Sometimes, after a long night of levelling, raiding and slaying countless Horde I sit back and think of what else I want to see in World of Warcraft. I think of little perks and massive changes...I think of...the Guild Hall. For those of you who have watched the internet series The Guild you may remember certain episodes featuring the introduction of the Guild Hall into the MMO that the characters in the series play. If you haven't seen it, then here's one episode below (it's less than 10 minutes long, fear not).
Ever since I watched season 4 of The Guild I have always wondered what WoW would be like with the introduction of Guild Halls to the game - places where guilds can meet, hang out, store items and customise the appearance of the hall to suit them. Of course, it would be a pretty big task and with the millions of people playing WoW it might be a little difficult, but there are other MMO's such as Runes of Magic that allow you to have your own home, and rumour has it that Elder Scrolls Online will be the same. Why not have a little haven where you can escape the deadly lag of Stormwind and the endless gold trolls on Trade Chat? Of course it would cost a fair bit of gold to actually craft a hall and the guild would have to be level 25 in order to unlock it in order to keep some order, but it would be well worth the effort.
It might be a big thing to ask, but if Blizzard did this I would be so happy - it might make up for the Pet Battles and various changes that are to come in Mists of Pandaria. What do you guys think - do you like the idea of a Guild Hall or are there other changes you want made to WoW?
Well, it would seem that my fellow bloggers are still missing - I reckon the aliens are planting strange chips in their necks for when they are returned to me. I was going to do a Skyrim update today, but then I realized that the Mists of Pandaria update goes live today, and whilst it may not be the best looking expansion in the world, all you Warcrafters had better try it out.
If, like me, you're a World of Warcraft Annual Pass holder you will definitely be given a place as a beta tester before they start letting everyone else in. They're doing it in waves and I'm still waiting for my email. I knew the Annual Pass would have its perks [insert evil laughter].
If you don't have the Annual Pass then there is no need to be disappointed or feel like you're going to miss out - because you're not. If you don't want to commit to a one year contract to become an Annual Pass holder then all you have to do is 'opt-in' to the beta. Clink this link and it will take you to the page that links you to your battle.net account. You know, if you do sign up for the Annual Pass you get Diablo III for free...free...free...
As soon as I get my confirmation email I'll be straight on here telling you all about what's happening in the latest WoW expansion pack. As any screens and information form this beta are allowed to be published I have every reason to show you guys just what this expansion is going to be like, and with rumours of the Cloud Dragon mount who wouldn't be excited?
Well, it would appear that my fellow bloggers were abducted by aliens and failed to inform me that they would be missing for over a week. Obviously, I wasn't invited to the abduction party and have been left wondering where in all the galaxies they are and whether or not they've been eaten or are being treated like some strange gods some weird alien race. That's actually a pretty funny image...
Artists Impression...
So, whilst they were gone I started writing the next instalment of Valhalla's Adventures in Skyrim. However, it's not finished yet and so I'm afraid you'll have to wait until next week (I'm sorry!). So, I'm sitting here on a Monday evening scratching my head and wondering what to write about. Once I manage to scrape enough money together I'll be picking up Mass Effect 3 because I know there are some of you who wanted a walkthrough and you are going to get it even if it takes us a little while. It looks really awesome and I need it on my game shelf. I really do.
Every week I'm going to be starting something new on our YouTube Channel. It's called The Bloggers Corner where my currently abducted co-bloggers and myself will be providing you with videos about all sorts of games, consoles and accessories. It may also inspire you to send us your videos with your own opinions on certain games, consoles and other technological things. Make sure you check it out - the first entry will be up this weekend with yours truly.
Now for a little bit of gaming news for all your World of Warcrafters - an it's pretty exciting. Most of you will know about the Scroll of Resurrection. You know, the one that you send to your friends and it will give them seven days of WoW time free? Yeah, there's nothing super special about that. Well, there never used to be. The Scroll of Resurrection just got ten times more awesome, Blizzard have really outdone themselves here. It will give you the incentive to send out as many scrolls as your tiny mouse can click on. What are these rewards, I hear you ask? Well, just take a look.
Send your friend a Scroll of Resurrection which can be found in the friends panel on your WoW screen, or do it from your Battle.net account.
Your friend receives it and opens it, not expecting what comes inside. Your friend will receive the following:
- a FREE upgrade to Cataclysm
- ANY character boosted to level 80 instantly (you can even make a new one)
- FREE realm/faction change to the same realm/faction as your friend (or either one)
- 7 days of game time for FREE
Yeah, you want to be receiving this in your inbox.
For those of you who send the invitation you will get an extra special gift as soon as your friend buys 30 days of WoW time. You have a choice of:
- A Spectral Gryphon for Alliance players
Bold and mighty Gryphon
- A Spectral Wind Rider for Horde players
Nice Kitty...
They're pretty good looking mounts, wouldn't you agree?
If I were you I would go out and find a player who has an inactive account and needs a scroll. Go forth and find that poor player and receive your mount! Or, go find someone to resurrect you and reap the benefits. Go on little Warcrafters, go on and find those awesome gifts!
You know what, I posted this on Saturday. However, I went to check everything out today and what did I find? This was a draft. I was pretty irritated. So, I figured I should hit the publish button after writing this little note explaining why this post is so darn late.
Valhalla
Hey there, everyone. A little post today - something light and refreshing for you all. The new Chuck Norris World of Warcraft advert was released not long ago, and so I thought it might be fun to stick up a load of WoW ads that contain famous people such as Ozzy Osbourne and Mr. T. Sit back, relax and enjoy these thirty second ads. Happy viewing, guys!
Here's another of Valhalla's WoW updates. I know, I haven't done one in a while, but to be honest nothing much has happened recently. My internet connection is so poor that I can't even do Heroic dungeons or raids. Yes, it really does suck. So, I do what I can with what I have and I make do with what's available to me. I'm not a huge fan of PvP, I much prefer the whole PvE thing, but as I can't do anything other than Battlegrounds, I have little choice by to start up PvP. As a result, I've been working hard to build a season 10 armour set so that I can at least do a decent job when it comes to kicking Horde ass (you heard me, I'm Alliance. Come at me, Hordie). All I've really been up to is the usually trotting along the snowy roads of Azeroth. I figured you guys might like to know what I've been doing in Azeroth, so here it goes.
I've only been able to play properly today and yesterday, every other time I've only been able to log on for a half hour or so before more homework has to be done or some such abomination. Wednesday and Thursday night, however, was reserved for some hardcore Warcrafting. With Patch 4.3 downloading, I grabbed myself a mug of warm milk (yeah, totally manly) and sat myself down, knowing that I wouldn't be moving for quite some time. This, is Wednesday night with Findor.
I logged on, excited about chatting with my guild again. Well, I say chatting, but they don't really talk to me much, I guess it's because I'm new to the guild, they don't really seem to care. My old guild was much better for chatting (but they didn't like me much), but you have to make do with what you have. I said a merry good evening to my guild and received some grumbled "hi"'s in response. They went back to nattering about other things pretty fast. I decided that tonight was a night for gear gathering, and although I knew that I'd probably only get one piece that evening, I was determined. After all, the fact that I can't do Heroics and such means that my Item Level is a mere 341, which is pretty poor for a level 85. As a result, I started queueing up for random BG's, ready to slaughter some enemy players. I worked long and hard, but I was finally able to afford the best helmet I've ever had. Just look at it - the definition of awesome.
Anyway, I just wanted to show off my new helmet as I'm rather proud of it. Now to get to what this post is all about - the best glitch in the world.
Yesterday, I went to the Ruins of Gilneas. As a regular victim of lag, I was bound to experience difficulties at some point in the evening. As my friend and I were flying to Gilneas I was suddenly hit by a massive wave of lag that lasted several minutes. After a little while I was sure that the lag was gone and things were back to normal - after all I could message other players and the like - so I continued on my way. When I reached Gilneas I dismounted so that I could enjoy the city and explore the ruins further - it's like the ancient history of Azeroth. It was then that something strange began to happen. Aspect of the Cheetah wasn't activated, yet I was running incredibly fast and my arms were bent in an odd manner. I found it amusing and ignored what was happening. It was only when my character jumped that I realized something was up. I hit the spacebar and all of a sudden I began to fly. I was flying without a mount. I mean, my mount was activated by it wasn't visible. It felt amazing, swimming through the sky, floating around the abandoned buildings. It certainly was the best glitch in the world and my favourite.
After a while, I got bored and decided to log out. When I logged back in I was all the way back at Ironforge. Turns out that the game hadn't even registered my arrival at Gilneas. No matter, it was such an awesome thing to happen that I felt I should share it with you guys. Here are some pictures of me flying through the skies of Gilneas.
As a side note, I plan on creating a beginners guide to WoW on the blog, something brief yet helpful to new players. Also, look out for the Gamers Dictionary which is currently under development and will always be added to. Hope you guys enjoyed the mini update, our next post is on Saturday so stay tuned!
At Blizzcon this year it was announced that a new World of Warcraft expansion would be released. Its name, Mists of Pandaria. Since it’s been announced we’ve seen a lot of opinions on the content that has been released so far, and whilst some of what we’ve seen written is good, a lot of it has been pretty bad. So, in this post we’ll tell you what we know so far about the new expansion and as information is released, we’ll be sure to keep you Warcrafters updated.
I have a WoW character named Findor who is on the EU realm Mazrigos. Titus’ laptop is evil and so currently he can’t play WoW, but we’re working on that one (I WILL have him playing). During the WoW posts that aren’t related to this awesome new expansion (such as posts on the upcoming Patch 4.3) we’ll most likely follow the adventures of out characters through festivals and changes in the game.
So, in this post, let’s have a look at the latest information released regarding Mists of Pandaria.
New Race
“Couched in myth and legend, rarely seen and even more rarely understood, the enigmatic pandaren have long been a mystery to the other races of Azeroth. The noble history of the pandaren people stretches back thousands of years, well before the empires of man and before even the sundering of the world.” – Blizzard.
Yes, the pandaren. A new and exciting race that looks just like...well, pandas. This is Blizzard’s first neutral race as you can choose whether your pandaren will be Horde or Alliance. From what I’ve read (and this is in need of confirmation) you begin as a pandaren with no set faction and choose which side to take before leaving the starting area. Some players have said that this is a step forward for Blizzard, that being able to choose your faction gives the player that little bit more freedom. However, I would have to agree with those who claim it to be a bad idea, that choosing your own faction is a little pointless and just adds confusion to a simple game. I also believe this new race to lack creativity and bear (oh, the pun here was SO unintended) too much resemblance to ‘Kung-Fu Panda’.
As with all races, the pandaren come with their own lore which has been fantastically worded by Blizzard, and I would feel as though I had defiled their work if I shortened and summarised it. So, here is the currently available lore straight from Blizzard’s website.
“Denizens of a wondrous and fertile land, the pandaren once labored under the oppressive thumb of a monstrous race of ancient warlords known as the Mogu. Through tenacity, diplomacy, and a unique form of unarmed combat, the pandaren staged a successful revolution that deposed the Mogu and established a pandaren empire that would prosper for thousands of years.
During the bleak days that preceded the sundering of the world, when demons flooded onto Azeroth and threw the entirety of the mortal realm into jeopardy, the last Emperor of the pandaren discovered a way to protect his land from the devastation. His deal with fate shrouded his land within an impenetrable mist for ten thousand years, but the nature of his transaction has left Pandaria haunted ever since...
Wanderlust
It is the rare pandaren indeed who sought a way beyond the mist. Generations ago, pandaren explorers began to gather on the back of a giant turtle: Shen-zin Su. The great sea turtle roamed Azeroth's oceans, perhaps the only contact pandaren had with the outside world. Eventually, they too lost contact with their mist-shrouded homeland.
Players who choose to create a pandaren character will start their journey on the back of Shen-zin Su. When the great turtle is threatened, and their whole wandering homeland is in jeopardy of being swallowed by the sea, players will have to accelerate their training and spring into action.
During their time on the turtle, players will first encounter the Alliance and Horde. Before they are finished, they'll have to make the most important decision of their lives: Which of the two factions will they support as they venture out to heal a world broken by the Cataclysm and threatened by a global war?” - Blizzard
Racial abilities and available classes
The pandaren, as with other races, have their own racial abilities which are listed below.
EPICUREAN
Increases the stat benefits from food by 100%
GOURMAND
Cooking skill increased by 15.
INNER PEACE
Your rested experience bonus lasts twice as long.
BOUNCY
You take 50% less falling damage.
(How cute is that!?)
QUAKING PALM
You touch a secret pressure point on an enemy target, putting it to sleep for 3 seconds.
The classes available to the pandaren are:
-Monk
-Hunter
-Mage
-Priest
-Rogue
-Shaman
-Warrior
Did you just say there was a Monk class?
Yes, yes I did. If you’ve ever played table top games like Dungeons and Dragons or Castles and Crusades, you may be familiar with the Monks, martial artists and masters of chi and energy. Well, the soon to be introduced Monks are very much like this. They are experts in martial arts (a form of fighting introduced by the pandaren masters) and are also able to use chi energy expertly. They can be Tanks (defence), DPS (Damage (per second)) and Healers (kind of obvious there) in raids, dungeons and battlegrounds.
Monks can wear cloth and leather armour and are able to wield fist weapons, one handed axes, one handed maces, one handed swords, polearms and staves (which seems like a fair selection of weapons). Instead of mana they use chi in order to use special abilities (for example, the move ‘roll’ which enabled the pandaren to roll a short distance requires 50 chi to use). Blizzard have only released three of the abilities that will be used by Monks, one being roll and the others are named spinning crane kick and statue of the jade serpent. The class is available to all races in each faction, like the Death Knight class in Wrath of the Lich King.
Other new features
So far, Blizzard has only released two additional features to the public and they are: challenge modes and pet battle system. Let’s learn a little bit about each of these new features.
Challenge Mode
The aim of this mode: finish the dungeon as fast as possible and try to beat its best completion time. Through that you can earn a bronze, silver or gold medal.Your armour will be neutralised, meaning that your own armour is temporarily stripped from you and replaced with armour that is suitable for the instance you are entering in challenge mode – making it fair for everyone who is entering. For this mode it is vital that you work as a team in order to achieve the best possible time. You can compare your medals with everyone else in the realm.
The rewards:so far we have been told there will be new armour art (patch 4.3 stay tuned for more info on this), mount drops and titles. Blizzard claim there is more, but what it is I have no idea.
Pet Battle System
Hello, my name is Professor Oak. Welcome to the world of Pok—Huh?
No, you haven’t reached the world of Pokémon, Blizzard has just created something similar. Yes, now WoW is appealing to all ages as vanity pets gain the ability to battle each other and level up. Have you always wanted to destroy your best friend’s Lil’ Deathwing? Well, now you can. Your vanity pets each have their own special abilities that they can use when battling each other. Every time they fight, they gain experience points and are able to level up, unlocking new moves and becoming even more powerful than before.
That was bad, but I promise you, it gets worse. You can now catch vanity pets in the wild. Yes, you heard me – the wild. So, whilst strolling through the forests of Azeroth you may come across a vanity pet. Upon crossing its path you will open a battle sequence which will allow you to fight said pet with your own and/or catch it. Not only that, but lurking in Azeroth are vanity pet trainers, who may offer to teach your pets great tricks or challenge you to a battle with your pets in order for them to receive training. In Blizzards words “make a name for yourself as Azeroth’s most renowned pet trainer!” Can Nintendo sue them for this? I mean seriously, can they? What is Blizzard doing!?
So, what are your thoughts on the latest expansion so far? Do you think that the new pet battle system is great, or perhaps you agree with me on that one? Whatever your thoughts on the latest information, share it with us – we would love to know.
Here’s the trailer for Mists of Pandaria as released by Blizzard.
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