WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.Know Your Lore: A look at the lore of Diablohttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/know-your-lore-a-look-at-the-lore-of-diablo/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/know-your-lore-a-look-at-the-lore-of-diablo/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/know-your-lore-a-look-at-the-lore-of-diablo/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

This special edition of Know Your Lore presents an overview of the lore of the Diablo games and their setting, the world of Sanctuary. Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. Enjoy this week's diversion into the world of Diablo III.

The Diablo games are very different from anything in the Warcraft setting, a far more black-and-white morality played out in endless cosmic war between absolute forces of order and righteousness opposing evil and chaos. This war, the Great or Eternal Conflict, is so massive in scale and scope that it can almost be said to be endless. The war predates the world of Sanctuary, the realm where mortal men and women are born and live out their lives. Indeed, Sanctuary itself was created by a rogue angel and his demonic lover and ally as a place to find an end to the war.

But before the conflict, before the universe itself existed, there was only Anu. Anu existed as a pearl, a central point which contained all evil and all good, all possibilities and all dualities contained within its mirrored surface. Yet Anu felt imperfect in its duality and sought purity in the rejection of its negative aspects, casting them aside to become a being of glittering diamond -- a perfected warrior. Yet what Anu rejected, his cast-off impurities themselves became perfection of a dark bent, forming the monstrous Tathamet. This seven-headed dragon declared war on the glittering Anu, who in turn sought to destroy that which he had cast out of himself.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: A look at the lore of Diablo

WoW InsiderKnow Your Lore: A look at the lore of Diablo originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Angiris-CouncilBaalBarbarians-Are-AwesomeDiabloDIablo-3Diablo-IIIfeaturedguideguide-to-loreLesser-Evilslorelore-guideMariusMephistoMount-ArreatPrime-Evilsrole-playrole-playing-guiderp-guideSanctuaryTheDark-WandererTyraelMatthew RossiMon, 14 May 2012 13:00:00 ESTWorld of Warcraft subscriber numbers remain at 10.2 millionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/09/world-of-warcraft-subscriber-numbers-remain-at-10-2-million/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/09/world-of-warcraft-subscriber-numbers-remain-at-10-2-million/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/09/world-of-warcraft-subscriber-numbers-remain-at-10-2-million/#commentsFiled under: ,

Blizzard announced today in the investors call that the World of Warcraft population remains stable at 10.2 million subscribers. This is after the announced dip to 10.2 million in February 2012.

Activision-Blizzard
Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft(R) Remains #1 Subscription-Based MMORPG with Approximately 10.2 Million Subscribers as of 3/31/12


In other WoW news from the call, Blizzard has renewed its license with NetEase for China distribution: "On March 20, 2012, Blizzard Entertainment announced that they renewed their license with NetEase for the distribution of World of Warcraft in mainland China. The new license will continue for an additional three years following the expiration of the current license agreement."

There is no indication of specific North American / European numbers, nor is there any specific indication of when Mists will release.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderWorld of Warcraft subscriber numbers remain at 10.2 million originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 09 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>activision-blizzardbreakingsubscription-numberswow-subscription-numbersAdam HoliskyWed, 09 May 2012 17:00:00 ESTGhostcrawler discusses healing gear in Mists beta dungeonshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/ghostcrawler-discusses-healing-gear-in-mists-beta-dungeons/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/ghostcrawler-discusses-healing-gear-in-mists-beta-dungeons/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/ghostcrawler-discusses-healing-gear-in-mists-beta-dungeons/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Ghostcrawler took to the official forums to address the lack of spirit cloth gear that some players have experienced in the Mists of Pandaria beta dungeons currently available for testing. Spirit gear for pure healers is necessary to retain mana regeneration levels and output as content increases in difficulty. With a lack of spirit gear, some healers found their jobs more difficult. Ghostcrawler confirmed that the level-up dungeons found throughout the 85 to 90 content cannot be over-challenging due to the nature of their place in the progression.

The meat of the answer is that as you approach endgame content at level 90, more gear appears with endgame stats on it -- dodge, parry, and block for tanks, spirit for healers, and so on. When that gear becomes important is when the stats start appearing. Until then, pop some reforge, check reputation vendors and other sources of level-up gear for spirit stuff, and mish-mash together a set of decent healer gear. (Or, at the end of the day, you're just really unlucky with drops.)

Continue reading Ghostcrawler discusses healing gear in Mists beta dungeons

WoW InsiderGhostcrawler discusses healing gear in Mists beta dungeons originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 07 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>crabghostcrawlerhealermistsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betapandariaspiritspirit-gearMathew McCurleyMon, 07 May 2012 15:00:00 ESTA proposal for scenarios in Mists of Pandariahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/a-proposal-for-scenarios-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/a-proposal-for-scenarios-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/a-proposal-for-scenarios-in-mists-of-pandaria/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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We have seen and heard a ton of information on questing, dungeons, and even Pet Battles in the Mists of Pandaria beta, but one thing that has been absent thus far is also one of the things I'm most excited about -- scenarios. From what information we received at BlizzCon, we know that Blizzard intends for scenarios to be phased and quest-like in their presentation. They could be used to move stories forward, with players interacting with non-player heroes directly and even fighting alongside them in important battles.

An idea for this new game mode that I have been tossing back and forth with a few friends is creating a series of how-to scenarios that introduces the player to the aspects of group play. Meloree at Sacred Duty has suggested this as a prerequisite to entering the Dungeon Finder, but I think even having the option would improve grouping experiences dramatically. Tanks could enter dungeons and raids with a better grasp on basics like threat, positioning, and proactive cooldown usage. Healers could learn mana management, throughput efficiency, and this fabled triage model that we keep hearing so much about. Damage dealers could become familiar with high-movement fights, interrupting, and burn phase cooldown maximization.

Clearly, this seems to be well within Blizzard's capabilities to produce. We already see NPCs that tank, heal, and DPS in the game in various quests. In my opinion, there are only a couple of things that may stand in the way:
  1. Is this something the designers can do easily and quickly, or would a significant amount of resources need to be allotted to the development of this idea?
  2. Would players react positively to such tools being made available to them? Would they feel pressured or upset if they failed to complete the scenarios in their chosen role?
What do you think? Is this something you would use? Would this help the dungeon running and raiding experiences, or is the potential for disaster too great here?

WoW InsiderA proposal for scenarios in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 02 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dungeonsgroup-skillsgroupinginstancesmists-of-pandariaplayer-rolesrolesscenariosskillswow-scenariosDan DesmondWed, 02 May 2012 15:00:00 ESTWhy some Annual Passholders have yet to receive a beta invitehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/why-some-annual-passholders-have-yet-to-receive-a-beta-invite/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/why-some-annual-passholders-have-yet-to-receive-a-beta-invite/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/why-some-annual-passholders-have-yet-to-receive-a-beta-invite/#commentsFiled under: ,

Annual Pass
Previously we reported that all Annual Passholders had been sent their Mists of Pandaria beta invites. But many players have been complaining that they still hadn't received theirs. Blizzard responded to that today. Those who have purchased the pass after April 18 will get their invites in a future wave. There were also errors when sending the invites to some accounts, and Blizzard is attempting to resolve them.


Annual Pass Invite Beta Update
We want to confirm that, at this time, all World of Warcraft Annual Pass subscribers have been invited to the Mists of Pandaria beta test, with two groups of exceptions. One exception group are those who purchased an Annual Pass on or after April 18, and will receive their invite in a future wave. The second exception is a small list of remaining accounts from previous waves that encountered an error, and will be properly flagged for beta access as soon as we can resolve the issue.

If you haven't yet purchased an Annual Pass, you still have time to guarantee your spot in the beta by signing up for a year agreement (link) before the offer expires on April 30. Those taking advantage of the Annual Pass receive Diablo III for free, access to the Mists of Pandaria beta, and the exclusive Tyrael's Charger flying mount for your World of Warcraft characters.



So if you haven't received your beta invite yet, you will Soon[TM]. No dates have been released for when the remaining invites will go out. In the meantime, you can read up on all of the MoP beta info here on WoW Insider. (No, it's not the same as being able to play the beta, but I'm just saying ...)
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderWhy some Annual Passholders have yet to receive a beta invite originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>annual-passbetamists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betamop-betamop-beta-inviteRobin TorresFri, 27 Apr 2012 18:20:00 ESTX-53 Recruit-a-Friend mount being retired soonhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/26/x-53-recruit-a-friend-mount-being-retired-soon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/26/x-53-recruit-a-friend-mount-being-retired-soon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/26/x-53-recruit-a-friend-mount-being-retired-soon/#commentsFiled under: ,

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If you've ever wanted to get your hands on Recruit-A-Friend mount #2, the X-53 Touring Rocket two-seater, then you had better get moving. Blizzard has announced that the X-53 rocket will be retired soon to make way for the new Recruit-A-Friend mount and (presumably) program for the launch of Mists of Pandaria. One might even take this as a clue that a new Recruit-A-Friend is coming soon, which means expansion time could be right around the corner.

As for what the new mount is going to be, we have no idea just yet. However, MMO-Champion and Wowhead have datamined achievements, items, mounts, and some other clues that have shown a Recruit-A-Friend 3 mount in the files but no associated mount yet. Hit the jump for the full announcement about the X-53 rocket and speculate about what the next RAF mount is going to be.

Continue reading X-53 Recruit-a-Friend mount being retired soon

WoW InsiderX-53 Recruit-a-Friend mount being retired soon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakingfeaturedfriendmountmountsrafrecruitrecruit-a-friendrocketx-53x-53-touring-rocketMathew McCurleyThu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 ESTBlizzard launches Battle.net Item Restoration servicehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/blizzard-launches-battle-net-item-restoration-service/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/blizzard-launches-battle-net-item-restoration-service/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/blizzard-launches-battle-net-item-restoration-service/#commentsFiled under:

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With the advent of transmogrification, void storage, account-wide pets, and lots of other item-dependent features, it's seemed a little odd that Blizzard hasn't been allowing item restores via the GM queue. Well, that apparently ends today -- both the inability to do so and requesting to do so via GM ticket. Now, your Battle.net account page has a brand-new service: Item Restoration. It's a free service that you can perform once every 30 days to retrieve lost, deleted, or vendored items immediately. In the event that you disenchanted an item instead of deleting or selling it, you'll still go through the regular GM ticket line to have your case looked at.

Kudos to Blizzard for finally making this service available -- it was a huge stress on the GM queue and an inconvenience for players. Now everybody's happy. Probably.

Announcing: Battle.net Item Restoration
Starting today, players can access a new system that will allow players to recover World of Warcraft items that they may have sold, destroyed or disenchanted: Battle.net Item Restoration.

With this new self-service option the recovery of an item or items that were recently deleted or sold to a vendor can be restored to a character immediately when using the ticket submission system on our support site. For any items that were accidentally disenchanted the same method can be used to request a review by Customer Support for restoration.

This restoration option may only be used once every 30 days on active World of Warcraft accounts that are in good standing. As this option has a limited availability and use, we still encourage caution when selling, deleting or disenchanting items.

While Customer Service always strives to help whenever we can, with the introduction of this self-help feature we will no longer be able to assist with these types of requests.

Additional details can be found in the following Support Article: Battle.net Item Restoration.

WoW InsiderBlizzard launches Battle.net Item Restoration service originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battle-netbattle-net-item-restorationbattle-net-item-restorebattle.netbnetbreakingdeleted-itemsfeatureditem-restorationitem-restoreitemsrestore-itemsvendored-itemsMichael SaccoWed, 25 Apr 2012 17:15:00 ESTReminder: WoW Annual Pass last chance April 30http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/reminder-wow-annual-pass-last-chance-april-30/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/reminder-wow-annual-pass-last-chance-april-30/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/reminder-wow-annual-pass-last-chance-april-30/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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Blizzard has posted a reminder that the WoW Annual Pass, which grants you a copy of Diablo III, access to the Mists of Pandaria beta, and a Tyrael horse in WoW, is closing up shop on Monday, April 30. You have until Monday, April 30 to sign up for the pass, and the deal will be retired. We have no word yet as of the future of the program or if it will be repeated, but from the numbers, 1.2 million people is a pretty great subscriber grab. I'd expect to see something like this again soon, potentially annually.

Continue reading Reminder: WoW Annual Pass last chance April 30

WoW InsiderReminder: WoW Annual Pass last chance April 30 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>annualannual-passapril-30betabeta-accessdiablo-iiimop-betapasstyraels-chargerMathew McCurleyMon, 23 Apr 2012 19:00:00 ESTCan't play the Mists beta right now? How about Diablo III?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/20/cant-play-the-mists-beta-right-now-how-about-diablo-iii/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/20/cant-play-the-mists-beta-right-now-how-about-diablo-iii/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/20/cant-play-the-mists-beta-right-now-how-about-diablo-iii/#commentsFiled under: ,

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If you're having a little trouble with the Mists of Pandaria beta for one reason or another, Blizzard has just announced a hotfix for your issues: the Diablo III open beta weekend is happening from Friday, April 20 to Monday, April 23, closing things up at 10 a.m. PDT. Anyone with an active Battle.net account can sign up, download the client, and make their BattleTag. This open beta weekend looks like a big testing ground for the BattleTags system as well as Diablo III's architecture on a large scale.

Continue reading Can't play the Mists beta right now? How about Diablo III?

WoW InsiderCan't play the Mists beta right now? How about Diablo III? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betadiablo-3-betadiablo-iiidiablo-iii-betaMathew McCurleyFri, 20 Apr 2012 19:00:00 ESTBlizzard highlights customer support changes coming in patch 4.3.4http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/blizzard-highlights-customer-support-changes-coming-in-patch-4-3/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/blizzard-highlights-customer-support-changes-coming-in-patch-4-3/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/blizzard-highlights-customer-support-changes-coming-in-patch-4-3/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Blizzard has updated the Customer Support options in the upcoming patch 4.3.4 for WoW, including a brand new interface for dealing with in-game harassment, naming violations, and cheating. These features have been in the game previously but were buried a bit in the customer support window (which was, admittedly, funky at best). Now things seem a bit more straightforward.

Hit the jump for the full announcement.

Continue reading Blizzard highlights customer support changes coming in patch 4.3.4

WoW InsiderBlizzard highlights customer support changes coming in patch 4.3.4 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>4.3.4customer-supportfeaturednew-customer-support-optionspatch-4.3.4patch-4.3.5Mathew McCurleyMon, 16 Apr 2012 17:00:00 ESTHumans and orcs are just the pillars upon which the Alliance and Horde were builthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/13/humans-and-orcs-are-just-the-pillars-upon-which-the-alliance-and/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/13/humans-and-orcs-are-just-the-pillars-upon-which-the-alliance-and/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/13/humans-and-orcs-are-just-the-pillars-upon-which-the-alliance-and/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Zarhym hit the forums to clarify an important point that is being lost in recent lore discussions around the internet. Chris Metzen was quoted in a PC Gamer interview:

...the pillars of the franchise are orcs and humans; it really is the Alliance and Horde by extension, and it really is those two groups beating the brains out of each other for an extended period of time. That's always gotta be what Warcraft is about...

And as Zarhym entirely correctly points out, it's not just the orcs and humans that are all that matters now, but the entire Alliance and Horde factions that have developed over the course of the franchise's life. Warcraft started with them but has expanded unto everything else.

This is also a good opportunity to place front and center the fact that the Warcraft universe is an evolving story. It's not like Lord of the Rings, where everything that is has and (likely/hopefully) ever will be in the universe is already written in stone. Gandalf isn't suddenly going to join forces with the factions of darkness beyond the great sea while Frodo becomes the next Gollum -- but Thrall? Maybe he'll defect to the Alliance some day.* No one knows; it's evolving and ever changing.

Zarhym's full statements, after the break.

Continue reading Humans and orcs are just the pillars upon which the Alliance and Horde were built

WoW InsiderHumans and orcs are just the pillars upon which the Alliance and Horde were built originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>alliancebreakinghordehumansorcswarcraft-lorewarcraft-orcs-vs-humanswow-lorezarhymAdam HoliskyFri, 13 Apr 2012 15:00:00 ESTGet your lore on with Blizzard's updated Expanded Universehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/06/get-your-lore-on-with-blizzards-updated-expanded-universe/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/06/get-your-lore-on-with-blizzards-updated-expanded-universe/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/06/get-your-lore-on-with-blizzards-updated-expanded-universe/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Blizzard has updated the lore section of its community site, called Expanded Universe, to include a nice resource of all the official Warcraft lore you can buy or read online at the site for free. This include the short stories, the history of Warcraft, and links to the novels, comics, and manga at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

It's quite a nice place to stop if you want to find all the links to buy everything in one place. The short stories and History of Warcraft are also free to read. They're really quite good, if you haven't read them yet.

Don't forget to check out our own Know Your Lore series for much more analysis then you could possibly consume in a single day, plus our guide to the chronological order of WoW fiction if you're just getting into reading all this wonderful material.

WoW InsiderGet your lore on with Blizzard's updated Expanded Universe originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakingexpanded-universelorewow-expanded-universewow-loreAdam HoliskyFri, 06 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST2012 World of Warcraft Arena Pass coming soonhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/2012-world-of-warcraft-arena-pass-coming-soon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/2012-world-of-warcraft-arena-pass-coming-soon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/2012-world-of-warcraft-arena-pass-coming-soon/#commentsFiled under: ,

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The 2012 Arena Pass season is soon upon us, with sign-ups starting on April 10 for all the PvP action you can shake a stick at. With the Arena Pass, you get access to the private PvP, level 85 premade realm that gives you everything you'd need to outfit PvP characters in the best stuff around, as well as a world that acts as a dedicated Arena match facilitator.

For those of you on the fence about whether to try out the Arena Pass, Blizzard is once again offering up Murkimus the Gladiator to any player who play and participate in some fights. The best of the best are awarded with the Vanquisher title, and players who sign up now will get access to a level 90 PvP realm for Mists of Pandaria PvP events coming when the expansion goes live.

Check out more information on the official World of Warcraft community site.

Continue reading 2012 World of Warcraft Arena Pass coming soon

WoW Insider2012 World of Warcraft Arena Pass coming soon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>arenaarena-passarena-pass-2012breakingmurkimusMurkimus-the-GladiatorpvpMathew McCurleyWed, 04 Apr 2012 12:00:00 ESTThis is the most bizarre and entertaining Dave Kosak interview everhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/this-is-the-most-bizarre-and-entertaining-dave-kosak-interview-e/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/this-is-the-most-bizarre-and-entertaining-dave-kosak-interview-e/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/this-is-the-most-bizarre-and-entertaining-dave-kosak-interview-e/#commentsFiled under: ,

Imagine this: You run a fairly influential Asian fan site. You're offered the chance to interview WoW's Lead Quest Designer Dave Kosak, but there's a catch -- Kosak speaks English, and you really don't. An in-depth conversation is out. What's a fan site to do?

Well, the folks at Player's Cut TV came up with a pretty interesting and entertaining solution: Ask Kosak a series of rapid fire, yes-or-no questions about Mists of Pandaria. They even gave Kosak a pair of discs to hold up: a circle for yes, and a red X for no. It's like watching the dude play through some kind of game show bonus round.

A lot of the questions asked in the video have been already asked elsewhere, so you might not get a whole lot of new information out of the video. But it's damn fun to watch.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderThis is the most bizarre and entertaining Dave Kosak interview ever originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blizzard-interviewdave-kosakkosak-interviewlead-quest-designermists-of-pandariamopworld-of-warcraft-interviewwowyoutube-interview-dave-kosakFox Van AllenSun, 01 Apr 2012 20:00:00 ESTBlizzard Entertainment introduces Blizzard Kidzz!http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/blizzard-entertainment-introduces-blizzard-kidzz/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/blizzard-entertainment-introduces-blizzard-kidzz/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/01/blizzard-entertainment-introduces-blizzard-kidzz/#commentsFiled under: ,

Blizzard Entertainment has just announced a new line of educational games for children of all ages, involving plenty of favorites from the Blizzard universe of games. For Warcraft fans, keep an eye out for The Westfall Trail, in which kids ages 6 and up can lead a band of settlers from Lordaeron to Westfall while learning about the history of Azeroth -- as long as you avoid catching dysentery, of course.

And if it's typing skills you're looking for, Zergling Teaches Typing should be right up your alley. There's even a playable demo of the game available on the official site. Yep, with Blizzard Kidzz, your child can play all the games their heart desires -- and learn while doing it, too!

WoW InsiderBlizzard Entertainment introduces Blizzard Kidzz! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>april-foolsapril-fools-2012blizzard-april-fools-2012blizzard-entertainmentblizzard-kidzzAnne StickneySun, 01 Apr 2012 03:20:00 ESTWorld of Warcraft Mega Bloks season 1 revealedhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/30/world-of-warcraft-mega-bloks-season-1-revealed/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/30/world-of-warcraft-mega-bloks-season-1-revealed/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/30/world-of-warcraft-mega-bloks-season-1-revealed/#commentsFiled under:

Remember way back when Mega Bloks announced that it was creating a line of Warcraft sets? Which lore pieces would make for the best building block sets? Which characters did we want to see? Well, season 1 of the Mega Bloks Warcraft line has been revealed, and it is amazing. One of the larger sets includes Deathwing and Stormwind, where you can recreate your favorite cinematic moments from Cataclysm!

Faction packs include Ironoak the night elf, Ragerock the orc, Valoren the blood elf, and the ever-exciting and fancily named Colton the human paladin. Mount packs include Swift Gryphon with worgen rider, Goblin Trike with goblin rider, Flying Machine with gnome pilot, and Swift Wyvern with tauren rider. There are also three other larger sets, including the Lich King and Sindragosa, Demolisher Attack Horde versus Alliance, and the Goblin Zeppelin.

However, my favorite set of them all (and proof that the folks over at Mega Bloks play World of Warcraft, are Warcraft fans, and understand the nature and feel of this game) is The Barrens Chase Set. The Barrens Chase set is the quintessential WoW setup -- dorky night elf riding his cat in hot pursuit across The Barrens, chasing the most awesome orc on the planet, riding a rocket. This is World of Warcraft at its best.

Check out all of the new sets in our gallery, and look for them in stores soon.

Gallery: Warcraft Mega Bloks season one

Continue reading World of Warcraft Mega Bloks season 1 revealed

WoW InsiderWorld of Warcraft Mega Bloks season 1 revealed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bloksbreakinglegolegosmegamega-bloksseason-one-mega-blokswarcraft-mega-blokswow-mega-bloksMathew McCurleyFri, 30 Mar 2012 21:00:00 ESTDev Watercooler: Mists of Pandaria looting explainedhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/coffee-with-the-devs-mists-of-pandaria-looting-explained/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/coffee-with-the-devs-mists-of-pandaria-looting-explained/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/coffee-with-the-devs-mists-of-pandaria-looting-explained/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ghostcrawler is back on the blog with a comprehensive look at how the new loot systems are going to work in Mists of Pandaria. This newest blog post reads like a lesson in loot design and is valuable if you are interested in the development process of these systems. One of the most interesting things to come from the new design is that there will be no rolling on loot in the Raid Finder, eliminating the "callous jerk" problem. The game chooses who gets the loot, not any of the potentially trollish players (not to offend any actual trolls in the raid, taz'dingo, etc.).

While rolling for transmog stuff is definitely an issue when the game decides who gets what, Ghostcrawler flat-out states that Raid Finder is not the place for vying for transmog loot. There are other places for that. This new personal loot system will be used for world bosses as well.

Ghostcrawler also revealed the bonus roll system, where players will be able to earn tokens from various factions in Pandaria to spend on (among other things) a bonus roll when attempting to get loot off of a boss. This system will award tokens through tasks and dailies, giving people who prepare for Raid Finder a bit of an advantage if they choose to spend a token earned. Faction rewards, enchantments, epic items, and factional gear can also be purchased with these tokens.

The valor points system is also undergoing a revamp, with points taking on a new role of upgrading existing gear, but the final system is not really ready for much discussion. And, yes, the explanation for AoE looting is priceless. Hit the jump for the full post.

Continue reading Dev Watercooler: Mists of Pandaria looting explained

WoW InsiderDev Watercooler: Mists of Pandaria looting explained originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bonus-rollbreakingcoffee-with-the-devsdev-watercoolerghostcrawlerlootpersonal-lootrollMathew McCurleyTue, 27 Mar 2012 13:00:00 ESTMists of Pandaria: Ray Cobo interviewhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-ray-cobo-interview/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-ray-cobo-interview/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-ray-cobo-interview/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ray Cobo, one of WoW's senior producers, sat down with us at the Mists of Pandaria press event to discuss the development process, new game features, and more. Check out how an expansion like MoP gets made quickly!

WoW Insider: Mists of Pandaria, from everything we've seen, is on an accelerated time table. How do you, as a producer, make sure the process is going forward?

Ray Cobo: We 've learned a lot over the years about how to make expansions and how the game development of WoW has kind of evolved over the years, and so with each expansion, we get better at what we do. Our tools get better, our muscle memory from the team gets better in terms of how to make stuff. We have such a huge library of things now that we've built and content that we've made that we can actually pull from and figure out how to make that better or how to not do that again kind of thing and learn from those pitfalls or successes and try to get more efficient every time.

I think that's something the team has done for this one specifically is that each time it seems to get a little bit faster and get a little bit easier to some degree. There are still a lot of challenges in terms of curve balls that you get halfway through -- like in this one, it was recently decided to have two more zones. So it's like, OK, well, didn't have that in the plan but we'll figure out how to kinda get that in. Everyone on the production side and definitely on the dev team is very committed to make sure the content is great, so we want to make sure we give the devs time to iterate and explore and try to figure out what's going to make this game great and going to make the expansion great, because that's a core philosophy at Blizzard.

Continue reading Mists of Pandaria: Ray Cobo interview

WoW InsiderMists of Pandaria: Ray Cobo interview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>interviewinterviewsmistsmists-of-pandariapandariaproducerray-cobosenior-producerMathew McCurleyMon, 19 Mar 2012 22:00:00 ESTMists of Pandaria: Dave "Fargo" Kosak interviewhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-dave-fargo-kosak-interview/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-dave-fargo-kosak-interview/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-dave-fargo-kosak-interview/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Dave "Fargo" Kosak, lead quest designer for World of Warcraft, sat down with us at the Mists of Pandaria press event for an interview. We talked about the Horde/Alliance conflict, voice acting, pop culture references, Mists' accelerated production schedule, and more. Check it out!

WoW Insider: I guess I'm just gonna start off with some basic stuff.

Dave Kosak: Basic stuff is good!

Let's start with your overall philosophy for Mists of Pandaria.

Well, we're constantly experimenting with quests, and in Cataclysm, we created some pretty linear zones, as I'm sure you might've noticed. Some really big story arcs and big finishes. Certainly like in Mount Hyjal, we phased a huge amount of the zone, which worked because it was a pretty linear zone. A couple drawbacks, though: It was a shame that on your second or third time through, you had to play it exactly the same way. You know, you kinda lose some of that open-world feeling, you lose a little bit of that exploration when it's linear like that. But we loved the storytelling, so what we wanted to do with Mists was keep that kind of storytelling but make sure that you have the opportunity to go out and explore and experience the expansion differently, so ... let's see.

Continue reading Mists of Pandaria: Dave "Fargo" Kosak interview

WoW InsiderMists of Pandaria: Dave "Fargo" Kosak interview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>dave-kosakgarroshgarrosh-hellscreammistsmists-of-pandariamoppandarenpandariaquest-designquest-designerquestingquestsstoryMichael SaccoMon, 19 Mar 2012 18:00:00 ESTMists of Pandaria: Chris Metzen interviewhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-chris-metzen-interview/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-chris-metzen-interview/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-chris-metzen-interview/#commentsFiled under: ,

Chris Metzen, senior VP of Story and Franchise Development, the man behind the story of World of Warcraft, was gracious enough to sit down with WoW Insider for an interview at the Mists of Pandaria press event. Chris discusses Garrosh and the Siege of Orgrimmar, Varian Wrynn, neutral factions, older expansion races, WoW's newfound story freedom, and more.

WoW Insider: The big thing that really struck me from your talk at the beginning was this whole Garrosh thing, because that just seemed so bold. Did you have a longstanding plan to do that with Garrosh's arc, or did it just seem like the right thing to do for this particular expansion?

CM: I would say Garrosh remaining Warchief ... his term as Warchief was always going to be ... brief. Bringing him up, you know, Alex Afrasiabi created this character for Outland, hanging out in Garadar, and he was just written so well. I just went, "Wow, this character's really bitchin'. Let's leverage him forward, let's get him going." We always knew we would make him Warchief, but that would be a short reign. It's not his Horde. So what's totally funny to me is, as we've been talking about for the past couple of days and throwing it out to people and they were going, "W-what! You can't get rid of him! We love him!" As compared to two years ago, when people went, "What the hell were you thinking, Blizzard? This character sucks! You ruined my Horde! You ruined everything! What the hell are you guys smoking over there!" So it's been funny seeing going from absolute hate, recognizing fans are so incensed about it ... We're just spinning fiction, you know? We're spinning stories. We said, "This'll be good for the franchise. It's gonna be bumpy for a while, but it'll be fun."

Continue reading Mists of Pandaria: Chris Metzen interview

WoW InsiderMists of Pandaria: Chris Metzen interview originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Michael SaccoMon, 19 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST