Project Lore

Project Lore made their way through the second boss in Utgarde Keep in the Wrath of the Lich King beta this week. The guys had tons of fun rolling through the trash but had a couple of hiccups once they found Dalronn the Controller and Skarvald the Constructor. Eventually they took down the second pair of bosses with style. Remember that stuff in the beta is constantly changing! Here's each episode's link in case you missed something: Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.7 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.8 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.9 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.10 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.11 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.12 (Wrap-Up) Before we got started with this week's videos, we finally found out the release date for Wrath of the Lich King. 11.13.08. Nope, we didn't make that date up. The price and pack-ins were also announced for the WotLK Collector's Edition. We also found out that Onyxia's attunement would be lifted, temporarily. Random Heroes escaped certain death by bunny, and more is coming every week. SaintGermain keeps the Life Lessons coming, and iTZKoopA kicked off a series about designing dungeons and encounters with an idea for a hybrid PvE and PvP raid. We would like to thank everyone who participated in our Trash Mobs Poll. We got some great feedback, and it seems like you guys want longer episodes, so we'll do our best! Keep up with all of the happenings here with the Episodes RSS feed, the Blog RSS feed, or Twitter, and join our Facebook Group, Facebook Page, and MySpace! You can head to our subscribe page to find us on some of your other favorite sites. Remember to get over to the Lore Store to grab a Project Lore T-Shirt!

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Last week my planned piece was interrupted by news of the awesome Heirloom Items.  The article was almost further delayed by International Talk Like A Pirate Day, but Juggynaut handled that topic.  So without further delay is my first Designing A Dungeon post. The goal of these posts is to try to come up with creative dungeon ideas, from a gameplay stand point.  Feel free to link in any boss fight designs, lore, art aspects or things of that nature, I will simply be speaking from a overview gameplay standpoint.  That also means that these dungeon ideas won't be concerned with petty details like “guild ruining”, just creative semi-original designs.  If you have encountered a dungeon like the one I am talking about in another game (or perhaps the Wrath of the Lich King beta), by all means mention it!

PvP Racing Raid

I thought of this dungeon shortly after Blackwing Lair was released and yet it still has not been implemented anywhere I know of.  Players who dislike blending of PvE and PvP probably won't be a big fan of this design but I think it sounds like a lot of fun. The idea is to have a short, linear, indoor, raid instance.  For the sake of the instance's longevity it should be created to be the hardest instance in the game for sometime.  Therefore, it would have to be a launch instance or part of a large content patch. After downing the “end boss” players will be able to open a gate into a giant PvP Arena - think the Coliseum - to fight an outdoor raid boss.  Here's the catch, the outdoor boss is outside the instance and actually an outdoor boss.  This encounter would naturally have a loot table that is a bit better than the instance and the boss should have a very large model. The design basically forces raids to race to finish the instance as fast as possible so they can get to the outdoor boss.  The encounter with the outdoor boss would be designed to take a fair amount of time to complete.  This would promote the epic struggle of two or more raids going after the same boss, while having to deal with each other.  That kind of battle is the ultimate goal of the design. The racing would definitely be an aspect that only very hardcore guilds would concern themselves with but I believe the hardcore deserve a little more “exclusive” content.

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Avast! The fine fellas at Blizzard have hopped on the holiday that be growin' every year, International Talk Like A Pirate Day. September 19th be the day that captains n land lubbers alike be speakin' with style and flair only fit for a pirate. T' celebrate this momentous occasion, Dread Captain DeMeza, Scourge of the South Seas be perched atop the Auction House in Booty Bay, lending a fine set of threads to all who drink with her. Goblin Commoners be givin' out lesser attire all over the lands. Okay, I can only keep that up for so long. I've never been much of a Pirate Talker, but Kisirani has confirmed that this event is for one day only, so have fun while it lasts. There is also apparently no loot to be had, which is a little unfortunate, though understandable considering the short duration of the holiday. There is still plenty of novelty in the new pirate outfits. Both costumes are temporary buffs that dress you like me in the picture (I'm in the middle). The only equipped items visible on your avatar will be whatever is in your hands. The buff given by the Goblin Commoners lasts for one hour, while the one bestowed by the Dread Captain herself will last up to 12. Both are lost whenever a shapeshift is cast, which is too bad for druids and shaman, but the 12 hour version lasts through death (I didn't get a chance to test the 1 hour version). This is a very good thing, considering there are no guards immediately surrounding the Captain who gives it. So, lots of ganking is bound to occur in BB for the next day or so. I've already had some fun with PvP in Booty Bay as a pirate, so come on out and join the fun! What do you all think of this short holiday?

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The first major raid instance to be added to World of Warcraft is getting modified once again. The encounter with Onyxia will not be changed but the process to get to her will. Blizzard Poster Valnoth updated the community via the beta forums that the attunement requirements for Onyxia's Lair will finally be lifted. Valnoth failed to mention when the change would go live – patch 3.0.2 or Wrath's launch – but did give us a good reason for the change. The modification has been made due to lore presented in Wrath that will see the return of King Wyrnn to Stormwind. With Onyxia's, Black Temple's and Karazhan's attunement processes removed, the next two oldest raid instances take over as the most annoying. Once the change is made, Blackwing Lair and Molten Core will have the longest attunement processes in the game (although longer ones may be added later). It should be noted that this is actually a temporary change. Blizzard plans on reinstating Onyxia's attunement process by adjusting the questline to fit with the Wrath timeline. However, those changes will not be made in time for Wrath's launch. I have been doing Onyxia on and off for a few months in an attempt to get all my main characters an assortment of cheap 18 slot bags. But the removal of the attunement process will allow a few more of my characters to get the bags without going through that incredibly long process. If anyone else out there needs some 18 slot bags on the cheap that isn't already attuned, make sure you start grinding them during this window of opportunity. My question to you is, do you think she will Deep Breath more after the change?

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Here's this week's installment of Random Heroes. Here are links to last week's comic and all of the Random Heroes comics.

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A few weeks ago WoW Insider did an article on a pair of users hooking up their treadmills to World of Warcraft.  Yesterday they added to that piece with numerous stories from their readers about how they work out during their WoW playtime.  Apparently a lot of players do the treadmill/walking thing while strolling around Azeroth with some losing 10, 20 even 100 pounds! The stories got me thinking.  What the hell do I do when I play WoW?  Growing up in the age of multi-tasking causes me to get bored with one thing quickly.  Some would call that ADHD but I just consider it being efficient! Most of these things I do while just messing around in World of Warcraft or during downtime.  However, there are many that I have done while raiding, for better or worse.  Some of my more common WoW sidebars are:

• Browsing the web/checking e-mail/WoWHead etc (dual screen ftw).
• Writing/researching articles for my various websites.
• Drinking/eating.
• Working at my day job.
• Playing other games – I played Paper Mario (N64) start to finish during Molten Core downtime.
• Playing with my ferrets.
• Watch TV, movies and sports (especially the NFL).
• mIRCing.

I have never done any exercise to speak of while actually playing WoW.  Unlike the people mentioned in the WoW Insider stories, I usually do mine while waiting for something in WoW.  Case in point, I bought a few dozen stacks of neatherweave cloth to transmute into bandages.  I spent the time it take to make 400 bandages jumping rope and doing push-ups.  I think I managed one push-up... The most fun I ever had with one of these distractions was playing WoW at a party.  And I don't really mean a LAN party, I mean a party with tons of drinking, stupidity and breaking of things.  At this party a few friends and I (okay so we did have some computers hooked up, it was a Guild party after all) managed to raid Molten Core and Onyxia.  What made it fun is that we all switched classes, playing different accounts - after they logged us in of course.  Coincidently, we ended up playing classes we had never raided with before.  We had also been drinking and were distracted by everyone else around.  Hilarity and newfound respect for each other ensued. What do you guys do outside of WoW to kill the downtime?

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Ever feel like you found a dungeon, zone, or raid that was just made for you? Depending on your class, spec, and general play style some places just click with the way you play. As a protection paladin I've been close to experiencing this a few times. The Plaguelands were full of undead and great paladin lore. It was definitely one of the first places my tankadin felt at home. Further down the road there was Kara. A masterfully designed instance, and again crawling with undead. This had to be it right? Not quite. After all this time playing my Pally, I am proud to announce I have found my place. My "Zen" instance. The raid to end all raids for the protection paladin: Mount Hyjal. I zoned in there for the first time ever a few weeks ago, and it all just feels right. Waves of mobs just charging into my consecrate, piles of undead that I can blast with my Holy Wrath, and pulling stray mobs off an over zealous DPS is just an exorcism away. Even the bosses are all demons, sending our threat through the roof. I know we are designed for AOE tanking, and this instance seems to be designed for us. For those that have never seen the raid, Hyjal is set up much different than others. It is similar to the 5-man instance The Black Morass. You must survive waves of undead that descend upon various towns you must protect. Instead of pulling the instance, the mobs come to you. After you have downed 8 waves you get greeted by a boss. It can be rather hectic, but with all these mobs charging into your raid the Prot Paladin is invaluable for keeping everything under control. I have never had more fun in a raid than I did my first night in Hyjal. Not only did I get to tank in a way I never have before, I even showed up in the top 10 of the DPS chart! I think I am in love. We still have a ways to go, and I know there is an obstacle or two in our way, but I am thoroughly looking forward to working through this instance. I've heard from many people that this instance gets repetitive and tiresome after a while, but I have a feeling I will be enjoying it much longer than others. What about you guys? What zones seem designed for your class? Where are you in your element? Surely there are other zones that seem to be such a good fit for various classes and specs. So what are yours? If there isn't one, what would it take to make one? I'd be curious to know.

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It's as true in WoW as it is in RL: if you don't know what you have to do or don't understand what you are doing, then for heaven's (or the party's) sake, please, please ask. Here's the simple fact: when you begin something new, there's a good chance you will have no idea what you're doing unless you get some help. You probably did not start playing WoW knowing everything in the game. Sure maybe you read a few sites, 'trained' by  playing other games before or had some friends tell you about it, but for the most part, it was on the job training. And that's probably true about any job you have ever done if RL: You probably did not start knowing everything. Maybe you read up on it, trained by doing other jobs before or had some friends tell you about it, but for the most part, it was on the job training. But all in all, when something came up in WoW that you had no idea about, what did you do? When was the first time your group wiped because someone thought they knew what was supposed to happen or, worse yet, they thought they knew what might happen? Did they pull a Leroy Jenkins and not ask what the plan was? Did they fear a group of mobs into another pat? Or on the more benign side, did they rush in and not wait for everyone to get the follow-up quest? Chances are somebody did not bothered to ask because they felt like they would be called a noob. Well f-that. It all could have been avoided if they just asked. And RL is just the same. If you don't know, ask or you'll wipe. It's better to ask than to have to do something over and over and over again... ugghhhhh! Just ask.

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Yesterday, we were one of the first to announce the official release date for Wrath of the Lich King.  The faithful day is just over two months from now, since this month is actually September.  A few hours after the announcement, Blizzard updated their page with the addition of the expected Collector's Edition of Wrath of the Lich King. Here are the goodies included in the Collector's Edition for those who may have missed the announcement:

• A 208 page book entitled The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King chock full of never-before-seen images.
• An exclusive non-combat baby frosty wyrm.  (This also unlocks an achievement)
• Behind-the-scenes DVD featuring developer interviews, the Wrath of the Lich King cinematic with commentary, and more.
• The official 21 track soundtrack CD.
• A Northrend mousepad.
• Two WoW TCG March of the Legion starters decks and two exclusive cards only available via the Collector's Edition.

The normal edition of Wrath is coming in at a $39.99 price point while the Collector's Edition is receiving a steep 75% market up to $69.99. The Collector's Edition of the second expansion is now equal in price to many full titles.  At first I was pretty upset at this.  For me the last two items are basically worthless perks.  The soundtrack and DVD are more of a one shot deal, as the information in the DVD probably isn't worth seeing a second time.  I addressed my appreciation for Blizzard's game music previously, and my opinion stands. In the end this means that I would simply be paying $30 for the art book and the non-combat pet.  I am not sure of the sell rate of collector's editions but if Blizzard manages to sell WotLK CE to even 5% of its subscription base then the “rare” pet is actually owned by over 500,000 other players.  Not that exclusive. But honestly, who am I kidding?  Of course I am going to get the Collector's Edition.  It isn't like any sort of whining would get Blizzard to change their mind anyways, it's to close to release for them to change production. That being said here is some items I would appreciate far more:

• Allowing purchasers to download and install the title ahead of time – think Steam's pre-loading service.
• Small action figures of the universe's main characters.
• An exclusive item other than a non-combat pet.  A spiffy cloth map that I could frame in my "nerd room" would be awesome.
• An invitation to a future Blizzard title's beta phase.
• A collectible t-shirt in sizes other than XXXL.

With the exception of the t-shirt item, all of these are fairly straight forward additions.  Allowing pre-loading would be the most exciting feature for me.  Heck, that way you can order the item online, sans tax and possibly shipping, and still start at launch.  That ability and the art book alone would have me paying the mark up and viewing the rest as just gravy. So are you as big a sucker as I am?

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A few things happened this weekend that have me worried about my PvE excursions for the week. As you can see by our chilly site, Blizzard Entertainment has officially announced Wrath of the Lich King's release date. Wrath is officially set to launch November 13, just shy of two months from now. Why does the launch of the second expansion have me worried? Simple. With a new expansion coming so soon, many players will go into a coma of sorts. Most will simply cut back on their playtime.   Perhaps in a squirrel like effort to store it up for Wrath's inevitable push to level 80. Then there are the players who will no longer see a point in putting the time in, when any activity they pursue will change drastically in a months time. Especially when the change will make all those efforts fruitless. Many guilds will take a break from their normal schedules and perform some house cleaning as they wait for the new content. The launch of patch 3.0.2 – which hit the PTR this weekend as well – will keep many people interested but I doubt my guild will be performing any Karazhan badge runs again. That is one half of the battle though.  So what was the other thing that has me worried about my PvE plans? Well, a little game called Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has gone live. The game isn't actually out until September 18th but Mythic Entertainment and Electronic Arts have a head start program if you pre-order the title. If you ordered the Collector's Edition, one of the bonuses is getting the server to yourself for two days.   That started on Sunday morning.  Then the people who pre-ordered the normal edition join you for two days before the game launches to everyone. I know many of my guild mates are interested in WAR, so if they aren't put off by the closeness of Wrath then they may head there to check out the title. Blizzard's recent timing of various announcements - a new round of beta keys, PTR character copying enabled and official release date – are an obvious diversion tactic from WAR as well. Thinking about it further I am not worried about raiding anymore.  Now I am just hoping my main's guild still exists two months from now.

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