WoW Junkie

Patch 3.3 PTR: Queen Lana’thel impressions

Matt Low — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:15:00 +0000

I was originally not planning on heading into the patch 3.3 Icecrown testing that was scheduled for Friday on the PTR. Luckily, earlier in the week, I found out my afternoon classes were canceled. Sweet, right? Show time! So on Friday, we fought Queen Lana'thel and she completely mopped the floor with us and used us to clean her chamber.

Gallery: Icecrown Citadel

Continue reading Patch 3.3 PTR: Queen Lana'thel impressions

Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Raiding

Patch 3.3 PTR: Queen Lana'thel impressions originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arcane Brilliance: Mage leveling guide, 41 to Outland

Christian Belt — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:00:00 +0000

And so we find ourselves at the threshold of another Arcane Brilliance, the weekly mage column that conjures the very best the world of magic and mystery has to offer, then sets it on fire and hurls it at a warlock.

Something I wanted to throw out there before we begin:

I'm lazy. It's difficult to find pictures every week for this column. Thus, I no longer wish to do it. Therefore, I am extending an open invitation to you, my fellow mages everywhere, to do my job for me. I formally request--nay, demand--your screenshots. That's right: if you ever had the desire to see your mage featured prominently at the beginning of a sentient, warlock-hating mage column, this is your chance. Ground rules:

Mage-pictures only. If you try to slip in a picture of a warlock and pass it off as a mage, I will hack your Twitter account and then make a series of embarrassing tweets on it, like "My genital fungus really burns today...I wonder if I've been scratching it too much," "Quick tip, everybody: bacne + shaving back-hair = an awful way to spend a weekend," or "I firmly believe that Michael Bay is the genius of our time."
In-game screenshots that you personally captured only.
No character names visible, and no hud, please. Use Alt-Z before you take your screenshot.
Nothing vulgar. No matter how much I'd like to see a picture of you doing something obscene to the corpse of that warlock you just killed, I can't use it. Also, I have a wife and two small children. Try not to send me anything that will scar them permanently should they be in the room when I open it.
Send all screenshots to the following email address: arcanebrilliancepics@yahoo.com. Also, title them with something simple and appropriate, like "mage screenshot," so I don't think they're spam.
Other than the above limitations, I don't care what you send. I can use just about anything. Low-level mages, high-level mages, cool looking spells, action shots, funny stuff...chances are I can find a use for just about anything you send me.

And with that out of the way, we're ready to begin this week's installment of our ongoing mage leveling guide.

Continue reading Arcane Brilliance: Mage leveling guide, 41 to Outland

Filed under: Mage, Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Features, Leveling, Guides, Classes, (Mage) Arcane Brilliance

Arcane Brilliance: Mage leveling guide, 41 to Outland originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One year of Wrath

Mike Schramm — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Rufus on Livejournal reminds us that one year ago as of November 13th, Wrath of the Lich King first came into our lives. That means it's been one full year since we had our launch events, since death knights first became free of the Lich King's control, and since we first stepped foot in Dalaran. It's the one year anniversary of our arrival at Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord, the addition of Inscription to the game, and the first fights in Strand of the Ancients and Wintergrasp. If you add in the pre-Wrath patch 3.0.2, you can add in achievements, barbershops, and a whole bunch of other changes.

It's almost unbelievable how much has been added to the game in just the last year, though of course, considering that most of these things were actually announced way back at BlizzCon 2007, we've been living with them a little longer than that. And of course it's not over yet: we're currently standing on the doorstep of Icecrown Citadel, about to finish the fight over Arthas' soul that was started way back in Warcraft III, and there are rumblings under the earth of a whole new threat. Who knows what the World of Warcraft will look like a year from now?

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Wrath of the Lich King

One year of Wrath originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patch 3.3: Quel’delar caster mace hastened

Michael Sacco — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Ah, Quel'delar -- the Patch 3.3 questline with rewards for everybody. Well, everybody except tanks. And elemental shamans. And shadow priests, and moonkin, and mutilate rogues, and you get the idea. While the caster sword is itemized very well for DPS casters -- and can be used by two of them -- the mace version is loaded with MP5, which is patently useless for them. A lot of healers don't even really need it on their weapon.

Well, Blizzard may not have caved to tanks or rogues, but they certainly caved to DPS casters, as Bornakk indicates that the MP5 on the Hammer of Purified Flame is being converted to haste to better match Quel'delar, Lens of the Mind. As an elemental shaman in dire need of replacing his Aesuga, I appreciate that!

Then again, this makes it even more odd that sword-and-board tanks are still left out in the cold in this questline. I suppose there's still time before the patch for Blizzard to make the change, but it looks like they're not going that route. Oh well, tanks. There's always dual-spec.

Patch 3.3 is the last major patch of Wrath of the Lich King. With the new Icecrown Citadel 5-man dungeons and 10/25-man raid arriving soon, patch 3.3 will deal the final blow to Arthas. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3 will keep you updated with all the latest patch news.

Patch 3.3: Quel'delar caster mace hastened originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Art of War(craft): Absolute beginners’ guide to Arathi Basin

Zach Yonzon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Zach loves the Battlegrounds. He could probably play World of Warcraft entirely though the Battlegrounds, because he's kind of lame like that. If he could have the word 'Battlegrounds' tattooed on his rump, he totally wouldn't... because dude, that's just wrong.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote up a basic look at the Battlegrounds for all the new players who don't know anything about it. From the looks of it, Blizzard expects an influx of new players, too, so newbies will always be on the lookout for 'For Dummies'-type information. Because we're such awesome folks over here at WoW.com, we're ready to oblige. Last week we answered some basic questions about the game's first Battleground, Warsong Gulch. This week, we'll answer some beginner's questions about Arathi Basin, the next Battleground leveling players are eligible to enter. Hit the Read More button to, you know, read more.

Continue reading The Art of War(craft): Absolute beginners' guide to Arathi Basin

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Guides, (PvP) The Art of War(craft), Battlegrounds

The Art of War(craft): Absolute beginners' guide to Arathi Basin originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patch 3.3: Blizzard previews new quest tracking UI

Michael Sacco — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Looks like the newly-renamed Dungeon Finder isn't the only new UI feature we have to look forward to in Patch 3.3 -- Blizzard just released an official preview of its new Quest Tracking feature, and it looks great. It seems to have a number of the features that ZorbaTHut's great QuestHelper addon does, which follows Blizzard's pattern of poaching the best third-party UIs for use in the stock UI.

Our UI whiz Gregg Reece covered the feature briefly last week, based on what was active on the PTR. For those who haven't fiddled with it, new additions to the UI include:

Enhanced World Map: The large world map is now separated into four active panes. Quests are automatically tracked on the map and listed to its side. The quest log entry for the selected quest is located below the map.
Areas of Interest: Shows what area on the map your quest's points of interest can be found, represented with a blue polygon. If mobs populate a large area, the map will indicate it. If you need to find one specific doodad, that'll be on there too. If there are multiple spawn areas for a mob or doodad, the map will automatically locate the one closest to you.
Pop-out Map: Players can utilize a smaller zone map outside of the normal full-screen map to track progress and get their bearings.
Better Tracking: Tracked quests outside the map will now indicate your progress with a number for items found or mobs killed and will indicate whether you've already completed it.

And more! The main thing I notice is missing (so far) is the arrow that indicates where you should head next on the World Map, like QuestHelper or Carbonite, but who knows if that'll even make it in.

Blizzard says that the new UI will work with nearly every quest in the game, regardless of type. You can check out the official preview here.

Gallery: Patch 3.3 PTR: Quest tracking feature

Filed under: Patches, News items

Patch 3.3: Blizzard previews new quest tracking UI originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patch 3.3: More community members honored with item names

Michael Sacco — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:00:00 +0000

In the vein of Phaelia's Vestments of the Sprouting Seed and the BRK-1000, Blizzard honored several community members with items named after them in Patch 3.3.

Ones we've seen so far:

Maghia's Misguided Quill - Named after the well-known cosplayer who came to BlizzCon as Alexzstrasza and the Eredar Twins.
Toskk's Maximized Wristguards - Named after the player who maintains a popular druid DPS calculator.
Aldriana's Gloves of Secrecy - Named after the player who maintains a popular rogue DPS spreadsheet.

There are other items in the patch files that look to be named after certain individuals, but I'm admittedly not familiar with everyone ever involved with the WoW community, so I'll leave it to you guys to let me know if I missed someone.

I'm always happy when I see items like this in the game. They show that somebody out there is paying attention to the players that are making an impact in the community, and that's good enough for me.

Patch 3.3: More community members honored with item names originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Dragon What?

Michael Gray — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Last week, it seemed that our dearly beloved World of Warcraft had sprouted some strange, new zone called Dragon Age. I've been nagging Alexstrasza to tell me what's up with that, since I figured that Wyrmrest Temple was a natural place to unlock that zone. But, oddly, she's got nothing. Still, she's pleasant company, and I don't mind lurking around her boots. They're all stylish and kicky.

In all seriousness, though, after reading about so many of the staff trying it out, I have to admit I'm starting to get curious about the Dragon Age myself. Do you think if I ask often enough, Alexstrasza might show up in it to say "hello"?

Let's see what the staff is playing this weekend. Once you've scanned through, drop by in the comments and tell us: What are you playing?

Adam Holisky: (@adamholisky) - Dragon Age: Origins and MW:2.
Alex Ziebart: (@aziebart) -Dragon Age, and then soaking my Tab finger in ice for a few hours. Dragon Age players will understand that. The rest of you are mere husks of men.

Continue reading WRUP: Dragon What?

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends

WRUP: Dragon What? originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Blizzard used the dungeon system to change Oculus

Mike Schramm — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Zarhym has shared a little more insight into Blizzard's latest thinking about the dungeon group system going into the game and how they're using it to monitor 5-man action. When a player suggests that they buff Oculus' loot rather than tweak the mechanics of the dungeon, Zarhym replies that that's not the way it's done -- they provide more rewards for higher challenges, not just to direct players around. But he does say that Blizzard noticed Oculus was being singled out as a dungeon that players on the PTR didn't want to run, and that's why they went in and took a look at how it all worked.

That's very interesting, and it tells that (at least on the PTR if not on the actual live realms) Blizzard can more easily get information from the new dungeon system about which instances players are running. That could have all kinds of ramifications -- if they see a lot of Scarlet Monastery runs coming through, or see that no one at all is visiting Maraudon, we may see even more updates coming to those kind of places. And they can use that feedback for future dungeons as well. It'll be interesting to see what kinds of patterns for instance running arise on the live realms -- obviously there's a lot of interest in the "random" dungeon function (that rewards you for running random instances), but that's still weighted towards what instances you've already done. We may see more changes coming to current dungeons depending on what kinds of information Blizzard gets after the patch 3.3 release.

Filed under: Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Instances, Bosses, Wrath of the Lich King

How Blizzard used the dungeon system to change Oculus originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lord Marrowgar EU PTR Testing

MMO-Champion - World of Warcraft Guides and Raid Strategies - News — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:40:34 +0000

Sindragosa US PTR Testing
For more details, please check the old Sindragos testing post.

Sindragosa US PTR Testing

Streams

Impervious (Autoplay disabled, Pause and Play if it bugs)
Lord Marrowgar EU PTR Testing
Lord Marrowgar will be tested on EU PTRs tonight, followed by Sindragosa on US servers.

Streams

25-Man Normal Mode Loot Table

ilvl	Type	Slot	Item	Tag
264	Miscellaneous	Finger	Band of the Bone Colossus	marrowgar-25
264	Miscellaneous	Neck	Bone Sentinel's Amulet	marrowgar-25
264	Plate	Wrist	Bracers of Dark Reckoning	marrowgar-25
264	Axe	Two-Hand	Bryntroll, the Bone Arbiter	marrowgar-25
264	Shield	Shield	Bulwark of Smouldering Steel	marrowgar-25
264	Cloth	Waist	Crushing Coldwraith Belt	marrowgar-25
264	Leather	Feet	Frostbitten Fur Boots	marrowgar-25
264	Dagger	Main Hand	Frozen Bonespike	marrowgar-25
264	Plate	Chest	Gendarme's Cuirass	marrowgar-25
264	Leather	Hands	Handguards of Winter's Respite	marrowgar-25
264	Plate	Legs	Legguards of Lost Hope	marrowgar-25
264	Miscellaneous	Finger	Loop of the Endless Labyrinth	marrowgar-25
264	Miscellaneous	Finger	Marrowgar's Frigid Eye	marrowgar-25
264	Plate	Shoulder	Rusted Citadel Stormers	marrowgar-25
264	Mail	Head	Snowserpent Mail Helm	marrowgar-25

10-Man Normal Mode Loot Table

ilvl	Type	Slot	Item	Tag
251	Plate	Feet	Ancient Skeletal Boots	marrowgar-10
251	Axe	One-Hand	Bone Warden's Splitter	marrowgar-10
251	Sword	Two-Hand	Citadel Enforcer's Claymore	marrowgar-10
251	Mail	Wrist	Coldwraith Bracers	marrowgar-10
251	Cloth	Waist	Cord of the Patronizing Practitioner	marrowgar-10
251	Plate	Legs	Corrupted Silverplate Leggings	marrowgar-10
251	Sword	Main Hand	Frost Needle	marrowgar-10
251	Mail	Waist	Linked Scourge Vertebrae	marrowgar-10
251	Miscellaneous	Neck	Marrowgar's Scratching Choker	marrowgar-10
251	Cloth	Back	Shawl of Nerubian Silk	marrowgar-10
251	Mace	One-Hand	The Brokenhammer	marrowgar-10

Abilities

[html]

Lord Marrowgar

Spell

Description

<table bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="700px" class...