: 30 minutes

Karazhan (that raid we would have sold our grandmothers to get loot from a year ago) is not quite the challenge it used to be. In light of this I suggest a little soloing action. Obviously I’m not suggesting you go and clear Kara on your own! Instead be a little cowardly (I know it’s hard, but we can try) and sneak as far in as possible. I must admit I tried this earlier and was a hair away from Opera (from the backdoor) but being a non-stealther it was difficult. Druids and Rogues will be a lot better at this than us ’seeable’ players, but buying a few invisibility potions could make things more interesting. And I suggest going in there naked to prevent those unsightly repair bills. 

If you’re not feeling up to Kara quite yet you can try some lower level instances or even pre-BC raids. That way if a mob spots your naked flesh you should be able to give them a run for their money. I would not advise engaging in a boss fight however (except if you’re in Deadmines) unless you like dying. Just stick to a S/S of the time you soloed Karazhan. Good luck!

Mounts. We all have one and most of us take them for granted. However, with the diverse number of mounts available, we appear to be going to huge lengths to acquire a unique ride. Blizzard (being Blizzard) has set a standard speed to every mount within the game. This makes me wonder why so many of us endure hours of mind-numbing tasks to be slightly unique, when the gain is… minimal.    

To acquire a regular 100% faster mount you simply hit level 60 and buy it. At this stage Paladins and Warlocks are the only ones who have it slightly harder, although it’s not mandatory that they go to the extra effort. People tend to be concentrating on leveling rather then gaining a cool mount so it’s all fairly simple.   

It’s when level 70 is met that the bizarreness begins. 

Firstly, regular ground mounts are no longer enough! People want better, and they will go to any length to gain a so called upgrade. There are two ways to obtain a slightly more unique look: questing and raiding. Yes, I agree, neither of these sound particularly exciting, but you don’t get anything without some effort with WoW (which is probably why we love it so much). There are many quests for both Alliance and Horde that involve gaining rep so a mount can be bought. Speaking from personal experience these can be extremely long and hard. The other (easier) option would be to raid and pray a mount drops. Be warned though, controversy can be created when mounts drop. Just be polite!

Another way to personalise your ride would be to buy a flying mount. They are sold for reasonable prices and can be extremely helpful. However, to get the full effect you will have to save up those coins and buy an epic flying mount. It is recommended that you buy the regular epic mount and then embark on one of the lengthy flying mount quests. The most popular is the quest chain to receive a Nether Drake. No-one can deny they look impressive, but in recent months they have been lacking individuality.

So, if you do happen to find yourself becoming bored of staring at the back end of your mount, remember two things. Research how much work and hours it will take to achieve your new mount, and of course, consider how individual the beast actually is. Fashionable is not always best in World of Warcraft.   

 I wouldn’t say that the emotion system inside World of Warcraft is one of huge importance, however I have a bone to pick! If you happen to come across a fellow guildie in the bank (while looking for that hidden Void Crystal you received from disenchanted Karazhan gear) the normal thing would be to throw them a /hi. Or perhaps a /stink if they happened to wipe that particular Kara raid… When you do this your character will psychically wave at the person in question and will say some words to the effect of ‘hello’.

Others do the same, in the sense there are either sounds or movement involved when you choose to use them. And that is the point of this blog! We can cry, sigh and say ‘hi’, but for all that is holy we cannot slap! The /slap command simply produces a message in the chat log and I feel this is not enough.

For Example, seeing “Noob No.1 slaps Noob No.3″ is just not sufficient (Noob No.2′ was having nap time). I suggest a slap movement or a saying along the lines of “take that [rude noun]” to be implemented into the game.  Or even better, a /punch!

Obviously this argument holds very little weight and will be deemed too violent and/or strange. However, if it’s deemed appropriate to hack and slash away at someone’s lower region (damn sneaky rogues) then what’s wrong with a little bit of night elf on blood elf action??  

 This week signaled the reintroduction to everyones favourite NPC, Haris Pilton, in World of Warcraft’s latest patch. That is everyone’s favourite, right? Anyway, this got me thinkig of the other weird, wonderful and down right strange names given to NPC’s by Blizzard workers showing us their lighter sides. Therefore, in order to appreciate these names to their full extents, I have created a list of my five all time favourites. Starting with the godess herself…

Haris Pilton

This is clearly a (very unsubtle) reference to Paris Hilton, the mutlitasking actor/musician/do-nothing-er who just can’t seem to settle on one job. Her latest embarkment sees her play the roll of a rather pricey vendor within Shattrath. Once apon a time people used Ebay to sell their unwanted, out of seasson garments. However, with each of her handbags pulling in 1200 gold a peice, and her Ruby Shades costing 2000 gold I think she may have finally found herself a permanent job! There is even room for her little mutt, TinkerbelI! I must admit she was kind enough to allow me to try on a pair of her sunglasses… Lets just say I left empty handed…

Ophera Windfury

Unlike the self proclaimed socialite, Ophera (Oprah Winfrey) prefers to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. She retreats to her home in a remote corner of Hellfire Peninsula where she often allows strangers to stay. However, she does occasionally get overly excited and shout “Free mounts for everyone! …You get a free mount! And you get a free mount!” which she will scream over and over again until you accept…

Larion and Muigin 

It seems that Blizzard enjoys simply changing the first letter of famous names to make completely unique NPC names. Oh wait, they added an extra letter on the end of each this time… It must take them months to think up this stuff! These two, representing perhaps the most famous brother double act in the world (Mario and Luigi of the Super Mario series) can be found hanging out in North Un’goro Crater. Just a word of warning: they have grown since we last seen them… Bloody giants.

Seymour <Master Skinning Trainer> and Groundskeeper Wyllithen

Quite a mouthful. My guess is they let an intern name two characters as a treat and called it academic experience. Whether or not you are a fan of The Simpsons, at least there is something for everyone. Wyllithen, with his long red hair, hangs out in the Blood Elf starting area, most likely telling all the younger levels to pick up their litter and respect the grass. Seymour on the other hand has hit the big time with a permanent spot in Shattrath. Watch out though, or he’ll try and educate you in the art of Skinning!

Slim <Shady Dealer>

Not quite what I expected the real Slim Shady to look like (I imaged something more… fleshy) but at least he is standing up. Although, when asked about his name he states “I am not slim and I am certainly not shady”… Hmm, maybe he’s using reverse psychology on us? In the mean time he can go back to his luxurious life of selling and buying trade goods outside Mana tombs…

Thank you Blizzard for the entertainment! Keep them coming…