Thinks You Suck

Raid – 5% HP damage & healing increase, 35attempts.

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:58:24 +0000

Vaneras : We have seen a lot of comments about the hard modes being too hard and the normal modes being too easy, and although we do acknowledge these concerns, we feel that things are currently working well overall. Those who feel the hard modes as being too hard, the buff will help them in Icecrown Citadel. That being said, we are still trying to figure o…

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Raid – 5% HP damage & healing increase, 35attempts.

Raid – [Poll] Which is your favourite classic Raid?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:10:37 +0000

Ancilorn : Quote: Nice poll. Shame I joined the game late and didn’t get to raid at 60. You going to do a TBC one?Perhaps! Watch this space! “Most of us have a special place we like to visit because we actually feel good being there.” Community Team – English…

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Raid – [Poll] Which is your favourite classic Raid?

Raid – Icecrown Citadel Raid Buffs Active

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:54:53 +0000

Ancilorn : As many of you may have noticed, the Icecrown Citadel raid buffs have been activated. These buffs increase total health, healing done and damage dealt by 5% for all raid members. In addition, the number of attempts on the final bosses of each wing and the Lich King allotted raid groups on Heroic difficulty has been increased to 35. These buffs — r…

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Raid – Icecrown Citadel Raid Buffs Active

Raid – Assault on the Ruby Sanctum

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:44:44 +0000

Zarhym : Quote: Not to stare a gift horse in the mouth, but what is blizzard’s obsession with Making Heroic Modes a UI button that gives everything 30% more HP and damage, with like a single new mechanic that doesn’t change the fight at all? Ulduar/Sartharion Hard modes not only provided a unique and interesting fight compared to easy modes, but they made …

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Raid – Assault on the Ruby Sanctum

Raid – 19/02 Assault on the Ruby Sanctum

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:00:05 +0000

Wrocas : As we prepare for the public testing phase of minor content patch 3.3.3, some players might come across information regarding upcoming content that isn’t yet available. To avoid any confusion, we’d like to tell you about an exciting new raid dungeon we are working on for content patch 3.3.5. The Ruby Sanctum A powerful war party of the Black D…

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Raid – 19/02 Assault on the Ruby Sanctum

StarCraft II Beta Now Live

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:46:35 +0000

Title says it all, folks! I’m downloading the beta as we speak, and will be updating this news with more details as I have them. I’ve personally been waiting for this day for closing in on 12 years, so I’m super stoked, and know a lot of you are too. Expect LOTS of screenshots and videos.

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StarCraft II Beta Now Live

Pandaren Monk generates $1.1 million for Make-A-Wish

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:27:09 +0000

Yesterday Blizzard held a special event with the Make-A-Wish foundation at Blizzard Headquarters in Irvine, CA. This one wasn’t quite like previous Make-A-Wish visits , though. In December Blizzard revealed the first for-pay in-game pets to be offered through the Blizzard Store, and with it a lot of discussion — some questioning motives, others excited to be able to purchase a pet instead of having to hope for a drop or grind through yet more Argent Tournament dailies. At the same time, Blizzard announced that the Pandaren Monk pet would be taking part in a special cause: half of the revenue from its release on November 4th, 2009 until the end of the year would be given to the Make-A-Wish foundation. Tuesday was the day that the money changed hands, to the tune of $1.1 million USD. This is a fairly staggering sum given the short duration of the charity drive, and far exceeds what Blizzard expected. But then again, Blizzard stopped trying to predict anything related to WoW, according to Mike Morhaime. The event was very special for one particular Blizzard fan. Jordan Cofinco, 17, who suffered from a brain tumor the size of his fist, saw a number of his wishes come true. One of them was happily granted by Blizzard: they boosted his paladin up to level 80 so he could enjoy tanking instances. In addition to that, he was also able to have one of his characters sketched right in front of him by legendary Blizzard artist Samwise Didier. I’ve included a video embed below, courtesy of The Orange County Register , which includes some commentary from Cofinco’s mother, who plays World of Warcraft right alongside him.

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Pandaren Monk generates $1.1 million for Make-A-Wish

Crit Immunity in Cataclysm, Big Love Rocket Drop Rate, Healer Shortages

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:14:53 +0000

There were a few posts by the blues yesterday aside from the StarCraft II Beta FAQ , including one where Ghostcrawler might have hinted at changes to the way tanks become crit immune , as well as a major change to resilience so that it might no longer reduce chance to be crit. It’s an interesting idea and could prove to help DPS / healer spec players switch to their tanking “stance” in emergencies and still manage ok. It also looks like the drop rate for the Big Love Rocket is abysmally low and intended to be so. Love is in the Air only has a few days left, so good luck getting yours if you’re trying for it! Quote Remove crit immunity from talents in Cataclysm ( Source ) Quote: – If a Warrior is in defensive stance, he/she gets -6% chance to be crit – If a Druid is in bear form, he/she gets -6% chance to be crit – If a Death Knight is in frost presence, he/she has -6% chance to be crit It’s too early for us to have a ton of confidence in how this will play out, but I suspect it will more likely be something like this than talents or mastery. Paladins would use Righteous Fury. This works even better if resilience does not reduce crit chance. Big Love Rocket drop rate ( Source ) The drop rate for this mount is indeed lower than 1-2% and that is intentional. We are okay with the number it is at right now and will continue to see how things for this event. Why there are healer shortages ( Source ) I’m not entirely sure what the goal of this thread was, but World of Warcraft is a game with a variety of play styles that are there for players to play and experience as they see fit. Just because you started out as a healer (or whatever else) doesn’t mean you need to stay that way forever. It is hard to really argue that doing the same exact thing for 5+ years won’t be taxing in some way. I know some people who love healing and in the situations where they end up DPSing (like when dropping down to two healers in a raid or something) they complain a bit that they don’t have as much impact on the raid. There are also the healer types that have nothing but healing specs since they want the responsibility of taking care of the raid and don’t want to put that in someone else’s hands (these people also tend to get especially irritated when these other healers are causing problems that they wouldn’t have done themselves). Then some others may end up being “forced” to heal a fair amount to help out the group and any good guild I’ve been with tries to prevent the situation where that one person ends up carrying the load week in and week out with no end in sight. What I’m getting at here is just to remind players that if you aren’t in the mood to do something anymore, try out something else. Whether that’s Battlegrounds or a hunter or changing to that other spec you haven’t had a chance to try out yet, give it a try and see how it goes. You may find a new style to play for the next few years or you may end up being good buddies again with your original play style. Forum Watch There are a few fun and interesting threads going on the forums right now. If you haven’t had a chance to participate in them yet, you definitely should! How much have you spent, and saved, on WoW since you started playing? What’s your “go-to” class resource/blog site? Do you read WoW blogs? Juddr needs your thoughts! Where will you go on your flying mount once Cataclysm releases? New Wallpaper: “FOR THE HORDE” Blizzard released a new official wallpaper last night of an Orc snowboarding in the Storm Peaks with “FOR THE HORDE” etched onto the bottom of his snowboard. Check it out !

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Crit Immunity in Cataclysm, Big Love Rocket Drop Rate, Healer Shortages

Lovely Picnic Contest Reminder, StarCraft II Beta FAQ

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:47:37 +0000

As a reminder, submissions for the World of Raids Lovely Picnic Contest ends on February 20th at 11:59PM PST, so get yours in now for a chance to win Pandaren Brewmaster Deluxe Figure , a Battle.net Authenticator and Curse Premium ! The Battle.net Authenticator grants all of your characters a Core Hound Pup , so even if you don’t win the Grand Prize, you or your friend will be one step closer to Lil’ Game Hunter ! World of Raids Image Gallery We’re going to be adding the World of Raids image gallery to the navigation today. There will likely be some bugs with it, but you’ll even be able to create your own albums for image uploads in the Members Gallery section, or browse the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Screenshots and W orld of Warcraft: Cataclysm Artwork sections for a glimpse of what’s to come! The gallery is currently populated with more recent images, but I’ll be adding more over the next few days. Please post feedback on the Feedback & Suggestions forum . StarCraft II Beta FAQ What’s this?! The StarCraft II beta forums are now live! Check out the FAQ to prepare yourself for the StarCraft II beta when it launches . Quote Quote from: Blizzard ( Source ) Beta Access How do I sign up for the StarCraft II beta test? In order to sign up for the StarCraft II beta test or future Blizzard Entertainment beta tests, you first need to create a Battle.net account. You can then opt in to the beta for StarCraft II, as well as betas for future Blizzard Entertainment games, through the beta opt-in process. To get started, simply click Beta Profile Settings in Battle.net Account Management. Please note that opting in to a beta test through this method does not guarantee that you will be selected. If I opted in to the StarCraft II beta, how will I know if I’ve been selected to participate? If you are selected, you will receive an email from Blizzard instructing you to log in to your Battle.net account at www.battle.net. You will be able to download the client directly from within Battle.net Account Management. We plan on inviting players in waves, so if you do not receive an invitation in the beginning of the testing period, there’s a chance you might receive one in a later wave. I attended BlizzCon 2008 and received a beta code. Do I have to go through this process? There is a separate process in place for players who received StarCraft II beta codes from BlizzCon 2008 or have unused beta codes from earlier Blizzard events. To redeem your beta code, visit the beta sign-up page (don’t worry that the page says World of Warcraft), and enter the code from your card, along with a valid email address that you check often. Once you’ve completed these steps, we will contact you via email at some point during the StarCraft II testing process with further instructions. Please note that in order to participate after your receive the invitation, you will need a Battle.net account (if you don’t have one already). I received a beta key from a contest, promotion, or event other than BlizzCon. How do I access the beta? We will be sending out emails with beta keys to winners along with detailed instructions on how to access the beta test. Players who receive a beta key via email will need to create a Battle.net account, click “Add or Upgrade a Game” in Account Management, and enter the key there. The beta client will then be available for download from within Battle.net Account Management. How long will the beta test last? We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test. We will notify participants when the beta test is nearing completion. How many players do you plan to invite to the beta test? The number of players we invite will be based on our testing needs. If during the course of testing we determine we need more players to participate, we’ll invite more. How are beta test participants selected from the opt-in pool? Beta testers are chosen according to their system specs and other factors, including luck. Our goal is to have a good variety of system types to best test compatibility. How to Play What game modes are available in the StarCraft II beta? StarCraft II beta testers will be able to play a number of ranked multiplayer modes, include multiplayer ladder quick match, which has 1v1, 2v2, and free-for-all (FFA) modes. In addition, testers will be able to play unranked custom matches. We are not testing the single-player campaign of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty during the beta period. How do I play against a computer opponent? After launching StarCraft II, you will be asked to log in using your Battle.net account information. Once you log in and create or select a character, you will be brought to the main Battle.net screen. To play a match against a computer opponent, click the Multiplayer button in the top-left corner of the screen. Next, click the Create a Game button in the lower-right side of the Multiplayer screen. Select your map of choice, and then click Create Game in the lower-left corner of the screen. After clicking Create Game, you will enter a new game lobby. You can adjust game settings on the right side of the screen and add AI opponents by clicking the +AI button located in the upper middle of the screen. You can adjust teams by dragging the computer player to the opposing team (or keep a computer player on your own team if you wish to play 2v2 against computer opponents). When you’re ready to begin, click Start Game. How do I play a multiplayer ladder game against another human player? To find a human opponent through the beta ladder system, log in to Battle.net, select Multiplayer in the top-left corner of the screen, pick your settings, and click the Find Match button on the lower-left side of the screen. You can also adjust which maps you would like to play on by using the Map Preferences button located to the right of Find Match. How do I adjust my map preferences for ladder play? To adjust your map preferences, log in to Battle.net, choose or create your character, and select the Multiplayer button in the top left of the screen. Click the Map Preferences button toward the bottom left of the Quick Match screen, and then click the check boxes next to each map you would like to vote against playing in your ladder matches. When you’re done, click Save Preferences. There are separate map preferences for 1v1, 2v2, and free-for-all (FFA) modes that are each saved independently of one another. To adjust the map preferences of a different mode, select the bracket you wish to adjust preferences for and click the Map Preferences button. Click the check boxes to vote against the maps you would least like to play and click Save Preferences. How do I play a multiplayer game using the StarCraft II Party system? You can create a party in StarCraft II by inviting players who are on your friends list or by their character name on Battle.net. In the top-right panel, click Invite to begin gathering players into your party. Once invited, party members will be able to use voice chat and the party chat room to speak to one another. Clicking a player’s avatar portrait in the upper-right corner of the screen enables quick access to that player’s profile. Players in the same party can join games together as a group. You can either choose to join a custom game or queue up for rated team ladder games by selecting Quick Match in Multiplayer. Simply invite your teammates from your friends list or by character name, select Multiplayer in the upper-left corner of the screen, and choose your desired match type. To play a rated team ladder game, press Find Match once you and your teammate(s) have selected which races to play and adjusted map preferences. To join a custom game, select Join a Game, choose an existing game from the lobby, and select Join as Party. Once in the game lobby, you’ll be able to select your race and color preferences. You can also create your own custom game by selecting Create a Game, choosing your map, and then selecting Create as Party. Once the lobby is created, you can adjust your match settings. You can also open your game to the public for others to join by clicking the Open to Public button in the upper middle of the game lobby. Once a game lobby is made public, it cannot be made private again. How do I add a friend on Battle.net? There are two types of friends you can add: Real ID friends or StarCraft II friends. To add a friend of either type, first open your friends list by clicking the button directly left of the microphone icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Next, click the Add Friend button. A window will open prompting you to enter either your real-life friend’s email address (matching their Battle.net account name) or a StarCraft II player’s character name. When you try to add a Real ID friend, a request will be emailed to that person asking if he or she wishes to accept the friend request. The player will not be added to your Real ID friend’s list until he or she accepts. What is the difference between a Real ID friend and StarCraft II friend? Real ID friends on Battle.net can see each other’s full profiles, including real-life names, real-life profile information, and all of their characters across all Battle.net games. Both players must mutually agree to become real-life friends before either will appear on the other’s real-life friends list. To add a StarCraft II friend, simply enter a player’s character name. You will immediately start seeing that character in your friends list, but you will not be able to access real-life names, real-life profile information, or any other characters he or she might play. Other players are not notified if you add their characters to your friends list in this fashion. I just destroyed my opponent! How do I watch my game’s replay? After logging in to Battle.net, click the small video-camera-shaped button in the top-left corner of the screen. This will allow you to access replays for previous StarCraft II matches, organized by game type. How do I check on my ladder progress? To view your match results and current ladder ranking, click on the medal-shaped icon in the top-left corner of the Battle.net user interface. How do I customize my profile? Select the far-right button on the top-left panel of the Battle.net user interface. This will give you access to your match statistics, achievements, and match history, as well as the ability to change your portrait. How do I enable or disable voice chat? Click the microphone button located on the lower-right corner of the screen (next to the time). When there is a line crossing out the microphone, voice chat is disabled. How do I change which Battle.net account is logged in? Click the Menu button in the bottom-left corner of your screen when in the Battle.net lobby. The Log Out button will return you to the login screen to change accounts. What Battle.net features are you testing during the StarCraft II beta test? While testers will be able to experience much of the functionality of the new Battle.net, certain features, such as the ability to communicate with World of Warcraft players through the Real ID feature will not be available at the start of the beta. Battle.net features and functionality will be added and enhanced as the beta progresses, right up through the retail launch of StarCraft II and beyond. How do I exit the StarCraft II beta? If you are in the main menu of StarCraft II, click the Quit button in the lower-left corner of the screen. When logged in to Battle.net, click the Menu button in the lower-left corner of the screen and select Exit Game. I heard that I can share resources and control over units in StarCraft II. How do I use these features? When in a StarCraft II match, click the small icon in the top-right corner of the screen and use the check boxes to enable or disable shared unit control. You will be also able to share resources in this fashion once you are more than five minutes into a match. How do I adjust my StarCraft II settings? Click the Options button on the main menu to customize your settings for StarCraft II. You can also change various settings during a StarCraft II match by clicking the Menu button. Will there be a Mac version of the beta client? We plan to release a Mac version of the beta client at some point during the beta test period. We’ll have further details to share as the beta test progresses. Where can I get more information about the status of the beta-test servers? Please refer to the Tech Support forums http://forums.battle.net/board.html?forumId=25352527&sid=5000 for information on server status or for other technical issues. You can also report issues via webform or email at beta.techsupport@us.battle.net . I found a bug while playing. Where can I report this to get it squashed? If you find any bugs, please visit the Bug Report forum http://forums.battle.net/board.html?forumId=25498616&sid=5000 to report the issue. Is there a forum where I can leave beta feedback, offer suggestions, or discuss the game with fellow beta participants? We’ve set up several forums specifically for this purpose; you can find them all at the StarCraft II Beta Forums index page http://forums.battle.net/index.html?sid=5000 . We encourage you to use these forums to discuss the game with your fellow players, and we definitely want to hear your feedback. While anyone is able to view the content of these forums, only beta participants will be able to post, and all beta forum participants must follow the Forum Guidelines http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23140465238&sid=5000 .

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Lovely Picnic Contest Reminder, StarCraft II Beta FAQ

Heroic Blood Prince Council Video – Mage Tank PoV

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:29:08 +0000

I don’t often create news articles just for videos on something that isn’t an end boss, but this video by For the Horde of EU-Nazjatar definitely deserves it. Why, you might ask? It’s a fairly unique perspective on the Blood Prince Council encounter, being that the person who recorded the video is Greatschock — a Mage — who is tanking Prince Keleseth. Normally videos are from a standard perspective: a healer, a DPS or a traditional tank, so it’s a nice change. This is very useful as a starter on how to tank the encounter as a caster, especially since Dominic Hobbs posted a how-to guide on WoW.com yesterday about the very same thing, but for Warlocks. What class does your raid use to tank Prince Keleseth?

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Heroic Blood Prince Council Video – Mage Tank PoV